News & Views

On June 3, ten SCAS members headed for Sapsucker Woods to visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We welcomed our newest member, Cathy Coon, who joined us for the trip. It was a pleasant ride with beautiful scenery and we were fortunate enough to also have nice weather for the outing. After our arrival, we took a short walk on some of the trails. It was amazing how many birds we saw in such a short amount of time and in a small area.

After the walk we went inside to view the breath-taking art work on exhibit by Sue DeLearie Adair, and some of us visited the gift shop. Then we enjoyed a picnic lunch at Cayuga Lake where one of our observant members made an unusual siting! There was a Northern Water Snake on the shore attempting to eat an invasive Round Goby. Most of us had never seen a goby before. They are small soft bodied fish with large protruding eyes. Their pelvic fins are fused to form a single disc on their belly which is shaped like a suction cup. The goby ranges in size from 4” to 10”. For more information on this unusual invasive fish, check it out on the internet.

— Pat Cocot
   Warblings, Fall 2015