[nysbirds-l] Boreal Birds/St. Lawrence Valley Birds/& a Snowy Owl report!
Ken McDermott sent a message that a friend of his had observed a Snowy Owl on an island in the St. Lawrence River (on the NY side of the river north of Chippewa Bay - St. Lawrence Co.) during a fishing trip. His friend photographed the bird and Ken sent the photo also. Quite an interesting August record for NY! Of course this follows a remarkable irruptive winter for this species in our area. Ten people took part in the field trip to the Roosevelt Truck Trail (Minerva in Essex Co.) on August 11, 2014 cosponsored by the Long Lake Parks and Recreation Department and Northern NY Audubon. Long Lake's "Little Bus" dropped us at the trailhead on the Blue Ridge Road and picked us up at the Route 28/N trailhead - so we had a thru-hike of 2.5 miles. The wildflowers and mushrooms were lovely along this trail through boreal habitat. We found the following species: Broad-winged Hawk Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - calling and rattling Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - at least 2 calling along the trail Blue Jay Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - at least 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet - abundant, and we observed adults feeding young! Hermit Thrush Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco At 7 p.m. that evening, my older son and I observed a Mink cross the road just before our driveway - heading toward our house! (See 8/8/14 report below) I took a late day excursion to the Spring Pond Bog area (Franklin Co.) on 8/10/14, hiking in a remote section. I found 6 woodpecker species during the hike! Here are the species found: Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Black-billed Cuckoo - a nice surprise! I find this species as intriguing as crossbill species! Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - female Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Philadelphia Vireo - 2 Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - at least 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat - feeding young Magnolia Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow American Goldfinch On August 8, 2014, around 7 p.m., my husband and I observed a Mink in our backyard! I followed it to the front lawn where it appeared to be following mouse tunnels in the grass. It was completely focused on hunting and seemed unafraid of my presence. Its face was adorable when it poked up through the grass - often just a few inches from my bare feet! I was thrilled to see it catch a mouse and disappear into our wood pile (that I have yet to stack)! We've had other weasel species in our yard, but a Mink was unexpected since I mostly find them by water (they are aquatic). They do venture away from water at times, and will catch small mammals or birds. It was interesting to see it heading toward our house again on August 11th. My husband said he'd like to invite it inside! On a half-day tour with an extended family group of 14 (from Maryland, Michigan, and Massachusetts) on August 6, 2014, we visited Upper and Lower Lake WMA including Indian Creek Nature Center in Canton (St. Lawrence Co.). We found the following 55 species: Canada Goose Wood Duck American Black Duck Mallard Ring-necked Pheasant - female along County Route 14 Common Loon - 3 Pied-billed Grebe - many! Double-crested Cormorant American Bittern - in the marsh at Indian Creek Nature Center Great Blue Heron Green Heron - perched in a tree after we flushed it from the edge of a pond at Indian Creek Nature Center Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle - adult perched Broad-winged Hawk - nice views! Greater Yellowlegs Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Black Tern Common Tern Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker - 2 heard American Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee - nice views! Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird - family group! Yellow-throated Vireo - nice views! Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Barn Swallow Marsh Wren Veery American Robin Gray Catbird European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat Yellow Warbler - nice views! Chestnut-sided Warbler Eastern Towhee Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle American Goldfinch I posted photos of the female Black-backed Woodpecker, a juvenile Common Raven, and Bottle Gentian (all at Spring Pond Bog) to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244
[nysbirds-l] Boreal Birds/St. Lawrence Valley Birds/ a Snowy Owl report!
Ken McDermott sent a message that a friend of his had observed a Snowy Owl on an island in the St. Lawrence River (on the NY side of the river north of Chippewa Bay - St. Lawrence Co.) during a fishing trip. His friend photographed the bird and Ken sent the photo also. Quite an interesting August record for NY! Of course this follows a remarkable irruptive winter for this species in our area. Ten people took part in the field trip to the Roosevelt Truck Trail (Minerva in Essex Co.) on August 11, 2014 cosponsored by the Long Lake Parks and Recreation Department and Northern NY Audubon. Long Lake's Little Bus dropped us at the trailhead on the Blue Ridge Road and picked us up at the Route 28/N trailhead - so we had a thru-hike of 2.5 miles. The wildflowers and mushrooms were lovely along this trail through boreal habitat. We found the following species: Broad-winged Hawk Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - calling and rattling Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - at least 2 calling along the trail Blue Jay Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - at least 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet - abundant, and we observed adults feeding young! Hermit Thrush Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco At 7 p.m. that evening, my older son and I observed a Mink cross the road just before our driveway - heading toward our house! (See 8/8/14 report below) I took a late day excursion to the Spring Pond Bog area (Franklin Co.) on 8/10/14, hiking in a remote section. I found 6 woodpecker species during the hike! Here are the species found: Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Black-billed Cuckoo - a nice surprise! I find this species as intriguing as crossbill species! Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - female Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Philadelphia Vireo - 2 Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - at least 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat - feeding young Magnolia Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow American Goldfinch On August 8, 2014, around 7 p.m., my husband and I observed a Mink in our backyard! I followed it to the front lawn where it appeared to be following mouse tunnels in the grass. It was completely focused on hunting and seemed unafraid of my presence. Its face was adorable when it poked up through the grass - often just a few inches from my bare feet! I was thrilled to see it catch a mouse and disappear into our wood pile (that I have yet to stack)! We've had other weasel species in our yard, but a Mink was unexpected since I mostly find them by water (they are aquatic). They do venture away from water at times, and will catch small mammals or birds. It was interesting to see it heading toward our house again on August 11th. My husband said he'd like to invite it inside! On a half-day tour with an extended family group of 14 (from Maryland, Michigan, and Massachusetts) on August 6, 2014, we visited Upper and Lower Lake WMA including Indian Creek Nature Center in Canton (St. Lawrence Co.). We found the following 55 species: Canada Goose Wood Duck American Black Duck Mallard Ring-necked Pheasant - female along County Route 14 Common Loon - 3 Pied-billed Grebe - many! Double-crested Cormorant American Bittern - in the marsh at Indian Creek Nature Center Great Blue Heron Green Heron - perched in a tree after we flushed it from the edge of a pond at Indian Creek Nature Center Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle - adult perched Broad-winged Hawk - nice views! Greater Yellowlegs Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Black Tern Common Tern Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker - 2 heard American Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee - nice views! Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird - family group! Yellow-throated Vireo - nice views! Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Barn Swallow Marsh Wren Veery American Robin Gray Catbird European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Common Yellowthroat Yellow Warbler - nice views! Chestnut-sided Warbler Eastern Towhee Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle American Goldfinch I posted photos of the female Black-backed Woodpecker, a juvenile Common Raven, and Bottle Gentian (all at Spring Pond Bog) to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Philadelphia Vireo/Boreal Chickadee/Mushrooms! & more
Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler - Sabattis Bog Pine Warbler - Spring Pond Bog & Little Wolf Pond Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch American Goldfinch We also took the electric pontoon boat ride on Grampus Lake at John Dillon Park (recharged by solar panels)! On a July 22, 2014 dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain with a birder from Long Island, NY, followed by lowland boreal birding (Hamilton, Franklin, and Essex Counties), we found the following species: Ruffed Grouse American Bittern Osprey Northern Harrier Broad-winged Hawk - several Ring-billed Gull Ruby-throated Hummingbird - chased by Bald-faced Hornets! Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - at feeding holes in a birch attracting bees, insects, and the hummingbird! Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Merlin - Whiteface Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - nice views Alder Flycatcher - nice views Least Flycatcher - nice views Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo - nice views of 2 (photos of a "drab" individual on my Facebook page) Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay Amer. Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - nice views on Whiteface Mountain, more heard in the Bloomingdale area Red-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Bicknell's Thrush - many on Whiteface with one nice view Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Amer. Robin Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler - adult female followed by a continuously begging juvenile! Blackpoll Warbler - on Whiteface Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler - nice views Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow - nice views Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Amer. Goldfinch There was a Smooth Greensnake at the Bloomingdale Bog trailhead! On July 19, 2014, I once again coordinated coverage of 14-mile Long Lake for the Annual Adirondack Loon Census. This year, we had 10 boating parties (a few in canoes, but mostly motor boats). We tallied 15 Common Loons, with 6 loons south of the bridge over Long Lake, and 9 north of the bridge. An after-count breakfast was held at Phil Terrie's remote, north end camp for 26 loon counters! On July 17, 2014, I hiked part of the Roosevelt Truck Trail in Minerva. I observed a Winter Wren taking a dirt bath (in the root area of a downed tree) for a long time! I caught some of the behavior on a video and added one of the photos of the Winter Wren covered in dirt to my Facebook page. I also spotted a Ruffed Grouse family and many mushrooms! I added many photos to my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian ) yesterday: Roosevelt Truck Trail, Least Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, boreal birds from 7/24, Northville-Placid Trail (S) in Long Lake, Black-backed Woodpecker from 7/30, along with photos of the spectacular sunrise on Whiteface Mountain that day. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Philadelphia Vireo/Boreal Chickadee/Mushrooms! more
Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler - Sabattis Bog Pine Warbler - Spring Pond Bog Little Wolf Pond Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch American Goldfinch We also took the electric pontoon boat ride on Grampus Lake at John Dillon Park (recharged by solar panels)! On a July 22, 2014 dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain with a birder from Long Island, NY, followed by lowland boreal birding (Hamilton, Franklin, and Essex Counties), we found the following species: Ruffed Grouse American Bittern Osprey Northern Harrier Broad-winged Hawk - several Ring-billed Gull Ruby-throated Hummingbird - chased by Bald-faced Hornets! Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - at feeding holes in a birch attracting bees, insects, and the hummingbird! Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Merlin - Whiteface Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - nice views Alder Flycatcher - nice views Least Flycatcher - nice views Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo - nice views of 2 (photos of a drab individual on my Facebook page) Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay Amer. Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - nice views on Whiteface Mountain, more heard in the Bloomingdale area Red-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Bicknell's Thrush - many on Whiteface with one nice view Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Amer. Robin Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler - adult female followed by a continuously begging juvenile! Blackpoll Warbler - on Whiteface Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler - nice views Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow - nice views Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Amer. Goldfinch There was a Smooth Greensnake at the Bloomingdale Bog trailhead! On July 19, 2014, I once again coordinated coverage of 14-mile Long Lake for the Annual Adirondack Loon Census. This year, we had 10 boating parties (a few in canoes, but mostly motor boats). We tallied 15 Common Loons, with 6 loons south of the bridge over Long Lake, and 9 north of the bridge. An after-count breakfast was held at Phil Terrie's remote, north end camp for 26 loon counters! On July 17, 2014, I hiked part of the Roosevelt Truck Trail in Minerva. I observed a Winter Wren taking a dirt bath (in the root area of a downed tree) for a long time! I caught some of the behavior on a video and added one of the photos of the Winter Wren covered in dirt to my Facebook page. I also spotted a Ruffed Grouse family and many mushrooms! I added many photos to my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian ) yesterday: Roosevelt Truck Trail, Least Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, boreal birds from 7/24, Northville-Placid Trail (S) in Long Lake, Black-backed Woodpecker from 7/30, along with photos of the spectacular sunrise on Whiteface Mountain that day. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Boreal Chickadee/Gray Jay/Black-backed Woodpecker/Philadelphia Vireo & more
Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - heard Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Bicknell's Thrush - nice views of this elusive bird! Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler - nice views of a singing male! Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian 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 - feeding young! Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Scarlet Tanager Indigo Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch During a dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain followed by lowland birding (for Ruffed Grouse) with a birder from Florida/Connecticut, we found the following species: Ruffed Grouse - 2 different females with chicks at Spring Pond Bog Common Loon - family of 3 Turkey Vulture Broad-winged Hawk Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - nest with young male and the adult female on River Road, and 2 adults (female in the nest hole) in the Bloomingdale area Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - 4 at Spring Pond Bog Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Veery Bicknell's Thrush - fantastic visual! (Photos on Facebook) Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler - heard Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler - lovely views! Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Scarlet Tanager Indigo Bunting Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch American Goldfinch This birder is photographing as many North American bird species as possible. His goal was to photograph Bicknell's Thrush and Ruffed Grouse, which he accomplished during our trip. He wrote a lovely blog about our outing at: http://www.birdspix.com/ . 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Boreal Chickadee/Gray Jay/Black-backed Woodpecker/Philadelphia Vireo more
Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - heard Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Bicknell's Thrush - nice views of this elusive bird! Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler - nice views of a singing male! Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian 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 - feeding young! Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Scarlet Tanager Indigo Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch During a dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain followed by lowland birding (for Ruffed Grouse) with a birder from Florida/Connecticut, we found the following species: Ruffed Grouse - 2 different females with chicks at Spring Pond Bog Common Loon - family of 3 Turkey Vulture Broad-winged Hawk Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - nest with young male and the adult female on River Road, and 2 adults (female in the nest hole) in the Bloomingdale area Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - 4 at Spring Pond Bog Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Veery Bicknell's Thrush - fantastic visual! (Photos on Facebook) Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler - heard Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler - lovely views! Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Scarlet Tanager Indigo Bunting Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch American Goldfinch This birder is photographing as many North American bird species as possible. His goal was to photograph Bicknell's Thrush and Ruffed Grouse, which he accomplished during our trip. He wrote a lovely blog about our outing at: http://www.birdspix.com/ . 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Common Loon family/Bicknell's Thrush/Black-backed Woodpecker nests/Cliff Swallow young, etc.
head sticking out!) Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker American Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo - heard not seen Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - nice views! Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Cliff Swallow - adorable! Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - nice views! Appeared to be a family group Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Veery Bicknell's Thrush - nice, views! Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler - several heard singing Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler - nice views! Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler - nice views! Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Indigo Bunting Bobolink - nice views! Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch We also observed several Snowshoe Hares and a Porcupine on the summit of Whiteface! On my Facebook page, I recently added photos from the Adirondack Birding Festival, and photos/videos of Black-backed Woodpecker nest sites, Common Loons (a loon on a nest and a family of loons), Bicknell's Thrush, Cliff Swallows (adorable babies!), a porcupine video, and a Yellow Pond Lily. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Common Loon family/Bicknell's Thrush/Black-backed Woodpecker nests/Cliff Swallow young, etc.
head sticking out!) Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker American Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo - heard not seen Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - nice views! Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Cliff Swallow - adorable! Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - nice views! Appeared to be a family group Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Veery Bicknell's Thrush - nice, views! Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler - several heard singing Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler - nice views! Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler - nice views! Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Indigo Bunting Bobolink - nice views! Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch We also observed several Snowshoe Hares and a Porcupine on the summit of Whiteface! On my Facebook page, I recently added photos from the Adirondack Birding Festival, and photos/videos of Black-backed Woodpecker nest sites, Common Loons (a loon on a nest and a family of loons), Bicknell's Thrush, Cliff Swallows (adorable babies!), a porcupine video, and a Yellow Pond Lily. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Boreal Chickadee/Black-backed Woodpecker/Sedge Wren/Least Bittern & more
r 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Boreal Chickadee/Black-backed Woodpecker/Sedge Wren/Least Bittern more
! 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Adirondack Birding Festival - 10th Annual!
All, The 10th Annual Adirondack Birding Festival will be held Friday, June 13 through Sunday, June 15. This 3 day event features field trips in Hamilton, western Essex, and southeastern St. Lawrence Counties. There are no registration fees. All field trips are free and you must register for any outdoor events. This year, a Friday night social dinner cruise is being held on the WW Durant on Raquette Lake - fantastic food in a beautiful setting! (And there are birding opportunities on the upper deck too!) On Saturday, a pre-dinner presentation, "Boreal Birds of the Adirondacks", will be held at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. For more information, visit: http://www.adirondackexperience.com/events/adirondack-birding-festival . For a detailed event schedule, visit: http://www.adirondackexperience.com/files/public/BF_2014.pdf . Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Olive-sided Flycatcher/Philadelphia Vireo & more
eo 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Olive-sided Flycatcher/Philadelphia Vireo more
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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Adirondack Birding Festival - 10th Annual!
All, The 10th Annual Adirondack Birding Festival will be held Friday, June 13 through Sunday, June 15. This 3 day event features field trips in Hamilton, western Essex, and southeastern St. Lawrence Counties. There are no registration fees. All field trips are free and you must register for any outdoor events. This year, a Friday night social dinner cruise is being held on the WW Durant on Raquette Lake - fantastic food in a beautiful setting! (And there are birding opportunities on the upper deck too!) On Saturday, a pre-dinner presentation, Boreal Birds of the Adirondacks, will be held at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. For more information, visit: http://www.adirondackexperience.com/events/adirondack-birding-festival . For a detailed event schedule, visit: http://www.adirondackexperience.com/files/public/BF_2014.pdf . Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Philadelphia Vireo/Cape May Warbler & more northern NY sightings
alley. It was a car birding trip from Winthrop all the way down to Chaumont Barrens. Here are just some of the birds found: Pied-billed Grebe American Bittern - pair that flew into a field near me and stood, with heads pointed straight up, about 10 feet from each other! Osprey Northern Harrier Virginia Rail - 2 Amer. Woodcock Wilson's Snipe Black Tern Common Tern Caspian Tern Yellow-billed Cuckoo - flushed at Chaumont Barrens Great Horned Owl - 1 Barred Owl - 7 Amer. Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo Marsh Wren Veery Wood Thrush Brown Thrasher Louisiana Waterthrush - northern Jefferson Co. near the border with St. Lawrence Co. Golden-winged Warbler - photo and video on my Facebook page Blue-winged Warbler Prairie Warbler - photo on my Facebook page Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow - photos and video on my Facebook page I hiked the 2 miles trail at Chaumont Barrens (Nature Conservancy preserve), a unique Alvar habitat area in NYS. This is the perfect time to visit for wildflowers - I posted photos to my Facebook page. It is a captivating, peaceful place. There were many Prairie Warblers found. 5/19/14, 5/21/14, 5/22/14 Baker Mt., Jackrabbit Trail, Boreal habitat of Bloomingdale, and Intervale Lowlands I spent 3 wonderful days with the Wildlife Conservation Society's field staff last week. I haven't tallied the species, but it was likely between 80 to 90. The locations were chosen to include a wide variety of habitat areas. Juvenile Gray Jays were found - they fledge at the end of April, but it is usually later in May when they first appear, and I often wonder what they do for that unseen month! The adults quickly called them away so it was a very brief view. Subsequent observations in the past week have been much longer. We also found Boreal Chickadees. At Intervale, we found 65 species (there is an eBird report), including the first Mourning Warblers, Great Crested Flycatchers, and a migrant Wood Thrush on the property this year. 5/18/14 Whiteface Mountain Larry Master and I found 9 calling Bicknell's Thrushes at dawn on Whiteface. It was 32 degrees with strong winds! There were 5 Swainson's Thrushes and 5 Amer. Robins also. There was one Blackpoll Warbler heard. We also found a Boreal Chickadee. Last year, I was on the summit on 5/19 and found the same situation - Bicknell's Thrushes calling (8), but not yet singing. (I also noticed the same thing this year with Swainson's Thrushes as they arrived - calling, but no singing.) 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Bicknell's Thrush/Philadelphia Vireo/Cape May Warbler more northern NY sightings
birding trip from Winthrop all the way down to Chaumont Barrens. Here are just some of the birds found: Pied-billed Grebe American Bittern - pair that flew into a field near me and stood, with heads pointed straight up, about 10 feet from each other! Osprey Northern Harrier Virginia Rail - 2 Amer. Woodcock Wilson's Snipe Black Tern Common Tern Caspian Tern Yellow-billed Cuckoo - flushed at Chaumont Barrens Great Horned Owl - 1 Barred Owl - 7 Amer. Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo Marsh Wren Veery Wood Thrush Brown Thrasher Louisiana Waterthrush - northern Jefferson Co. near the border with St. Lawrence Co. Golden-winged Warbler - photo and video on my Facebook page Blue-winged Warbler Prairie Warbler - photo on my Facebook page Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow - photos and video on my Facebook page I hiked the 2 miles trail at Chaumont Barrens (Nature Conservancy preserve), a unique Alvar habitat area in NYS. This is the perfect time to visit for wildflowers - I posted photos to my Facebook page. It is a captivating, peaceful place. There were many Prairie Warblers found. 5/19/14, 5/21/14, 5/22/14 Baker Mt., Jackrabbit Trail, Boreal habitat of Bloomingdale, and Intervale Lowlands I spent 3 wonderful days with the Wildlife Conservation Society's field staff last week. I haven't tallied the species, but it was likely between 80 to 90. The locations were chosen to include a wide variety of habitat areas. Juvenile Gray Jays were found - they fledge at the end of April, but it is usually later in May when they first appear, and I often wonder what they do for that unseen month! The adults quickly called them away so it was a very brief view. Subsequent observations in the past week have been much longer. We also found Boreal Chickadees. At Intervale, we found 65 species (there is an eBird report), including the first Mourning Warblers, Great Crested Flycatchers, and a migrant Wood Thrush on the property this year. 5/18/14 Whiteface Mountain Larry Master and I found 9 calling Bicknell's Thrushes at dawn on Whiteface. It was 32 degrees with strong winds! There were 5 Swainson's Thrushes and 5 Amer. Robins also. There was one Blackpoll Warbler heard. We also found a Boreal Chickadee. Last year, I was on the summit on 5/19 and found the same situation - Bicknell's Thrushes calling (8), but not yet singing. (I also noticed the same thing this year with Swainson's Thrushes as they arrived - calling, but no singing.) 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Hamilton Co. birds
5/17/14 Sabattis Circle Road & Perkins Clearing There was one *Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Sabattis Bog this morning. This is the earliest arrival date I've ever recorded, and it appears to be an early record date for Hamilton Co. also. I photographed a singing Nashville Warbler - 4 photos on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . An Olive-sided Flycatcher called from across the bog. At a wetland in the Perkins Clearing area, I found a solo singing Olive-sided Flycatcher (females are likely not back yet). I posted 6 photos to my Facebook page of the flycatcher and one photo of the habitat. I found *Eastern Kingbirds at two different wetlands. A male Northern Flicker was excavating a nest hole in a dead snag about 25 off the ground. Similar to behavior I have observed in Black-backed Woodpeckers, the female flew in calling, which prompted the male to fly out of the hole - the female then inspected his work by poking just her head into the hole! (6 photos of the male, and 3 of the female are posted to my Facebook page) We had torrential rain in Long Lake yesterday and during the night. I thought about all the early-to-return ground nesters with ruined nests - Palm Warblers, Hermit Thrushes, Ruffed Grouse, Amer. Woodcocks, etc. At Sabattis Bog, Palm Warblers were flying around in groups loudly vocalizing - it was sad. The bog was full of water. 5/16/14 Sabattis Circle Road I took several photographs of an Amer. Beaver chewing a woody-looking plant as it floated on Little Tupper Lake before the rain began yesterday. I switched the iPhone over to video and while it was recording the beaver, a migrant *Blackpoll Warbler began to sing behind me in the shrubby vegetation at the outlet! I had wonderful views of the warbler, but it moved too quickly to get any decent photographs. It appears 5/17 may be a record early date for Blackpoll Warbler in Hamilton Co.. An *Alder Flycatcher vocalized from the Little Tupper Lake outlet area. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Hamilton Co. birds
