4/11/13 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.)
A Hermit Thrush arrived today outside our house - the earliest arrival date for this location. (This may also be a new early record for Hamilton Co.) A Fox Sparrow could be heard singing all morning. Hundreds of Dark-eyed Juncos continue to surround our house in addition to hundreds of redpolls (2 female Hoary Redpolls were observed perched outside our kitchen window). I am going through huge amounts of bird seed each day. With all the arrivals, migrants, irruptives, and year-round birds (20 species), it sounded like a jungle over the baby monitor. I encountered a very vocal Gray Jay this morning giving a call that I've heard them give near their nest sites. Their young should be fledging in about a week and a half. Lorraine Pine reported 2 Red-necked Grebes and 1 Horned Grebe at the south end of Long Lake where the water is opening up. 4/10/13 Blue Mountain Lake & Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.) A Fox Sparrow was singing outside our home. I found a Red-necked Grebe on Long Lake observed from the beach (near the bridge). Lorraine Pine found one at the south end (about 4 miles from the one I observed). Lorraine also observed 2 Common Loons at the south end of Long Lake. A Merlin was observed at the Long Lake ball field. I had to travel to Glens Falls, and on the drive home, I stopped at the marsh by Lake Durant in Blue Mountain Lake. There was a pair of American Black Ducks and a pair of Wood Ducks on a small brook at the edge of the marsh. The Black Ducks were vocalizing non-stop. As I watched them, a Mink came charging across the snow and swam at them! The Black Ducks teamed up with the Wood Ducks in a huddle - and the Wood Ducks also began to vocalize. The chaos ended when the Mink went off hunting into the snowy marsh. I watched the Mink for over 30 minutes - the longest I have been able to watch this active weasel species. It kept finding openings in the snow and would drop into the water - then reappear and shake off like a dog! It appeared to be eating small prey, but finally (after a half hour), it emerged with a huge fish and bounded across the snowy marsh for the forest. It had to swim across the brook. It came out of the water, took the fish up a snowy bank and dropped it, then raced back to the brook and caught another large fish (which I assume it spotted when it swam across with the first fish). It dropped that fish on the snow and then rolled around and around in the snow (as my dogs used to do) then picked up both fish and ran into the forest. I was surprised that such a large fish was found in such a shallow marsh. I was so thrilled to be observing the Mink, that I ignored a Belted Kingfisher that was perched on the wire near my car and fishing in the brook. I could hear it splashing into the brook, but I never took my eyes off the Mink! Joan Collins Long Lake, 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/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/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/ --
