[nysbirds-l] St. Lawrence-Hamilton-Essex Co. Birds

[Joan E. Collins]

8/9/09 Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

Sedge Wren – the wren that arrived on 7/5/09 was singing from an exposed
perch near Plum Brook behind our home.  Our neighbors mow walking trails
through the fields and I hiked near where the bird has been singing – I have
a good idea where the nest is located.  I hope the young leave the nest
before the annual August mowing takes place.

 

There has been a trickle of migrants heard each night during the first week
of August.

 

8/12/09 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

A female Black Bear with 3 cubs was observed each day outside our Long Lake
home.  Until this summer, I had never observed bears with more than 2 cubs.
Warbler waves were observed each day.

 

Here are some of the species found on a short hike of the Northville-Placid
Trail (S) in Long Lake (late morning):

 

Broad-winged Hawk

Merlin

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Winter Wren - several

Golden-crowned Kinglet – many

Hermit Thrush – singing

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

 

Also, several Pine Sawyers were heard chewing conifers.  Indian Pipe, Bottle
Gentian, Pearly Everlasting, and Touch-me-not were in bloom among many other
wildflowers.

 

8/13/09 Low’s Ridge-Upper Dam Trail (Piercefield-Colton, St. Lawrence Co.)
12:30 p.m.

 

I hiked 1.5 miles on the Low’s Ridge-Upper Dam Trail (3 miles round trip).
I had this lovely trail to myself and I was surprised to find so much midday
activity.  I had wonderful views of 11 warbler species.  Here are some of
the species observed:

 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Northern Flicker

Common Raven

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Gray Jay – at least 2 (I think there were 3, but I couldn’t see them all at
one time) – at the location where there are wide open views of the bog ~ 1
mile in.

Nashville Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Amer. Redstart

Common Yellowthroat

Canada Warbler – singing at the trailhead

Lincoln’s Sparrow – nice views!

White-throated Sparrow

 

8/14/09 Hewitt Eddy – Boreas River Trails (Minerva in Essex Co.) 9 a.m. to
11:30 a.m.

 

It was a misty morning on Friday, and the myriad spider webs were all
illuminated in dew.  I wanted to hike the loop, so left my car at the Boreas
River Trailhead and hiked the ¾ mile on Route 28N to the Hewitt Eddy
Trailhead.  As I neared the trailhead, I heard a woodpecker in boreal
habitat down a steep embankment.  I thought twice, and immediately dropped
down the hill – at the bottom, I heard a Black-backed Woodpecker
vocalization.  I hiked to a tree with 2 female Black-backed Woodpeckers with
one vocalizing non-stop as I watched them.  I had that wonderful primeval
feeling in this misty world of spruce/fir, thick sphagnum moss, and all
those illuminated spider webs around me.  Boreal Chickadees began to
vocalize deeper in the forest.  I didn’t have a compass or the sun to assist
in a longer bushwhack, so I made my way through the forest in the direction
of the trail – but as it turned out, I encountered 3 different flocks of
Boreal Chickadees along the Hewitt Eddy portion of the hike.  Most of the
birds I observed were along the Hewitt Eddy Trail (1 mile) which has
beautiful boreal habitat.  The Boreas River section (also 1 mile) is loud –
especially this summer with the river raging.  The Boreas River section also
had many difficult muddy sections and areas where the trail is eroding close
to the river.  Even so, I enjoy the Boreas River Trail because it is
extremely scenic.  But if you are interested in hearing/seeing birds, you
can park at the Hewitt Eddy Trail and hike back out the same way (after
hitting the “eddy” where the trail picks up the Boreas River).  The
vegetation was so wet from dew that I was soaked within a few minutes and my
hiking boots felt like walking on sponges.  The sun was just breaking
through the mist while I was on the Boreas River Trail – creating wild
shadows through the conifers.  This is always a great walk for mushrooms
also!  Here are some of the species found on the hike:

 

Bald Eagle – second year flying over the “eddy” – beautiful!

Broad-winged Hawk

Ruby-throated Hummingbird – buzzed me as I watched a flock of Boreal
Chickadees

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Black-backed Woodpecker – 2 females

Boreal Chickadee – at least 11 (flocks of at least 5, 3, and 3)

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Swainson’s Thrush – calling a few feet from me!

Hermit Thrush

Warblers:  Nashville, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green,
Common Yellowthroat, and Canada

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

 

Later on Friday, our family boated to Turtle Beach at the north end of Long
Lake.  Six Common Loons were observed on the trip (1, 1,  4).  I canoed my
mother a short distance into the Raquette River and we saw/heard many birds
including a Common Merganser family of 10, 2 

[nysbirds-l] Vocal Northern Shrike other observations

[Joan E. Collins]

Potsdam, NY (St. Lawrence County)

 

For the past 4 out of 5 winters at our home in Potsdam, we've had a Northern
Shrike spend the season behind our home along Plum Brook (an area with open
fields, wet shrublands, deciduous forest, marshes, the brook, and plenty of
hawthorn trees).   In the morning on October 29, 2009, I stepped outside on
our back porch and heard a Northern Shrike vocalizing.  It was at the top of
a deciduous tree near the marsh, but in a location where I would not have
noticed the shrike had it not been vocalizing.  As I watched the shrike,
Amer. Robins were drawn in - flying around the tree and perching below the
shrike.  Each time the robins perched, the shrike would loudly call and dive
at them.  The robins took off each time, but continued to come back (loudly
calling).  I watched the same behavior over and over - the shrike
singing/calling, the robins flying into the tree, the shrike calling loudly
as it dove at the robins.  The only change occurred when a Rusty Blackbird
joined the robins just once.  (The Rusty Blackbirds could be heard
vocalizing in the nearby marsh.)  Eventually, I got cold and left the birds
to their antagonistic behavior.

 

In the morning on Nov. 1, the Northern Shrike was observed perched in
several locations (top of deciduous trees and top of shrubs) and in pursuit
of a Blue Jay (not successful).

 

At dawn (6:45 a.m.) on Nov. 4, I went outside on the back porch and found
the Northern Shrike vocalizing - an enormous barrage of interesting
vocalizations.  I'm an ear birder, so I was in heaven, and wished I'd had
recording equipment at that moment.  The vocalizations drew a Blue Jay to
the shrike.  Each time the shrike flew at the Blue Jay it made a very loud
call - as it did with the robins on Oct. 29.  After a few attempts at
catching the Blue Jay, the shrike gave up and flew across the large field -
but loudly called just before it flew.

 

Today, Nov. 7, at dawn, I spotted the shrike at the top of a deciduous tree
behind our home from my bed!  (This particular tree seems to be the favored
Northern Shrike perch in winter, and I can see it from my bed.)  I ran
downstairs and outside, but the shrike was gone.  I listened and heard a
distant shrike vocalization coming from across the large field, and then a
robin began calling from the same location. 

 

I found some interesting information on Northern Shrikes vocalizing outside
the breeding season in The Birds of North America Northern Shrike account
under Sounds - Vocalizations:

 

***Frequency and function of winter singing cause of much speculation (
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/671/articles/species/671/biblio/bi
b017 Bent 1950,
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/671/articles/species/671/biblio/bi
b038 Cramp and Perrins 1993). Since fifteenth century (Barnes 1486, Boke of
St. Albans), some writers have stated that shrike imitates calls and songs
of other birds to lure them into vulnerable range of attack: She will stand
at perch upon some tree or poste, and there make an exceedingly lamentable
crye and exclamation, such as birds are wonte to do, being wronged or in
hazard of mischiefe, and all to make other fowles to thinke that she is very
much distressed and stands in need of ayde; whereupon the credulous sellie
birds do flocke together at her call. If any happen to approach neare her,
she out of hand ceazeth on them, and devoureth them (ungrateful subtill
fowle) in requital for their simplicity (seventeenth-century author in
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/671/articles/species/671/biblio/bi
b079 McCowan 1951: 171-175). Atkinson (
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/671/articles/species/671/biblio/bi
b012 1997) showed experimentally that playback of recorded shrike songs in
winter attracted other small passerine species to significantly greater
extent (quicker, closer, more frequent approaches) than playback of American
Robin song or control playback of background tape noise; he observed 4
instances of shrikes using such opportunities to attack other birds, twice
successfully. Whether potential prey are attracted to mimicked versions of
their own songs and calls (
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/671/articles/species/671/biblio/bi
b092 Munro 1911), to generalized predator distress or alarm sounds
incorporated into shrike songs, or to the oddity of various, juxtaposed
warbles, gurgles, squeaks, and squawks (analogous to human squeaking to
attract birds) remains to be determined, but songbirds appeared most
responsive to portion of shrike song that incorporated jaa calls (EAC).***

 

If this particular Northern Shrike continues to sing/call through the
winter, I'll be thrilled!

 

Other recent observations:

 

Ruffed Grouse and Pileated Woodpecker have been observed each day.

 

11/7/09

Dark-eyed Junco - still moving through

Red-winged Blackbird  Common Grackle flocks flying over (occasional
grackles at our feeder)

 

11/6/09 (first snow in Potsdam)

[nysbirds-l] FW: NNYBirds: Ivory Gull photos

[Joan E. Collins]

All,

 

Interesting Northern NY Birds post below from Larry Master regarding the
Ivory Gull.

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam  Long Lake

 

From: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of larry master
Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2010 5:08 PM
To: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com
Subject: NNYBirds: Ivory Gull photos

 

  

I wanted to share some photos from yesterday morning at Rouses Point where
one of the most subtly beautiful birds in the world put on a nice display
for morning visitors under mostly cloudy but calm skies. Low resolution
images are posted at
http://www.masterimages.org/Birds/Ivory%20Gull/index.html (images #4-37 are
the Rouses Point bird). The red orbital ring is barely visible in some of
the images. The delight in seeing this rare Arctic visitor is tempered by
the knowledge that monitored breeding colonies in Canada declined 80%
between the 1980s and 2005. One has to wonder if the increase in sightings
the last two winters in U.S. waters is related to degradation of its
foraging and wintering habitat in its normal winter haunts along the
southern edge of the thinning and shrinking Arctic pack ice.

As always, if anyone would like high resolution versions of any of the
images on my web site, please email me off group.

Larry Master

Lake Placid

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

__._,_.___

Reply to  mailto:lawrencemas...@gmail.com?subject=ivory%20gull%20photos
sender | Reply
mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com?subject=ivory%20gull%20photos  to
group 

Messages
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/message/9899;_ylc=X3oDMTMzN
2s2anZ0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEbXNnSWQDO
Tg5OQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyNjczOTQ5MjgEdHBjSWQDOTg5OQ--  in
this topic (1) 

Recent Activity: 

.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMHByaW
VjBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA3Z0bARzbG
sDdm1icnMEc3RpbWUDMTI2NzM5NDkyOA--?o=6 New Members 3 

 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds;_ylc=X3oDMTJkZ3Bwc25tBF9TAz
k3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA3Z0bARzbGsDdmdocA
RzdGltZQMxMjY3Mzk0OTI4 Visit Your Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJkbzJmYzU4B
F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDb
nRwYwRzdGltZQMxMjY3Mzk0OTI4 Start a New Topic 

All postings to Northern_NY_Birds are protected by copyright law.



 
http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJjb2pvYWxwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzM
TIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDZ2ZwBHN0aW1lAzEyNjczOTQ5Mjg-
Yahoo! Groups

Switch to:
mailto:northern_ny_birds-traditio...@yahoogroups.com?subject=change%20deliv
ery%20Format:%20Traditional Text-Only,
mailto:northern_ny_birds-dig...@yahoogroups.com?subject=email%20delivery:%2
0Digest Daily Digest .
mailto:northern_ny_birds-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com?subject=unsubscribe
Unsubscribe .  http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Terms of Use

.

 
http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=431203/grpspId=1705065787/msgId=
9899/stime=1267394928/nc1=4507179/nc2=5741393/nc3=5733765 

__,_._,___


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs

[Joan E. Collins]

Great discussion!

Regarding the Common Raven range expansion in NY between Atlases...  During
this same time period, the coyote population in our state has greatly
increased and now ranges throughout NY.  Many people have commented over the
past decade that the coyote and raven range expansions appear to be
correlated.  Common Ravens can't rip open the thick skin of mammals, and are
closely associated with wolves, coyotes, and large cats within their N.
American ranges (feeding on the remains left by these carnivores).  Ravens
are also known to lead carnivores to potential food sources.  I have been
hiking for 8 years with 2 large dogs, and they respond to Common Raven
vocalizations, which I have always found fascinating - and ravens follow my
dogs when we hike.  Anyway, the coyote range expansion may be another
possible factor in the Common Raven range expansion.

I completely agree with Kevin that Common Ravens show no regard for crows
and do whatever they damned well please!  March is the month when Amer.
Crows viciously go after ravens - generally, the ravens show little, or no,
reaction or change of behavior - kind of like a human brushing away an
annoying fly.  Several years ago, I watched a Common Raven face-off with a
Red-tailed Hawk on a branch.  The raven dwarfed the hawk and held its bill
above the hawk's beak in a threatening manner (at the time, there were many
ravens in trees surrounding the hawk, making the most fascinating
vocalizations that I ever heard from this species - including the dog-whine
sound).  It was a reminder that ravens are huge, powerful, and extremely
bright birds.  Also, early this past decade, a Common Raven attacked an
adult Golden Eagle outside our Long Lake house (in May!) - the vocalizations
coming from both birds during the fight were remarkable!  (Golden Eagles are
the arch enemy of ravens.)  Ravens do seem to rule the skies of the North
Country.  It will be interesting to see if they continue to expand and
increase across the state.  In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting
bird species to observe.

Joan Collins
Potsdam  Long Lake

-Original Message-
From: bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 10:50 AM
To: NYSBirds
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs

Curiously, statewide trends and recent Long Island trends stand in
remarkably different relationship for each of the big black carrion-eaters
under discussion.

When Griscom analyzed the status of Turkey Vulture in 1923, this species was
common in the highlands of northern New Jersey but poorly distributed in
mainland NYS and a rare visitor to LI, with most LI records from the western
(e.g., Brooklyn) or eastern (e.g., Orient) ends. Over the remaining eight
decades of the 20th Century, this bird underwent a vast northward expansion,
spreading across most of mainland NYS--but retaining its LI status (scarce
and irregular) with astonishing fidelity. Few birds of any kind showed such
a static pattern on LI over the same period--but for a bird whose status
changes so much nearby, this stasis is particularly remarkable. It has only
been over the last ten years or so that Turkey Vultures have finally moved
onto LI in numbers, including winter roosts and proven breeding. The lag
between occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased
occurrence on LI in this case was 50 years.

The early history of Black Vulture in NYS was mostly as a vagrant to LI.
Again, it's status on LI remained static for a century while the species
made news elsewhere. In contrast to its relative, however, Black Vulture's
northward expansion on the mainland lagged behind Turkey Vulture's by at
least several decades, and its occupation of the Hudson Highlands and nearby
parts of mainland NYS took place mainly in the 1980s and 1990s. This
distinction is very important because Black Vulture's trend toward increased
occurrence on LI, which prompted this thread, has occurred more or less
simultaneously with Turkey Vulture's, in very recent years. The lag between
occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased occurrence on
LI in this case was about 15 years.

As Kevin notes, Raven was once almost extirpated from the eastern United
States and was no more than scarce wilderness specialist in NYS for the
first two-thirds of the 20th Century. Its expansion over the last several
decades has been spectacular, e.g., a 500% increase in occupied blocks
between the two atlases. Like both of the preceding species, Ravens have
made news on LI during the last few years. Unlike them, however, this trend
followed immediately upon its occupation of adjacent mainland areas, with no
perceptible lag at all.

Another hulking black carrion-eater probably deservers mention here. Bald
Eagle's inter-atlas surge in NYS makes Raven's seem downright paltry, its
confirmed blocks increasing 6,000%! Statewide observers 

[nysbirds-l] Massawepie Mire - Palm Warblers

[Joan E. Collins]

4/12/10  Massawepie Mire (Southeastern St. Lawrence Co.); mostly cloudy, 32
degrees in a.m., mostly sunny 47 degrees midday.

 

David Buckley and I hiked 5.5 miles round trip at Massawepie Mire this
morning and then hiked 2 miles round trip on the Mountaineer Trail near
Massawepie Lake.  Normally at this time of year, it takes a 4WD and lots of
guts to drive into this area, but the dirt road was in great shape with no
quagmires to sink in.  The old railroad grade through the mire (now a dirt
road) was in very good shape and I used summer hiking boots.  But most of
the wooden walkways on the Mountaineer Trail were under water and I wore
winter boots for that trail.  We counted 20 singing Palm Warblers on the way
in with 14 counted before the first bridge crossing.  This was a very
conservative count, and there seemed to be even more singing birds on our
way out when it sunny and a bit warmer (we only counted on the way in).  I
believe this is the earliest date I've found Palm Warblers at Massawepie,
but I haven't checked my records yet.  We checked the Mountaineer Trail for
Pine Warblers, but did not hear any.  So Palm was the only warbler species
found today.  Here are some of the 35 species found at Massawepie:

 

Amer. Black Duck - 1 on the Massawepie Lake outlet

Hooded Merganser - pair

Common Merganser - several pairs

Ruffed Grouse

Wild Turkey

Amer. Kestrel - male

Merlin - male attacking an Eastern Phoebe

Belted Kingfisher - 5

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - many

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2; male and female just before the dirt road
intersection near Silver Brook.  I had wonderful views of the female
foraging.  As usual for this species, both birds were completely unfazed by
our presence.

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

Gray Jay - 1 making unusual vocalizations near Silver Brook

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - at least 4 past the first bridge

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper - many heard singing

Winter Wren - several singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet - many singing

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 singing near the first bridge (about 1.5 miles in)

Hermit Thrush - one calling (I heard several singing at dawn this morning
outside our Long Lake house  one calling yesterday near Sabattis Bog)

Amer. Robin

Palm Warbler - 20 heard singing in 2.75 miles (14 in the first 1.5 miles);
wonderful views of the birds all along the dirt road

Song Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow - just one singing!

Dark-eyed Junco

Rusty Blackbird - 5; one pair vocalizing as they flew over us in the open
bog, and another pair near Silver Brook; the 5th bird was perched in a tree
at Mason Lake as I drove out.

Purple Finch

Amer. Goldfinch

 

It was a great day at one of my favorite places!

 

Joan Collins - Potsdam  Long Lake

David Buckley - Piercefield and Virginia


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Moose River Plains

[Joan E. Collins]

Thanks for this information Dorothy.  Here is a link to an Adirondack
Explorer piece on the Moose River Plains closure to vehicle traffic:

http://adirondackexplorer.org/out-takes/2010/05/06/moose-river-plains-closed
-to-vehicles/

I am scheduled to lead the car-birding trip through Moose River Plains for
the Adirondack Birding Festival on June 19th - guess we'll have to come up
with a different trip.  I led this trip last year and it is a fantastic
place to go birding.  There are some birders who will be able to hike or
bike into the plains (almost 20 miles round trip from the Inlet side), but
it leaves out birders with physical challenges and those that are not able
to hike great distances, which is very sad.

Joan Collins
Potsdam  Long Lake


-Original Message-
From: bounce-5753923-3714...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-5753923-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Dorothy Crumb
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2010 3:24 PM
To: NYSBirds; Oneidabirds
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Moose River Plains

The NYSDEC has announced that the all roads into the  Moose River  
Plains Recreation Area in the Adirondacks will be closed indefinitely.  
This is a blow for birders who have often used this wonderful birding  
area. Gary Lee has led many birding and butterfly trips there and we  
did work on the Atlas in some sections. The four towns that rely on  
the Plains for tourism in the summer are fighting the decision.
Dorothy Crumb

--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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 List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Blue Mountain in the Adirondacks

[Joan E. Collins]

6/2/10 Blue Mountain, Adirondack Mountains in NY, elevation 3760'; temp
ranged from 55 degrees at the trailhead to 50 on the summit; sky was clear;
calm winds on the trail, but very windy on the summit; survey started at
4:35 a.m.

 

The first vocalization heard during the nocturnal climb up Blue Mountain was
a Common Loon on Blue Mountain Lake.  At least 4 loons were heard vocalizing
several times (whole range of their different calls).  It is rare to
encounter a vehicle in this part of the Adirondacks during the night (gas
stations close down by 10 p.m.), and I noticed the loons vocalized as a
tractor trailer went by, and then again when a Harley-Davidson sounding
motorcycle overwhelmed the night with noise.  (Over the years during camping
trips, I've noticed that songbirds around my tent ( loons from nearby
lakes) become restless when jets go overhead - they appear to hear the jets
several seconds before my ears can pick it up.)  When the loons vocalized, I
turned off my headlamp and just stood listening in a beautifully clear night
under the stars and moon.  While I enjoyed their sounds, I was aware that it
was probably a result of alarm on their part.  As I often do in the
wilderness, I tried to imagine the Adirondacks hundreds of years ago -
before humans added so much noise to the environment.  If only we could time
travel.

 

A White-throated Sparrow sang during my climb up the peak, and Bicknell's
Thrush began singing at 4:16 a.m. (later than I usually hear them).  I
counted 9 singing Bicknell's Thrushes on the way to the summit (a lower
number than usual).  I tallied 20 species during the 5 point counts ( an
additional 17 species on the descent).  I arrived on the summit at 4:30 a.m.
and spent a few minutes setting up before beginning the survey.  I found it
odd that I did not hear a Bicknell's Thrush singing on the summit this year
- I was on the summit until 4:45, and the only vocalizing thrush was a
Swainson's.   I tallied a total of 5 Bicknell's Thrushes (2 at point two,
and 3 at point three).  Swainson's Thrushes were found at all 5 points, and
were widespread all the way to the trailhead.  Here is the point count data:

 

Common Loon (0,0,0,0,1)

American Bittern (0,0,0,0,1)  Interesting find this year!!!  The topo map
indicates a ravine with a brook in the direction where it was heard.  (For
the past several years, we've had an Amer. Bittern vocalizing down the
mountain from our Long Lake house also.)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (0,0,0,0,1)

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (0,0,2,2,0)

Blue-headed Vireo ((0,0,1,0,1)

Common Raven (0.0.0.1.1)

Boreal Chickadee (0,2,0,0,0)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (0,0,0,0,1)

Winter Wren (1,1,2,2,1)

Golden-crowned Kinglet (0,0,0,0,1)

Bicknell's Thrush (0,2,3,0,0)

Swainson's Thrush (1,1,1,1,2)

Hermit Thrush (0,0,0,0,1)

Magnolia Warbler (0,1,2,1,2)

Black-throated Blue Warbler (0,0,0,0,1)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (1,0,1,1,1)

Black-throated Green Warbler (0,0,0,0,1)

Blackpoll Warbler (1,1,2,2,2)

White-throated Sparrow (3,2,1,1,0)

Dark-eyed Junco (1,0,1,1,1)

 

Other species found on the peak (not at pt counts) (several found in the
parking area):

Ruffed Grouse

Broad-winged Hawk

Pileated Woodpecker

Red-eyed Vireo

Black-capped Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Amer. Robin

Nashville Warbler (heard between point counts also)

Northern Parula

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Amer. Redstart

Ovenbird

Canada Warbler

Indigo Bunting

Chipping Sparrow

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam  Long Lake, NY

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Pillsbury Mountain in the Adirondacks

[Joan E. Collins]

6/9/10 Pillsbury Mountain, Adirondack Mountains of NY, elevation 3602', temp
32, calm winds throughout the survey, few clouds, survey started at 4:33
a.m.

 

The first Bicknell's Thrush song was heard at 4:22 a.m.  Conditions were
perfect with calm winds throughout the survey.  Fifteen species were tallied
at point counts:

 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (0,2,1,1,0)

Blue-headed Vireo (0,0,1,1,1)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (0,0,0,1,0)

Winter Wren (0,0,1,1,0)

Bicknell's Thrush (4,3,0,0,0) There were several birds singing/calling
between points 1 and 2, and another bird calling between points 3 and 4.

Swainson's Thrush (4,2,1,1,1)

Hermit Thrush (0,0,0,2,1)

Magnolia Warbler (0,1,1,2,2)

Black-throated Blue Warbler (0,0,0,0,1)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (1,3,3,1,3)

Black-throated Green Warbler (0,0,0,1,2)

Blackpoll Warbler (2,2,1,2,1)

Canada Warbler (0,0,0,0,2) Nice view of one.

White-throated Sparrow (1,1,1,2,1)

Dark-eyed Junco (1,1,1,0,1)

 

When the 4th Bicknell's Thrush began to sing on the summit, it aggressively
flew after another singer a short distance from me.  Wild sounds came from
the conifer as these two birds tangled.  I found it interesting that this is
the same exact location where I witnessed two Bicknell's Thrushes tangling
in the evening when I camped on the summit several years ago.  (The location
is a conifer at the edge of the clearing by the fire tower.)

 

The dirt road to the trailhead is a wonderful birding area, so I stopped at
a couple locations on my way out.  Several Mourning Warblers were heard in
addition to many other warbler species.  I stopped at two wetlands and both
had a female Hooded Merganser near the road.  One of these females took off
loudly as I got out of my car - she came back a few seconds later flying low
over me as she loudly called.  I must have been close to her nest, so I
moved.  A Common Loon called from a nearby location and a Brown Creeper
sang.  A highlight for me was finding a Common Grackle nest near the road.
The babies were in an open nest about 15 feet up in a dead deciduous trunk
at a knot location.

 

I saw a beautiful orange sunrise as I finished the survey, and rising white
fog revealed all the lakes and rivers below.  It is always a highlight of my
year to be alone on Adirondack summits at dawn.  Wonderful solitude.

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam  Long Lake, NY


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Whiteface/Bloomingdale Bog/Massawepie Mire, more

[Joan E. Collins]

July 8-9, 2010 Bloomingdale Bog/Whiteface/Boreal Life Trail at Paul Smith's
VIC/Owling at Sabattis Circle Rd./Massawepie Mire (Franklin - Essex -
Hamilton - St. Lawrence Counties)

 

I guided a California couple during the heat wave last Thursday and Friday.
We began at dawn on Thursday at Bloomingdale Bog before heading to the
Whiteface Memorial Highway by the 9 a.m. opening.  Some of the birds found
at Bloomingdale Bog: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, Palm Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow and
Pine Siskin.  We had a few minutes before the drive to Whiteface, so we left
the bog and drove to Oregon Plains Road, where we found an adult female
Black-backed Woodpecker feeding a juvenile female!  On Whiteface Mountain,
weather conditions were absolutely perfect with calm wind (extremely rare on
summits!).  We heard many Bicknell's Thrushes singing and calling throughout
the morning.  There were even a few glimpses when birds would perch on dead
snags to sing/call.  Swainson's Thrushes appeared to outnumber Bicknell's
Thrushes - our warm spring nights have allowed them to expand their range
upward on peaks.  The researchers at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies will
hopefully keep an eye on what effect this may have on Bicknell's Thrush over
time.

 

We took food from the castle building and headed into the tunnel (50
degrees in here!) to the 270' elevator.  Wooden platforms were recently
added to the summit area so folks in wheelchairs can easily have the same
views as those who can walk around the rocky summit.  As we ate our food,
the song of Bicknell's Thrush wafted up from all sides with no competing
winds - it was lovely!

 

Being a 46-er, I've always had mixed feelings about the road up Whiteface.
I took the time to read Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech, which he gave at the
opening of the road in 1935, posted in the castle building and it was
beautiful.  He gave a very eloquent argument for having at least one such
road in the Adirondack Mountains.  The experience of hearing and seeing
Bicknell's Thrush from a highway and parking lot was different, but no less
exciting than being immersed in their tangled, thick spruce/fir habitat.
With calm wind, and so much habitat on this 5th highest peak in NY, hearing
so many singing Bicknell's Thrushes from every direction was truly
remarkable.

 

I also drove up the peak on July 5th and heard many singing Bicknell's
Thrushes - at 1:30 p.m.!  Judith Scarl, coordinator for Mountain Birdwatch,
reported being on a couple of Vermont peaks last week and was also surprised
to find so much singing, calling, and flying around behavior by Bicknell's
Thrushes during active nesting.

 

Some of the many other birds found on Whiteface: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,
Winter Wren, and Blackpoll Warbler.

 

By the time we hiked on the Boreal Life Trail, it was 93 degrees and
oppressively humid.

 

While owling along Sabattis Circle Road in the William C. Whitney Wilderness
(3 to 4:30 a.m.), we found 3 Barred Owl young screaming for food!  We could
hear one adult give an occasional vocalization (they make very interesting
sounds when with young).  We drove by Sabattis Bog at dawn and heard a pack
of coyotes howling and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher singing.

 

Some of the many species found at Massawepie Mire:

Ruffed Grouse

Common Loon - flyover, vocalizing bird

Northern Harrier

Black-backed Woodpecker - female

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Philadelphia Vireo - at least one, possibly 2

Gray Jay - family

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - flock with at least 5 birds

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird - 2 adults with one young bird

Veery

Hermit Thrush

Palm Warbler

Mourning Warbler - many along the drive in and one very nice view of a bird
foraging on the bark of a tree

Scarlet Tanager

Lincoln's Sparrow

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Purple Finch

Evening Grosbeak - one vocalizing flyover pair and another bird at a
different area of the mire

 

July 12, 2010 Hamilton County (Inlet - Raquette Lake area)

 

I guided a couple from Virginia this past Monday, July 12 and we visited
Ferd's Bog, Shallow Lake, and the trail along Brown's Tract Inlet on yet
another warm day.  Some of the birds found at Ferd's Bog:

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Gray Jay - nice scope view

Common Raven

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Swainson's Thrush

Palm Warbler

Lincoln's Sparrow

 

We hiked the Shallow Lake Trail from Brown's Tract Campground (2.8 miles
round trip).  Here are some of the birds found:

 

Common Loon - 3 adults together on Shallow Pond

Osprey - nest across Shallow Pond

Broad-winged Hawk

Herring Gull - 4 on Shallow Lake

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Gray Jay - family; nice view of juvenile

Boreal Chickadee - several

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned 

[nysbirds-l] Northern Goshawk other summer sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

(We have been in the process of moving back to our Long Lake house full-time
this summer, so I apologize for late reports.)

 

8/19  8/21/10 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

At ~ 3 p.m. on Thursday, a juvenile Northern Goshawk was observed standing
on Tarbell Hill Lane as I drove a group of teenagers to our house.  It flew
into the forest as we approached.  This was a couple tenths of a mile from
our driveway.  Yesterday, again at ~ 3 p.m., I was picking blackberries with
our two dogs, when a juvenile Northern Goshawk flew from a tree about 20
feet from me (it was very startling).  It flew to a nearby tree for a few
seconds and then disappeared into the forest - not far, but just out of
sight.  This is likely the same bird since the sightings were only a few
tenths of a mile apart, but no way to know for sure.  Northern Goshawks nest
near our home, but this is the first juvenile I've observed on our property.
Our dogs and I have been picking berries at least every other day (the
berries were terrific this year) and we startle a family of Ruffed Grouse
every time we are out (5 to 6 birds usually flush).  I suspect that is what
the Northern Goshawk was hunting near the berry patch.

