3/29/11 Long Lake (2 feet of snow on the ground still)
The number of redpolls at our home continues to be remarkable. Yesterday, I tried to count them. I went over 500 redpolls out one window and there were many more in trees farther from the house where I couldnt count them. The din over the baby monitor (set up to bring the sounds inside) is deafening reminiscent of Hitchcocks The Birds! It is easy to pick out Hoary Redpolls when there are huge groups on our porch floor. Pine Siskins continue to be mixed in. I havent try to count the Evening Grosbeaks, but it looks like the number has dropped from the 100-110 we had all winter I would estimate it is now around 50-60. As Larry Master often points out, the number of redpolls that will show up at your location is related to how many can feed at once. I have 16 feeders up (which would never accommodate 500+ redpolls), and the birds mostly feed on our porch floor. I spread sunflower hearts across 25 (of a 50) porch, and across a smaller back porch they literally cover these areas shoulder to shoulder as they feed! Often, I am replenishing the seed hourly through the morning. I took a late afternoon hike on the Northville-Placid Trail (north). We still have 2 of snow on the ground, but the nights have been so cold, that you can walk on top and bushwhack anywhere. At the bridge ½ mile down the trail, I heard distance woodpecker sounds, which led to a male Black-backed Woodpecker (I often find them is this area by a brook/marsh). There were lots of River Otter slides along the brook. But the most exciting moment was finding the snow covered in Snow Fleas!!! (aka Springtails) I am always thankful that no one can see me sitting in the snow in awe of these ancient creatures! Finding snow fleas feels like a real sign the season is changing. I heard yet another new Common Raven vocalization at dawn yesterday their different vocalizations seem endless! Long Lake has a narrow strip of open water under the bridge just a solo Canada Goose and 2 Mallards so far! 3/26/11 Tupper Lake Ive had several trips to St. Lawrence Co. for various reasons, and on Saturday, I saw 2 Hooded Mergansers (FOS in the Adirondacks) under the bridge at the causeway in Tupper Lake also several Turkey Vultures. 3/25/11 St. Lawrence Co. locations (bare ground for weeks in the St. Lawrence River Valley areas) This was a late outing that began at 4 p.m. Turkey Vulture many Northern Harrier male on Planty Rd. (Town of Madrid) Amer. Kestrel Rutherford Rd. (Town of Madrid) Red-tailed Hawk Amer. Robin many Bohemian Waxwing 110-115 along Route 37 (Town of Louisville) a few miles south of the Wilson Hill turn feeding on buckthorn berries; I also found 8 perched outside a house along Route 420 (Town of Norfolk). Red-winged Blackbird huge numbers along with Common Grackles at the swamp (the Great Egret roost location in late summer) along Route 420 (Town of Stockholm) Common Grackle many; (I found a solo Common Grackle in Tupper Lake on 3/17 FOS in the Adirondacks) The St. Lawrence River was open (with some bay areas still covered in ice), so waterfowl were not congregated at Hawkins Point in Massena. 3/24/11 Bloomingdale Bog area (& Tupper Lake causeway sightings; plus one Long Lake sighting) I had to drive our older son to the Saranac Lake airport before dawn, so I spent several hours in the Bloomingdale Bog area after his plane took off (bitter cold at 13 degrees!). Here are some of the 28 species found on a great morning of birding: Amer. Black Duck 2, causeway in Tupper Lake Common Goldeneye several, causeway Common Merganser - ~20, causeway Turkey Vulture Tupper Lake Bald Eagle Tupper Lake Black-backed Woodpecker 2 (male & female pair); I bushwhacked to a male Black-backed Woodpecker foraging in trees beyond the first bridge/marsh on the northern Bloomingdale Bog trail (it was west of the trail). On my way out (11 a.m.), the bird had moved a few trees to a huge, dead white pine tree where it was drumming. It would drum, then preen, drum, then preen, etc. I finally realized that it was communicating with another Black-backed Woodpecker that my ears were just barely picking up. This bird was way back in the direction I had just hiked. So I went back and found a female Black-backed Woodpecker past the second bridge to the east of the trail. These birds were quite distant from each other, but obviously communicating. The females behavior was identical drum, preen, drum, preen! I watched them for a long time after awhile, you could hear them change the drumming patterns and volume fascinating! Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike 1 along Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake; The bird was at the top of a dead snag in the marsh where Little Tupper Lake empties out I observed it through my scope for wonderful views! Gray Jay 4; 2 different pairs in the Bloomingdale area (one bird carrying nesting material) Common Raven Boreal Chickadee 2 along Oregon Plains Rd. Red-breasted Nuthatch 3 (none found in Long Lake still I keep wondering when they will return from wherever they moved this fall/winter/spring) Brown Creeper 3 different singing birds! Golden-crowned Kinglet several Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Common Redpoll 3 different flyover flocks at Oregon Plains Rd. Evening Grosbeak at least 2 flyover birds at Oregon Plains Rd. At the Tupper Lake causeway, a River Otter was bringing its food up on the ice to eat. I set up my scope and watched it bring a huge fish up to eat! Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
