Plateau Mountain, Greene County Sunday, 01 June and Saturday, 07 June 2014 I recently conducted two annual breeding bird surveys on the summit of Plateau Mountain for the Vermont Center for Ecostudies Mountain Birdwatch program. The first survey covers roughly the southeastern half of the two-mile long summit plateau, the second survey starts near Orchard Ledge and extends out over the northwestern half. The effort starts before sunrise and utilizes six 20-minute point counts/survey to document the presence of Bicknell's Thrush and seven additional target species that breed in the high-elevation coniferous forest of the Catskill Mountains.
Weather conditions were ideal again this year during the first survey, with cold pre-dawn temperatures (45° F), clear skies, and absolutely no wind on 01 June; followed by warmer temperatures (53° F), mostly clear skies, and considerably more wind on 07 June. Clear crisp night skies and the absence of light pollution once again made for spectacular star gazing on Plateau's dark summit overlook, and the sound of multiple Barred Owls calling from Stony Clove to the west and Platte Clove to the east, carried clearly up to the summit ledge in the otherwise silent night air. Highlights from the montane environment (including the early morning ascent in darkness, survey period, post-count at high elevation, mid-day descent into lower elevation deciduous habitat, and a short foray along Plateau's steep foothills in Stony Clove) include approximately 26 Bicknell's Thrush, 20 Swainson's Thrush, 23 Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, 26 Blackpoll Warblers, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets (an apparent pair), 15 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 18 Winter Wrens, 5 Canada Warblers, 20 Magnolia Warblers, 15 White-throated Sparrows, 14 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 10 Purple Finches, 10 Dark-eyed Juncos, and a remarkable 9 Mourning Warblers, including a pair in the same location I have encountered a singing male in several recent past years. The apparent nesting pair became agitated by my passing and landed nearly at my feet, providing exceptionally good looks at this often reclusive and very handsome species. Six additional singing male Mourning Warblers were heard in Stony Clove in extremely steep mountainside habitat, representing only a small fraction of similar habitat in the immediate area. Peregrine Falcons were very vocal on both dates, with one adult observed entering a crevice high up on an exposed rock cliff, indicating a possible natural nest site. Common Ravens were also very raucous on both dates, with a family group of five active along an adjacent cliff face. I did not detect the presence of Northern Saw-whet Owl on the mountain this year, but made no attempt to elicit a response. The large synchronized flight of thousands of small non-descript moths that I have encountered in some past years flying at lower elevations were limited to less than ten individuals this year. Pepper and Salt Skippers (butterflies) were present in good numbers and in fresh condition along Stony Clove, including a territorial male on the exact same rock outcrop where I have observed several in recent past years. As with several other species of butterflies, these skippers exibit amazing site fidelity from one generation to the next. Once again this year I made a very casual effort to search for Early Hairstreak along a section of trail descenting dense Beech growth where one appeared briefly in 2005. No success detecting this rare and elusive butterfly, but the effort did result in observing a domed Canada Warbler nest with four eggs discretely hidden in ground vegetation. The following is a list of bird species encountered from Plateau Mountain over the two-day period, adjusted down to avoid duplication. A fair amount of time and effort for 36 species, but always an enjoyable and memorable experience. Peregrine Falcon (2) Barred Owl (4 vocalizing on the ascent) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (4) Hairy Woodpecker (1) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (23) Eastern Wood-Pewee (1) Blue Headed Vireo (1) Red-eyed Vireo (2) Blue Jay (2) Common Raven (5) Red-breasted Nuthatch (14) Brown Creeper (1) Winter Wren (18) Golden-crowned Kinglet (15) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2) Bicknell's Thrush (26) Swainson's Thrush (20) Hermit Thrush (3) Cedar Waxwing (4+ heard only flyovers, in two locations) Magnolia Warbler (20) Black-throated Blue Warbler (5) Yellow-rumped Warbler (16) Black-throated Green Warbler (6) Blackburnian Warbler (10) Blackpoll Warbler (26) Black-and-white Warbler (3) American Redstart (4) Ovenbird (2) Mourning Warbler (9, one pair near a nest site, 7 additional singing males on territory) Canada Warbler (5, including one incubating female on a nest) Scarlet Tanager (2) White-throated Sparrow (15) Dark-eyed Junco (10) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2) Indigo Bunting (2) Purple Finch (10) Steve M. Chorvas Saugerties, 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/[email protected]/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/ --
