March 29, 2016 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) - Newcomb - Minerva (Essex Co.) - Warrensburg (Warren Co.)
Yesterday, we woke to several inches of new snow in Long Lake. It was 27 degrees and extremely windy. Every time we set a new record in seed consumption at our feeders, I think it can't ever be topped, but yesterday is the new record (3/29/16). There was a layer of ice on everything and then several inches of new snow, and the conditions brought hundreds and hundreds of Pine Siskins to our feeders. The birds acted like they were starving and didn't even want to get off the feeders for me to refill them. I had to put seed all over our porches since there were terrible battles over feeder perches. Bill Labes experienced the same activity at his Long Lake feeders. It was not a birding day, but it ended up being quite exciting anyway! Midday, I stopped at Sabattis Bog (on a long route to Warrensburg) and put out food for the Gray Jays. I was in hurry and didn't look around. I suddenly heard White-winged Crossbills, which must have been perched right over my car! Two birds circled around the bog calling and then flew toward Bog Stream. One Gray Jay showed up at the bog and I found 3 Gray Jays at the Round Lake Trailhead. On my drive out, a bird flushed from the road. I stopped and was quite surprised to find a calling Hermit Thrush! I took a number of photos (I posted 2 to my Facebook page). Hermit Thrushes usually show up in mid-April - this is a bird I wasn't even thinking about in late March! Pine Siskins were everywhere with several dark clouds of them along my drive through Long Lake - Newcomb - Minerva I found a large flock of Evening Grosbeaks by a house with feeders just outside of Newcomb. I stopped to view a large Pine Siskin flock gritting in Route 28N in Minerva, and spotted 2 female Red Crossbills among them. In Warrensburg, I observed 5 Cedar Waxwings eating crab apples along Route 9 in town. 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/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/ --
