Late Summer Sightings:
9/22/15 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) This morning's warbler wave outside our home included Nashville, Blackpoll, Black-throated Blue, and Yellow-rumped. Ruby-crowned Kinglets were among them and singing! American Robins were heard at dawn. I have been hearing Hermit Thrushes every morning. 9/21/15 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) - Newcomb and Minerva (Essex Co.) I had planned a "quick" trip to Minerva to see the Red Crossbills, but there were lots of wildlife distractions along the way! (I think there is no such thing as a "quick" birding trip!) I saw a group of Common Ravens flushing from a dead animal as a car went past me in the opposite lane on Route 28N in Long Lake. I slowed down, and sadly, saw a dead Black Bear cub in the middle of the road. I drove ahead a bit so vehicles could swerve to avoid hitting it. I was in my car searching for something I could use to get the cub out of the road, when I glanced in my rearview mirror. It was filled with the image of a Bull Moose entering the road!!! I leaped out of the car with my camera, but stayed next to the car and just used the camera's zoom. I took 21 photos of this majestic animal before a young woman drove by and the Moose quickly disappeared over the guardrail (she had a fleeting view!). The woman stopped and we were looking in her trunk for a piece of rope when two state highway workers arrived to retrieve the bear cub. I told them they had just missed seeing the Moose. They told me this cub was now the 3rd road-killed Black Bear cub they had retrieved in the past month - sad. The fog was thick that morning with very little visibility, so I assume it may have contributed to the car-bear collision. I find it disturbing that the person who hit the cub just left it in the middle of the road. I posted 11 photos to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . Some of the species found from visiting: Santanoni Drive in Newcomb, marsh along Route 28N in Newcomb, and the railroad bed in Minerva (it was an active woodpecker day): Wild Turkey - still many with small young along the roadways (very late nesting) Broad-winged Hawk - ~ 60 in a thermal together! Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - 3! (I photographed all 3 (2 males, 1 female), and I'll add some photos to Facebook) Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Boreal Chickadee - 5 (2 by the Hudson River at the end of Santanoni Dr. and 3 at the railroad bed) Winter Wren Hermit Thrush Gray Catbird Cedar Waxwing Common Yellowthroat Yellow-rumped Warbler Song Sparrow - singing Swamp Sparrow - singing White-throated Sparrow - singing Dark-eyed Junco Purple Finch - singing Red Crossbill - 3 (no singing heard today, just calling) Amer. Goldfinch 9/20/15 Long Lake - Tupper Lake - Mountaineer Trail at Massawepie (St. Lawrence Co.) Along Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake - a Cooper's Hawk near the Little Tupper Lake inlet, and 4 Gray Jays at Sabattis Bog with a Sharp-shinned Hawk going after them! After a morning Audubon board meeting, Pat & John Thaxton and I hiked the beautiful Mountaineer Trail near Massawepie Lake in the afternoon (2 miles round trip). Here are some of the birds found: Common Loon Gray Jay - 3 Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Palm Warbler Pine Warbler - many! (several singing) Yellow-rumped Warbler White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco We looked for the Tupper Lake Sandhill Crane pair around 1 p.m. before our hike, but did not spot them. I searched again on my way home around 4:45 p.m. and I spotted them along Stetson Road. (Will add photos to Facebook.) 9/19/15 Field Trip on the Low's Ridge - Upper Dam Trail (for leaf peeping and birding!) sponsored by the Long Lake Parks and Recreation Dept. and Northern NY Audubon (St. Lawrence Co.) We had a nice day for the Low's Ridge - Upper Dam Trail field trip with just a bit of rain on our hike out! It was hot and humid, so we appreciated the windy conditions! We had lunch by Hitchins Pond and then everyone climbed Low's Ridge. The views from Low's Ridge are always spectacular! The leaves were not yet at peak (likely peak will be the end of Sept. - beginning of Oct.). Here are some of the species found: Ruffed Grouse Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle - 3 (2 adults and 1 juvenile); The two adults were interacting and vocalizing over Hitchins Pond. We observed one make a long vertical dive and come up with a fish! Broad-winged Hawk Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Common Yellowthroat Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler 9/17/15 Long Lake - An Ovenbird was singing outside our home! 9/16/15 Long Lake - I had beautiful views of a male Wilson's Warbler in our backyard! A Barred Owl vocalized during the night. In Minerva, I found Purple Finches and 2 Red Crossbills. 9/14/15 Glens Falls (Warren Co.) - Fish Crows are now a common species in Glens Falls and often the first species I hear getting out of the car during shopping trips! Their range expansion has been rapid. 9/10/15 Long Lake - last date that I noted an Eastern Wood-Pewee vocalizing outside our home. 9/9/15 Long Lake - Four Barred Owls vocalized outside our home for 1.5 hours! I could hear them moving around on the branches in the dark. One of the owls was a juvenile - a vocalization that I typically hear in July. A Merlin perched along Route 30. Four Gray Jays were at Sabattis Bog and an American Woodcock bobbed across Sabattis Circle Road! (Photos on Facebook) 9/8/15 We observed an American Woodcock along Route 28N in Minerva. 