[nysbirds-l] Bohemian waxwings just over the border in MA

[Ryan Mandelbaum]

Maybe of interest to this group: I've been to southern Vermont and western
Mass this winter, and both times found flocks of bohemian waxwings less
than 10 miles from the New York State  border. There's also a report of a
bird in a Rensselaer county yard from this afternoon. Might be worth a
targeted fruit tree search in the taconics for folks hoping to see
bohemians in rensselaer or columbia counties.

-- 
Ryan F. Mandelbaum
Science Writer | Nerd
[Placeholder for future accolades]
ryan.f.mandelb...@gmail.com
http://ryanfmandelbaum.com 

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings

[Joshua Malbin]

I’ve been stuck downstate all month, but will finally have a chance to get
up north over the next few days. I’m just wondering whether anyone is still
seeing Bohemian Waxwings anywhere semi-reliably?

Thanks and good birding,

Joshua

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings

[Joshua Malbin]

I’ve been stuck downstate all month, but will finally have a chance to get
up north over the next few days. I’m just wondering whether anyone is still
seeing Bohemian Waxwings anywhere semi-reliably?

Thanks and good birding,

Joshua

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings

[John Thaxton]

We had 6 Bohemian waxwings in Westport, in a berry tree immediately across
from the Westport Town Hall.

John & Pat Thaxton

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings

[John Thaxton]

We had 6 Bohemian waxwings in Westport, in a berry tree immediately across
from the Westport Town Hall.

John & Pat Thaxton

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings - Warren County

[Richard Guthrie]

Gary Chapin found 2 Bohemian Waxwings at the Hague Town Park this morning. 

Rich Guthrie 
New Baltimore 
The Greene coup
New York 

Sent from my iPhone

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings - Warren County

[Richard Guthrie]

Gary Chapin found 2 Bohemian Waxwings at the Hague Town Park this morning. 

Rich Guthrie 
New Baltimore 
The Greene coup
New York 

Sent from my iPhone

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Golden Eagle/Snow Buntings/Evening Grosbeaks and more

[Joan Collins]

Flocks of Snow Buntings and Bohemian Waxwings have been moving around for
the past week.  Gray Jays are nesting and acting stealthy!  (Several people
have emailed about them being hard to find.  Gray Jays are more secretive in
March and April.)  Many Red-winged Blackbirds and Amer. Crows returned to
the central/northern Adirondacks during the unusually warm weather of
February - a month earlier than usual (and a record-early Killdeer at Crown
Point in Essex Co. on 2/23/17).  Winter returned with the large snowstorm on
3/14.  All in all, there was only about a 3-week stretch of appropriate
snowmobile conditions this winter/spring - down from 5 months or more 20
years ago.  (I might add that a record number of snowmobiles went through
the ice in the Adirondacks too.)  The Adirondack climate continues to
rapidly warm and "winter" is quickly disappearing.

 

March sightings from the past 2 weeks (& a few from late Feb.):

 

3/25/17 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.), Tupper Lake (Franklin Co.), and Massawepie
(St. Lawrence Co.)

 

David Buckley, Piercefield, and I decided to go birding in the Tupper Lake -
Massawepie area today.  On my drive to David's house, I found a Boreal
Chickadee along Route 30 in Long Lake, a Black-backed Woodpecker at the
Round Lake Trailhead on Sabattis Circle Road, 3 Gray Jays at Sabattis Bog,
and 3 flocks of Snow Buntings (2 flocks along Route 30 in Tupper Lake, and 1
flock along Route 3 in Piercefield).  We found a Bald Eagle, an Amer. Robin,
Red-winged Blackbirds, and Common Grackles in Tupper Lake.  At Massawepie
the lakes are still frozen.  We parked where plowing stops - about 1.5 miles
in, and we walked to the Mountaineer Trail on the groomed snowmobile trail.
The Mountaineer Trail had snow drifts so we opted to turn around!  I was
briefly in the Long Lake - Tupper Lake area on 3/24 and found similar
species plus 2 Pine Siskins vocalizing at a feeder in Tupper Lake.

 

3/23/17 Long Lake

 

Gray Jay - 6 (2 along Route 30, 2 at the Round Lake Trailhead along Sabattis
Circle Road, and 2 at Sabattis Bog)

Boreal Chickadee - 2 along Route 30 (These 2 Boreal Chickadees are found
nearly every time I stop at this location to feed Gray Jays, Black-capped
Chickadees, and Red-breasted Nuthatches.  They appear to be flock mates of
the BCCH and RBNU and announce my presence when I get out of the car!)

 

3/22/17 Long Lake

 

Boreal Chickadee - 2 along Route 30

 

3/21/17 Long Lake

 

Bald Eagle

Gray Jay - 10 (2 Rt. 30, 3 inlet area of Little Tupper Lake, 2 Rd. Lake
Trailhead, 3 Sabattis Bog)

Boreal Chickadee - 2 along Rt. 30

Snow Bunting - 2 flocks

 

3/17/17 Long Lake and Tupper Lake

 

Bald Eagle

Gray Jay - 4 (2 Rt. 30, 2 Sabattis Bog)

Bohemian Waxwing - 105 in 2 flocks (1 flock of 25 in a fruit tree in Long
Lake at a house next to the school ballfield, and a flock of ~80 in Tupper
Lake just north of the Skyline Ice Cream stand)

Snow Bunting - 2 flocks in Long Lake

 

3/15/17 Long Lake

 

Golden Eagle - very loudly vocalizing Amer. Crows alerted me to its presence
perched along Sabattis Circle Road!  It took off and soared above the road
for a few minutes - I was even able to take a few flight shots.  The Amer.
Crows were relentless in chasing it away.

Gray Jay - 5 (2 Rt. 30, 3 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet along Sabattis
Circle Road)

Snow Bunting - 1 outside our house (it showed up after the storm and stayed
a few days to eat the cracked corn we put out for Wild Turkeys), and a flock
along Route 30

 

3/14/17 Long Lake (the big storm day - over 30 inches fell at our Long Lake
home)

 

I thought I could go out and back before the snow got bad, but I didn't make
it!  I found a flock of 8 Bohemian Waxwing in a fruit tree in front of the
Long Lake Library in near blizzard conditions.  My camera couldn't cope and
kept trying to focus on the snow!

 

3/13/17 Long Lake

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - female along the Northville-Placid Trail (S) in
Long Lake

Gray Jay - 10 (2 Rt. 30, 4 Round Lake Trailhead, and 4 at Sabattis Bog)

Boreal Chickadee - 2 along Rt. 30

 

3/12/17 Long Lake & trip to Albany on the Northway

 

Turkey Vulture - 2 different birds observed as we headed south on the
Northway

Boreal Chickadee - 3 along Rt. 30

 

3/11/17 Newcomb

 

Evening Grosbeak - small flock at a feeder outside of Newcomb (I was heading
to a class in Plattsburgh early in the a.m.)

 

On a Feb. 18-19, 2017 tour with 2 birders (1 from NYC and 1 from Long
Island), we spent one day in boreal habitat and one day in the St. Lawrence
Valley.  Here are our sightings by day (40 species):

 

February 18, 2017 (21 species; Mostly boreal habitat areas of Newcomb,
Minerva, Long Lake, Tupper Lake, and Indian Lake)

Wild Turkey

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Hairy Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker - 9 (2 viewed in Minerva (male & female) along
Route28N, 4 drumming along the Hudson River in Newcomb (Santanoni Dr.), 1
drumming by the golf course along Santanoni Dr. near Route 28N, 2 drumming
in 

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Golden Eagle/Snow Buntings/Evening Grosbeaks and more

[Joan Collins]

Flocks of Snow Buntings and Bohemian Waxwings have been moving around for
the past week.  Gray Jays are nesting and acting stealthy!  (Several people
have emailed about them being hard to find.  Gray Jays are more secretive in
March and April.)  Many Red-winged Blackbirds and Amer. Crows returned to
the central/northern Adirondacks during the unusually warm weather of
February - a month earlier than usual (and a record-early Killdeer at Crown
Point in Essex Co. on 2/23/17).  Winter returned with the large snowstorm on
3/14.  All in all, there was only about a 3-week stretch of appropriate
snowmobile conditions this winter/spring - down from 5 months or more 20
years ago.  (I might add that a record number of snowmobiles went through
the ice in the Adirondacks too.)  The Adirondack climate continues to
rapidly warm and "winter" is quickly disappearing.

 

March sightings from the past 2 weeks (& a few from late Feb.):

 

3/25/17 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.), Tupper Lake (Franklin Co.), and Massawepie
(St. Lawrence Co.)

 

David Buckley, Piercefield, and I decided to go birding in the Tupper Lake -
Massawepie area today.  On my drive to David's house, I found a Boreal
Chickadee along Route 30 in Long Lake, a Black-backed Woodpecker at the
Round Lake Trailhead on Sabattis Circle Road, 3 Gray Jays at Sabattis Bog,
and 3 flocks of Snow Buntings (2 flocks along Route 30 in Tupper Lake, and 1
flock along Route 3 in Piercefield).  We found a Bald Eagle, an Amer. Robin,
Red-winged Blackbirds, and Common Grackles in Tupper Lake.  At Massawepie
the lakes are still frozen.  We parked where plowing stops - about 1.5 miles
in, and we walked to the Mountaineer Trail on the groomed snowmobile trail.
The Mountaineer Trail had snow drifts so we opted to turn around!  I was
briefly in the Long Lake - Tupper Lake area on 3/24 and found similar
species plus 2 Pine Siskins vocalizing at a feeder in Tupper Lake.

 

3/23/17 Long Lake

 

Gray Jay - 6 (2 along Route 30, 2 at the Round Lake Trailhead along Sabattis
Circle Road, and 2 at Sabattis Bog)

Boreal Chickadee - 2 along Route 30 (These 2 Boreal Chickadees are found
nearly every time I stop at this location to feed Gray Jays, Black-capped
Chickadees, and Red-breasted Nuthatches.  They appear to be flock mates of
the BCCH and RBNU and announce my presence when I get out of the car!)

