[nysbirds-l] Sedge Wren, Bicknell's Thrush, & other sightings
*: First-of-the-season 5/19/13 Tupper Lake Marsh (Franklin Co.) & Whiteface Mountain (Essex Co.) At 3:30 a.m. this morning, I stopped at Tupper Lake Marsh (there is a platform here that overlooks a huge marsh). It was spectacular - no cars, calm winds, brilliant star-lit sky. Swamp and Song Sparrows were (nocturnally) singing. Amer. Woodcocks were displaying. A Barred Owl called from across Tupper Lake. American Toads and Spring Peepers vocalized. And a *Sedge Wren was singing! Historically, there was another Sedge Wren record not far from this location noted by Charlcie and Marian Delehanty on July 5, 2000. I am fond of the fascinating Sedge Wren song, so it delayed me quite a bit! The wren is a good distance out in the marsh, so it helps to visit on a calm-wind night - I would recommend a night visit when car traffic is minimal. I found 8 *Bicknell's Thrushes between 3900 and 4300 feet on Whiteface Mountain between 6:15 and 7 a.m. this morning. All 8 birds were calling, not singing. There were many Swainson's Thrushes and *Blackpoll Warblers singing. For over a decade now, I have been observing species expand their breeding ranges upward on mountains. Today, I found Black-throated Green and Black-throated Blue Warblers singing at 4200 feet! There are even more Amer. Robins on the upper reaches of the mountain this year. There was also a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird at 4200 feet - he was sitting on the snow and intermittently drinking the dripping snow-melt water. I did not hear any Yellow-bellied Flycatchers yet. And.the Woodchuck was observed again today! Today, it was between 3800 and 3900 feet and had a mouthful of birch bark! Mammals: The Woodchuck on Whiteface, 3 Porcupines (1 in the road I had to swerve to avoid and 1 adult with a baby near the toll gate at Whiteface), and a Red Fox with a mouthful of prey in the road. Cones: It should be a great winter! Cone crops on Balsam Fir, Red Spruce, and White Pine look great. I will check other coniferous tree species soon. There is still snow on Whiteface! 5/18/13 Trail to West Mountain and Shallow Lake (Hamilton Co.) *Great Crested Flycatcher *Canada Warbler 5/17/13 Roosevelt Truck Trail (Essex Co.) & Route 28N in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) *Olive-sided Flycatcher - singing from a wetland that is unfortunately on private land along Route 28N in Long Lake *Swainson's Thrush - Roosevelt Truck Trail Moose tracks were observed again on this trail. 5/16/13 Various locations in Essex Co. birding with Sean O'Brien *Cape May Warbler - at least 4 singing birds at the Lake Placid Golf Course; we had lovely views of one that dropped from its lofty heights down to about 20 feet up to forage. In the gale force winds of Thursday, we were on the summit of Whiteface Mountain in late afternoon where we first found the Woodchuck at 4200 feet!!! This is the strangest thing I have ever encountered over 4000 feet in the Adirondacks! It seems it would be nearly impossible to dig a burrow at that elevation! 5/14/13 Wildflower Tour on the Ampersand Mountain Trail in Franklin Co. On a wildflower tour with a couple from Philadelphia, PA, we found the following flowers: Hobblebush Early Fly Honeysuckle Two-leaved Toothwart Painted Trillium Purple Trillium False Solomon's Seal Hairy Solomon's Seal Smooth Solomon's Seal Wild Sarsaparilla Canada Mayflower Starflower Foamflower Goldthread Carolina Spring Beauty Jack-in-the-pulpit Trout Lily Clintonia Canada Violet YellowViolet Marsh Blue Violet Bluets - in Tupper Lake On the drive home, I observed an adult Porcupine with a baby along Route 30 between Tupper Lake and Long Lake. There are some photographs posted to my blog and on my business Facebook page (listed below). Joan Collins Long Lake, NY https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/blog -- 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] Sedge Wren, Bicknell's Thrush, other sightings
