On a tour with 3 birders from NYC & NJ this past Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (6/7 through 6/9/14), we spent 2 days in boreal and mixed habitats (Franklin & Essex Counties), and one day in the St. Lawrence Valley (Jefferson & St. Lawrence Counties). We found 126 species! The list included 21 warbler species, 5 vireo, 8 flycatcher, and 10 sparrow species. Here are some of the species from our trips:
June 7, 2014 (Dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain and lowland boreal birding in Bloomingdale and other mixed habitat areas) Some of the 54 species found: Sharp-shinned Hawk Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 at nest hole & a "changing of the guard" at the nest! Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Gray Jay Cliff Swallow - adorable! Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird - several including a pair on Whiteface's summit! Bicknell's Thrush - nice views! Swainson's Thrush Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Savannah Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Indigo Bunting Purple Finch We began on Whiteface in the cold with blowing fog. When the fog lifted, the Black Flies came out in droves and I received more bites than I can ever remember getting in my 18 years in the Adirondacks! I added photos of a female Black-backed Woodpecker, Bicknell's Thrush, and Magnolia Warbler from this outing to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . It was fascinating to see how the male Black-backed Woodpecker called in the female at their nest site. He tapped inside the hole and the female silently flew in. She waited near the hole until the male flew out and then she immediately took his place. After the female took over, a Red Squirrel began to vocalize nearby. As I've observed in the past, the female reacted and stuck her head out with bill pointed down. Red Squirrels often predate Black-backed Woodpecker nest sites. June 8, 2014 (Trip to the St. Lawrence Valley including Perch River WMA, DeKalb, and Upper-Lower Lakes WMA) Some of the 91 species found: Snow Goose - several pairs in different locations at Perch River! Wood Duck Ring-necked Duck Common Merganser Wild Turkey Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe American Bittern - many! Least Bittern - We had nice views (twice) of a flying bird at Perch River. A couple days earlier, I found one in a different location at Perch River. Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Osprey Broad-winged Hawk Virginia Rail - nice views! Common Gallinule American Coot Killdeer Wilson's Snipe American Woodcock Caspian Tern Black Tern - nice views! Common Tern Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker American Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Sedge Wren - 2; with wonderful views of one in a field at Perch River! Veery Wood Thrush Brown Thrasher Ovenbird Golden-winged Warbler - nice views! Blue-winged Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Eastern Towhee Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow - nice views! Swamp Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark Baltimore Oriole I photographed the singing Sedge Wren with my scope and iPhone adapter. There was something on the wren's neck. That night, when I moved the photos to my computer, it was clearly apparent that the wren had a tick on its neck. It seemed to bother the bird and it kept poking at its feathers below the tick with its bill. I added photos of the bird to my Facebook page. It was nice to meet Lee Ellsworth, Watertown birder, at Perch River on Sunday! June 9, 2014 (Massawepie road (not the mire) owling and dawn birding, and Spring Pond Bog) Here are some of the 70 species found: Ruffed Grouse - with brand new young! Wild Turkey - also with young! Common Loon - vocalizing on Massawepie Lake in the dark! Broad-winged Hawk Barred Owl - vocalizing from across Massawepie Lake Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Philadelphia Vireo Gray Jay - 2 adults with a juvenile! Boreal Chickadee - a pair with food for young! (The food looked like a small inch and a half long caterpillar!) Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush Ovenbird 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 Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Lincoln's Sparrow Scarlet Tanager - nice views! Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Purple Finch - nice views! I added a photo of lovely Spring Pond Bog with a carpet of cotton-grass and two photos of Labrador Tea in bloom to my Facebook page. 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/ --