 

(Just a note about picking berries with dogs:  I find it fascinating to
watch my dogs pick berries from thorn-covered bushes!  It gives me insight
into how coyotes manage to pick them.  They use their sense of smell to find
the berries and of course, I use sight.  Together, we make quite a team.
(They pick low berries and I pick high when we find a bush.)  Yesterday, I
was having trouble spotting any new berries, so I followed the dogs and they
found quite a few!)

 

8/20/10 Long Lake

 

My husband, George Yellott, observed 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers (at least
one male) feeding on a dead conifer along our driveway - he saw the yellow
mark on the cap of one, but could not see the cap on the second woodpecker.
Non-birder that he is, he forgot to tell me for 3 hours!  He took me to
the location and there has been a lot of activity on this tree, so I am
keeping an eye out.

 

*

A note about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds:  I have been using the same feeder
for years at our Long Lake house and we usually have a male Ruby-throated
Hummingbird each year.  This year, my mother showed up with 2 additional
feeders during a visit - that had perches at the feeding areas (mine does
not have perches).  We now have so many hummingbirds that it often feels
like every hummingbird in Long Lake is at my house!  I fill the perch
feeders constantly and I've counted as many as 8 hummingbirds in sight at
once (I suspect there is at least over a dozen regulars now).  People that
visit us have to duck the non-stop activity of hummingbirds all over our
porch.  It seems odd to me that hummingbirds would prefer perch feeders
given that they normally feed at flowers and spider webs where they need to
hover as they feed.  Maybe I'm creating couch-potato hummingbirds?!  Anyway,
if you want to attract lots of hummingbirds to your house, buy feeders with
perches!

 

Broad-winged Hawks nest up the hill from our Long Lake house each year, and
this year, they nested in our back yard.  They vocalized NON-STOP throughout
the breeding/nesting season.  After awhile, I got used to the constant
whistle sounds (which I miss now).  On June 28, my husband got up in the
middle of the night to catch a dawn flight out of the Albany airport.  I
wondered what wild sound he was making when I realized it was coming from
outside.  It took me a few seconds of waking fogginess to realize the
Broad-winged Hawks were screaming.  The sounds they made are not on any
recordings I own.  I am certain that they were fending off a nocturnal
attack of some kind.  I was glued to the window and the vocalizations went
on for a several minutes.  I wished I had recording equipment.

 

The Shaw Pond Great Egret that I posted on 7/29/10, was around until 8/4/10
(7 days).

 

Barred Owls have been heard throughout the summer at our house and our
neighbor's house.  Several nights I have talked back and forth with them.

 

Warbler waves have been moving through since the 3rd week of July.  In
particular, Northern Parulas moved through in good numbers in the last week
of July.

 

July 26th was the last date I heard the local Mourning Warbler sing outside
our home.

 

Evening Grosbeaks were heard on 7/21/10 outside the house.

 

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet nested along the Northville-Placid Trail (S) in Long
Lake again this year.

 

On 7/7/10 I had wonderful views of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher along Route
28 in Newcomb and views of another Yellow-bellied Flycatcher along the
Hewitt Eddy Trail in Minerva. 

 

I'll end this post with an adorable sighting that my husband and I had at
our Potsdam home on July 25th:  We observed 2 little spotted fawns venture
onto our lawn.  At the time, a group of Amer. Crows were feeding.  The fawns
stared at the crows and seemed really curious.  One fawn approached 

[nysbirds-l] Ferd's Bog/Shallow Lake/Bog River canoe trip

[Joan E. Collins]

8/10/10 Ferd's Bog  Shallow Lake Trail in Hamilton Co.

 

I guided a wonderful group of people to Ferd's Bog and Shallow Lake on
Tuesday, Aug. 10th.  The group of 6 included a 7-year-old up and coming
birder named Gregory from New Jersey!  He is interested in birds, insects,
and amphibians.  His parents and 3 other adult friends take him camping in
the Adirondacks every year.  Not many 7-year-olds can handle looking through
binoculars, and he was occasionally frustrated by the process, but he was
very advanced for his age.  Here are some of the species we found:

 

Ferd's Bog:

Amer. Kestrel

Belted Kingfisher

Pileated Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Boreal Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren - singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Magnolia Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Canada Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch

 

Shallow Lake Trail:

Common Loon

Herring Gull

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Canada Warbler - singing!

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

 

8/11/10 Bog River canoe trip (noon to 8:30 p.m.; St. Lawrence Co.)

 

I guided the same group of people on the Bog River, Wednesday, August 11th.
We canoed 6 miles round trip from the Lower Dam to Hitchins Pond and we also
climbed Low's Ridge (2.2 miles round trip) for fantastic views of the High
Peaks from the cliffs.  Before our trip back out, we swam in Hitchins Pond
which was lovely.  Here are some of the species we found:

 

Amer. Black Duck

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Belted Kingfisher

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Alder Flycatcher

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Swamp Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Rusty Blackbird - at least 7!  We found these birds just before the Lower
Dam on our way out at dusk.  There were 4 birds preening in a dead snag.  We
were observing them when they suddenly flew - and another 2 birds joined
them in addition to another nearby vocalizing bird for a total of at least 7
Rusty Blackbirds.

 

Another highlight from this trip was a treed Ermine found by Michael Bailey!
It was right along the trail and it watched us intently as it peeked out
from behind the tree.  Eventually, it came down and quickly ran away.

 

Observers:

 

Michael  Margaret Bailey - New Jersey

Joan Collins - Long Lake  Potsdam

Gail, Andrew  Gregory - New Jersey

Bill - Washington D.C.

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Common Redpolls Evening Grosbeaks

[Joan E. Collins]

12/27/10 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.)

 

Ten Common Redpolls arrived at our feeders this morning.  Late
December-early January is the typical arrival time during irruptive years in
Long Lake.  (During our winters in Potsdam, in the St. Lawrence Valley, the
arrival dates were earlier.)  Evening Grosbeaks have been visiting our
feeders for the past two months.  This morning, the flock had over 60 birds,
and I've counted more than 80 on some mornings.  They stay throughout the
morning hours and disappear by afternoon.  Their time is spent eating seed
on our front porch, preening, roosting, eating tree buds (mostly in cherry
trees, which Ruffed Grouse also seem to prefer), and eating mouthfuls of
snow.

 

Just a note on feeders:  I have 14 feeders up so far this year, and this is
the first time I've added a sock feeder to the mix.  I have a 20-perch
thistle tube feeder next to the sock feeder and the Common Redpolls
definitely prefer the tube feeder over the sock feeder.  So I won't be
investing in any more sock feeders!

 

12/26/10 Long Lake - Kickerville Rd.

 

I took a drive on Kickerville Rd. midday yesterday to a couple feeder
locations I visit every year.  I found a Common Redpoll flock at one of the
houses - between 15 and 20 birds.

 

12/19/10 Newcomb  Elizabethtown (Essex Co.)

 

As I was driving through Newcomb on my way to the Elizabethtown CBC, I found
over 30 Evening Grosbeaks at a feeder location next to the Hudson River
(I've been observing Evening Grosbeaks at this location for several weeks).
Fuat Latif and I covered the east side of Hurricane Mountain for the
Elizabethtown CBC (by car, and then on skis where the plowing stops).
Highlights included 1 Pine Grosbeak, 3 White-winged Crossbills, and at least
one Evening Grosbeak vocalizing.  We find Pine Grosbeaks on this road every
year.  This year, the Pine Grosbeak was perched at the top of a large
conifer tree, but often, we find them in the Tamarack trees where the
snow-plowing ends.  The trees are huge and appear to be a different species
than the tamarack trees found in fens and other areas of the Adirondacks.
The trees on Hurricane Mountain Rd. have much larger cones also.

 

12/16/10 Long Lake - Newcomb

 

At 9:30 a.m., I found a Barred Owl by the side of Route 28N in Long Lake on
a drive toward Newcomb.  I also found a Barred Owl perched on a wire at the
side of Route 28 in Indian Lake on 12/11/10 at 10:30 a.m.  I've had many
reports from people seeing Barred Owls perched along roads during the day
(or flying in front of cars).  It appears it may be another bad year for
this species with little food in the forest.

 

I also found a female Black-backed Woodpecker foraging along Tahawus Road
not far from the intersection with the Blue Ridge Rd. in Newcomb.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Barred Owl/Evening Grosbeaks/Common Hoary Redpolls

[Joan E. Collins]

1/30/11 Long Lake (northern Hamilton County)

At 5 p.m. yesterday (1/29/11), a Barred Owl flew by our kitchen window.  I
ran to the window and found the bird perched by the house, intently looking
under the porch (a full story under this section).  It dropped down, out of
my sight, but returned to the same branch within a few seconds with what
appeared to be a vole in its talons.  The bird transferred the vole to its
beak and threw its head back 3 to 4 times to swallow the prey (unlike the
Great Gray Owl I observed in Potsdam a few years ago that swallowed its prey
in one movement).  I was just about to clean out the ashes in our woodstove,
and I waited so I wouldn’t disturb the bird, but it didn’t leave.
Eventually, I had to go out of the house (as did our 2 dogs) and the owl
seemed unfazed.  It continued to perch in the same exact spot until 8 a.m.
this morning (I checked on it throughout the night).  It did not leave for
long, and has been perched in the same spot for most of the day.
(Occasionally, it flies to the trees behind our garage, but returns within a
few minutes.)

 

After I watched the Barred Owl consume the vole last evening, it continued
to intently look under the porch, but it kept turning its head toward the
road.  Eventually, I heard snowmobilers going by, and the noise appeared to
be bothering the owl.  I was observing the owl through a window and I
decided to make one sound.  The owl immediately looked at me!  I did it a
couple more times to insure it was not a coincidence, and the owl
immediately looked at me each time.  Their sense of hearing is remarkable.
For an animal with such an acute sense of hearing, many of our
human-engineered, loud sounds (noises) must be very bothersome.

 

The ~60 Evening Grosbeaks and a couple hundred redpolls that have been
visiting our feeders each day, stayed perched in the trees this morning
without dropping down to the feeders.  By 8 a.m., the Black-capped
Chickadees drove the Barred Owl from its perch with a loud round of non-stop
DEE-DEE-DEEs (they leave off the “chick-a” when they are very disturbed).
What would all the other bird species do without Black-capped Chickadees?!
(We have a baby monitor set up outside to bring in the sounds, so I was able
to hear what was going on.)  The finches were very skittish and did not
perch long at the feeders.

 

With so many Evening Grosbeaks visiting, I’ve been putting seed on our porch
floors, which is where they prefer to feed.  Some of it falls through the
cracks, which is no doubt attracting the Barred Owl’s prey.  Barred Owls are
having another difficult winter with little food available in the forest,
resulting in constant reports of birds perched along the highways, flying in
front of cars, and at feeder locations.

 

I observed one female Hoary Redpoll this morning.  Chris Bennett of Delaware
and two of his friends traveled up last weekend and observed 2 female Hoary
Redpolls at our feeders.

 

1/29/11 Sabattis Bog (Hamilton County)

When I get sick of snowshoeing with our dogs each day, I drive them to
Sabattis Bog where I can bare-boot along the road and the dogs don’t have to
struggle through the snow.  As we drove away from the bog, we startled a
Barred Owl from its perch along the road.

 

1/23/11

A Brown Creeper sang one song!

 

1/21/11

A Brown Creeper was roosting for nearly ½ hour on a cherry tree outside my
window (probably part of a mixed flock, and the Black-capped Chickadees were
at the feeders).  The Common Redpolls kept flying at the creeper trying to
get it to move or leave – it was actually rather comical.  The creeper
ignored them.

 

1/13/11  1/15/11 Roosevelt Truck Trail

I skied the Roosevelt Truck Trail, which is located between Newcomb and
Minerva, with the Cold River Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club, and
again with my husband, George Yellott, and Pat  John Thaxton two days
later.  Boreal Chickadees were heard on both trips.  The habitat is mature
spruce-fir with very little understory – a place to check for Cape May
Warblers in spring!  There are 3 wheelchair accessible campsites along this
trail.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Long Lake finches

[Joan E. Collins]

2/16/11 Long Lake (northern Hamilton County)

 

There are 4 finch species visiting our feeders.  The Evening Grosbeak
numbers continue to increase, and there are now between 100 and 110.  It is
quite loud outside our house and I am going through a LOT of seed!  I
haven't tried to get an exact count on the redpolls, but I'm certain it is
well over 200.  I've been observing a female Hoary Redpoll every day.  This
morning, I observed one on our back porch, and later, one of the front
porch.  I suspect there is more than one, but I haven't been able to see
more than one at the same time.  There are Pine Siskins mixed in with the
redpolls - today, I spotted 4 on our back porch (yesterday, I observed 3
among a redpoll flock).  Often, during a warm-up, we lose some of the
finches.  But oddly, the numbers seemed to increase during Monday's warm-up.
With rain coming this week, I suspect we'll probably lose some of the birds.
Other birds visiting the feeders: Hairy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees
(not many!), and White-breasted Nuthatches.  It will be interesting to see
when the Red-breasted Nuthatches return from wherever they headed this
winter.  Common Ravens are heard throughout the day. 

 

Our feeders are so exciting this winter, that it is disappointing to go
anywhere else in the area!  My dogs can't get through the deep snow, so I've
been walking them on roadways.  We go to Sabattis Bog about once a week.
Yesterday morning at Sabattis Bog, we found only 2 birds - a Golden-crowned
Kinglet and a Common Raven!  (Not even a Black-capped Chickadee!)  We have
had some trips where we have not found a bird at all.  This has been the
quietest winter that I can ever recall.

 

I last saw the Barred Owl on Sunday, February 6th.  My husband snow-blew a
path around our house for the dogs that day.  It created a 'slice' through
the fascinating network of subnivean small mammal tunnels that we don't
normally have a chance to observe.  The tunnels were concentrated near the
back and front porches (where the seed is located).  I suspect this created
a boon for the owl since the mammals had to cross a 2.5 foot exposed area in
their tunnel systems.

 

Charlotte Demers told me the Adirondack Interpretive Center (AIC - formerly
the VIC) in Newcomb has Evening Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls visiting their
feeders.  (The AIC is open Tues.-Sat.  New website is:
http://www.esf.edu/aic/ )

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Sightings in Hamilton-Franklin-St. Lawrence Counties

[Joan E. Collins]

 

3/29/11 Long Lake (2 feet of snow on the ground still)

 

The number of redpolls at our home continues to be remarkable.  Yesterday, I
tried to count them.  I went over 500 redpolls out one window and there were
many more in trees farther from the house where I couldn’t count them.  The
din over the baby monitor (set up to bring the sounds inside) is deafening –
reminiscent of Hitchcock’s “The Birds”!  It is easy to pick out Hoary
Redpolls when there are huge groups on our porch floor.  Pine Siskins
continue to be mixed in.  I haven’t try to count the Evening Grosbeaks, but
it looks like the number has dropped from the 100-110 we had all winter – I
would estimate it is now around 50-60.  As Larry Master often points out,
the number of redpolls that will show up at your location is related to how
many can feed at once.  I have 16 feeders up (which would never accommodate
500+ redpolls), and the birds mostly feed on our porch floor.  I spread
sunflower hearts across 25’ (of a 50’) porch, and across a smaller back
porch – they literally cover these areas shoulder to shoulder as they feed!
Often, I am replenishing the seed hourly through the morning.

 

I took a late afternoon hike on the Northville-Placid Trail (north).  We
still have 2’ of snow on the ground, but the nights have been so cold, that
you can walk on top and bushwhack anywhere.  At the bridge ½ mile down the
trail, I heard distance woodpecker sounds, which led to a male Black-backed
Woodpecker (I often find them is this area by a brook/marsh).  There were
lots of River Otter slides along the brook.  But the most exciting moment
was finding the snow covered in Snow Fleas!!!  (aka Springtails)  I am
always thankful that no one can see me sitting in the snow in awe of these
ancient creatures!  Finding snow fleas feels like a real sign the season is
changing.

 

I heard yet another “new” Common Raven vocalization at dawn yesterday –
their different vocalizations seem endless!

 

Long Lake has a narrow strip of open water under the bridge – just a solo
Canada Goose and 2 Mallards so far!

 

3/26/11 Tupper Lake

 

I’ve had several trips to St. Lawrence Co. for various reasons, and on
Saturday, I saw 2 Hooded Mergansers (FOS in the Adirondacks) under the
bridge at the causeway in Tupper Lake – also several Turkey Vultures.

 

3/25/11 St. Lawrence Co. locations (bare ground for weeks in the St.
Lawrence River Valley areas)

 

This was a late outing that began at 4 p.m.

 

Turkey Vulture – many

Northern Harrier – male on Planty Rd. (Town of Madrid)

Amer. Kestrel – Rutherford Rd. (Town of Madrid)

Red-tailed Hawk

Amer. Robin – many

Bohemian Waxwing – 110-115 along Route 37 (Town of Louisville) a few miles
south of the Wilson Hill turn feeding on buckthorn berries; I also found 8
perched outside a house along Route 420 (Town of Norfolk).

Red-winged Blackbird – huge numbers along with Common Grackles at the swamp
(the Great Egret roost location in late summer) along Route 420 (Town of
Stockholm)

Common Grackle – many; (I found a solo Common Grackle in Tupper Lake on 3/17
– FOS in the Adirondacks)

 

The St. Lawrence River was open (with some bay areas still covered in ice),
so waterfowl were not congregated at Hawkins Point in Massena.

 

3/24/11 Bloomingdale Bog area ( Tupper Lake causeway sightings; plus one
Long Lake sighting)

 

I had to drive our older son to the Saranac Lake airport before dawn, so I
spent several hours in the Bloomingdale Bog area after his plane took off
(bitter cold at 13 degrees!).  Here are some of the 28 species found on a
great morning of birding:

 

Amer. Black Duck – 2, causeway in Tupper Lake

Common Goldeneye – several, causeway

Common Merganser - ~20, causeway

Turkey Vulture – Tupper Lake

Bald Eagle – Tupper Lake

Black-backed Woodpecker – 2 (male  female – pair); I bushwhacked to a male
Black-backed Woodpecker foraging in trees beyond the first bridge/marsh on
the northern Bloomingdale Bog trail (it was west of the trail).  On my way
out (11 a.m.), the bird had moved a few trees to a huge, dead white pine
tree where it was drumming.  It would drum, then preen, drum, then preen,
etc.  I finally realized that it was communicating with another Black-backed
Woodpecker that my ears were just barely picking up.  This bird was way back
in the direction I had just hiked.  So I went back and found a female
Black-backed Woodpecker past the second bridge to the east of the trail.
These birds were quite distant from each other, but obviously communicating.
The female’s behavior was identical – drum, preen, drum, preen!  I watched
them for a long time – after awhile, you could hear them change the drumming
patterns and volume – fascinating!

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Shrike – 1 along Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake; The bird was at
the top of a dead snag in the marsh where Little Tupper Lake empties out – I
observed it through my scope for wonderful views!

Gray Jay – 4; 2 different pairs in the 

RE:[nysbirds-l] NNYBirds: Sightings in Hamilton-Franklin-St. Lawrence Counties

[Joan E. Collins]

I forgot to mention that on 3/24/11, I observed a Fisher cross Oregon Plains
Rd. at 7:30 a.m. (Bloomingdale area).  The Fisher crossed north of the
Bigelow - Oregon Plains intersection, and not far from the Muzzy - Oregon
Plains intersection.  Exciting!

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

__._,_.___

Reply to
mailto:joan.coll...@frontier.com?subject=Re%3A%20Sightings%20in%20Hamilton-
Franklin-St%2E%20Lawrence%20Counties sender | Reply to
mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Sightings%20in%20H
amilton-Franklin-St%2E%20Lawrence%20Counties group | Reply
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJwYmZ2NzlrB
F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEbXNnSWQDMTExMjQEc
2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDcnBseQRzdGltZQMxMzAxNDkxMzA1?act=replymessageNum=11124 via
web post |
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJkcG0yYW9iB
F9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDb
nRwYwRzdGltZQMxMzAxNDkxMzA1 Start a New Topic 

Messages in this topic
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/message/11124;_ylc=X3oDMTM1
ZWU4bGF2BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEbXNnSWQD
MTExMjQEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDdnRwYwRzdGltZQMxMzAxNDkxMzA1BHRwY0lkAzExMTI0  (1) 

Recent Activity: 

.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJlYmQzbG
JhBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA3Z0bARzbG
sDdm1icnMEc3RpbWUDMTMwMTQ5MTMwNQ--?o=6 New Members 3 

 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds;_ylc=X3oDMTJkM2I1MXB0BF9TAz
k3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzMTIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA3Z0bARzbGsDdmdocA
RzdGltZQMxMzAxNDkxMzA1 Visit Your Group 

All postings to Northern_NY_Birds are protected by copyright law.



 
http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJjdmxib3FwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzQzM
TIwMwRncnBzcElkAzE3MDUwNjU3ODcEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDZ2ZwBHN0aW1lAzEzMDE0OTEzMDU-
Yahoo! Groups

Switch to:
mailto:northern_ny_birds-traditio...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change%20Deliv
ery%20Format:%20Traditional Text-Only,
mailto:northern_ny_birds-dig...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email%20Delivery:%2
0Digest Daily Digest .
mailto:northern_ny_birds-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe
Unsubscribe .  http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Terms of Use

.

 
http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=431203/grpspId=1705065787/msgId=
11124/stime=1301491305/nc1=1/nc2=2/nc3=3 

__,_._,___


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Status of Henslow's Sparrow in NYS

[Joan E. Collins]

Hi Angus/All,

 

I am planning to do a highlights of my late spring/early summer sightings
- late due to grieving over a close loss in June - this report will include
Henslow's Sparrows sightings.

 

I took clients from California to see Henslow's Sparrows in St. Lawrence
County - in Hammond on June 14th.  We found 8 singing males on one road
alone in very windy conditions (at 5:15 a.m.) - so we would have found many
more if we could have heard birds farther into the fields.  We had
spectacular scope views of singing males carrying nesting material.  I am
reluctant to name the road since all the lands in Hammond are private.  The
particular fields in Hammond where Henslow's Sparrows can be found are not
generally cut over early, so they stand a good chance of nesting success - I
would hate to jeopardize this by calling attention to the species.

 

I spoke to Jeff Bolsinger (Kingbird Regional Editor for St. Lawrence Co.)
and we discussed the frustration with the fact that much of St. Lawrence Co.
was block-busted during the Atlas.  In my opinion, St. Lawrence Co. is
probably the most exciting place to bird in NYS (lacking only ocean habitat)
and it was poorly covered during the Atlas.  I hope that during the 2020
Atlas, more resources can be invested in covering this important birding
area that is home to many rare species in NYS.

 

I recently bought The Ecology and Economics of the Birds Along the Northern
Boundary of New York State by A. Sidney Hyde, 1939, Roosevelt Wildlife
Bulletin Volume 7 Number 2.  In this book, a colony of 20 pairs of Henslow's
Sparrows was documented at the mouth of Crooked Creek in Hammond (where 4
specimens were collected).  This location is 3 miles from where we found 8
singing males in June.  In my opinion, a concerted effort to find Henslow's
Sparrows in the Hammond area will probably turn up even more locations than
I am currently aware of.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

From: bounce-37778405-13418...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-37778405-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Angus Wilson
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 12:38 PM
To: NYSBIRDS-L
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Status of Henslow's Sparrow in NYS

 

Bulletin board postings are naturally slanted to positive news and don't do
such a good job recording disappearances, either of particular individuals
(is the Hooded Crow still being seen?) or of populations. The recent
discovery of two Henslow's Sparrows in a field near Ames (Montgomery Co.)
got me thinking: are these are the only sightings for New York State this
season? 

Looking at eBird (a better resource for this type of question) says no, but
only just. Evidently, small numbers (the entries are for 1 bird each) are
still present in Fort Drum and the nearby Perch River WMA (Jefferson Co.)
and a little to the north in St. Lawrence County. But according to eBird,
that's it. I suspect official surveys will have come up with a few more at
these sites but still.

Have other traditional breeding sites in western and central NYS been
checked and found negative? Is total extirpation as a breeding species
imminent? At what point should Henslow's Sparrow be added to the NYSARC
review list? Heady questions. It would give me peace of mind to know if
other breeding sites still exist. Precise locations are not necessary, just
enough to know whether or not the breeding population in now confined to a
relatively small area in the St. Lawrence Transition. 

Unfortunately I don't have the The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New
York State (McGowan and Corwin 2008) at hand but I am sure this
indispensable resource for state birds has much to say on this troubling
topic. In 1999, the DEC reclassified the sparrow as Threatened (from Species
of Special Concern) but my sense is that the decline has continued
unchecked.

-- 
Angus Wilson
New York City  The Springs, NY, USA
http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/

--

NYSbirds-L List Info:

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME Welcome and Basics 

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Rules and Information 

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm
Subscribe, Configuration and Leave

Archives:

The Mail Archive
http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 

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

BirdingOnThe.Net http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 

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

--


--

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] Red Crossbills other Northern NY sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

Hamilton, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex, and Clinton Counties

 

I wanted to post a few highlights from my birding trips over the past month.
I apologize for the lateness of some of my sightings (as I mentioned in mid
July, I suffered a close loss in June, and energy for email has been
difficult).

 

The historic late-April flooding in northern NY took a huge toll on trails,
bridges, and roads.  I have found many bridges on trails completely
destroyed (or moved!).  Trails are littered with downed trees.  Dirt roads
and trails are washed out.  Given the state budget situation and major cut
backs in DEC personnel, it looks like the damage won't be fixed anytime
soon.

 

Cone crop:  Remarkable!  I have been observing the cone crop on conifers in
the Adirondacks and it could be quite a year for finches!  All spruce
species look excellent.  Balsam fir, white cedar, tamarack, and hemlock also
look excellent.  Some of the larger white pine trees have huge cone crops -
looking like bunches of bananas.  I still need to spend time checking on red
pines.  Matt Young has more detailed data (he actually counts the cones in
quadrants!).

 

7/30/11 Low's Ridge - Upper Dam Trail (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

Last evening, I hiked about 1 to 1.5 miles in on the Low's Ridge - Upper Dam
Trail.  I found numerous Palm Warblers (many juveniles) and Lincoln's
Sparrows were singing (also many juveniles observed).  There was also a
family of 4 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers foraging together.

 

7/28/11 Moose River Plains/Ferd's Bog/Brown's Tract Inlet (Hamilton Co.) -
some of the 48 species:

 

Hooded Merganser - 2 females on Icehouse Pond

Broad-winged Hawk - 2 juveniles in their nest - absolutely adorable - this
is the second time I've observed them, and they are just about to leave the
nest.  The nest seems unusually low for this species.  Thanks to Jeff Nadler
for letting me know about this location.

Black-billed Cuckoo - singing at Helldiver Pond in Moose River Plains

Swainson's Thrush

13 warbler species including Northern Waterthrush  Canada Warbler (singing)

Lincoln's Sparrow

Indigo Bunting

Red Crossbill - 1 flyover calling bird at Helldiver Pond, and several
SINGING birds at Brown's Tract Inlet!

 

7/27/11 Massawepie Mire (St. Lawrence Co.) - some of the 35 species:

 

Broad-winged Hawk

Amer. Kestrel - 2

Gray Jay - at least 10!  We found 2 adults at the beginning of the bog and
at least 8 birds at the bridge over the South Branch of the Grass River (I
suspect there were many more, but I could only count 8 at once).  We
observed many juveniles and adults - it was apparent that multiple families
were together.  This is the second time I have observed multiple families
foraging together - I have also observed this behavior in Blue Jays.  Also,
there were multiple Blue Jay families interacting with the Gray Jay families
- it was a wild scene!

Palm Warbler

Canada Warbler

Lincoln's Sparrow

 

(Interesting behavior note:  I was guiding a group of 14 people on this
hike, and one of the men kept holding out his hand with wild blueberries for
the Cedar Waxwings.  Several of the birds circled him and flew just over his
hand - it certainly appeared as if they were debating landing on his hand!)

 

7/22/11 Moose River Plains (Hamilton Co.) - some of 41 species:

 

Broad-winged Hawk - same 2 juveniles plus the adult

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Boreal Chickadee - at least 8; 2 before the Red River, 2 at the Red River,
and 4 at Helldiver Pond

Swainson's Thrush

14 warbler species including Northern Waterthrush  Canada Warbler

Indigo Bunting - nest site with both adults observed

 

7/15/11 Mount Adams (Essex Co.) (Suspension bridge over the Hudson River was
destroyed in the April floods - took us a LONG time to get across!)

 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Bicknell's Thrush

Swainson's Thrush

Blackpoll Warbler - family group

 

7/2/11 and 7/4/11 Sabattis Bog (Hamilton Co.), Oregon Plains Rd. 
Bloomingdale Bog (Franklin Co.), Whiteface Mountain (Essex Co.), Silver Lake
Bog (Clinton Co.), Moose Pond Rd. (Essex Co.), Tupper Lake causeway (road
between Simon Pond  Tupper Lake) (Franklin Co.), Massawepie Mire (St.
Lawrence Co.), Dead Creek Flow Trail at Wanakena (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

Some of the 86 species found:

Virginia Rail - Trail to Dead Creek Flow at Wanakena (thanks to Bernie Carr
who was on this trail earlier in the day and noted the species in the
register)

Black-backed Woodpecker

Olive-sided Flycatcher - at least 3 along the trail to Dead Creek Flow in
Wanakena, and 1 at Massawepie

Eastern Wood-Pewee - numbers seem way down this year

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe - on Whiteface Mt's summit!

Philadelphia Vireo - 4-way intersection at Massawepie

Gray Jay

Boreal Chickadee

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Whiteface Mt.

Bicknell's Thrush - 4 singing males all within view, perched on dead snags
on Whiteface Mt.  We had fantastic scope views of 3 - we could see right
into their mouths they were so close!  The 

RE: [nysbirds-l] nocturnal flight call listening on Mount Pleasant tonight.

[Joan E. Collins]

Hi Bill/All,

 

I was out last night from about midnight to 1 a.m. and it was remarkable!  I
liked your image of awestruck birders wandering around in darkness!  I've
given up the notion of a good night's sleep at this time of year - I don't
have any recording equipment.yet, but I've spent years just listening truly
in awe of bird migration.  Last night, there were 10 to 30 calls per
minute flowing overhead.  We live in the central Adirondacks (Long Lake) at
2,000'.  There is no human noise on our mountain except occasional jets
going over. (Nor are there any lights to obscure the stars, planets, and
Milky Way band from view.)  I arrived home very late in intermittent fog.  I
listened in fog conditions and at first, most of the birds heard were
Swainson's Thrushes high overhead.  I also heard Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a
Scarlet Tanager, and many warblers.  Standing in the fog, there were several
moments when the birds were so low, that it felt like you could reach out
and touch them as they flew by!  (And I felt thankful that wind turbines are
not allowed in the Adirondack Park.)