 

3/22/17 Long Lake

 

Boreal Chickadee - 2 along Route 30

 

3/21/17 Long Lake

 

Bald Eagle

Gray Jay - 10 (2 Rt. 30, 3 inlet area of Little Tupper Lake, 2 Rd. Lake
Trailhead, 3 Sabattis Bog)

Boreal Chickadee - 2 along Rt. 30

Snow Bunting - 2 flocks

 

3/17/17 Long Lake and Tupper Lake

 

Bald Eagle

Gray Jay - 4 (2 Rt. 30, 2 Sabattis Bog)

Bohemian Waxwing - 105 in 2 flocks (1 flock of 25 in a fruit tree in Long
Lake at a house next to the school ballfield, and a flock of ~80 in Tupper
Lake just north of the Skyline Ice Cream stand)

Snow Bunting - 2 flocks in Long Lake

 

3/15/17 Long Lake

 

Golden Eagle - very loudly vocalizing Amer. Crows alerted me to its presence
perched along Sabattis Circle Road!  It took off and soared above the road
for a few minutes - I was even able to take a few flight shots.  The Amer.
Crows were relentless in chasing it away.

Gray Jay - 5 (2 Rt. 30, 3 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet along Sabattis
Circle Road)

Snow Bunting - 1 outside our house (it showed up after the storm and stayed
a few days to eat the cracked corn we put out for Wild Turkeys), and a flock
along Route 30

 

3/14/17 Long Lake (the big storm day - over 30 inches fell at our Long Lake
home)

 

I thought I could go out and back before the snow got bad, but I didn't make
it!  I found a flock of 8 Bohemian Waxwing in a fruit tree in front of the
Long Lake Library in near blizzard conditions.  My camera couldn't cope and
kept trying to focus on the snow!

 

3/13/17 Long Lake

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - female along the Northville-Placid Trail (S) in
Long Lake

Gray Jay - 10 (2 Rt. 30, 4 Round Lake Trailhead, and 4 at Sabattis Bog)

Boreal Chickadee - 2 along Rt. 30

 

3/12/17 Long Lake & trip to Albany on the Northway

 

Turkey Vulture - 2 different birds observed as we headed south on the
Northway

Boreal Chickadee - 3 along Rt. 30

 

3/11/17 Newcomb

 

Evening Grosbeak - small flock at a feeder outside of Newcomb (I was heading
to a class in Plattsburgh early in the a.m.)

 

On a Feb. 18-19, 2017 tour with 2 birders (1 from NYC and 1 from Long
Island), we spent one day in boreal habitat and one day in the St. Lawrence
Valley.  Here are our sightings by day (40 species):

 

February 18, 2017 (21 species; Mostly boreal habitat areas of Newcomb,
Minerva, Long Lake, Tupper Lake, and Indian Lake)

Wild Turkey

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Hairy Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker - 9 (2 viewed in Minerva (male & female) along
Route28N, 4 drumming along the Hudson River in Newcomb (Santanoni Dr.), 1
drumming by the golf course along Santanoni Dr. near Route 28N, 2 drumming
in 

Re: [nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings Essex co.

[Richard Guthrie]

New arriving folks would like any news or updates on the gull. Anyone have the 
latest word for them?

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 29, 2017, at 2:53 PM, Arie Gilbert  wrote:
> 
> .
> viewed from this location at 2.53pm on 01-29-2017
> 
> http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.95522839,-74.1058987
> 
> 
> Arie Gilbert 
> No. Babylon NY 
> www.powerbirder.blogspot 
> www.qcbirdclub.org
> 
> --
> Sent from "Loretta IV" in the field. 
> 
> --
> NYSbirds-L List Info:
> Welcome and Basics
> Rules and Information
> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
> Archives:
> The Mail Archive
> Surfbirds
> ABA
> Please submit your observations to eBird!
> --

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Re: [nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings Essex co.

[Richard Guthrie]

New arriving folks would like any news or updates on the gull. Anyone have the 
latest word for them?

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 29, 2017, at 2:53 PM, Arie Gilbert  wrote:
> 
> .
> viewed from this location at 2.53pm on 01-29-2017
> 
> http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.95522839,-74.1058987
> 
> 
> Arie Gilbert 
> No. Babylon NY 
> www.powerbirder.blogspot 
> www.qcbirdclub.org
> 
> --
> Sent from "Loretta IV" in the field. 
> 
> --
> NYSbirds-L List Info:
> Welcome and Basics
> Rules and Information
> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
> Archives:
> The Mail Archive
> Surfbirds
> ABA
> Please submit your observations to eBird!
> --

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings Essex co.

[Arie Gilbert]

.
viewed from this location at 2.53pm on 01-29-2017
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.95522839,-74.1058987

Arie Gilbert 
No. Babylon NY 
www.powerbirder.blogspot 
www.qcbirdclub.org
--
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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings Essex co.

[Arie Gilbert]

.
viewed from this location at 2.53pm on 01-29-2017
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.95522839,-74.1058987

Arie Gilbert 
No. Babylon NY 
www.powerbirder.blogspot 
www.qcbirdclub.org
--
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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/N. Saw-whet Owl/Red Crossbills/Rusty Blackbirds/Black-backed Woodpeckers & more

[Joan Collins]

Huge numbers of Pine Siskins continue at our feeders - they are consuming
over 10 pounds of Thistle seed a day.  I haven't figured out how much weight
they are consuming of the sunflower heart seeds, but it is less than 10
pounds per day.  Others still feeding birds in Long Lake are reporting the
same experience - they can't keep their feeders filled.  A pair of Raccoons
were a problem for several nights, so we brought the feeders in at night and
they finally disappeared.  One night, I was photographing the Raccoons on
our front porch, and one tried to get around me to enter the house - it
could obviously smell the bird seed just inside the door!

 

The mouse population appears to be increasing and Barred Owls are heard
outside our home nearly every night.  The excellent cone crop on most
coniferous tree species led to an exciting winter for irruptives, but the
Red Squirrels also benefited and it will be a difficult nesting year for
many birds as a result (often, more than half of the Black-backed Woodpecker
nests are predated in such years).

 

I've been noting a very quiet, almost inaudible, vocalization that Gray Jays
give near their nest site.  I really need good recording equipment!

 

Some recent observations (first of the season: *):

 

April 28, 2016 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

Barred Owl - outside our home

Black-backed Woodpecker - a pair in the same tree at the Round Lake
Trailhead.  I watched them for a long time until a Broad-winged Hawk's
sudden appearance overhead led them to fly off.

Gray Jay - I bushwhacked to an area where Gray Jays usually find me and 2
Gray Jays came over for food, but also, seemingly, to just hang out.  I had
traveled the night before to give a presentation, and had little sleep after
arriving home late, so I laid down in the grass and slept on and off for 1.5
hours.  It was sunny and in the 50s - a perfect day.  The Grays Jays stayed
with me quietly vocalizing and were in the trees nearby every time I woke up
- wonderful companions.  It was the most peaceful time I've had in a long
time.  At one point, I was awakened by what sounded like people, but it was
a Common Raven viciously attacking a Broad-winged Hawk (the ravens have
young in nests right now).  The last time I heard that vocalization, a raven
was attacking a Golden Eagle outside our home over a decade ago.  Also, two
adult Bald Eagles soared around overhead.  Blue-headed Vireos, Winter Wrens,
and Yellow-rumped Warblers sang nearby.

*Barn Swallow - over Little Tupper Lake

 

April 27, 2016 Long Lake

 

Gray Jay - 5 (1 along Rt. 30, 2 at the Round Lake Trailhead, and 2 at
Sabattis Bog)

*Brown Thrasher - Little Tupper Lake outlet/Round Lake inlet

Palm Warbler - many at Sabattis Bog

*Rusty Blackbird - at least 3 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet (more were
unseen in the muddy marsh below them)

Red Crossbill - birds heard calling near the Little Tupper Lake outlet/Round
Lake inlet

 

April 26, 2016 Long Lake

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - 1 at Sabattis Bog

Gray Jay - 4 (1 Rt 30, 2 at the Round Lake Trailhead, and 1 at Sabattis Bog)

Palm Warbler - many singing in what appeared to be winter conditions with 3
inches of snow on the ground!

 

On a half-day tour with 2 birders from White Plains & Garnet Hill, NY, on
April 25, 2016 we visited Newcomb and Minerva (both in Essex Co.) with their
goal of finding a Black-backed Woodpecker.  We had a great morning and found
6!  Here are some of the 32 species found:

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - 6 (including 2 pairs)

Gray Jay - 1

Boreal Chickadee - at least 3

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird - Newcomb

Hermit Thrush

Yellow-rumped Warbler

*Black-throated Green Warbler - 2 singing in Newcomb (This is one day
earlier than the early date listed in "Birds of Essex County, New York")

 

I continued to go birding the rest of day since it was beautiful out.
Additional sightings in Long Lake:

 

Ruffed Grouse - 5 along Sabattis Circle Road

Common Loon

Osprey - carrying a stick

Broad-winged Hawk - 3 (including a pair)

Barred Owl - 2

Gray Jay - 6

Boreal Chickadee - another flock found in Minerva later in the afternoon

Palm Warbler

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

April 22, 2016 Long Lake

 

Osprey - mating several times in their nest on Minnow Pond (a nest they took
over from Great Blue Herons)

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 (1 along Route 30 and 1 at Sabattis Bog)

Gray Jay - 5

Bohemian Waxwing - 5 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet!

*Swamp Sparrow

 

April 21, 2016 Newcomb

 

*Blue-headed Vireo

 

April 20, 2016 Long Lake and Tupper Lake (Franklin Co.)

 

Bald Eagle - adult eating a fish along the Raquette River in Tupper Lake

*Wilson's Snipe - marshes in Tupper Lake

Gray Jay - 7

*Chipping Sparrow - Tupper Lake

*White-throated Sparrow - Long Lake

Palm Warbler - several birds feeding in the road by Sabattis Bog

 

April 18, 2016 Owling in Long Lake (cold, calm, and clear)

 

I 

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/N. Saw-whet Owl/Red Crossbills/Rusty Blackbirds/Black-backed Woodpeckers & more

[Joan Collins]

Huge numbers of Pine Siskins continue at our feeders - they are consuming
over 10 pounds of Thistle seed a day.  I haven't figured out how much weight
they are consuming of the sunflower heart seeds, but it is less than 10
pounds per day.  Others still feeding birds in Long Lake are reporting the
same experience - they can't keep their feeders filled.  A pair of Raccoons
were a problem for several nights, so we brought the feeders in at night and
they finally disappeared.  One night, I was photographing the Raccoons on
our front porch, and one tried to get around me to enter the house - it
could obviously smell the bird seed just inside the door!

