[nysbirds-l] Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks, etc.
Some of the birds observed around Northern New York over the past week (most recent dates first): 12/16/12 I've been seeing flocks of redpolls all over Northern NY - at feeders, and feeding in birch trees and fields. Several large flocks have been observed in the village of Long Lake, and today, a flock found its way to our feeders (up at 2,000'). 12/12/12 & 12/11/12 I was out birding with Dale Dancis, Kathy Drake, Anne Lazarus, and Louise Fraza, all from NYC. We spent Tuesday in the St. Lawrence Valley, and Wednesday in the boreal habitat of Franklin Co. Here are a few of the 44 species found: Gadwall - Massena Bufflehead - Massena Common Goldeneye - Massena & Norwood Hooded Merganser - Louisville & Massena Common Merganser - Many along the St. Lawrence River Ruffed Grouse - flushed in Bloomingdale; also many fresh tracks in the snow at Bloomingdale & Santa Clara Common Loon - Waddington Bald Eagle - Massena Pileated Woodpecker - several Northern Shrike -Madrid Gray Jay - at least 3 in Bloomingdale Boreal Chickadee - at least 3 at Madawaska vocalizing and flying across the road Brown Creeper - Bloomingdale Golden-crowned Kinglet - Madawaska, & Bloomingdale. Bohemian Waxwing - ~175 in 3 flocks (20, 30 & 125) - towns of Potsdam & Norfolk Snow Bunting - ~20 to 30 in Massena Pine Grosbeak - ~39 in 5 flocks (2, 4, 4, 25, & 4) Canton, Waddington, Massena, and Santa Clara House Finch - ~25 to 30 in Waddington Red Crossbill - 1 flyover in Bloomingdale. White-winged Crossbill - 7 in two groups; 1 vocalizing flyover, and a flock of 6 vocalizing birds flying over in Bloomingdale Common Redpoll - many flocks: Potsdam, Canton, Madrid, Massena, Bloomingdale, and Paul Smiths We also observed a porcupine in Massena! At Madawaska, we observed Snow Fleas (Springtails) on the snow - a more typical (late winter) March sight! I don't ever recall seeing Snow Fleas in December. 12/9/12 Sean O'Brien, Ted Mack, and I drove a big loop from Saranac Lake up through Franklin Co. to the border and WSW across St. Lawrence Co. then back around to Saranac Lake. Here are a few of the 51 species found: Snow Goose - hundreds, thousands?!! - covering fields in northern Franklin Co. Gadwall - Massena Amer. Black Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Pied-billed Grebe - same place (I've recently posted) at the causeway to Wilson Hill Great Blue Heron - Saranac River Bald Eagle - 5! (Santa Clara, Massena, and Waddington) Rough-legged Hawk - 1 in Westville Belted Kingfisher - 1 at Robinson Creek in Massena (We actually ignored a flock of Pine Grosbeaks to watch this kingfisher eat a sunfish that was almost as big as the bird! We couldn't believe our eyes when the bird swallowed the fish whole - just a remarkable thing to witness through a scope!) Northern Flicker - 1 in Massena Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike - 1 in Waddington Gray Jay - heard in Santa Clara along Route 458 where road kill deer are dropped (we stopped to see if there were any Golden Eagles - we found a Bald Eagle and calling Gray Jays!) Brown Creeper - Bloomingdale Golden-crowned Kinglet - Bloomingdale American Robin - 1 in Massena! Cedar Waxwing - 2 in Fort Covington Pine Grosbeak - 92 in 5 flocks (2, 6, 20, 60, and 4 in Westville, Fort Covington, Massena, and Waddington) Mary Curtis recently sent me her lovely photography website, and it was great to meet her in Massena as we were surrounded by 60 Pine Grosbeaks! Common Redpoll - many flocks in Bloomingdale, Westville, Hogansburg, Massena, and Waddington (a probable Hoary Redpoll was in the Waddington flock, but our observation of this flock, that was feeding in a field, was too brief) While we were on the Barnhart Island Bridge watching waterfowl below, a pack of coyotes howled from the forest. 12/7/12 David Buckley and I car-birded a few areas in Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, and Bloomingdale for a few hours in the morning. We found 2 Bohemian Waxwings and a flock of 30 to 40 redpolls in Tupper Lake. A Northern Shrike was perched along Route 3 by Coreys Road. We observed 6 Gray Jays and several redpoll flocks (some large) in Bloomingdale. On my drive home, I found 2 Bald Eagles in Tupper Lake, a male Black-backed Woodpecker at Sabattis Bog, and 4 Hooded Mergansers on the Round Lake outlet on Sabattis Circle Rd. 12/6/12 I drove from Long Lake to Ferd's Bog in the afternoon. (I also hiked the Shallow Lake and Brown's Tract Inlet Trails.) Here are a few of the species found: On Blue Mountain Lake: 3 Amer. Black Ducks, 3 Hooded Mergansers, and 1 Red-necked Grebe! There were 3 Hooded Mergansers and 1 Common Loon observed on Raquette Lake. At Ferd's Bog, an adult Golden Eagle flew right over me when I was standing in the sunny open bog - lovely! A Black-backed Woodpecker called from across the bog. An adult Northern Shrike was perched at the bog edge and White-winged Crossbills were heard and
[nysbirds-l] Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks, etc.