 

I will be out again tonight - I may even spend the whole night out.  I would
join you on Mount Pleasant if it were only closer.  It is terrific to know
that there are others outside in awe of this remarkable phenomenon too.
It is wonderful that you offered your nocturnal activity to the list serve
members - enjoy the night!

 

Take care,

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

From: bounce-38020663-13418...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-38020663-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bill Evans
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 10:14 AM
To: Cortland nature listserve; natural history network; CAYUGABIRDS-L
Birding
Cc: nysbirds-l@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] nocturnal flight call listening on Mount Pleasant
tonight.

 

Greetings Birders,

 

For anyone interested in listening to nocturnal flight calls of migrating
birds, I'll be in the vicinity of Cornell's Hartung-Boothroyd Astronomical
Observatory on Mount Pleasant tonight from 9PM-midnight with a couple
amplified microphone listening stations. I'll also have a realtime NEXRAD
display for observing the migration via weather radar.

 

Last night was the first big nocturnal movement of birds across central NY
in the past two weeks. The forecast tonight is for light northerly winds and
I'm anticipating another large flight with a great variety of warblers along
with lots of Swainson's Thrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in the mix.

 

Should be very pleasant outside tonight. Temps are forecasted to be in the
low 60s, dropping into the high 50s. There are no lights atop Mount Pleasant
so bring a flashlight. Please take caution in driving by and in parking on
the side of Mount Pleasant Rd as awestruck birders may be wandering around
in the darkness. And as always, when you arrive keep voices down and be
respectful of others who are trying to listen.

 

For directions, seach Google maps for Hartung-Boothroyd. If you'd like any
other information, email me before 7PM tonight.

 

The conditions look good for listening to night migrants across most of New
York State tonight. If you can't make it over to Ithaca, find your nearest
open hilltop and get out for a listen.

 

Bill Evans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

NYSbirds-L List Info:

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME Welcome and Basics 

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Rules and Information 

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm
Subscribe, Configuration and Leave

Archives:

The Mail Archive
http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 

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

BirdingOnThe.Net http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 

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

--


--

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] Pine Siskins other sightings in Hamilton Co.

[Joan E. Collins]

10/27/11 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.), 34 degrees, calm winds, low
cloud ceiling, snow covered landscape!  (Last night's snow was the first of
the season in Long Lake.)

 

Pine Siskin continues to be the most abundant species encountered on outings
( outside our house, but none at the feeders yet).  Today, the number of
siskins was even more remarkable.  Flocks were encountered everywhere I
walked and whenever I stopped my car.  I visited the outlet area of Little
Tupper Lake and Sabattis Bog (10 a.m. to noon), both on Sabattis Circle Rd.
in Long Lake.  The outlet area of Little Tupper Lake is often an exciting
birding location, and this morning it was filled with birds.  There were a
couple hundred Pine Siskins at this spot - calling and singing - it was
loud!  The first bird heard when I got out of the car was a singing Rusty
Blackbird.  After an hour of birding at this location, I was just about to
get in my car (freezing with completely numb hands) when a male Rusty
Blackbird flew into the berry bushes a few feet from me.  It was picking the
red berries - it would pause for a moment with a large berry in its bill
before swallowing it - one of those moments when I wished Jeff Nadler was
there with his camera!  After eating berries, it flew up to a branch on a
dead snag, and a Pine Siskin joined it - yet another wonderful photo
opportunity!  The morning became even more exciting at Sabattis Bog.  Here
are some of the 30 species encountered this morning:

 

Ruffed Grouse

Common Loon

Turkey Vulture - 2

Northern Goshawk - flying over the trees surrounding Sabattis Bog

Red-tailed Hawk - 3

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2, one male and one female

Northern Flicker - several

Gray Jay - 2

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - 4 (2 groups of at least 2)

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Yellow-rumped Warbler - small flock, one bird had no tail

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow (small flock of ~10 found near the intersection of
Tarbell Hill Lane and Route 28N - same location I found them yesterday
(10/26/11))

Dark-eyed Junco

Rusty Blackbird

Common Grackle

Purple Finch

White-winged Crossbill - one heard near Sabattis Bog

Pine Siskin - hundreds (there was a huge flock heard at the intersection of
Route 30 and Sabattis Circle Rd.)

 

Blue Jays and Amer. Robins continue to be abundant also.  Geese were on the
move, but with the low clouds, it was impossible to see them.

 

While I was walking at Sabattis Bog, a car stopped, and the people asked if
I was looking for the moose!  I should keep a tally of how many times I am
asked that question!  They told me that people have recently been observing
a moose on Sabattis Circle Rd.

 

10/25/11 Long Lake

 

Two Hermit Thrushes were observed in the trees outside our home.  While I
was out with our dogs in the evening, I heard a fox calling.  Later in the
evening, a coyote pack howled, which was amplified over the baby monitor we
have on our porch to bring in feeder bird sounds.  

 

10/22/11 Northville-Placid Trail (S) in Long Lake

 

I hiked 2 miles round trip on the N-P Trail (S).  A Ruffed Grouse was
drumming as if it were spring - heard several times on the way in and way
out.  A Black-backed Woodpecker called and flew between the tops of two
trees.  A Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrushes, Winter Wrens, and Pine
Siskins were some of the other species found.

 

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] White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Evening Grosbeaks, etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

11-9-11 (Submitted most locations to eBird, but I'll do a quick summary)

 

Pine Siskins continue to be remarkably abundant in the Adirondacks.  There
are so many, that it feels like the entire population must currently be in
the Adirondacks!  Everywhere you stop, you hear them.  This morning, the
trees outside our house were once again filled with siskins (none yet at the
feeders).  Purple Finches and Amer. Goldfinches are also currently
widespread, but in far fewer numbers than siskins.  Blue Jays also continue
to be abundant.  Most exciting this morning, I found 4 flocks of
White-winged Crossbills!  (Total of 35)  I was able to view 2 flocks with my
scope.  Here are some of the species found:

 

(Birded from 7:45 a.m. to noon, clear skies, 37 to 64 degree range)

 

Our house (Long Lake, Hamilton Co.):

Purple Finch - 5

Pine Siskin - 40

Amer. Goldfinch - 3

 

Route 28N .7 miles southeast of the intersection with the Blue Ridge Rd. in
Newcomb, Essex Co.:

Black-backed Woodpecker - 1 (I find them here about 50% of the time I stop)

Boreal Chickadee - 5 (3 on one side of the road and 2 on the other)

Purple Finch - 6

White-winged Crossbill - 25 (two flocks: one 19 and one 6.  The flock of 19
was feeding on tamarack cones - nice scope views!)

Pine Siskin - 60

Amer. Goldfinch - 7

 

Railroad Bed south off Route 28N in Minerva, Essex Co.: (This is one of the
locations where Red Crossbills nested this past summer, but I didn't find
any today.)

Pileated Woodpecker - 3

Purple Finch - 6

White-winged Crossbill - 8 (One flock feeding on black spruce cones - nice
scope views!)

Pine Siskin - 100 (Feeding on black spruce cones, balsam fir cones, and
tamarack cones.  It was very hard to count the number of siskins and 100 is
a very conservative estimate.  You could see them all the way down the
railroad bed in the trees.)

Evening Grosbeak - 12 (In a large white pine.  I was able to see 5 before
the flock of 12 flew off (4 males, 1 female)).

 

As I was hiking back to my car on the railroad bed, I was thinking it would
really make my day if I could also find Evening Grosbeaks.  Just a few
seconds later, I found the flock of 12!  They were in a large white pine
right along Route 28N across from my car.

 

Hewitt Eddy Trail in Minerva, Essex Co.:

Purple Finch - 6

White-winged Crossbill - 2 (They were flying over as I got out of my car.
It is possible I was seeing the end of a larger flock.)

Pine Siskin - 40

Amer. Goldfinch - 6

 

Blue Jays are abundant everywhere also.  One of the Blue Jays gave a perfect
Broad-winged Hawk vocalization!  I also found a few flocks of Dark-eyed
Juncos.  I had hoped to also visit the Boreas River bridge area and hike the
Roosevelt Truck Trail, but both locations had hunters.

 

It appears we have an exciting finch winter ahead!  There is certainly an
abundance of food for them this year.

 

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] Roosevelt Truck Trail in MInerva, Essex Co.

[Joan E. Collins]

11/16/11 Roosevelt Truck Trail (Minerva, Essex Co.)

 

I had a beautiful walk on the Roosevelt Truck Trail today.  I don't recall
ever finding as many Boreal Chickadees on one walk before.  Views of the
Boreal Chickadees were terrific throughout the hike.  Winds were calm all
day (not as forecast) and it began to drizzle only on my drive home.  There
are two wheelchair accessible camping sites along this dirt road trail
(there is a gate, but you can call your local DEC office to get the lock
combination to drive to the camp sites).  There are tents sites, picnic
tables with large overhangs at one end for wheelchairs, firewood, fire pits,
and wheelchair accessible outhouses.  The camp sites are lovely and
extremely quiet - I had lunch at the second camp site today.

 

The Roosevelt Truck Trail is becoming one of my favorite birding trails
(this is the location where I found 3 singing Cape May Warblers in the
spring).  It has wonderful boreal habitat.  In the morning fog, it felt
primeval.  The first bird I found - just outside my car - was a male
Black-backed Woodpecker.  As I hiked, I heard what sounded like another
Black-backed Woodpecker, so I started to bushwhack toward the sound.  What I
found was hemlock cones dropping to the ground - and at least 120 Pine
Siskins in a feeding frenzy in the huge hemlock tree above me!  The tree
appeared to be boiling with siskins - it was quite a sight!  The siskins
moved to a birch tree next to the hemlock so I was able to finally count
them.  I found another group of 3 Black-backed Woodpeckers (2 were giving
the rattle call) on my way out - I believe there were actually 4, but I
could only hear/observe 3 at once.

 

One of the Ruffed Grouse was drumming and I heard yet another new (to me)
Common Raven vocalization (their vocalizations seem endless).

 

I will paste in my eBird report:

 

Roosevelt Truck Trail (southern trailhead), Essex, US-NY Nov 16, 2011 9:45
AM - 2:15 PM

Protocol: Traveling

5.2 mile(s)

Comments: 39 to 50 degrees, calm winds, cloudy.  Wonderful bird walk!

18 species

 

Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)  4

Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)  1

Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)  4

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)  1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  15

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  2

Common Raven (Corvus corax)  5

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  57

Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  20 5 Flocks: 2, 3, 7, 4, 4

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  24

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  5

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  26

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  10

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)  20

White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)  4

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  235

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  6

Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus)  5

 

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

 

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] Singing Red White-winged Crossbills a BLACK BEAR!!!

[Joan E. Collins]

12/14/11 Minerva  Newcomb (Essex County)

 

I hiked the Roosevelt Truck Trail today because I lost my favorite water
bottle on the trail on Monday!  (I came out too late on Monday to re-hike
it.)  With the new reality of our warmer climate, I am often asked what
Black Bears do when there is little or no snow on the ground at this time of
year.  Well I found the answer today!  A large Black Bear had hiked much of
the trail sometime between Monday night and this morning.  I did a double
take when I realized the tracks in the snow paralleling mine were not my
tracks from Monday, but the tracks of a large Black Bear - the paw tracks
were larger than my winter boot!  It was a bit unnerving and I kept much
more alert as I continued the hike.  (I also got out my bear protection - my
whistle!  It is my psychological protection and kept my knees from shaking!)

 

On Monday, a Red Crossbill was singing at the second camp site on the
Roosevelt Truck Trail.  Today, I heard two Red Crossbills singing - once
again at the second camp site, and earlier on the trail.  As I listened to
the interesting call note of a female Red Crossbill (heard both on the way
in and the way out at the second camp site), White-winged Crossbills flew in
behind me and one sang 3 times!  (I've been finding them calling, but today
was the first time I've heard singing.)  While all this was happening, a
huge flock of over 100 Pine Siskins was creating a din nearby and a couple
of Purple Finches flew over!  It felt like finch grand central station.  I
found 23 Red Crossbills and 8 White-winged Crossbills during the hike, with
a nice observation of a Red Crossbill pair at the second camp site on the
way in.  On a stop along Route 28N (.7 miles southeast of the Route 28N and
Blue Ridge Rd. intersection) on my drive home, I found 5 more Red Crossbills
- definitely a different type from the Roosevelt Truck Trail birds.  I
also found a Black-backed Woodpecker at this stop.

 

In addition to Black Bears still being active, I am still finding waterfowl
on the large lakes (Common Loon, Bufflehead, Common  Hooded Mergansers,
Ring-necked Duck, etc.) and Blue Jays, Purple Finches, and Amer. Goldfinches
- species that have usually left our mountain area by now.  Numbers of Pine
Siskins are still remarkable - I found 450 in a short walk of the trail to
Raquette Falls last week (feeding on birch seeds, hemlock cone seeds and
balsam fir cone seeds).  I hear siskins outside our house all day, including
a flock of 80 this morning.  They have plenty to eat in the forest and are
not yet coming to the feeders.  A pair of River Otters was observed in
Middle Cat Pond (intersection of Sabattis Circle Rd. and Route 30 in the
Town of Long Lake) on Dec. 6.  At one point, they surfaced facing each other
and appeared as mirror images - one of those moments when I wish I had a
camera handy!

 

I added 9 new eBird lists today, but I'll paste-in just today's 2 lists
below:

 

Roosevelt Truck Trail (southern trailhead), Essex, US-NY Dec 14, 2011 10:00
AM - 2:30 PM

Protocol: Traveling

5.2 mile(s)

Comments: Black Bear tracks in the snow (2) for a long distance along
the trail!!!

15 species

 

Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)  4 1 bird alone and 3 birds together

Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)  1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  10

Common Raven (Corvus corax)  2

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  62

Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  11 Flocks of 3, 5, and 3

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  26

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  1

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  20

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  17

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)  6

Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)  23 Two different birds singing - one
by the second camp site.

White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)  8 One bird sang 3 times!
Also at the second camp site.

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  195 There was a flock of over 100 near the
second camp site.

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2

 

Route 28N Brook .7 SE of Blue Ridge Rd. Intersection, Essex, US-NY Dec 14,
2011 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Protocol: Stationary

4 species

 

Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)  1

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)  2

Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)  5 Three on one side of the road and
two on the other

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  4 Feeding in tamaracks

 

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] 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:
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] Red White-winged Crossbills/Evening Grosbeaks/etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

February 17-20, 2012 St. Lawrence Valley  Adirondacks (St. Lawrence,
Hamilton, Franklin, and Essex Counties)

 

The record warm winter this year is truly alarming.  Some of the unusual
results in northern NY: a lot of open water; lack of snow; intermittent rain
nearly every week, springtails (snow fleas) have been observed since January
(usually it is late March); Black Bear tracks in the snow; huge Amer. Crow
flocks returned in January and they have been battling Common Ravens
(normally this behavior begins in March); most of my feeder species are
birds that normally leave the mountains in Oct.; Brown Creepers have been
singing each day since 2/11; Anthony Collerton and I observed a Golden Eagle
soaring over Big Brook in Long Lake on 2/16; and in the past two days,
Brenda Inskeep and I observed 2 Red-tailed Hawks in the mountains (Lake
Clear area, and Blue Mountain Lake).  It doesn't feel like February at all
in the Adirondacks.

 

Finches:  The Pine Siskin irruption is HUGE and I think there is a siskin
(maybe several) in every bush of the Adirondacks!  There is a good irruption
of White-winged Crossbills and they have been actively singing for several
weeks now.  Red Crossbills are also singing (first singing heard on 2/8),
but are not as widespread as White-winged Crossbills.  The Red Crossbills
can be found along the Route 28-Route 28N corridor including Inlet/Raquette
Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, Long Lake, and Minerva.  They nested last summer
and now appear to be doing a winter nesting in the same areas.  Several days
ago, I observed a male Red Crossbill gritting on Route 28 between Blue
Mountain Lake and Raquette Lake along with 2 juvenile Red Crossbills.
Evening Grosbeaks showed up in Long Lake on February 4 and have been
observed every day since (not sure where they were before 2/4!).  Purple
Finches and Amer. Goldfinches never left the mountains this year and Purple
Finches are vocalizing as if it was already spring.

 

2/17/12 St. Lawrence Co.

 

I had an early morning appointment in Potsdam, so I spent a few hours
birding in the area.  I traveled the magic rectangle (the St. Lawrence
Valley's equivalent of the magic triangle in the Lake Champlain Valley!) -
Regan Rd. to May Rd. to Pleasant Valley Rd. to Stockholm Rd. to Route 11
back to Regan Rd. (where I go to see Bohemian Waxwings, Northern Shrikes,
and Rough-legged Hawks).  Bohemian Waxwings are very reliable in this
location every winter because of the vast invasive buckthorn vegetation.
This year, the waxwings have competitors with record numbers of Amer. Robins
staying north.  Some of the species found:

 

Rough-legged Hawk - dark morph (Route 11 Potsdam)

Northern Shrike - Robinson Bay Rd. in Massena

Bohemian Waxwing - 135; (110 on May Rd. and 25 on Pleasant Valley Rd. in
Potsdam)  I only counted the birds perched high - there were many more down
in the buckthorn vegetation out of sight.

 

2/18/12 Hamilton  Essex Counties

 

Sean O'Brien, Ted Mack, and I spent several hours birding in Long Lake,
Ferd's Bog, and the Newcomb-Minerva area.  Some of the species found:

 

Gray Jay - 2 at Ferd's Bog

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill - by Long Lake

White-winged Crossbill - many singing at Ferd's Bog and along Route 28N in
Newcomb

Pine Siskin - countless

Evening Grosbeak - ~ 50 in Long Lake

 

2/19/12  2/20/12 Hamilton, St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Essex Counties

 

Brenda Inskeep and I birded in Hannawa Falls/Potsdam/Stockholm in St.
Lawrence Co., and then traveled to the Paul Smith's/Bloomingdale area in
Franklin Co. on Sunday.  This morning, we birded in Long Lake and Raquette
Lake (Ferd's Bog) in Hamilton Co.  Some of the 34 species found:

 

Ruffed Grouse - 5 flushed on Bigelow Rd.

Bald Eagle - soaring over May Rd. in Potsdam

Rough-legged Hawk - 3; (2 in Hannawa Falls and 1 in Potsdam)

Northern Flicker - 1 (early? Or did it ever leave?!) on Regan Rd. in Potsdam

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Shrike - 3 (1 at the Sweeney - Back Hannawa Rd. intersection; 1 on
Regan Rd. which we watched stab a mole/shrew, then pick it up in its bill
and transfer to toes as it flew into the bushes; 1 at the Pleasant Valley
Rd. - Stockholm Rd. intersection)

Gray Jay - 1 in Bloomingdale and 2 at Ferd's Bog

Boreal Chickadee - 5 at Bigelow Rd. (2 flocks)

Brown Creeper - singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Bohemian Waxwing - 81 (30 in Hannawa Falls (Route 56), 40 on May Rd. in
Potsdam, and 11 on Fletcher Farm Rd. in Bloomingdale)

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill - singing in Long Lake

White-winged Crossbill - many singing in Bloomingdale, Ferd's Bog, and Route
28N in Newcomb

Pine Siskin

Evening Grosbeak - ~50 in Long Lake and at least one on the Keese Mills Rd.
in Paul Smith's

 

We observed a perplexing behavior - a battle between a male Evening Grosbeak
and a male Red Crossbill in Long Lake (near where the Red Crossbills are
singing/nesting).  The grosbeak aggressively chased the crossbill back and
forth for several minutes.  I suspect the crossbill 

[nysbirds-l] Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch update

[Joan E. Collins]

3/6/12

 

Janet Akin, sister of Nancy Loomis (homeowner), reported that the
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch showed up at 6:26 a.m. this morning.  Nancy sent me
a message that a TV crew from Channel 7 out of Watertown is on the way to
her house!  Little does the rosy finch know how famous it is becoming!
Locust Grove must be experiencing a boon in tourism!

 

Nancy also mentioned what a nice bunch of guys visited yesterday, and
today, she mentioned it has been great to meet everyone visiting.  She
particularly enjoyed reading Corey Finger's blog (I'll list the link below
for members of Northern NY Birds):

 

http://1birds.com/gray-crowned-rosy-finch-in-new-york.htm

 

Beautiful photos Corey!  Thank you for writing such an interesting blog - I
found it wonderful to read more about the bird's behavior, and its behavior
around the other feeder species.  Thanks to Benjamin and Seth for
identifying the bird's subspecies.

 

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/

--

FW: [nysbirds-l] Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch images

[Joan E. Collins]

Positive news from Nancy Loomis is below!

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

From: Nancy Loomis [mailto:loomis.na...@yahoo.com] 
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 6:51 AM
To: Joan E. Collins
Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch images

 

Joan can you get it out there that the Rosy Finch is still here.  People want 
to know and I am on my way to work and Janet is also working.  Thank You. Also 
mention the sign in log is in the garage.

 


--

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] Northern Saw-whet Owl/Red-shouldered Hawk/Crossbills etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

3/12/12 Ferd's Bog (Hamilton Co.) 10:30 - 1:30 p.m.

 

It was a bit scary driving Uncas Rd. today, and I suspect the town will
close it soon given the snowy slush and mud (as they did last year).  I
almost turned around.but I kept going.  I used snowshoes so I could leave
the trail and circle the bog.  The beaver dam crossing in snowshoes was also
scary.  With the rapid warm-up, I started to drop through the snow on my
hike out even in snowshoes.  I think I hit the last day to easily hike off
trail.

 

This has been the most unusual (bizarre) winter I can ever recall, and it
seems like normal is disappearing.  When I was across the bog, I heard a
Northern Saw-whet Owl tooting!  My first thought was that a birder must be
playing a tape.  But then I thought, no one in their right mind would have
driven down Uncas Rd. today..yeah, I know.  I continued on with my two Gray
Jay companions.  Then, I heard it again.  I scanned for a birder and didn't
see anyone or hear any snow crunching footsteps.  Then, I heard it a 3rd
time, and as I hiked out, it tooted a 4th time!  There were no other
footprints in the snow, no one else signed the register, and there were no
other car tracks down the road!  I've heard Northern Saw-whet Owls give the
scary call note during the day, but I've never heard tooting midday.  I
immediately checked the BNA (Birds of North America) when I got home and the
only reference to this behavior was a saw-whet responding midday to a tape.
But I didn't play any tapes!  The weather was sunny and calm (perfectly
calm).  So, I guess I now know that Northern Saw-whet Owls DO sing during
the day!  Here are some of the 18 species found at the bog:

 

Snow Goose - flocks going overhead

Canada Goose - flocks going overhead

*Northern Saw-whet Owl

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2; male and female at the edge of the bog not far
from the boardwalk

Gray Jay - 2; They were my constant companions today - so much so, that it
felt like I was hiking with my dogs!  I found myself talking to them the
entire hike.  I noticed something about their behavior today that I never
noticed before.  I was feeding them small walnut pieces, and they often
picked up several pieces in their mouth before heading out to cache them.
If the bird picked up 3 pieces, it cached them in 3 different trees, if it
picked up 2 pieces, it cached them in 2 trees, etc.  They are such
remarkable birds.

Boreal Chickadee - several flocks around the bog

Brown Creeper - many singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet - many singing

Purple Finch - many singing

White-winged Crossbill - many with lots of singing around the bog

Pine Siskin - seemingly limitless numbers

 

3/11/12 Long Lake, Newcomb, Minerva (Hamilton  Essex Counties)

 

I spent the morning birding with Mike Bryant and his wife Ray Slyper from
NYC.  Here are some of the 25 species we found:

 

Ruffed Grouse

Red-shouldered Hawk - beautiful views today of the bird on a dead snag in
the sun (across the road from where we found it the day before in Long Lake)

Barred Owl - sang twice late morning in Newcomb!

Song Sparrow - singing in Long Lake

*Common Grackle - 4; first of the season in Newcomb

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill - pair at a marsh along the road in Minerva (scope views)

White-winged Crossbill - singing in Long Lake, Newcomb, and Minerva (scope
views in Newcomb)

Pine Siskin

Evening Grosbeak - Long Lake, Newcomb, and Minerva (scope views in Long
Lake)

 

3/10/12 Long Lake, Newcomb, Minerva (Hamilton  Essex Counties) 5 new inches
of snow overnight

 

I spent the day birding with Anna Hrycin and Josefa Benson of Rochester.
Here are some of the 24 species found:

 

*Red-shouldered Hawk - (Long Lake) first of the season and new early record
for Hamilton Co.

*Killdeer - 1!  First of the season and new early record for Hamilton Co.;
This bird was observed flying low over Long Lake at dawn to the town beach.
It began to vocalize, so we walked over to see it and all you could see was
the top of the bird with the rest buried in all the new snow!  It was
bobbing its head and it looked ridiculous!  I felt very bad for this migrant
that touched down into a world of snow and cold. 

Black-backed Woodpecker - 1 female in Minerva on the Roosevelt Truck Trail

Boreal Chickadee - 6 (3 groups of 2) along the Roosevelt Truck Trail

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill - heard in Long Lake and along the Roosevelt Truck Trail in
Minerva

White-winged Crossbill - singing at Sabattis Bog and along the Roosevelt
Truck Trail

Evening Grosbeak - several locations

 

A few other older observations:

 

3/7/12 Long Lake, Newcomb, Minerva

 

Amer. Robin

Bohemian Waxwing - ~20 in two berry bushes near the bridge on the west side
of Long Lake.  This is the first time I've found Bohemian Waxwings in Long
Lake.

*Song Sparrow - first of the season and new early record for Hamilton Co.;
singing near the bridge over Long Lake

Red Crossbill - pair gritting near the bridge over Long Lake

 

Sabattis Bog:

[nysbirds-l] Finch update/Massawepie Mire/Roosevelt Truck Trail

[Joan E. Collins]

Hamilton  St. Lawrence Counties

 

I returned to Long Lake on April 2nd after being away for nearly 3 weeks.
There was 2 feet of snow when I left on March 14th.  Currently, there are
just a few isolated patches of snow left in sheltered areas of the woods and
virtually no mud at all.  My husband reported that seaplanes and boats went
into Long Lake in March - certainly a new early record.  Red and
White-winged Crossbills are still around and the huge Pine Siskin irruption
continues.

 

I drove into Massawepie Mire yesterday, April 8 - an early record for me in
spring - and there was no mud on the road!  My prior early record was April
12, 2010 when David Buckley and I found the mire already full of singing
Palm Warblers.  Yesterday, I did not find any Palm Warblers, so I am slowly
honing in on an actual arrival date for this species.  (Yesterday, I did not
find any Pine Warblers either.)  I began the hike at 6:40 a.m. (very cold)
and I hiked 6 miles round-trip (just short of the Grass River Flow).
Highlights included a non-stop singing Northern Shrike - I was in
ear-birding heaven!  The first year bird went through a whole barrage of
different vocalizations.  Another highlight was the impressive numbers of
White-winged Crossbills (including young) foraging on black spruce cones
(mostly calling, but there was still some singing too).  I was alarmed by
the dry conditions at the mire.  Given the lack of snow and warm temps, the
vernal pools, which are normally abundant at the mire, were non-existent.
There is also a lot of tree damage from the constant high-wind storms.  On
another negative note, there was a great deal of logging (again) over the
winter, and many areas along the drive looked like a lunar landscape.  (I'll
post my eBird report below.)

 

I also hiked the Mountaineer Trail around Massawepie Lake yesterday -
similar species were found and there was a Common Loon on the lake.  (Also a
Common Loon on Catamount Pond by the entrance to Massawepie.)  The first
Common Loon on Long Lake was observed on April 5th.  I hiked the Roosevelt
Truck Trail on April 7th (eBird report below).White-winged Crossbills
were found on all hikes over the past week (Northville-Placid Trail (S) in
Long Lake on 4/4, Sabattis Bog on 4/6, Roosevelt Truck Trail on 4/7, and
Massawepie Mire on 4/8).  I also found a dead (road-killed) female
White-winged Crossbill near a marsh along Route 28N in Newcomb.  I observed
3 male White-winged Crossbills gritting near the Route 28N - Blue Ridge Road
intersection on 4/7.  A road-killed Pine Siskin was found on Route 28N near
the Lindsay Marsh Trailhead.  There was a group of about 10 siskins gritting
and when they flew up, there was one bird left behind - the dead bird.  As I
sat in my car watching, a Pine Siskin kept flying down to the dead bird and
hopping around it - very sad.

 

eBird reports:

 

Massawepie Mire, St. Lawrence, US-NY

Apr 8, 2012 6:40 AM - 11:40 AM

Protocol: Traveling

6.0 mile(s)

20 species

 

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)  1

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)  2

Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)  1

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)  1

Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)  1 1st year bird vocalizing!

Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)  2

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  60

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  2

Common Raven (Corvus corax)  2

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  30

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  12

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  16 Many singing birds along the
3-mile hike in.

Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)  8

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  20

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  8

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  60

Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)  2

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)  18

White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)  68 Throughout the mire and
juveniles observed.  Birds were flying around the mire and feeding on black
spruce cones.

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  120 Huge irruption continues...

 

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

 

Roosevelt Truck Trail--Southern Trailhead, Essex, US-NY Apr 7, 2012 10:00 AM
- 1:00 PM

Protocol: Traveling

5.0 mile(s)

15 species

 

Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)  2

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)  1

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)  1

Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)  1

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  25

Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  3

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  9

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  16

Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)  4

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  15

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  40

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)  2

Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)  3

White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)  2

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  60

 

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

 

Also yesterday (on Easter), I found a 

RE: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, N.Y. City 4/14 WATER

[Joan E. Collins]

Hi Tom/All,

 

It is great to read about the migrants on their way through NYC!  Wanda 
Mike Moccio and I found Palm Warblers singing on territory in Massawepie
Mire on Friday, April 13.  (I posted the past four day's observations to
Northern NY Birds.)  I was at Massawepie on Wednesday, April 11 and did not
find any Palm Warblers.  The earliest arrival date I've been able to
document was April 12, 2010.  As usual, it is always the first warbler
species I find in the Adirondacks.  There have been two reports of Pine
Warblers - one in the Champlain Valley on 4/7 and one in the St. Lawrence
Valley on 4/9.