 

The mouse population appears to be increasing and Barred Owls are heard
outside our home nearly every night.  The excellent cone crop on most
coniferous tree species led to an exciting winter for irruptives, but the
Red Squirrels also benefited and it will be a difficult nesting year for
many birds as a result (often, more than half of the Black-backed Woodpecker
nests are predated in such years).

 

I've been noting a very quiet, almost inaudible, vocalization that Gray Jays
give near their nest site.  I really need good recording equipment!

 

Some recent observations (first of the season: *):

 

April 28, 2016 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

Barred Owl - outside our home

Black-backed Woodpecker - a pair in the same tree at the Round Lake
Trailhead.  I watched them for a long time until a Broad-winged Hawk's
sudden appearance overhead led them to fly off.

Gray Jay - I bushwhacked to an area where Gray Jays usually find me and 2
Gray Jays came over for food, but also, seemingly, to just hang out.  I had
traveled the night before to give a presentation, and had little sleep after
arriving home late, so I laid down in the grass and slept on and off for 1.5
hours.  It was sunny and in the 50s - a perfect day.  The Grays Jays stayed
with me quietly vocalizing and were in the trees nearby every time I woke up
- wonderful companions.  It was the most peaceful time I've had in a long
time.  At one point, I was awakened by what sounded like people, but it was
a Common Raven viciously attacking a Broad-winged Hawk (the ravens have
young in nests right now).  The last time I heard that vocalization, a raven
was attacking a Golden Eagle outside our home over a decade ago.  Also, two
adult Bald Eagles soared around overhead.  Blue-headed Vireos, Winter Wrens,
and Yellow-rumped Warblers sang nearby.

*Barn Swallow - over Little Tupper Lake

 

April 27, 2016 Long Lake

 

Gray Jay - 5 (1 along Rt. 30, 2 at the Round Lake Trailhead, and 2 at
Sabattis Bog)

*Brown Thrasher - Little Tupper Lake outlet/Round Lake inlet

Palm Warbler - many at Sabattis Bog

*Rusty Blackbird - at least 3 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet (more were
unseen in the muddy marsh below them)

Red Crossbill - birds heard calling near the Little Tupper Lake outlet/Round
Lake inlet

 

April 26, 2016 Long Lake

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - 1 at Sabattis Bog

Gray Jay - 4 (1 Rt 30, 2 at the Round Lake Trailhead, and 1 at Sabattis Bog)

Palm Warbler - many singing in what appeared to be winter conditions with 3
inches of snow on the ground!

 

On a half-day tour with 2 birders from White Plains & Garnet Hill, NY, on
April 25, 2016 we visited Newcomb and Minerva (both in Essex Co.) with their
goal of finding a Black-backed Woodpecker.  We had a great morning and found
6!  Here are some of the 32 species found:

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - 6 (including 2 pairs)

Gray Jay - 1

Boreal Chickadee - at least 3

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird - Newcomb

Hermit Thrush

Yellow-rumped Warbler

*Black-throated Green Warbler - 2 singing in Newcomb (This is one day
earlier than the early date listed in "Birds of Essex County, New York")

 

I continued to go birding the rest of day since it was beautiful out.
Additional sightings in Long Lake:

 

Ruffed Grouse - 5 along Sabattis Circle Road

Common Loon

Osprey - carrying a stick

Broad-winged Hawk - 3 (including a pair)

Barred Owl - 2

Gray Jay - 6

Boreal Chickadee - another flock found in Minerva later in the afternoon

Palm Warbler

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

April 22, 2016 Long Lake

 

Osprey - mating several times in their nest on Minnow Pond (a nest they took
over from Great Blue Herons)

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 (1 along Route 30 and 1 at Sabattis Bog)

Gray Jay - 5

Bohemian Waxwing - 5 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet!

*Swamp Sparrow

 

April 21, 2016 Newcomb

 

*Blue-headed Vireo

 

April 20, 2016 Long Lake and Tupper Lake (Franklin Co.)

 

Bald Eagle - adult eating a fish along the Raquette River in Tupper Lake

*Wilson's Snipe - marshes in Tupper Lake

Gray Jay - 7

*Chipping Sparrow - Tupper Lake

*White-throated Sparrow - Long Lake

Palm Warbler - several birds feeding in the road by Sabattis Bog

 

April 18, 2016 Owling in Long Lake (cold, calm, and clear)

 

I 

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Red Crossbills/Evening Grosbeaks/Boreal Chickadees/Northern Goshawk & more

[Joan Collins]

My feeders quieted down after the recent couple days over 32 degrees.  With
the current bitter cold weather, numbers of feeder birds went back up a bit,
but not back to the huge numbers I had before.  I have 17 seed feeders and 3
suet feeders up and I was also putting seed on our porch floors since there
were hundreds of birds here for weeks (Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, and
Amer. Goldfinches).

 

Some January sightings:

 

Jan. 19, 2016 at Sabattis Bog (Hamilton Co.): 4 Gray Jays (2 below zero with
strong winds)

 

Jan. 18, 2016 Sabattis Circle Road

 

A Northern Goshawk was observed briefly zooming around the road in front of
my car before disappearing into the woods.  I had a fascinating encounter
with two Gray Jays at Sabattis Bog.  It was 10 degrees, snowing, and windy.
I brought food for the jays and two Gray Jays perched above me as I put the
food down.  When I stepped back, instead of immediately diving for the food
as usual, the two birds remained perched near me for over 30 minutes - they
stared at me and "chatted" with me.  They never moved perches.  They didn't
even look at the food.  So, we chatted!  One of the birds gave a quiet
vocalization I had never heard - it sounded as if the bird was making 3
different sounds at once.  I wish I had a recording of it - it was
beautiful.  They looked like they were waiting for me to do something, so I
sang and danced - Gray Jays "enjoy" singing!  (They will follow you if you
sing.)  These rare moments when you can feel some "connection" to another
species are highlights of my life.  After 30 minutes of chatting, I told the
Gray Jays I was freezing and had to leave.  They watched me go to my car.
After I started the car, I turned and they were gone!  (I posted photos of
the darker Gray Jay on my Facebook page below.)

 

January 16-17, 2016 (Newcomb, Minerva, and Long Lake on Sat.; Long Lake,
Newcomb, and Bloomingdale on Sun.)

 

On a two-day tour with two birders from Connecticut over the Martin Luther
King holiday weekend, we spent our time in the boreal habitat of Long Lake,
Newcomb, Minerva, and Bloomingdale (the lake effect snow warning changed our
plan to bird in Jefferson Co. on Sunday!).  Here are some of the birds
found:

 

Barred Owl - 2 (one hooting and another answering with calls at 3 p.m.)

Black-backed Woodpecker - 4 (nice views of a foraging female)

Pileated Woodpecker - 5

Northern Shrike - 1

Gray Jay - 13

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - 5 (nice views of two)

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Bohemian Waxwing - flock of 29 in Long Lake both days

Northern Cardinal

Purple Finch - many

Red Crossbill - 14 (nice views) (I recorded a calling male)

Pine Siskin - many

Evening Grosbeak - over 50 on Saturday, and 30 on Sunday

 

I posted 10 photos from this tour on my Facebook page.

 

January 15, 2016 Long Lake & Tupper Lake

 

At Sabattis Bog: 4 Gray Jays, 1 male Black-backed Woodpecker (photos on
Facebook), and 1 Red Crossbill.  I found a male Red-winged Blackbird at a
feeder location in Tupper Lake.

 

January 13, 2016 Long Lake and Newcomb

 

This is the latest date that the metal gates were opened for the snowmobile
trails.

 

Two Common Ravens were feeding on a dead Canada Goose along Route 30 outside
Long Lake!  Four Grays Jays were at Sabattis Bog.  I drove to Newcomb and
tried to count the Pine Siskins - after I went over 1,000, I gave up.  They
were everywhere and there were many flocks in the road gritting (and several
dead birds).  There were 36 Evening Grosbeaks tallied in Newcomb at 3
different feeders.  A pair of Red Crossbills gritted right outside my car
window - I posted some of the photos to my Facebook page.

 

January 12, 2016: A White-throated Sparrow was observed at a feeder location
in Long Lake.  At our house, we have a male Deer that lost one of its
antlers and the other one has no points, so I call him the unicorn Deer!

 

January 10, 2016 - this is the day it poured rain in the Adirondacks.  We
drove to Lake Placid and saw two rainbows.  This was a huge topic in Placid
since no one could ever remember seeing a rainbow in January.

 

January 9, 2016: I found a flock of 8 Red Crossbills at the inlet of Little
Tupper Lake along Sabattis Circle Road.  Last winter, a Deer with a broken
ankle would limp in to eat the corn we put out for Wild Turkeys outside our
home.  It was heartbreaking to watch it.  Well, it showed up again this
winter and she also had a baby - remarkable!  She is surviving a difficult
situation.

 

January 7, 2016: I found a female Black-backed Woodpecker and 6 Gray Jays at
Sabattis Bog.  There were 2 Snow Buntings along Sabattis Circle Road.  It
was nice to run into Brenda Inskeep (CT birder) along the road!

 

January 6, 2016: I found 2 adult Bald Eagles along Route 30 in Long Lake.  I
photographed a Ruffed Grouse eating buds in a deciduous tree hanging over
Sabattis Circle Road.  At Sabattis Bog, it was nice to run into Bruce Dudek
from the Albany area.  We observed a female 

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Red Crossbills/Evening Grosbeaks/Boreal Chickadees/Northern Goshawk & more

[Joan Collins]

My feeders quieted down after the recent couple days over 32 degrees.  With
the current bitter cold weather, numbers of feeder birds went back up a bit,
but not back to the huge numbers I had before.  I have 17 seed feeders and 3
suet feeders up and I was also putting seed on our porch floors since there
were hundreds of birds here for weeks (Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, and
Amer. Goldfinches).

