Winter in the North Country has been completely unpredictable this year. November is historically the darkest (cloudiest) month of the year in the Adirondacks, but the whole winter has felt dark like November (& snowless). Ive been seeing Springtails (aka Snow Fleas) all winter long when you would typically see them in late winter early spring. Several species that usually leave the central Adirondacks stayed this year huge numbers of Amer. Goldfinches, and a good number of Purple Finches, - Blue Jays are everywhere. Everywhere you find Gray Jays, there are even more Blue Jays. All winter Ive observed groups of Blue Jays following Gray Jays and un-caching their food. The Gray Jays battle back and valuable time is lost to protecting food instead of foraging. February has felt like March - both in weather and bird behavior. American Crows began to return to Long Lake on 2/25/16. March has always typified the crow raven battle month, but the battles began in February this year. Anyway lots or worrisome changes.
Pine Siskin numbers soared (even more!) after Presidents Day Weekend. I have been seeing huge black-cloud-like flocks. Hundreds have found our feeders and I went through 50 pounds of thistle seed in one week! It sounds like a jungle outside our house all day. On a recent wild weather day (2/24/16), when ice came down (1/4 inch at least it sealed our cars) coating everything and then turning bitterly cold, I needed to fill the feeders midday (and I have 20 feeders up), but the birds wouldnt move off the feeders! They would move off the particular feeder I was filling and keep feeding on feeders right next to me it was wild! All their food sources were under thick ice and our feeders were their only food they never even took a break from the feeders the entire day. Red Crossbills continue to be abundant in the central Adirondacks and I find them everywhere I look in Long Lake, Newcomb, and Minerva. I observed the first juvenile on Sunday along Sabattis Circle Road. At our feeders we have a small flock of Purple Finches, hundreds of Pine Siskins, and about 70 Amer. Goldfinches. I am also observing Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned Kinglets on outings and around our home. Some Feb. sightings: 2/29/16 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Barred Owl vocalizing outside our home again this evening Gray Jay 3 at Sabattis Bog late this afternoon 2/28/16 Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake Gray Jay 4 (3 at Sabattis Bog and 1 at the Round Lake Trailhead) Boreal Chickadee 3 at Sabattis Bog Red Crossbill flock of at least 10 along Sabattis Circle Road including at least one juvenile (first juv. Ive observed this winter). The flock was mainly males and 1st year males I only observed 1 female. 2/27/16 Long Lake Wild Turkey 6 along Sabattis Circle Road Bald Eagle 3 different birds (2 adults); 1 over Rt. 30, 1 over the lake, and 1 over Tarbell Hill Lane this was the day with 40 mph gusts and many birds were soaring around Gray Jay 4 (3 at Sabattis Bog, and 1 at the Round Lake Trailhead) Red Crossbill 2 along Route 30 I observed a Fisher along Sabattis Circle Road at 11 a.m.! That made my day! 2/26/16 Long Lake North Point Road 1 male Red Crossbill gritting with 4 Pine Siskins (near the intersection with Forked Lake Road) and a Boreal Chickadee found in a mixed flock along the road. I stopped at Buttermilk Falls and heard more Red Crossbills. (I posted a video of the falls on my Facebook page below.) I found 7 Gray Jays 4 at the Round Lake Trailhead on Sabattis Circle Road and 3 at Sabattis Bog. At the Round Lake Trailhead, there was a large owl wing print in the snow amid lots of fur it appeared to be the remnants of a Snowshoe Hare. The 4 Gray Jays were there when I arrived. There was nothing but small tufts of fur and I suspect the Gray Jays were taking it for nesting material. I also saw the flock of 6 Wild Turkeys again. 2/25/16 Long Lake I observed the Northern Shrike that has been wintering near the Little Tupper Lake inlet along Sabattis Circle Road. Since Gray Jay nesting season began, the 8 birds regularly visiting Sabattis Bog for food dropped to 3. A Pileated Woodpecker foraged outside our home and flocks of American Crows began to return to Long Lake. 2/24/16 Long Lake This was the day everything was coated in ice. I observed a flock of ~40 Cedar Waxwings in Long Lake (no Bohemians among them). Two Gray Jays were found at Sabattis Bog. 2/23/16 Long Lake and Newcomb (Essex Co.) A Barred Owl vocalized outside our home. Two Gray Jays were found at Sabattis Bog. White-winged Crossbills were heard again along Sabattis Circle Road (about ½ mile from the bog). Two Ruffed Grouse were also along the road. In Newcomb, 2 Horned Larks foraged along Santanoni Drive by the medical center! 