Hello Cayuga-area birders,
I'm starting to see reports of exciting winter birds moving in, which means it's almost time for raptor surveys! Every year, NYSDEC regions across the state monitor wintering raptor presence to record where and how these birds are spending their time here. Some of these species are of conservation concern, such as the Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier, and our data helps in planning management decisions and reviewing projects that might affect these species. Since we have so much potential habitat here in DEC Region 8 (roughly the counties between Iroquois NWR and Montezuma NWR/Cayuga Lake), we depend on volunteer surveyors to help us find wintering raptors. We record any owls, hawks, and other raptors that we see during hour-long surveys that take place around sunset. While raptors are our focus, we are often treated to other views of winter wildlife, like Horned Larks tinkling away in cornfields, deer browsing along the forest, and huge skeins of Snow Geese heading to roost at dusk. We run surveys out of two locations in order to cover a large portion of the Finger Lakes/Genesee region, and survey sites are usually within a 20-minute drive of our meeting location. Avon-area surveys are held every other Tuesday (starting 11/20) and we meet beforehand at the Avon DEC office (6274 E. Avon-Lima Rd, Avon, NY 14414). New for this year, we are moving our Seneca-Schuyler survey meeting place from Trumansburg to the Hector Ranger Station, which serves the Finger Lakes National Forest. The Hector-area surveys will be held every other Thursday (starting 12/6), and the address for the ranger station is 5218 NY-414, Hector, NY 14841. Our first few meetings/surveys will take place around the 3:30-5:30PM timeframe. We run surveys through April, and since sunset time changes as the winter goes on, if your schedule doesn't allow you to join us early in the season, later might work out. Whether you're a seasoned surveying veteran or a brand-new birder, all are welcome to come and join in. Newbies are paired with experienced surveyors until they feel comfortable with the process, and you are welcome to help with just one survey, the entire season, or anything in between. Please send me an email at christina....@dec.ny.gov<mailto:christina....@dec.ny.gov> if you'd like more information or think you might want to participate. Please include which meeting location you'd be interested in working from. Even if you aren't able to help out with surveys, it would be hugely appreciated if folks who spot a Short-eared Owl early in the season contacted me with details. I check out eBird regularly but I understand if people don't want owl sightings to be completely public. Thanks so much to everyone who has made these last few years of surveys such a success- our region is truly unique in having such a dedicated volunteer crew collecting a wealth of information. Hope to see you soon! -Christina Christina M. Hoh Wildlife Technician I, Bureau of Wildlife New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 6274 E. Avon-Lima Rd. Avon NY 14414 P: (585) 226-5386 | F: (585) 226-6323 | christina....@dec.ny.gov<mailto:christina....@dec.ny.gov> www.dec.ny.gov<http://www.dec.ny.gov/> -- 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/ --