5/17/14 Sabattis Circle Road Perkins Clearing There was one *Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Sabattis Bog this morning. This is the earliest arrival date I've ever recorded, and it appears to be an early record date for Hamilton Co. also. I photographed a singing Nashville Warbler - 4 photos on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . An Olive-sided Flycatcher called from across the bog. At a wetland in the Perkins Clearing area, I found a solo singing Olive-sided Flycatcher (females are likely not back yet). I posted 6 photos to my Facebook page of the flycatcher and one photo of the habitat. I found *Eastern Kingbirds at two different wetlands. A male Northern Flicker was excavating a nest hole in a dead snag about 25 off the ground. Similar to behavior I have observed in Black-backed Woodpeckers, the female flew in calling, which prompted the male to fly out of the hole - the female then inspected his work by poking just her head into the hole! (6 photos of the male, and 3 of the female are posted to my Facebook page) We had torrential rain in Long Lake yesterday and during the night. I thought about all the early-to-return ground nesters with ruined nests - Palm Warblers, Hermit Thrushes, Ruffed Grouse, Amer. Woodcocks, etc. At Sabattis Bog, Palm Warblers were flying around in groups loudly vocalizing - it was sad. The bog was full of water. 5/16/14 Sabattis Circle Road I took several photographs of an Amer. Beaver chewing a woody-looking plant as it floated on Little Tupper Lake before the rain began yesterday. I switched the iPhone over to video and while it was recording the beaver, a migrant *Blackpoll Warbler began to sing behind me in the shrubby vegetation at the outlet! I had wonderful views of the warbler, but it moved too quickly to get any decent photographs. It appears 5/17 may be a record early date for Blackpoll Warbler in Hamilton Co.. An *Alder Flycatcher vocalized from the Little Tupper Lake outlet area. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Hamilton Co. Arrivals
5/15/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Four new arrivals along Sabattis Circle Road this morning: *Olive-sided Flycatcher *Red-eyed Vireo *Mourning Warbler *Canada Warbler I posted a photo and very brief video of a female Black-backed Woodpecker looking out from her nest hole on this very hot and humid day on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . (I felt as hot as she did as I took the photo and video!) Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Hamilton Co. Arrivals
5/15/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Four new arrivals along Sabattis Circle Road this morning: *Olive-sided Flycatcher *Red-eyed Vireo *Mourning Warbler *Canada Warbler I posted a photo and very brief video of a female Black-backed Woodpecker looking out from her nest hole on this very hot and humid day on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . (I felt as hot as she did as I took the photo and video!) Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] More Arrivals and Migrants
5/14/14 Long Lake & Minerva (Hamilton and Essex Counties) *Swainson's Thrush - 1 in Minerva *Scarlet Tanager - 1 outside our house Two Barred Owls vocalized on and off through the night. We hear them every night - sometimes, it seems as if one is only a few feet from the baby monitor we use to bring in outside sounds. Two Amer. Woodcocks were peenting outside our home tonight. I am seeing several Snowshoe Hares a day - they appear to be doing well. Two Black-capped Chickadees were excavating a nest cavity at Sabattis Bog this morning. 5/12/14 Sabattis Circle Road - Spring Pond Bog - Bloomingdale area (Hamilton - Franklin - Essex Counties) *Spotted Sandpiper - 1 at Little Tupper Lake; 1 at Pitchfork Pond on the way into Spring Pond Bog *Solitary Sandpiper - 3 migrants at Pitchfork Pond Black-backed Woodpecker - Bloomingdale area Gray Jay - 2 at Spring Pond Bog area (not the bog itself) Eastern Bluebird - 2 at Little Tupper Lake and 2 at our home - they are building a nest in our box! (This is a rare event in our heavily wooded mountain habitat!) *Common Yellowthroat - several locations I found 3 Snowshoe Hares and 2 Ruffed Grouse along Sabattis Circle Road. 5/11/14 Long Lake at our house *White-crowned Sparrow *Rose-breasted Grosbeak There are many wildflowers in bloom, and I posted several photos to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . I also posted a photo of a Snowshoe Hare and Solitary Sandpiper, plus a video of Red-breasted Nuthatches excavating a nest cavity in the Bloomingdale area. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] More Arrivals and Migrants
5/14/14 Long Lake Minerva (Hamilton and Essex Counties) *Swainson's Thrush - 1 in Minerva *Scarlet Tanager - 1 outside our house Two Barred Owls vocalized on and off through the night. We hear them every night - sometimes, it seems as if one is only a few feet from the baby monitor we use to bring in outside sounds. Two Amer. Woodcocks were peenting outside our home tonight. I am seeing several Snowshoe Hares a day - they appear to be doing well. Two Black-capped Chickadees were excavating a nest cavity at Sabattis Bog this morning. 5/12/14 Sabattis Circle Road - Spring Pond Bog - Bloomingdale area (Hamilton - Franklin - Essex Counties) *Spotted Sandpiper - 1 at Little Tupper Lake; 1 at Pitchfork Pond on the way into Spring Pond Bog *Solitary Sandpiper - 3 migrants at Pitchfork Pond Black-backed Woodpecker - Bloomingdale area Gray Jay - 2 at Spring Pond Bog area (not the bog itself) Eastern Bluebird - 2 at Little Tupper Lake and 2 at our home - they are building a nest in our box! (This is a rare event in our heavily wooded mountain habitat!) *Common Yellowthroat - several locations I found 3 Snowshoe Hares and 2 Ruffed Grouse along Sabattis Circle Road. 5/11/14 Long Lake at our house *White-crowned Sparrow *Rose-breasted Grosbeak There are many wildflowers in bloom, and I posted several photos to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . I also posted a photo of a Snowshoe Hare and Solitary Sandpiper, plus a video of Red-breasted Nuthatches excavating a nest cavity in the Bloomingdale area. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] More arrivals
5/10/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) A few more arrivals today along Sabattis Circle Road: *Ruby-crowned Hummingbird - 1 at our feeders *Gray Catbird *American Redstart *Magnolia Warbler *Yellow Warbler *Chestnut-sided Warbler Red Trillium is in bloom. 5/9/14 Long Lake *Black Flies emerged! An American Bittern was vocalizing at Shaw Pond. The bird was only about 30 feet from me and I was up on a hill looking down at the little marshy area. I spent about 30 minutes trying to observe it - no luck! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] More arrivals
5/10/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) A few more arrivals today along Sabattis Circle Road: *Ruby-crowned Hummingbird - 1 at our feeders *Gray Catbird *American Redstart *Magnolia Warbler *Yellow Warbler *Chestnut-sided Warbler Red Trillium is in bloom. 5/9/14 Long Lake *Black Flies emerged! An American Bittern was vocalizing at Shaw Pond. The bird was only about 30 feet from me and I was up on a hill looking down at the little marshy area. I spent about 30 minutes trying to observe it - no luck! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Boreal Birding & new arrivals
5/8/14 Long Lake (home, and Sabattis Circle Road) and Bloomingdale (many locations) I found 7 first-of-the-year species today (and a total of 11 warbler species - things are picking up!): *Least Flycatcher *Cliff Swallow *Barn Swallow *Nashville Warbler *Northern Parula *Blackburnian Warbler *Black-throated Blue Warbler There is a Dark-eyed Junco on Sabattis Circle Road holding a territory singing a "song" that sounds like a Red Crossbill calling! It is always in the same spot and sings a buzz note followed by what sounds like Red Crossbill call notes. I have several recordings that I'll send to Matt Young. I've heard Dark-eyed Juncos give a lot of "different" vocalizations over the years, but this one is completely bizarre! A Barred Owl was my wake-up call again this morning. I found a number of nest sites today, and I took a close-up video of 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches at their nest hole - adorable! They were excavating this hole (20 to 25 feet off the ground in a dead snag) and then tossing the wood shavings out the hole - by shaking their heads back and forth. They also flew the shavings away from the nest hole. In the Bloomingdale area, I found 5 Black-backed Woodpeckers (3 males observed - and two birds calling near 2 of the males), 3 Gray Jays (all adults), and at least 6 Boreal Chickadees. I also found an Amer. Bittern and several Ruffed Grouse. I encountered 5 Snowshoe Hares today and photographed one. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Boreal Birding new arrivals
5/8/14 Long Lake (home, and Sabattis Circle Road) and Bloomingdale (many locations) I found 7 first-of-the-year species today (and a total of 11 warbler species - things are picking up!): *Least Flycatcher *Cliff Swallow *Barn Swallow *Nashville Warbler *Northern Parula *Blackburnian Warbler *Black-throated Blue Warbler There is a Dark-eyed Junco on Sabattis Circle Road holding a territory singing a song that sounds like a Red Crossbill calling! It is always in the same spot and sings a buzz note followed by what sounds like Red Crossbill call notes. I have several recordings that I'll send to Matt Young. I've heard Dark-eyed Juncos give a lot of different vocalizations over the years, but this one is completely bizarre! A Barred Owl was my wake-up call again this morning. I found a number of nest sites today, and I took a close-up video of 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches at their nest hole - adorable! They were excavating this hole (20 to 25 feet off the ground in a dead snag) and then tossing the wood shavings out the hole - by shaking their heads back and forth. They also flew the shavings away from the nest hole. In the Bloomingdale area, I found 5 Black-backed Woodpeckers (3 males observed - and two birds calling near 2 of the males), 3 Gray Jays (all adults), and at least 6 Boreal Chickadees. I also found an Amer. Bittern and several Ruffed Grouse. I encountered 5 Snowshoe Hares today and photographed one. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Black-backed Woodpecker video & other sightings & arrivals
5/7/14 Long Lake locations (Hamilton Co.) A male Black-backed Woodpecker was foraging on a dead snag late this afternoon on the Northville-Placid Trail in Long Lake. I captured several videos of the foraging behavior and posted a couple short clips of the woodpecker eating the larvae of wood-boring beetles on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . Another Black-backed Woodpecker called nearby. As I headed back to my car, a Northern Saw-whet Owl began tooting! Two Barred Owls awakened me this morning (it appears they will nest near our home again this year) and an *Ovenbird sang at dawn. At Sabattis Circle Road, I found a singing *Northern Waterthrush and *Black-and-white Warbler. A *Greater Yellowlegs flew in when I was at the Little Tupper Lake outlet - it foraged at the edge of Bog Stream. A Green-winged Teal pair was near the outlet. A Lincoln's Sparrow was singing at Sabattis Bog. A Snowshoe Hare was foraging along Route 30 in Long Lake this morning - now in its summer brown coloration! 5/6/14 Bloomingdale area (Franklin & Essex Counties) Ted Mack and I hiked in the Bloomingdale area yesterday. On my nocturnal drive to meet Ted, I heard *American Bitterns and *Wilson's Snipes at Tupper Lake Marsh. Some of the species found in Bloomingdale: Ruffed Grouse Broad-winged Hawk Mourning Dove - it is remarkable how quickly this species is expanding in the Adirondacks - even into boreal habitat! Black-backed Woodpecker - one heard calling Pileated Woodpecker - pair Merlin - pair Blue-headed Vireo Gray Jay - at least 5 in 3 different locations Boreal Chickadee - 5 (two different locations with 3 and 2) Brown Thrasher Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler - nice view of a foraging male down low in a bush 5/5/14 Long Lake Along Sabattis Circle Road, *Chimney Swifts were observed heading north. Coltsfoot was in bloom along the road - I added a photo to my Facebook page. 5/3/14 Long Lake At 11 p.m. Saturday night, 4 Barred Owls could be heard vocalizing from our house! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Black-backed Woodpecker video other sightings arrivals
5/7/14 Long Lake locations (Hamilton Co.) A male Black-backed Woodpecker was foraging on a dead snag late this afternoon on the Northville-Placid Trail in Long Lake. I captured several videos of the foraging behavior and posted a couple short clips of the woodpecker eating the larvae of wood-boring beetles on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . Another Black-backed Woodpecker called nearby. As I headed back to my car, a Northern Saw-whet Owl began tooting! Two Barred Owls awakened me this morning (it appears they will nest near our home again this year) and an *Ovenbird sang at dawn. At Sabattis Circle Road, I found a singing *Northern Waterthrush and *Black-and-white Warbler. A *Greater Yellowlegs flew in when I was at the Little Tupper Lake outlet - it foraged at the edge of Bog Stream. A Green-winged Teal pair was near the outlet. A Lincoln's Sparrow was singing at Sabattis Bog. A Snowshoe Hare was foraging along Route 30 in Long Lake this morning - now in its summer brown coloration! 5/6/14 Bloomingdale area (Franklin Essex Counties) Ted Mack and I hiked in the Bloomingdale area yesterday. On my nocturnal drive to meet Ted, I heard *American Bitterns and *Wilson's Snipes at Tupper Lake Marsh. Some of the species found in Bloomingdale: Ruffed Grouse Broad-winged Hawk Mourning Dove - it is remarkable how quickly this species is expanding in the Adirondacks - even into boreal habitat! Black-backed Woodpecker - one heard calling Pileated Woodpecker - pair Merlin - pair Blue-headed Vireo Gray Jay - at least 5 in 3 different locations Boreal Chickadee - 5 (two different locations with 3 and 2) Brown Thrasher Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler - nice view of a foraging male down low in a bush 5/5/14 Long Lake Along Sabattis Circle Road, *Chimney Swifts were observed heading north. Coltsfoot was in bloom along the road - I added a photo to my Facebook page. 5/3/14 Long Lake At 11 p.m. Saturday night, 4 Barred Owls could be heard vocalizing from our house! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] A few more arrivals/migrants
5/3/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) and Minerva (Essex Co.) I visited Sabattis Circle Road and then hiked 5 miles round trip on the Roosevelt Truck Trail. There is still some snow and ice on the trail and in the forest, plus the ground still feels frozen! For the past several days, I've been photographing and taking videos of a pair of Common Loons at the Little Tupper Lake outlet. I added a video of a loon consuming a huge fish to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian (Anthony Collerton identified the fish as a Lake Trout already!). The video shows just the last minute - the loon wrestled with the fish for over 10 minutes. The fish that I have observed the loons consuming have all been this large. This is info that I also posted with the video: If you are curious how loons accomplish this feat, here is a description from the Common Loon account in the "Birds of North America" (BNA): "Grasps prey between mandibles and manipulates it to swallow it headfirst. Rearward-pointing, sharp denticles on roof of mouth and tongue assist retention of prey by interdigitating with scales or carapace. Using tongue, presses prey against roof of mouth while repeatedly retracting tongue in conjunction with extensions of head and neck." Something I have also observed, that was not described in the BNA, is that shortly after the fish tail disappears down the loon's throat, the loon pulls up into a position where its throat and upper body are straight and briefly out of the water with wings extended - this appears to assist in getting the fish down. Then, the loon puts its head underwater. It is fascinating to watch! Migrants continue to trickle in slowly: *Blue-headed Vireo (only 3) and *Black-throated Green Warbler (only 1) were new today. 5/2/14 Massawepie Mire (St. Lawrence Co.) David Buckley and I continued our tradition of sharing the harrowing drive to Massawepie Mire before town spring road-work! This year, David drove his truck. The road was very bumpy, rutted, and washed out in places, but there was no deep mud to sink into if you took your foot off the gas! It was cold and we had some rain on our 6 mile round trip hike, but it was wonderful to be there after a long winter. We found 30 species. *Lincoln's Sparrow (only 1 singing) was the only new arrival. The mire was filled with singing Palm Warblers (we found a few Pine Warblers on the drive in and there were also many Yellow-rumped Warblers). 5/1/14 Sabattis Circle Road *Yellow-rumped Warbler (3) and *Pine Warbler were the new arrivals. This is a rather late arrival date for Pine Warbler - Bill Labes, Long Lake, has been reporting a Pine Warbler at his bird feeders since sometime in April. There were 2 Rusty Blackbirds vocalizing near Sabattis Bog from the Bog Stream/Sperry Brook area, which would be likely breeding habitat. (This property is private and posted, so there is no way to hike to them.) 4/29/14 Sabattis Circle Road *Osprey was new near the Bog Stream/Sperry Brook area near Sabattis Bog. A Wild Turkey was in full display with two females nearby at the bog - I took a few videos. 4/28/14 Sabattis Circle Road A large *Black Bear was walking down the road toward me at Sabattis Bog! I posted a few photos to my Facebook page (link above). It didn't turn around until it either saw or smelled me. It looked very healthy! As I was photographing the Black Bear at 4:30 p.m., a Northern Saw-whet Owl began to toot! 4/25/14 Long Lake A Barred Owl vocalized at dawn outside our house. 4/22/14 Long Lake *Brown-headed Cowbird - observed at a feeder in town. 4/21/14 Long Lake *Swamp Sparrow at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake. *Spring Peepers were heard for the first time this year. 4/17/14 Long Lake *Vesper Sparrow (1) and *Field Sparrow (2) migrants were found at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] A few more arrivals/migrants
5/3/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) and Minerva (Essex Co.) I visited Sabattis Circle Road and then hiked 5 miles round trip on the Roosevelt Truck Trail. There is still some snow and ice on the trail and in the forest, plus the ground still feels frozen! For the past several days, I've been photographing and taking videos of a pair of Common Loons at the Little Tupper Lake outlet. I added a video of a loon consuming a huge fish to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian (Anthony Collerton identified the fish as a Lake Trout already!). The video shows just the last minute - the loon wrestled with the fish for over 10 minutes. The fish that I have observed the loons consuming have all been this large. This is info that I also posted with the video: If you are curious how loons accomplish this feat, here is a description from the Common Loon account in the Birds of North America (BNA): Grasps prey between mandibles and manipulates it to swallow it headfirst. Rearward-pointing, sharp denticles on roof of mouth and tongue assist retention of prey by interdigitating with scales or carapace. Using tongue, presses prey against roof of mouth while repeatedly retracting tongue in conjunction with extensions of head and neck. Something I have also observed, that was not described in the BNA, is that shortly after the fish tail disappears down the loon's throat, the loon pulls up into a position where its throat and upper body are straight and briefly out of the water with wings extended - this appears to assist in getting the fish down. Then, the loon puts its head underwater. It is fascinating to watch! Migrants continue to trickle in slowly: *Blue-headed Vireo (only 3) and *Black-throated Green Warbler (only 1) were new today. 5/2/14 Massawepie Mire (St. Lawrence Co.) David Buckley and I continued our tradition of sharing the harrowing drive to Massawepie Mire before town spring road-work! This year, David drove his truck. The road was very bumpy, rutted, and washed out in places, but there was no deep mud to sink into if you took your foot off the gas! It was cold and we had some rain on our 6 mile round trip hike, but it was wonderful to be there after a long winter. We found 30 species. *Lincoln's Sparrow (only 1 singing) was the only new arrival. The mire was filled with singing Palm Warblers (we found a few Pine Warblers on the drive in and there were also many Yellow-rumped Warblers). 5/1/14 Sabattis Circle Road *Yellow-rumped Warbler (3) and *Pine Warbler were the new arrivals. This is a rather late arrival date for Pine Warbler - Bill Labes, Long Lake, has been reporting a Pine Warbler at his bird feeders since sometime in April. There were 2 Rusty Blackbirds vocalizing near Sabattis Bog from the Bog Stream/Sperry Brook area, which would be likely breeding habitat. (This property is private and posted, so there is no way to hike to them.) 4/29/14 Sabattis Circle Road *Osprey was new near the Bog Stream/Sperry Brook area near Sabattis Bog. A Wild Turkey was in full display with two females nearby at the bog - I took a few videos. 4/28/14 Sabattis Circle Road A large *Black Bear was walking down the road toward me at Sabattis Bog! I posted a few photos to my Facebook page (link above). It didn't turn around until it either saw or smelled me. It looked very healthy! As I was photographing the Black Bear at 4:30 p.m., a Northern Saw-whet Owl began to toot! 4/25/14 Long Lake A Barred Owl vocalized at dawn outside our house. 4/22/14 Long Lake *Brown-headed Cowbird - observed at a feeder in town. 4/21/14 Long Lake *Swamp Sparrow at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake. *Spring Peepers were heard for the first time this year. 4/17/14 Long Lake *Vesper Sparrow (1) and *Field Sparrow (2) migrants were found at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] More arrivals/migrants in the Central Adirondacks
4/16/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Several inches of new snow fell between yesterday and today in Long Lake. It was 16 to 18 degrees for the couple hours I birded early this morning. Quite a contrast from the mid-70s we had on Monday. Feeder birds came back in droves. I am letting our 15 feeders run down now since we've had a few Raccoon visits and Black Bears will be a problem soon. We have huge numbers of Amer. Goldfinches once again, and the number of Purple Finches is increasing. There are large numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos, one Chipping Sparrow, a pair of White-throated Sparrows, and a singing Fox Sparrow. It was quite a surprise to find a migrant male *Red-breasted Merganser on Long Lake (near the beach) early this morning. I couldn't recall ever observing a Red-breasted Merganser on Long Lake, and when I checked the "Birds of Hamilton County, New York", there are no spring records listed at all for the county! I took a number of photographs. Many people were stopping by the beach since the lake is nearly at a flood level after warm temps, heavy rain, followed by more snow. A Common Loon was also on the lake. I drove to Little Tupper Lake and the lake was nearly over the road at the 3-way intersection. A couple of *Ruby-crowned Kinglets were found today at the Little Tupper Lake outlet. 4/15/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I awoke at dawn to a calling *Eastern Towhee migrant over our baby monitor! I was surprised by Mike Moccio's Eastern Towhee in Indian Lake and two days later, I get awakened by one! This is a first for our location. Mike Moccio and I communicated on Facebook - he said the elevation of his Eastern Towhee sighting in Indian Lake is 1700 feet, and our Long Lake location is at 2000 feet. 4/14/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) After my post on 4/14, I observed one more new arrival. A Long Lake resident was celebrating her 50th birthday on this unusually warm (mid to high 70s) day - part of her celebration was on the Long Lake beach and part was on our boat (around the dinner hour)! The town boat launch was still frozen, but we launched at the marina down from the Long Lake beach. The only open water was under the bridge and in the bay with the beach. Given the warm temps, strong current (14-mile Long Lake is a wide section of the Raquette River), and strong south winds, the ice was breaking up in front of our eyes - huge ice sheets that were zooming into the current, and we had to dodge them. Erin Barton spotted the first *Common Loon of the season! (I was thinking about how the loon must be constantly on alert to those huge ice sheets too!) The ice-out line (it heads north over time) is a big topic of discussion in our town at this time of year - there are many boat-access only camps at the north end of Long Lake, so the out-of-town owners ask the question of where the ice-line is located throughout April. There also seems to be a competition of who can be the first to go boating each spring - I guess we "won" this year! People driving by were honking and the Long Lake Town Parks and Recreation Director was posting Facebook photos while we were still boating (it is remarkable how instant social media can be!). It was a long winter, so Monday felt like such a gift! I posted recent photos and a video (all from Long Lake) on my Facebook page (Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, Fox Sparrow, and a short video of a foraging Amer. Woodcock) at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] More arrivals/migrants in the Central Adirondacks
4/16/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Several inches of new snow fell between yesterday and today in Long Lake. It was 16 to 18 degrees for the couple hours I birded early this morning. Quite a contrast from the mid-70s we had on Monday. Feeder birds came back in droves. I am letting our 15 feeders run down now since we've had a few Raccoon visits and Black Bears will be a problem soon. We have huge numbers of Amer. Goldfinches once again, and the number of Purple Finches is increasing. There are large numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos, one Chipping Sparrow, a pair of White-throated Sparrows, and a singing Fox Sparrow. It was quite a surprise to find a migrant male *Red-breasted Merganser on Long Lake (near the beach) early this morning. I couldn't recall ever observing a Red-breasted Merganser on Long Lake, and when I checked the Birds of Hamilton County, New York, there are no spring records listed at all for the county! I took a number of photographs. Many people were stopping by the beach since the lake is nearly at a flood level after warm temps, heavy rain, followed by more snow. A Common Loon was also on the lake. I drove to Little Tupper Lake and the lake was nearly over the road at the 3-way intersection. A couple of *Ruby-crowned Kinglets were found today at the Little Tupper Lake outlet. 4/15/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I awoke at dawn to a calling *Eastern Towhee migrant over our baby monitor! I was surprised by Mike Moccio's Eastern Towhee in Indian Lake and two days later, I get awakened by one! This is a first for our location. Mike Moccio and I communicated on Facebook - he said the elevation of his Eastern Towhee sighting in Indian Lake is 1700 feet, and our Long Lake location is at 2000 feet. 4/14/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) After my post on 4/14, I observed one more new arrival. A Long Lake resident was celebrating her 50th birthday on this unusually warm (mid to high 70s) day - part of her celebration was on the Long Lake beach and part was on our boat (around the dinner hour)! The town boat launch was still frozen, but we launched at the marina down from the Long Lake beach. The only open water was under the bridge and in the bay with the beach. Given the warm temps, strong current (14-mile Long Lake is a wide section of the Raquette River), and strong south winds, the ice was breaking up in front of our eyes - huge ice sheets that were zooming into the current, and we had to dodge them. Erin Barton spotted the first *Common Loon of the season! (I was thinking about how the loon must be constantly on alert to those huge ice sheets too!) The ice-out line (it heads north over time) is a big topic of discussion in our town at this time of year - there are many boat-access only camps at the north end of Long Lake, so the out-of-town owners ask the question of where the ice-line is located throughout April. There also seems to be a competition of who can be the first to go boating each spring - I guess we won this year! People driving by were honking and the Long Lake Town Parks and Recreation Director was posting Facebook photos while we were still boating (it is remarkable how instant social media can be!). It was a long winter, so Monday felt like such a gift! I posted recent photos and a video (all from Long Lake) on my Facebook page (Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, Fox Sparrow, and a short video of a foraging Amer. Woodcock) at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Palm Warbler/Broad-winged Hawk & more new arrivals/migrants