 

Some January sightings:

 

Jan. 19, 2016 at Sabattis Bog (Hamilton Co.): 4 Gray Jays (2 below zero with
strong winds)

 

Jan. 18, 2016 Sabattis Circle Road

 

A Northern Goshawk was observed briefly zooming around the road in front of
my car before disappearing into the woods.  I had a fascinating encounter
with two Gray Jays at Sabattis Bog.  It was 10 degrees, snowing, and windy.
I brought food for the jays and two Gray Jays perched above me as I put the
food down.  When I stepped back, instead of immediately diving for the food
as usual, the two birds remained perched near me for over 30 minutes - they
stared at me and "chatted" with me.  They never moved perches.  They didn't
even look at the food.  So, we chatted!  One of the birds gave a quiet
vocalization I had never heard - it sounded as if the bird was making 3
different sounds at once.  I wish I had a recording of it - it was
beautiful.  They looked like they were waiting for me to do something, so I
sang and danced - Gray Jays "enjoy" singing!  (They will follow you if you
sing.)  These rare moments when you can feel some "connection" to another
species are highlights of my life.  After 30 minutes of chatting, I told the
Gray Jays I was freezing and had to leave.  They watched me go to my car.
After I started the car, I turned and they were gone!  (I posted photos of
the darker Gray Jay on my Facebook page below.)

 

January 16-17, 2016 (Newcomb, Minerva, and Long Lake on Sat.; Long Lake,
Newcomb, and Bloomingdale on Sun.)

 

On a two-day tour with two birders from Connecticut over the Martin Luther
King holiday weekend, we spent our time in the boreal habitat of Long Lake,
Newcomb, Minerva, and Bloomingdale (the lake effect snow warning changed our
plan to bird in Jefferson Co. on Sunday!).  Here are some of the birds
found:

 

Barred Owl - 2 (one hooting and another answering with calls at 3 p.m.)

Black-backed Woodpecker - 4 (nice views of a foraging female)

Pileated Woodpecker - 5

Northern Shrike - 1

Gray Jay - 13

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - 5 (nice views of two)

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Bohemian Waxwing - flock of 29 in Long Lake both days

Northern Cardinal

Purple Finch - many

Red Crossbill - 14 (nice views) (I recorded a calling male)

Pine Siskin - many

Evening Grosbeak - over 50 on Saturday, and 30 on Sunday

 

I posted 10 photos from this tour on my Facebook page.

 

January 15, 2016 Long Lake & Tupper Lake

 

At Sabattis Bog: 4 Gray Jays, 1 male Black-backed Woodpecker (photos on
Facebook), and 1 Red Crossbill.  I found a male Red-winged Blackbird at a
feeder location in Tupper Lake.

 

January 13, 2016 Long Lake and Newcomb

 

This is the latest date that the metal gates were opened for the snowmobile
trails.

 

Two Common Ravens were feeding on a dead Canada Goose along Route 30 outside
Long Lake!  Four Grays Jays were at Sabattis Bog.  I drove to Newcomb and
tried to count the Pine Siskins - after I went over 1,000, I gave up.  They
were everywhere and there were many flocks in the road gritting (and several
dead birds).  There were 36 Evening Grosbeaks tallied in Newcomb at 3
different feeders.  A pair of Red Crossbills gritted right outside my car
window - I posted some of the photos to my Facebook page.

 

January 12, 2016: A White-throated Sparrow was observed at a feeder location
in Long Lake.  At our house, we have a male Deer that lost one of its
antlers and the other one has no points, so I call him the unicorn Deer!

 

January 10, 2016 - this is the day it poured rain in the Adirondacks.  We
drove to Lake Placid and saw two rainbows.  This was a huge topic in Placid
since no one could ever remember seeing a rainbow in January.

 

January 9, 2016: I found a flock of 8 Red Crossbills at the inlet of Little
Tupper Lake along Sabattis Circle Road.  Last winter, a Deer with a broken
ankle would limp in to eat the corn we put out for Wild Turkeys outside our
home.  It was heartbreaking to watch it.  Well, it showed up again this
winter and she also had a baby - remarkable!  She is surviving a difficult
situation.

 

January 7, 2016: I found a female Black-backed Woodpecker and 6 Gray Jays at
Sabattis Bog.  There were 2 Snow Buntings along Sabattis Circle Road.  It
was nice to run into Brenda Inskeep (CT birder) along the road!

 

January 6, 2016: I found 2 adult Bald Eagles along Route 30 in Long Lake.  I
photographed a Ruffed Grouse eating buds in a deciduous tree hanging over
Sabattis Circle Road.  At Sabattis Bog, it was nice to run into Bruce Dudek
from the Albany area.  We observed a female 

Re: [nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbills, and more

[Matthew A. Young]

HI all,

Type 3s are on the move eastward and I suspect some are type 3 for sure. I did 
just received a Paul Smith's recording that sounded like type 1 or 2, but I 
have to take a closer look in the studio.

As for pair formation with different crossed bills, nothing noting this has 
ever been found in Red Crossbills, however, Red Crossbill populations are 
generally in a 1:1 ratio with directionality of bill crossing and whereas with 
WW Crossbill it's 3:1 right to left I believe. The difference in directionality 
has to do with WW Crossbill being primarily a spruce specialist and Red 
Crossbill being more of a generalist comparatively speaking.

cheers,
Matt




From: bounce-119982847-44102...@list.cornell.edu 
 on behalf of Joan Collins 

Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2015 6:19 PM
To: NYSBIRDS-L; northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbills, and 
more


Red Crossbills are widespread from Long Lake to Minerva (northern Hamilton Co. 
to western Essex Co.).  David Buckley and I also found many in Santa Clara 
(Franklin Co.) near the St. Regis River several days ago.  Pine Siskins 
continue to be everywhere.  Purple Finches and Amer. Goldfinches are still here 
– unusual since both species usually leave the central Adirondacks by now.  
Blue Jays are also still around (unusual).  I’ve heard White-winged Crossbills 
only twice during the past few weeks – both times fly-over birds.  I’ve had 
several Evening Grosbeak sightings – including a huge flock near the 
Newcomb/Minerva town line.  Still no snow cover (our house is at 2,000’).  
There was a major movement of Canada Geese today.  Most lakes are still wide 
open and Amer. Black Ducks and Hooded Mergansers are still being observed.



Gray Jays: I continue to find large numbers.  I suspect this species is 
experiencing a likely short-term advantage in much warmer late winter/early 
springs (when they nest).  Instead of seeing one or two juveniles, I often see 
three or four now.  I mention “short-term” since climate change will likely 
have a negative impact on boreal habitat over time.  I recently found 14 Gray 
Jays driving along the dirt road at the Spring Pond Bog complex – and 11 along 
Sabattis Circle Road (and there are many other locations for this species along 
trails in that area), plus locations along Route 30 in Long Lake.  I am also 
regularly finding this species in new areas in Newcomb-Minerva.  From just my 
personal experience, I am seeing a lot more Gray Jays.



Red Crossbills:  I was showing my husband some of my Red Crossbill photos and 
pointing out how some of the upper mandibles cross to the right and equal 
numbers cross to the left. He asked if pairs form based on having differently 
crossed bills – which is a great question!  I looked back over years of 
photographs and all the pairs appear to have differently crossed bills except 
for one pair – I can’t be absolutely sure from the photos, but it appears their 
bills cross in the same direction.  So this question is my new obsession!  I 
photographed a pair at Sabattis Bog on 12/12, but the photos weren’t good 
enough to tell bill cross direction.  A recent pair photographed in Minerva 
showed differently crossed bills.  There is nothing in the BNA on this possible 
factor in pair formation.  I recently read that the crossed bill allows a bird 
to access half a cone’s seeds, so pairs with differently crossed bills may 
offer a feeding advantage.  I would love to hear from other birders this winter 
if bill direction in Red Crossbill pairs can be observed.



Here are some recent and older sightings:



12/13/15 Sabattis Circle Road, Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)



Black-backed Woodpecker – 3 at Sabattis Bog (Photos of a male and female on my 
Facebook page below)

Gray Jay – at least 6 at Sabattis Bog

Boreal Chickadee – at least 3 at Sabattis Bog

Bohemian Waxwing – 7 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet (over 40 found here on 
12/7) (Photo on Facebook)

Purple Finch

Pine Siskin – many

Amer. Goldfinch

Red Crossbill – heard at the Little Tupper Lake inlet and Sabattis Bog



12/12/15 Long Lake village & Sabattis Circle Road



Sharp-shinned Hawk – flying over Sabattis Bog

Gray Jay – 8 at Sabattis Bog

Red Crossbill – heard flying over a friend’s house in the village of Long Lake 
and a pair found (& badly photographed!) at Sabattis Bog.  Doug Blodgett 
reported he has been seeing them in the trees around his home in Long Lake on 
Rice Road (this is one of their usual winter nesting locations).

Amer. Tree Sparrow – 1 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet



12/11/15 Sabattis Bog & a marsh in Newcomb (near the Minerva town line)



Gray Jay – 4 at Sabattis Bog



At the marsh in Newcomb:



Boreal Chickadee – at least 3

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill – heard flying over

Pine Siskin - many

Amer. Goldfinch

Evening Grosbeak ~ 50 - A huge, loud flock! (at the marsh)  This is the largest

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbills, and more

[Joan Collins]

Red Crossbills are widespread from Long Lake to Minerva (northern Hamilton
Co. to western Essex Co.).  David Buckley and I also found many in Santa
Clara (Franklin Co.) near the St. Regis River several days ago.  Pine
Siskins continue to be everywhere.  Purple Finches and Amer. Goldfinches are
still here - unusual since both species usually leave the central
Adirondacks by now.  Blue Jays are also still around (unusual).  I've heard
White-winged Crossbills only twice during the past few weeks - both times
fly-over birds.  I've had several Evening Grosbeak sightings - including a
huge flock near the Newcomb/Minerva town line.  Still no snow cover (our
house is at 2,000').  There was a major movement of Canada Geese today.
Most lakes are still wide open and Amer. Black Ducks and Hooded Mergansers
are still being observed.

 

Gray Jays: I continue to find large numbers.  I suspect this species is
experiencing a likely short-term advantage in much warmer late winter/early
springs (when they nest).  Instead of seeing one or two juveniles, I often
see three or four now.  I mention "short-term" since climate change will
likely have a negative impact on boreal habitat over time.  I recently found
14 Gray Jays driving along the dirt road at the Spring Pond Bog complex -
and 11 along Sabattis Circle Road (and there are many other locations for
this species along trails in that area), plus locations along Route 30 in
Long Lake.  I am also regularly finding this species in new areas in
Newcomb-Minerva.  From just my personal experience, I am seeing a lot more
Gray Jays.

