The Scarlet Tanager:
Although they might look small,
these fiery red birds migrate all
the way to the Gulf of Mexico,
without stopping, every winter.
WHERE TO FIND: Sapsucker
Woods, Six Mile Creek
PRIME TIME: Summer months
The Snow Goose:
Watch Out! Goose poop incoming!
Every year, over hundreds of thousands of
snow geese make a pit stop in Ithaca on their
journey to warmer weather
WHERE TO FIND: Around Cayuga Lake,
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
PRIME TIME: Late fall (October-November)
The Barred Owl:
These powerful woodland hunters are known for
being ferociously territorial, and some even
spend their entire lives in the same patch of
woods!
WHERE TO FIND: Sapsucker Woods, Cornell
Botanic Gardens
PRIME TIME: Year-round, at dusk or night
The Bald Eagle:
Once endangered, now thriving, these
massive birds aren’t to be messed with. With
eight-foot wingspans and three-inch-long
talons, these birds feast on squirrels, fish,
ducks, and even rabbits.
WHERE TO FIND: Lakefront trails, Meyers
Park
PRIME TIME: Year-round
Pileated Woodpecker:
This large woodpecker is known
for chiseling rectangular holes at
dangerously fast rates. They peck with
accelerations three times the human concussion
threshold but fly away unharmed. How? No one knows.
WHERE TO FIND: Buttermilk Falls, Monkey Run Natural Area
PRIME TIME: Year-round
The Great Blue Heron:
These tall, spear-fisherman-like
birds have a six-foot wingspan and
can swallow small mammals in
one gulp.
WHERE TO FIND: Along Cayuga
Lake, Stewart Park
PRIME TIME: Spring to fall
The Hooded Merganser:
These expert fishermen have a very unique shape that helps them
dive underwater. The hatchlings leave the nest within twenty-four
hours after hatching and go on to hunt fish for themselves.
WHERE TO FIND: Stewart Park, Cayuga Inlet
PRIME TIME: Spring to fall