4/14/14 Long Lake, NY (Hamilton Co.) More first-of-the year species this morning: *Broad-winged Hawk - 1 perched along Route 28N preening (I took some photos and a video) *Tree Swallow - several flying around Minnow Pond along Route 30 (it is still completely frozen) *Palm Warbler - 1 observed and singing away at Sabattis Bog *Chipping Sparrow *Savannah Sparrow - 2 foraging in the roadside grass at the Little Tupper Lake outlet Even with temperatures in the mid 70s today, trails are mostly snow and ice covered. I hiked an icy, snowy trail and found a likely Black-backed Woodpecker nest location based on the male's response to my presence. I found a Brown Thrasher at the Little Tupper Lake outlet again today - and photographed it. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Palm Warbler/Broad-winged Hawk more new arrivals/migrants
4/14/14 Long Lake, NY (Hamilton Co.) More first-of-the year species this morning: *Broad-winged Hawk - 1 perched along Route 28N preening (I took some photos and a video) *Tree Swallow - several flying around Minnow Pond along Route 30 (it is still completely frozen) *Palm Warbler - 1 observed and singing away at Sabattis Bog *Chipping Sparrow *Savannah Sparrow - 2 foraging in the roadside grass at the Little Tupper Lake outlet Even with temperatures in the mid 70s today, trails are mostly snow and ice covered. I hiked an icy, snowy trail and found a likely Black-backed Woodpecker nest location based on the male's response to my presence. I found a Brown Thrasher at the Little Tupper Lake outlet again today - and photographed it. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] 9 owls/Green Heron/Golden Eagle
4/12/14 to 4/13/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Last night, I once again drove to the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area to listen for owls. I found 7 owls on Sabattis Circle Road and the road to Sabattis Station - added to the 2 Barred Owls at our home, 9 owls in one night might be a new record for me. I was out until 2:30 a.m. and if I didn't have an Audubon meeting this morning, I would have stayed out all night since I was in owl heaven. I found 2 Northern Saw-whet Owls, 3 Great Horned Owls (a pair hooting back and forth, and another bird with prey), and 2 Barred Owls. Back toward Sabattis Station I had to swerve to avoid something white in the road when I came over the crest of a hill. It looked like it might be a dead animal and I decided to look more closely on the way out. As I approached it later on, I could see it was a Snowshoe Hare (transitioning from white to brown fur) - and suddenly an owl flew up from the road into a tree. It was a Great Horned Owl about 10 to 15 feet up in a branch. The scene was a bit comical as the owl looked back and forth from me to the hare - it almost appeared as if the owl feared I would take its meal! I was driving our Prius (which makes loud beeping sounds in reverse) so I put the car in neutral so it would coast back down the hill without sound - to distance myself from the owl and prey. The owl never moved. It watched me for a while and then flew to a tree over the hare. I was worried that I was keeping the owl from its food, and that it likely had young to feed, so I left. The owl's strange body and head movements were fascinating and I wish I could have taken a video of the whole scene. It is really impressive that Great Horned Owls can kill such large prey. The surprise of the night was finding a vocalizing *Green Heron (4/12/14) near the Round Lake outlet into Little Tupper Lake! I also heard the chewer again - it was definitely a Beaver since it gave a loud tail splash when I got out of my car to listen to a Northern Saw-whet Owl! Last night, I kept count of American Woodcocks from the outlet of Little Tupper Lake past Sabattis Bog to the intersection with Route 30, and then back to Sabattis Station - about 11 miles (I didn't do any stops on the way to Little Tupper Lake from the Long Lake end). I found 27 Amer. Woodcocks - at nearly every stop and many were in the road, and one I nearly hit as it suddenly shot across the road in front of my car. One of the birds in the road refused to move, so I watched it for a long time. I am out at night a lot in breeding season and Route 30 between Long Lake and Tupper Lake also has remarkable numbers of woodcocks - you can stop nearly anywhere along that road and hear several. An adult *Golden Eagle was observed soaring over Long Lake this afternoon by Charlotte Demers and myself as we drove to Long Lake from Tupper Lake. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] 9 owls/Green Heron/Golden Eagle
4/12/14 to 4/13/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Last night, I once again drove to the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area to listen for owls. I found 7 owls on Sabattis Circle Road and the road to Sabattis Station - added to the 2 Barred Owls at our home, 9 owls in one night might be a new record for me. I was out until 2:30 a.m. and if I didn't have an Audubon meeting this morning, I would have stayed out all night since I was in owl heaven. I found 2 Northern Saw-whet Owls, 3 Great Horned Owls (a pair hooting back and forth, and another bird with prey), and 2 Barred Owls. Back toward Sabattis Station I had to swerve to avoid something white in the road when I came over the crest of a hill. It looked like it might be a dead animal and I decided to look more closely on the way out. As I approached it later on, I could see it was a Snowshoe Hare (transitioning from white to brown fur) - and suddenly an owl flew up from the road into a tree. It was a Great Horned Owl about 10 to 15 feet up in a branch. The scene was a bit comical as the owl looked back and forth from me to the hare - it almost appeared as if the owl feared I would take its meal! I was driving our Prius (which makes loud beeping sounds in reverse) so I put the car in neutral so it would coast back down the hill without sound - to distance myself from the owl and prey. The owl never moved. It watched me for a while and then flew to a tree over the hare. I was worried that I was keeping the owl from its food, and that it likely had young to feed, so I left. The owl's strange body and head movements were fascinating and I wish I could have taken a video of the whole scene. It is really impressive that Great Horned Owls can kill such large prey. The surprise of the night was finding a vocalizing *Green Heron (4/12/14) near the Round Lake outlet into Little Tupper Lake! I also heard the chewer again - it was definitely a Beaver since it gave a loud tail splash when I got out of my car to listen to a Northern Saw-whet Owl! Last night, I kept count of American Woodcocks from the outlet of Little Tupper Lake past Sabattis Bog to the intersection with Route 30, and then back to Sabattis Station - about 11 miles (I didn't do any stops on the way to Little Tupper Lake from the Long Lake end). I found 27 Amer. Woodcocks - at nearly every stop and many were in the road, and one I nearly hit as it suddenly shot across the road in front of my car. One of the birds in the road refused to move, so I watched it for a long time. I am out at night a lot in breeding season and Route 30 between Long Lake and Tupper Lake also has remarkable numbers of woodcocks - you can stop nearly anywhere along that road and hear several. An adult *Golden Eagle was observed soaring over Long Lake this afternoon by Charlotte Demers and myself as we drove to Long Lake from Tupper Lake. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Northern Saw-whet Owl/Barred Owls/Hermit Thrush/Brown Thrasher & more
4/11/14 - 4/12/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) (*: first-of-the-season) Last night, as I was heading to bed, I decided to go birding instead. So I got dressed and woke my husband (which he really appreciated) to tell him I was heading out to listen for owls. I drove to the Little Tupper Lake outlet on Sabattis Circle Rd. and a Northern Saw-whet Owl was tooting (I was out from 11 to 12:30 a.m.). American Woodcocks were peenting and displaying in the marsh area (and at all my stops along the road), a Pied-billed Grebe vocalized, and I could hear chewing (I assume a beaver) and splashing in the outlet. It was a beautiful, calm, but cold night, with the moon, brilliant stars, and interesting clouds in the night sky. I stood in the dark for a long time just listening to all the wonderful, wild sounds and staring at the stars - moments like these are why I love living in the Adirondacks. I wanted to drive all the way to Sabattis Station, and also check areas near Long Lake, but I was falling asleep - I may just head out again tonight! Early this morning, my husband and I listened to a Barred Owl vocalizing behind our house as we had coffee. I drove back to the Little Tupper Lake outlet this morning and as usual, this location was exciting! There were two male Red Crossbills gritting in the road (I later saw a female, so there were at least 3), but my attention turned to a chaotic mass of birds a couple hundred feet from the crossbills. Binoculars revealed a Northern Shrike that was actively attempting to catch one of the birds harassing it - Red-winged Blackbirds, Blue Jays, and Amer. Robins. I ended up taking photographs and video of the shrike. The shrike was vocalizing almost the entire time (I find them vocalizing when the first arrive in late fall and again in April before they head north). While I was watching the shrike, I spotted a first-of-the-season *Brown Thrasher and it also vocalized. There was a Fox Sparrow singing in the marsh and it can be heard on my video of the shrike. Over at the Round Lake outlet, a male *Wood Duck was observed. At Sabattis Bog, a *Northern Flicker called and flew around. While I was recording the Northern Shrike with an iPhone, the Red Crossbills flew directly over me calling, so they made it onto the recording too! This evening, at dusk, I hiked up the mountain we live on - snow was knee deep most of the way, so it was a good work-out! At the summit, a Barred Owl started to call from down below, and another one began to hoot. I hooted to the owl and we went back and forth for 15 minutes! I stopped when a *Hermit Thrush began to call about 20 feet from me! It went through all of its call notes. I thought 4/12 might be an early date for our location, but last year they showed up on 4/11. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Northern Saw-whet Owl/Barred Owls/Hermit Thrush/Brown Thrasher more
4/11/14 - 4/12/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) (*: first-of-the-season) Last night, as I was heading to bed, I decided to go birding instead. So I got dressed and woke my husband (which he really appreciated) to tell him I was heading out to listen for owls. I drove to the Little Tupper Lake outlet on Sabattis Circle Rd. and a Northern Saw-whet Owl was tooting (I was out from 11 to 12:30 a.m.). American Woodcocks were peenting and displaying in the marsh area (and at all my stops along the road), a Pied-billed Grebe vocalized, and I could hear chewing (I assume a beaver) and splashing in the outlet. It was a beautiful, calm, but cold night, with the moon, brilliant stars, and interesting clouds in the night sky. I stood in the dark for a long time just listening to all the wonderful, wild sounds and staring at the stars - moments like these are why I love living in the Adirondacks. I wanted to drive all the way to Sabattis Station, and also check areas near Long Lake, but I was falling asleep - I may just head out again tonight! Early this morning, my husband and I listened to a Barred Owl vocalizing behind our house as we had coffee. I drove back to the Little Tupper Lake outlet this morning and as usual, this location was exciting! There were two male Red Crossbills gritting in the road (I later saw a female, so there were at least 3), but my attention turned to a chaotic mass of birds a couple hundred feet from the crossbills. Binoculars revealed a Northern Shrike that was actively attempting to catch one of the birds harassing it - Red-winged Blackbirds, Blue Jays, and Amer. Robins. I ended up taking photographs and video of the shrike. The shrike was vocalizing almost the entire time (I find them vocalizing when the first arrive in late fall and again in April before they head north). While I was watching the shrike, I spotted a first-of-the-season *Brown Thrasher and it also vocalized. There was a Fox Sparrow singing in the marsh and it can be heard on my video of the shrike. Over at the Round Lake outlet, a male *Wood Duck was observed. At Sabattis Bog, a *Northern Flicker called and flew around. While I was recording the Northern Shrike with an iPhone, the Red Crossbills flew directly over me calling, so they made it onto the recording too! This evening, at dusk, I hiked up the mountain we live on - snow was knee deep most of the way, so it was a good work-out! At the summit, a Barred Owl started to call from down below, and another one began to hoot. I hooted to the owl and we went back and forth for 15 minutes! I stopped when a *Hermit Thrush began to call about 20 feet from me! It went through all of its call notes. I thought 4/12 might be an early date for our location, but last year they showed up on 4/11. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Many arrivals and migrants
4/11/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.), Newcomb and Minerva (Essex Co.) There was a huge movement of birds between yesterday and today. I visited Newcomb, Minerva, and several areas of Long Lake this morning and found many new arrivals/migrants (& many more of the arrivals I posted yesterday). Here are some of the species (* for first-of-the-season, at least in the central Adirondacks since Ive been south quite a bit!): Amer. Black Duck on Long Lake *Green-winged Teal 1 on Long Lake Common Merganser several on Long Lake Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Pied-billed Grebe 4 together on Long Lake *Great Blue Heron perched over a solidly frozen pond where there is a two-nest rookery! (photo on Facebook) Turkey Vulture several on a deer carcass (with Common Ravens) on the Hudson River (I suspect the deer fell through the ice) Red-tailed Hawk *American Woodcock 1 in the middle of Route 28N near Long Lake I had to slam on the breaks and get off the road to avoid hitting it. It was bobbing and content to be on the snowless road! It flew to a snowless patch of ground and foraged I took photos and a video. The video had my husband laughing I will work on uploading it to Facebook! Barred Owl vocalizing along Little Tupper Lake *Belted Kingfisher Hudson and Boreas Rivers Yellow-bellied Sapsucker more today Pileated Woodpecker several Merlin pair in a large White Pine along Long Lake near the bridge (very loud!) *Eastern Phoebe several Gray Jay 1 along Sabattis Circle Road Brown Creeper numerous and lots of singing (outside our house and at all my stops) Winter Wren many more today Golden-crowned Kinglet numerous with lots of singing *Fox Sparrow abundant and heard singing/viewed at nearly all my stops! Song Sparrow *White-throated Sparrow 1 by the Boreas River Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird *Rusty Blackbird 3; 1 in Newcomb flying over the golf course heading toward the Hudson River and at least 2 at the Little Tupper Lake outlet (this is also a place I find them migrating in the fall) Common Grackle Purple Finch Red Crossbill 3; pair along Route 28N in Minerva acting as if they have a nest (I believe some are still nesting while others already have fledglings) and an apparently solo male along Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake this bird spent about ½ hour really close to me. It gritted on the dirty snow in the road and along the snowbanks, and perched in several trees. It vocalized non-stop singing, calling, and making other sounds that I have never heard from this species. I took photos (on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian ) and a few videos, plus several recordings. It was a good winter for Red Crossbill nesting from Long Lake to Minerva this year. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Many arrivals and migrants
4/11/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.), Newcomb and Minerva (Essex Co.) There was a huge movement of birds between yesterday and today. I visited Newcomb, Minerva, and several areas of Long Lake this morning and found many new arrivals/migrants ( many more of the arrivals I posted yesterday). Here are some of the species (* for first-of-the-season, at least in the central Adirondacks since Ive been south quite a bit!): Amer. Black Duck on Long Lake *Green-winged Teal 1 on Long Lake Common Merganser several on Long Lake Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Pied-billed Grebe 4 together on Long Lake *Great Blue Heron perched over a solidly frozen pond where there is a two-nest rookery! (photo on Facebook) Turkey Vulture several on a deer carcass (with Common Ravens) on the Hudson River (I suspect the deer fell through the ice) Red-tailed Hawk *American Woodcock 1 in the middle of Route 28N near Long Lake I had to slam on the breaks and get off the road to avoid hitting it. It was bobbing and content to be on the snowless road! It flew to a snowless patch of ground and foraged I took photos and a video. The video had my husband laughing I will work on uploading it to Facebook! Barred Owl vocalizing along Little Tupper Lake *Belted Kingfisher Hudson and Boreas Rivers Yellow-bellied Sapsucker more today Pileated Woodpecker several Merlin pair in a large White Pine along Long Lake near the bridge (very loud!) *Eastern Phoebe several Gray Jay 1 along Sabattis Circle Road Brown Creeper numerous and lots of singing (outside our house and at all my stops) Winter Wren many more today Golden-crowned Kinglet numerous with lots of singing *Fox Sparrow abundant and heard singing/viewed at nearly all my stops! Song Sparrow *White-throated Sparrow 1 by the Boreas River Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird *Rusty Blackbird 3; 1 in Newcomb flying over the golf course heading toward the Hudson River and at least 2 at the Little Tupper Lake outlet (this is also a place I find them migrating in the fall) Common Grackle Purple Finch Red Crossbill 3; pair along Route 28N in Minerva acting as if they have a nest (I believe some are still nesting while others already have fledglings) and an apparently solo male along Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake this bird spent about ½ hour really close to me. It gritted on the dirty snow in the road and along the snowbanks, and perched in several trees. It vocalized non-stop singing, calling, and making other sounds that I have never heard from this species. I took photos (on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian ) and a few videos, plus several recordings. It was a good winter for Red Crossbill nesting from Long Lake to Minerva this year. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] New Arrivals and Boreal Birds
4/10/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) & Newcomb-Minerva (Essex Co.) Barred Owls woke me over the monitor at 2:45 a.m. - lovely! I went out in the dark to put seed out at 5:40 a.m. and heard a migrant gull calling - it was quite high. At 5:55 a.m., a *Winter Wren sang several times in the forest next to our house (same arrival date as last year - which are both a bit later than normal). I birded this morning along Route 28N in Newcomb-Minerva and at Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake. Here are some of today's species (waterfowl all on the Round Lake outlet, which is opening up quickly): Canada Goose Amer. Black Duck Mallard Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Ruffed Grouse - 2 today (photos of one on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian ) Wild Turkey Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Barred Owl - at least 2 *Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2; first of the season; one had a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers and Black-backed Woodpeckers upset, and I found another drumming in a different location Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - male and female in Newcomb along Route 28N; the male was chasing a Hairy Woodpecker when I stopped the car (round and round a dead snag). There were 4 woodpeckers all calling (Black-backed Woodpeckers were calling and rattling) and chasing each other - and then the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker flew into view. I have seen this behavior several times when Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers return in Black-backed habitat - the Black-backed Woodpeckers become upset and rattle call and chase other woodpeckers. I added some Black-backed photos to my Facebook page. Pileated Woodpecker - several observed and heard today (including outside our house) Boreal Chickadee - 4 in two different locations on Route 28N Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper - numerous and singing *Winter Wren - heard in several locations Golden-crowned Kinglet - numerous and singing Amer. Robin - many Song Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch - numerous and singing Red Crossbill - at least 27! I found a large flock (15 to 20) in Newcomb that included at least one fledgling. I took a video of about 8 of them gritting, but I'm having trouble getting videos up on Facebook. I found 2 at a stop in Minerva and another 10 in a different location in Minerva. Amer. Goldfinch - interesting - they were following Red Crossbills today 4/9/14 Tupper Lake (Franklin Co.) and Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I had 4 appointments in Potsdam yesterday, so it wasn't a birding day, but I did see some birds on the way home late in the day. In Tupper Lake, along the causeway, there were Amer. Black Ducks, Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, Common Goldeneye, and Common Mergansers. I found 5 Ruffed Grouse along Sabattis Circle Road - one pair with a male in full display! Unfortunately, the 5th bird had been killed in the road. There were 5 Hooded Mergansers and one *Pied-billed Grebe on the Round Lake outlet. There is a small section of open water on Long Lake near the bridge and I stopped to look for waterfowl - just 3 Canada Geese, but a *Merlin was calling non-stop in the white pines along the water! Still a lot of snow on the ground, but it is finally feeling a bit like spring. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] New Arrivals and Boreal Birds
4/10/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Newcomb-Minerva (Essex Co.) Barred Owls woke me over the monitor at 2:45 a.m. - lovely! I went out in the dark to put seed out at 5:40 a.m. and heard a migrant gull calling - it was quite high. At 5:55 a.m., a *Winter Wren sang several times in the forest next to our house (same arrival date as last year - which are both a bit later than normal). I birded this morning along Route 28N in Newcomb-Minerva and at Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake. Here are some of today's species (waterfowl all on the Round Lake outlet, which is opening up quickly): Canada Goose Amer. Black Duck Mallard Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Ruffed Grouse - 2 today (photos of one on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian ) Wild Turkey Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Barred Owl - at least 2 *Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2; first of the season; one had a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers and Black-backed Woodpeckers upset, and I found another drumming in a different location Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - male and female in Newcomb along Route 28N; the male was chasing a Hairy Woodpecker when I stopped the car (round and round a dead snag). There were 4 woodpeckers all calling (Black-backed Woodpeckers were calling and rattling) and chasing each other - and then the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker flew into view. I have seen this behavior several times when Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers return in Black-backed habitat - the Black-backed Woodpeckers become upset and rattle call and chase other woodpeckers. I added some Black-backed photos to my Facebook page. Pileated Woodpecker - several observed and heard today (including outside our house) Boreal Chickadee - 4 in two different locations on Route 28N Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper - numerous and singing *Winter Wren - heard in several locations Golden-crowned Kinglet - numerous and singing Amer. Robin - many Song Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch - numerous and singing Red Crossbill - at least 27! I found a large flock (15 to 20) in Newcomb that included at least one fledgling. I took a video of about 8 of them gritting, but I'm having trouble getting videos up on Facebook. I found 2 at a stop in Minerva and another 10 in a different location in Minerva. Amer. Goldfinch - interesting - they were following Red Crossbills today 4/9/14 Tupper Lake (Franklin Co.) and Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I had 4 appointments in Potsdam yesterday, so it wasn't a birding day, but I did see some birds on the way home late in the day. In Tupper Lake, along the causeway, there were Amer. Black Ducks, Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, Common Goldeneye, and Common Mergansers. I found 5 Ruffed Grouse along Sabattis Circle Road - one pair with a male in full display! Unfortunately, the 5th bird had been killed in the road. There were 5 Hooded Mergansers and one *Pied-billed Grebe on the Round Lake outlet. There is a small section of open water on Long Lake near the bridge and I stopped to look for waterfowl - just 3 Canada Geese, but a *Merlin was calling non-stop in the white pines along the water! Still a lot of snow on the ground, but it is finally feeling a bit like spring. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbill fledglings!
4/6/14 Minerva (Essex Co.) and Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I found several Red Crossbill fledglings this morning in Minerva. Red Crossbills were found in 3 locations along Route 28N and 1 location on the Blue Ridge Road - at least 16 birds were found today. I took photos of a fledgling at the top of a tree that was among a flock I found as soon as I got out of my car. The flock moved down the road and I followed not expecting to find them. I was on the right side of the road looking left where the birds had gone when I heard quiet vocalizations over my head - a Red Crossbill fledgling! It was making really interesting sounds non-stop. It was only a few feet from me, so I slowly moved away. It seemed completely tame and I was able to take quite a few photos. A second fledgling was doing the same vocalization nearby and they both dropped down behind the snow bank (just a few feet from me) to a wet spot with no snow. They spent a long time on the ground, but they were out of my sight with the snowbank blocking my view. After a while, a flock of calling Red Crossbills flew in and the fledglings joined them as they flew off. (I came back a couple hours later to the same spot, and once again found Red Crossbills as I got out of my car - I observed 3 adult females, but they didn't stay still long enough for photographs.) I posted 10 photos of the fledglings at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . We had a juvenile Red Crossbill gritting in our driveway with an adult pair on 2/22/14 (in Long Lake), but I had not observed any other juveniles this winter/spring until today. I drove down the road about a mile from the fledgling location and nearly hit a pair of Red Crossbills gritting in the road. As I slammed on the breaks, a Red Crossbill flew up over my hood - it was really close, but the birds were fine. They continued gritting and I took photos - I also posted 10 photos of this pair - you can see their long, pink tongues in the photos! (I also took a video of this pair that I will post to Facebook.) I also found Boreal Chickadees in Minerva. I attempted to photograph one, but my iPhone was in video mode, so I went with that - will post to Facebook also. Since I returned from Iowa on Wednesday, Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned Kinglets are singing. Purple Finches are widespread. Wild Turkeys seem to be everywhere. I found a Ruffed Grouse on Sabattis Circle Road again today - and photographed it. My husband and I observed several voles running in and out of their tunnel system under the snow in our backyard just before sunset. So, we still have plenty of Barred Owl food near our house! (My husband said he heard Barred Owls 3 nights in a row after I left for Iowa.) 4/5/14 Montezuma (windy and cold) I was in Montezuma for a meeting yesterday and spent about an hour birding in later afternoon before returning home. Here are some of the species found by driving around the loop road: Gadwall Amer. Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant (3 on the river) Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey - on many nests Bald Eagle - many! Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk Amer. Coot There seemed to be an abundance of food for the raptors, gulls, and waterfowl - this is such an important area for wildlife. 4/4/14 Long Lake Since the record-early Red-shouldered Hawk returned, the Blue Jays switched from doing "Broad-winged Hawk" to "Red-shouldered Hawk" vocalizations at our feeders! 4/3/14 Long Lake After returning from Iowa (where it was warm and there were many birds!), there were several first-of-the-season species (for Long Lake): Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow, Turkey Vulture, and Hooded Merganser pair (on a tiny section of open water on the Round Lake outlet on Sabattis Circle Road). Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbill fledglings!