 

Red Crossbills:  I was showing my husband some of my Red Crossbill photos
and pointing out how some of the upper mandibles cross to the right and
equal numbers cross to the left. He asked if pairs form based on having
differently crossed bills - which is a great question!  I looked back over
years of photographs and all the pairs appear to have differently crossed
bills except for one pair - I can't be absolutely sure from the photos, but
it appears their bills cross in the same direction.  So this question is my
new obsession!  I photographed a pair at Sabattis Bog on 12/12, but the
photos weren't good enough to tell bill cross direction.  A recent pair
photographed in Minerva showed differently crossed bills.  There is nothing
in the BNA on this possible factor in pair formation.  I recently read that
the crossed bill allows a bird to access half a cone's seeds, so pairs with
differently crossed bills may offer a feeding advantage.  I would love to
hear from other birders this winter if bill direction in Red Crossbill pairs
can be observed.

 

Here are some recent and older sightings:

 

12/13/15 Sabattis Circle Road, Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - 3 at Sabattis Bog (Photos of a male and female on
my Facebook page below)

Gray Jay - at least 6 at Sabattis Bog

Boreal Chickadee - at least 3 at Sabattis Bog

Bohemian Waxwing - 7 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet (over 40 found here on
12/7) (Photo on Facebook)

Purple Finch

Pine Siskin - many

Amer. Goldfinch

Red Crossbill - heard at the Little Tupper Lake inlet and Sabattis Bog

 

12/12/15 Long Lake village & Sabattis Circle Road

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk - flying over Sabattis Bog

Gray Jay - 8 at Sabattis Bog

Red Crossbill - heard flying over a friend's house in the village of Long
Lake and a pair found (& badly photographed!) at Sabattis Bog.  Doug
Blodgett reported he has been seeing them in the trees around his home in
Long Lake on Rice Road (this is one of their usual winter nesting
locations).

Amer. Tree Sparrow - 1 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet

 

12/11/15 Sabattis Bog & a marsh in Newcomb (near the Minerva town line)

 

Gray Jay - 4 at Sabattis Bog

 

At the marsh in Newcomb:

 

Boreal Chickadee - at least 3

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill - heard flying over

Pine Siskin - many

Amer. Goldfinch

Evening Grosbeak ~ 50 - A huge, loud flock! (at the marsh)  This is the
largest flock I've observed in a very long time (years).

 

12/10/15 Sabattis Circle Road

 

Hooded Merganser - 2

Gray Jay - 4

Black-backed Woodpecker - female at Sabattis Bog

 

12/9/15 Route 30 and Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake

 

Hooded Merganser

Ruffed Grouse

Gray Jay - 9 (1 along Route 30 and 8 at Sabattis Bog)

 

12/8/15 Keese Mills Road and the southern end of Blue Mountain Road to
Quebec Brook (Franklin Co.) in the town of Santa Clara

 

David Buckley (Piercefield) and I had a terrific time birding on this
perfectly still, but cold day!  We birded Blue Mountain Road and hiked two
different trails.  We found many Moose tracks!  Here are some of the 20
species found:

 

Ruffed Grouse - 3

Black-backed Woodpecker - 4 (1 along the road, and then 3 near each other
along the road)

Pileated Woodpecker

Gray Jay - 2 (two different seemingly solo birds)

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - 12 (groups of 4, 1, 3, & 4)

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Re: [nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbills, and more

[Matthew A. Young]

HI all,

Type 3s are on the move eastward and I suspect some are type 3 for sure. I did 
just received a Paul Smith's recording that sounded like type 1 or 2, but I 
have to take a closer look in the studio.

As for pair formation with different crossed bills, nothing noting this has 
ever been found in Red Crossbills, however, Red Crossbill populations are 
generally in a 1:1 ratio with directionality of bill crossing and whereas with 
WW Crossbill it's 3:1 right to left I believe. The difference in directionality 
has to do with WW Crossbill being primarily a spruce specialist and Red 
Crossbill being more of a generalist comparatively speaking.

cheers,
Matt




From: bounce-119982847-44102...@list.cornell.edu 
<bounce-119982847-44102...@list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Joan Collins 
<joan.coll...@frontier.com>
Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2015 6:19 PM
To: NYSBIRDS-L; northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbills, and 
more


Red Crossbills are widespread from Long Lake to Minerva (northern Hamilton Co. 
to western Essex Co.).  David Buckley and I also found many in Santa Clara 
(Franklin Co.) near the St. Regis River several days ago.  Pine Siskins 
continue to be everywhere.  Purple Finches and Amer. Goldfinches are still here 
– unusual since both species usually leave the central Adirondacks by now.  
Blue Jays are also still around (unusual).  I’ve heard White-winged Crossbills 
only twice during the past few weeks – both times fly-over birds.  I’ve had 
several Evening Grosbeak sightings – including a huge flock near the 
Newcomb/Minerva town line.  Still no snow cover (our house is at 2,000’).  
There was a major movement of Canada Geese today.  Most lakes are still wide 
open and Amer. Black Ducks and Hooded Mergansers are still being observed.



Gray Jays: I continue to find large numbers.  I suspect this species is 
experiencing a likely short-term advantage in much warmer late winter/early 
springs (when they nest).  Instead of seeing one or two juveniles, I often see 
three or four now.  I mention “short-term” since climate change will likely 
have a negative impact on boreal habitat over time.  I recently found 14 Gray 
Jays driving along the dirt road at the Spring Pond Bog complex – and 11 along 
Sabattis Circle Road (and there are many other locations for this species along 
trails in that area), plus locations along Route 30 in Long Lake.  I am also 
regularly finding this species in new areas in Newcomb-Minerva.  From just my 
personal experience, I am seeing a lot more Gray Jays.



Red Crossbills:  I was showing my husband some of my Red Crossbill photos and 
pointing out how some of the upper mandibles cross to the right and equal 
numbers cross to the left. He asked if pairs form based on having differently 
crossed bills – which is a great question!  I looked back over years of 
photographs and all the pairs appear to have differently crossed bills except 
for one pair – I can’t be absolutely sure from the photos, but it appears their 
bills cross in the same direction.  So this question is my new obsession!  I 
photographed a pair at Sabattis Bog on 12/12, but the photos weren’t good 
enough to tell bill cross direction.  A recent pair photographed in Minerva 
showed differently crossed bills.  There is nothing in the BNA on this possible 
factor in pair formation.  I recently read that the crossed bill allows a bird 
to access half a cone’s seeds, so pairs with differently crossed bills may 
offer a feeding advantage.  I would love to hear from other birders this winter 
if bill direction in Red Crossbill pairs can be observed.



Here are some recent and older sightings:



12/13/15 Sabattis Circle Road, Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)



Black-backed Woodpecker – 3 at Sabattis Bog (Photos of a male and female on my 
Facebook page below)

Gray Jay – at least 6 at Sabattis Bog

Boreal Chickadee – at least 3 at Sabattis Bog

Bohemian Waxwing – 7 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet (over 40 found here on 
12/7) (Photo on Facebook)

Purple Finch

Pine Siskin – many

Amer. Goldfinch

Red Crossbill – heard at the Little Tupper Lake inlet and Sabattis Bog



12/12/15 Long Lake village & Sabattis Circle Road



Sharp-shinned Hawk – flying over Sabattis Bog

Gray Jay – 8 at Sabattis Bog

Red Crossbill – heard flying over a friend’s house in the village of Long Lake 
and a pair found (& badly photographed!) at Sabattis Bog.  Doug Blodgett 
reported he has been seeing them in the trees around his home in Long Lake on 
Rice Road (this is one of their usual winter nesting locations).

Amer. Tree Sparrow – 1 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet



12/11/15 Sabattis Bog & a marsh in Newcomb (near the Minerva town line)



Gray Jay – 4 at Sabattis Bog



At the marsh in Newcomb:



Boreal Chickadee – at least 3

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill – heard flying over

Pine Siskin - many

Amer. Goldfinc

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbills, and more

[Joan Collins]

Red Crossbills are widespread from Long Lake to Minerva (northern Hamilton
Co. to western Essex Co.).  David Buckley and I also found many in Santa
Clara (Franklin Co.) near the St. Regis River several days ago.  Pine
Siskins continue to be everywhere.  Purple Finches and Amer. Goldfinches are
still here - unusual since both species usually leave the central
Adirondacks by now.  Blue Jays are also still around (unusual).  I've heard
White-winged Crossbills only twice during the past few weeks - both times
fly-over birds.  I've had several Evening Grosbeak sightings - including a
huge flock near the Newcomb/Minerva town line.  Still no snow cover (our
house is at 2,000').  There was a major movement of Canada Geese today.
Most lakes are still wide open and Amer. Black Ducks and Hooded Mergansers
are still being observed.

 

Gray Jays: I continue to find large numbers.  I suspect this species is
experiencing a likely short-term advantage in much warmer late winter/early
springs (when they nest).  Instead of seeing one or two juveniles, I often
see three or four now.  I mention "short-term" since climate change will
likely have a negative impact on boreal habitat over time.  I recently found
14 Gray Jays driving along the dirt road at the Spring Pond Bog complex -
and 11 along Sabattis Circle Road (and there are many other locations for
this species along trails in that area), plus locations along Route 30 in
Long Lake.  I am also regularly finding this species in new areas in
Newcomb-Minerva.  From just my personal experience, I am seeing a lot more
Gray Jays.

 

Red Crossbills:  I was showing my husband some of my Red Crossbill photos
and pointing out how some of the upper mandibles cross to the right and
equal numbers cross to the left. He asked if pairs form based on having
differently crossed bills - which is a great question!  I looked back over
years of photographs and all the pairs appear to have differently crossed
bills except for one pair - I can't be absolutely sure from the photos, but
it appears their bills cross in the same direction.  So this question is my
new obsession!  I photographed a pair at Sabattis Bog on 12/12, but the
photos weren't good enough to tell bill cross direction.  A recent pair
photographed in Minerva showed differently crossed bills.  There is nothing
in the BNA on this possible factor in pair formation.  I recently read that
the crossed bill allows a bird to access half a cone's seeds, so pairs with
differently crossed bills may offer a feeding advantage.  I would love to
hear from other birders this winter if bill direction in Red Crossbill pairs
can be observed.