 

Tom mentioned the lack of water, which is problem for the birds this spring.
Even my non-birding husband has noticed that all the birds are hanging out
in the ditches along the roadways trying to find water from remnant snow
banks.  I noticed the hoards of Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches we
still have at our feeders are also focusing their time where the last of the
snow banks along our driveway just melted.  This morning I cleaned out an
old ceramic bird bath and filled it with water - it instantly became Grand
Central Station to our feeder birds.  There isn't enough room for all the
birds, so my husband is going to take one of our old snow-disk sleds and
fill it with water to help.  I am sure the situation is even worse
downstate.  In the Adirondacks, we've had some rain, snow, and hail over the
past week, which has helped fill some of the nearly empty vernal pools and
puddles.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

From: bounce-47841321-13418...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-47841321-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Tom Fiore
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 11:00 PM
To: nysbirds-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, N.Y. City 4/14

 

Saturday 14 April, 2012  -  

Riverside Park, Inwood Hill Park, Central Park: Manhattan, N.Y. City

 

The day began (at first light) with a very strong flow of 'new' migrants,
including some apparent onward morning flight of various passerines as seen
from the northern end of Central Park, and still at least somewhat evident a
1/2-hour after sunrise.  Many more Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warblers were
moving than in any previous day this spring, and accompanying them were a
more modest number of additional warbler species with Palm Warbler an easy
second in their overall numbers.  A very good sparrow flight also took place
with Chipping Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow predominant, also including
a strong contingent of Dark-eyed Junco.  Continuing in good numbers were
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, aided by fresh reinforcements.

 

Now, what a lot of birders also will be interested in are some of the new
arrivals and the uncommon spp. amongst those:  there were at least (to my
knowledge) 3 YELLOW-THROATED Warblers in Manhattan today - the first,
previously reported here  elsewhere, was noted from the n. end of Riverside
Park and was found by Tom Perlman - with whom I birded for a bit in Central
Park's north end along with other birders. That bird (the Riverside Pk.
Yellow-throated) was seen, after Tom  others spread the word, by no fewer
than 40+ birders in the mid-day period and was pretty cooperative for many
who showed up then. It did not seem to be vocal but stayed in one pin oak
tree, along with multiple nearby Yellow-rumped, Palm, and some Pine
Warblers, and other high-up migrants.  The location was just very slightly
north (a few yards) of the paved park path within Riverside Park to the
north of the north entry to the small sanctuary area, and the path that
leads from 120 Street / Riverside Drive down into the park and (below) to
the tennis courts  small brick building housing the tennis house 
restrooms.  This also happens to be just north  up-slope of the drip in
Riverside, which is on and is starting to be active now (a few warblers 
other migrants visiting it this day). 

 

Another Yellow-throated Warbler was in far northern Manhattan in Inwood
Park, near the Clove path, or the central wooded path which leads from the
lagoon area up to the highest ground - this bird was singing and was very
high in the oak trees, well-known to any regulars of that park as an
extremely high canopy  thus potentially a very tough bird - however there
is a path that allows a bit of a view out into canopy from just above the
clove and with the warbler singing on  off it was possible to re-find it,
if only sporadically, in the hours between 3  5 p.m. - there were a variety
of other warbler spp. and other expected migrants in Inwood Park as well in
the afternoon  it seemed likely that the morning hours there may have been
quite productive. I did not see any other birders at that hour, however, but
there are a small group of devoted Inwood Hill area birders.  

 

Also, a number of birders were able to see a Yellow-throated Warbler in
Central Park's Ramble area, at the NW portion of that area, known as the
Upper Lobe of the lake, not far in from the W. 77 Street park 

[nysbirds-l] Singing Fox Sparrow on Whiteface!

[Joan E. Collins]

6/14/12 Whiteface Mountain, Essex County

 

I was on Whiteface Mountain earlier today with Cheryl Harner and Jan Auburn,
from Ohio, and a Fox Sparrow was singing midway between the Lake Placid
Turn and the Wilmington Turn across the road from a picnic table
pull-off.  We spent time on the summit and when we came back, the Fox
Sparrow was still singing!  So, is the Fox Sparrow moving its range to the
south?!  The habitat is actually perfect near the summit.  If anyone has any
thoughts about this observation, I would be interested in hearing them!  I
will be on Whiteface at least 3 more times in the next week, so I can keep
an eye on this location (one of trips will be for a Mountain Birdwatch
survey and it will be interesting to see if I tally a Fox Sparrow!).

 

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] Singing Fox Sparrow continues on Whiteface Mountain

[Joan E. Collins]

6/15  6/16/12 Whiteface Mountain, Essex Co.

 

The Fox Sparrow was found singing again on Friday and Saturday up on
Whiteface Mountain.  So, you have to wonder if any females are listening
(other than me that is.)?  It is a long way to Maine and Canada from
Whiteface Mountain!  The bird is holding a territory between the Lake
Placid and Wilmington turns - across the road from the picnic table (on
the right as you drive up) by the slide.  Even from the parking lot, much
higher up, the Fox Sparrow's voice can be heard loudly echoing up the peak.
One of my clients almost got a photograph yesterday, but the bird was behind
a fir tree.  Sean O'Brien plans to accompany me during my Mountain Birdwatch
survey this week to record the bird.

 

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] Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks of NY

[Joan E. Collins]

I posted this to our Mountain Birdwatch list serve, but thought it might be
of interest to NYS Birds and Northern NY Birds also.

 

6/23/12 Whiteface Mountain, 4,865', clear, calm winds, temp 52 to 58
degrees.

 

After the past decade climbing mountains in the dark, and/or carrying a
camping pack up peaks, it is a joy to have a drive-up mountain!  Four of the
six survey points are along the Whiteface Memorial Highway, so I can
actually drive between points also!  (Points 5 and 6 are down the trail, so
I actually have to walk a little!)  I abandoned a survey on Wednesday, June
20th due to 40 mph winds and blowing fog (Judith told me she abandoned Big
Slide the same morning!).  Sean O'Brien had accompanied me to record
Bicknell's Thrush and the Fox Sparrow (more on this bird below) for the
Cornell Lab.  We spent a sleepless night in my car buffeted by high winds
that never abated.  Saturday morning's conditions were perfect.  Here are
the results (given that we actually do 4 surveys at each of 6 points now, I
took the highest count of a species for each point):

 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 7 (1,1,1,1,2,1)

Black-capped Chickadee - 0

Boreal Chickadee - 0

Winter Wren - 11 (2,2,2,2,1,2)

Bicknell's Thrush - 9 (3,1,2,2,1,0)

Swainson's Thrush - 18 (5,3,3,3,2,2)

Hermit Thrush - 0

Blackpoll Warbler - 8 (3,1,1,1,1,1)

White-throated Sparrow - 17 (3,3,5,3,2,1)

Fox Sparrow - 2 (0,0,1,1,0,0) An outlier way out of range!

 

Red Squirrel - 0

 

Additional non-surveyed species found on Whiteface's summit:

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin - they have been up there for several years now!

Nashville Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler (heard at point 6)

Dark-eyed Junco

White-winged Crossbill

Pine Siskin

 

I am frequently on Whiteface Mountain with clients and I found the singing
Fox Sparrow on June 14th.  The bird is holding a territory at a location
between 4200 and 4300 feet.  It was still there as of yesterday, June 24th.
Fox Sparrows do not breed in NY, although maybe that will change now?!  Sean
O'Brien accompanied me again for the Saturday survey and he recorded both
Bicknell's Thrush and the Fox Sparrow (beautiful recordings and I wish I had
his wonderful recording equipment).  I suspect I heard the same Fox Sparrow
at points 3 and 4, so there is probably only one.  When the Fox Sparrow
began to sing at my 3rd point, I could still see Sean down the road.  He
looked up my way and although I couldn't see his expression, I know he was
smiling!

 

Sean and I have both been alarmed by the changes on Whiteface this year.  It
appears that Swainson's Thrush is now the most abundant thrush species on
the summit.  Sean had an earlier trip up Whiteface and was unable to find a
singing Bicknell's Thrush to record among all the singing Swainson's
Thrushes.  Last year, I would estimate that it had become 50-50 at the
summit, but it is clearly apparent this year that Swainson's Thrushes have
rapidly overtaken Bicknell's Thrushes in numbers.  (Yesterday, several
Swainson's Thrushes were observed carrying food for young near the summit.)

 

I surveyed Blue Mountain (3750') for many years, and I could usually count
~15 singing birds on my hike to the summit for the 4:30 a.m. survey (this
peak is no longer surveyed).  This year, I led a nocturnal climb up the peak
during the Adirondack Birding Festival on June 9th in perfect conditions
(clear with calm winds) and we only heard 3 calling birds and no singing.
The summit was filled with singing Swainson's Thrushes.  It was truly
alarming.  The movement of Swainson's Thrushes into higher elevations has
been extremely rapid.  (A change that Dan Lambert predicted would occur as
our springs warm due to climate change - the cold springs kept Swainson's
Thrushes in lower elevations.)

 

To end on a lighter note, we found 2 snowshoe hares on Wednesday night near
the summit, and one Saturday morning!  The high winds and blowing fog on
Tuesday-Wednesday made for a surreal experience on Whiteface.  Sean and I
drove up to the parking lot during the night and the tunnel into the
mountain was lit up with fluorescent lights!  Also, the ticket takers' radio
was playing.  It was like an eerie scene from The Shining!  The light
coming out of the tunnel looked odd amid the blowing fog and the radio
playing with no one there was just creepy.  For those unfamiliar with
Whiteface, Franklin D. Roosevelt had the road, tunnel, and elevator built in
the 1930s.  The tunnel is very long and leads to an elevator that goes up
300 feet to the actual summit rocks.  Every time I get in that tunnel, the
what ifs start in my head - what if there is an earthquake, etc.

 

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) 

[nysbirds-l] Massawepie Mire Black-billed Cuckoos

[Joan E. Collins]

8/8/12 Massawepie Mire, southeastern St. Lawrence Co.

 

On Wednesday, I was out birding with Marnie Mitchell, from Tennessee, at
Massawepie Mire (we also drove Sabattis Circle Road twice and birded at
Tupper Lake Marsh).  Marnie was interested in photographing birds, so we
frequently stopped on the long drive into the mire (at every lake, wetland,
or when we spotted raptors, etc.).  I had a rather unusual experience.  At
nearly every stop, we found a singing Black-billed Cuckoo!  I got to the
point where I just started laughing every time we stopped and heard yet
another singing Black-billed Cuckoo!  We tallied TWELVE by the time we
reached our hiking turn-around location (Silver Brook).  The tenth bird was
perched in a tree along the dirt road, nearly 3 miles in on our hike.  It
sang and called on and off, with another bird answering farther away.  We
had to ignore a group of Gray Jays as we observed the cuckoo!  This is the
second time I've observed a Black-billed Cuckoo in my scope at Massawepie
this year.  I was with a group of 3 birders on July 2nd when we found a
family group of Black-billed Cuckoos.  The red orbital ring is just
beautiful to see through a scope!  The birds were very vocal.  On our drive
out, in the afternoon, the birds were still singing!  (. at a time of day,
and year, when most species have become much less vocal)  It was fascinating
to find the cuckoos across such a wide range of habitats - deciduous forest,
lake edges, mixed forest, boreal forest and bog, and open logged areas.
(The family group found on July 2nd was in a heavily logged area.)  The bird
we observed captivated us with its interesting vocalizations and I wished
Sean O'Brien had been there with his recording equipment.  We left the bird
after observing it for a long time.  On our hike back out, the bird was
still in the same place!  Cuckoos, like crossbills, are intriguing and
perplexing species to me!

 

As expected after nesting this winter in the Adirondacks, I have been
regularly hearing White-winged Crossbills this spring/summer.  We heard them
several times on Wednesday at Massawepie.  Other highlights included at
least two Evening Grosbeaks, three groups of Gray Jays, a female
Black-backed Woodpecker, a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher family, and a Merlin
family (in an area close to where they nested this year).  Here is our
complete list of species:

 

Canada Goose

Wood Duck

American Black Duck - 3

Ruffed Grouse - at least 5

Common Loon - 9! (Deer Pond group of 2 adults/2 young, Tupper Lake group of
2 adults/2 young, and a flyover bird at Massawepie)

Great Blue Heron

Osprey

Broad-winged Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Merlin - family of at least 4 by Catamount Pond, and a solo bird at the mire

Ring-billed Gull

Black-billed Cuckoo - 12!!! (Including a nice, long visual look at one!)

Belted Kingfisher

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker - female (nice views!)

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee - singing

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - family group (mostly calling, one song heard)

Alder Flycatcher - singing

Blue-headed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Gray Jay - 3 different groups (Including nice visuals of one group)

Blue Jay

American Crow

Common Raven

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper - a few songs heard!

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush - singing

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Cedar Waxwing

Nashville Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler - singing

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler - singing

Blackburnian Warbler

Palm Warbler

American Redstart - singing

Common Yellowthroat

Canada Warbler - several singing!

Scarlet Tanager - singing (female observed)

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow - singing

White-throated Sparrow - singing

Dark-eyed Junco - singing

White-winged Crossbill - heard calling several times as they fed in trees as
we hiked out

American Goldfinch

Evening Grosbeak - at least 2 perched and vocalizing; a female flew over us
as we were stopped on our drive in

 

We also observed a coyote (very thin and unhealthy looking) and a snowshoe
hare on Sabattis Circle Rd.

 

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] Red Crossbills

[Joan E. Collins]

9/6/12 Long Lake (northern Hamilton County)

 

This morning, at about 8:45 a.m., 8 Red Crossbills flew directly over me
heading southwest (I was on our lawn having just returned from hiking with
our dogs).  They were moving fast and calling - the vocalizations sounded
closest to Type 3.  (Thanks to Matt Young for sending me all his Red
Crossbill recordings last year.)  Red Crossbills nested in the area at the
end of last summer (2011), and again this past winter, along with
White-winged Crossbills.  I've been regularly hearing White-winged
Crossbills throughout the summer, but before today, the last Red Crossbills
found were on June 9th (at least 2 on Blue Mountain) and a single bird
fly-over bird on July 13 (Spring Pond Bog).

 

Mike Bryant sent me beautiful photographs of the Red Crossbills in Central
Park - very exciting!

 

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] Spruce Grouse, Evening Grosbeaks, more sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

10/20/12 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.)

 

Our feeders went up a little over a week ago, and the number of birds
visiting continues to increase each day (9 species as of today).  Evening
Grosbeaks began visiting the feeders on Thursday (10/18) - a flock of 25 to
30, and stayed the entire day.  A smaller flock visited yesterday morning,
and a pair visited early this morning.  Pine Siskin numbers have increased
each day, and it was well over a hundred today.  Purple Finches could be
heard in the trees, but have not yet come down to the feeders.  Once again,
I set up our baby monitor outside, so we can hear all the outdoor
vocalizations inside.  

 

There are news stories documenting the population explosion of squirrels
this year in the northeast - certainly the case at our house too - Red and
Gray Squirrels and Eastern Chipmunks are competing for bird seed each day.
We continue to catch one to two mice a day in our house - this is down from
the numbers we caught each day all summer!  I can't recall a time when we
had so many mice coming in our house in SUMMER!

 

With the warmer weather this week, insects are still active - dragonflies,
Mourning Cloaks, bees, flies, and the tiny white-blue fluffy insect that
appear at this time of year.

 

10/18/12 Sabattis Circle Road and Shaw Pond (Long Lake)

 

On a brief drive of Sabattis Circle Road in the afternoon, a Common Loon was
observed on Little Tupper Lake, a group of 4 Ruffed Grouse were feeding by
the edge of the road, and 3 Gray Jays were found at Sabattis Bog.  One of
the Gray Jays was feeding on something in the grass all along the edge of
the road.

 

On Shaw Pond, flocks of Ring-necked Ducks and Wood Ducks continue at this
beautiful wetland with mountains behind (a very common place to find
photographers).  A River Otter floated on its back eating something that was
very bloody!

 

10/17/12 Massawepie Mire (southeastern St. Lawrence Co.) (1 p.m. to 6:30
p.m.)

 

Wednesday was a spectacular, warm, fall day with calm winds.  I hiked 5.5
miles round trip at Massawepie in the afternoon.  Out in the open bog, there
was not a breath of wind and one of the rare times in life where I was able
to revel in the sounds of silence.  Military jets boomed through the skies
shortly after - one of the human sounds that I just can't escape.  The
tamaracks needles have turned yellow and they glowed on Wednesday at the
mire!  The fall smells were lovely.  During hunting season, it can be nice
to hike at Massawepie on weekdays since the land is privately owned by a
hunt club.  Hunt club members tend to hunt on weekends, so the mire is quiet
midweek.

 

I found huge moose tracks by the bridge over the South Branch of the Grass
River - glad I didn't run into that animal!  I also found Black Bear tracks
farther in.  On my way out, I found a Red-bellied Snake (about 8 long) in
the road by the bridge over the South Branch of the Grass River.  It was
going into a lethargic mode for the night and I was able to pick it up to
look at its brilliant belly.  I moved it to the side of the road just in
case a club member happened to drive the road that night.  Here are some of
the 24 bird species found:

 

Ring-necked Duck - on Massawepie Lake

Ruffed Grouse - one drumming, heard both on the way in and way out at the
same location

Spruce Grouse - male found at exactly the same location where David Buckley
and I found a male on April 30th this year!  (I was wondering what this
species was up to as I hiked - this bird was foraging in brushy vegetation
on the ground.)

Common Loon - 3 on Massawepie Lake (I stopped at the canoe put-in on my
drive out.  It was almost dark and one of the loons was calling across the
lake, which was like a mirror with no wind - gorgeous!)

Merlin - at Silver Brook

American Woodcock - 2; one on the way in and one on the way out!

Black-backed Woodpecker - heard calling across the bog

Pileated Woodpecker

Gray Jay - at least 5 (one group of 4 observed about 2.3 miles in and
another bird heard vocalizing near the South Branch of the Grass River)

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - at least 3 about 1.75 miles in

Brown Creeper

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird - heard calling

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Pine Siskin - the most abundant species! (Many groups of 2 or 3, but also
larger flocks of up to ~30 birds)

 

10/14/12 Shaw Pond in Long Lake

 

At least 2 Eastern Bluebirds were foraging over the pond (along with
Yellow-rumped Warblers).  A Merlin flew over, and flocks of Wood and
Ring-necked Ducks were observed.   Two beavers were swimming around together
across the pond and a muskrat was busy near where I was standing.

 

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) 

[nysbirds-l] White-winged Crossbills Bohemian Waxwings

[Joan E. Collins]

11/2/12 Roosevelt Truck Trail (Minerva in Essex Co.) 36 degrees,
overcast/drizzling/a few snowflakes!

 

Janet Allison and I hiked about 4 miles round trip on the Roosevelt Truck
Trail this morning.  The most abundant species was White-winged Crossbill -
even outnumbering the Pine Siskins!  White-winged Crossbills were heard
throughout the hike with two larger flocks encountered.  We saw the second
large flock, which numbered about 25 to 30, as the birds flew over us at the
end of our hike.  Other finches: Pine Siskins (several locations) and
Evening Grosbeaks (2 locations).  We also found two different Black-backed
Woodpeckers (1 male and 1 female) and 6 Boreal Chickadees (groups of 4 and
2).

 

On my drive back to Long Lake, I ventured down Adams lane in Newcomb hoping
to find Bohemian Waxwings.  At the intersection of Adams and Sanford Lanes,
I spotted a waxwing flock (~25) perched over a crab apple tree, which flew
off as I approached.  I drove around the neighborhood and came back to the
crab apple tree and found a solo Cedar Waxwing, which flew off after a few
seconds.  I birded another location by the Hudson River and came back again
to find a solo Bohemian Waxwing in the crab apple tree!  I watched the bird
for a long time and it was still in the tree when I left.  I suspect most of
the flock I found earlier were Bohemians.  The tree had plenty of fruit, so
they will be there for at least a couple more days.  A Bald Eagle was flying
over the golf course along the Hudson River.  At the bridge over the Hudson
on Route 28N, ~40 Evening Grosbeaks were visiting feeders on the northwest
side of the bridge.

 

I've encountered White-winged Crossbills on every outing I've done in the
past couple weeks.  I found them again on Wednesday (10/31/12) at the outlet
of Little Tupper Lake (Hamilton Co.) along Sabattis Circle Rd. (also a
Black-backed Woodpecker at Sabattis Bog down the road from this location).
During the Northern NY Audubon field trip up Azure Mountain (Franklin Co.)
on Sunday (10/28/12), White-winged Crossbills were heard on the summit and
at the parking area (in addition to several locations along Blue Mountain
Rd. after the climb).

 

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] Common Redpolls/White-winged Crossbills/Finch movements, etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

11/6/12 Southeastern St. Lawrence Co. (Piercefield and Massawepie Mire)
Clear, cold (18 to 32 degrees), calm winds

 

David Buckley and I hiked about 5.5 miles round trip at Massawepie Mire
today.  On the drive from David's home in Piercefield, we found a flock of
~10 Common Redpolls feeding on (abundant) birch catkins along Main St. in
Piercefield.  The birds were feeding non-stop and did not appear to take any
notice of us.  A Red-winged Blackbird flew over at this location.

 

Here are some of the species found at Massawepie:

 

Hooded Merganser - on Massawepie Lake

Ruffed Grouse

Common Loon - Massawepie Lake

Black-backed Woodpecker - female

Gray Jay - 3 heard

Boreal Chickadee - 4 observed

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1

White-winged Crossbill - heard throughout the hike, with several observed
flying over us (one large flock heard)

American Goldfinch

 

Waterfowl in Hamilton Co. (town of Long Lake) on the drive home: 12 Amer.
Black Ducks on the Round Lake outlet, 3 Bufflehead, 6 Hooded Mergansers, and
2 Common Loons on Little Tupper Lake, Ring-necked Duck and 3 Hooded
Mergansers on Minnow Pond, and 3 Hooded Mergansers on Shaw Pond.

 

A male Northern Cardinal was foraging along the road near the Lake Eaton
campsite entrance in Long Lake (not a very common sight in Long Lake -
geographic center of the Adirondack Park).

 

11/4/12 Lake Champlain locations in Essex Co., overcast, cold, moderate
winds (very cold along the lake!)

 

Sean O'Brien, Ted Mack, Linda LaPan, and I drove to the Lake Champlain
valley on Sunday.  Brian McAllister and 4 Paul Smith's College students were
in another car, and Joe and Pat Demko were in a third car.  We spent most of
the time birding together.  Areas we visited included Westport, Essex,
Whallon's Bay, and Noblewood.  We tallied 53 species which included hearing
a first-of-the-season Common Redpoll flock.  Here are a few of the species
found:

 

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Common Loon

Horned Grebe

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Red-tailed Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

Greater Yellowlegs

Bonaparte's Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Tufted Titmouse

Carolina Wren

Eastern Bluebird

Bohemian Waxwing - ~35 to 40 on Newman Rd. in Lake Placid

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Snow Bunting - 5 on the beach at Noblewood

Red-winged Blackbird

White-winged Crossbill - 5 heard and observed flying over us

Common Redpoll

American Goldfinch

 

Finch movements:  Joe Demko (from NJ) mentioned that White-winged Crossbills
were being observed as far south as Cape May in New Jersey.  I have received
several email messages from birders downstate (for me, downstate is
defined as the Southern Adirondacks to NYC!) - from southern NY, NYC, and
Long Island, with reports of Evening Grosbeaks and White-winged Crossbills.
In the past week in Long Lake, Pine Siskin numbers have sharply dropped,
Evening Grosbeaks disappeared from feeders, and American Goldfinches moved
in!  Purple Finches left some time ago (they normally leave the mountains in
winter).  White-winged Crossbills are still widespread.  My last summer
sighting of White-winged Crossbill was August 8 (after their winter nesting,
I continued to find them well into the summer).  Then there was a gap of 2.5
months of no sightings before they became widespread on Oct. 23.  I have
heard/observed them on every outing since Oct. 23.  Finch movements this
fall are quite interesting.  Hopefully, Common Redpolls will find our
feeders soon.

 

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] Pine Grosbeaks/redpolls/Bohemian Waxwings/etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

11/15/12 St. Lawrence Co. locations
(Potsdam-Madrid-Waddington-Louisville-Massena)

 

I traveled to Potsdam for a morning car appointment, and afterwards, had 4
hours of light left for birding:

 

Bohemian Waxwing: ~45; 5 at Brookview Dr. in Waddington (with the Pine
Grosbeaks), and a flock of ~40 at the intersection of Robinson Bay Rd. and
Barnhart Island Rd. in Massena.  There were at least 2 Cedar Waxwings mixed
in with the Bohemians.  There were also American Robins feeding in the same
crab apple tree.

 

Pine Grosbeak: total of 15; 4 at Clarkson University in Potsdam (usually a
reliable location when this species irrupts), at least 7 on Brookview Dr. in
Waddington (Brookview runs between Routes 44  37), and 4 in Massena at
Hawkins Point (originally found by Mary Curtis).  None of the birds were
adult males.  Pine Grosbeaks are adorable and sweet - with vocalizations
that match this personality!  I observed the Pine Grosbeaks at Clarkson
for about a half hour.

 

House Finch: small flock in a berry bush on Brookview Dr. in Waddington

 

Waterfowl at various locations along the river:

Canada Goose

Mallard

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Common Loon

Pied-billed Grebe

Horned Grebe (one on Long Lake in Hamilton Co.)

There were large rafts of resting ducks at Wilson Hill.  I tried to view
them from the causeway, but I was looking directly into the sun and at a
great distance, they appeared to be black blobs.  Morning would be the best
time to observe waterfowl at this location.

 

11/14/12 Newcomb  Minerva in Essex County:

 

On a drive to Glens Falls, I stopped along the way at a few locations in
Newcomb and Minerva.  In Newcomb, redpolls were heard in the vicinity of a
feeder, and a pair of Northern Cardinals visited another feeder (remarkable
how quickly this species is expanding its range).  On a short walk of the
Hewitt Eddy Trail in Minerva, I found at least 3 Boreal Chickadees and a
flyover flock of redpolls.  In the village of Minerva, a small flock of
Common Redpolls visited a feeder.

 

11/13/12 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)  Tupper Lake (Franklin Co.):

 

At a feeder location in the hamlet of Long Lake, I found a small flock of
Common Redpolls, a single Pine Siskin, and a small flock of American
Goldfinches.  There were 3 Evening Grosbeaks in Tupper Lake along Route
30/3.  On Sabattis Circle Road, 2 Gray Jays glided across the road in front
of my car.

 

11/12/12 Long Lake - Evening Grosbeaks perched near our feeders, but I
didn't notice them actually come down to feed.  Redpolls were heard outside
our house at dawn.

 

11/11/12 Long Lake - Two Red Crossbills flew over our lawn at dawn.  Four
Evening Grosbeaks perched outside our house.

 

11/9/12 Long Lake - On Sabattis Circle Road a small flock of White-winged
Crossbills was heard flying overhead.

 

We lost the hoards of Pine Siskins from our feeders over a week ago ( I'm
no longer hearing them on hikes).  There is a small flock of American
Goldfinches visiting and Evening Grosbeaks just perch in the trees near the
house.  I haven't been home the past couple days to know if redpolls have
found our feeders yet.

 

Nocturnal visitors: Raccoons (adorable, but destructive) and tonight, I
found a flying squirrel on our porch!  It climbed up on our porch roof and
flew (from 2 stories up) to a tree quite a distance away - just a remarkable
sight!  We are overrun with Red and Gray Squirrels during the day.  I bought
a couple squirrel feeders to put in the trees to keep them away from the
bird feeders, but I need to wait until the raccoons are no longer active.
Years ago, before our climate dramatically changed, raccoons and black bears
were never a problem after mid-Oct.

 

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] Harris's Sparrow in Newcomb (Essex Co.)

[Joan E. Collins]

11/17/12 Newcomb (western Essex Co.)

 

Charlotte Demers just emailed a photo of a Harris's Sparrow at her feeders
in Newcomb.  It is a first winter bird.  She doesn't know how long it has
been around since she has been gone all week.  The bird was discovered as
she was doing Project Feederwatch this morning.  She asked that visitors
observe the feeders from the road - the feeders are on the right side of the
house and easily viewed from the road.  Charlotte's house is on Sanford
Lane.  Take Adam's Lane (off Route 28N) to the end (only a few hundred feet)
and Charlotte's blue house is directly ahead at the intersection with
Sanford Lane.  (I recently posted the Bohemian Waxwings at this location.
Charlotte mentioned that although the fruit is gone from the tree on her
front lawn, there were still 3 Bohemian Waxwings in it this morning.  In
addition to Northern Cardinals at her feeders, a Tufted Titmouse also showed
up today - certainly not usual species for the heavily wooded central
Adirondacks!)

 

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] More Pine Grosbeaks other finches

[Joan E. Collins]

11/17/12 - Charlotte Demers (the person with the Harris's Sparrow in her
yard) just emailed to say a Pine Grosbeak just showed up outside her Newcomb
house!  (She also has Bohemian Waxwings and Evening Grosbeaks.)

 

Yesterday, 11/16/12, I found 2 Pine Grosbeaks while driving to the Long Lake
Post Office (northern Hamilton Co.).  They were in a bush with small red
berries - not many berries left and I didn't find re-find them later in the
afternoon.  I should have mentioned in my post from Thursday that while I
have yet to find an adult male Pine Grosbeak, several of the birds I saw on
Thursday and one of the two yesterday were young males - if you get a good
look with binoculars, you can see some color in the breast feathers of young
males.

 

Larry Master of Lake Placid has heard reports of Pine Grosbeaks in Lake
Placid, Ray Brook, Bloomingdale, and Wilmington (all Essex Co.).  It looks
like we have a nice irruption underway for this species!

 

Also yesterday, I drove Sabattis Circle Road in the afternoon (Long Lake).
I stopped at the outlet of Little Tupper Lake (one of my favorite birding
stops - it always seems like unexpected things happen at this spot!) and
while I was observing a Common Loon, I spotted 3 River Otters.  They were
actively diving - almost always in perfect synch.  They appeared as huge,
cork-like periscopes when they popped up!  I came back an hour later after
birding around Sabattis Bog, and found a single Snow Bunting with two Amer.
Tree Sparrows by the outlet.  One sparrow kept sideling up to the bunting.
The bunting would only take it for so long and then very aggressively lunge
at the sparrow.  I was surprised to see the otters still in the same
location out on the lake.  A small flock of 4 vocalizing redpolls flew
through the birch trees.  After awhile, I heard loud sounds of ice breaking
(with calm winds).  The otters made it over to the outlet and were popping
their heads up through the ice!  One swam under the bridge and got up on the
ice on the outlet and was making red-squirrel type barking sounds!  I
watched the group of 3 fishing, eating, running around the ice, interacting,
and vocalizing (a whole range of fascinating vocalizations).  After watching
the otters for a long time, I was about to get back in the car, when 3 Red
Crossbills (I suspect type 3) flew right over me.

 

I am fascinated by the finch movements this fall, and wondering how far
south the irruption ranges will end up.  I heard from Matt Orsie of West
Virginia on Wednesday - he had a Common Redpoll at his feeder!  He said that
in addition to an above average influx of Pine Siskins and Purple Finches in
WV, they also have reports of Evening Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls - plus
both crossbill species in Virginia!