4/6/14 Minerva (Essex Co.) and Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I found several Red Crossbill fledglings this morning in Minerva. Red Crossbills were found in 3 locations along Route 28N and 1 location on the Blue Ridge Road - at least 16 birds were found today. I took photos of a fledgling at the top of a tree that was among a flock I found as soon as I got out of my car. The flock moved down the road and I followed not expecting to find them. I was on the right side of the road looking left where the birds had gone when I heard quiet vocalizations over my head - a Red Crossbill fledgling! It was making really interesting sounds non-stop. It was only a few feet from me, so I slowly moved away. It seemed completely tame and I was able to take quite a few photos. A second fledgling was doing the same vocalization nearby and they both dropped down behind the snow bank (just a few feet from me) to a wet spot with no snow. They spent a long time on the ground, but they were out of my sight with the snowbank blocking my view. After a while, a flock of calling Red Crossbills flew in and the fledglings joined them as they flew off. (I came back a couple hours later to the same spot, and once again found Red Crossbills as I got out of my car - I observed 3 adult females, but they didn't stay still long enough for photographs.) I posted 10 photos of the fledglings at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . We had a juvenile Red Crossbill gritting in our driveway with an adult pair on 2/22/14 (in Long Lake), but I had not observed any other juveniles this winter/spring until today. I drove down the road about a mile from the fledgling location and nearly hit a pair of Red Crossbills gritting in the road. As I slammed on the breaks, a Red Crossbill flew up over my hood - it was really close, but the birds were fine. They continued gritting and I took photos - I also posted 10 photos of this pair - you can see their long, pink tongues in the photos! (I also took a video of this pair that I will post to Facebook.) I also found Boreal Chickadees in Minerva. I attempted to photograph one, but my iPhone was in video mode, so I went with that - will post to Facebook also. Since I returned from Iowa on Wednesday, Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned Kinglets are singing. Purple Finches are widespread. Wild Turkeys seem to be everywhere. I found a Ruffed Grouse on Sabattis Circle Road again today - and photographed it. My husband and I observed several voles running in and out of their tunnel system under the snow in our backyard just before sunset. So, we still have plenty of Barred Owl food near our house! (My husband said he heard Barred Owls 3 nights in a row after I left for Iowa.) 4/5/14 Montezuma (windy and cold) I was in Montezuma for a meeting yesterday and spent about an hour birding in later afternoon before returning home. Here are some of the species found by driving around the loop road: Gadwall Amer. Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant (3 on the river) Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey - on many nests Bald Eagle - many! Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk Amer. Coot There seemed to be an abundance of food for the raptors, gulls, and waterfowl - this is such an important area for wildlife. 4/4/14 Long Lake Since the record-early Red-shouldered Hawk returned, the Blue Jays switched from doing Broad-winged Hawk to Red-shouldered Hawk vocalizations at our feeders! 4/3/14 Long Lake After returning from Iowa (where it was warm and there were many birds!), there were several first-of-the-season species (for Long Lake): Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow, Turkey Vulture, and Hooded Merganser pair (on a tiny section of open water on the Round Lake outlet on Sabattis Circle Road). Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Barred Owls
3/29/14 Long Lake Strangely enough, my husband and I went to sleep last night lamenting that it had been a long time since we've heard an owl outside the house - and at 4:15 a.m., I had a wake-up call from at least FOUR Barred Owls all around our house! The vocalizations were remarkable and went on for at least 20 minutes - a wide range of all their vocalizations. I ran outside to listen and realized I could be recording them, so I ran for my iPhone. I am glad I did because one of the owls was giving vocalizations that were reminiscent of the begging calls of young that I typically hear (from young) in July and August. As far as I can tell, this particular owl did not give any hooting vocalizations - just very high pitched squeals (often very short). There is no information regarding this vocalization in the Birds of North America account for adult Barred Owls. Given the time of year, I suspect this vocalization is part of courtship. Also, there were at least 4 Barred Owls going (in every direction), so it was a unique opportunity to hear multiple owls during their courtship period. I did manage to get several recordings - unfortunately, the snow was melting from our porch roof, so the dripping sounds were also recorded! We had a bit of a melt yesterday with snow/rain, so it may have helped flush some of the small mammals from their subnivean tunnels - all around our feeder areas and to the 6 piles of cracked corn I put out on the ground for Blue Jays and Amer. Crows. It was yet another tough winter for Barred Owls with low numbers of small mammals around. Hopefully, the owls found some food around our house last night. Yesterday, 3/28/14, at least 20 Amer. Crows were snow-bathing in the deep snow outside our house! At times, they nearly disappeared into the snow. Most of the birds appeared to be paired and I observed several preening each other - they are just beautiful to observe at this time of year. Numbers of birds at our feeders surged yesterday and it was the busiest day all winter/spring - I had to fill 15 feeders at the end of the day! A first-of-the-season Chipmunk showed up at our feeders on 3/27/14. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Barred Owls
3/29/14 Long Lake Strangely enough, my husband and I went to sleep last night lamenting that it had been a long time since we've heard an owl outside the house - and at 4:15 a.m., I had a wake-up call from at least FOUR Barred Owls all around our house! The vocalizations were remarkable and went on for at least 20 minutes - a wide range of all their vocalizations. I ran outside to listen and realized I could be recording them, so I ran for my iPhone. I am glad I did because one of the owls was giving vocalizations that were reminiscent of the begging calls of young that I typically hear (from young) in July and August. As far as I can tell, this particular owl did not give any hooting vocalizations - just very high pitched squeals (often very short). There is no information regarding this vocalization in the Birds of North America account for adult Barred Owls. Given the time of year, I suspect this vocalization is part of courtship. Also, there were at least 4 Barred Owls going (in every direction), so it was a unique opportunity to hear multiple owls during their courtship period. I did manage to get several recordings - unfortunately, the snow was melting from our porch roof, so the dripping sounds were also recorded! We had a bit of a melt yesterday with snow/rain, so it may have helped flush some of the small mammals from their subnivean tunnels - all around our feeder areas and to the 6 piles of cracked corn I put out on the ground for Blue Jays and Amer. Crows. It was yet another tough winter for Barred Owls with low numbers of small mammals around. Hopefully, the owls found some food around our house last night. Yesterday, 3/28/14, at least 20 Amer. Crows were snow-bathing in the deep snow outside our house! At times, they nearly disappeared into the snow. Most of the birds appeared to be paired and I observed several preening each other - they are just beautiful to observe at this time of year. Numbers of birds at our feeders surged yesterday and it was the busiest day all winter/spring - I had to fill 15 feeders at the end of the day! A first-of-the-season Chipmunk showed up at our feeders on 3/27/14. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbills/Evening Grosbeaks/Northern Shrike/Boreal Chickadees & more
3/27/14 Minerva (western Essex Co.) and Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.) I spent a few hours birding this morning - calm, sunny, and very cold (3 degrees). Here are some of the species found: Wild Turkey - quite a few observed at several different feeder areas in Long Lake Bald Eagle - adult soaring over Route 30 in Long Lake Boreal Chickadee - at least 5 at a stop along Route 28N in Minerva. I watched them for a long time and took many photos, but none nice enough to post on Facebook! Brown Creeper - a non-stop singing bird near the Roosevelt Truck Trailhead in Minerva Purple Finch - many; found at every stop Red Crossbill - 4; Found at 3 different stops in Minerva (2 new locations) - one pair near the Boreal Chickadee location, a singing bird, and another bird (male) gritting in the road (I took one photo of this bird before a truck startled it from the road. Once again, Red Crossbills are nesting along the Route 28/28N corridor in Hamilton and Essex Counties as they did two winters ago. Evening Grosbeak - several heard vocalizing as they flew nearby while I was observing the Boreal Chickadees. Minerva is the only location where I have found Evening Grosbeaks this winter/spring. 3/26/14 Minerva (western Essex Co.) and Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.) I spent a few hours birding mid-morning yesterday. It was a very windy, cold day. Here are some of the species: Red-shouldered Hawk - soaring down the road from our house - likely the same bird that I have been posting (the record early 3/6/14 arriving bird) Northern Shrike - last evening, I startled this bird from our back porch floor at 6:50 p.m. (it was watching for the many small rodents that have a network of tunnels under our bird feeders). I took over 90 photos of the bird since it only flew a short distance from the porch. I used my scope/iPhone adapter and photographed through the glass door. I was surprised that the photos came out since it was nearly sunset. I posted 4 photos to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . We also observed the bird around noon outside our kitchen window - it was immediately chased away by Blue Jays. Purple Finch - many - both at our feeders and everywhere I stopped in Minerva Red Crossbill - 4 at one stop in Minerva. As I got out of the car, I immediately heard a calling bird - a female that I briefly observed before it flew to an area that I believe is a likely nesting location. A bit later, a group of 3 calling Red Crossbills flew over me, and landed too far away for me to see them. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red-shouldered Hawk
3/21/14 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.) Yesterday, at 1:15 p.m., my husband and I had a conversation interrupted by the extremely loud vocalizations of a Red-shouldered Hawk outside our house! The Blue Jays have been imitating Broad-winged Hawks every day (one is going as I write this!), so I fully expected to see a Blue Jay when I looked out the window, but instead, it was indeed a Red-shouldered Hawk! I suspect it was attracted by huge numbers of Red and Gray Squirrels here for bird seed. This also solves the ID of the distant vocalization that I recorded down our road on 3/6/14 (which several folks have also been trying to solve). I kept coming back to Red-shouldered Hawk when I listened to it, but kept telling myself that 3/6 is just way too early for the central Adirondacks (they usually show up in later April and I find many breeding in the Long Lake area - at wetlands that drain into Long Lake). The vocalization that I recorded was very intense. Yesterday, the Red-shouldered Hawk was giving the exact same intense vocalization, which was likely because it was being harassed by corvids (Amer. Crows and Blue Jays) at the time - they drove it away from the house as I observed it. I believe it was back again this morning - I caught sight as it flew away. We have at least 2 feet of snow on the ground (with more lake effect snows every day) and no open water. The weather forecast shows more of the same, with no spring weather yet, so it seems very surprising that a Red-shouldered Hawk would come back so early. (I enjoyed emailing about the recording with Kurt Fox - yes Kurt, it was indeed a "rapid, urgent" Red-shouldered Hawk! Both of us kept trying to dismiss this possibility based on the date. Given how mixed up things are becoming with climate change, it is always best to trust your instincts now!) In addition to this Red-shouldered Hawk, which appears to have returned to the mountains on 3/6/14, we found one on 1/13/14 near Port Henry (perched over a little, open stream) in the Lake Champlain Valley. There have been several other reports of a Red-shouldered Hawk in that area, so I suspect it is the same bird, and that it over-wintered this year. There was also a Red-shouldered Hawk that over-wintered across Lake Champlain in Vermont. Port Henry is around only 200-300' in elevation, and our house is at 2,000', so the weather is quite a bit more harsh here! There are certainly no snakes or amphibians for this bird to eat right now! The day before "spring", 3/19/14, two Red-winged Blackbirds showed up at our feeders for just a couple minutes - the only brief sign of spring all week. It is interesting that Pat & John Thaxton also had a visit from Red-winged Blackbirds that day. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red-shouldered Hawk
3/21/14 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.) Yesterday, at 1:15 p.m., my husband and I had a conversation interrupted by the extremely loud vocalizations of a Red-shouldered Hawk outside our house! The Blue Jays have been imitating Broad-winged Hawks every day (one is going as I write this!), so I fully expected to see a Blue Jay when I looked out the window, but instead, it was indeed a Red-shouldered Hawk! I suspect it was attracted by huge numbers of Red and Gray Squirrels here for bird seed. This also solves the ID of the distant vocalization that I recorded down our road on 3/6/14 (which several folks have also been trying to solve). I kept coming back to Red-shouldered Hawk when I listened to it, but kept telling myself that 3/6 is just way too early for the central Adirondacks (they usually show up in later April and I find many breeding in the Long Lake area - at wetlands that drain into Long Lake). The vocalization that I recorded was very intense. Yesterday, the Red-shouldered Hawk was giving the exact same intense vocalization, which was likely because it was being harassed by corvids (Amer. Crows and Blue Jays) at the time - they drove it away from the house as I observed it. I believe it was back again this morning - I caught sight as it flew away. We have at least 2 feet of snow on the ground (with more lake effect snows every day) and no open water. The weather forecast shows more of the same, with no spring weather yet, so it seems very surprising that a Red-shouldered Hawk would come back so early. (I enjoyed emailing about the recording with Kurt Fox - yes Kurt, it was indeed a rapid, urgent Red-shouldered Hawk! Both of us kept trying to dismiss this possibility based on the date. Given how mixed up things are becoming with climate change, it is always best to trust your instincts now!) In addition to this Red-shouldered Hawk, which appears to have returned to the mountains on 3/6/14, we found one on 1/13/14 near Port Henry (perched over a little, open stream) in the Lake Champlain Valley. There have been several other reports of a Red-shouldered Hawk in that area, so I suspect it is the same bird, and that it over-wintered this year. There was also a Red-shouldered Hawk that over-wintered across Lake Champlain in Vermont. Port Henry is around only 200-300' in elevation, and our house is at 2,000', so the weather is quite a bit more harsh here! There are certainly no snakes or amphibians for this bird to eat right now! The day before spring, 3/19/14, two Red-winged Blackbirds showed up at our feeders for just a couple minutes - the only brief sign of spring all week. It is interesting that Pat John Thaxton also had a visit from Red-winged Blackbirds that day. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Boreal Birds
oward the south end. Boreal Chickadees were found in 4 different locations (3, 3, 1, 1). There were lots of animals tracks along the trail - River Otter, Snowshoe Hare, Red Squirrel, Vole, Gray Fox, and Ruffed Grouse. The most interesting observation, for me, was finding a dead tree covered in Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) - I posted 4 photos to my Facebook page along with a photo of the male Black-backed Woodpecker. Here is some info about Lungwort I posted to Facebook: Lungwort is a folios lichen and a composite organism consisting of 3 different species (fungus, green algae, and cyanobacteria). It is an indicator for healthy ecosystems such as old growth forests. Lungwort is sensitive to air pollution and cannot survive in polluted areas such as cities and developed areas (it is endangered in many European countries due to air pollution and habitat loss). In the northeastern US, it is a favorite food of Moose. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Boreal Birds
Chickadees were found in 4 different locations (3, 3, 1, 1). There were lots of animals tracks along the trail - River Otter, Snowshoe Hare, Red Squirrel, Vole, Gray Fox, and Ruffed Grouse. The most interesting observation, for me, was finding a dead tree covered in Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) - I posted 4 photos to my Facebook page along with a photo of the male Black-backed Woodpecker. Here is some info about Lungwort I posted to Facebook: Lungwort is a folios lichen and a composite organism consisting of 3 different species (fungus, green algae, and cyanobacteria). It is an indicator for healthy ecosystems such as old growth forests. Lungwort is sensitive to air pollution and cannot survive in polluted areas such as cities and developed areas (it is endangered in many European countries due to air pollution and habitat loss). In the northeastern US, it is a favorite food of Moose. 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/ --
RE: [nysbirds-l] Update on ducks at Essex Ferry?
Hi Bert/All, The Tufted Duck was observed at the Essex Ferry Dock location late on Saturday (posts to Northern New York Birds can be viewed on the ABA website at: http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY07 ). The temperature is warming today and tomorrow, but the ice is so thick, that it probably won't open up areas outside the ferry channel yet. On Wednesday, a major winter storm is forecast for northern NY and Vermont - with the potential of over a foot of snow! It will be very cold again on Thursday, so I suspect that the waterfowl will still be found in the ferry channel - and hopefully, the Tufted Duck among them! Best of luck to you! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY From: bounce-113071077-13418...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-113071077-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bert Harris Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 11:21 AM To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu Subject: [nysbirds-l] Update on ducks at Essex Ferry? Hi all, Has anyone been to the Essex-Charlotte ferry across Lake Champlain lately? We will be heading up on Wednesday and would like to look for the ducks, especially the Tufted Duck and Barrow's Goldeneye. Thanks! Bert Harris, Princeton, NJ -- 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/ --
RE: [nysbirds-l] Update on ducks at Essex Ferry?
Hi Bert/All, The Tufted Duck was observed at the Essex Ferry Dock location late on Saturday (posts to Northern New York Birds can be viewed on the ABA website at: http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY07 ). The temperature is warming today and tomorrow, but the ice is so thick, that it probably won't open up areas outside the ferry channel yet. On Wednesday, a major winter storm is forecast for northern NY and Vermont - with the potential of over a foot of snow! It will be very cold again on Thursday, so I suspect that the waterfowl will still be found in the ferry channel - and hopefully, the Tufted Duck among them! Best of luck to you! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY From: bounce-113071077-13418...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-113071077-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bert Harris Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 11:21 AM To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu Subject: [nysbirds-l] Update on ducks at Essex Ferry? Hi all, Has anyone been to the Essex-Charlotte ferry across Lake Champlain lately? We will be heading up on Wednesday and would like to look for the ducks, especially the Tufted Duck and Barrow's Goldeneye. Thanks! Bert Harris, Princeton, NJ -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Male Tufted Duck at Essex Ferry
2/28/14 Essex Ferry Dock (Essex Co.) Late this afternoon, I took a drive to the Essex Ferry Dock on Lake Champlain. About 5 to 10 minutes before the ferry arrived, I found the male Tufted Duck among hundreds of other waterfowl. I took a number of photos before the birds flushed as the ferry came in. The birds came back after the ferry departed and I took a few more photos of the Tufted Duck before my hands went completely numb! There were also 2 female Long-tailed Ducks. I didn't spot the male Barrow's Goldeneye today. I met two very nice birders from Vermont who came over on the ferry to observed waterfowl. They said there were quite a few birds on the VT side also - including Bufflehead, which were not on the NY side this afternoon. I took 80 photos of the Tufted Duck and posted 14 of them to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . It was a long way out, so my scope and iPhone attachment were both fully zoomed! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Male Tufted Duck at Essex Ferry
2/28/14 Essex Ferry Dock (Essex Co.) Late this afternoon, I took a drive to the Essex Ferry Dock on Lake Champlain. About 5 to 10 minutes before the ferry arrived, I found the male Tufted Duck among hundreds of other waterfowl. I took a number of photos before the birds flushed as the ferry came in. The birds came back after the ferry departed and I took a few more photos of the Tufted Duck before my hands went completely numb! There were also 2 female Long-tailed Ducks. I didn't spot the male Barrow's Goldeneye today. I met two very nice birders from Vermont who came over on the ferry to observed waterfowl. They said there were quite a few birds on the VT side also - including Bufflehead, which were not on the NY side this afternoon. I took 80 photos of the Tufted Duck and posted 14 of them to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . It was a long way out, so my scope and iPhone attachment were both fully zoomed! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbill FAMILY outside our Long Lake house!
2/22/14 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.) Over hundreds of Amer. Goldfinches and a few Purple Finches, I suddenly heard the distinctive, loud call notes of Red Crossbills on our baby monitor (used to bring in outside sounds in winter)! I raced to see them - they were gritting in our driveway with several goldfinches. The most exciting part was observing a juvenile Red Crossbill gritting too! It was right next to a hovering adult male. The adult female had just been observed and she flew back up into a large white pine when the juvenile and male dropped down. So there was at least one juvenile with this pair. They stayed for about 10 minutes in a large white pine. I just sent off 3 recordings to Matt Young at Cornell. I recorded from a second floor window that was probably around 50 to 70 feet from the calling birds. Unfortunately, my scope was sitting inside the car near where the birds were gritting, so I couldn't get a photo of the juvenile. This observation really made my day!!! I have not yet observed any juvenile Red Crossbills in the Minerva area. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbill FAMILY outside our Long Lake house!
