5/29/14 Hamilton & Franklin Counties
I found Olive-sided Flycatchers at two remote areas in Spring Pond Bog. On the way home, I drove through Sabattis Circle Road and found two adult Gray Jays foraging insects along the road. I got out and began to photograph them when I was completely covered in Black Flies! The dinner hour is the worst time for these insects, so I gave up the photographs! 5/30/14 Hamilton & St. Lawrence Counties I found Olive-sided Flycatchers in two areas along the trail to Dead Creek at Wanakena. I did not find Rusty Blackbirds, but my hike was rained out, so I'll try again soon. A Mourning Warbler sang outside our house all day. They have been a breeding species on our Long Lake property for at least a decade and a half now. I keep thinking the habitat is growing up too much, but they keep returning! 5/31/14 Essex and Franklin Counties On a tour with 3 people from Long Island, NY and 1 person from McLean Virginia, we visited the following areas: A dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain, birding on the way to Bloomingdale, Bloomingdale and Spring Pond Bog locations. We encountered strong winds and blowing fog on Whiteface (& it was cold - but no insects as a result!). Many Bicknell's Thrushes sang and called and we had a few glimpses of this elusive species. We had lovely views of a singing Mourning Warbler, male Black-backed Woodpecker, and Olive-sided Flycatcher. A Gray Fox was observed on our nocturnal drive to Whiteface. We found the following 70 species (including 19 warbler species): Canada Goose Ruffed Grouse Turkey Vulture Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Mourning Dove Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - nest cavity; foraging male in the Bloomingdale area; another male in the Spring Pond Bog area Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher - wonderful to see this bird and hear it singing! Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo - heard Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay Blue Jay Amer. Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Cliff Swallow - adorable! Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Veery Bicknell's Thrush - many singing/calling birds with a few brief views Swainson's Thrush Amer. Robin European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler - nice views! Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Indigo Bunting Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch Amer. Goldfinch Jutta Arctic was the abundant butterfly at Bloomingdale Bog! Late May is the best time to find this species in our area. I posted two photos to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . (One taken on 5/31 and one on 6/1) I think of Tom Fiore each year when I see this butterfly - he was the one many years ago that told me all about the Jutta Arctic! I also posted two photos of the singing Olive-sided Flycatcher. 6/1/14 Hamilton, Essex, and Franklin Counties On a tour with a man from McLean, Virginia, we visited the following areas: Nocturnal birding at 4 locations in Hamilton and Franklin Counties, dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain, birding on the way to Bloomingdale, Bloomingdale and Spring Pond Bog locations. We had clear, calm conditions on Whiteface Mountain with a lovely sunrise. Many Bicknell's Thrushes sang and called and we had two nice views - I added 4 photos of one bird to my Facebook page. The nesting Boreal Chickadee was active and we observed it foraging and vocalizing for several minutes. We had wonderful, long views of a Philadelphia Vireo for about an hour. It stayed high in the aspens as it foraged and sang, so our necks were sore! Here are the 73 species found: Canada Goose Mallard Ruffed Grouse Common Loon - heard along Sabattis Circle Road Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Wilson's Snipe Amer. Woodcock Broad-winged Hawk Ring-billed Gull Mourning Dove Barred Owl - 3 at the Little Tupper Lake outlet along Sabattis Circle Road (a pair vocalizing back and forth and another owl on the opposite side of the lake) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - nest cavity; and another bird calling near us and flying overhead. Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo - nice views! Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay Amer. Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - nice views of a vocalizing/foraging bird up on Whiteface Mountain! Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Veery Bicknell's Thrush - many singing/calling birds with two nice views! Swainson's Thrush Amer. Robin Gray Catbird European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Indigo Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch Amer. Goldfinch The other Jutta Arctic photo was taken on this man's binoculars! It stayed on his binoculars for several minutes! In addition to the Bicknell's Thrush, Jutta Arctic, and Olive-sided Flycatcher photos, I also added a photo of a Pink Lady's Slipper (Wanakena), and a Great Horned Owl (Spring Pond Bog) to my Facebook page. 6/4/14 Long Lake The Mourning Warbler is singing away outside our house this morning, so it looks like the aging habitat is still acceptable! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
