[nysbirds-l] Hamilton & Essex Counties
5/4/13 Minerva (Essex County), Roosevelt Truck Trail, Railroad Bed, Vanderwhacker Mountain Trail, & Hewitt Eddy Trail (* first-of-the-season) I hiked ~9 miles on 4 different trails in western Essex County today. I found a Black-backed Woodpecker nest location, and as usual, the male was doing all the excavation work. The female foraged nearby and called to the male. It is quite remarkable to watch how hard the male Black-backed Woodpecker works, non-stop all day. I also found a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker nest site. Ruffed Grouse seem to be everywhere (including eating our lilac bush leaves/buds outside the house) and I had to stop several times today while driving to wait for grouse to stroll across the highway. On the Roosevelt Truck Trail, a Boreal Chickadee came to the edge of the trail vocalizing. A Broad-winged Hawk vocalized as did many other new arrivals and resident species. The only first-of-the-season species was a *Nashville Warbler at a marsh along Route 28N in Newcomb. An American Bittern vocalized from the marsh along the railroad bed (S) in Minerva. The dirt road to the Vanderwhacker Mountain Trail is accessible, but a bit muddy with ice and snow in some sections. It is a rough road and a high clearance vehicle is best. The marshes did not appear to have any beaver activity and I did not hear any Rusty Blackbirds (one of the places they used to nest each year) - just Common Grackles. Trout Lilies are in bloom. Pine Sawyers could be heard chewing. Black flies emerged today! 5/3/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) *Blackburnian Warbler - singing outside our house *Least Flycatcher - 2 at the Little Tupper Lake outlet (Bill Labes found 2 at Lake Eaton on 5/2, which is a new early date for Hamilton Co.) Lincoln's Sparrows are singing at Sabattis Bog 5/2/13 Ferd's Bog & Brown's Tract Inlet (Hamilton Co.) The Raquette Lake highway department person said it will probably be May 18th before access to Uncas Road from the Raquette Lake end will be open. The Eagle Bay end of Uncas Road is only open for about 2 miles before you encounter a Road Closed sign. I parked and walked to the Ferd's Bog trailhead. I accessed the Brown's Tract Inlet trail from Route 28 (the 8th Lake carry trail). Warblers: Northern Parula, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Pine, Palm, and Northern Waterthrush. I hiked the lovely boardwalk at Brown's Tract Inlet over the water (built for a canoe put-in, but it is a great birding location!). At the end of the boardwalk, 3 Otters suddenly appeared (wild vocalizations!) swimming at me very quickly. After a momentary panic wondering what I did to anger them, it was apparent they did not see me. When they did spot me, they disappeared underwater. I was standing on the end of the boardwalk/dock with lots of piles of bones around me - the Otters are using this location to eat their prey (fish/frogs)! I left so they would have their feeding table back. Migrants continue to trickle in very slowly - so far, it has been a very unusual migration season. It is eerily quiet. Jim Murray observed an Eastern Towhee outside his Long Lake house for several days feeding among other sparrow species - this is an unusual species for Hamilton Co. Northern Cardinals are singing and setting up territories in locations all around Long Lake! (They just recently began to winter in Long Lake during the past decade.) There will be quite a change for this species range map in the next breeding bird Atlas for NY! The open circle of the Adirondacks on the map looks like it may well fill in. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Hamilton Essex Counties
5/4/13 Minerva (Essex County), Roosevelt Truck Trail, Railroad Bed, Vanderwhacker Mountain Trail, Hewitt Eddy Trail (* first-of-the-season) I hiked ~9 miles on 4 different trails in western Essex County today. I found a Black-backed Woodpecker nest location, and as usual, the male was doing all the excavation work. The female foraged nearby and called to the male. It is quite remarkable to watch how hard the male Black-backed Woodpecker works, non-stop all day. I also found a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker nest site. Ruffed Grouse seem to be everywhere (including eating our lilac bush leaves/buds outside the house) and I had to stop several times today while driving to wait for grouse to stroll across the highway. On the Roosevelt Truck Trail, a Boreal Chickadee came to the edge of the trail vocalizing. A Broad-winged Hawk vocalized as did many other new arrivals and resident species. The only first-of-the-season species was a *Nashville Warbler at a marsh along Route 28N in Newcomb. An American Bittern vocalized from the marsh along the railroad bed (S) in Minerva. The dirt road to the Vanderwhacker Mountain Trail is accessible, but a bit muddy with ice and snow in some sections. It is a rough road and a high clearance vehicle is best. The marshes did not appear to have any beaver activity and I did not hear any Rusty Blackbirds (one of the places they used to nest each year) - just Common Grackles. Trout Lilies are in bloom. Pine Sawyers could be heard chewing. Black flies emerged today! 5/3/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) *Blackburnian Warbler - singing outside our house *Least Flycatcher - 2 at the Little Tupper Lake outlet (Bill Labes found 2 at Lake Eaton on 5/2, which is a new early date for Hamilton Co.) Lincoln's Sparrows are singing at Sabattis Bog 5/2/13 Ferd's Bog Brown's Tract Inlet (Hamilton Co.) The Raquette Lake highway department person said it will probably be May 18th before access to Uncas Road from the Raquette Lake end will be open. The Eagle Bay end of Uncas Road is only open for about 2 miles before you encounter a Road Closed sign. I parked and walked to the Ferd's Bog trailhead. I accessed the Brown's Tract Inlet trail from Route 28 (the 8th Lake carry trail). Warblers: Northern Parula, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Pine, Palm, and Northern Waterthrush. I hiked the lovely boardwalk at Brown's Tract Inlet over the water (built for a canoe put-in, but it is a great birding location!). At the end of the boardwalk, 3 Otters suddenly appeared (wild vocalizations!) swimming at me very quickly. After a momentary panic wondering what I did to anger them, it was apparent they did not see me. When they did spot me, they disappeared underwater. I was standing on the end of the boardwalk/dock with lots of piles of bones around me - the Otters are using this location to eat their prey (fish/frogs)! I left so they would have their feeding table back. Migrants continue to trickle in very slowly - so far, it has been a very unusual migration season. It is eerily quiet. Jim Murray observed an Eastern Towhee outside his Long Lake house for several days feeding among other sparrow species - this is an unusual species for Hamilton Co. Northern Cardinals are singing and setting up territories in locations all around Long Lake! (They just recently began to winter in Long Lake during the past decade.) There will be quite a change for this species range map in the next breeding bird Atlas for NY! The open circle of the Adirondacks on the map looks like it may well fill in. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