2/22/14 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.) Over hundreds of Amer. Goldfinches and a few Purple Finches, I suddenly heard the distinctive, loud call notes of Red Crossbills on our baby monitor (used to bring in outside sounds in winter)! I raced to see them - they were gritting in our driveway with several goldfinches. The most exciting part was observing a juvenile Red Crossbill gritting too! It was right next to a hovering adult male. The adult female had just been observed and she flew back up into a large white pine when the juvenile and male dropped down. So there was at least one juvenile with this pair. They stayed for about 10 minutes in a large white pine. I just sent off 3 recordings to Matt Young at Cornell. I recorded from a second floor window that was probably around 50 to 70 feet from the calling birds. Unfortunately, my scope was sitting inside the car near where the birds were gritting, so I couldn't get a photo of the juvenile. This observation really made my day!!! I have not yet observed any juvenile Red Crossbills in the Minerva area. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Essex - Charlotte Ferry across Lake Champlain
Just in case anyone is headed toward the Essex - Charlotte Ferry across Lake Champlain, I must have had a dyslexic moment and reversed the schedule in my post yesterday! The ferry runs back and forth - on the half hour beginning at 7:30 a.m. on the NY side and at the top of the hour on the VT side beginning at 7 a.m. The last ferry leaves VT at 5 p.m. and NY at 5:30 p.m. If you miss the ferry, you can simply head south and drive across the lake on the Champlain Bridge at Crown Point. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbills/Barrow's Goldeneye/Boreal Chickadees & more
Purple Finch Red Crossbill - several in Minerva 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbills/Barrow's Goldeneye/Boreal Chickadees more
in Minerva 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbills, Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jay, & more
2/13/14 Minerva (western Essex Co.) I traveled to Glens Falls yesterday via Route 28N through Newcomb-Minerva so I could stop to see Red Crossbills again. I found them in two locations and took photos at one location (on my Facebook page below). Once again, there was a male calling, singing, and flying around. I also found a pair of Red Crossbills quietly vocalizing together as they foraged in trees, and then gritted in the road. I also managed another recording for Matt Young of a calling male. 2/12/14 Newcomb-Minerva & Long Lake (western Essex Co. and Hamilton Co.) I had planned to travel to Vermont to see Snowy Owls on Wednesday, but I ended up with a late start, and then I got completely distracted by finding lots of Boreal Chickadees and Red Crossbills in the Newcomb-Minerva areas! So I spent the afternoon in boreal habitat instead! Here are some of the species found: Bald Eagle - I stopped at the Long Lake road-killed deer drop. I flushed 6 Common Ravens and the eagle flew up from down the hill vocalizing loudly. My presence was affecting the dynamics going on, so I quickly left. There appeared to be a fresh deer carcass at this location. (I took the mileage - it is 2.6 miles past the Route 30-Route 28 intersection in Long Lake along Route 28N toward Newcomb.) Gray Jay - at least one vocalizing loudly. I had to ignore the Gray Jay because I was in the middle of photographing Boreal Chickadees, which is a rare opportunity! This is the second time in the past week couple weeks that I have found a Gray Jay in the Minerva area - this is not a species I often find in this area. Common Raven - 6 Boreal Chickadee - 13! (flocks of at least 6, at least 5, at least one, and at least 1) I photographed birds in the flock of 6 that I found along Route 28N (photos on my Facebook page below). The flock of at least 5 was found on the Blue Ridge Road. I was in the twisty part of the Blue Ridge Road (for those of you who know this treacherous road!) and I had another opportunity to photograph Boreal Chickadees, but it would have been somewhat suicidal with all the logging trucks roaring by. (There is no shoulder to pull off on.) The other two locations had distant Boreal Chickadees vocalizing (one location where I found Red Crossbills) and I am sure there was more than just one at each spot! Red Crossbill - several at two different locations. I stopped along Route 28N in one spot to listen for Black-backed Woodpeckers and found Red Crossbills calling right over my head! Unfortunately, they were probably 80 feet up and I couldn't see them. I did record them for Matt Young. He said the calls I recorded are alarm calls and harder to "type" - I am glad he sent that info, because I found it difficult to try and type these birds against all the type recordings that Matt has sent me! There were at least 4 crossbills at this stop. At another stop, I heard the very quiet call notes of a male Red Crossbill. It quietly called and then began to sing (photos on my Facebook page below). Later on, it flew around - no sign of a female with it and I suspect nesting is underway. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbills, Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jay, more
2/13/14 Minerva (western Essex Co.) I traveled to Glens Falls yesterday via Route 28N through Newcomb-Minerva so I could stop to see Red Crossbills again. I found them in two locations and took photos at one location (on my Facebook page below). Once again, there was a male calling, singing, and flying around. I also found a pair of Red Crossbills quietly vocalizing together as they foraged in trees, and then gritted in the road. I also managed another recording for Matt Young of a calling male. 2/12/14 Newcomb-Minerva Long Lake (western Essex Co. and Hamilton Co.) I had planned to travel to Vermont to see Snowy Owls on Wednesday, but I ended up with a late start, and then I got completely distracted by finding lots of Boreal Chickadees and Red Crossbills in the Newcomb-Minerva areas! So I spent the afternoon in boreal habitat instead! Here are some of the species found: Bald Eagle - I stopped at the Long Lake road-killed deer drop. I flushed 6 Common Ravens and the eagle flew up from down the hill vocalizing loudly. My presence was affecting the dynamics going on, so I quickly left. There appeared to be a fresh deer carcass at this location. (I took the mileage - it is 2.6 miles past the Route 30-Route 28 intersection in Long Lake along Route 28N toward Newcomb.) Gray Jay - at least one vocalizing loudly. I had to ignore the Gray Jay because I was in the middle of photographing Boreal Chickadees, which is a rare opportunity! This is the second time in the past week couple weeks that I have found a Gray Jay in the Minerva area - this is not a species I often find in this area. Common Raven - 6 Boreal Chickadee - 13! (flocks of at least 6, at least 5, at least one, and at least 1) I photographed birds in the flock of 6 that I found along Route 28N (photos on my Facebook page below). The flock of at least 5 was found on the Blue Ridge Road. I was in the twisty part of the Blue Ridge Road (for those of you who know this treacherous road!) and I had another opportunity to photograph Boreal Chickadees, but it would have been somewhat suicidal with all the logging trucks roaring by. (There is no shoulder to pull off on.) The other two locations had distant Boreal Chickadees vocalizing (one location where I found Red Crossbills) and I am sure there was more than just one at each spot! Red Crossbill - several at two different locations. I stopped along Route 28N in one spot to listen for Black-backed Woodpeckers and found Red Crossbills calling right over my head! Unfortunately, they were probably 80 feet up and I couldn't see them. I did record them for Matt Young. He said the calls I recorded are alarm calls and harder to type - I am glad he sent that info, because I found it difficult to try and type these birds against all the type recordings that Matt has sent me! There were at least 4 crossbills at this stop. At another stop, I heard the very quiet call notes of a male Red Crossbill. It quietly called and then began to sing (photos on my Facebook page below). Later on, it flew around - no sign of a female with it and I suspect nesting is underway. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] St Lawrence Valley & Adirondack Birding
2/10/14 Afternoon in the St. Lawrence Valley I only had the afternoon hours to bird in the St. Lawrence Valley after morning appointments in the Potsdam area. I snaked my way down through southern St. Lawrence Co. into northern Jefferson Co. to the Cape Vincent area. Point Peninsula has become one of my favorite places to go, and I always find it hard to leave this scenic spot. The Oswegatchie River had open water at the bridge location along Eel Weir Rd. (which always seems to be the case at this spot) - and lots of waterfowl. There was a male Common Merganser that I noticed with its head underwater flailing about - it appeared it might be in trouble. I scoped the bird and it had a HUGE fish - as long as the merganser in size! It would not let go of the fish, and I have no idea how it could even hang on to it. The fish was pulling the merganser underwater. It appeared to be way too thick for the merganser to consume and the situation seemed futile. It would have been an interesting behavior to capture as a video on my iPhone, but my scope was loose so I was unable to photograph yesterday. Here are some of the species found: Amer. Black Duck Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk - 7 Rough-legged Hawk - 11 (9 light, 2 dark) Snowy Owl - 4 (all in northern Jefferson Co. with 3 in one location); I observed a man and his Golden Retriever walk out of his house to get the mail. He never looked up at the beautiful Snowy Owl perched at the top of a tree over his home! Either he didn't notice it, or maybe it is so commonplace now that he wasn't interested! I ran into a man from Watertown who came out to photograph one of the 3 birds found. He came up to my car and said he was trying to get the bird with the rising moon behind - I also would have loved that shot, but my scope was too loose to focus the iPhone! The sky was clear and the owls were perched with the huge rising moon right behind them. A skilled photographer could have taken fantastic photos yesterday evening! Northern Shrike - 2 (1 adult along Route 68 Town of Lisbon, 1 juvenile along Route 6 in Morristown/Hammond) Horned Lark - Route 6 in Morristown Snow Bunting - 2 flocks (1 along Route 6 in Morristown and 1 huge flock along Route 6 at the Cape Vincent/Lyme town line) The large flock was beautiful - flying with a setting sun behind. American Tree Sparrow - large flock foraging near the large flock of Snow Buntings 2/7/14 Bloomingdale area (Franklin Co.), Waterbury, VT, and Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I was out with a couple from southern New Jersey this past Friday. The weather was nice at dawn, but the snow got heavier and heavier and was accompanied by snow squalls as the morning progressed. So we changed plans for the afternoon and traveled to Waterbury, VT to see the Northern Hawk Owl - the weather was much nicer in Vermont on Friday! Here are some of the species found: Amer. Black Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser - a solo female on a very small area of open water on the Round Lake outlet into Little Tupper Lake! Common Merganser Bald Eagle Northern Hawk Owl - we arrived in late afternoon and the owl was not in any of its usual locations. There were quite a few people waiting for it to show up - including a couple of photographers. We walked around the area and drove up Gregg Hill Road a short distance but did not find the bird. As the light faded with sunset, most of the birders and all the photographers left without a sighting. We decided to drive up Gregg Hill Road one more time before leaving. We drove in about 1/3 of a mile and I was looking for a driveway to turn around when I spotted a fast flying bird coming in from the left that landed right at the top of the tree in front of us! Hawk Owls have such a distinctive way of landing! So our patience paid off and the bird stayed perched for a while and we all had scope views and took photographs. A couple birders from Pennsylvania drove up after us and I waved them over, so their patience paid off also! I didn't get very good photos since the bird was perched so high, but I did post one to my Facebook page below. Black-backed Woodpecker - 1 female along Sabattis Circle Road. The bird was foraging for a while, but began to fly from tree to tree - a couple Gray Jays were silently skulking around and the woodpecker chased them. I've observed aggressive behavior by Black-backed Woodpeckers toward Gray Jays in nesting season, but not during winter. Gray Jay - 2 in the Bloomingdale area Boreal Chickadee - 3 in the Bloomingdale area - one very nice view. Boreal Chickadee plumage looks lovely in winter, but they look disheveled in nesting season. (One birder I know calls them "dirty-looking" in June!) Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528
[nysbirds-l] St Lawrence Valley Adirondack Birding
2/10/14 Afternoon in the St. Lawrence Valley I only had the afternoon hours to bird in the St. Lawrence Valley after morning appointments in the Potsdam area. I snaked my way down through southern St. Lawrence Co. into northern Jefferson Co. to the Cape Vincent area. Point Peninsula has become one of my favorite places to go, and I always find it hard to leave this scenic spot. The Oswegatchie River had open water at the bridge location along Eel Weir Rd. (which always seems to be the case at this spot) - and lots of waterfowl. There was a male Common Merganser that I noticed with its head underwater flailing about - it appeared it might be in trouble. I scoped the bird and it had a HUGE fish - as long as the merganser in size! It would not let go of the fish, and I have no idea how it could even hang on to it. The fish was pulling the merganser underwater. It appeared to be way too thick for the merganser to consume and the situation seemed futile. It would have been an interesting behavior to capture as a video on my iPhone, but my scope was loose so I was unable to photograph yesterday. Here are some of the species found: Amer. Black Duck Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk - 7 Rough-legged Hawk - 11 (9 light, 2 dark) Snowy Owl - 4 (all in northern Jefferson Co. with 3 in one location); I observed a man and his Golden Retriever walk out of his house to get the mail. He never looked up at the beautiful Snowy Owl perched at the top of a tree over his home! Either he didn't notice it, or maybe it is so commonplace now that he wasn't interested! I ran into a man from Watertown who came out to photograph one of the 3 birds found. He came up to my car and said he was trying to get the bird with the rising moon behind - I also would have loved that shot, but my scope was too loose to focus the iPhone! The sky was clear and the owls were perched with the huge rising moon right behind them. A skilled photographer could have taken fantastic photos yesterday evening! Northern Shrike - 2 (1 adult along Route 68 Town of Lisbon, 1 juvenile along Route 6 in Morristown/Hammond) Horned Lark - Route 6 in Morristown Snow Bunting - 2 flocks (1 along Route 6 in Morristown and 1 huge flock along Route 6 at the Cape Vincent/Lyme town line) The large flock was beautiful - flying with a setting sun behind. American Tree Sparrow - large flock foraging near the large flock of Snow Buntings 2/7/14 Bloomingdale area (Franklin Co.), Waterbury, VT, and Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I was out with a couple from southern New Jersey this past Friday. The weather was nice at dawn, but the snow got heavier and heavier and was accompanied by snow squalls as the morning progressed. So we changed plans for the afternoon and traveled to Waterbury, VT to see the Northern Hawk Owl - the weather was much nicer in Vermont on Friday! Here are some of the species found: Amer. Black Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser - a solo female on a very small area of open water on the Round Lake outlet into Little Tupper Lake! Common Merganser Bald Eagle Northern Hawk Owl - we arrived in late afternoon and the owl was not in any of its usual locations. There were quite a few people waiting for it to show up - including a couple of photographers. We walked around the area and drove up Gregg Hill Road a short distance but did not find the bird. As the light faded with sunset, most of the birders and all the photographers left without a sighting. We decided to drive up Gregg Hill Road one more time before leaving. We drove in about 1/3 of a mile and I was looking for a driveway to turn around when I spotted a fast flying bird coming in from the left that landed right at the top of the tree in front of us! Hawk Owls have such a distinctive way of landing! So our patience paid off and the bird stayed perched for a while and we all had scope views and took photographs. A couple birders from Pennsylvania drove up after us and I waved them over, so their patience paid off also! I didn't get very good photos since the bird was perched so high, but I did post one to my Facebook page below. Black-backed Woodpecker - 1 female along Sabattis Circle Road. The bird was foraging for a while, but began to fly from tree to tree - a couple Gray Jays were silently skulking around and the woodpecker chased them. I've observed aggressive behavior by Black-backed Woodpeckers toward Gray Jays in nesting season, but not during winter. Gray Jay - 2 in the Bloomingdale area Boreal Chickadee - 3 in the Bloomingdale area - one very nice view. Boreal Chickadee plumage looks lovely in winter, but they look disheveled in nesting season. (One birder I know calls them dirty-looking in June!) Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com
[nysbirds-l] Boreal Birds & more
2/5-6/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I spotted a male Purple Finch among the hoards of American Goldfinches at our feeders today. Yesterday, 2/5/14, was this winter's peak for the number of goldfinches and seed consumed at our feeders. A Sharp-shinned Hawk dispersed them all for a short time yesterday. It has certainly been unusual to have Amer. Goldfinches at our feeders in winter - and in such remarkable numbers. (Amer. Goldfinches and Purple Finches generally leave our area in late fall.) 2/4/14 Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties I took a drive on Tuesday to St. Lawrence Co. I stopped at the dead deer drop on Route 458 in Santa Clara, and found two adult Bald Eagles that took flight and were joined in a thermal by two Common Ravens. This was an unusual sight, so I kept observing. One of the ravens began to attack one of the eagles - smashing into the eagle's back over and over. The eagle did not fight back and eventually the eagle pair flew off. There were Common and Hooded Mergansers on a small section of open water on the St. Regis River. At Hawkins Point, there was an Iceland Gull (photos on my Facebook page - link below), Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Common and Hooded Mergansers. I found an active Porcupine in a tree along Haverstock Road. There were large numbers of waterfowl in the St. Lawrence River along Haverstock Road, but they were far away, and it was nearly dark. A Barred Owl flew across the road in front of my car in Childwold as I drove home. 2/1/14 Minerva in Essex Co. At an area where Red Crossbills appear to be getting ready to nest, a Gray Jay was vocalizing amid many Blue Jays. I imitated a Gray Jay call, and the bird flew toward me. It perched and vocalized for several minutes. The Blue Jays continued to call. The Gray Jay suddenly gave its loud raptor-sounding vocalizations. As it did, a Boreal Chickadee started to vocalize, and 3 Red Crossbills flew in! Matt Young analyzed my terrible iPhone recordings from this area, and he is 99% sure there are Type 1 and Type 10 Red Crossbills on the recordings - he said he is sure enough to count them as such. Interesting! On a brief hike of the Roosevelt Truck Trail, I startled a Ruffed Grouse (it startled me more), and I found a female Black-backed Woodpecker that I observed for a long time (photos on my Facebook page below). I also found 2 Boreal Chickadees, and a vocalizing Evening Grosbeak - in the exact same location where I found several that I posted on 12/4/13. On my drive back to Long Lake, I spotted over 20 Common Ravens at the Long Lake dead deer dump location (near the town sign on Route 28N). 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Boreal Birds more
2/5-6/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) I spotted a male Purple Finch among the hoards of American Goldfinches at our feeders today. Yesterday, 2/5/14, was this winter's peak for the number of goldfinches and seed consumed at our feeders. A Sharp-shinned Hawk dispersed them all for a short time yesterday. It has certainly been unusual to have Amer. Goldfinches at our feeders in winter - and in such remarkable numbers. (Amer. Goldfinches and Purple Finches generally leave our area in late fall.) 2/4/14 Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties I took a drive on Tuesday to St. Lawrence Co. I stopped at the dead deer drop on Route 458 in Santa Clara, and found two adult Bald Eagles that took flight and were joined in a thermal by two Common Ravens. This was an unusual sight, so I kept observing. One of the ravens began to attack one of the eagles - smashing into the eagle's back over and over. The eagle did not fight back and eventually the eagle pair flew off. There were Common and Hooded Mergansers on a small section of open water on the St. Regis River. At Hawkins Point, there was an Iceland Gull (photos on my Facebook page - link below), Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Common and Hooded Mergansers. I found an active Porcupine in a tree along Haverstock Road. There were large numbers of waterfowl in the St. Lawrence River along Haverstock Road, but they were far away, and it was nearly dark. A Barred Owl flew across the road in front of my car in Childwold as I drove home. 2/1/14 Minerva in Essex Co. At an area where Red Crossbills appear to be getting ready to nest, a Gray Jay was vocalizing amid many Blue Jays. I imitated a Gray Jay call, and the bird flew toward me. It perched and vocalized for several minutes. The Blue Jays continued to call. The Gray Jay suddenly gave its loud raptor-sounding vocalizations. As it did, a Boreal Chickadee started to vocalize, and 3 Red Crossbills flew in! Matt Young analyzed my terrible iPhone recordings from this area, and he is 99% sure there are Type 1 and Type 10 Red Crossbills on the recordings - he said he is sure enough to count them as such. Interesting! On a brief hike of the Roosevelt Truck Trail, I startled a Ruffed Grouse (it startled me more), and I found a female Black-backed Woodpecker that I observed for a long time (photos on my Facebook page below). I also found 2 Boreal Chickadees, and a vocalizing Evening Grosbeak - in the exact same location where I found several that I posted on 12/4/13. On my drive back to Long Lake, I spotted over 20 Common Ravens at the Long Lake dead deer dump location (near the town sign on Route 28N). 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbills/Common Raven-Eastern Coyote communication
1/26/14 (Southwestern Essex Co., NY) At dawn this morning, I was attempting to record (on my iPhone) singing and calling Red Crossbills, when I decided to use my scope and iPhone attachment to photograph a female Red Crossbill at the top of a spruce tree. I took one photo when a male flew in and fed the female! I captured the moment - not a great photo, but enough to see some details. The male's head is upright with his bill wide open, and the female turned her head to the side to retrieve the food from the male's mouth. I posted several photos to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . I believe I am hearing two different "Types" of Red Crossbills at this location based on the calls. Matt Young, at the Cornell Lab, has documented two different Red Crossbill Types nesting side by side in the past. I lasted only a couple hours in the brutal cold this morning. I got a couple distant recordings that may be enough to "Type" the crossbills. I thought I had a wonderful close recording of a singing Red Crossbill, and when it finished singing, I looked down to see that I failed to hit the record button! My hands were so numb that I could barely work the scope and iPhone. I heard some fascinating Red Crossbill vocalizations this morning, and I wished I had a large recording dish! I am a bit late with a blog on one of the most interesting animal behaviors I've witnessed. The October 2011 observation was just a few months after the unexpected death of my mother. I put a number of writing projects on hold, and I am still catching up. Here is a blog post of my observation of Common Raven-Eastern Coyote communication: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/behavior/communication-between-com mon-ravens-and-eastern-coyotes-an-observation . Mario Davalos, an artist/photographer/birder/writer, from the Dominican Republic, recently wrote a lovely blog about the Adirondacks/Northern NY: http://mariodavalos.com/2014/01/16/snowy-vacation-in-the-adirondacks/ . (He also visited NYC this past month and there is a lovely blog from that experience also!) It was so interesting to watch Mario photograph birds and landscapes with an artist's eye. He gave me a copy of his book, "Wildscapes: Travels to Cure a Restless Soul", which is spectacular! Unfortunately, it is not for sale, but he can be contacted for a copy. He has a number of book projects underway, and they will be for sale when finished. I meet very interesting people in my birding life, and Mario is one of those remarkable people that you know you'll be hearing a lot more about over time. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbills/Common Raven-Eastern Coyote communication
1/26/14 (Southwestern Essex Co., NY) At dawn this morning, I was attempting to record (on my iPhone) singing and calling Red Crossbills, when I decided to use my scope and iPhone attachment to photograph a female Red Crossbill at the top of a spruce tree. I took one photo when a male flew in and fed the female! I captured the moment - not a great photo, but enough to see some details. The male's head is upright with his bill wide open, and the female turned her head to the side to retrieve the food from the male's mouth. I posted several photos to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . I believe I am hearing two different Types of Red Crossbills at this location based on the calls. Matt Young, at the Cornell Lab, has documented two different Red Crossbill Types nesting side by side in the past. I lasted only a couple hours in the brutal cold this morning. I got a couple distant recordings that may be enough to Type the crossbills. I thought I had a wonderful close recording of a singing Red Crossbill, and when it finished singing, I looked down to see that I failed to hit the record button! My hands were so numb that I could barely work the scope and iPhone. I heard some fascinating Red Crossbill vocalizations this morning, and I wished I had a large recording dish! I am a bit late with a blog on one of the most interesting animal behaviors I've witnessed. The October 2011 observation was just a few months after the unexpected death of my mother. I put a number of writing projects on hold, and I am still catching up. Here is a blog post of my observation of Common Raven-Eastern Coyote communication: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/behavior/communication-between-com mon-ravens-and-eastern-coyotes-an-observation . Mario Davalos, an artist/photographer/birder/writer, from the Dominican Republic, recently wrote a lovely blog about the Adirondacks/Northern NY: http://mariodavalos.com/2014/01/16/snowy-vacation-in-the-adirondacks/ . (He also visited NYC this past month and there is a lovely blog from that experience also!) It was so interesting to watch Mario photograph birds and landscapes with an artist's eye. He gave me a copy of his book, Wildscapes: Travels to Cure a Restless Soul, which is spectacular! Unfortunately, it is not for sale, but he can be contacted for a copy. He has a number of book projects underway, and they will be for sale when finished. I meet very interesting people in my birding life, and Mario is one of those remarkable people that you know you'll be hearing a lot more about over time. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbills!/Boreal Chickadees/Black-backed Woodpeckers/Northern Hawk Owl, etc.
1/15/14 Southwestern Essex Co. - Newcomb and Minerva I found Red Crossbills in three different locations in Minerva this morning. They were singing, calling, gritting, preening, and the males acted a bit aggressive toward one another. Most of the birds appeared to be paired, but they joined together in a larger group for gritting. I observed two males and a female gritting. The female stayed close to one of the males and kept moving away from the other male. Two years ago, Red Crossbills (& White-winged Crossbills) nested in a corridor from Minerva-Newcomb-Long Lake-Raquette Lake-Inlet. It appears they may be nesting in the same areas once again. I will visit many of the prior nesting locations in the next week or two. Up until today, I only heard one Red Crossbill calling outside our Long Lake house in early December this fall/winter season. I heard what sounded like Type 10 and Type 2 Red Crossbills at the same location today. I spent about 2 hours at one location where there were at least 6 (which I saw all at once) - and I suspect there are many more. I posted a few photos on my Facebook page below. I was ecstatic today!!! While I was observing the Red Crossbills, a Black-backed Woodpecker rattle-called behind me. I ignored it to keep watching the crossbills! Two Pileated Woodpeckers called, drummed, and flew around also. I hiked part of the Roosevelt Truck Trail and found at least 8 Boreal Chickadees (one flock of at least 5, at least 2 at another location, and at least one a good distance from the trail). A Black-backed Woodpecker called from the forest along the trail. There were 10 Snow Buntings at the Newcomb golf course. A female Common Raven was giving the knocking call (my favorite vocalization by this species!) along Route 28N just before the Newcomb/Minerva town line. She finally flew off and continued to give the knocking call as she flew! At least 15 Common Ravens were gathered at the Long Lake deer-dump location along Route 28N at the edge of town around 3 p.m. 1/13/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) to the Lake Champlain Valley (Essex Co.) and on to Vermont I had a very nice day out with two birders from Staten Island on Monday. Some of the species found: Amer. Black Duck Redhead - one male with Common Goldeneye at Westport Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Horned Grebe Bald Eagle - several Red-shouldered Hawk - 1! This is a new late date for Essex Co. and quite a surprise! (I took several bad photos if anyone is interested!) The location was in the town of Moriah along Route 22 just north of Port Henry. The hawk was sitting above an open-water stream. Rough-legged Hawk - several Iceland Gull - 1 Glaucous Gull - 1 Great Black-backed Gull Snowy Owl - the Magic Triangle bird and one in Addison VT (we decided to drive to the Northern Hawk Owl location, so we didn't spend any time driving around Addison) Northern Hawk Owl - we observed the Waterbury, VT owl across its small hunting field, but it was a bit too far to photograph. Just as were about to leave, it flew right toward me and landed in a dead snag about 20 feet away at eye level! I took 250 photos - a few are posted on my Facebook page below. Tractor trailers roared by and photographers talked and snapped photos, but the owl appeared oblivious to all this noise and was intently listening for voles below its perch - remarkable! We left to make the last ferry of the day (Charlotte-Essex Ferry) with the bird still 20' away at eye level - that was hard to walk away from! Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 (a pair); We stopped on the Blue Ridge Road at a place that I often find Boreal Chickadees, and instead, we found a pair of Black-backed Woodpeckers - our first birds of the day! Tufted Titmouse - a feeder on Middle Rd. in Essex Eastern Bluebird - a flock on Middle Rd. in Essex Cedar Waxwing - two flocks - ~30 and ~10 - we checked every one for Bohemians! (Clark Rd. and Whallons Bay Rd. in Essex) In my post of 1/7/14, I forgot to mention that the Northern Hawk Owl vocalized quite a bit that day (late morning). It was wonderful to hear it! I didn't hear any vocalizations from the owl on 1/13/14 (late afternoon). 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbills!/Boreal Chickadees/Black-backed Woodpeckers/Northern Hawk Owl, etc.