Some of the birds observed around Northern New York over the past week (most recent dates first): 12/16/12 I've been seeing flocks of redpolls all over Northern NY - at feeders, and feeding in birch trees and fields. Several large flocks have been observed in the village of Long Lake, and today, a flock found its way to our feeders (up at 2,000'). 12/12/12 12/11/12 I was out birding with Dale Dancis, Kathy Drake, Anne Lazarus, and Louise Fraza, all from NYC. We spent Tuesday in the St. Lawrence Valley, and Wednesday in the boreal habitat of Franklin Co. Here are a few of the 44 species found: Gadwall - Massena Bufflehead - Massena Common Goldeneye - Massena Norwood Hooded Merganser - Louisville Massena Common Merganser - Many along the St. Lawrence River Ruffed Grouse - flushed in Bloomingdale; also many fresh tracks in the snow at Bloomingdale Santa Clara Common Loon - Waddington Bald Eagle - Massena Pileated Woodpecker - several Northern Shrike -Madrid Gray Jay - at least 3 in Bloomingdale Boreal Chickadee - at least 3 at Madawaska vocalizing and flying across the road Brown Creeper - Bloomingdale Golden-crowned Kinglet - Madawaska, Bloomingdale. Bohemian Waxwing - ~175 in 3 flocks (20, 30 125) - towns of Potsdam Norfolk Snow Bunting - ~20 to 30 in Massena Pine Grosbeak - ~39 in 5 flocks (2, 4, 4, 25, 4) Canton, Waddington, Massena, and Santa Clara House Finch - ~25 to 30 in Waddington Red Crossbill - 1 flyover in Bloomingdale. White-winged Crossbill - 7 in two groups; 1 vocalizing flyover, and a flock of 6 vocalizing birds flying over in Bloomingdale Common Redpoll - many flocks: Potsdam, Canton, Madrid, Massena, Bloomingdale, and Paul Smiths We also observed a porcupine in Massena! At Madawaska, we observed Snow Fleas (Springtails) on the snow - a more typical (late winter) March sight! I don't ever recall seeing Snow Fleas in December. 12/9/12 Sean O'Brien, Ted Mack, and I drove a big loop from Saranac Lake up through Franklin Co. to the border and WSW across St. Lawrence Co. then back around to Saranac Lake. Here are a few of the 51 species found: Snow Goose - hundreds, thousands?!! - covering fields in northern Franklin Co. Gadwall - Massena Amer. Black Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Pied-billed Grebe - same place (I've recently posted) at the causeway to Wilson Hill Great Blue Heron - Saranac River Bald Eagle - 5! (Santa Clara, Massena, and Waddington) Rough-legged Hawk - 1 in Westville Belted Kingfisher - 1 at Robinson Creek in Massena (We actually ignored a flock of Pine Grosbeaks to watch this kingfisher eat a sunfish that was almost as big as the bird! We couldn't believe our eyes when the bird swallowed the fish whole - just a remarkable thing to witness through a scope!) Northern Flicker - 1 in Massena Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike - 1 in Waddington Gray Jay - heard in Santa Clara along Route 458 where road kill deer are dropped (we stopped to see if there were any Golden Eagles - we found a Bald Eagle and calling Gray Jays!) Brown Creeper - Bloomingdale Golden-crowned Kinglet - Bloomingdale American Robin - 1 in Massena! Cedar Waxwing - 2 in Fort Covington Pine Grosbeak - 92 in 5 flocks (2, 6, 20, 60, and 4 in Westville, Fort Covington, Massena, and Waddington) Mary Curtis recently sent me her lovely photography website, and it was great to meet her in Massena as we were surrounded by 60 Pine Grosbeaks! Common Redpoll - many flocks in Bloomingdale, Westville, Hogansburg, Massena, and Waddington (a probable Hoary Redpoll was in the Waddington flock, but our observation of this flock, that was feeding in a field, was too brief) While we were on the Barnhart Island Bridge watching waterfowl below, a pack of coyotes howled from the forest. 12/7/12 David Buckley and I car-birded a few areas in Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, and Bloomingdale for a few hours in the morning. We found 2 Bohemian Waxwings and a flock of 30 to 40 redpolls in Tupper Lake. A Northern Shrike was perched along Route 3 by Coreys Road. We observed 6 Gray Jays and several redpoll flocks (some large) in Bloomingdale. On my drive home, I found 2 Bald Eagles in Tupper Lake, a male Black-backed Woodpecker at Sabattis Bog, and 4 Hooded Mergansers on the Round Lake outlet on Sabattis Circle Rd. 12/6/12 I drove from Long Lake to Ferd's Bog in the afternoon. (I also hiked the Shallow Lake and Brown's Tract Inlet Trails.) Here are a few of the species found: On Blue Mountain Lake: 3 Amer. Black Ducks, 3 Hooded Mergansers, and 1 Red-necked Grebe! There were 3 Hooded Mergansers and 1 Common Loon observed on Raquette Lake. At Ferd's Bog, an adult Golden Eagle flew right over me when I was standing in the sunny open bog - lovely! A Black-backed Woodpecker called from across the bog. An adult Northern Shrike was perched at the bog edge and White-winged Crossbills were heard and observed