 

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] Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks, etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

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 

[nysbirds-l] FW: Common Pochard images

[Joan E. Collins]

Here is an update on the Common Pochard from Larry Master ( some
photographs).

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

From: Larry Master [mailto:lawrencemas...@gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2013 7:30 AM
To: joan.coll...@frontier.com
Subject: FW: Common Pochard images

 

 

From: Larry Master [mailto:lawrencemas...@gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2013 7:28 AM
To: 'northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com'
Cc: 'jtrim...@oeb.harvard.edu'; 'kmcfarl...@vtecostudies.org';
'astr...@uvm.edu'; 'Chris Rimmer'; 'erichyne...@gmail.com';
'iwor...@uvm.edu'; 'vzeo0...@myfairpoint.net'; 'John Marshall'; 'Frank Gill'
Subject: RE: Common Pochard images

 

I was told this morning that the Pochard photo link didn't work.  Please try
this longer one:
https://plus.google.com/photos/112372647343297818289/albums/5829050524084151
633?authkey=CKT3w_rgm-iXCQ 

 

Larry

 

From: Larry Master [mailto:lawrencemas...@gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2013 10:44 PM
To: 'northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com'
Cc: 'jtrim...@oeb.harvard.edu'; 'kmcfarl...@vtecostudies.org';
'astr...@uvm.edu'; 'Chris Rimmer'; 'erichyne...@gmail.com';
'iwor...@uvm.edu'; 'vzeo0...@myfairpoint.net'; 'John Marshall'; 'Frank Gill'
Subject: Common Pochard images

 

Some grainy downloadable images (taken at 1456 mm equivalent and then
savagely cropped) of the Common Pochard taken under the Vermont side of the
Lake Champlain bridge this morning are posted at http://tinyurl.com/akn5bsz.
I also noted two male Tufted Ducks (an adult and a first winter bird), two
Barrow's Goldeneyes, a Glaucous Gull, White-winged Scoter, Gadwalls, and
hundreds of Greater and Lesser Scaup, Common Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes,
Mallards, Black Ducks, Redpolls, Bald Eagle, Great Black-backed, Herring,
and Ring-billed Gulls.

 

In other years we have noted Tufted Ducks on the New York side of the lake
(e.g., off Ausable Marsh in the spring) with an occasional Redhead mixed
in with hundreds of scaup, goldeneyes, etc., as today.  I know that I have
always glossed over the Redheads as just that and not given a thought to
the possibility of Common Pochard.  That will now change.

 

Given tonight's deep freeze (it's -19 F and dropping at our house as I write
this), I strongly suspect the water near the bridge will freeze up tonight
and the ducks will move off shore and/or up lake and not be as easily
viewable tomorrow.

 

Larry Master

Lake Placid, NY

lawrencemas...@gmail.com

www.masterimages.org http://www.masterimages.org/ 

www.intervalelowlands.org

 


--

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] NYSOA St. Lawrence Valley Field Trip

[Joan E. Collins]

1/13/13 St. Lawrence County locations (7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

 

On Sunday, eighteen people attended the NYS Ornithological Association's
field trip held in the St. Lawrence Valley to view winter bird visitors.
St. Lawrence County had record-breaking warm temperatures on Saturday and
came close to breaking records on Sunday.  The Sunday temperatures, both low
and high for the day, were over 30 degrees higher than average!  It was in
the high 50s.  We had some rain in the morning and then thick fog over the
snow and open water around the county.  The St. Lawrence River is mostly
open water.  Normally, at this time of year, waterfowl and gulls can be
found congregated at the open water near Moses-Saunders Dam (Massena),
viewed from Hawkins Point, but with the river mostly open, waterfowl and
gulls are scattered.

 

The field trip was a car-birding excursion across the northern section of
St. Lawrence County.  We formed a train of 5 cars and drove a circuit from
Canton to Rensselaer Falls to Ogdensburg to Lisbon to Madrid to Waddington
to Massena to Winthrop to Potsdam and back to Canton!  The birding itinerary
took us through villages, shrubby habitat, open farm country (which ended up
being fog country on Sunday!), river edge, swamps, and deciduous forest.
We had 4 walkie-talkies (thanks to Ann Spencer and Mary Normandia) which
helped communication between cars.  Car-birding has its comical challenges -
when someone sees a bird and asks you to stop the car (suddenly) and you
hope the car behind doesn't ram into you!  And then, because the stop can't
be instantaneous, you get asked to back-up, but there is a train of 4 cars
behind you by this point!  At a couple of our stops, in front of someone's
house, the homeowners came out to see what was going on, and we think we may
have started a couple people on the road to becoming birders as a result!
One young man was excited that there were 40 Pine Grosbeaks perched in his
backyard and declared that he was going to go inside and google Pine
Grosbeak right away!  (He also kindly offered that we could go in his
backyard to see the birds even closer if we wanted.)  Another woman viewed
the 18 Bohemian Waxwings across from her driveway through one of the
participant's binoculars!

 

Regardless of the morning rain and fog, we still managed to find quite a few
winter visitors among other birds on Sunday.  Here are some of the species
found:

 

Trumpeter Swan - 3 at the outlet of Lower Lake on Route 15 in Canton (2
adults and a juvenile)  (This area had been frozen last Thursday.)

Waterfowl - Amer. Black Duck, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser

Wild Turkey

Red-tailed Hawk - 10

Amer. Kestrel

Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Belted Kingfisher - 1 at the outlet of Lower Lake on Route 15 in Canton
(given climate change, Belted Kingfisher is becoming a year-round bird up
north)

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker - Hawkins Point

Northern Shrike - 4 (3 adults and 1 juvenile), 2 different locations on
Irish Settlement Rd. in Canton, 1 in Madrid, and 1 in Massena on Robinson
Bay Rd.

Common Raven

American Robin

Bohemian Waxwing - 24 (6 in Massena on Horton Rd. and 18 on Route 11
northeast of Potsdam)

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Snow Bunting - 9 in Madrid (Route 30)

Northern Cardinal -many

Pine Grosbeak - 63 (15 in Canton along Route 11, ~40 in Ogdensburg, and 8 in
Massena on Horton Rd.)

Common Redpoll - hundreds!  (We found a probable Hoary Redpoll in a large
flock in Canton, but it was at a distance high in a tree.)

 

One of the Pine Grosbeaks in Ogdensburg was an adult male.  This was the
first adult male that I've seen this winter!  This is certainly the most
unusual irruption I've ever observed for this species.  I assume the adult
males stayed north since I hear it is the same case in VT, NH, and ME -
birders only viewing females and young birds.  There is a lot of fruit left
on the trees in Ogdensburg, so Pine Grosbeaks will probably be there all
winter.  The birds are located by the St. Lawrence River ranging from
Caroline St. to Riverside Dr. to State St. to Washington St. (immediately
drive behind the buildings to the left) to Crescent St. to Greene St.  In
Canton, I've been viewing Pine Grosbeaks in the same fruit tree for 2 months
now!  The large flocks of Bohemian Waxwings can polish off the fruit in a
tree with remarkable speed compared to Pine Grosbeaks!

 

It was great to meet birders from around New York State over the weekend!
Thank you to Kathy Schneider for organizing NYSOA's quarterly
presentations/field trips around the state.

 

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) 

[nysbirds-l] Hoary Redpolls/Huge flocks of Bohemian Waxwings

[Joan E. Collins]

Redpolls have been daily visitors to our Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) feeders
since December 29 (before that date we had intermittent small flocks).  I
have regularly observed one female Hoary Redpoll, and on Saturday (1/12/13),
I observed 2 female Hoary Redpolls among a flock of over 200 Common Redpolls
on our back porch.  I was in St. Lawrence Co. on Sunday when my husband told
me we had huge numbers of redpolls visiting the feeders (which was
surprising given the warm-up that occurred yesterday).  Even with yet
another unusually warm day today, numbers of redpolls remained high ( a lot
of seed consumed).

 

I visited St. Lawrence Co. on Thursday, 1/10/13, ahead of our NYSOA field
trip yesterday.  I began at dawn in Potsdam and then drove the same route we
took yesterday from Canton.  Here are a few additional observations (to the
field trip post):

 

Bufflehead - Rt. 131 Hopson's Bay in Massena

Common Goldeneye - Rt. 131 Hopson's Bay and Hawkins Point in Massena

Red-breasted Merganser - 2 among many Common Mergansers at Hawkins Point in
Massena

Cooper's Hawk - perched at a house on Fairlane Dr. in Canton (see Bohemian
Waxwing below)

Rough-legged Hawk - 2; one dark morph along Route 11 northeast of Potsdam by
the intersection with Regan Rd. (a usual winter location for this species),
and one light morph soaring over the intersection of Irish Settlement Rd.
and Route 15 in Canton

Pileated Woodpecker - Robinson Bay Rd. (Massena)

Northern Shrike - 1 along Regan Rd. in Potsdam

Horned Lark - 15 to 20 on Route 27 in Lisbon

Bohemian Waxwing - 1000!  In the morning, I found a flock of over 100
feeding along Route 11 northeast of Potsdam (not far from Stockholm Rd.) in
buckthorn - a usual location where I find them in winter each year.  Also in
the a.m., in Canton, I viewed the Pine Grosbeaks on Route 11 and then turned
down Harrison St. where I immediately observed hundreds of Bohemian Waxwings
filling the trees for a block from Harrison St. to Church St. along Judson
St.  It appeared to be a gathering and then the birds broke away in large
flocks with some heading north and some heading west (in the direction of
SUNY Canton).  I found one of the large flocks flying around Fairlane Dr.
where I could also hear more Pine Grosbeaks vocalizing (but never saw the
grosbeaks).  The Bohemian Waxwing flock flew into a tree where a Cooper's
Hawk had just landed and perched above the raptor for about half a minute
before flying off.  At the end of the day (around sunset), in Massena, I was
leaving Hawkins Point and driving down Robinson Bay Rd. when I spotted a
Bohemian Waxwing flock perched in a tree.  I began to count them, when more
and more kept flying in - hundreds, and I gave up counting.  I observed a
behavior I had not seen before - they filled the road (like gritting birds).
It was in the high 30s and there was some water forming at the sides of the
roads from snowmelt, but it was difficult to see what the birds were
actually doing in the road since there were so many.  I stood outside my car
and the sound of their vocalizations was deafening!  (It was reminiscent of
all the times I would go into the huge flocks of over 700 behind our house
when we lived in Potsdam when they were intent on feeding in the buckthorn
and didn't mind my presence.)  The birds all flew off (in large groups) to
the southeast in the direction of the Wiley Dondero Canal.

Snow Bunting - a flock of over 120 on Route 30 in Madrid (same road where we
found the 9 Snow Buntings yesterday).  They flew across a large field and
perched at the top of a deciduous tree - my scope revealed they were
preening.

Pine Grosbeak - many - in Potsdam, a small flock appeared to be gritting on
May Rd.; same locations as yesterday in Canton and Ogdensburg; and a large
flock feeding along Rt 131 in Massena just before the intersection with
Barnhart Island Rd.

 

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] Hoary Redpolls other sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

1/19/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

This morning, a group of 12 people, 10 from Saw Mill River Audubon and 2
from the Audubon Society of the Capital Region, visited our feeders for an
hour (trip organized by Christine McCluskey).  They planned to arrive
between 8 and 8:30 a.m.  I went outside a few minutes after 8 and the
redpoll flocks were swirling around over our lawn (~200).  They immediately
settled into the trees surrounding our house and I had non-stop scope views
of a brilliant female Hoary Redpoll.  The birds only visited the feeders
once before the visitors arrived, and spent most of the time preening up in
the trees.  The temps are unusually warm today (upper 20s at dawn).  I had
my scope trained on the female Hoary Redpoll as all the cars drove up our
driveway at 8:30 - I was sure it would spook the flock and they would miss
seeing the birds.  As it turns out, the female Hoary Redpoll never moved and
everyone had views of the bird through my scope!  The bird even turned
several times, allowing views of its brilliant white rump!  It can be very
difficult to have long views of a Hoary Redpoll in a scope because redpolls
are often flighty going between trees or the feeders.  This is by far the
longest view I've had of this species in one spot (~15 minutes)!  I believe
I now have 3 Hoary Redpolls visiting - 2 females and 1 male.  Sometimes you
can lose redpoll flocks in warm-ups, but the numbers visiting our feeders
actually increased in the warm-up last weekend.  Hopefully, that will be the
case this (warm) weekend too.

 

1/18/13 St. Lawrence Co. locations (mid-morning to mid-afternoon)

 

I combined a bit of birding with a grocery trip to St. Lawrence Co.
yesterday.  (One of the few disadvantages of living in the middle of nowhere
is 3 hour round trips to a major grocery store!).  Here are a few of the
species found:

 

Common Goldeneye - Hawkins Point in Massena

Common Merganser - Hawkins Point in Massena

Ruffed Grouse - in a tree on Robinson Bay Rd. in Massena

Bald Eagle - adult flying over the small airport in Potsdam

Great Black-backed Gull - many at Hawkins Point in Massena (sitting up on
the Moses-Saunders Dam)

Northern Shrike - adult along the short drive into Hawkins Point (off
Robinson Bay Rd.)

Common Raven - 2 on the bridge to Barnhart Island in Massena (I believe the
same bridge where Mary Curtis has been observing a pair of Peregrine
Falcons).  One of the ravens dropped a stick as I sat to watch what it was
up to.  Then, it flew to the peak of the bridge (second one in) and hopped
up a flight of stairs, then hovered (for a long time) under a metal beam -
with its bill inserted into a cache location!  It finally pulled its bill
out and had a piece of meat!  Raven behavior is endlessly fascinating to me!

Horned Lark - 11 on Planty Rd. in Madrid

Northern Mockingbird - 1!  (I assume this is the same bird that Mary Curtis
recently posted.)  This is only the second N. Mockingbird I have observed in
St. Lawrence Co.  The bird was on the short drive into Hawkins Point in
shrubby vegetation along a side dirt road (that someone has been driving
even in the snow).  The only reason I spotted the bird was that it flew
across that side dirt road - and then sat perfectly still in bitter cold
temps.  It was also interesting to me that this bird was about 200 feet from
where I had been watching the N. Shrike hunting a half hour earlier!

American Tree Sparrow

Pine Grosbeak - 11 (all in Massena); 3 on Horton Rd. in a crab apple tree
near the intersection with Rt. 131, 3 at the other end of Horton Rd. in
buckthorn vegetation (I could hear more vocalizing, but could only see 3),
and 5 on Rt. 42 between Horton and Dennison Rds.

Common Redpoll - a large flock at feeders located at the end of Kinnie Rd.
in Massena; The birds were snow burrowing on roof snow near the feeders!

Amer. Goldfinch - with the same redpoll flock above

 

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] Hoary Redpolls other Northern NY birds

[Joan E. Collins]

I have been absent from email for several weeks due to 5 different family
emergencies.  Someone on NYS Birds asked about a Hoary Redpoll location.  We
continue to have large numbers of redpolls - hundreds of Commons and at
least 4 Hoary Redpolls (1 male and 3 females) at our Long Lake feeders.
Birders are welcome to view our feeders if they can let us know the
date/time ahead.  So far, everyone who has visited has had success in
viewing a Hoary Redpoll.

 

Here are some recent sightings from northern NY locations:

 

2/10/13 Long Lake (Hamilton County)

 

Bohemian Waxwing - a flock of 60 to 70 birds perched at the edge of our lawn
in Long Lake.  Bohemian Waxwings occasionally show up in Long Lake during
the winter, but this was the first time we have had this species on our
property.

Hoary Redpoll - I observed 4 on our front porch among hundreds of Common
Redpolls.

 

2/14/13 Bloomingdale area (Franklin/Essex Counties), Tupper Lake (Franklin
Co.), Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

Ruffed Grouse - Bloomingdale

Bald Eagle - 2 adults flying together over Route 3 by the intersection with
Coreys Rd.

Barred Owl - Long Lake

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 females (1 along Bigelow Rd. in Bloomingdale  1
at Sabattis Bog in Long Lake)

Gray Jay - 11 (3 at Sabattis Bog, 6 at Bloomingdale Bog, and 2 along Bigelow
Rd.)

Bohemian Waxwing - ~20 in a crab apple tree by the Tupper Lake school
entrance on Stetson Rd.

 

2/15/13 Various St. Lawrence Co. locations

 

Rough-legged Hawk - 2 (1 light morph on Route 30 in Madrid, and 1 light
morph at the intersection of Routes 30  27 in Lisbon)

Horned Lark - 11 (Lisbon  Madrid)

Bohemian Waxwing - 10 in Ogdensburg

Snow Bunting - Lisbon

Pine Grosbeak - 11 (1 in Canton, groups of 6 and 4 in Ogdensburg)

 

On a tour with 3 birders from the NYC area over the weekend, we found 45
species.  We spent Saturday in boreal habitat and Sunday in the St. Lawrence
Valley.  Here are some of the species found:

 

2/16/13 Bloomingdale area (Franklin/Essex Counties)  Sabattis Bog (Hamilton
Co.)

 

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2 (1 male on Oregon Plains Rd. in Bloomingdale  1
female at Sabattis Bog in Long Lake)

Boreal Chickadee - 13 (groups of 1,1,1,5,  5 along Oregon Plains and
Bigelow Rds.)

Brown Creeper - singing on Oregon Plains Rd.

Golden-crowned Kinglet - Oregon Plains Rd.

Gray Jay - 8 at Bloomingdale Bog

White-winged Crossbill - 8 (only 2 females) on Oregon Plains Rd.  They were
in the area for a long time and spent time foraging on spruce cones and
gritting in the road.

Common Redpoll - ~10 at Bloomingdale Bog

 

2/17/13 Various St. Lawrence Co. locations

 

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Wild Turkey

Bald Eagle - 4 (1 Lisbon, 2 Madrid, and 1 Massena)

Cooper's Hawk - Ogdensburg

Red-tailed Hawk - 10

Rough-legged Hawk - 2 (1 light and 1 dark morph) Route 30 in Madrid

Herring Gull

Glaucous Gull - 1 (possibly 2 as I saw one on the water also - may have been
the same perched bird later) at Hawkins Point in Massena.  Interesting - the
USA-Canada border runs right through the middle of the Moses-Saunders Dam!
So, technically, the Glaucous Gull was perched in Canada - But, we did see
it flying in the USA before it perched!!!

Great Black-backed Gull - many at Hawkins Point in Massena

Northern Shrike - Route 15 in Rensselaer Falls at Lower Lake (Town of
Canton)

Common Raven

Horned Lark

Tufted Titmouse

Bohemian Waxwing - at least 80 in Canton feeding in fruit trees on Farmer
St.

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Snow Bunting - several locations including scope views at Lisbon Beach

Northern Cardinal

Pine Grosbeak - ~10 in Canton feeding in a large spruce (eating the new
vegetation) at St. Lawrence Univ.

House Finch

 

We stopped by Lisbon Beach and found birders from the Saranac Lake area who
had not observed the Smew ( reported meeting other birders who did not find
it on Sunday either).  Jeff Bolsinger posted his Smew photographs, taken on
Saturday, on the Northern NY Birds website.  As Jeff posted, conditions were
not ideal for viewing waterfowl on the river with bitter cold, wind, and
heat shimmer.

 

2/18/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

The three birders from NYC and I braved the bitter cold to watch our feeder
redpolls through scopes at 8 a.m.  We observed a brilliant female Hoary
Redpoll feeding among the Common Redpolls.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

(315) 244-7127 cell

(518) 624-5528 home

http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/

 

 

 

 

 


--

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/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Crossbill question

[Joan E. Collins]

Hi Greg/All,

 

Very observant!  It is not 50-50, at least for White-winged Crossbill.  Info
from the Birds of North America White-winged Crossbill account:

 

Lower mandible crosses to right approximately 3 times more often than to
left (Benkman 1988c
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/027/articles/biblio/bib008 ).

 

Here is the info from the Birds of North American Red Crossbill account:

 

Lower mandible crosses to right as often as to left.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

From: bounce-74921622-13418...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-74921622-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of greg prelich
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2013 9:19 AM
To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Crossbill question

 

I've been looking at some photos I took recently of Crossbills and noticed
that on one bird the upper mandible crosses over the right side of the lower
mandible and on another bird it crosses on the left. Does anybody out there
know if there is a preference either way, or is it a 50% proposition?

Greg Prelich
New Rochelle

--

NYSbirds-L List Info:

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME Welcome and Basics 

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Rules and Information 

 http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm
Subscribe, Configuration and Leave

Archives:

The Mail Archive
http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 

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

BirdingOnThe.Net http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 

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

--


--

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] Great Gray Owl more!

[Joan E. Collins]

3/30/13 Hamilton, Franklin, Essex, Clinton Counties

 

Two Barred Owls are hooting back and forth outside our Long Lake house
tonight as I write this post!  It looks like we'll have nesting Barred Owls
in our yard again this year.

 

While returning to Long Lake after an all day birding tour, a Great Gray Owl
was observed in southern Franklin County.  A birder from NJ spotted the bird
as I was driving 60 miles per hour!  (I've birded with her before and she
has raptor eyes!)  She said, Stop the car, I think I just saw a Great
Gray Owl!  I 180-ed with the car, and looked into the beautiful face of a
Great Gray Owl!  We continued to watch the bird perch and actively hunt.
Larry Master made it to our location from Lake Placid in record time!  He
took some wonderful photos which he plans to post.  I didn't keep track of
the time, but I suspect we observed the bird for about an hour and a half.

 

The NJ birder stopped at our home yesterday at dawn to observe our Common
and Hoary Redpoll feeder birds and then we spent the whole day birding
today.  Here are some of the 40 species found:

 

Snow Goose - hundreds migrating north

Ring-necked Ducks - filling in on open water

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Ruffed Grouse

Turkey Vulture

Cooper's Hawk - Bloomingdale

American Kestrel

Peregrine Falcon - Plattsburgh

Barred Owl - Sabattis Bog

Great Gray Owl - southern Franklin Co.

Black-backed Woodpecker - at least 5 (probably 7 since we heard two more
drumming that would have been a long bushwhack); two pairs and a solo bird
in the Bloomingdale area.  We spent a lot of time watching one pair
communicating back and forth through tapping.

Pileated Woodpecker - 2 today (1 yesterday at my home)

Boreal Chickadee - 6 (groups of 1, 3, and 2 in Bloomingdale)

Brown Creeper - singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet

American Robin - Bloomingdale area

Pine Grosbeak - 2 in Plattsburgh feeding on crab apples along Montcalm Rd.
near the intersection with Ash Road.

 

3/29/13 Long Lake, Hamilton Co.

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk - preying on the redpolls at our feeders

Northern Saw-whet Owl - 1 vocalizing outside our home (dinner time)

Hoary Redpoll - 3 (1 male and 2 females); For the first time ever, I had two
female Hoary Redpolls in one scope view sitting near each other!

 

3/28/13 Long Lake, Hamilton Co., and Plattsburgh and Chazy in Clinton Co.

 

A Barred Owl was vocalizing outside our home at dawn.

 

I found two flocks of Bohemian Waxwings: ~60 at Lake Alice Wildlife
Management Area and 5 outside Hawkins Hall at SUNY Plattsburgh.  The
Bohemian Waxwings at Lake Alice were fly-catching at the wetland near the
intersection of Ridge and Macadam Roads (it was over 50 degrees at the
time).  A Peregrine Falcon tried to catch a Rock Pigeon as I watched the
Bohemian Waxwings at Hawkins Hall - the same location where a Peregrine was
observed today.

 

3/26/13 St. Lawrence County

 

Waterfowl (Snow  Canada Geese, Amer. Black Duck, Mallard, Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye, Hooded, Common, and Red-breasted Mergansers), 2 Bald
Eagles, and 2 Pine Grosbeaks outside Pizza Hut in Massena!

 

3/25/13 Long Lake, Hamilton Co.

 

Black-backed Woodpecker at Sabattis Bog

 

3/24/13 Long Lake, Hamilton Co.

 

Barred Owl - 2 hooting back and forth at Sabattis Bog (late afternoon)

Black-backed Woodpecker - 1 at the boreal forest by the Round Lake outlet
into Little Tupper Lake

 

We still have ~2 feet of snow on the ground in Long Lake (lots of lake
effect snow).  There is very little snow in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid,
and no snow in Plattsburgh.  The temperature difference between Plattsburgh
and Long Lake has been about 10 to 15 degrees.  It doesn't feel like spring
in Long Lake yet.

 

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] Sparrow species, Evening Grosbeaks, etc

[Joan E. Collins]

4/9/13 Long Lake, NY (Northern Hamilton Co.)

 

There were very few Golden-crowned Kinglets that stayed north this winter.
It appears they have returned!  One was singing outside our house this
morning and I found quite a few while out birding midday.  It was the same
situation for Evening Grosbeaks, and they too, appeared today.  There were
two vocal males at a feeder location on our road.  There is a huge movement
of sparrow species underway and they lined the roadways.  I found six
species: Amer. Tree, Vesper, Fox, Song, and White-crowned Sparrows, and
Dark-eyed Juncos.  The Vesper Sparrows were mixed with White-crowned and
Song Sparrows at the Long Lake Beach location.  I had my scope trained on a
Vesper Sparrow when a couple of Long Lake birders stopped to see what I was
observing.  They had never seen a Vesper Sparrow, so I'm glad they stopped!
There was literally a river of Dark-eyed Juncos flowing down our road as I
drove home - I stopped since it was such a remarkable sight, and that's when
I heard the Evening Grosbeaks.  The homeowner said they arrived today.  Many
of the sparrows I found today were singing, which was lovely.

 

A female Black-backed Woodpecker was loudly vocalizing at Sabattis Bog in
the same group of trees that I often find this bird (I assume it is the same
bird).

 

We continue to have hundreds of Common Redpolls visiting our feeders,
including the 4 Hoary Redpolls.  Our ground is still covered in snow and the
forecast calls for 10 more inches of snow on Thursday night.  The water on
14-mile Long Lake is just beginning to open up under the bridge.  I've
observed Mallards, Canada Geese, and Common Mergansers on this small section
of open water, but no Common Loons yet.

 

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] Winter Wrens, etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

4/10/13 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.)

 

Winter Wrens arrived overnight.  One began singing outside our window at 6
a.m. and I could hear two more wrens farther down the mountain we live on.

 

Another species that also arrived outside our home is the Mourning Dove -
not a species we tend to discuss on the lists, but there has been a
remarkable range expansion for this bird during the past couple decades.
Mourning Dove is now a regular breeding species at our house - in a heavily
forested location at 2,000 feet.  They have also moved into all the boreal
bogs.  Kevin McGowan discussed the range expansion into the Central
Adirondacks in the Mourning Dove species account in The Second Atlas of
Breeding Birds in New York State.  I suspect the last remaining white (no
detection) blocks in the Adirondacks will be filled in by the 2020 Atlas if
the rapid rate of expansion continues.

 

Thanks to the baby monitor that we use to bring in the outside sounds, I
went outside at 1 a.m. (hoping not to find a Black Bear at our feeders) and
I found a Flying Squirrel - and it flew as I walked toward it!  It feeds
at the black oil seed hearts feeder, but it also managed to rip open two of
the thistle sock feeders.  I fell back asleep, but awoke a short time later
to Barred Owl monkey calls, which I love to hear.  I woke my husband
worried that the Barred Owls would eat the Flying Squirrel, and he mumbled
something to the effect that he was sleeping!  It occurred to me that the
excitement of spring for birders is not often shared by non-birders!

 

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] Hermit Thrush, Red-necked Grebes, more

[Joan E. Collins]

4/11/13 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.)

 

A Hermit Thrush arrived today outside our house - the earliest arrival date
for this location.  (This may also be a new early record for Hamilton Co.)
A Fox Sparrow could be heard singing all morning.  Hundreds of Dark-eyed
Juncos continue to surround our house in addition to hundreds of redpolls (2
female Hoary Redpolls were observed perched outside our kitchen window).  I
am going through huge amounts of bird seed each day.  With all the arrivals,
migrants, irruptives, and year-round birds (20 species), it sounded like a
jungle over the baby monitor.

 

I encountered a very vocal Gray Jay this morning giving a call that I've
heard them give near their nest sites.  Their young should be fledging in
about a week and a half.

 

Lorraine Pine reported 2 Red-necked Grebes and 1 Horned Grebe at the south
end of Long Lake where the water is opening up.

 

4/10/13 Blue Mountain Lake  Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.)

 

A Fox Sparrow was singing outside our home.  I found a Red-necked Grebe on
Long Lake observed from the beach (near the bridge).  Lorraine Pine found
one at the south end (about 4 miles from the one I observed).  Lorraine also
observed 2 Common Loons at the south end of Long Lake. A Merlin was observed
at the Long Lake ball field.  

 

I had to travel to Glens Falls, and on the drive home, I stopped at the
marsh by Lake Durant in Blue Mountain Lake.  There was a pair of American
Black Ducks and a pair of Wood Ducks on a small brook at the edge of the
marsh.  The Black Ducks were vocalizing non-stop.  As I watched them, a Mink
came charging across the snow and swam at them!  The Black Ducks teamed up
with the Wood Ducks in a huddle - and the Wood Ducks also began to vocalize.
The chaos ended when the Mink went off hunting into the snowy marsh.  I
watched the Mink for over 30 minutes - the longest I have been able to watch
this active weasel species.  It kept finding openings in the snow and would
drop into the water - then reappear and shake off like a dog!  It appeared
to be eating small prey, but finally (after a half hour), it emerged with a
huge fish and bounded across the snowy marsh for the forest.  It had to swim
across the brook.  It came out of the water, took the fish up a snowy bank
and dropped it, then raced back to the brook and caught another large fish
(which I assume it spotted when it swam across with the first fish).  It
dropped that fish on the snow and then rolled around and around in the snow
(as my dogs used to do) then picked up both fish and ran into the forest.  I
was surprised that such a large fish was found in such a shallow marsh.  I
was so thrilled to be observing the Mink, that I ignored a Belted Kingfisher
that was perched on the wire near my car and fishing in the brook.  I could
hear it splashing into the brook, but I never took my eyes off the Mink!

 

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] Massawepie Mire more

[Joan E. Collins]

4/17/13 Massawepie Mire (southeastern St. Lawrence Co.)  Long Lake
(Hamilton Co.) 8:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

 

David Buckley joined me once again for the thrilling adventure of driving
into Massawepie Mire in mid-April!  It was so thrilling this year (snow,
ice, and deep mud), that we decided if we were not out by noon (with temps
warming up over freezing) we probably wouldn't get out.  There was a tree
across the road just before the area where we park, and the mud was so deep
we couldn't stop, so we drove over it - it was caked with snow on both
sides, but once it melts, it would not be possible to get over it.
Hopefully, someone will chain-saw it soon.  I won't be venturing into
Massawepie again until May!