1/15/14 Southwestern Essex Co. - Newcomb and Minerva I found Red Crossbills in three different locations in Minerva this morning. They were singing, calling, gritting, preening, and the males acted a bit aggressive toward one another. Most of the birds appeared to be paired, but they joined together in a larger group for gritting. I observed two males and a female gritting. The female stayed close to one of the males and kept moving away from the other male. Two years ago, Red Crossbills ( White-winged Crossbills) nested in a corridor from Minerva-Newcomb-Long Lake-Raquette Lake-Inlet. It appears they may be nesting in the same areas once again. I will visit many of the prior nesting locations in the next week or two. Up until today, I only heard one Red Crossbill calling outside our Long Lake house in early December this fall/winter season. I heard what sounded like Type 10 and Type 2 Red Crossbills at the same location today. I spent about 2 hours at one location where there were at least 6 (which I saw all at once) - and I suspect there are many more. I posted a few photos on my Facebook page below. I was ecstatic today!!! While I was observing the Red Crossbills, a Black-backed Woodpecker rattle-called behind me. I ignored it to keep watching the crossbills! Two Pileated Woodpeckers called, drummed, and flew around also. I hiked part of the Roosevelt Truck Trail and found at least 8 Boreal Chickadees (one flock of at least 5, at least 2 at another location, and at least one a good distance from the trail). A Black-backed Woodpecker called from the forest along the trail. There were 10 Snow Buntings at the Newcomb golf course. A female Common Raven was giving the knocking call (my favorite vocalization by this species!) along Route 28N just before the Newcomb/Minerva town line. She finally flew off and continued to give the knocking call as she flew! At least 15 Common Ravens were gathered at the Long Lake deer-dump location along Route 28N at the edge of town around 3 p.m. 1/13/14 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) to the Lake Champlain Valley (Essex Co.) and on to Vermont I had a very nice day out with two birders from Staten Island on Monday. Some of the species found: Amer. Black Duck Redhead - one male with Common Goldeneye at Westport Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Horned Grebe Bald Eagle - several Red-shouldered Hawk - 1! This is a new late date for Essex Co. and quite a surprise! (I took several bad photos if anyone is interested!) The location was in the town of Moriah along Route 22 just north of Port Henry. The hawk was sitting above an open-water stream. Rough-legged Hawk - several Iceland Gull - 1 Glaucous Gull - 1 Great Black-backed Gull Snowy Owl - the Magic Triangle bird and one in Addison VT (we decided to drive to the Northern Hawk Owl location, so we didn't spend any time driving around Addison) Northern Hawk Owl - we observed the Waterbury, VT owl across its small hunting field, but it was a bit too far to photograph. Just as were about to leave, it flew right toward me and landed in a dead snag about 20 feet away at eye level! I took 250 photos - a few are posted on my Facebook page below. Tractor trailers roared by and photographers talked and snapped photos, but the owl appeared oblivious to all this noise and was intently listening for voles below its perch - remarkable! We left to make the last ferry of the day (Charlotte-Essex Ferry) with the bird still 20' away at eye level - that was hard to walk away from! Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 (a pair); We stopped on the Blue Ridge Road at a place that I often find Boreal Chickadees, and instead, we found a pair of Black-backed Woodpeckers - our first birds of the day! Tufted Titmouse - a feeder on Middle Rd. in Essex Eastern Bluebird - a flock on Middle Rd. in Essex Cedar Waxwing - two flocks - ~30 and ~10 - we checked every one for Bohemians! (Clark Rd. and Whallons Bay Rd. in Essex) In my post of 1/7/14, I forgot to mention that the Northern Hawk Owl vocalized quite a bit that day (late morning). It was wonderful to hear it! I didn't hear any vocalizations from the owl on 1/13/14 (late afternoon). 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] VT Northern Hawk Owl/Snowy Owl/Winter swimming deer!
1/8/14 Long Lake A Sharp-shinned Hawk continues to hunt at our feeders. During this terrible cold snap, my feeder seed consumption has strangely declined. A couple people in town have called to say their goldfinch numbers have skyrocketed and they are spending a lot on seed. I suspect that the hundreds of goldfinches at our feeders have decided to go elsewhere due to the hawk - which is saving us a lot on seed! 1/7/14 Westport and Essex in Essex Co. and Waterbury, VT Mario Davalos and I birded in the Westport area yesterday morning between 7:15 and 8:15 a.m. I was scanning all the waterfowl and gulls when I spotted a large mammal swimming in the lake - on one of the coldest days of the year with strong winds! I immediately thought it must be a Moose, but my scope revealed a Deer! This Deer appeared to be on a mission to swim to Vermont - a 3.25 to 4.25 mile swim depending on where it lands. It made me cold just to watch it. We continued to bird in this area - Amer. Black Duck, Mallard, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Horned Grebe, Bald Eagle, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Iceland Gull, and Great Black-backed Gull. After the Deer nearly made it halfway across the lake, it decided to swim back! I observed it leave the water on weak legs. It finally shook off like a wet dog. Its face was completely frosted! Later that day, Mario spotted the Deer in the same location. Hopefully, the Deer will make it. It was one of the oddest things I've observed in winter. (Deer will cross the ice in winter, but I've never observed them swimming in winter.) We took the Essex - Charlotte Ferry across the lake at 8:30 a.m. and the Ferry Captain said he has never observed a Deer swimming across the lake in winter - just summer. Taking the Essex- Charlotte Ferry is always a really wonderful experience. Four Brothers Islands appeared to be floating in the wild, distant view. We stopped at the famous "Old Brick Store" in Charlotte, VT, and had wonderful coffee/food. Here is their website for anyone planning to use this Ferry: <http://www.oldbrickstore.com/> http://www.oldbrickstore.com/ . We found the Waterbury, VT Northern Hawk Owl and observed and photographed it for nearly 2 hours in frigid weather with high winds. (Photo on my Facebook page below.) There was blood on its beak, so it appears to have had a meal before we arrived. Back on the NY side, we found the Magic Triangle Snowy Owl - again in frigid weather with high winds. (Photo on my Facebook page below.) Its talons and feet feathers were stained with blood. We also found a couple Eastern Bluebird flocks in the Essex area, and a Great Horned Owl as we drove home. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] VT Northern Hawk Owl/Snowy Owl/Winter swimming deer!
1/8/14 Long Lake A Sharp-shinned Hawk continues to hunt at our feeders. During this terrible cold snap, my feeder seed consumption has strangely declined. A couple people in town have called to say their goldfinch numbers have skyrocketed and they are spending a lot on seed. I suspect that the hundreds of goldfinches at our feeders have decided to go elsewhere due to the hawk - which is saving us a lot on seed! 1/7/14 Westport and Essex in Essex Co. and Waterbury, VT Mario Davalos and I birded in the Westport area yesterday morning between 7:15 and 8:15 a.m. I was scanning all the waterfowl and gulls when I spotted a large mammal swimming in the lake - on one of the coldest days of the year with strong winds! I immediately thought it must be a Moose, but my scope revealed a Deer! This Deer appeared to be on a mission to swim to Vermont - a 3.25 to 4.25 mile swim depending on where it lands. It made me cold just to watch it. We continued to bird in this area - Amer. Black Duck, Mallard, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Horned Grebe, Bald Eagle, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Iceland Gull, and Great Black-backed Gull. After the Deer nearly made it halfway across the lake, it decided to swim back! I observed it leave the water on weak legs. It finally shook off like a wet dog. Its face was completely frosted! Later that day, Mario spotted the Deer in the same location. Hopefully, the Deer will make it. It was one of the oddest things I've observed in winter. (Deer will cross the ice in winter, but I've never observed them swimming in winter.) We took the Essex - Charlotte Ferry across the lake at 8:30 a.m. and the Ferry Captain said he has never observed a Deer swimming across the lake in winter - just summer. Taking the Essex- Charlotte Ferry is always a really wonderful experience. Four Brothers Islands appeared to be floating in the wild, distant view. We stopped at the famous Old Brick Store in Charlotte, VT, and had wonderful coffee/food. Here is their website for anyone planning to use this Ferry: http://www.oldbrickstore.com/ http://www.oldbrickstore.com/ . We found the Waterbury, VT Northern Hawk Owl and observed and photographed it for nearly 2 hours in frigid weather with high winds. (Photo on my Facebook page below.) There was blood on its beak, so it appears to have had a meal before we arrived. Back on the NY side, we found the Magic Triangle Snowy Owl - again in frigid weather with high winds. (Photo on my Facebook page below.) Its talons and feet feathers were stained with blood. We also found a couple Eastern Bluebird flocks in the Essex area, and a Great Horned Owl as we drove home. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Snowy Owls!
I have observed 13 Snowy Owls in the past 3 days, and 21 different individuals so far this winter. I keep wondering if I will ever again experience such a remarkable irruption for this species in my lifetime. I have observed a trend in my sightings - most occurred between 1 and 4:30 p.m. It appears that they mostly roost through the morning hours, but actively hunt in the afternoons. The few individuals I have found in the a.m. hours were roosting with closed eyes. I have observed the owls perched on silos, telephone poles, metal and wooden fence posts, trees, the ground, and bales of hay. 1/3/14 Clinton Co. Sean O'Brien and I found two Snowy Owls in the location where Paul Osenbaugh has posted them in Plattsburgh. 1/4/14 Upper St. Lawrence Valley locations (Canton-Hammond-Clayton-Cape Vincent to Chaumont; southern St. Lawrence Co. to northern Jefferson Co.) Some of the species found: Snow Goose - several on the Oswegatchie River Amer. Black Duck - ~30 on the Oswegatchie River Bald Eagle - 2 adult flying together at the Rt 68 and Rt 11 intersection in Canton Red-tailed Hawk - 3 Rough-legged Hawk - 5 (photo of one on my Facebook page below) Snowy Owl - 6 (1 in southern St. Lawrence Co. in Morristown and 5 in northern Jefferson Co. from Cape Vincent to Chaumont) (Several photos on my Facebook page below) Four of the six were in groups of 2, with one pair interacting in the air. One of the Snowy Owls was observed chasing a light morph Rough-legged Hawk. Horned Lark - many Snow Bunting - hundreds on Scotch Bush Road near the Rt 6 intersection in Morristown Point Peninsula was spectacular and wild. The wind was so ferocious that I could hardly stand up. I posted a photo to my Facebook page of the sunset over Lake Ontario from Pt. Peninsula (in contrast to one I took at the same location nearly a month ago). 1/5/14 Westport (Essex Co.) and Addison, VT Mario Davalos, a remarkable artist/photographer from the Dominican Republic, and I birded the Westport area and then visited Addison, Vt. We found open water at Westport on Lake Champlain. The sky was filled with gulls. A solo Common Loon was on the lake in addition to other waterfowl. An upside down Ring-billed Gull on the ice appeared to be dead, but then began moving its head. There was a great deal of blood on the ice and it was an awful sight. There was a young Bald Eagle flying over the water and a Red-tailed Hawk vocalized several times nearby. I am not sure what attached the gull, but it was awful to see it suffering. Here are some of the other sightings: Red-tailed Hawk - many Rough-legged Hawk - many (3/4 were light morph) Snowy Owl - 5 in locations posted to the VT list serve (one photo on my Facebook page below) Horned Lark - many Eastern Bluebird - many! Snow Bunting - many We also observed a howling Coyote in the middle of the day. It was nice to run into Nina Schoch and Audrey Hyson in Vermont! There were many birders in Addison and I was able to offer scope views of Snowy Owls to young children (& adolescents) out with their parents to see the owls. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Snowy Owls!
I have observed 13 Snowy Owls in the past 3 days, and 21 different individuals so far this winter. I keep wondering if I will ever again experience such a remarkable irruption for this species in my lifetime. I have observed a trend in my sightings - most occurred between 1 and 4:30 p.m. It appears that they mostly roost through the morning hours, but actively hunt in the afternoons. The few individuals I have found in the a.m. hours were roosting with closed eyes. I have observed the owls perched on silos, telephone poles, metal and wooden fence posts, trees, the ground, and bales of hay. 1/3/14 Clinton Co. Sean O'Brien and I found two Snowy Owls in the location where Paul Osenbaugh has posted them in Plattsburgh. 1/4/14 Upper St. Lawrence Valley locations (Canton-Hammond-Clayton-Cape Vincent to Chaumont; southern St. Lawrence Co. to northern Jefferson Co.) Some of the species found: Snow Goose - several on the Oswegatchie River Amer. Black Duck - ~30 on the Oswegatchie River Bald Eagle - 2 adult flying together at the Rt 68 and Rt 11 intersection in Canton Red-tailed Hawk - 3 Rough-legged Hawk - 5 (photo of one on my Facebook page below) Snowy Owl - 6 (1 in southern St. Lawrence Co. in Morristown and 5 in northern Jefferson Co. from Cape Vincent to Chaumont) (Several photos on my Facebook page below) Four of the six were in groups of 2, with one pair interacting in the air. One of the Snowy Owls was observed chasing a light morph Rough-legged Hawk. Horned Lark - many Snow Bunting - hundreds on Scotch Bush Road near the Rt 6 intersection in Morristown Point Peninsula was spectacular and wild. The wind was so ferocious that I could hardly stand up. I posted a photo to my Facebook page of the sunset over Lake Ontario from Pt. Peninsula (in contrast to one I took at the same location nearly a month ago). 1/5/14 Westport (Essex Co.) and Addison, VT Mario Davalos, a remarkable artist/photographer from the Dominican Republic, and I birded the Westport area and then visited Addison, Vt. We found open water at Westport on Lake Champlain. The sky was filled with gulls. A solo Common Loon was on the lake in addition to other waterfowl. An upside down Ring-billed Gull on the ice appeared to be dead, but then began moving its head. There was a great deal of blood on the ice and it was an awful sight. There was a young Bald Eagle flying over the water and a Red-tailed Hawk vocalized several times nearby. I am not sure what attached the gull, but it was awful to see it suffering. Here are some of the other sightings: Red-tailed Hawk - many Rough-legged Hawk - many (3/4 were light morph) Snowy Owl - 5 in locations posted to the VT list serve (one photo on my Facebook page below) Horned Lark - many Eastern Bluebird - many! Snow Bunting - many We also observed a howling Coyote in the middle of the day. It was nice to run into Nina Schoch and Audrey Hyson in Vermont! There were many birders in Addison and I was able to offer scope views of Snowy Owls to young children ( adolescents) out with their parents to see the owls. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Owls/4 Moose!/boreal birds/waterfowl/irruptives, etc.
along that section of Route 28 and I know there are large wetlands in that area. They really are hard to see at night, and I find myself driving even slower now. After we arrived home, a Barred Owl vocalized outside our house (heard over the baby monitor). 12/12/13 Long Lake, Hamilton Co. and Newcomb, Essex Co. Gray Jay perched at the top of tree along Route 30 (photo on my Facebook page) Boreal Chickadee 6 (5 on Route 28N near the Newcomb-Minerva line, and one on the Tahawus Rd.) 12/10/13 Jefferson County I spent several hours driving the peninsulas at the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. Here are some of the species found: Tundra Swan (a couple photos on my Facebook page) Gadwall Amer. Black Duck Redhead Lesser Scaup White-winged Scoter 1 Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Bald Eagle 1 Northern Harrier 2 males Red-tailed Hawk 2 Rough-legged Hawk 2 (1 light, 1 dark morph) Amer. Kestrel Belted Kingfisher 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Owls/4 Moose!/boreal birds/waterfowl/irruptives, etc.
along that section of Route 28 and I know there are large wetlands in that area. They really are hard to see at night, and I find myself driving even slower now. After we arrived home, a Barred Owl vocalized outside our house (heard over the baby monitor). 12/12/13 Long Lake, Hamilton Co. and Newcomb, Essex Co. Gray Jay perched at the top of tree along Route 30 (photo on my Facebook page) Boreal Chickadee 6 (5 on Route 28N near the Newcomb-Minerva line, and one on the Tahawus Rd.) 12/10/13 Jefferson County I spent several hours driving the peninsulas at the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. Here are some of the species found: Tundra Swan (a couple photos on my Facebook page) Gadwall Amer. Black Duck Redhead Lesser Scaup White-winged Scoter 1 Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Bald Eagle 1 Northern Harrier 2 males Red-tailed Hawk 2 Rough-legged Hawk 2 (1 light, 1 dark morph) Amer. Kestrel Belted Kingfisher 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbill/Snowy Owls/Short-eared Owls/Long-eared Owl/Tundra Swans, etc.
12/7/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) This morning, over the din of a couple hundred American Goldfinches amplified over our baby monitor (that we use in winter to bring in the outdoor sounds), I heard a Red Crossbill calling! I raced for binoculars and went outside - the bird continued to call from the forest in front of our home (maybe curious about what all the goldfinches were up to) and changed trees several times, but I couldn't spot it. I would say it spent several minutes calling near our home before flying toward the lake. It was wonderful to hear and I hope it is the start of more crossbills moving back in. I am fairly certain it was a type-2 Red Crossbill (as certain as you can be without a recording for analysis anyway). 12/6/13 St. Lawrence Valley car-birding trip I met Mary Beth Warburton and Eileen Wheeler at dawn in Potsdam yesterday. On my nocturnal drive from Long Lake in an ice and snow storm, a plow truck in front of me flushed a Snowy Owl that flew across the road in front of my car. This would be the first of 5 Snowy Owls found yesterday! That owl was found in Franklin Co. Another Snowy Owl was found in St. Lawrence Co. and 3 more were found in Jefferson Co. (Just a note to Northern NY Birds list serve members who are not members of NYS Birds - the NYS Birds list moderator requested that list members not report detailed owl locations - so I am just listing the county level info.) I suspect the owl that flew in front of my car was hunting near the road. Three of the owls we observed (during daylight hours) appeared to be roosting, occasionally looking around, but generally quite still. The last owl we found just before sunset and it was actively hunting - it was beautiful to observe! We were a great distance away from all the owls - I used my scope with the iPhone attachment - both zoomed all the way to photograph 4 of the 5 Snowy Owls found yesterday. I posted one photo to my Facebook page listed below. Here are some of the other species found: Tundra Swan - over 200! Eileen counted 117 in a bay off Point Peninsula, and then we drove around to a section of the bay blocked from our view that had just as many more Tundra Swans! Gadwall - many Amer. Black Duck Mallard Greater Scaup Scaup sp. - huge raft too far out to id Long-tailed Duck - over 200 Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Great Blue Heron - 2 Northern Harrier - 1 male Red-tailed Hawk - 3 Rough-legged Hawk - 5 (all light morphs) Amer. Kestrel - 6 Bonaparte's Gull - 1 Great Black-backed Gull - many Snowy Owl - 5 Long-eared Owl - 1 dead owl; This owl was caught in a barbed wire fence and must have had a very slow, painful death - it was an awful sight. (Jefferson Co.) Short-eared Owl - 2 observed hunting and interacting at dusk (Jefferson Co.) Belted Kingfisher - 1 Snow Bunting - ~68 (3 groups of 3, 5, and ~60 - this flock was a flyby) House Finch - 1 female at a feeder location in Jefferson Co. It was a fun day with great company birding a spectacular area! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ <http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/> http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian <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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Red Crossbill/Snowy Owls/Short-eared Owls/Long-eared Owl/Tundra Swans, etc.