 

Here are some recent and older sightings:

 

12/13/15 Sabattis Circle Road, Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - 3 at Sabattis Bog (Photos of a male and female on
my Facebook page below)

Gray Jay - at least 6 at Sabattis Bog

Boreal Chickadee - at least 3 at Sabattis Bog

Bohemian Waxwing - 7 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet (over 40 found here on
12/7) (Photo on Facebook)

Purple Finch

Pine Siskin - many

Amer. Goldfinch

Red Crossbill - heard at the Little Tupper Lake inlet and Sabattis Bog

 

12/12/15 Long Lake village & Sabattis Circle Road

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk - flying over Sabattis Bog

Gray Jay - 8 at Sabattis Bog

Red Crossbill - heard flying over a friend's house in the village of Long
Lake and a pair found (& badly photographed!) at Sabattis Bog.  Doug
Blodgett reported he has been seeing them in the trees around his home in
Long Lake on Rice Road (this is one of their usual winter nesting
locations).

Amer. Tree Sparrow - 1 at the Little Tupper Lake inlet

 

12/11/15 Sabattis Bog & a marsh in Newcomb (near the Minerva town line)

 

Gray Jay - 4 at Sabattis Bog

 

At the marsh in Newcomb:

 

Boreal Chickadee - at least 3

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill - heard flying over

Pine Siskin - many

Amer. Goldfinch

Evening Grosbeak ~ 50 - A huge, loud flock! (at the marsh)  This is the
largest flock I've observed in a very long time (years).

 

12/10/15 Sabattis Circle Road

 

Hooded Merganser - 2

Gray Jay - 4

Black-backed Woodpecker - female at Sabattis Bog

 

12/9/15 Route 30 and Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake

 

Hooded Merganser

Ruffed Grouse

Gray Jay - 9 (1 along Route 30 and 8 at Sabattis Bog)

 

12/8/15 Keese Mills Road and the southern end of Blue Mountain Road to
Quebec Brook (Franklin Co.) in the town of Santa Clara

 

David Buckley (Piercefield) and I had a terrific time birding on this
perfectly still, but cold day!  We birded Blue Mountain Road and hiked two
different trails.  We found many Moose tracks!  Here are some of the 20
species found:

 

Ruffed Grouse - 3

Black-backed Woodpecker - 4 (1 along the road, and then 3 near each other
along the road)

Pileated Woodpecker

Gray Jay - 2 (two different seemingly solo birds)

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - 12 (groups of 4, 1, 3, & 4)

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Golden-crowned Kinglet

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Northern Goshawk/Barred Owl/Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbill/& more boreal birds

[Joan Collins]

3/20/15 Sabattis Bog (Hamilton Co.)

 

It was a beautiful first day of spring early this morning at Sabattis Bog.
Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned Kinglets were singing!  A
first-of-the-season Red-winged Blackbird flew over the snowy bog.  I found 3
Black-backed Woodpeckers (nice views of a male foraging at eye level a few
feet from me), two Gray Jays (one imitating a Northern Goshawk just as Amer.
Crows showed up), and several Boreal Chickadees - wonderful views today and
I even managed a few photos. (Photos of the Black-backed Woodpecker and
Boreal Chickadee are on my Facebook page below.)

 

Yesterday and today have been record-setting for seed consumed at our
feeders - a LOT!  Our redpoll numbers have increased and I've observed a
Hoary twice, we still have Pine Siskins and Amer. Goldfinches, and all the
other feeder birds.

 

For the past 5 days, a Barred Owl has been hunting and roosting all around
our house - and often from our back porch roof.  It begins hunting in
mid-afternoon.  Its pattern is to consume prey and then roost.   On Tuesday
night, it was roosting on a branch a few feet from our back porch.  We
needed to barbeque and assumed it would move, but it just watched us and
stayed put - for hours!  A couple of interesting observations: I took a dead
mouse from a trap in our basement and tossed it to the owl as it sat on our
porch roof.  It didn't pay any attention and didn't even seem to notice what
I threw.  An hour later, I noticed it fly in from the forest behind our home
and then fly up to a branch - with the stiff, dead mouse!  I watched it
consume the mouse and struggle to get the long (house) mouse tail (that was
stiff and curved) down its throat.  I was somewhat surprised that it took
dead prey.  Also, we watched a deer's reaction when it spotted the owl on
our porch roof - it stamped its hoof and ran away.  Another deer with it
didn't spot the owl until the owl shook off the snow from its head, and then
that deer too, stamped and ran away!  I posted several photos of the owl on
Facebook.  On Wednesday, I took a photo through our kitchen window of the
owl eating a large prey item - a bit too gross to post to Facebook!  Its
bill is usually blood covered after it catches prey.

 

3/16/15 St. Lawrence Co. birding

 

David Buckley and I birded in St. Lawrence Co. on Monday.  MaryBeth
Warburton joined us for a couple hours in the morning.  We spent time in
Potsdam, Stockholm, Winthrop, Brasher, Massena, Waddington, and Madrid.
Here are some of the 37 species found:

 

Amer. Black Duck

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Wild Turkey

Bald Eagle - 1 in Stockholm; 2 on Simon Pond (Tupper Lake) on my drive home

Northern Goshawk - Brasher

Red-tailed Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk - dark morph

Pileated Woodpecker

Merlin - Madrid

Northern Shrike - 1 in Potsdam, and 1 in Massena at Hawkins Point

Horned Lark - 3 in Tupper Lake (there has been a movement of Horned Larks
over the past week)

Bohemian Waxwing - 40 to 50 in Stockholm (eating crab apples and buckthorn
berries), and a flock of over 100 in Madrid (eating buckthorn berries)

Cedar Waxwing - a few in the large Madrid flock

House Finch - usual location in Waddington - Brookview Dr. (the only place I
find them in the North Country!)

Red Crossbill - loud, calling flyover bird in Brasher

Common Redpoll - several flocks

 

3/14/15 Sabattis Bog

 

There were six Horned Larks at the Little Tupper Lake outlet.  (I regularly
see Snow Buntings at this location in migration, but this is the first year
I've observed Horned Larks moving through this spot.)

 

3/13/15 Saranac Lake (Essex Co.)

 

On my way home from an event in Lake Placid, I found 111 Bohemian Waxwings
perched in a tree behind Pizza Hut in Saranac Lake (likely it was over 120
since some birds were behind others in the tree that I couldn't count).

 

3/12/15 Long Lake

 

There was a solo Horned Lark at the Little Tupper Lake outlet.  I observed a
Hoary Redpoll in a tree outside our home.

 

3/11/15 Sabattis Bog

 

Yet another day when one of the two Gray Jays at Sabattis Bog perfectly
imitated a Northern Goshawk.  We listened to two Barred Owls vocalize during
the night over our baby monitor - a wide range of their vocalizations,
including the loud monkey calls.  I was in heaven and my husband was
irritated!

 

3/8, 3/9, & 3/10

 

On a three-day tour with a birder from NYC on 3/8-10/15, we birded two days
in boreal habitat (one in Long Lake, Newcomb, Minerva, and one in Paul
Smiths, Gabriels, and Bloomingdale) and one day in the Lake Champlain
Valley.  Here are some of the birds found:

 

Amer. Black Duck

Wild Turkey

Bald Eagle

Black-backed Woodpecker - 3; male observed and two others drumming at
Sabattis Bog

Pileated Woodpecker

Gray Jay - 2 at Sabattis Bog, 5 to 6 at Bloomingdale Bog, and 1 on Jones
Pond Road (imitating a Northern Goshawk!)

Common Raven

Horned Lark

Boreal Chickadee - 3 at Sabattis Bog with a view of one; 

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings/Northern Goshawk/Barred Owl/Evening Grosbeaks/Red Crossbill/ more boreal birds

[Joan Collins]

3/20/15 Sabattis Bog (Hamilton Co.)

 

It was a beautiful first day of spring early this morning at Sabattis Bog.
Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned Kinglets were singing!  A
first-of-the-season Red-winged Blackbird flew over the snowy bog.  I found 3
Black-backed Woodpeckers (nice views of a male foraging at eye level a few
feet from me), two Gray Jays (one imitating a Northern Goshawk just as Amer.
Crows showed up), and several Boreal Chickadees - wonderful views today and
I even managed a few photos. (Photos of the Black-backed Woodpecker and
Boreal Chickadee are on my Facebook page below.)

 

Yesterday and today have been record-setting for seed consumed at our
feeders - a LOT!  Our redpoll numbers have increased and I've observed a
Hoary twice, we still have Pine Siskins and Amer. Goldfinches, and all the
other feeder birds.

 

For the past 5 days, a Barred Owl has been hunting and roosting all around
our house - and often from our back porch roof.  It begins hunting in
mid-afternoon.  Its pattern is to consume prey and then roost.   On Tuesday
night, it was roosting on a branch a few feet from our back porch.  We
needed to barbeque and assumed it would move, but it just watched us and
stayed put - for hours!  A couple of interesting observations: I took a dead
mouse from a trap in our basement and tossed it to the owl as it sat on our
porch roof.  It didn't pay any attention and didn't even seem to notice what
I threw.  An hour later, I noticed it fly in from the forest behind our home
and then fly up to a branch - with the stiff, dead mouse!  I watched it
consume the mouse and struggle to get the long (house) mouse tail (that was
stiff and curved) down its throat.  I was somewhat surprised that it took
dead prey.  Also, we watched a deer's reaction when it spotted the owl on
our porch roof - it stamped its hoof and ran away.  Another deer with it
didn't spot the owl until the owl shook off the snow from its head, and then
that deer too, stamped and ran away!  I posted several photos of the owl on
Facebook.  On Wednesday, I took a photo through our kitchen window of the
owl eating a large prey item - a bit too gross to post to Facebook!  Its
bill is usually blood covered after it catches prey.

 

3/16/15 St. Lawrence Co. birding

 

David Buckley and I birded in St. Lawrence Co. on Monday.  MaryBeth
Warburton joined us for a couple hours in the morning.  We spent time in
Potsdam, Stockholm, Winthrop, Brasher, Massena, Waddington, and Madrid.
Here are some of the 37 species found:

 

Amer. Black Duck

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Wild Turkey

Bald Eagle - 1 in Stockholm; 2 on Simon Pond (Tupper Lake) on my drive home

Northern Goshawk - Brasher

Red-tailed Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk - dark morph

Pileated Woodpecker

Merlin - Madrid

Northern Shrike - 1 in Potsdam, and 1 in Massena at Hawkins Point

Horned Lark - 3 in Tupper Lake (there has been a movement of Horned Larks
over the past week)

Bohemian Waxwing - 40 to 50 in Stockholm (eating crab apples and buckthorn
berries), and a flock of over 100 in Madrid (eating buckthorn berries)

Cedar Waxwing - a few in the large Madrid flock

House Finch - usual location in Waddington - Brookview Dr. (the only place I
find them in the North Country!)