 

Once I heard all the Palm Warblers singing, it made the scary drive in worth
it!  The mire was filled with singing Palm Warblers.  I found it interesting
that in 2011 David and I got into Massawepie on April 12 and found the mire
filled with Palm Warblers and Lincoln's Sparrows, but this year, there were
no detected Lincoln's Sparrows yet as of the 17th.  We hiked 5.4 miles round
trip, turning around at Silver Brook.  The road had snow, ice, water, and
mud.  Here are some of the 46 species I found today between my home, the
drive, and Massawepie (* is first-of-the-season for me):

 

Common Loon - 3 on the open section of water on Long Lake

Sharp-shinned Hawk - Little Tupper Lake outlet area off Sabattis Circle Rd.
in Long Lake

*Broad-winged Hawk - 1 soaring near Dewey Rd. in Piercefield (St. Lawrence
Co.)

Red-tailed Hawk - Sabattis Circle Rd.

Amer. Kestrel - pair at Massawepie ( one at the causeway in Tupper Lake -
Franklin Co.)

Merlin - 2; 1 near Catamount Pond by the entrance to Massawepie, and 1 near
Silver Brook

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Phoebe

Gray Jay

Tree Swallow

Brown Creeper - many singing

Winter Wren - many singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet - many singing

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 at Massawepie

Eastern Bluebird - pair at a nest box at Massawepie

Hermit Thrush

*Palm Warbler - many singing

Swamp Sparrow - one singing at the Tupper Lake causeway

*White-throated Sparrow - 1 at Massawepie (calling not singing)

*Purple Finch - 1 singing at Massawepie, and 1 singing outside our home in
Long Lake

Common Redpoll - hundreds at our Long Lake home

Hoary Redpoll - 2 observed today

 

A Raccoon found our feeders last night, so it was a sleepless night for me.
I will be bringing in our 18 feeders at night now until the redpolls head
north.

 

4/16/13 Long Lake, Hamilton Co.

 

*Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 at Sabattis Circle Rd.

Vesper Sparrow - Sabattis Circle Rd.

Fox Sparrow - singing at our neighbor's home

 

4/15/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) and locations in St. Lawrence Co.

 

*Swamp Sparrow - 1 singing at the Little Tupper Lake outlet on Sabattis
Circle Rd. in Long Lake

 

I drove the plowed part of the road into Massawepie (1.5 miles) and turned
around since I was driving our Prius.  I found White-winged Crossbills where
I turned around.

 

Mary Beth Warburton and I went birding in St. Lawrence Co. for a couple
hours in the afternoon.  Here are a few of the species found:

 

Great Horned Owl

*Wilson's Snipe - several winnowing in a Lisbon wetland

*Barn Swallow - Canton

*Eastern Meadowlark - 1 singing in Lisbon

 

We hiked the trail to the observation tower at Indian Creek Nature Center.
Lower Lake was open and we found a pair of Common Loons, Pied-billed Grebes
vocalizing, Bufflehead, and drumming Ruffed Grouse.

 

4/14/13 Long Lake

 

*Northern Flicker - on our suet within 60 seconds after it was put out!  The
local Hairy Woodpecker did not challenge the N. Flicker, and just waited for
it to leave.

 

4/13/13 Long Lake

 

Hairy Woodpeckers were observed mating.

 

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

[Joan E. Collins]

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] 9th Annual Adirondack Birding Festival

[Joan E. Collins]

The 9th Annual Adirondack Birding Festival will be held on June 7, 8, and 9
(the second weekend in June).  For a complete description of events, visit:

 

http://www.adirondackexperience.com/outdoor-recreation/birding-trails/hamilt
on-county-birding-festival.html

 

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] Sedge Wren, Bicknell's Thrush, other sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

*: 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] Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Bobolinks

[Joan E. Collins]

5/22/13 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

*Eastern Wood-Pewee arrived outside our house today.  A migrant *Tennessee
Warbler was singing at dawn outside our home.

 

I had a lovely view of one of the breeding Mourning Warblers on our property
this morning.

 

5/21/13 Tupper Lake Marsh (Franklin Co.)  Sabattis Bog (Hamilton Co.)

 

*Yellow-bellied Flycatchers were back yesterday at Sabattis Bog.  There are
Bobolinks at Tupper Lake Marsh again this year - way out from the platform
(bring a scope).  They are in the same area as the Sedge Wren.

 

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] Bicknell's Thrush 3-feet of snow on the Adirondack High Peaks

[Joan E. Collins]

I have had a number of inquiries by phone and email regarding the heavy,
late snowfall that took place in the Adirondack Mountains over Memorial Day
weekend and its implications for Bicknell's Thrush and other neotropical
migrants that recently returned.  I wrote a blog post with thoughts on this
subject, and on severe weather events and climate change (photo by Aaron
Kellett, Whiteface Mountain Manager) at:

 

http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/climate-change/extreme-weather-eve
nts-and-climate-change

 

This link, with the photo taken by Aaron Kellett, is also posted to my
Facebook page at:

 

https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian

 

Yesterday, I drove just west of the Adirondacks to the St. Lawrence Valley
grasslands and shrublands, which always feels like you've traveled to the
Midwest, with a completely different suite of bird species from the
mountains!  I enjoyed finding Henslow's Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows,
Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, and more in the grasslands, and Blue-winged
and Golden-winged Warblers in the shrublands among many other species.  As I
drove back into the Adirondacks later in the day, it was such a bizarre
sight to view the snow-capped mountains looking a lot more like typical
February rather than almost June!

 

I'll be up on Whiteface again for a dawn tour in a few days and I'll report
back on the conditions.

 

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] Update on Bicknell's Thrush more

[Joan E. Collins]

6/1/13 Whiteface Mountain, Essex County, NY

 

On a dawn tour of Whiteface Mountain with birders from NYC on Saturday, we
found at least 15 Bicknell's Thrushes between 3900 and 4400'.  After the
extreme weather event with 3 feet of new snow between 5/25 and 5/26, I was
curious to see what we would find.  After my recent post, a birder from NYC
emailed about the Swainson's Thrushes.  He wondered if the cold/snow would
help in beating them back down the mountain.  I wondered the same thing,
and it did indeed seem to be the case!  We only heard 3 Swainson's Thrushes
in the 3900 to 4400 foot elevation range, and only one was singing (the
other 2 called).  In the days after the snowfall last week, temperatures
were very warm (80 to 90 degrees) and there were only small, remnant snow
piles left along the road from the plowing by Saturday.  Time will tell if
the Swainson's Thrushes will move back up the peak this breeding season.  I
plan to conduct the Mountain Birdwatch survey as close to last year's date
(6/23/12) as possible for a good comparison.  It was lovely to hear the
Bicknell's Thrushes singing at dawn ( pre-dawn), and as usual, they
switched over to occasional calling after 5 a.m.!  I also noticed that I did
not hear the Black-throated Blue Warbler that I found singing (at around
4200') on 5/19.  There was a Black-throated Green Warbler singing, but lower
down from where I found one on 5/19.  Blackpoll Warblers were found singing
up the peak but far fewer than expected.  It was the same situation for
Yellow-bellied Flycatchers in the 3900 to 4400 foot range.  I will be up on
Whiteface several times a week through the breeding season with dawn tours,
so I'll be able to observe changes that may occur now that the snow/cold is
gone (hopefully gone for the season!).

 

Sean O'Brien, a birder friend from Saranac Lake, was up on Whiteface
Mountain's summit on 5/31, and he called to note the lack of Swainson's
Thrushes after the storm also.

 

The weekend tour was two days, with Saturday spent in boreal habitat (high
and low elevation boreal), and Sunday spent in the vast St. Lawrence Valley
grasslands, wetlands, and shrublands.  In the largest bog (actually a fen)
in NYS, we found boreal bird species including Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,
Palm Warbler, and Lincoln's Sparrow, along with many bog plants in bloom -
Labrador Tea and Bog Laurel.  Butterflies were photographed along the way
(Tom Fiore - we found Arctic Jutta again this year!).  I continue to find
the grasslands of the St. Lawrence Valley fascinating, but at times,
heartbreaking, when you return to a mowed field knowing all the species that
were nesting in it.  We spent a great deal of time at a large, Henslow's
Sparrow colony where I can't even begin to estimate how many birds occupy
the gigantic wet, unmanaged field.  The birds were buried in the grass -
often just a few feet from us, but mostly remained out of sight.  The Birds
of North America Henslow's Sparrow account mentions that Eastern Meadowlarks
are dominate over Henslow's, and we can add Red-winged Blackbird to that
section after our observations on Sunday!  A few Henslow's Sparrows appeared
and were immediately attacked by Red-winged Blackbirds, which may be a
factor in their singing from the ground, out of sight.  There were very few
Savannah Sparrows heard in this location.  Thanks to Mike Morgan, NYS Dept.
of Environmental Conservation, for sending a journal article discussing the
importance of social cues used by Henslow's Sparrows in choosing a breeding
location - study conducted in Iowa (playbacks were used to entice Henslow's
Sparrows to restored habitat areas).  After spending time reading about
Least Flycatcher aggregates, I am becoming more and more interested in the
social cues used by some species for their choice of breeding habitat.  I
will write another blog on this topic that will focus on Henslow's Sparrows.
At another grassland location, we enjoyed watching Grasshopper Sparrows
vying for singing perches on two old stumps in a large field - and they were
occasionally confronted by Song Sparrows, but it appeared the Grasshopper
Sparrows were winning the stumps!  Overall, we found 115 species, including
20 warbler, 11 sparrow, and 8 flycatcher species.

 

Painted and Snapping Turtles have been laying eggs in the past week.  I've
rescued as many as possible from roadways, where they are often hit.  We
also observed a Mink, Porcupine, Snowshoe Hare, and of course many Deer.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/

http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L
3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

[nysbirds-l] Philadelphia Vireos, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Black-backed Woodpeckers more

[Joan E. Collins]

6/10/13 Roosevelt Truck Trail (Minerva in Essex Co.)

 

I took a late day hike on the beginning of the Roosevelt Truck Trail and
found a male Black-backed Woodpecker, a pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
carrying food, a vocal Boreal Chickadee, a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, and a
Swainson’s Thrush among other expected boreal habitat species.  A
Broad-winged Hawk vocalized near the railroad bed (1/3 of a mile from the
Roosevelt Truck Trail).

 

6/7/13 to 6/9/13 9th Annual Adirondack Birding Festival

 

Blog post at:

http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-birds/9th-annual-adirondack
-birding-festival

 

6/6/13 Northville-Placid Trail (S) in Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

Bill Labes and I took a walk on the N-P Trail and found a vocal Black-backed
Woodpecker (in the area where I observed mating in early May).  We found
many warblers and beautiful wildflowers including Pink Lady’s Slippers
(photo at: http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian ).

 

6/5/13 Dawn Tour up Whiteface Mountain (Essex Co.)

 

Blog post at:

http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-birds/a-recent-dawn-tour-up
-whiteface-mountain

 

5/31/13 Lake Pleasant (south of Indian Lake in Hamilton Co.)

 

I found several Philadelphia Vireos in an area where I used to tally one
each year during my old BBS route.  The area is about ½ mile north of the
bridge over the Indian Lake – Lewey Lake intersection to 2 miles north of
this location.  I had beautiful, long scope views of a bird on the west side
of Route 30 before it flew to the east side along Indian Lake.  The birds
were found in second growth aspens and beech trees.  I found an Olive-sided
Flycatcher on the Perkins Clearing Road at a wetland over 6.5 miles in (past
Sled Harbor).

 

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] Whiteface Mountain boreal bogs

[Joan E. Collins]

On dawn tours up Whiteface Mountain followed by lowland boreal birding on
June 13, 14, and 15, 75 species were found.  Highlights included: wonderful
views of Bicknell's Thrush on Whiteface Mountain all 3 days, Red Crossbills
on 6/15, 10 Gray Jays found (2 family groups of at least 5 birds) in
Bloomingdale on 6/13, 4 Boreal Chickadees on 6/13, gorgeous views of a pair
of Black-backed Woodpeckers feeding young at a nest hole all 3 days, a
Broad-winged Hawk carrying a live snake, a vocal Barred Owl near the
Whiteface Mountain toll gate, an American Woodcock vocalizing and displaying
at the Whiteface toll gate, lots of warblers (17 species) with lovely views
of many including Mourning Warbler, adorable views of a Cliff Swallow
colony, and non avian observations including Snowshoe Hare, Porcupine,
Painted Turtle, Deer, crying Beavers, and Red-bellied Snake.

 

Unusual (or becoming usual) observations included a singing Field Sparrow at
Bloomingdale Bog (N), and Mourning Doves at Bloomingdale Bog (this species
continues to increase in the Adirondacks and oddly enough, into boreal
bogs!), a singing Veery in boreal habitat at Bigelow Rd., and singing Gray
Catbirds.  Only two Lincoln's Sparrows were found in the Bloomingdale area
across 3 days of birding (this area should be filled with this species).

 

I've included several photographs on my business Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian

 

I just got the little plastic device to connect my iPhone to my Kowa scope
and it is so exciting!  I am no photographer, but it is thrilling to
photograph what I see through my scope!  I'll leave serious photography to
Larry Master and Jeff Nadler!

 

I greatly enjoy my work as a birding guide and I meet the most interesting
people!  This past week, I met a gifted young birder and his mother from
NYC, 4 interesting ladies from the Utica area, and 3 fascinating scientists
from the DC area!

 

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] Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondack Mountains of NY

[Joan E. Collins]

I conducted the Mountain Birdwatch survey of Whiteface Mountain on June 20,
2013.  The sky was clear with calm winds and the temperature ranged from 39
to 44 degrees (chilly!).  Here are the 6 point count tallies for each
species:

 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 6 (2, 1, 1, 0, 0, 2)

Black-capped Chickadee - 0

Boreal Chickadee - 0

Winter Wren - 13 (2, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2)

Bicknell's Thrush - 8 (2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 0)

Swainson's Thrush - 15 (2, 2, 2, 4, 3, 2)

Hermit Thrush - 0

Blackpoll Warbler - 4 (1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0)

White-throated Sparrow - 16 (3, 3, 3, 3, 1, 3)

Fox Sparrow - 0

Red Squirrel - 0

 

Additional non-surveyed species heard during point counts:

 

Black-backed Woodpecker

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin - at every point!

Nashville Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler - point 6

Dark-eyed Junco

 

Given all the discussion about the missing birds this year and the quiet
dawn chorus, I thought it might be interesting to compare this year's
results to last year's on Whiteface:

 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 6 in 2013, and 7 in 2012 (-14%)

Black-capped Chickadee - 0 in 2013, and 0 in 2012

Boreal Chickadee - 0 in 2013, and 0 in 2012

Winter Wren - 13 in 2013, and 11 in 2012 (+18%)

Bicknell's Thrush - 8 in 2013, and 9 in 2012 (-11%)

Swainson's Thrush - 15 in 2013, and 18 in 2012 (-17%)

Hermit Thrush - 0 in 2013, and 0 in 2012

Blackpoll Warbler - 4 in 2013, and 8 in 2012 (-50%)

White-throated Sparrow - 16 in 2013, and 17 in 2012 (-6%)

Fox Sparrow - 0 in 2013, and 2 in 2012 (actually one bird heard at 2 points)
(-100%)

Red Squirrel - 0 in 2013, and 0 in 2012

 

The only increase from last year's tallies was for Winter Wren, otherwise,
it was all decreases.   The Fox Sparrow singing through the breeding season
on Whiteface Mountain in 2012 was a first for NY.  I was not surprised by
the 50% decline in Blackpoll Warbler tallies - it is obvious on all my trips
up Whiteface this season that the number of Blackpoll Warblers is way down.

 

The sunrise was spectacular during the survey!

 

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] Extremely late Black-backed Woodpecker nest, Black Bear and more!

[Joan E. Collins]

7/18/13 Minerva (Western Essex Co.)

 

I found an extremely late Black-backed Woodpecker nest today.  I initially
found this nest hole on May 4, 2013, when the male was observed excavating
it, but there was never any evidence of subsequent nesting.  Today, there
are very young birds in the nest hole - the adults are going into the nest
hole to feed.  This nest is 6 to 7 weeks later than normal for our area.
See my latest blog post for more details at:
http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/nesting-behavior/extremely-late-bl
ack-backed-woodpecker-nest .

 

7/14/13 Whiteface Mountain  Bloomingdale Bog area (Essex and Franklin
Counties)

 

Highlights from a dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain included lovely views of a
singing Bicknell's Thrush looking like a Hudson River School painting (I
posted photos to my Facebook page - link below), Blackpoll Warblers feeding
young, nice views of a Lincoln's Sparrow at Bloomingdale Bog, nice views of
a male Indigo Bunting near its nest, Mourning Warblers calling near their
nest, and an American Kestrel, Savannah Sparrow, and female Bobolink in
large fields not far from Whiteface Mountain.

 

7/11/13 Whiteface Mountain  Bloomingdale (Essex and Franklin Counties)

 

Highlights from a dawn tour up Whiteface Mountain included lovely views of a
singing Bicknell's Thrush, nice views of a Mourning Warbler and male Indigo
Bunting, a female Black-backed Woodpecker and vocalizing Boreal Chickadees
in the Bloomingdale area, and a Black Bear cub!!!

 

7/5/13 Massawepie Mire ( drive on Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake) (St.
Lawrence Co., Franklin Co. and Hamilton Co.)

 

Highlights from a tour to Massawepie Mire included two adult Common Loons
with two chicks, Wilson's Snipe winnowing at Tupper Lake Marsh, a Barred Owl
on Sabattis Circle Road, a family group of Black-backed Woodpeckers (adult
male and female with at least one juvenile), Yellow-bellied Flycatchers at
Sabattis Bog and Massawepie, 2 Gray Jays, lots of wonderful warbler views
(16 species), and nice views of Lincoln's Sparrow and Indigo Bunting.  We
also observed an Eastern Coyote and a small Snapping Turtle.

 

The cone crops on the various coniferous tree species are looking good!  We
should have plenty of food for finches this winter in the Adirondacks.  See
my blog post with photos of the various coniferous tree cone crops at:
http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/cone-crop/cone-crop-in-the-central
-adirondack-mountains .

 

I put together a blog post listing all the species found on dawn tours up
Whiteface for the month of June (including photos) at:
http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/boreal-birds/species-lists-for-all
-dawn-tours-up-whiteface-mountain-during-june-2013 .

 

Sean O'Brien and I spent a night and morning in the St. Lawrence Valley on
June 22, 2013.  The moon was nearly full and we found at least 11 singing
Whip-poor-wills on Calaboga Road in Hammond (St. Lawrence Co.)!  We heard
coyotes and Barred Owls also.  We listened to many Marsh Wrens singing in
the middle of the night at Perch River.  Virginia Rail young called at Perch
River.  I found another area with singing Grasshopper Sparrows in northern
Jefferson Co. and Sean recorded them.  We had a long list of species from
this trip - many sparrows, flycatchers, and warblers.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

(315) 244-7127 cell

(518) 624-5528 home

http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/

http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L
3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

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

--

[nysbirds-l] NPR Segment on Amer. Crows

[Joan E. Collins]

Hi Everyone,

 

I heard a fascinating segment on American Crows on National Public Radio on
Monday that featured a couple of researchers including Kevin McGowan.

 

Here is a link for the program (you can click on a link to the nearly 8
-minute segment from this site):

 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106826971

=cprs

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake

 


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

Temporary archive:
http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

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

[nysbirds-l] NYS Ornithological Association Annual Meeting

[Joan E. Collins]

The 62nd Annual Meeting of the New York State Ornithological Association
(NYSOA) will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2009.  The registration form
was mailed in the current "New York Birders" newsletter, and can also be
found on the NYSOA web site at:  http://www.nybirds.org .  Directions to
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and Montezuma Audubon Center can also be
found on the NYSOA web site.  The registration deadline is September 5,
2009.

 

Activities for the day are listed below.

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake

 

New York State Ornithological Association

62nd Annual Meeting

Montezuma Audubon Center

Saturday, September 26, 2009

 

*Field Trips*

Beginning at 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30 a.m.

Meet at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Visitor's Center

 

*Buffet Lunch (limit of 80 people)*

Meet at the Montezuma Audubon Center

 

*Lunchtime Speaker: Shai Mitra*

"Finding and Identifying Shorebirds in New York State"

Techniques for finding and identifying shorebirds in New York State will be
explained, focusing on similarities and differences between coastal and
inland sites. The presentation will be illustrated with Shai's photos from
Long Island, and by Dominic Sherony's photos from throughout the state, and
will be integrated with the morning's field trip results from the Montezuma
wetlands complex.

 

Shai Mitra has studied birds in the northeastern United States and around
the world for almost thirty years.  He received a BA in Biology from Cornell
University in 1989 and a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of
Chicago in 1996. From 1996-2000 he operated a major bird-banding station at
the Fire Island Lighthouse, on the south shore of Long Island. Currently, he
is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the College of Staten Island, with
research interests in the areas of avian ecology, evolution, and
conservation. Shai is Editor of The Kingbird, the quarterly publication of
the New York State Ornithological Association; co-compiler of bird records
for the New York City and Long Island region; a member of the New York State
Avian Records Committee; Chair of the Rhode Island Avian Records Committee;
and co-compiler of three Christmas Bird Counts on Long Island and Rhode
Island.

 

*Annual Meeting of Council of Delegates 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.*

(Open to all members.)

 

 


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

Temporary archive:
http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

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

[nysbirds-l] St. Lawrence-Hamilton-Essex Co. Birds

[Joan E. Collins]

8/9/09 Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

Sedge Wren – the wren that arrived on 7/5/09 was singing from an exposed
perch near Plum Brook behind our home.  Our neighbors mow walking trails
through the fields and I hiked near where the bird has been singing – I have
a good idea where the nest is located.  I hope the young leave the nest
before the annual August mowing takes place.

 

There has been a trickle of migrants heard each night during the first week
of August.

 

8/12/09 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

A female Black Bear with 3 cubs was observed each day outside our Long Lake
home.  Until this summer, I had never observed bears with more than 2 cubs.
Warbler waves were observed each day.

 

Here are some of the species found on a short hike of the Northville-Placid
Trail (S) in Long Lake (late morning):

 

Broad-winged Hawk

Merlin

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Winter Wren - several

Golden-crowned Kinglet – many

Hermit Thrush – singing

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

 

Also, several Pine Sawyers were heard chewing conifers.  Indian Pipe, Bottle
Gentian, Pearly Everlasting, and Touch-me-not were in bloom among many other
wildflowers.

 

8/13/09 Low’s Ridge-Upper Dam Trail (Piercefield-Colton, St. Lawrence Co.)
12:30 p.m.

 

I hiked 1.5 miles on the Low’s Ridge-Upper Dam Trail (3 miles round trip).
I had this lovely trail to myself and I was surprised to find so much midday
activity.  I had wonderful views of 11 warbler species.  Here are some of
the species observed:

 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Northern Flicker

Common Raven

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Gray Jay – at least 2 (I think there were 3, but I couldn’t see them all at
one time) – at the location where there are wide open views of the bog ~ 1
mile in.

Nashville Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Amer. Redstart

Common Yellowthroat

Canada Warbler – singing at the trailhead

Lincoln’s Sparrow – nice views!

White-throated Sparrow

 

8/14/09 Hewitt Eddy – Boreas River Trails (Minerva in Essex Co.) 9 a.m. to
11:30 a.m.

 

It was a misty morning on Friday, and the myriad spider webs were all
illuminated in dew.  I wanted to hike the loop, so left my car at the Boreas
River Trailhead and hiked the ¾ mile on Route 28N to the Hewitt Eddy
Trailhead.  As I neared the trailhead, I heard a woodpecker in boreal
habitat down a steep embankment.  I thought twice, and immediately dropped
down the hill – at the bottom, I heard a Black-backed Woodpecker
vocalization.  I hiked to a tree with 2 female Black-backed Woodpeckers with
one vocalizing non-stop as I watched them.  I had that wonderful primeval
feeling in this misty world of spruce/fir, thick sphagnum moss, and all
those illuminated spider webs around me.  Boreal Chickadees began to
vocalize deeper in the forest.  I didn’t have a compass or the sun to assist
in a longer bushwhack, so I made my way through the forest in the direction
of the trail – but as it turned out, I encountered 3 different flocks of
Boreal Chickadees along the Hewitt Eddy portion of the hike.  Most of the
birds I observed were along the Hewitt Eddy Trail (1 mile) which has
beautiful boreal habitat.  The Boreas River section (also 1 mile) is loud –
especially this summer with the river raging.  The Boreas River section also
had many difficult muddy sections and areas where the trail is eroding close
to the river.  Even so, I enjoy the Boreas River Trail because it is
extremely scenic.  But if you are interested in hearing/seeing birds, you
can park at the Hewitt Eddy Trail and hike back out the same way (after
hitting the “eddy” where the trail picks up the Boreas River).  The
vegetation was so wet from dew that I was soaked within a few minutes and my
hiking boots felt like walking on sponges.  The sun was just breaking
through the mist while I was on the Boreas River Trail – creating wild
shadows through the conifers.  This is always a great walk for mushrooms
also!  Here are some of the species found on the hike:

 

Bald Eagle – second year flying over the “eddy” – beautiful!

Broad-winged Hawk

Ruby-throated Hummingbird – buzzed me as I watched a flock of Boreal
Chickadees

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Black-backed Woodpecker – 2 females

Boreal Chickadee – at least 11 (flocks of at least 5, 3, and 3)

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Swainson’s Thrush – calling a few feet from me!

Hermit Thrush

Warblers:  Nashville, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green,
Common Yellowthroat, and Canada

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

 

Later on Friday, our family boated to Turtle Beach at the north end of Long
Lake.  Six Common Loons were observed on the trip (1, 1, & 4).  I canoed my
mother a short distance into the Raquette River and we saw/heard many birds
including a Common Merganser family of 10, 2 

[nysbirds-l] Migrants

[Joan E. Collins]

8/17/09 Potsdam

 

There is a small, but steady stream of migrants flying overhead tonight.

 

A nearby Great Horned Owl is also vocalizing!

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake


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

Temporary archive:
http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

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

[nysbirds-l] Winthrop Great Egret Roost/Migration/Bats, etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

8/25/09 Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.) (Various times between midnight and 2
a.m.)

 

I don't get much sleep this time of year with migration under way.  Last
night, (clear), I counted 10 to 11 calls per minute (more thrush calls mixed
in last night).  Also, bats were swooping around me - great to see them.
Coyote packs howled on and off.  Migration seems consistent, but no big
flight-nights encountered. yet.

 

8/24/09 Winthrop (northern St. Lawrence Co.) (7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)

 

Last night, Mary Beth Warburton and I made another trip to the Great Egret
roost in Winthrop.  As we were watching these magnificent birds whirl into
the roost, a passing car stopped.  The woman in the car told us, "Those big
white birds are becoming a problem."  We politely asked her what she meant,
and she replied, "They are eating up all the frogs and fish and it has
become a huge problem!"  We attempted to reason with her, but it was
useless.  It is certainly a scary world out there.  Other than that
incident, we had yet another spectacular night at this wonderful birding
location.  Here are some of the species found (nice scope views of many):

 

Wood Duck - many

Least Bittern - 1

Great Blue Heron - several; as we headed back to the car in the dark, we
spotted a Great Blue Heron a short distance from us as it nabbed a
good-sized fish (good thing the car lady missed that one!).  The bird took
off and we watched the silhouette of the bird with the large fish in its
bill fly across the wetland - beautiful.

Great Egret - 145!  We had a count of 144, and as we began to head back to
the car, one lone bird arrived at the roost very late!

Green Heron - 3

Black-crowned Night-Heron - at least 8;  We were able to see 8 birds at
once, but there was another group of 6 out of sight that were probably
additional birds.

Virginia Rail - vocalizing in the same location where we've heard it before
(in the wet area where Rt. 420 and Dullea Rd. intersect)

 

As we reached the car, three bats were swooping over us as they foraged -
such a rare sighting the past couple of years.  There were silhouettes of
swallows high in the sky over the wetland - not as many as we've seen on
prior visits, but still a good number.

 

Potsdam:  I counted about 5 migrants per minute going overhead (midnight to
1 a.m.).  Coyotes howled and I saw several meteors.

 

On a short morning walk with our dogs, I found the following species:

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Alder Flycatcher

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

Warblers: Black-throated Green, Black-and-white, and Common Yellowthroat

Scarlet Tanager

Baltimore Oriole

 

8/23/09 Potsdam

 

I counted as many as 13 migrant calls per minute (12:30 to 1:30 a.m.).  A
Great-crested Flycatcher vocalizing outside the window woke me in the
morning.  In addition, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, Bobolink, and Baltimore Oriole
vocalized.

 

8/22/09 Potsdam

 

I counted between 5 and 9 migrant calls per minute between 12:30 and 1:30
a.m.  A Barred Owl called out, and I called back - we went back and forth
for a long time!

 

8/19/09 Potsdam

 

On a morning walk with the dogs, I found many species including a calling
Golden-winged Warbler (I really enjoy this wild vocalization) and a male
Baltimore Oriole.

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake


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

Temporary archive:
http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

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

[nysbirds-l] Vocal Northern Shrike & other observations

[Joan E. Collins]

Potsdam, NY (St. Lawrence County)

 

For the past 4 out of 5 winters at our home in Potsdam, we've had a Northern
Shrike spend the season behind our home along Plum Brook (an area with open
fields, wet shrublands, deciduous forest, marshes, the brook, and plenty of
hawthorn trees).   In the morning on October 29, 2009, I stepped outside on
our back porch and heard a Northern Shrike vocalizing.  It was at the top of
a deciduous tree near the marsh, but in a location where I would not have
noticed the shrike had it not been vocalizing.  As I watched the shrike,
Amer. Robins were drawn in - flying around the tree and perching below the
shrike.  Each time the robins perched, the shrike would loudly call and dive
at them.  The robins took off each time, but continued to come back (loudly
calling).  I watched the same behavior over and over - the shrike
singing/calling, the robins flying into the tree, the shrike calling loudly
as it dove at the robins.  The only change occurred when a Rusty Blackbird
joined the robins just once.  (The Rusty Blackbirds could be heard
vocalizing in the nearby marsh.)  Eventually, I got cold and left the birds
to their antagonistic behavior.

 

In the morning on Nov. 1, the Northern Shrike was observed perched in
several locations (top of deciduous trees and top of shrubs) and in pursuit
of a Blue Jay (not successful).

 

At dawn (6:45 a.m.) on Nov. 4, I went outside on the back porch and found
the Northern Shrike vocalizing - an enormous barrage of interesting
vocalizations.  I'm an ear birder, so I was in heaven, and wished I'd had
recording equipment at that moment.  The vocalizations drew a Blue Jay to
the shrike.  Each time the shrike flew at the Blue Jay it made a very loud
call - as it did with the robins on Oct. 29.  After a few attempts at
catching the Blue Jay, the shrike gave up and flew across the large field -
but loudly called just before it flew.