2/22/16 Wilson Hill Island & Massena (St. Lawrence Co.) I had a morning appt. in Potsdam and I drove a loop to Wilson Hill and Massena in the afternoon. On Wilson Hill Island, 4 Bohemian Waxwings were found in a fruit tree along with an Amer. Crow pair, 1 Amer. Robin, several European Starlings, and a flock of House Finches! In Massena, I stopped near the Barnhart Island Bridge when I spotted a Common Raven with something bloody in its bill it appeared to be hiding this piece of an animal in a snowbank. As I parked my car along the road, I looked up to see the raven tangling with a Peregrine Falcon! The falcon landed in a tree by the bridge and the raven went back to check on its stash then it collected grass from two holes in the snow (in a field) for nesting material. The Peregrine Falcon vocalized every time the raven was back in its sight. 2/21/16 Long Lake Black-backed Woodpecker 1 male along Chellis Road across from the Northville-Placid Trail (S) on Route 28N in Long Lake. I observed the woodpecker foraging on a blown down tree, then it flew across Route 28N back along the N-P Trail. I hiked back in and re-found the woodpecker foraging right along the trail. Gray Jay 2 at Sabattis Bog Red Crossbill 3 (1 along Sabattis Circle Road and 2 at Sabattis Bog) White-winged Crossbill 1 vocalizing as it flew near Sabattis Bog 2/20/16 Long Lake Ruffed Grouse 1 along Sabattis Circle Road Barred Owl vocalizing outside our house Gray Jay 2 at Sabattis Bog Red Crossbill 3 along Route 30 2/19/16 Long Lake Gray Jay 4 (1 at the Round Lake Trailhead on Sabattis Circle Road and 3 at Sabattis Bog) White-winged Crossbill heard twice at Sabattis Bog (always from the Bog Stream direction) Amer. Tree Sparrow 4 at Sabattis Bog 2/18/16 Long Lake and Santa Clara (Franklin Co.) Three Gray Jays were found at Sabattis Bog. I also picked two dead Pine Siskins from Route 30. I found 4 Ruffed Grouse together on Dexter Road in Santa Clara. 2/17/16 Long Lake and Newcomb (Essex Co.) Gray Jay 4 (3 at Sabattis Bog and 1 at a marsh in Newcomb) Boreal Chickadee 5 (groups of 3 and 2 in Minerva) Snow Bunting 2 in Newcomb American Tree Sparrow sudden influx of this species and I found them everywhere that day Pine Siskin huge numbers including a black cloud of them that included hundreds Red Crossbill 3 at the Boreas River Evening Grosbeak a huge flock heard near the marsh in Newcomb (where I have heard them several times, and was able to estimate 50 during one visual of this flock) 2/14/16 Long Lake, Newcomb, and Minerva Sabattis Bog: 3 Gray Jays, 2 Boreal Chickadees, and 1 White-winged Crossbill Newcomb: Black-backed Woodpecker (female), 1 Snow Bunting, and at least 50 Evening Grosbeaks in 4 flocks (2 flocks of 20 birds observed) Minerva: 2 Boreal Chickadees 2/13/16 Long Lake Sabattis Bog: 2 Gray Jays and 1 Red Crossbill 2/12/16 6 Red Crossbills found along Route 30 in Long Lake 2/11/16 Sabattis Bog: 2 Gray Jays, 2 Red Crossbills, and at least 1 White-winged Crossbill 2/10/16 - Sabattis Bog: 3 Gray Jays and 1 Red Crossbill. Two Snow Buntings were found along Route 30 in Long Lake. David Buckley and I traveled a loop in St. Lawrence Co. We observed a Bald Eagle swooping down at a Common Merganser on the St. Lawrence River near Waddington. We also found 6 Amer. Robins and a large flock of Bohemian Waxwings (flyovers). There is a feeder location at Chamberlain Corners (intersection of CR 71 and 55 in Waddington) where you never know what youll find in winter there have been many surprises over the years on this day, they had White-crowned Sparrows! 2/9/16 Long Lake & Saranac Lake Bald Eagle along Route 30 in Tupper Lake Sharp-shinned Hawk zoomed low through Sabattis Bog Black-backed Woodpecker female at Sabattis Bog that became a statue after the Sharp-shinned Hawk flew by it (photo on Facebook) Bohemian Waxwing at least 20 along Kiwassa Road in Saranac Lake (eating fruit in a tree with a huge flock of Purple Finches!) I added many photos to my Facebook page in the past couple weeks and one video of Buttermilk Falls. Joan Collins President, NYS Ornithological Association 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/ --