Red Crossbill - loud, calling flyover bird in Brasher

Common Redpoll - several flocks

 

3/14/15 Sabattis Bog

 

There were six Horned Larks at the Little Tupper Lake outlet.  (I regularly
see Snow Buntings at this location in migration, but this is the first year
I've observed Horned Larks moving through this spot.)

 

3/13/15 Saranac Lake (Essex Co.)

 

On my way home from an event in Lake Placid, I found 111 Bohemian Waxwings
perched in a tree behind Pizza Hut in Saranac Lake (likely it was over 120
since some birds were behind others in the tree that I couldn't count).

 

3/12/15 Long Lake

 

There was a solo Horned Lark at the Little Tupper Lake outlet.  I observed a
Hoary Redpoll in a tree outside our home.

 

3/11/15 Sabattis Bog

 

Yet another day when one of the two Gray Jays at Sabattis Bog perfectly
imitated a Northern Goshawk.  We listened to two Barred Owls vocalize during
the night over our baby monitor - a wide range of their vocalizations,
including the loud monkey calls.  I was in heaven and my husband was
irritated!

 

3/8, 3/9,  3/10

 

On a three-day tour with a birder from NYC on 3/8-10/15, we birded two days
in boreal habitat (one in Long Lake, Newcomb, Minerva, and one in Paul
Smiths, Gabriels, and Bloomingdale) and one day in the Lake Champlain
Valley.  Here are some of the birds found:

 

Amer. Black Duck

Wild Turkey

Bald Eagle

Black-backed Woodpecker - 3; male observed and two others drumming at
Sabattis Bog

Pileated Woodpecker

Gray Jay - 2 at Sabattis Bog, 5 to 6 at Bloomingdale Bog, and 1 on Jones
Pond Road (imitating a Northern Goshawk!)

Common Raven

Horned Lark

Boreal Chickadee - 3 at Sabattis Bog with a view of one; 

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings & other birds and mammals

[Joan Collins]

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

 

 

 

 


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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings other birds and mammals

[Joan Collins]

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

 

 

 

 


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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings - East Aurora, Erie County

[Willie D'Anna and Betsy Potter]

Linda Holmes just phoned. She just found (8:20 am) two BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS
among 25 or so Cedar Waxwings at Majors Park in East Aurora. The birds were
adjacent to the parking lot on NY Rt 16 (Olean Road). This park is on the
southern edge of East Aurora. There were EASTERN BLUEBIRDS here as well. 

 

Good birding!

Willie

--

Willie D'Anna

Betsy Potter

Wilson, NY

dannapotterATroadrunner.com

http://www.betsypottersart.com  

2013 Big Year: http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/2013-big-year/

Big Year List:
http://www.happtech.com/BigYearDanna/CurrentList/ShowCurrentListTable.aspx

Odenates: http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/dragonflies

 


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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings - East Aurora, Erie County

[Willie D'Anna and Betsy Potter]

Linda Holmes just phoned. She just found (8:20 am) two BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS
among 25 or so Cedar Waxwings at Majors Park in East Aurora. The birds were
adjacent to the parking lot on NY Rt 16 (Olean Road). This park is on the
southern edge of East Aurora. There were EASTERN BLUEBIRDS here as well. 

 

Good birding!

Willie

--

Willie D'Anna

Betsy Potter

Wilson, NY

dannapotterATroadrunner.com

http://www.betsypottersart.com http://www.betsypottersart.com/ 

2013 Big Year: http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/2013-big-year/

Big Year List:
http://www.happtech.com/BigYearDanna/CurrentList/ShowCurrentListTable.aspx

Odenates: http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/dragonflies

 


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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian waxwings

[Tom Wheeler]

St. Lawrence County.  Also a snowy owl  near intersection of 812 and Hutchinson 
Road north of Heuvelton.

Tom Wheeler
Canton
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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian waxwings

[Tom Wheeler]

We observed twenty Bohemian waxwings on the Hardscrabble road, Lisbon, about a 
quarter mile from the intersection with Sand Road at 330 pm today.

Tom
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Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian waxwings

[Tom Wheeler]

St. Lawrence County.  Also a snowy owl  near intersection of 812 and Hutchinson 
Road north of Heuvelton.

Tom Wheeler
Canton
--

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian waxwings

[Tom Wheeler]

We observed twenty Bohemian waxwings on the Hardscrabble road, Lisbon, about a 
quarter mile from the intersection with Sand Road at 330 pm today.

Tom
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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings

[Mickey Scilingo]

I just heard several BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS calling overhead while I was outside 
filling up my feeders.  A made a quick scan of the cedars and the sumac bushes 
under the power lines next door but did not see any birds actively feeding.  




Mickey Scilingo
Constantia
Oswego County, NY
mickey.scili...@gte.net
315-679-6299
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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings

[Mickey Scilingo]

I just heard several BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS calling overhead while I was outside 
filling up my feeders.  A made a quick scan of the cedars and the sumac bushes 
under the power lines next door but did not see any birds actively feeding.  




Mickey Scilingo
Constantia
Oswego County, NY
mickey.scili...@gte.net
315-679-6299
--

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings, Robert Wehle S.P.

[Jay McGowan]

Multiple thousands of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were still in the vicinity of
Military Road/Windmill Road/N. Schoolhouse Road near Robert Wehle
State Park, Jefferson County, this morning (21 March 2012). Highest
concentrations were along the entrance road to the state park off Old
Schoolhouse Road and just to the south on Windmill Road. Several
flocks of 500+ were seen at both locations, often with some Cedars
mixed in. A few scattered Bohemian were seen in smaller, mostly Cedar
flocks elsewhere along these roads, and American Robins were present
at most places waxwings were as well. Other birds in the area included
Fox Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Phoebe,
Purple Finch, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Eastern Bluebird,
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Red-shouldered Hawk,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Cooper's Hawk.

-Jay

-- 
Jay McGowan
Macaulay Library
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
jw...@cornell.edu

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings, Robert Wehle S.P.

[Jay McGowan]

Multiple thousands of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were still in the vicinity of
Military Road/Windmill Road/N. Schoolhouse Road near Robert Wehle
State Park, Jefferson County, this morning (21 March 2012). Highest
concentrations were along the entrance road to the state park off Old
Schoolhouse Road and just to the south on Windmill Road. Several
flocks of 500+ were seen at both locations, often with some Cedars
mixed in. A few scattered Bohemian were seen in smaller, mostly Cedar
flocks elsewhere along these roads, and American Robins were present
at most places waxwings were as well. Other birds in the area included
Fox Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Phoebe,
Purple Finch, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Eastern Bluebird,
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Red-shouldered Hawk,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Cooper's Hawk.

-Jay

-- 
Jay McGowan
Macaulay Library
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
jw...@cornell.edu

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings near Rosy Finch

[Steve Walter]

John Haas mentioned this on his blog, but I kind of think that BOHEMIAN
WAXWINGS are worthy of their own headline. People going for the finch a few
days from now may wonder where they saw it mentioned, so it ought to be
apparent on this list. A flock of 40 or so were found by Jeff Ritter, Karlo
Mirth, and I across the street from the home where the finch is being seen.
They were in a row of trees out in the field for about 5 minutes. They were
seen flying south, perhaps toward the Sugar River, although I believe the
number there was probably no more than 15. The birds in this area, where the
river parallels and then crosses under route 12D (maybe a mile plus south of
the finch spot), stayed for a while.

 

Steve Walter

Bayside, NY 


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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings near Rosy Finch

[Steve Walter]

John Haas mentioned this on his blog, but I kind of think that BOHEMIAN
WAXWINGS are worthy of their own headline. People going for the finch a few
days from now may wonder where they saw it mentioned, so it ought to be
apparent on this list. A flock of 40 or so were found by Jeff Ritter, Karlo
Mirth, and I across the street from the home where the finch is being seen.
They were in a row of trees out in the field for about 5 minutes. They were
seen flying south, perhaps toward the Sugar River, although I believe the
number there was probably no more than 15. The birds in this area, where the
river parallels and then crosses under route 12D (maybe a mile plus south of
the finch spot), stayed for a while.

 

Steve Walter

Bayside, NY 


--

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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings & other sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

1/22/12 Afternoon trip to St. Lawrence Co.

 

I found 2 different flocks of Bohemian Waxwings in St. Lawrence Co. today.
One flock of 22 was observed along Route 56 just north of the village of
South Colton at noon (Town of Colton).  Another flock of 20 birds was found
along Route 11 just southwest of the intersection with Stockholm Rd. (Town
of Stockholm).  As I've mentioned in other years, the rectangular area of
Regan Rd. - May Rd. - Pleasant Valley Road - Stockholm Rd. - Route 11 - back
to Regan Rd. in the towns of Potsdam and Stockholm, is a terrific place to
look for this species in winter.  After finding the first flock on Route 56,
I decided to visit the second area to see if I'd find more.

 

Sean O'Brien and Ted Mack also found Bohemian Waxwings today. (They were
heading east toward the Lake Champlain Valley, while I headed northwest to
the St. Lawrence Valley.)  Sean asked me to post: They found a mixed waxwing
flock of 44 birds, roughly half Bohemian and half Cedar, just north of the
village of Saranac Lake (Essex Co. near the border with Franklin Co.) along
Route 3 (past the brick pump house).

 

The Bohemian flocks we found today were first-of-the-season for all of us.

 

Also along Route 56, between South Colton and Colton, I found a flock of 25
Cedar Waxwings.  American Robins were encountered throughout the afternoon.
A light phase Rough-legged Hawk was found along Regan Rd. (Potsdam).  A
Northern Shrike was observed along Route 310 northwest of Rutherford Rd. in
Madrid.

 

Waterfowl at Hawkins Point in Massena:

Canada Goose

Gadwall

Amer. Black Duck

Mallard

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye - males were doing their interesting behavior (as a group)
of sticking out their head, then snapping it backwards!

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

 

I thought about counting the waterfowl for eBird, but I was so cold that
tears were running down my face and I couldn't feel my hands (with 2 layers
of gloves/mittens)!  I stayed long enough to scan the Common Goldeneyes for
any Barrow's, and then I headed for the heated car!