 

Today, Nov. 7, at dawn, I spotted the shrike at the top of a deciduous tree
behind our home from my bed!  (This particular tree seems to be the favored
Northern Shrike perch in winter, and I can see it from my bed.)  I ran
downstairs and outside, but the shrike was gone.  I listened and heard a
distant shrike vocalization coming from across the large field, and then a
robin began calling from the same location. 

 

I found some interesting information on Northern Shrikes vocalizing outside
the breeding season in The Birds of North America Northern Shrike account
under "Sounds - Vocalizations":

 

***Frequency and function of winter singing cause of much speculation (
 Bent 1950,
 Cramp and Perrins 1993). Since fifteenth century (Barnes 1486, Boke of
St. Albans), some writers have stated that shrike imitates calls and songs
of other birds to lure them into vulnerable range of attack: "She will stand
at perch upon some tree or poste, and there make an exceedingly lamentable
crye and exclamation, such as birds are wonte to do, being wronged or in
hazard of mischiefe, and all to make other fowles to thinke that she is very
much distressed and stands in need of ayde; whereupon the credulous sellie
birds do flocke together at her call. If any happen to approach neare her,
she out of hand ceazeth on them, and devoureth them (ungrateful subtill
fowle) in requital for their simplicity" (seventeenth-century author in
 McCowan 1951: 171-175). Atkinson (
 1997) showed experimentally that playback of recorded shrike songs in
winter attracted other small passerine species to significantly greater
extent (quicker, closer, more frequent approaches) than playback of American
Robin song or control playback of background tape noise; he observed 4
instances of shrikes using such opportunities to attack other birds, twice
successfully. Whether potential prey are attracted to mimicked versions of
their own songs and calls (
 Munro 1911), to generalized predator distress or alarm sounds
incorporated into shrike songs, or to the oddity of various, juxtaposed
warbles, gurgles, squeaks, and squawks (analogous to human "squeaking" to
attract birds) remains to be determined, but songbirds appeared most
responsive to portion of shrike song that incorporated jaa calls (EAC).***

 

If this particular Northern Shrike continues to sing/call through the
winter, I'll be thrilled!

 

Other recent observations:

 

Ruffed Grouse and Pileated Woodpecker have been observed each day.

 

11/7/09

Dark-eyed Junco - still moving through

Red-winged Blackbird & Common Grackle flocks flying over (occasional
grackles at our feeder)

 

11/6/09 (first 

[nysbirds-l] Aggressive Northern Shrike

[Joan E. Collins]

The Northern Shrike that I posted about on 11/7/09 is still regularly
showing up in our backyard.  This particular shrike continues to be a
fascinating bird to observe!

 

On 11/14/09 at 7:45 a.m. the Northern Shrike was perched at the top of the
favored winter tree, but took off and aggressively chased American Robins
from a bushy area.  It continued to follow the robins into deciduous trees.
While the shrike was perched above a robin, it flew straight up as if in a
flycatching mode, then 180-ed into a vertical dive straight down at high
speed toward the robin, which immediately took off.  Then, the shrike began
to chase Blue Jays, and eventually flew out of sight.

 

On 11/9/09, I spotted the Northern Shrike at the top of a deciduous tree
near the marsh behind our home.  I observed 4 Amer. Crows flying into view
(but high overhead).  I heard another bird, and briefly shifted my
binoculars.  When I looked up, there were only 3 Amer. Crows flying over and
the 4th crow was down in the bushes being attacked by the shrike!  I can't
believe I missed how the attack began - the crows were quite high, and I
have no idea how the shrike took down a crow.  There was a vicious
interaction before the crow got away and re-joined the other crows.  I found
it interesting that the other crows did not attack or mob the shrike, but
continued on as if nothing was happening.  In the BNA account for Northern
Shrikes, it states that it is virtually impossible to distinguish aggressive
shrike behavior from prey-attack behavior.

 

The next thing that happened was even more remarkable.  The shrike had
changed trees after chasing away the crow (closer to my location on our back
porch).  I was studying the shrike in my binoculars when I realized it was
flying directly AT ME!  (If you've ever had this situation while peering
through binoculars, it is quite bizarre!)  I put down my binoculars when I
realized what was happening.  The shrike continued to fly at me, and then
abruptly turned over my 2 wrestling dogs and around our house into the top
of a deciduous tree in our front lawn.  I assumed this must have been some
kind of strange coincidence until I checked the BNA - it states that shrikes
are territorial (not just around their nest sites, but on winter territories
also) and will attack mammals - including the heads of humans!  Wild!

 

I have not heard the shrike sing since my last post.

 

Other sightings:

 

11/13/09 Black Scoter on Norwood Lake (a wide section of the Raquette River)

 

11/8/09 Light morph Rough-legged Hawk - first of the season

House Finch - female (an unusual bird for our location)

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake


-- 

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

Archives:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html

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

--

[nysbirds-l] FW: NNYBirds: Ivory Gull photos

[Joan E. Collins]

All,

 

Interesting Northern NY Birds post below from Larry Master regarding the
Ivory Gull.

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake

 

From: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of larry master
Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2010 5:08 PM
To: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com
Subject: NNYBirds: Ivory Gull photos

 

  

I wanted to share some photos from yesterday morning at Rouses Point where
one of the most subtly beautiful birds in the world put on a nice display
for morning visitors under mostly cloudy but calm skies. Low resolution
images are posted at
http://www.masterimages.org/Birds/Ivory%20Gull/index.html (images #4-37 are
the Rouses Point bird). The red orbital ring is barely visible in some of
the images. The delight in seeing this rare Arctic visitor is tempered by
the knowledge that monitored breeding colonies in Canada declined 80%
between the 1980s and 2005. One has to wonder if the increase in sightings
the last two winters in U.S. waters is related to degradation of its
foraging and wintering habitat in its normal winter haunts along the
southern edge of the thinning and shrinking Arctic pack ice.

As always, if anyone would like high resolution versions of any of the
images on my web site, please email me off group.

Larry Master

Lake Placid

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

__._,_.___

Reply to  
sender | Reply
  to
group 

Messages
  in
this topic (1) 

Recent Activity: 

.
 New Members 3 

 
 Visit Your Group
 Start a New Topic 

All postings to Northern_NY_Birds are protected by copyright law.



 

Yahoo! Groups

Switch to:
 Text-Only,
 Daily Digest .

Unsubscribe .   Terms of Use

.

 
 

__,_._,___


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs

[Joan E. Collins]

Great discussion!

Regarding the Common Raven range expansion in NY between Atlases...  During
this same time period, the coyote population in our state has greatly
increased and now ranges throughout NY.  Many people have commented over the
past decade that the coyote and raven range expansions appear to be
correlated.  Common Ravens can't rip open the thick skin of mammals, and are
closely associated with wolves, coyotes, and large cats within their N.
American ranges (feeding on the remains left by these carnivores).  Ravens
are also known to lead carnivores to potential food sources.  I have been
hiking for 8 years with 2 large dogs, and they respond to Common Raven
vocalizations, which I have always found fascinating - and ravens follow my
dogs when we hike.  Anyway, the coyote range expansion may be another
possible factor in the Common Raven range expansion.

I completely agree with Kevin that Common Ravens show no regard for crows
and do "whatever they damned well please"!  March is the month when Amer.
Crows viciously go after ravens - generally, the ravens show little, or no,
reaction or change of behavior - kind of like a human brushing away an
annoying fly.  Several years ago, I watched a Common Raven face-off with a
Red-tailed Hawk on a branch.  The raven dwarfed the hawk and held its bill
above the hawk's beak in a threatening manner (at the time, there were many
ravens in trees surrounding the hawk, making the most fascinating
vocalizations that I ever heard from this species - including the dog-whine
sound).  It was a reminder that ravens are huge, powerful, and extremely
bright birds.  Also, early this past decade, a Common Raven attacked an
adult Golden Eagle outside our Long Lake house (in May!) - the vocalizations
coming from both birds during the fight were remarkable!  (Golden Eagles are
the arch enemy of ravens.)  Ravens do seem to rule the skies of the North
Country.  It will be interesting to see if they continue to expand and
increase across the state.  In my opinion, it is one of the most interesting
bird species to observe.

Joan Collins
Potsdam & Long Lake

-Original Message-
From: bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-5475307-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 10:50 AM
To: NYSBirds
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Brooklyn BLVUs

Curiously, statewide trends and recent Long Island trends stand in
remarkably different relationship for each of the big black carrion-eaters
under discussion.

When Griscom analyzed the status of Turkey Vulture in 1923, this species was
common in the highlands of northern New Jersey but poorly distributed in
mainland NYS and a rare visitor to LI, with most LI records from the western
(e.g., Brooklyn) or eastern (e.g., Orient) ends. Over the remaining eight
decades of the 20th Century, this bird underwent a vast northward expansion,
spreading across most of mainland NYS--but retaining its LI status (scarce
and irregular) with astonishing fidelity. Few birds of any kind showed such
a static pattern on LI over the same period--but for a bird whose status
changes so much nearby, this stasis is particularly remarkable. It has only
been over the last ten years or so that Turkey Vultures have finally moved
onto LI in numbers, including winter roosts and proven breeding. The lag
between occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased
occurrence on LI in this case was >50 years.

The early history of Black Vulture in NYS was mostly as a vagrant to LI.
Again, it's status on LI remained static for a century while the species
made news elsewhere. In contrast to its relative, however, Black Vulture's
northward expansion on the mainland lagged behind Turkey Vulture's by at
least several decades, and its occupation of the Hudson Highlands and nearby
parts of mainland NYS took place mainly in the 1980s and 1990s. This
distinction is very important because Black Vulture's trend toward increased
occurrence on LI, which prompted this thread, has occurred more or less
simultaneously with Turkey Vulture's, in very recent years. The lag between
occupation of the adjacent mainland and dramatically increased occurrence on
LI in this case was about 15 years.

As Kevin notes, Raven was once almost extirpated from the eastern United
States and was no more than scarce wilderness specialist in NYS for the
first two-thirds of the 20th Century. Its expansion over the last several
decades has been spectacular, e.g., a 500% increase in occupied blocks
between the two atlases. Like both of the preceding species, Ravens have
made news on LI during the last few years. Unlike them, however, this trend
followed immediately upon its occupation of adjacent mainland areas, with no
perceptible lag at all.

Another hulking black carrion-eater probably deservers mention here. Bald
Eagle's inter-atlas surge in NYS makes Raven's seem downright paltry, its
confirmed blocks increasing 6,000%! Statewide observers 

[nysbirds-l] Massawepie Mire - Palm Warblers

[Joan E. Collins]

4/12/10  Massawepie Mire (Southeastern St. Lawrence Co.); mostly cloudy, 32
degrees in a.m., mostly sunny 47 degrees midday.

 

David Buckley and I hiked 5.5 miles round trip at Massawepie Mire this
morning and then hiked 2 miles round trip on the Mountaineer Trail near
Massawepie Lake.  Normally at this time of year, it takes a 4WD and lots of
guts to drive into this area, but the dirt road was in great shape with no
quagmires to sink in.  The old railroad grade through the mire (now a dirt
road) was in very good shape and I used summer hiking boots.  But most of
the wooden walkways on the Mountaineer Trail were under water and I wore
winter boots for that trail.  We counted 20 singing Palm Warblers on the way
in with 14 counted before the first bridge crossing.  This was a very
conservative count, and there seemed to be even more singing birds on our
way out when it sunny and a bit warmer (we only counted on the way in).  I
believe this is the earliest date I've found Palm Warblers at Massawepie,
but I haven't checked my records yet.  We checked the Mountaineer Trail for
Pine Warblers, but did not hear any.  So Palm was the only warbler species
found today.  Here are some of the 35 species found at Massawepie:

 

Amer. Black Duck - 1 on the Massawepie Lake outlet

Hooded Merganser - pair

Common Merganser - several pairs

Ruffed Grouse

Wild Turkey

Amer. Kestrel - male

Merlin - male attacking an Eastern Phoebe

Belted Kingfisher - 5

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - many

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2; male and female just before the dirt road
intersection near Silver Brook.  I had wonderful views of the female
foraging.  As usual for this species, both birds were completely unfazed by
our presence.

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

Gray Jay - 1 making unusual vocalizations near Silver Brook

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - at least 4 past the first bridge

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper - many heard singing

Winter Wren - several singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet - many singing

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 singing near the first bridge (about 1.5 miles in)

Hermit Thrush - one calling (I heard several singing at dawn this morning
outside our Long Lake house & one calling yesterday near Sabattis Bog)

Amer. Robin

Palm Warbler - 20 heard singing in 2.75 miles (14 in the first 1.5 miles);
wonderful views of the birds all along the dirt road

Song Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow - just one singing!

Dark-eyed Junco

Rusty Blackbird - 5; one pair vocalizing as they flew over us in the open
bog, and another pair near Silver Brook; the 5th bird was perched in a tree
at Mason Lake as I drove out.

Purple Finch

Amer. Goldfinch

 

It was a great day at one of my favorite places!

 

Joan Collins - Potsdam & Long Lake

David Buckley - Piercefield and Virginia


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] Moose River Plains

[Joan E. Collins]

Thanks for this information Dorothy.  Here is a link to an Adirondack
Explorer piece on the Moose River Plains closure to vehicle traffic:

http://adirondackexplorer.org/out-takes/2010/05/06/moose-river-plains-closed
-to-vehicles/

I am scheduled to lead the car-birding trip through Moose River Plains for
the Adirondack Birding Festival on June 19th - guess we'll have to come up
with a different trip.  I led this trip last year and it is a fantastic
place to go birding.  There are some birders who will be able to hike or
bike into the plains (almost 20 miles round trip from the Inlet side), but
it leaves out birders with physical challenges and those that are not able
to hike great distances, which is very sad.

Joan Collins
Potsdam & Long Lake


-Original Message-
From: bounce-5753923-3714...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-5753923-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Dorothy Crumb
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2010 3:24 PM
To: NYSBirds; Oneidabirds
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Moose River Plains

The NYSDEC has announced that the all roads into the  Moose River  
Plains Recreation Area in the Adirondacks will be closed indefinitely.  
This is a blow for birders who have often used this wonderful birding  
area. Gary Lee has led many birding and butterfly trips there and we  
did work on the Atlas in some sections. The four towns that rely on  
the Plains for tourism in the summer are fighting the decision.
Dorothy Crumb

--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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 List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Blue Mountain in the Adirondacks

[Joan E. Collins]

6/2/10 Blue Mountain, Adirondack Mountains in NY, elevation 3760'; temp
ranged from 55 degrees at the trailhead to 50 on the summit; sky was clear;
calm winds on the trail, but very windy on the summit; survey started at
4:35 a.m.

 

The first vocalization heard during the nocturnal climb up Blue Mountain was
a Common Loon on Blue Mountain Lake.  At least 4 loons were heard vocalizing
several times (whole range of their different calls).  It is rare to
encounter a vehicle in this part of the Adirondacks during the night (gas
stations close down by 10 p.m.), and I noticed the loons vocalized as a
tractor trailer went by, and then again when a Harley-Davidson sounding
motorcycle overwhelmed the night with noise.  (Over the years during camping
trips, I've noticed that songbirds around my tent (& loons from nearby
lakes) become restless when jets go overhead - they appear to hear the jets
several seconds before my ears can pick it up.)  When the loons vocalized, I
turned off my headlamp and just stood listening in a beautifully clear night
under the stars and moon.  While I enjoyed their sounds, I was aware that it
was probably a result of alarm on their part.  As I often do in the
wilderness, I tried to imagine the Adirondacks hundreds of years ago -
before humans added so much noise to the environment.  If only we could time
travel.

 

A White-throated Sparrow sang during my climb up the peak, and Bicknell's
Thrush began singing at 4:16 a.m. (later than I usually hear them).  I
counted 9 singing Bicknell's Thrushes on the way to the summit (a lower
number than usual).  I tallied 20 species during the 5 point counts (& an
additional 17 species on the descent).  I arrived on the summit at 4:30 a.m.
and spent a few minutes setting up before beginning the survey.  I found it
odd that I did not hear a Bicknell's Thrush singing on the summit this year
- I was on the summit until 4:45, and the only vocalizing thrush was a
Swainson's.   I tallied a total of 5 Bicknell's Thrushes (2 at point two,
and 3 at point three).  Swainson's Thrushes were found at all 5 points, and
were widespread all the way to the trailhead.  Here is the point count data:

 

Common Loon (0,0,0,0,1)

American Bittern (0,0,0,0,1)  Interesting find this year!!!  The topo map
indicates a ravine with a brook in the direction where it was heard.  (For
the past several years, we've had an Amer. Bittern vocalizing down the
mountain from our Long Lake house also.)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (0,0,0,0,1)

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (0,0,2,2,0)

Blue-headed Vireo ((0,0,1,0,1)

Common Raven (0.0.0.1.1)

Boreal Chickadee (0,2,0,0,0)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (0,0,0,0,1)

Winter Wren (1,1,2,2,1)

Golden-crowned Kinglet (0,0,0,0,1)

Bicknell's Thrush (0,2,3,0,0)

Swainson's Thrush (1,1,1,1,2)

Hermit Thrush (0,0,0,0,1)

Magnolia Warbler (0,1,2,1,2)

Black-throated Blue Warbler (0,0,0,0,1)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (1,0,1,1,1)

Black-throated Green Warbler (0,0,0,0,1)

Blackpoll Warbler (1,1,2,2,2)

White-throated Sparrow (3,2,1,1,0)

Dark-eyed Junco (1,0,1,1,1)

 

Other species found on the peak (not at pt counts) (several found in the
parking area):

Ruffed Grouse

Broad-winged Hawk

Pileated Woodpecker

Red-eyed Vireo

Black-capped Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Amer. Robin

Nashville Warbler (heard between point counts also)

Northern Parula

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Amer. Redstart

Ovenbird

Canada Warbler

Indigo Bunting

Chipping Sparrow

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake, NY

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Pillsbury Mountain in the Adirondacks

[Joan E. Collins]

6/9/10 Pillsbury Mountain, Adirondack Mountains of NY, elevation 3602', temp
32, calm winds throughout the survey, few clouds, survey started at 4:33
a.m.

 

The first Bicknell's Thrush song was heard at 4:22 a.m.  Conditions were
perfect with calm winds throughout the survey.  Fifteen species were tallied
at point counts:

 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (0,2,1,1,0)

Blue-headed Vireo (0,0,1,1,1)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (0,0,0,1,0)

Winter Wren (0,0,1,1,0)

Bicknell's Thrush (4,3,0,0,0) There were several birds singing/calling
between points 1 and 2, and another bird calling between points 3 and 4.

Swainson's Thrush (4,2,1,1,1)

Hermit Thrush (0,0,0,2,1)

Magnolia Warbler (0,1,1,2,2)

Black-throated Blue Warbler (0,0,0,0,1)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (1,3,3,1,3)

Black-throated Green Warbler (0,0,0,1,2)

Blackpoll Warbler (2,2,1,2,1)

Canada Warbler (0,0,0,0,2) Nice view of one.

White-throated Sparrow (1,1,1,2,1)

Dark-eyed Junco (1,1,1,0,1)

 

When the 4th Bicknell's Thrush began to sing on the summit, it aggressively
flew after another singer a short distance from me.  Wild sounds came from
the conifer as these two birds tangled.  I found it interesting that this is
the same exact location where I witnessed two Bicknell's Thrushes tangling
in the evening when I camped on the summit several years ago.  (The location
is a conifer at the edge of the clearing by the fire tower.)

 

The dirt road to the trailhead is a wonderful birding area, so I stopped at
a couple locations on my way out.  Several Mourning Warblers were heard in
addition to many other warbler species.  I stopped at two wetlands and both
had a female Hooded Merganser near the road.  One of these females took off
loudly as I got out of my car - she came back a few seconds later flying low
over me as she loudly called.  I must have been close to her nest, so I
moved.  A Common Loon called from a nearby location and a Brown Creeper
sang.  A highlight for me was finding a Common Grackle nest near the road.
The babies were in an open nest about 15 feet up in a dead deciduous trunk
at a knot location.

 

I saw a beautiful orange sunrise as I finished the survey, and rising white
fog revealed all the lakes and rivers below.  It is always a highlight of my
year to be alone on Adirondack summits at dawn.  Wonderful solitude.

 

Joan Collins

Potsdam & Long Lake, NY


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Whiteface/Bloomingdale Bog/Massawepie Mire, & more

[Joan E. Collins]

July 8-9, 2010 Bloomingdale Bog/Whiteface/Boreal Life Trail at Paul Smith's
VIC/Owling at Sabattis Circle Rd./Massawepie Mire (Franklin - Essex -
Hamilton - St. Lawrence Counties)

 

I guided a California couple during the heat wave last Thursday and Friday.
We began at dawn on Thursday at Bloomingdale Bog before heading to the
Whiteface Memorial Highway by the 9 a.m. opening.  Some of the birds found
at Bloomingdale Bog: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, Palm Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow and
Pine Siskin.  We had a few minutes before the drive to Whiteface, so we left
the bog and drove to Oregon Plains Road, where we found an adult female
Black-backed Woodpecker feeding a juvenile female!  On Whiteface Mountain,
weather conditions were absolutely perfect with calm wind (extremely rare on
summits!).  We heard many Bicknell's Thrushes singing and calling throughout
the morning.  There were even a few glimpses when birds would perch on dead
snags to sing/call.  Swainson's Thrushes appeared to outnumber Bicknell's
Thrushes - our warm spring nights have allowed them to expand their range
upward on peaks.  The researchers at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies will
hopefully keep an eye on what effect this may have on Bicknell's Thrush over
time.

 

We took food from the "castle" building and headed into the tunnel (50
degrees in here!) to the 270' elevator.  Wooden platforms were recently
added to the summit area so folks in wheelchairs can easily have the same
views as those who can walk around the rocky summit.  As we ate our food,
the song of Bicknell's Thrush wafted up from all sides with no competing
winds - it was lovely!

 

Being a 46-er, I've always had mixed feelings about the "road" up Whiteface.
I took the time to read Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech, which he gave at the
opening of the road in 1935, posted in the castle building and it was
beautiful.  He gave a very eloquent argument for having at least one such
road in the Adirondack Mountains.  The experience of hearing and seeing
Bicknell's Thrush from a highway and parking lot was different, but no less
exciting than being immersed in their tangled, thick spruce/fir habitat.
With calm wind, and so much habitat on this 5th highest peak in NY, hearing
so many singing Bicknell's Thrushes from every direction was truly
remarkable.

 

I also drove up the peak on July 5th and heard many singing Bicknell's
Thrushes - at 1:30 p.m.!  Judith Scarl, coordinator for Mountain Birdwatch,
reported being on a couple of Vermont peaks last week and was also surprised
to find so much singing, calling, and flying around behavior by Bicknell's
Thrushes during active nesting.

 

Some of the many other birds found on Whiteface: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,
Winter Wren, and Blackpoll Warbler.

 

By the time we hiked on the Boreal Life Trail, it was 93 degrees and
oppressively humid.

 

While owling along Sabattis Circle Road in the William C. Whitney Wilderness
(3 to 4:30 a.m.), we found 3 Barred Owl young screaming for food!  We could
hear one adult give an occasional vocalization (they make very interesting
sounds when with young).  We drove by Sabattis Bog at dawn and heard a pack
of coyotes howling and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher singing.

 

Some of the many species found at Massawepie Mire:

Ruffed Grouse

Common Loon - flyover, vocalizing bird

Northern Harrier

Black-backed Woodpecker - female

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Philadelphia Vireo - at least one, possibly 2

Gray Jay - family

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - flock with at least 5 birds

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird - 2 adults with one young bird

Veery

Hermit Thrush

Palm Warbler

Mourning Warbler - many along the drive in and one very nice view of a bird
foraging on the bark of a tree

Scarlet Tanager

Lincoln's Sparrow

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Purple Finch

Evening Grosbeak - one vocalizing flyover pair and another bird at a
different area of the mire

 

July 12, 2010 Hamilton County (Inlet - Raquette Lake area)

 

I guided a couple from Virginia this past Monday, July 12 and we visited
Ferd's Bog, Shallow Lake, and the trail along Brown's Tract Inlet on yet
another warm day.  Some of the birds found at Ferd's Bog:

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Gray Jay - nice scope view

Common Raven

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Swainson's Thrush

Palm Warbler

Lincoln's Sparrow

 

We hiked the Shallow Lake Trail from Brown's Tract Campground (2.8 miles
round trip).  Here are some of the birds found:

 

Common Loon - 3 adults together on Shallow Pond

Osprey - nest across Shallow Pond

Broad-winged Hawk

Herring Gull - 4 on Shallow Lake

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Gray Jay - family; nice view of juvenile

Boreal Chickadee - several

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

[nysbirds-l] Northern Goshawk & other summer sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

(We have been in the process of moving back to our Long Lake house full-time
this summer, so I apologize for late reports.)

 

8/19 & 8/21/10 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

At ~ 3 p.m. on Thursday, a juvenile Northern Goshawk was observed standing
on Tarbell Hill Lane as I drove a group of teenagers to our house.  It flew
into the forest as we approached.  This was a couple tenths of a mile from
our driveway.  Yesterday, again at ~ 3 p.m., I was picking blackberries with
our two dogs, when a juvenile Northern Goshawk flew from a tree about 20
feet from me (it was very startling).  It flew to a nearby tree for a few
seconds and then disappeared into the forest - not far, but just out of
sight.  This is likely the same bird since the sightings were only a few
tenths of a mile apart, but no way to know for sure.  Northern Goshawks nest
near our home, but this is the first juvenile I've observed on our property.
Our dogs and I have been picking berries at least every other day (the
berries were terrific this year) and we startle a family of Ruffed Grouse
every time we are out (5 to 6 birds usually flush).  I suspect that is what
the Northern Goshawk was hunting near the berry patch.

 

(Just a note about picking berries with dogs:  I find it fascinating to
watch my dogs pick berries from thorn-covered bushes!  It gives me insight
into how coyotes manage to pick them.  They use their sense of smell to find
the berries and of course, I use sight.  Together, we make quite a team.
(They pick low berries and I pick high when we find a bush.)  Yesterday, I
was having trouble spotting any new berries, so I followed the dogs and they
found quite a few!)

 

8/20/10 Long Lake

 

My husband, George Yellott, observed 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers (at least
one male) feeding on a dead conifer along our driveway - he saw the yellow
mark on the cap of one, but could not see the cap on the second woodpecker.
Non-birder that he is, he "forgot" to tell me for 3 hours!  He took me to
the location and there has been a lot of activity on this tree, so I am
keeping an eye out.

 

*

A note about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds:  I have been using the same feeder
for years at our Long Lake house and we usually have a male Ruby-throated
Hummingbird each year.  This year, my mother showed up with 2 additional
feeders during a visit - that had perches at the feeding areas (mine does
not have perches).  We now have so many hummingbirds that it often feels
like every hummingbird in Long Lake is at my house!  I fill the "perch"
feeders constantly and I've counted as many as 8 hummingbirds in sight at
once (I suspect there is at least over a dozen regulars now).  People that
visit us have to duck the non-stop activity of hummingbirds all over our
porch.  It seems odd to me that hummingbirds would prefer "perch" feeders
given that they normally feed at flowers and spider webs where they need to
hover as they feed.  Maybe I'm creating couch-potato hummingbirds?!  Anyway,
if you want to attract lots of hummingbirds to your house, buy feeders with
perches!

 

Broad-winged Hawks nest up the hill from our Long Lake house each year, and
this year, they nested in our back yard.  They vocalized NON-STOP throughout
the breeding/nesting season.  After awhile, I got used to the constant
whistle sounds (which I miss now).  On June 28, my husband got up in the
middle of the night to catch a dawn flight out of the Albany airport.  I
wondered what wild sound he was making when I realized it was coming from
outside.  It took me a few seconds of waking fogginess to realize the
Broad-winged Hawks were screaming.  The sounds they made are not on any
recordings I own.  I am certain that they were fending off a nocturnal
attack of some kind.  I was glued to the window and the vocalizations went
on for a several minutes.  I wished I had recording equipment.

 

The Shaw Pond Great Egret that I posted on 7/29/10, was around until 8/4/10
(7 days).

 

Barred Owls have been heard throughout the summer at our house and our
neighbor's house.  Several nights I have "talked" back and forth with them.

 

Warbler waves have been moving through since the 3rd week of July.  In
particular, Northern Parulas moved through in good numbers in the last week
of July.

 

July 26th was the last date I heard the local Mourning Warbler sing outside
our home.

 

Evening Grosbeaks were heard on 7/21/10 outside the house.

 

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet nested along the Northville-Placid Trail (S) in Long
Lake again this year.

 

On 7/7/10 I had wonderful views of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher along Route
28 in Newcomb and views of another Yellow-bellied Flycatcher along the
Hewitt Eddy Trail in Minerva. 

 

I'll end this post with an adorable sighting that my husband and I had at
our Potsdam home on July 25th:  We observed 2 little spotted fawns venture
onto our lawn.  At the time, a group of Amer. Crows were feeding.  The fawns
stared at the crows and seemed really curious.  One fawn 

[nysbirds-l] Ferd's Bog/Shallow Lake/Bog River canoe trip

[Joan E. Collins]

8/10/10 Ferd's Bog & Shallow Lake Trail in Hamilton Co.

 

I guided a wonderful group of people to Ferd's Bog and Shallow Lake on
Tuesday, Aug. 10th.  The group of 6 included a 7-year-old up and coming
birder named Gregory from New Jersey!  He is interested in birds, insects,
and amphibians.  His parents and 3 other adult friends take him camping in
the Adirondacks every year.  Not many 7-year-olds can handle looking through
binoculars, and he was occasionally frustrated by the process, but he was
very advanced for his age.  Here are some of the species we found:

 

Ferd's Bog:

Amer. Kestrel

Belted Kingfisher

Pileated Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Boreal Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren - singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Magnolia Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Canada Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch

 

Shallow Lake Trail:

Common Loon

Herring Gull

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Canada Warbler - singing!

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

 

8/11/10 Bog River canoe trip (noon to 8:30 p.m.; St. Lawrence Co.)

 

I guided the same group of people on the Bog River, Wednesday, August 11th.
We canoed 6 miles round trip from the Lower Dam to Hitchins Pond and we also
climbed Low's Ridge (2.2 miles round trip) for fantastic views of the High
Peaks from the cliffs.  Before our trip back out, we swam in Hitchins Pond
which was lovely.  Here are some of the species we found:

 

Amer. Black Duck

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Belted Kingfisher

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Alder Flycatcher

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Swamp Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Rusty Blackbird - at least 7!  We found these birds just before the Lower
Dam on our way out at dusk.  There were 4 birds preening in a dead snag.  We
were observing them when they suddenly flew - and another 2 birds joined
them in addition to another nearby vocalizing bird for a total of at least 7
Rusty Blackbirds.

