3/5/15 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)
Our 19 feeders have been extremely active this winter and time consuming to fill each morning! Feeder birds: Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Blue Jay - intermittent all winter (unusual) Amer. Crow - showed up this past week (first sign of spring) - eating corn put down for Wild Turkeys; Observed one with the hind quarter and tail of a mouse yesterday (possibly the left-overs from an Ermine kill). Common Raven - rarely come down for corn; battling the crows - typical March behavior! Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Dark-eyed Junco - one continues to over-winter - first time ever; A pair nests right outside our house each spring and I've been wondering if this is the local breeder. With thigh-deep snow, it has been surprising to see this bird make it through the winter. Common Redpoll - 150 to 200; so far, this is the first irruptive redpoll winter without a Hoary Redpoll in any of the feeding flocks at our home Pine Siskin - 5 to 10 American Goldfinch - 40 to 50 - first time we have ever had over-wintering goldfinches. 3/4/15 Sabattis Bog (Hamilton Co.) I continue to feed two Gray Jays at Sabattis Bog. Boreal Chickadees are heard, and sometimes observed, each day also. They are part of mixed flocks and hang out in the area while their Black-capped Chickadee and Red-breasted Nuthatch flock-mates come in for seed. 3/3/15 Massena (St. Lawrence Co.) MaryBeth Warburton and I met in Massena at Hawkins Point for birding before grocery shopping after. On route, I found an adult Bald Eagle and several Common Ravens at the road-kill deer drop on Route 458. In Massena, along Route 131, I found a Porcupine asleep in a deciduous tree. As I was photographing the Porcupine, a flock of ~40 Bohemian Waxwings flew over me. On Barnhart Island Road, I found a brown first winter Northern Shrike. Once again, as I photographed the shrike, I could hear a nearby flock of Bohemian Waxwings, but never saw them. MaryBeth and I met at Hawkins Point where the water was wide open below the dam. We found: Mallards, Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Common and Red-breasted Mergansers. Unfortunately, we did not see any gulls. Heading out Robinson Bay Road, we spotted a man photographing something in a large hole in a tree. It was part of a Raccoon that appeared to be sleeping! While we watched the raccoon, a flock of ~50 Bohemian Waxwings flew over. The marina location had no open water as we expected. There were many Wild Turkeys and 3 Pileated Woodpeckers found also. 3/1/15 Sabattis Bog Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 Gray Jay - the pair and one was imitating a Northern Goshawk again! There was quite a ruckus later with Red Squirrels and many birds loudly vocalizing, so I suspect a goshawk was nearby. The Gray Jays sounded very alarmed. They are in nesting mode now. Boreal Chickadee - 2 2/24/15 Long Lake As I drove to Sabattis Bog, I noticed an Otter at Shaw Pond poking up through an ice hole. I continued to watch and saw that the Otter had several ice holes in the pond. Two weeks ago, the Essex - Charlotte Ferry across Lake Champlain closed down because they couldn't keep the channel open. Yet, this Otter had several ice holes in a pond where I've heard the ice is now two feet thick! Just remarkable! 2/17/15 Saranac Lake & Bloomingdale locations While out on a tour with a couple from NYC, here are some of the birds found an this bitter cold day: Ruffed Grouse - perched in a tree Pileated Woodpecker - 1 Gray Jay - 2 different birds; one came down for raisins Common Raven Boreal Chickadee - at least 8 (flocks of 5, 2, and at least one) Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Bohemian Waxwing - ~55 eating crab apples outside the visitors' center in Saranac Lake! Red Crossbill - at least 2 heard vocalizing twice in Bloomingdale (this is the 3rd time I've found them at this exact location and they are likely nesting) I recently posted Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin, Bohemian Waxwing, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Gray Jay photos to my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian . Joan Collins 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/ --