12/7/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) This morning, over the din of a couple hundred American Goldfinches amplified over our baby monitor (that we use in winter to bring in the outdoor sounds), I heard a Red Crossbill calling! I raced for binoculars and went outside - the bird continued to call from the forest in front of our home (maybe curious about what all the goldfinches were up to) and changed trees several times, but I couldn't spot it. I would say it spent several minutes calling near our home before flying toward the lake. It was wonderful to hear and I hope it is the start of more crossbills moving back in. I am fairly certain it was a type-2 Red Crossbill (as certain as you can be without a recording for analysis anyway). 12/6/13 St. Lawrence Valley car-birding trip I met Mary Beth Warburton and Eileen Wheeler at dawn in Potsdam yesterday. On my nocturnal drive from Long Lake in an ice and snow storm, a plow truck in front of me flushed a Snowy Owl that flew across the road in front of my car. This would be the first of 5 Snowy Owls found yesterday! That owl was found in Franklin Co. Another Snowy Owl was found in St. Lawrence Co. and 3 more were found in Jefferson Co. (Just a note to Northern NY Birds list serve members who are not members of NYS Birds - the NYS Birds list moderator requested that list members not report detailed owl locations - so I am just listing the county level info.) I suspect the owl that flew in front of my car was hunting near the road. Three of the owls we observed (during daylight hours) appeared to be roosting, occasionally looking around, but generally quite still. The last owl we found just before sunset and it was actively hunting - it was beautiful to observe! We were a great distance away from all the owls - I used my scope with the iPhone attachment - both zoomed all the way to photograph 4 of the 5 Snowy Owls found yesterday. I posted one photo to my Facebook page listed below. Here are some of the other species found: Tundra Swan - over 200! Eileen counted 117 in a bay off Point Peninsula, and then we drove around to a section of the bay blocked from our view that had just as many more Tundra Swans! Gadwall - many Amer. Black Duck Mallard Greater Scaup Scaup sp. - huge raft too far out to id Long-tailed Duck - over 200 Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Great Blue Heron - 2 Northern Harrier - 1 male Red-tailed Hawk - 3 Rough-legged Hawk - 5 (all light morphs) Amer. Kestrel - 6 Bonaparte's Gull - 1 Great Black-backed Gull - many Snowy Owl - 5 Long-eared Owl - 1 dead owl; This owl was caught in a barbed wire fence and must have had a very slow, painful death - it was an awful sight. (Jefferson Co.) Short-eared Owl - 2 observed hunting and interacting at dusk (Jefferson Co.) Belted Kingfisher - 1 Snow Bunting - ~68 (3 groups of 3, 5, and ~60 - this flock was a flyby) House Finch - 1 female at a feeder location in Jefferson Co. It was a fun day with great company birding a spectacular area! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Evening Grosbeak, Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker, 3 owl species, & more
12/4/13 Roosevelt Truck Trail (Minerva in Essex Co.) I hiked about .75 miles of the Roosevelt Truck Trail today at 11:30 a.m. Here are a few of the species found: Black-backed Woodpecker - at least 2 females (likely 4 birds). A short distance from my car, I found two foraging woodpeckers - I followed the observed Black-backed female deep into the boreal woods (I got completely soaked by the snow dumped on me from the conifers). I finally gave up and went back to find the second bird, but it had moved on. About a half mile later, I found two more foraging woodpeckers - one observed female Black-backed Woodpecker. Again, they were far from the trail and I got wet trying to get closer! I suspect I found 4 Black-backed Woodpeckers, but I only observed 2 for confirmation. Common Raven - many, including a female giving the knocking call Boreal Chickadee - at least 4 surrounded me vocalizing as I was following the first Black-backed Woodpecker. Purple Finch Amer. Goldfinch Evening Grosbeak - at least 3 flying low over me as I was observing the Black-backed Woodpecker! It has been 7 months since I've heard their voice! Hopefully, they are moving back in! I also observed an adult Bald Eagle in Long Lake on my drive over. On my drive back, an Eastern Coyote crossed the road in front of my car - a beautiful creature! Springtails (aka "Snow Fleas") were observed on the snow throughout my hikes this afternoon - very unusual since springtails are not normally observed until March. I photographed the springtails and put one photo on my Facebook page. As I was photographing them, they were "springing" onto my iPhone!!! 12/3/13 Trip to the Champlain Valley (Essex Co.) from Long Lake After seeing Eve Ticknor's post on the two Snowy Owls in Essex, I decided to take an afternoon drive to the Champlain Valley. I did not find the Snowy Owls (I didn't have much daylight in which to search), but I did find many other species! I ran into Pat and John Thaxton and we all enjoyed the Short-eared Owl at sunset (in the usual winter location). Here are some of the species found: Common Goldeneye - I didn't have time to bird Lake Champlain, but some of my searches for the owls took me close! Common Merganser Ruffed Grouse - 3 Common Loon Northern Harrier - 3 (2 males and 1 female); a pair at the magic triangle Red-tailed Hawk Merlin - Blue Ridge Road Peregrine Falcon Short-eared Owl Pileated Woodpecker Boreal Chickadee - Blue Ridge Road (Photographs on my Facebook page below) Cedar Waxwing - at least 60 (flushed by the Peregrine Falcon) Snow Bunting - at least 60 I stopped along the Blue Ridge Road when I spotted a Merlin (it appeared to be flycatching!) and I immediately heard Boreal Chickadees on both sides of the road. I was fortunate that one stayed still long enough to be photographed! I ran into Pat and John Thaxton (who also did not find the reported Snowy Owls). We shared a wild sunset at the magic triangle. We couldn't tell if was foggy or cloudy and the sky was quite eerie. We observed a pair of Northern Harriers that were interacting disappear into darkness just as a Short-eared Owl appeared before us like a phantom! It was as if there was a changing of the diurnal-nocturnal guard and it was remarkably abrupt! Also on 12/3/13 in Long Lake: At 12.45 a.m., my husband and I awoke to the Northern Saw-whet Owl call, followed immediately by calls from the Barred Owl (see below). 12/2/13 Long Lake I went outside to sweep our porches and fill feeders around 4:15 - 4:30 p.m. and inadvertently flushed the Barred Owl. I heard the distant tooting of the Northern Saw-whet Owl and a large pack of coyotes began to howl from our driveway! At 6:08 p.m., my husband and I heard the Northern Saw-whet Owl call - loudly as if it was on top of our baby monitor. Immediately after, the Barred Owl gave its complete hooting sequence. 12/1/13 Long Lake At 5 a.m., the Northern Saw-whet Owl gave its call note, followed immediately by the complete hooting sequence of the Barred Owl. A bit later in the morning, a Northern Shrike was observed in our back yard (eyeing all those Amer. Goldfinches). It was chased away by a flock of Amer. Goldfinches. I've had long discussions with Sean O'Brien and Larry Master about the fascinating interactions between the Northern Saw-whet Owl and the Barred Owl hunting the area under our porch. Barred Owls often take a long time to respond to stimuli, so it has been fascinating for me to observe how immediately it responds to the Northern Saw-whet Owl's calls. Sean said this is consistent with his experiences in the field when he plays Northern Saw-whet Owl vocalizations - that Barred Owls immediately respond. We've spent hours psychoanalyzing what could be going on between these two species! We'll probably never know for sure what the vocalizations mean. If anyone has thoughts, I'd love to hear th
[nysbirds-l] Evening Grosbeak, Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker, 3 owl species, more
12/4/13 Roosevelt Truck Trail (Minerva in Essex Co.) I hiked about .75 miles of the Roosevelt Truck Trail today at 11:30 a.m. Here are a few of the species found: Black-backed Woodpecker - at least 2 females (likely 4 birds). A short distance from my car, I found two foraging woodpeckers - I followed the observed Black-backed female deep into the boreal woods (I got completely soaked by the snow dumped on me from the conifers). I finally gave up and went back to find the second bird, but it had moved on. About a half mile later, I found two more foraging woodpeckers - one observed female Black-backed Woodpecker. Again, they were far from the trail and I got wet trying to get closer! I suspect I found 4 Black-backed Woodpeckers, but I only observed 2 for confirmation. Common Raven - many, including a female giving the knocking call Boreal Chickadee - at least 4 surrounded me vocalizing as I was following the first Black-backed Woodpecker. Purple Finch Amer. Goldfinch Evening Grosbeak - at least 3 flying low over me as I was observing the Black-backed Woodpecker! It has been 7 months since I've heard their voice! Hopefully, they are moving back in! I also observed an adult Bald Eagle in Long Lake on my drive over. On my drive back, an Eastern Coyote crossed the road in front of my car - a beautiful creature! Springtails (aka Snow Fleas) were observed on the snow throughout my hikes this afternoon - very unusual since springtails are not normally observed until March. I photographed the springtails and put one photo on my Facebook page. As I was photographing them, they were springing onto my iPhone!!! 12/3/13 Trip to the Champlain Valley (Essex Co.) from Long Lake After seeing Eve Ticknor's post on the two Snowy Owls in Essex, I decided to take an afternoon drive to the Champlain Valley. I did not find the Snowy Owls (I didn't have much daylight in which to search), but I did find many other species! I ran into Pat and John Thaxton and we all enjoyed the Short-eared Owl at sunset (in the usual winter location). Here are some of the species found: Common Goldeneye - I didn't have time to bird Lake Champlain, but some of my searches for the owls took me close! Common Merganser Ruffed Grouse - 3 Common Loon Northern Harrier - 3 (2 males and 1 female); a pair at the magic triangle Red-tailed Hawk Merlin - Blue Ridge Road Peregrine Falcon Short-eared Owl Pileated Woodpecker Boreal Chickadee - Blue Ridge Road (Photographs on my Facebook page below) Cedar Waxwing - at least 60 (flushed by the Peregrine Falcon) Snow Bunting - at least 60 I stopped along the Blue Ridge Road when I spotted a Merlin (it appeared to be flycatching!) and I immediately heard Boreal Chickadees on both sides of the road. I was fortunate that one stayed still long enough to be photographed! I ran into Pat and John Thaxton (who also did not find the reported Snowy Owls). We shared a wild sunset at the magic triangle. We couldn't tell if was foggy or cloudy and the sky was quite eerie. We observed a pair of Northern Harriers that were interacting disappear into darkness just as a Short-eared Owl appeared before us like a phantom! It was as if there was a changing of the diurnal-nocturnal guard and it was remarkably abrupt! Also on 12/3/13 in Long Lake: At 12.45 a.m., my husband and I awoke to the Northern Saw-whet Owl call, followed immediately by calls from the Barred Owl (see below). 12/2/13 Long Lake I went outside to sweep our porches and fill feeders around 4:15 - 4:30 p.m. and inadvertently flushed the Barred Owl. I heard the distant tooting of the Northern Saw-whet Owl and a large pack of coyotes began to howl from our driveway! At 6:08 p.m., my husband and I heard the Northern Saw-whet Owl call - loudly as if it was on top of our baby monitor. Immediately after, the Barred Owl gave its complete hooting sequence. 12/1/13 Long Lake At 5 a.m., the Northern Saw-whet Owl gave its call note, followed immediately by the complete hooting sequence of the Barred Owl. A bit later in the morning, a Northern Shrike was observed in our back yard (eyeing all those Amer. Goldfinches). It was chased away by a flock of Amer. Goldfinches. I've had long discussions with Sean O'Brien and Larry Master about the fascinating interactions between the Northern Saw-whet Owl and the Barred Owl hunting the area under our porch. Barred Owls often take a long time to respond to stimuli, so it has been fascinating for me to observe how immediately it responds to the Northern Saw-whet Owl's calls. Sean said this is consistent with his experiences in the field when he plays Northern Saw-whet Owl vocalizations - that Barred Owls immediately respond. We've spent hours psychoanalyzing what could be going on between these two species! We'll probably never know for sure what the vocalizations mean. If anyone has thoughts, I'd love to hear them! Joan Collins Long
[nysbirds-l] N. Saw-whet Owl, Barred Owl, Gray Jays, Black-backed Woodpecker, etc.
A few reports from the past week: Unusual: hoards of Amer. Goldfinches continue at my feeders. I estimate 250 to 300 (my husband commented that they look like swarms of bees). I've got 15 feeders up and it is not enough, so I'm putting seed on our front and back porch floors - as I've done in the past when we've had over a hundred Evening Grosbeaks visiting! Before I stopped feeding birds in summer (too many bears), I would have Amer. Goldfinches visit our feeders, but never in these numbers. It is also extremely unusual to have Amer. Goldfinches at this time of year. Purple Finches showed up on 11/23 - under 10 birds with at least 3 males. Bill Labes, of Long Lake, is also overrun with Amer. Goldfinches at his feeders, and we are lamenting how much seed we are going through! There is still no sign of Evening Grosbeaks - extremely unusual. 11/30/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Two different Great Blue Herons were observed flying south. A Gray Jay was caching food near John Dillon Park on Route 30. A Brown Creeper was observed in a mixed flock along Route 30. A Ruffed Grouse was foraging along the edge of Sabattis Circle Rd. Golden-crowned Kinglets are everywhere in both the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence Valley. 11/29/13 Afternoon drive from Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) to the St. Lawrence Valley and back. Some of the species found: Waterfowl: Canada Goose (thousands flying south), Mallard, Bufflehead (Hopson's Bay where I find them every fall), Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, and Common Merganser Cooper's Hawk - adult in Tupper Lake (photograph on my Facebook page below) Red-tailed Hawk - 5 Golden-crowned Kinglet - as I mentioned above, they seem to be everywhere Cedar Waxwing - 13 in Massena (no Bohemians in the flock!) Amer. Tree Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Snow Bunting - over 200 in a huge flock on Route 27 in Lisbon - beautiful! Common Grackle - one at a feeder at the intersection of County Routes 44 and 14 in Waddington-Madrid - getting late for this species. On my drive home at sunset, I called my husband and we talked for about 15 minutes (legal with Bluetooth!). Near the end of the conversation, I told him I hoped that I would be fortunate enough to find a Barred Owl again along the road (see 11/26). He said, "Oh, by the way, we have an owl under our porch on the wood pile"! I said, "What"? He reiterated his statement. Barred Owls often come in to hunt the mice attracted to the seed that falls off our porch in winter, so I asked if the owl had dark eyes. He said, "It is a cute little thing about 4 inches tall with cat-like eyes"! To which I replied, "WHAT"??? I said, "We have a Northern Saw-whet Owl under our porch, and you didn't call me???" The owl was on our wood pile for 2 to 3 hours actively hunting and of course, it was gone when I got home! My husband took a photo from a distance so he wouldn't scare the owl, and I was able to zoom in enough on the computer to confirm it was a saw-whet. All I could think of was my older son's expression for when he is annoyed - "seriously?"!!! I would have been ecstatic if I'd been home to watch a Northern Saw-whet Owl, and my non-birder husband nearly forgot to even mention it!!! Hopefully, the owl was successful hunting and will return! 11/26/13 Afternoon birding in the St. Lawrence Valley - some of the species: Barred Owl - hunting from the electric wires along Route 3 in Childwold around sunset (photograph on my Facebook page below) Northern Flicker - Irish Settlement Rd. in Canton - getting late for this species Pileated Woodpecker Amer. Robin - flock eating in a small berry bush along Irish Settlement Rd. in Canton Amer. Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow - one along Irish Settlement Rd. in Canton 11/22/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Hooded Merganser - several on the small section of open water on Long Lake Black-backed Woodpecker - a female along Sabattis Circle Rd. in boreal habitat Gray Jay - at least 2; one in the same location as the woodpecker and another heard at Sabattis Bog 11/19/13 Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.) After an appointment in Potsdam, I found 25 to 30 Cedar Waxwings in a fruit tree in Stockholm (no Bohemians in the flock!) 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] N. Saw-whet Owl, Barred Owl, Gray Jays, Black-backed Woodpecker, etc.
A few reports from the past week: Unusual: hoards of Amer. Goldfinches continue at my feeders. I estimate 250 to 300 (my husband commented that they look like swarms of bees). I've got 15 feeders up and it is not enough, so I'm putting seed on our front and back porch floors - as I've done in the past when we've had over a hundred Evening Grosbeaks visiting! Before I stopped feeding birds in summer (too many bears), I would have Amer. Goldfinches visit our feeders, but never in these numbers. It is also extremely unusual to have Amer. Goldfinches at this time of year. Purple Finches showed up on 11/23 - under 10 birds with at least 3 males. Bill Labes, of Long Lake, is also overrun with Amer. Goldfinches at his feeders, and we are lamenting how much seed we are going through! There is still no sign of Evening Grosbeaks - extremely unusual. 11/30/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Two different Great Blue Herons were observed flying south. A Gray Jay was caching food near John Dillon Park on Route 30. A Brown Creeper was observed in a mixed flock along Route 30. A Ruffed Grouse was foraging along the edge of Sabattis Circle Rd. Golden-crowned Kinglets are everywhere in both the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence Valley. 11/29/13 Afternoon drive from Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) to the St. Lawrence Valley and back. Some of the species found: Waterfowl: Canada Goose (thousands flying south), Mallard, Bufflehead (Hopson's Bay where I find them every fall), Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, and Common Merganser Cooper's Hawk - adult in Tupper Lake (photograph on my Facebook page below) Red-tailed Hawk - 5 Golden-crowned Kinglet - as I mentioned above, they seem to be everywhere Cedar Waxwing - 13 in Massena (no Bohemians in the flock!) Amer. Tree Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Snow Bunting - over 200 in a huge flock on Route 27 in Lisbon - beautiful! Common Grackle - one at a feeder at the intersection of County Routes 44 and 14 in Waddington-Madrid - getting late for this species. On my drive home at sunset, I called my husband and we talked for about 15 minutes (legal with Bluetooth!). Near the end of the conversation, I told him I hoped that I would be fortunate enough to find a Barred Owl again along the road (see 11/26). He said, Oh, by the way, we have an owl under our porch on the wood pile! I said, What? He reiterated his statement. Barred Owls often come in to hunt the mice attracted to the seed that falls off our porch in winter, so I asked if the owl had dark eyes. He said, It is a cute little thing about 4 inches tall with cat-like eyes! To which I replied, WHAT??? I said, We have a Northern Saw-whet Owl under our porch, and you didn't call me??? The owl was on our wood pile for 2 to 3 hours actively hunting and of course, it was gone when I got home! My husband took a photo from a distance so he wouldn't scare the owl, and I was able to zoom in enough on the computer to confirm it was a saw-whet. All I could think of was my older son's expression for when he is annoyed - seriously?!!! I would have been ecstatic if I'd been home to watch a Northern Saw-whet Owl, and my non-birder husband nearly forgot to even mention it!!! Hopefully, the owl was successful hunting and will return! 11/26/13 Afternoon birding in the St. Lawrence Valley - some of the species: Barred Owl - hunting from the electric wires along Route 3 in Childwold around sunset (photograph on my Facebook page below) Northern Flicker - Irish Settlement Rd. in Canton - getting late for this species Pileated Woodpecker Amer. Robin - flock eating in a small berry bush along Irish Settlement Rd. in Canton Amer. Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow - one along Irish Settlement Rd. in Canton 11/22/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Hooded Merganser - several on the small section of open water on Long Lake Black-backed Woodpecker - a female along Sabattis Circle Rd. in boreal habitat Gray Jay - at least 2; one in the same location as the woodpecker and another heard at Sabattis Bog 11/19/13 Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.) After an appointment in Potsdam, I found 25 to 30 Cedar Waxwings in a fruit tree in Stockholm (no Bohemians in the flock!) 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/ --
RE: [nysbirds-l] Ross's Gull - Quebec
11/20/13 I was also in Chambly, Quebec today with Mary Beth Warburton (who drove us) and Eileen Wheeler. I can add some road names, which may help anyone traveling up to look for the Ross’s Gull. We arrived in the afternoon at the park, and a Quebec birder said the Ross’s Gull had been observed on the water for 3 hours, but flew away about 45 minutes before we arrived (of course). The park is off “Avenue Bourgogne” (on the south side of the large body of water “Bassin de Chambly” – wide area of the Richelieu River). We did not have maps, and it took us awhile to find the waste water treatment ponds on “Boulevard Industriel”. Birders at the ponds said they had been there all day with no sighting of the bird. Gary Chapin and Pat and John Thaxton left the ponds for the park, and a little while later Gary texted me that the bird was being observed from the Marina (at a great distance away). (Thanks to Rich Fried for finding the bird on this large body of water, and for texting Gary.) This information started a car stampede toward the marina! It reminded me of paparazzi! There were birders from multiple states that had waited all day to see the bird, and it was nearing sunset, so there was a lot of excitement at the news. Even at a great distance, I was able to see the bird’s field marks. The pink body color was very obvious with the sun shining toward the bird. Even when the gull had its back to us, you could see a pink glow as it held its tail up. There appeared to be a park on the other side of Bassin de Chambly that would get us closer to the gull, so we drove around – the park on the other side is off highway 133 labeled “Chemin des Patriotes S” on MapPoint. This park is on the east side of Bassin de Chambly – and this was a problem as we all looked at the bird to our west with the sun going down! It became just a silhouette. So the Ross’s Gull spent the day on Bassin de Chambly and was not observed on the waste water treatment ponds today. I spoke with Sean O’Brien, who has traveled up twice to see the gull, and he said they were fortunate to find the Ross’s Gull on the ponds at close range during their trips. One more note: as we drove around Bassin de Chambly, I spotted a dam and waterfall along “1e Rue”. The Ross’s Gull appeared to be feeding in the current this created. It would drift north and then fly back south to the beginning of the current on Bassin de Chambly. It was nice to run into familiar birders and to meet new ones (although, it would have been helpful if I could remember more of my high school French!) There was a Barred Owl calling at Mary Beth’s Potsdam house when we got back. On my drive to Long Lake, I listened for owls in a few locations. No owls heard, but I found a Porcupine on Sabattis Circle Road! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY From: bounce-110935947-13418...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-110935947-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Rich Fried Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 6:30 PM To: Cc: Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Ross's Gull - Quebec While this is definitely out of our area, it is worth noting that the Ross' Gull was still present today in Chambly, Quebec, although not at the waste water treatment plant lagoons where it has typically been seen since it's discovery on November 10th. Rob Bate and I found it via distant scope view from the Chambly Marina at approximately 2:30 pm. We called Gary Chapin, who was standing vigil at the sewage lagoons with Pat & John Thaxton and many other birders from near and far, and they all raced over and got on the bird. Even at distance its extremely small size, long wings, small head, tiny bill, very pale gray mantle and distinct pink body coloration were distinctive. It's a beautiful bird, very rare outside of its high arctic home, and as Joe said, worth the 5 1/2 hour drive from NYC. Rich Fried Sent from my iPhone On Nov 20, 2013, at 5:28 PM, wrote: Nov. 19, 2013 Considering the tremendous rarity of the Ross’s Gull in Eastern North America I decided to make the 400 mile one way trip to see this bird. This bird was reported in partial breeding plumage, that is pink, and its location, just north of the NY state border at Chambly Quebec, was listed at sewage lagoons opposite #2417 Boul. Industriel (my Tom-Tom found it right away). The information about exact location and unique color made for a high probability of success. After leaving Nassau County at 4am I arrived at noon, waited 2.5 hours and the bird appeared. The Ross’s Gull in this plumage was just a fantastic sight. The thought that a bird that is hardly ever seen except seasonally in northern Alaska or Siberia was here in front of me was totally awesome. At the sewage lagoons there are three ponds but only one is close and easily visible. There were many birders there helping to locate the bird among the numerous Bonaparte’s Gulls and Ring-billed G
RE: [nysbirds-l] Ross's Gull - Quebec
11/20/13 I was also in Chambly, Quebec today with Mary Beth Warburton (who drove us) and Eileen Wheeler. I can add some road names, which may help anyone traveling up to look for the Ross’s Gull. We arrived in the afternoon at the park, and a Quebec birder said the Ross’s Gull had been observed on the water for 3 hours, but flew away about 45 minutes before we arrived (of course). The park is off “Avenue Bourgogne” (on the south side of the large body of water “Bassin de Chambly” – wide area of the Richelieu River). We did not have maps, and it took us awhile to find the waste water treatment ponds on “Boulevard Industriel”. Birders at the ponds said they had been there all day with no sighting of the bird. Gary Chapin and Pat and John Thaxton left the ponds for the park, and a little while later Gary texted me that the bird was being observed from the Marina (at a great distance away). (Thanks to Rich Fried for finding the bird on this large body of water, and for texting Gary.) This information started a car stampede toward the marina! It reminded me of paparazzi! There were birders from multiple states that had waited all day to see the bird, and it was nearing sunset, so there was a lot of excitement at the news. Even at a great distance, I was able to see the bird’s field marks. The pink body color was very obvious with the sun shining toward the bird. Even when the gull had its back to us, you could see a pink glow as it held its tail up. There appeared to be a park on the other side of Bassin de Chambly that would get us closer to the gull, so we drove around – the park on the other side is off highway 133 labeled “Chemin des Patriotes S” on MapPoint. This park is on the east side of Bassin de Chambly – and this was a problem as we all looked at the bird to our west with the sun going down! It became just a silhouette. So the Ross’s Gull spent the day on Bassin de Chambly and was not observed on the waste water treatment ponds today. I spoke with Sean O’Brien, who has traveled up twice to see the gull, and he said they were fortunate to find the Ross’s Gull on the ponds at close range during their trips. One more note: as we drove around Bassin de Chambly, I spotted a dam and waterfall along “1e Rue”. The Ross’s Gull appeared to be feeding in the current this created. It would drift north and then fly back south to the beginning of the current on Bassin de Chambly. It was nice to run into familiar birders and to meet new ones (although, it would have been helpful if I could remember more of my high school French!) There was a Barred Owl calling at Mary Beth’s Potsdam house when we got back. On my drive to Long Lake, I listened for owls in a few locations. No owls heard, but I found a Porcupine on Sabattis Circle Road! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY From: bounce-110935947-13418...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-110935947-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Rich Fried Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 6:30 PM To: jgiunta...@aol.com Cc: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Ross's Gull - Quebec While this is definitely out of our area, it is worth noting that the Ross' Gull was still present today in Chambly, Quebec, although not at the waste water treatment plant lagoons where it has typically been seen since it's discovery on November 10th. Rob Bate and I found it via distant scope view from the Chambly Marina at approximately 2:30 pm. We called Gary Chapin, who was standing vigil at the sewage lagoons with Pat John Thaxton and many other birders from near and far, and they all raced over and got on the bird. Even at distance its extremely small size, long wings, small head, tiny bill, very pale gray mantle and distinct pink body coloration were distinctive. It's a beautiful bird, very rare outside of its high arctic home, and as Joe said, worth the 5 1/2 hour drive from NYC. Rich Fried Sent from my iPhone On Nov 20, 2013, at 5:28 PM, jgiunta...@aol.com wrote: Nov. 19, 2013 Considering the tremendous rarity of the Ross’s Gull in Eastern North America I decided to make the 400 mile one way trip to see this bird. This bird was reported in partial breeding plumage, that is pink, and its location, just north of the NY state border at Chambly Quebec, was listed at sewage lagoons opposite #2417 Boul. Industriel (my Tom-Tom found it right away). The information about exact location and unique color made for a high probability of success. After leaving Nassau County at 4am I arrived at noon, waited 2.5 hours and the bird appeared. The Ross’s Gull in this plumage was just a fantastic sight. The thought that a bird that is hardly ever seen except seasonally in northern Alaska or Siberia was here in front of me was totally awesome. At the sewage lagoons there are three ponds but only one is close and easily visible. There were many birders there helping to locate the bird
