Hi Everyone,
Given our food sources this winter (bumper Ash Tree seed crop and lots of fruit sources), Bohemian Waxwings, and Evening & Pine Grosbeaks were potential irruptive species - and I'm seeing all 3 earlier than expected! I began to encounter Evening Grosbeaks in mid-September. They started to visit our feeders on Nov. 13 and we are up to ~100 now. They are at lots of feeder locations and just about anywhere I go! Quite a remarkable irruption that I haven't seen in many years. I saw my first-of-the season Bohemian Waxwings on Nov. 16 in Saranac Lake, and a solo bird in Long Lake along Sabattis Circle Road on Nov. 21. I found 17 Pine Grosbeaks along Sabattis Circle Road on Nov. 21 (3 flocks of 10, 2, and 5). All the individuals in the larger flock (at Sabattis Bog) that I looked at with binocs were adult males - then they flew over me, so I was able to count them. Later, there were 2 flying across the bog. The other flock of 5 I found gritting in the road - this flock included 2 adult males. I love to hear their voices! I was out with a downstate birder yesterday and we had a fantastic day with almost no wind and some actual sunshine! Very little car traffic on Route 28N really helped us bird that great road yesterday. We found 31 species visiting Newcomb, Minerva, Long Lake, Tupper Lake, and Saranac Lake, with the following highlights (6 finch species!): Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 different males (both along 28N, with one in Newcomb and one in Minerva) Canada Jay - 12 (2 in Newcomb and 10 in Long Lake) Boreal Chickadee - 5 (1 in Newcomb and 4 in Minerva) Bohemian Waxwing - a lot in Saranac Lake in front of the old Pizza Hut (and there were Evening Grosbeaks in an Ash Tree across the road!) Cedar Waxwing - Newcomb Evening Grosbeak - many, and at nearly every stop we made - nice feeder views Pine Grosbeak - 2 adult males gritting on Sabattis Circle Road that we photographed for a long time (road was really quiet with no cars to bug them!) Purple Finch - 1 heard in Newcomb (mostly gone now) Red Crossbill - calling birds heard at Sabattis Station (I have encountered them calling/flying over Sabattis Bog a few times recently too). Pine Siskin - one heard in Minerva (had not heard one in a while) American Goldfinch - several A summer resident at the north end of Long Lake sent me a recording of a bird he didn't know - a Tufted Titmouse. For the first time ever, I have one as a feeder bird here in Long Lake and another woman in Long Lake has one at her feeder. They continue their range expansion! Another first was on 9/3/22 this year - my husband and I were boating back from the north end of Long Lake at dusk and I observed 2 Common Nighthawks feeding on insects over the water near our dock - first time I've observed this species move through Long Lake in migration. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! (Willie D'Anna - thank you so much for the follow-up on the Limpkin - it sounds like it is in wonderful, caring hands!) Joan Collins Adirondack Avian Expeditions & Workshops LLC 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.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