*: First-of-the-season 5/19/13 Tupper Lake Marsh (Franklin Co.) Whiteface Mountain (Essex Co.) At 3:30 a.m. this morning, I stopped at Tupper Lake Marsh (there is a platform here that overlooks a huge marsh). It was spectacular - no cars, calm winds, brilliant star-lit sky. Swamp and Song Sparrows were (nocturnally) singing. Amer. Woodcocks were displaying. A Barred Owl called from across Tupper Lake. American Toads and Spring Peepers vocalized. And a *Sedge Wren was singing! Historically, there was another Sedge Wren record not far from this location noted by Charlcie and Marian Delehanty on July 5, 2000. I am fond of the fascinating Sedge Wren song, so it delayed me quite a bit! The wren is a good distance out in the marsh, so it helps to visit on a calm-wind night - I would recommend a night visit when car traffic is minimal. I found 8 *Bicknell's Thrushes between 3900 and 4300 feet on Whiteface Mountain between 6:15 and 7 a.m. this morning. All 8 birds were calling, not singing. There were many Swainson's Thrushes and *Blackpoll Warblers singing. For over a decade now, I have been observing species expand their breeding ranges upward on mountains. Today, I found Black-throated Green and Black-throated Blue Warblers singing at 4200 feet! There are even more Amer. Robins on the upper reaches of the mountain this year. There was also a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird at 4200 feet - he was sitting on the snow and intermittently drinking the dripping snow-melt water. I did not hear any Yellow-bellied Flycatchers yet. And.the Woodchuck was observed again today! Today, it was between 3800 and 3900 feet and had a mouthful of birch bark! Mammals: The Woodchuck on Whiteface, 3 Porcupines (1 in the road I had to swerve to avoid and 1 adult with a baby near the toll gate at Whiteface), and a Red Fox with a mouthful of prey in the road. Cones: It should be a great winter! Cone crops on Balsam Fir, Red Spruce, and White Pine look great. I will check other coniferous tree species soon. There is still snow on Whiteface! 5/18/13 Trail to West Mountain and Shallow Lake (Hamilton Co.) *Great Crested Flycatcher *Canada Warbler 5/17/13 Roosevelt Truck Trail (Essex Co.) Route 28N in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) *Olive-sided Flycatcher - singing from a wetland that is unfortunately on private land along Route 28N in Long Lake *Swainson's Thrush - Roosevelt Truck Trail Moose tracks were observed again on this trail. 5/16/13 Various locations in Essex Co. birding with Sean O'Brien *Cape May Warbler - at least 4 singing birds at the Lake Placid Golf Course; we had lovely views of one that dropped from its lofty heights down to about 20 feet up to forage. In the gale force winds of Thursday, we were on the summit of Whiteface Mountain in late afternoon where we first found the Woodchuck at 4200 feet!!! This is the strangest thing I have ever encountered over 4000 feet in the Adirondacks! It seems it would be nearly impossible to dig a burrow at that elevation! 5/14/13 Wildflower Tour on the Ampersand Mountain Trail in Franklin Co. On a wildflower tour with a couple from Philadelphia, PA, we found the following flowers: Hobblebush Early Fly Honeysuckle Two-leaved Toothwart Painted Trillium Purple Trillium False Solomon's Seal Hairy Solomon's Seal Smooth Solomon's Seal Wild Sarsaparilla Canada Mayflower Starflower Foamflower Goldthread Carolina Spring Beauty Jack-in-the-pulpit Trout Lily Clintonia Canada Violet YellowViolet Marsh Blue Violet Bluets - in Tupper Lake On the drive home, I observed an adult Porcupine with a baby along Route 30 between Tupper Lake and Long Lake. There are some photographs posted to my blog and on my business Facebook page (listed below). Joan Collins Long Lake, NY https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/blog -- 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/ --