 

The Pine Siskin irruption continues to be huge in the Adirondacks and I
encountered flocks throughout the early part of the drive - many gritting in
the roads.  Along Bancroft Rd. (off Route 3 in Piercefield), I found a Gray
Jay.  This road is a short half circle with interesting boreal habitat.  (I
drove this road on 1/16/12 and found 2 Gray Jays, 20 Pine Siskins, 2 Purple
Finches and 2 Common Ravens.)  Also on my drive, I stopped at the Leonard
Pond Trailhead (Route 56 in the Town of Colton); I heard Purple Finches,
White-winged Crossbills, and Pine Siskins. (Also heard on 1/16/12 at this
location.)

 

On a recent bitter cold day, 1/15/12, I drove to several Newcomb-Minerva
locations in Essex Co.  There were many Pine Siskins, and White-winged
Crossbills were singing at several locations.  I turned around at the Hewitt
Eddy Trailhead (in Minerva on Route 28N), where I heard Pine Siskins and
singing White-winged Crossbills.  After I turned the car around, I spotted a
dead male Red Crossbill on top of the snow bank at the side of the road.  It
was on top of newly plowed snow, so it probably had died that morning.  As I
was looking at the bird, another Red Crossbill flew over calling, and I
sadly wondered if it was the dead bird's mate.  It appears the Red
Crossbills are continuing to stay in areas where they nested late last
summer.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 


--

NYSbirds-L List Info:
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ARCHIVES:
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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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings other sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

1/22/12 Afternoon trip to St. Lawrence Co.

 

I found 2 different flocks of Bohemian Waxwings in St. Lawrence Co. today.
One flock of 22 was observed along Route 56 just north of the village of
South Colton at noon (Town of Colton).  Another flock of 20 birds was found
along Route 11 just southwest of the intersection with Stockholm Rd. (Town
of Stockholm).  As I've mentioned in other years, the rectangular area of
Regan Rd. - May Rd. - Pleasant Valley Road - Stockholm Rd. - Route 11 - back
to Regan Rd. in the towns of Potsdam and Stockholm, is a terrific place to
look for this species in winter.  After finding the first flock on Route 56,
I decided to visit the second area to see if I'd find more.

 

Sean O'Brien and Ted Mack also found Bohemian Waxwings today. (They were
heading east toward the Lake Champlain Valley, while I headed northwest to
the St. Lawrence Valley.)  Sean asked me to post: They found a mixed waxwing
flock of 44 birds, roughly half Bohemian and half Cedar, just north of the
village of Saranac Lake (Essex Co. near the border with Franklin Co.) along
Route 3 (past the brick pump house).

 

The Bohemian flocks we found today were first-of-the-season for all of us.

 

Also along Route 56, between South Colton and Colton, I found a flock of 25
Cedar Waxwings.  American Robins were encountered throughout the afternoon.
A light phase Rough-legged Hawk was found along Regan Rd. (Potsdam).  A
Northern Shrike was observed along Route 310 northwest of Rutherford Rd. in
Madrid.

 

Waterfowl at Hawkins Point in Massena:

Canada Goose

Gadwall

Amer. Black Duck

Mallard

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye - males were doing their interesting behavior (as a group)
of sticking out their head, then snapping it backwards!

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

 

I thought about counting the waterfowl for eBird, but I was so cold that
tears were running down my face and I couldn't feel my hands (with 2 layers
of gloves/mittens)!  I stayed long enough to scan the Common Goldeneyes for
any Barrow's, and then I headed for the heated car!

 

The Pine Siskin irruption continues to be huge in the Adirondacks and I
encountered flocks throughout the early part of the drive - many gritting in
the roads.  Along Bancroft Rd. (off Route 3 in Piercefield), I found a Gray
Jay.  This road is a short half circle with interesting boreal habitat.  (I
drove this road on 1/16/12 and found 2 Gray Jays, 20 Pine Siskins, 2 Purple
Finches and 2 Common Ravens.)  Also on my drive, I stopped at the Leonard
Pond Trailhead (Route 56 in the Town of Colton); I heard Purple Finches,
White-winged Crossbills, and Pine Siskins. (Also heard on 1/16/12 at this
location.)

 

On a recent bitter cold day, 1/15/12, I drove to several Newcomb-Minerva
locations in Essex Co.  There were many Pine Siskins, and White-winged
Crossbills were singing at several locations.  I turned around at the Hewitt
Eddy Trailhead (in Minerva on Route 28N), where I heard Pine Siskins and
singing White-winged Crossbills.  After I turned the car around, I spotted a
dead male Red Crossbill on top of the snow bank at the side of the road.  It
was on top of newly plowed snow, so it probably had died that morning.  As I
was looking at the bird, another Red Crossbill flew over calling, and I
sadly wondered if it was the dead bird's mate.  It appears the Red
Crossbills are continuing to stay in areas where they nested late last
summer.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 


--

NYSbirds-L List Info:
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ARCHIVES:
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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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings

[Lance Verderame]

Before leaving to visit family I had a little time to bird northern Sullivan 
County this morning and was surprised to find two Bohemian Waxwings in Debruce. 
I was able to observe them for five minutes before they flew out of sight. I 
did not see any food source for them in the area so I believe they were just 
taking a rest in their travels.

Happy Holidays and Good Birding
--

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ARCHIVES:
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2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html
3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L

Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings

[Lance Verderame]

Before leaving to visit family I had a little time to bird northern Sullivan 
County this morning and was surprised to find two Bohemian Waxwings in Debruce. 
I was able to observe them for five minutes before they flew out of sight. I 
did not see any food source for them in the area so I believe they were just 
taking a rest in their travels.

Happy Holidays and Good Birding
--

NYSbirds-L List Info:
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http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES

ARCHIVES:
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2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html
3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L

Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings in Potsdam

[Joan E. Collins]

3/25/10 Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

Fifty-seven Bohemian Waxwings are perched in a tree behind our home in
Potsdam this morning!  Other than finding a few mixed in with Cedar Waxwings
on Jan. 1st, this is the only observation I've had this year.  They appear
to be feeding in the buckthorn vegetation.  The sun is shining and I had
lovely views through our scope - beautiful birds.

 

I posted this to Northern NY Birds last night:  A Wilson's Snipe was
winnowing behind our house yesterday evening (3/24/10) - the earliest
arrival date I've noted in the North Country.

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake


--

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3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L

Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--

[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings in Potsdam

[Joan E. Collins]

3/25/10 Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

Fifty-seven Bohemian Waxwings are perched in a tree behind our home in
Potsdam this morning!  Other than finding a few mixed in with Cedar Waxwings
on Jan. 1st, this is the only observation I've had this year.  They appear
to be feeding in the buckthorn vegetation.  The sun is shining and I had
lovely views through our scope - beautiful birds.

 

I posted this to Northern NY Birds last night:  A Wilson's Snipe was
winnowing behind our house yesterday evening (3/24/10) - the earliest
arrival date I've noted in the North Country.

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam  Long Lake


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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings correction; Trumpeter Swan

[jmpawli88]

Just a quick update and a correction for the Bohemian Waxwings in Carlton,  
Orleans Co.  I talked with Jerry Lazarczyk today (Thurs., 12/17) and  he 
notified me that the correct address of the house where the Waxwings and  
Starlings have been frequenting is 1250 Waterport Rd. (Rt. 279) which is about 
a 
 1/3 mile south of Rt. 18 between Rt. 18 and Kendrick Rd. in the town of 
Carlton.  I apologize for any mix-ups.  He and a few others thus far today (as 
 of about noon) have not seen the Bohemian Waxwings amongst reduced  
numbers of Cedar Waxwings and Starlings as compared to yesterday.   
Additionally, 
he and Bill Watson found a TRUMPETER SWAN on the south  shore of Oak Orchard 
Creek just east of the Rt. 279 bridge over the creek and  viewable from 
Waterport-Carlton Rd.
 
 
Jim Pawlicki
Amherst, NY
 
 

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings correction; Trumpeter Swan

[jmpawli88]

Just a quick update and a correction for the Bohemian Waxwings in Carlton,  
Orleans Co.  I talked with Jerry Lazarczyk today (Thurs., 12/17) and  he 
notified me that the correct address of the house where the Waxwings and  
Starlings have been frequenting is 1250 Waterport Rd. (Rt. 279) which is about 
a 
 1/3 mile south of Rt. 18 between Rt. 18 and Kendrick Rd. in the town of 
Carlton.  I apologize for any mix-ups.  He and a few others thus far today (as 
 of about noon) have not seen the Bohemian Waxwings amongst reduced  
numbers of Cedar Waxwings and Starlings as compared to yesterday.   
Additionally, 
he and Bill Watson found a TRUMPETER SWAN on the south  shore of Oak Orchard 
Creek just east of the Rt. 279 bridge over the creek and  viewable from 
Waterport-Carlton Rd.
 
 
Jim Pawlicki
Amherst, NY
 
 

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[nysbirds-l] Bohemian Waxwings, Barrow's Goldeneye - Orleans Co.

[jmpawli88]

A trip to Orleans Co. in the western portion of the state today  (12/16/09) 
turned up the continuing drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE at its  traditional spot 
on Lake Ontario at the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek in  Pt. Breeze, and giving 
excellent views as it actively fed with Commons  and Long-tailed Ducks out 
of the wind within the channel and breakwall.  To and from Pt. Breeze I 
zig-zagged a few roads in Orleans Co., and in  the late afternoon on the way 
back was fortunate to come across 2  BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS amongst a mixed flock of 
about 105 Cedar Waxwings and 300+  Starlings along Fuller Rd. between 
Kendrick and Stillwater Rds. (and  about a mile south of Rt. 18) in the town of 
Carlton.  The birds were  alternating between the trees (and focusing on the 
tall cottonwood) in front of  2015 Fuller Rd. and the apple orchard 
interspersed with crabapple trees on  the east side of the road, the latter of 
which 
the birds were feeding  heavily on.  Several times the Bohemians were 
giving  with their plaintive, beady-like trill, which was surprisingly easy to  
hear amongst the heavy Starling chatter.
 
Photos: _http://picasaweb.google.com/jmpawli88_ 
(http://picasaweb.google.com/jmpawli88) 
 
 
Jim Pawlicki
Amherst, NY

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