Chris, I came across a product in LL Bean and Amazon called "stabilicers" which are inexpensive and work so much better than yak-trax. They come in two variants and the "light" is plenty for icy sidewalks, roads and groomed trail. In the mountains I'd recommend the more expensive version, short of crampons for real ice. These are much like the more expensive micro-spikes which are also great on trail. The Stabilicer lights are easy on/off and we have used them often this winter. By using these you can largely eliminate the trekking poles and have hands for stability, camera, binos and the like. John -- John and Sue Gregoire Field Ornithologists Kestrel Haven Avian Migration Observatory 5373 Fitzgerald Road Burdett,NY 14818-9626 Website: http://www.empacc.net/~kestrelhaven/ "Conserve and Create Habitat"
On Wed, February 26, 2014 08:56, Chris R. Pelkie wrote: > I did a lunchtime turn around Hoyt-Pileated inner loop back to Wilson > yesterday. > I took and would highly recommend you take trekking poles: it is seriously > treacherous out there with the frozen snow/ice/footprint holes. > > It was cold and crisp but not snowing (yesterday), so good exercise but few > birds. > Crows, jays, red-bellied woodpecker, titmouses, and chickadees called or flew > over. > I had hopes of an owl or creeper or even yellow-rumped warbler but saw none of > those. > > The thing of note was 2 PILEATED WOODPECKERs who called (not the crazy laugh > call > but more like a flicker social call) and flew to a tall tree where I saw them > together, then flew again. > I caught up with them near the south end of Woodlleton Boardwalk where they > have > excavated a roundish hole in a 16 live oak just 15 up and so close to the > boardwalk that chips are littered over it. > > I think these are both juvenile males because I could see some red as well as > black > in both malar patches. I stand to be corrected, but dont think females have > red > there, and yet it took some looking even to be sure there was red, unlike the > ease > of IDing a breeding color male. I fancy they are brothers. > > They stayed together on that tree, hopping up and hopping down while > chattering to > each other, worked the hole, then jumped to another tree, which finally > allowed me > to pass without scaring them off. Good thing because I was starting to freeze > in > place. > > So if you need a PIWO for your year list, they should be around that oak some > more, > Id guess. > > ______________________ > > Chris Pelkie > Research Analyst > Bioacoustics Research Program > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > 159 Sapsucker Woods Road > Ithaca, NY 14850 > > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