9/6-7/15 Camping at Plumley's lean-to at the north end of Long Lake: An adult Bald Eagle vocalized by its nest location. Common Loons vocalized all night. Northern Parula and Yellow-rumped Warblers flew around our camp site, and a Hermit Thrush sang! (Lots of late singing this year.) Before we left home on 9/6, a Philadelphia Vireo was observed outside. Back home on 9/7, we observed two Scarlet Tanagers eating Hawthorn berries in the tree on our front lawn! (Photos on Facebook) On a half-day tour with 3 birders from New Jersey on 9/5/15, we found 44 species by visiting Sabattis Circle Road (& Sabattis Bog), Shaw Pond, and the railroad bed in Minerva. Sabattis Bog was terrific and we spent most of our time at that location! Here is our list: Canada Goose Wood Duck American Black Duck Mallard Ring-necked Duck Wild Turkey Pied-billed Grebe Great Blue Heron Broad-winged Hawk Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - male at Sabattis Bog! Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher - at Sabattis Bog, and it sang once! Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - 4 at Sabattis Bog! Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - 3 calling at Sabattis Bog, and 2 observed along the railroad bed in Minerva Red-breasted Nuthatch Golden-crowned Kinglet American Robin Cedar Waxwing Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Cape May Warbler Magnolia Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Scarlet Tanager - 2 at Sabattis Bog; one was singing Purple Finch Red Crossbill - singing! (Photos on Facebook) American Goldfinch On a half-day tour with 3 birders from New Jersey on 9/4/15, we found 34 species by visiting boreal habitat areas of Bloomingdale. Here is our list: Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Broad-winged Hawk Ring-billed Gull Barred Owl Chimney Swift Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3 Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - female! Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker (likely) Merlin along Bigelow Road Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - 9; (groups of 3, 1, and 5) Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - at least 6 (groups of 2, 3, and 1) Red-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren - singing! Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Magnolia Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Purple Finch American Goldfinch On a full day tour on 9/1/15 with 2 birders, one from VT, and one from NYC, we found 50 species by visiting the following locations: Sabattis Circle Road, Hudson River in Newcomb, marsh along route 28N in Newcomb, railroad bed in Minerva, and the Roosevelt Truck Trail in Minerva. Here is our list: Canada Goose Wild Turkey Common Loon - several calling Great Blue Heron Broad-winged Hawk - several - including a couple observed and calling along the railroad bed (Possible) Black-billed Cuckoo Ruby-throated Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Merlin Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher - singing! Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - 4 at Sabattis Bog Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - 12! (Groups of 4, 2, 2, 1, and 3) Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Swainson's Thrush - trying to sing! Hermit Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Cedar Waxwing Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat - singing! Northern Parula - singing! Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler - juvenile Chestnut-sided Warbler - 3 juveniles Black-throated Blue Warbler - 2 (male; juvenile) Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow - singing! White-throated Sparrow - singing! Dark-eyed Junco Purple Finch - singing! Red Crossbill - one singing! American Goldfinch We also watched a Beaver in the Hudson River! (Photos on Facebook) 8/31/15 A Ruffed Grouse hit our window so hard, that I thought a window had blown in. There had been an accipiter zooming through our yard earlier and I suspect that may have startled the grouse. Sadly, it immediately died. This grouse was literally living outside our home - out there all day, every day around the house. On a half-day tour on 8/30/15 with 4 birders, 3 from NYC, and one from NJ, we found 40 species by visiting Massawepie Mire. Here is our list: Canada Goose Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Goshawk - juvenile Broad-winged Hawk Ring-billed Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ruby-throated Hummingbird Hairy Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker - at least 2 - a male observed and another bird calling. More calls were heard near the South Branch of the Grass River. Merlin Alder Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee - at least 2 (likely 3) Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Chipping Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Purple Finch American Goldfinch 8/29/15 Long Lake: On a short walk of the Northville-Placid Trail (S), I found 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers in the vicinity of where they nested in June. I also found brand new Winter Wren fledglings with no tails! (Photos on Facebook) They were hopping around the sphagnum moss calling for food! Quite late! On a half-day tour on 8/28/15 with a birder from Massachusetts, we found 42 species by visiting Sabattis Circle Road and Shaw Pond in Long Lake, a marsh in Newcomb along Route 28N, and the railroad bed in Minerva. Here is our list: Canada Goose Wood Duck American Black Duck Ring-necked Duck Ruffed Grouse - dead in the road Wild Turkey - with young! Common Loon Great Blue Heron Broad-winged Hawk Barred Owl Ruby-throated Hummingbird Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Gray Jay - 5 (4 at Sabattis Bog and 1 heard near the Little Tupper Lake inlet) Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Cedar Waxwing Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Magnolia Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Canada Warbler - singing! Chipping Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Purple Finch Red Crossbill - 4 (2 males) American Goldfinch We spotted 2 River Otters in a wetland off the Hudson River! We also found Black Bear tracks by Sabattis Bog. Joan Collins Editor, New York Birders 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/[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/ --