[nysbirds-l] FW: NNYBirds: Ross's Gull continues Nov 17
Yesterday, 11/17/13, Larry Master took beautiful photographs of the Ross's Gull that continues to be observed in Chambly, Quebec. (Link to the photos below) Joan Collins Long Lake, NY From: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com [mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Larry Master Sent: Monday, November 18, 2013 1:53 AM To: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com Subject: NNYBirds: Ross's Gull continues Nov 17 This morning Alan Belford, Sean O'Brien, and I went up to see the Ross's Gull, which continues at the municipal sewage treatment ponds (Boul. Industriel opposite #2417) in Chambly, Quebec. See Alan's previous post for directions. The bird was very cooperative, moving regularly between the near ponds where we could see it feed and the far ponds where it was likely resting and where it was not visible to the assembled birders on the east side of the ponds. Some images of this incredibly beautiful gull are posted at http://www.masterimages.org/Birds/Ross's%20Gull/index.html This gull is real treat to see as not only is it beautiful but it is very difficult to see anywhere in the World as it rarely leaves its home in the Arctic. Hopefully it will stay around for days if not weeks permitting more folks to witness this bird. For regular postings about the gull (and other rare species), see eBird (http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN10489). Larry Master Lake Placid __._,_.___ <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJwdjdoYWx2B F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEbXNnSWQDMTM3MzYEc 2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDcnBseQRzdGltZQMxMzg0NzU3NTg1?act=reply=13736> Reply via web post <mailto:lawrencemas...@gmail.com?subject=Re%3A%20Ross%27s%20Gull%20continues %20Nov%2017> Reply to sender <mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Ross%27s%20Gull%20 continues%20Nov%2017> Reply to group <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJkdTIwMHZyB F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDb nRwYwRzdGltZQMxMzg0NzU3NTg1> Start a New Topic <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/message/13736;_ylc=X3oDMTM1 MmlpdDc0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEbXNnSWQD MTM3MzYEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDdnRwYwRzdGltZQMxMzg0NzU3NTg1BHRwY0lkAzEzNzM2> Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds;_ylc=X3oDMTJkbm5tZmtvBF9TAz k3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA3Z0bARzbGsDdmdocA RzdGltZQMxMzg0NzU3NTg1> Visit Your Group All postings to Northern_NY_Birds are protected by copyright law. <http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJjNTM1cGlsBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzQzM TIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDZ2ZwBHN0aW1lAzEzODQ3NTc1ODU-> Yahoo! Groups Switch to: <mailto:northern_ny_birds-traditio...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change%20Deliv ery%20Format:%20Traditional> Text-Only, <mailto:northern_ny_birds-dig...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email%20Delivery:%2 0Digest> Daily Digest . <mailto:northern_ny_birds-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> Unsubscribe . <http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> Terms of Use . <mailto:ygroupsnotificati...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Feedback%20on%20the%20r edesigned%20individual%20mail%20v1> Send us Feedback . <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=431203/grpspId=1705065787/msgId= 13736/stime=1384757585> __,_._,___ -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] FW: NNYBirds: Ross's Gull continues Nov 17
Yesterday, 11/17/13, Larry Master took beautiful photographs of the Ross's Gull that continues to be observed in Chambly, Quebec. (Link to the photos below) Joan Collins Long Lake, NY From: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com [mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Larry Master Sent: Monday, November 18, 2013 1:53 AM To: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com Subject: NNYBirds: Ross's Gull continues Nov 17 This morning Alan Belford, Sean O'Brien, and I went up to see the Ross's Gull, which continues at the municipal sewage treatment ponds (Boul. Industriel opposite #2417) in Chambly, Quebec. See Alan's previous post for directions. The bird was very cooperative, moving regularly between the near ponds where we could see it feed and the far ponds where it was likely resting and where it was not visible to the assembled birders on the east side of the ponds. Some images of this incredibly beautiful gull are posted at http://www.masterimages.org/Birds/Ross's%20Gull/index.html This gull is real treat to see as not only is it beautiful but it is very difficult to see anywhere in the World as it rarely leaves its home in the Arctic. Hopefully it will stay around for days if not weeks permitting more folks to witness this bird. For regular postings about the gull (and other rare species), see eBird (http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN10489). Larry Master Lake Placid __._,_.___ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJwdjdoYWx2B F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEbXNnSWQDMTM3MzYEc 2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDcnBseQRzdGltZQMxMzg0NzU3NTg1?act=replymessageNum=13736 Reply via web post mailto:lawrencemas...@gmail.com?subject=Re%3A%20Ross%27s%20Gull%20continues %20Nov%2017 Reply to sender mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Ross%27s%20Gull%20 continues%20Nov%2017 Reply to group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJkdTIwMHZyB F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDb nRwYwRzdGltZQMxMzg0NzU3NTg1 Start a New Topic http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/message/13736;_ylc=X3oDMTM1 MmlpdDc0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEbXNnSWQD MTM3MzYEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDdnRwYwRzdGltZQMxMzg0NzU3NTg1BHRwY0lkAzEzNzM2 Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds;_ylc=X3oDMTJkbm5tZmtvBF9TAz k3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA3Z0bARzbGsDdmdocA RzdGltZQMxMzg0NzU3NTg1 Visit Your Group All postings to Northern_NY_Birds are protected by copyright law. http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJjNTM1cGlsBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzQzM TIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDZ2ZwBHN0aW1lAzEzODQ3NTc1ODU- Yahoo! Groups Switch to: mailto:northern_ny_birds-traditio...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change%20Deliv ery%20Format:%20Traditional Text-Only, mailto:northern_ny_birds-dig...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email%20Delivery:%2 0Digest Daily Digest . mailto:northern_ny_birds-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe Unsubscribe . http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/ Terms of Use . mailto:ygroupsnotificati...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Feedback%20on%20the%20r edesigned%20individual%20mail%20v1 Send us Feedback . http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=431203/grpspId=1705065787/msgId= 13736/stime=1384757585 __,_._,___ -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Sightings from Hamilton & St. Lawrence Counties
11/15/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) On our drive from Long Lake to Tupper Lake for a memorial service, I spotted 2 Gray Jays foraging at the side of the road near John Dillon Park (along Route 30). I have been observing Gray Jays in this location on about 50% of my drives - possible the home across from John Dillon Park is feeding them. Hooded Mergansers were observed on water bodies along the drive. 11/14/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) to the St. Lawrence Valley and back Four Gray Jays were found foraging (& caching food) along Sabattis Circle Road. A second year Bald Eagle was soaring between Canton and Ogdensburg on Route 68. Four Eastern Bluebirds were observed along Planty Road in Madrid. On Brookview Drive in Waddington, I found a pair of House Finches (becoming a rare bird up north!) and a pair of Northern Cardinals. Waterfowl on this warmish November day was much quieter than on 11/5 (see below) - Common and Hooded Mergansers, Bufflehead, and many Canada Geese were found. Two adult Bald Eagles just past Cole's Creek were flying together along the St. Lawrence River. A Ruffed Grouse nearly hit my car on the drive from Hawkins Point in Massena. A large flock of Amer. Robins foraged on fruit trees at Robert Moses State Park in Massena. 11/9/13 Sabattis Circle Road (Hamilton Co.) Amer. Black Duck Hooded Merganser Ruffed Grouse Black-backed Woodpecker - female at Sabattis Bog Gray Jay - at least 3 (2 at the bog, and 1 heard near the Little Tupper Lake outlet) Purple Finch Amer. Goldfinch - continue to be abundant everywhere I also observed a Southern Red-backed Vole for an hour at Sabattis Bog! Photos on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . 11/7/13 St. Lawrence Valley After several morning appointments in Potsdam, I drove along the St. Lawrence River in the afternoon. The Red-necked Grebes I observed on 11/5 at the marina by Cole's Creek were still in the same location. In addition to the waterfowl observed on 11/5, I found many Ring-necked Ducks and a large raft of Redhead at Wilson Hill (200 to 300 birds). A lone Bonaparte's Gull flew low over the water at Wilson Hill. 11/6/13 Sabattis Circle Road (Hamilton Co.) Ruffed Grouse Gray Jay - 6 (3 at Sabattis Bog, 2 along Route 30 - by John Dillon Park, and 1 along Route 30 farther NW) Snow Bunting - 2 by the Little Tupper Lake outlet (Photo on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian ) Purple Finch Amer. Goldfinch 11/5/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) to the St. Lawrence Valley to northern Franklin Co., and back Some of the species along Sabattis Circle Road: Amer. Black Duck Hooded Merganser Ruffed Grouse - 4 different birds along the road! Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 (one at Sabattis Bog, and one near the outlet of Little Tupper Lake) Gray Jay - 1 Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet *American Tree Sparrow - 4 first-of-the-season birds Snow Bunting - 2 Belted Kingfisher along the brook near the Leonard Pond Trailhead along Route 56. In Potsdam, there was a huge flock (hundreds) of Red-winged Blackbirds along Route 345. Some of the species along the St. Lawrence River from Waddington to Massena: Canada Goose Mallard Greater Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Common Loon - several Pied-billed Grebe - 1 Red-necked Grebe - 2 Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Red-tailed Hawk I continued in my loop to northern Franklin Co. I arrived at Rotary Lake just south of Malone at 4:45 p.m. The yearly November spectacle of thousands of Snow Geese descending on the lake at sunset began at 4:58 p.m. It was an awe-inspiring experience! I stood motionless until 5:20 p.m. I was in my car at 5:30 when it was completely dark - and the lake was completely covered in Snow Geese and glowing white! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Snow Bunting (first of the season)
10/25/13 Long Lake to Keene Valley.then briefly the Champlain Valley..back to Keene Valley & home to Long Lake (Hamilton & Essex Counties) My younger son Ryan has been home this past week on a college break and he climbed three Adirondack High Peaks (12 left now to be an Adirondack 46er!). He found ice on Phelps and Tabletop on 10/23/13 (& had several falls), so he took crampons to climb Big Slide on 10/25/13. The 3 inches of new snow helped with footing, so the crampons stayed in his pack yesterday. It continues to snow at our home in Long Lake today (2000') - it's lovely! (I posted Ryan's photo of the stairway/ladder that leads to the summit of Big Slide on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian .) I had only a short time to visit the Champlain Valley (my son was up and down Big Slide in 3.5 hours) before heading back to Keene Valley. I visited Westport and Noblewood in mid to late afternoon. Here are a few of the 31 species found: Waterfowl: Canada Goose, Amer. Black Duck, Mallard, Bufflehead, Horned Grebe Bald Eagle - a wet adult flushed all the birds I was observing in Westport! Greater Yellowlegs - 1 at Westport Gulls: Bonaparte's, Ring-billed, Herring, and Great Black-backed (1 at Westport, and 1 at Noblewood) Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets Eastern Bluebird (2 on Co. Route 22G and ~15 on Napper Road in Westport) Yellow-rumped Warbler - several Sparrows: Song, White-crowned, and Dark-eyed Junco Snow Bunting - 1 in Minerva on the Blue Ridge Road (close to the border with Newcomb), first-of-the-season Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Snow Bunting (first of the season)
10/25/13 Long Lake to Keene Valley.then briefly the Champlain Valley..back to Keene Valley home to Long Lake (Hamilton Essex Counties) My younger son Ryan has been home this past week on a college break and he climbed three Adirondack High Peaks (12 left now to be an Adirondack 46er!). He found ice on Phelps and Tabletop on 10/23/13 ( had several falls), so he took crampons to climb Big Slide on 10/25/13. The 3 inches of new snow helped with footing, so the crampons stayed in his pack yesterday. It continues to snow at our home in Long Lake today (2000') - it's lovely! (I posted Ryan's photo of the stairway/ladder that leads to the summit of Big Slide on my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian .) I had only a short time to visit the Champlain Valley (my son was up and down Big Slide in 3.5 hours) before heading back to Keene Valley. I visited Westport and Noblewood in mid to late afternoon. Here are a few of the 31 species found: Waterfowl: Canada Goose, Amer. Black Duck, Mallard, Bufflehead, Horned Grebe Bald Eagle - a wet adult flushed all the birds I was observing in Westport! Greater Yellowlegs - 1 at Westport Gulls: Bonaparte's, Ring-billed, Herring, and Great Black-backed (1 at Westport, and 1 at Noblewood) Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets Eastern Bluebird (2 on Co. Route 22G and ~15 on Napper Road in Westport) Yellow-rumped Warbler - several Sparrows: Song, White-crowned, and Dark-eyed Junco Snow Bunting - 1 in Minerva on the Blue Ridge Road (close to the border with Newcomb), first-of-the-season Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] October sightings in Northern NY
tern Bluebirds (several), Blue-headed Vireo, Nashville Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler October 5, 2013 Low's Ridge/Upper Dam Trail (St. Lawrence Co.) I led a trip for the Town of Long Lake on this trail (7.5 miles round trip). This was not a birding trip - more leaf-peeping, but I still kept track of birds! Here are a few of the species: Osprey - in a vocalization fight with the eagle over Hitchins Pond Bald Eagle - adult at Hitchins Pond - vocalizing back and forth with the Osprey Killdeer - at Hitchins Pond Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Yellow-rumped Warbler White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Later in the day, I observed two Common Loons on Long Lake, and Eastern Bluebirds in the town of Long Lake with Chipping Sparrows. October 3, 2013 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Outside our Long Lake house: Yellow-rumped and Blackpoll Warblers October 1, 2013 Low's Ridge/Upper Dam Trail (St. Lawrence Co.) A couple species to note: Red-shouldered Hawk - lovely views directly over me as it drifted south White-crowned Sparrow I've posted many photos to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian I added a photographic blog post for September 2013 at: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-birds/september-2013-photog raphs I also added a blog post with sightings from tours and outings for September 2013 at: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-birds/september-2013-tours- and-a-few-other-sightings 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Massawepie - Bobcat!, Black-billed Cuckoo, & more
er. Crews are working on the road, but it is in rough shape. 9/4/13 Whiteface Mountain, Bloomingdale area, and Tupper Lake (Essex and Franklin Counties) I was on Whiteface Mountain at dawn in high winds (very cold!) - hard to even stand at the parking area, so I dropped down in elevation. I heard ~15 to 20 Bicknell's Thrushes calling with one song at dawn. Swainson's Thrushes had abandoned high elevation by this date. Winter Wrens and Blackpoll Warblers were singing at dawn (by 9/7, see above, we did not detect or observe any Blackpoll Warbles on the summit of Whiteface). I found 44 species this day including 8 Boreal Chickadees and several Cape May Warblers in the Bloomingdale area. Ring-necked Ducks have been observed at the Tupper Lake causeway in the past week. 9/3/13 Hanging Spear Falls Trail (High Peaks area in Essex Co.) I ventured over to the Hanging Spears Falls Trail (Tahawus area) to pick berries last Tuesday. I found the suspension bridge over the Hudson River is still out - 2.5 years after floods took it out in April of 2011! So I had to take off my boots and socks, roll up my pants and wade across. Then, I found that the boardwalk over Lake Jimmy went out this year from the severe weather! They re-routed the trail around the lake. I met a young Paul Smith's College student who had just completed the 46 High Peaks by climbing Allen Mountain - he said that the bridge across the Opalescent River is also still out and he had to wade across it. He mentioned that he has talked with trail crews and they do not have the man-power to deal with all the problems caused by severe weather in the Adirondacks. Climate change continues to take its toll. I found a Scarlet Tanager on the drive over and 2 Swainson's Thrushes and 1 Hermit Thrush along the trail as I hiked. I also observed several orchid species - one very tiny orchid that is not listed in any of my wildflower guides. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Massawepie - Bobcat!, Black-billed Cuckoo, more
are working on the road, but it is in rough shape. 9/4/13 Whiteface Mountain, Bloomingdale area, and Tupper Lake (Essex and Franklin Counties) I was on Whiteface Mountain at dawn in high winds (very cold!) - hard to even stand at the parking area, so I dropped down in elevation. I heard ~15 to 20 Bicknell's Thrushes calling with one song at dawn. Swainson's Thrushes had abandoned high elevation by this date. Winter Wrens and Blackpoll Warblers were singing at dawn (by 9/7, see above, we did not detect or observe any Blackpoll Warbles on the summit of Whiteface). I found 44 species this day including 8 Boreal Chickadees and several Cape May Warblers in the Bloomingdale area. Ring-necked Ducks have been observed at the Tupper Lake causeway in the past week. 9/3/13 Hanging Spear Falls Trail (High Peaks area in Essex Co.) I ventured over to the Hanging Spears Falls Trail (Tahawus area) to pick berries last Tuesday. I found the suspension bridge over the Hudson River is still out - 2.5 years after floods took it out in April of 2011! So I had to take off my boots and socks, roll up my pants and wade across. Then, I found that the boardwalk over Lake Jimmy went out this year from the severe weather! They re-routed the trail around the lake. I met a young Paul Smith's College student who had just completed the 46 High Peaks by climbing Allen Mountain - he said that the bridge across the Opalescent River is also still out and he had to wade across it. He mentioned that he has talked with trail crews and they do not have the man-power to deal with all the problems caused by severe weather in the Adirondacks. Climate change continues to take its toll. I found a Scarlet Tanager on the drive over and 2 Swainson's Thrushes and 1 Hermit Thrush along the trail as I hiked. I also observed several orchid species - one very tiny orchid that is not listed in any of my wildflower guides. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Hamilton & Essex Co. birds in the past week
singing Blackburnian Warbler 8/29/13 Sabattis Circle Road, and then Moose River Plains (Inlet in Hamilton Co.) Sabattis Circle Road: Common Loon Osprey - vocalizing and hunting at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake Gray Jay - 4 (along the road in boreal forest where I found the Black-backed Woodpeckers on 9/1) Cedar Waxwing - abundant everywhere - many juveniles observed at the Little Tupper Lake outlet Palm Warbler - 1 brown "western" migrant at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake Moose River Plains: Ruffed Grouse - 2 Black-backed Woodpecker - female along the road between the Helldiver Pond and Lost Ponds Trailheads Northern Flicker - many Boreal Chickadee - 8 (5 by Mitchell Ponds trailhead near the Red River and 3 near Helldiver Pond) Purple Finch On the drive home, an Osprey was perched and vocalizing by a nest site along Route 28. 8/28/13 Our house in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.): Hermit Thrush - spotted juvenile eating cherries outside our window Mourning Warbler - singing outside the house! (This species nests on our property, but the singing was a surprise!) There was a small movement of migrants that night and Common Loon voices echoed up off the lake as I listened - lovely! 8/27/13 Northville-Placid Trail in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) 4 to 6 p.m. Black-backed Woodpecker - 2; a juvenile male relentlessly following an adult male Black-backed Woodpecker! I watched them for over an hour. The adult fed the juvenile a couple times. The juvenile spent its time following the adult, calling a lot, preening (pulling out white fluffy feathers from its chest), and just occasionally attempting to forage on its own. Winter Wren - a record number of them along the trail this year I also found a couple Red Efts along the trail and listened to many Pine Sawyers chewing dead coniferous trees. On the drive home, I found 3 Swainson's Thrushes in the road just before our driveway (this is the same evening that Eric posted observing several species in the roadways eating the flying ants in Bloomingdale). I was heading to bed that (Tuesday) night, when I heard migrants through the window. I went outside and was captivated by a strong river of migrants flowing overhead - many so low, it felt like you could reach up into the darkness and touch them! I heard two Black-billed Cuckoos, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and many Swainson's Thrush in addition to lots of other voices. The stars were brilliant with the Milky Way apparent. Two Barred Owls were calling back and forth, spring peepers were vocalizing and crickets were going. I have a love-hate relationship with this time of year - I love migration, but I hate the sleep deprivation! I've been posting photographs to my Facebook page listed below - I just posted photographs of the male and female Black-backed Woodpeckers found yesterday. I have also posted several blogs on my website (I've been spending a lot of time photographing things on the ground!) - links: Lists of species found on July tours: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-birds/species-lists-for-jul y-2013-tours Photographic blog of mushrooms from August: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/mushrooms/august-mushrooms-of-the- boreal-forest Photographic blog of wildflowers from August: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/wildflowers/wildflowers-of-august Photographic blog of habitat, wildlife, and other images mostly taken in the boreal forest during August: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-wildlife/more-images-from-t he-adirondacks 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Hamilton Essex Co. birds in the past week
Blackburnian Warbler 8/29/13 Sabattis Circle Road, and then Moose River Plains (Inlet in Hamilton Co.) Sabattis Circle Road: Common Loon Osprey - vocalizing and hunting at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake Gray Jay - 4 (along the road in boreal forest where I found the Black-backed Woodpeckers on 9/1) Cedar Waxwing - abundant everywhere - many juveniles observed at the Little Tupper Lake outlet Palm Warbler - 1 brown western migrant at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake Moose River Plains: Ruffed Grouse - 2 Black-backed Woodpecker - female along the road between the Helldiver Pond and Lost Ponds Trailheads Northern Flicker - many Boreal Chickadee - 8 (5 by Mitchell Ponds trailhead near the Red River and 3 near Helldiver Pond) Purple Finch On the drive home, an Osprey was perched and vocalizing by a nest site along Route 28. 8/28/13 Our house in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.): Hermit Thrush - spotted juvenile eating cherries outside our window Mourning Warbler - singing outside the house! (This species nests on our property, but the singing was a surprise!) There was a small movement of migrants that night and Common Loon voices echoed up off the lake as I listened - lovely! 8/27/13 Northville-Placid Trail in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) 4 to 6 p.m. Black-backed Woodpecker - 2; a juvenile male relentlessly following an adult male Black-backed Woodpecker! I watched them for over an hour. The adult fed the juvenile a couple times. The juvenile spent its time following the adult, calling a lot, preening (pulling out white fluffy feathers from its chest), and just occasionally attempting to forage on its own. Winter Wren - a record number of them along the trail this year I also found a couple Red Efts along the trail and listened to many Pine Sawyers chewing dead coniferous trees. On the drive home, I found 3 Swainson's Thrushes in the road just before our driveway (this is the same evening that Eric posted observing several species in the roadways eating the flying ants in Bloomingdale). I was heading to bed that (Tuesday) night, when I heard migrants through the window. I went outside and was captivated by a strong river of migrants flowing overhead - many so low, it felt like you could reach up into the darkness and touch them! I heard two Black-billed Cuckoos, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and many Swainson's Thrush in addition to lots of other voices. The stars were brilliant with the Milky Way apparent. Two Barred Owls were calling back and forth, spring peepers were vocalizing and crickets were going. I have a love-hate relationship with this time of year - I love migration, but I hate the sleep deprivation! I've been posting photographs to my Facebook page listed below - I just posted photographs of the male and female Black-backed Woodpeckers found yesterday. I have also posted several blogs on my website (I've been spending a lot of time photographing things on the ground!) - links: Lists of species found on July tours: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-birds/species-lists-for-jul y-2013-tours Photographic blog of mushrooms from August: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/mushrooms/august-mushrooms-of-the- boreal-forest Photographic blog of wildflowers from August: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/wildflowers/wildflowers-of-august Photographic blog of habitat, wildlife, and other images mostly taken in the boreal forest during August: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-wildlife/more-images-from-t he-adirondacks 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/ --
RE: [nfc-l] Ovenbird flight song (not call)
Hi David, Wonderful recordings! I have a friend who does recordings for Cornell and he has been trying to record this particular Ovenbird vocalization. (I'll send him your recordings.) Ovenbirds nest outside our home (Long Lake, NY in the Adirondack Mountains) and I often hear this vocalization. I occasionally hear it during the night, but I often hear it at dusk. I've observed Ovenbirds giving this vocalization as they do a display flight over our lawn area - at just the time in the evening when you can make out a flying silhouette (similar to the time when Amer. Woodcocks start displaying and vocalizing). But I've also heard this vocalization during the day. It is not always given in "flight", but is also given by perched birds. Thanks for posting your recordings and sonograms! Take care, Joan Collins Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian -Original Message- From: bounce-104920271-13418...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-104920271-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of David Martin Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2013 4:28 PM To: NFC-L@cornell.edu Subject: [nfc-l] Ovenbird flight song (not call) On July 17 I set up a migration mic at Thacher Nature Center near Albany, NY. That night I recorded what I think is the so-called flight song of the Ovenbird, which I have heard only once or twice before. I recorded a very similar song on 19 July. I've been digging around trying to find examples, and the flight song seems to be extremely variable among birds. I've posted the recordings and sonograms at http://naturebits.org/temp_1.php I'd be interested in any comments. If it is not an ovenbird, what is it? -- David Martin Slingerlands, New York http://naturebits.org -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
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[cari-kawan] Apply For Your Loan
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a private loan lender Dr Joan Collins, i give out certified loans to
serious
minded individuals and companies at an interest rate of 5% with total loan
repayment
allowed weekly monthly or yearly it depends on your pay back ability. All
interested
persons, Contact me via email:{ thriftyloa...@gmail.com }the loan amount you
need from
our company and the year you need the loan immediately.1. Your Name:
2.Loan
Amount:.3.Duration:..4.Sex5.Country..6.Cell
Phone No:.7. Monthly Allowance.
Best regards
Dr Joan Collins
[cari-kawan] Apply For Your Loan
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am a private loan lender Dr Joan Collins, i give out certified loans to
serious
minded individuals and companies at an interest rate of 5% with total loan
repayment
allowed weekly monthly or yearly it depends on your pay back ability. All
interested
persons, Contact me via email:{ thriftyloa...@gmail.com }the loan amount you
need from
our company and the year you need the loan immediately.1. Your Name:
2.Loan
Amount:.3.Duration:..4.Sex5.Country..6.Cell
Phone No:.7. Monthly Allowance.
Best regards
Dr Joan Collins