 

Another highlight from this trip was a treed Ermine found by Michael Bailey!
It was right along the trail and it watched us intently as it peeked out
from behind the tree.  Eventually, it came down and quickly ran away.

 

Observers:

 

Michael & Margaret Bailey - New Jersey

Joan Collins - Long Lake & Potsdam

Gail, Andrew & Gregory - New Jersey

Bill - Washington D.C.

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] St. Lawrence-Franklin-Hamilton Counties

[Joan E. Collins]

12/8/10 Colton-Potsdam-Madrid-Waddington-Louisville-Massena (St. Lawrence
Co.)

 

I had to travel from Long Lake to Potsdam today, and Mary Beth Warburton and
I met to go birding in the morning.  On my way to Potsdam, a light-morph
Rough-legged Hawk flew over me in Colton.  Also in Colton, at the bridge
over the Raquette River, an adult Bald Eagle was spotted on the ice about 15
feet from a Canada Goose that was in obvious distress.  The feathers were
sticking up on the goose (indicating it had been attacked) and it appeared
to be stuck in the ice.  After I turned around again, and passed this
location, the goose was walking (but appeared unable to fly with its
feathers sticking straight up) and the eagle was perched in a dead snag
looking down at the goose.  I suspect I know what the outcome was for the
goose.  Also at this location in Colton, a large flock of ~600 Snow Geese
flew over.

 

Mary Beth and I drove the Regan Rd.-Route 11- Pleasant Valley Rd.-May Rd.
loop in Potsdam and found over 40 Bohemian Waxwings along May Road.  (This
is an area that has Bohemian Waxwings every winter - as I've posted in the
past, as many as 700 observed at one time.)  In Madrid, on Rutherford Road,
we found a Northern Shrike.  The beautiful conifer forest along this road
was completely clear-cut over the past year (very disturbing).  On Planty
Road, we found a male Hooded Merganser.  In Waddington, on County Route 44,
we found another Northern Shrike and a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk.  At
Wilson Hill, we found an adult Bald Eagle, a solo Ring-necked Duck, 3 Mute
Swans, and 2 Snow Buntings.  At Robert Moses State Park, we found many
Common Mergansers, a Red-tailed Hawk, 7 Snow Buntings, 10 Cedar Waxwings and
a Herring Gull that appeared intent on trying to drown Common Mergansers (I
can find no reference to this behavior in the BNA account for Herring Gull).
At Hawkins Point, we found Common Goldeneye, Great Black-backed Gulls, Amer.
Black Ducks (& many Mallards) and a scaup sp. pair.  Common Ravens, Amer.
Tree Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos were also observed.  Throughout the day,
thousands of Canada Geese were observed heading south.

 

The ice-over of many large lakes in the Adirondacks came on very quickly in
the past few days.

 

12/7/10 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)

 

A large flock of Evening Grosbeaks (~40) continue to visit our feeders each
day and stay throughout the a.m.  At 11:30 a.m. I heard a bird hit our
screen.  I was on the phone and didn't race to the window since it didn't
sound too bad.  After I made my way to the window, I found a Northern Shrike
perched on a branch outside the window!

 

12/5/10 Mountaineer Trail along Massawepie Lake (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

On Sunday, I hiked 2.6 miles round-trip on the Mountaineer Trail in a world
of white.  I found it remarkable that I could drive to this trailhead on
December 5th (the road is not plowed).  I counted 210 Snow Geese, but those
were just the birds I could see from within the forest - I heard flocks
throughout the hike that I could not see.  A Common Loon was observed on the
lake that was quickly icing over.  During my hike, the loon vocalized, and I
realized it was probably the last time I would hear that sound until April.
It was too windy to hear Black-backed Woodpeckers, but I did find a Hairy
Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, and Golden-crowned Kinglets (no Red-breasted
Nuthatches, which seem to have vacated the forests of the North Country this
fall - I haven't heard one in weeks).

 

On the drive home, an adult Bald Eagle was observed along the causeway in
Tupper Lake - perched between Simon Pond and the Raquette River.  At the
south end of Tupper Lake, 5 female Hooded Mergansers were observed.  (I had
to travel to Tupper Lake on 12/6, and the area that held the Hooded
Mergansers was completely iced over.)

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake (Hamilton County)

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Common Redpolls & Evening Grosbeaks

[Joan E. Collins]

12/27/10 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.)

 

Ten Common Redpolls arrived at our feeders this morning.  Late
December-early January is the typical arrival time during irruptive years in
Long Lake.  (During our winters in Potsdam, in the St. Lawrence Valley, the
arrival dates were earlier.)  Evening Grosbeaks have been visiting our
feeders for the past two months.  This morning, the flock had over 60 birds,
and I've counted more than 80 on some mornings.  They stay throughout the
morning hours and disappear by afternoon.  Their time is spent eating seed
on our front porch, preening, roosting, eating tree buds (mostly in cherry
trees, which Ruffed Grouse also seem to prefer), and eating mouthfuls of
snow.

 

Just a note on feeders:  I have 14 feeders up so far this year, and this is
the first time I've added a sock feeder to the mix.  I have a 20-perch
thistle tube feeder next to the sock feeder and the Common Redpolls
definitely prefer the tube feeder over the sock feeder.  So I won't be
investing in any more sock feeders!

 

12/26/10 Long Lake - Kickerville Rd.

 

I took a drive on Kickerville Rd. midday yesterday to a couple feeder
locations I visit every year.  I found a Common Redpoll flock at one of the
houses - between 15 and 20 birds.

 

12/19/10 Newcomb & Elizabethtown (Essex Co.)

 

As I was driving through Newcomb on my way to the Elizabethtown CBC, I found
over 30 Evening Grosbeaks at a feeder location next to the Hudson River
(I've been observing Evening Grosbeaks at this location for several weeks).
Fuat Latif and I covered the east side of Hurricane Mountain for the
Elizabethtown CBC (by car, and then on skis where the plowing stops).
Highlights included 1 Pine Grosbeak, 3 White-winged Crossbills, and at least
one Evening Grosbeak vocalizing.  We find Pine Grosbeaks on this road every
year.  This year, the Pine Grosbeak was perched at the top of a large
conifer tree, but often, we find them in the "Tamarack" trees where the
snow-plowing ends.  The trees are huge and appear to be a different species
than the tamarack trees found in fens and other areas of the Adirondacks.
The trees on Hurricane Mountain Rd. have much larger cones also.

 

12/16/10 Long Lake - Newcomb

 

At 9:30 a.m., I found a Barred Owl by the side of Route 28N in Long Lake on
a drive toward Newcomb.  I also found a Barred Owl perched on a wire at the
side of Route 28 in Indian Lake on 12/11/10 at 10:30 a.m.  I've had many
reports from people seeing Barred Owls perched along roads during the day
(or flying in front of cars).  It appears it may be another bad year for
this species with little food in the forest.

 

I also found a female Black-backed Woodpecker foraging along Tahawus Road
not far from the intersection with the Blue Ridge Rd. in Newcomb.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Barred Owl/Evening Grosbeaks/Common & Hoary Redpolls

[Joan E. Collins]

1/30/11 Long Lake (northern Hamilton County)

At 5 p.m. yesterday (1/29/11), a Barred Owl flew by our kitchen window.  I
ran to the window and found the bird perched by the house, intently looking
under the porch (a full story under this section).  It dropped down, out of
my sight, but returned to the same branch within a few seconds with what
appeared to be a vole in its talons.  The bird transferred the vole to its
beak and threw its head back 3 to 4 times to swallow the prey (unlike the
Great Gray Owl I observed in Potsdam a few years ago that swallowed its prey
in one movement).  I was just about to clean out the ashes in our woodstove,
and I waited so I wouldn’t disturb the bird, but it didn’t leave.
Eventually, I had to go out of the house (as did our 2 dogs) and the owl
seemed unfazed.  It continued to perch in the same exact spot until 8 a.m.
this morning (I checked on it throughout the night).  It did not leave for
long, and has been perched in the same spot for most of the day.
(Occasionally, it flies to the trees behind our garage, but returns within a
few minutes.)

 

After I watched the Barred Owl consume the vole last evening, it continued
to intently look under the porch, but it kept turning its head toward the
road.  Eventually, I heard snowmobilers going by, and the noise appeared to
be bothering the owl.  I was observing the owl through a window and I
decided to make one sound.  The owl immediately looked at me!  I did it a
couple more times to insure it was not a coincidence, and the owl
immediately looked at me each time.  Their sense of hearing is remarkable.
For an animal with such an acute sense of hearing, many of our
human-engineered, loud sounds (noises) must be very bothersome.

 

The ~60 Evening Grosbeaks and a couple hundred redpolls that have been
visiting our feeders each day, stayed perched in the trees this morning
without dropping down to the feeders.  By 8 a.m., the Black-capped
Chickadees drove the Barred Owl from its perch with a loud round of non-stop
DEE-DEE-DEEs (they leave off the “chick-a” when they are very disturbed).
What would all the other bird species do without Black-capped Chickadees?!
(We have a baby monitor set up outside to bring in the sounds, so I was able
to hear what was going on.)  The finches were very skittish and did not
perch long at the feeders.

 

With so many Evening Grosbeaks visiting, I’ve been putting seed on our porch
floors, which is where they prefer to feed.  Some of it falls through the
cracks, which is no doubt attracting the Barred Owl’s prey.  Barred Owls are
having another difficult winter with little food available in the forest,
resulting in constant reports of birds perched along the highways, flying in
front of cars, and at feeder locations.

 

I observed one female Hoary Redpoll this morning.  Chris Bennett of Delaware
and two of his friends traveled up last weekend and observed 2 female Hoary
Redpolls at our feeders.

 

1/29/11 Sabattis Bog (Hamilton County)

When I get sick of snowshoeing with our dogs each day, I drive them to
Sabattis Bog where I can bare-boot along the road and the dogs don’t have to
struggle through the snow.  As we drove away from the bog, we startled a
Barred Owl from its perch along the road.

 

1/23/11

A Brown Creeper sang one song!

 

1/21/11

A Brown Creeper was roosting for nearly ½ hour on a cherry tree outside my
window (probably part of a mixed flock, and the Black-capped Chickadees were
at the feeders).  The Common Redpolls kept flying at the creeper trying to
get it to move or leave – it was actually rather comical.  The creeper
ignored them.

 

1/13/11 & 1/15/11 Roosevelt Truck Trail

I skied the Roosevelt Truck Trail, which is located between Newcomb and
Minerva, with the Cold River Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club, and
again with my husband, George Yellott, and Pat & John Thaxton two days
later.  Boreal Chickadees were heard on both trips.  The habitat is mature
spruce-fir with very little understory – a place to check for Cape May
Warblers in spring!  There are 3 wheelchair accessible campsites along this
trail.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] St. Lawrence & Hamilton County sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

1/31/11 Leonard Pond Trail (Colton, SE St. Lawrence Co.) A rare blue-sky
winter day, calm winds, 1 degree, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Midday, Mary Beth Warburton and I cross country skied the beginning of the
Leonard Pond Trail to check on conditions ahead of our field trip on Sunday.
The first mile of the trail is not groomed (after this section, the trail is
groomed for the next 1.5 miles for snowmobiles) and there was no broken
trail.  It was fine for Mary Beth and me, but our dogs (3) struggled in the
deep snow.  The first birds heard (near the road) were Red Crossbills!  This
is a very reliable location for this species every winter.  As we neared the
end of the large Red Pine stand, we heard a woodpecker.  We had to
bushwhack/ski to the location.  The acoustics in this large stand of tall
trees deep in snow produced conditions that made it difficult to locate the
exact tree the woodpecker was on.  With 3 dogs running around, and the
woodpecker not moving, it had to be a Black-backed or Pileated.  It was a
male Black-backed Woodpecker, foraging on a Red Pine – not the typical tree
species that I usually find Black-backs on.  As we were watching the
woodpecker, another flock of Red Crossbills called nearby!  I was so excited
that I was ignoring my hands and feet going numb from the cold.  We decided
to turn around at this location (just over ½ a mile in) due to the cold and
our struggling dogs.  On our ski out, we heard another Red Crossbill
calling.  Other species found included Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper,
and Golden-crowned Kinglet.

 

We drove a short distance to the road-kill dump area at Sevey Corners to
check for Bald Eagles.  There was a deer carcass, with Common Ravens, a
Downy Woodpecker, and Black-capped Chickadees feeding on it.  (Mary Beth did
find an adult Bald Eagle in Hannawa Falls on her drive to meet me.)

 

Long Lake (northern Hamilton County)

The Barred Owl continues to perch right outside our house – I’ve had
beautiful scope views.  Unfortunately, only about 30 Evening Grosbeaks
showed up today, and they didn’t stay long – which is very unusual on such a
bitter cold day.  I’m afraid the owl may scare off many of our feeder birds.
Although, there were just as many redpolls today, and I had a nice view of a
female Hoary Redpoll.  She was on a tube feeder with several Common
Redpolls.  This morning, the redpolls spent a lot of time snow burrowing and
tunneling (in the snow on tree branches and on the ground).  One of the
birds tunneled through the snow on top of a boulder.  It popped out where
there was a vertical drop and fell about a foot into the snow below!

 

Mary Beth and I kept marveling at how beautiful the Leonard Pond Trail was
today with all the trees coated in snow – it was gorgeous.  Views of the
brilliant white High Peaks on my drive were also breathtaking.  It was great
to see the sun before the next storm moves in tomorrow…

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY  

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Long Lake finches

[Joan E. Collins]

2/16/11 Long Lake (northern Hamilton County)

 

There are 4 finch species visiting our feeders.  The Evening Grosbeak
numbers continue to increase, and there are now between 100 and 110.  It is
quite loud outside our house and I am going through a LOT of seed!  I
haven't tried to get an exact count on the redpolls, but I'm certain it is
well over 200.  I've been observing a female Hoary Redpoll every day.  This
morning, I observed one on our back porch, and later, one of the front
porch.  I suspect there is more than one, but I haven't been able to see
more than one at the same time.  There are Pine Siskins mixed in with the
redpolls - today, I spotted 4 on our back porch (yesterday, I observed 3
among a redpoll flock).  Often, during a warm-up, we lose some of the
finches.  But oddly, the numbers seemed to increase during Monday's warm-up.
With rain coming this week, I suspect we'll probably lose some of the birds.
Other birds visiting the feeders: Hairy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees
(not many!), and White-breasted Nuthatches.  It will be interesting to see
when the Red-breasted Nuthatches return from wherever they headed this
winter.  Common Ravens are heard throughout the day. 

 

Our feeders are so exciting this winter, that it is disappointing to go
anywhere else in the area!  My dogs can't get through the deep snow, so I've
been walking them on roadways.  We go to Sabattis Bog about once a week.
Yesterday morning at Sabattis Bog, we found only 2 birds - a Golden-crowned
Kinglet and a Common Raven!  (Not even a Black-capped Chickadee!)  We have
had some trips where we have not found a bird at all.  This has been the
quietest winter that I can ever recall.

 

I last saw the Barred Owl on Sunday, February 6th.  My husband snow-blew a
path around our house for the dogs that day.  It created a 'slice' through
the fascinating network of subnivean small mammal tunnels that we don't
normally have a chance to observe.  The tunnels were concentrated near the
back and front porches (where the seed is located).  I suspect this created
a boon for the owl since the mammals had to cross a 2.5 foot exposed area in
their tunnel systems.

 

Charlotte Demers told me the Adirondack Interpretive Center (AIC - formerly
the VIC) in Newcomb has Evening Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls visiting their
feeders.  (The AIC is open Tues.-Sat.  New website is:
http://www.esf.edu/aic/ )

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

 

 


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] Sightings in Hamilton-Franklin-St. Lawrence Counties

[Joan E. Collins]

 

3/29/11 Long Lake (2 feet of snow on the ground still)

 

The number of redpolls at our home continues to be remarkable.  Yesterday, I
tried to count them.  I went over 500 redpolls out one window and there were
many more in trees farther from the house where I couldn’t count them.  The
din over the baby monitor (set up to bring the sounds inside) is deafening –
reminiscent of Hitchcock’s “The Birds”!  It is easy to pick out Hoary
Redpolls when there are huge groups on our porch floor.  Pine Siskins
continue to be mixed in.  I haven’t try to count the Evening Grosbeaks, but
it looks like the number has dropped from the 100-110 we had all winter – I
would estimate it is now around 50-60.  As Larry Master often points out,
the number of redpolls that will show up at your location is related to how
many can feed at once.  I have 16 feeders up (which would never accommodate
500+ redpolls), and the birds mostly feed on our porch floor.  I spread
sunflower hearts across 25’ (of a 50’) porch, and across a smaller back
porch – they literally cover these areas shoulder to shoulder as they feed!
Often, I am replenishing the seed hourly through the morning.

 

I took a late afternoon hike on the Northville-Placid Trail (north).  We
still have 2’ of snow on the ground, but the nights have been so cold, that
you can walk on top and bushwhack anywhere.  At the bridge ½ mile down the
trail, I heard distance woodpecker sounds, which led to a male Black-backed
Woodpecker (I often find them is this area by a brook/marsh).  There were
lots of River Otter slides along the brook.  But the most exciting moment
was finding the snow covered in Snow Fleas!!!  (aka Springtails)  I am
always thankful that no one can see me sitting in the snow in awe of these
ancient creatures!  Finding snow fleas feels like a real sign the season is
changing.

 

I heard yet another “new” Common Raven vocalization at dawn yesterday –
their different vocalizations seem endless!

 

Long Lake has a narrow strip of open water under the bridge – just a solo
Canada Goose and 2 Mallards so far!

 

3/26/11 Tupper Lake

 

I’ve had several trips to St. Lawrence Co. for various reasons, and on
Saturday, I saw 2 Hooded Mergansers (FOS in the Adirondacks) under the
bridge at the causeway in Tupper Lake – also several Turkey Vultures.

 

3/25/11 St. Lawrence Co. locations (bare ground for weeks in the St.
Lawrence River Valley areas)

 

This was a late outing that began at 4 p.m.

 

Turkey Vulture – many

Northern Harrier – male on Planty Rd. (Town of Madrid)

Amer. Kestrel – Rutherford Rd. (Town of Madrid)

Red-tailed Hawk

Amer. Robin – many

Bohemian Waxwing – 110-115 along Route 37 (Town of Louisville) a few miles
south of the Wilson Hill turn feeding on buckthorn berries; I also found 8
perched outside a house along Route 420 (Town of Norfolk).

Red-winged Blackbird – huge numbers along with Common Grackles at the swamp
(the Great Egret roost location in late summer) along Route 420 (Town of
Stockholm)

Common Grackle – many; (I found a solo Common Grackle in Tupper Lake on 3/17
– FOS in the Adirondacks)

 

The St. Lawrence River was open (with some bay areas still covered in ice),
so waterfowl were not congregated at Hawkins Point in Massena.

 

3/24/11 Bloomingdale Bog area (& Tupper Lake causeway sightings; plus one
Long Lake sighting)

 

I had to drive our older son to the Saranac Lake airport before dawn, so I
spent several hours in the Bloomingdale Bog area after his plane took off
(bitter cold at 13 degrees!).  Here are some of the 28 species found on a
great morning of birding:

 

Amer. Black Duck – 2, causeway in Tupper Lake

Common Goldeneye – several, causeway

Common Merganser - ~20, causeway

Turkey Vulture – Tupper Lake

Bald Eagle – Tupper Lake

Black-backed Woodpecker – 2 (male & female – pair); I bushwhacked to a male
Black-backed Woodpecker foraging in trees beyond the first bridge/marsh on
the northern Bloomingdale Bog trail (it was west of the trail).  On my way
out (11 a.m.), the bird had moved a few trees to a huge, dead white pine
tree where it was drumming.  It would drum, then preen, drum, then preen,
etc.  I finally realized that it was communicating with another Black-backed
Woodpecker that my ears were just barely picking up.  This bird was way back
in the direction I had just hiked.  So I went back and found a female
Black-backed Woodpecker past the second bridge to the east of the trail.
These birds were quite distant from each other, but obviously communicating.
The female’s behavior was identical – drum, preen, drum, preen!  I watched
them for a long time – after awhile, you could hear them change the drumming
patterns and volume – fascinating!

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Shrike – 1 along Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake; The bird was at
the top of a dead snag in the marsh where Little Tupper Lake empties out – I
observed it through my scope for wonderful views!

Gray Jay – 4; 2 different pairs in the 

RE:[nysbirds-l] NNYBirds: Sightings in Hamilton-Franklin-St. Lawrence Counties

[Joan E. Collins]

I forgot to mention that on 3/24/11, I observed a Fisher cross Oregon Plains
Rd. at 7:30 a.m. (Bloomingdale area).  The Fisher crossed north of the
Bigelow - Oregon Plains intersection, and not far from the Muzzy - Oregon
Plains intersection.  Exciting!

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

__._,_.___

Reply to
 sender | Reply to
 group | Reply
 via
web post |
 Start a New Topic 

Messages in this topic
  (1) 

Recent Activity: 

.
 New Members 3 

 
 Visit Your Group 

All postings to Northern_NY_Birds are protected by copyright law.



 

Yahoo! Groups

Switch to:
 Text-Only,
 Daily Digest .

Unsubscribe .   Terms of Use

.

 
 

__,_._,___


--

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

ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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] NYSOA Massawepie Mire field trip 5/28/11

[Joan E. Collins]

Massawepie Mire, Southeastern St. Lawrence Co., overcast with occasional
brief showers

 

Ten people took part in the NYS Ornithological Association's field trip to
Massawepie Mire on Saturday.  (Sorry for the delayed post, but I am with a
family member in the hospital in Albany.)  With all the recent rain deluges,
the road in was washed out in places (but still traversable) and the dirt
road we hiked into the mire was wetter than I have ever seen it.  It was so
wet that Mallards were making use of the vernal pools!  Mosquitoes were
intense in the warm, humid conditions.  The few times that the sun broke
out, the mosquitoes died down and black flies came out!

 

One of the things that I most enjoy about birding is finding unexpected
species - we found 2 on Saturday.  Just before we went out into the open
bog, I heard a Brown Thrasher!  It was perched in the middle of the bog.  As
we approached it, two Grays Jays flew off - it appeared they had been
harassing the thrasher.  I continued to hear the Brown Thrasher's loud
vocalizations during our traverse of the huge bog.  On our hike out, just
before the first bridge, I hung back from the group a bit to listen for
Black-backed Woodpeckers (the last likely spot on our hike out) and instead,
I heard a Field Sparrow sing in mature boreal habitat!  I caught up with
everyone at the bridge and asked if anyone lives among Field Sparrows and
when they had returned.  I was told quite some time ago, so this bird was
not likely a migrant.  As it turns out, I received a phone call from Sean
O'Brien yesterday to tell me he had visited Massawepie Mire on Monday with
Ted Mack and they too found a singing Field Sparrow!  (They found the bird
in the same vicinity.)  He also called Larry Master who told Sean that a
Field Sparrow once spent an entire season at Bloomingdale Bog.  It will be
interesting to see if this Field Sparrow spends the breeding season at
Massawepie Mire.

 

We found 58 species, including 16 warbler species and 7 sparrow species.
Northern Waterthrushes can be found in an area with many Canada Warblers,
but were not singing by the time our group reached that location.  Pine
Warblers can sometimes be found on the hike, but can definitely be found
along the Mountaineer Trail, which we did not hike.  I heard 5 singing
Mourning Warblers, and there are even more found by continuing to drive
straight at the 4 corners location for ~ 1.5 miles to a metal gate - an area
that has been heavily logged.  We did not have time to drive this section.
That area also has many Indigo Buntings and a Veery.  Eastern Phoebes were
missing from the bridge locations, and this is the first year we failed to
find a Gray Catbird near our parking location.  Logging operations continue
on the perimeter of the bog.

 

Here are some of the 58 species found:

 

Spruce Grouse - 1 male!  On our hike out, Bill Schneider yelled that he saw
a Spruce Grouse.  We looked up and the grouse flew up from the dirt road
into a tree, then dropped back down onto the road and walked straight toward
us!  It got within 15 feet (we didn't need binocs) and then tried to go
around us by going into the brushy habitat along the road.  We were all
still as statues as the grouse approached us.  Instead of continuing past
us, it paralleled us as we continue our hike out.  This was certainly a
birding highlight of my year!

Bald Eagle - 2, soaring together

Broad-winged Hawk

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Wood Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Blue-headed Vireo

Gray Jay - 2

Common Raven

Tree Swallow

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird - several

Hermit Thrush

Brown Thrasher

Cedar Waxwing

Warblers: Nashville, Northern Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia,
Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian,
Palm, Black-and-white, Amer. Redstart, Ovenbird, Mourning, Common
Yellowthroat, and Canada.

Sparrows: Chipping, Field, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-throated, and
Dark-eyed Junco

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Purple Finch

 

The cone crop developing on the spruces is quite remarkable!

 

Eight in our group had a late lunch at the "Thirsty Moose Pub & Grub" a
short distance from Massawepie.

 

Observers (I don't have the list of observers' hometowns with me):

Janet Allison - Minerva & ?downstate

Clint Anglin - Troy

Joan Collins - Long Lake (leader)

Michael Greco - Albany

Naomi Jaffe - Troy

Celeste Morien - Buffalo area

Gwen Morien - Buffalo area

Kathy & Bill Schneider - Newcomb & Stuyvesant

Mike J. - Watertown

 


--

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) 

RE: [nysbirds-l] Status of Henslow's Sparrow in NYS

[Joan E. Collins]

Hi Angus/All,

 

I am planning to do a "highlights" of my late spring/early summer sightings
- late due to grieving over a close loss in June - this report will include
Henslow's Sparrows sightings.

 

I took clients from California to see Henslow's Sparrows in St. Lawrence
County - in Hammond on June 14th.  We found 8 singing males on one road
alone in very windy conditions (at 5:15 a.m.) - so we would have found many
more if we could have heard birds farther into the fields.  We had
spectacular scope views of singing males carrying nesting material.  I am
reluctant to name the road since all the lands in Hammond are private.  The
particular fields in Hammond where Henslow's Sparrows can be found are not
generally cut over early, so they stand a good chance of nesting success - I
would hate to jeopardize this by calling attention to the species.

 

I spoke to Jeff Bolsinger (Kingbird Regional Editor for St. Lawrence Co.)
and we discussed the frustration with the fact that much of St. Lawrence Co.
was block-busted during the Atlas.  In my opinion, St. Lawrence Co. is
probably the most exciting place to bird in NYS (lacking only ocean habitat)
and it was poorly covered during the Atlas.  I hope that during the 2020
Atlas, more resources can be invested in covering this important birding
area that is home to many rare species in NYS.

 

I recently bought "The Ecology and Economics of the Birds Along the Northern
Boundary of New York State" by A. Sidney Hyde, 1939, Roosevelt Wildlife
Bulletin Volume 7 Number 2.  In this book, a colony of 20 pairs of Henslow's
Sparrows was documented at the mouth of Crooked Creek in Hammond (where 4
specimens were "collected").  This location is 3 miles from where we found 8
singing males in June.  In my opinion, a concerted effort to find Henslow's
Sparrows in the Hammond area will probably turn up even more locations than
I am currently aware of.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

From: bounce-37778405-13418...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-37778405-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Angus Wilson
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 12:38 PM
To: NYSBIRDS-L
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Status of Henslow's Sparrow in NYS

 

Bulletin board postings are naturally slanted to positive news and don't do
such a good job recording disappearances, either of particular individuals
(is the Hooded Crow still being seen?) or of populations. The recent
discovery of two Henslow's Sparrows in a field near Ames (Montgomery Co.)
got me thinking: are these are the only sightings for New York State this
season? 

Looking at eBird (a better resource for this type of question) says no, but
only just. Evidently, small numbers (the entries are for 1 bird each) are
still present in Fort Drum and the nearby Perch River WMA (Jefferson Co.)
and a little to the north in St. Lawrence County. But according to eBird,
that's it. I suspect official surveys will have come up with a few more at
these sites but still.

Have other traditional breeding sites in western and central NYS been
checked and found negative? Is total extirpation as a breeding species
imminent? At what point should Henslow's Sparrow be added to the NYSARC
review list? Heady questions. It would give me peace of mind to know if
other breeding sites still exist. Precise locations are not necessary, just
enough to know whether or not the breeding population in now confined to a
relatively small area in the St. Lawrence Transition. 

Unfortunately I don't have the The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New
York State (McGowan and Corwin 2008) at hand but I am sure this
indispensable resource for state birds has much to say on this troubling
topic. In 1999, the DEC reclassified the sparrow as Threatened (from Species
of Special Concern) but my sense is that the decline has continued
unchecked.

-- 
Angus Wilson
New York City & The Springs, NY, USA
http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/

--

NYSbirds-L List Info:

  Welcome and Basics 

  Rules and Information 

 
Subscribe, Configuration and Leave

Archives:

The Mail Archive
 

  Surfbirds

BirdingOnThe.Net  

Please submit your observations to   eBird!

--


--

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] Red Crossbills & other Northern NY sightings

[Joan E. Collins]

Hamilton, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex, and Clinton Counties

 

I wanted to post a few highlights from my birding trips over the past month.
I apologize for the lateness of some of my sightings (as I mentioned in mid
July, I suffered a close loss in June, and energy for email has been
difficult).

 

The historic late-April flooding in northern NY took a huge toll on trails,
bridges, and roads.  I have found many bridges on trails completely
destroyed (or moved!).  Trails are littered with downed trees.  Dirt roads
and trails are washed out.  Given the state budget situation and major cut
backs in DEC personnel, it looks like the damage won't be fixed anytime
soon.

 

Cone crop:  Remarkable!  I have been observing the cone crop on conifers in
the Adirondacks and it could be quite a year for finches!  All spruce
species look excellent.  Balsam fir, white cedar, tamarack, and hemlock also
look excellent.  Some of the larger white pine trees have huge cone crops -
looking like bunches of bananas.  I still need to spend time checking on red
pines.  Matt Young has more detailed data (he actually counts the cones in
quadrants!).

 

7/30/11 Low's Ridge - Upper Dam Trail (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

Last evening, I hiked about 1 to 1.5 miles in on the Low's Ridge - Upper Dam
Trail.  I found numerous Palm Warblers (many juveniles) and Lincoln's
Sparrows were singing (also many juveniles observed).  There was also a
family of 4 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers foraging together.

 

7/28/11 Moose River Plains/Ferd's Bog/Brown's Tract Inlet (Hamilton Co.) -
some of the 48 species:

 

Hooded Merganser - 2 females on Icehouse Pond

Broad-winged Hawk - 2 juveniles in their nest - absolutely adorable - this
is the second time I've observed them, and they are just about to leave the
nest.  The nest seems unusually low for this species.  Thanks to Jeff Nadler
for letting me know about this location.

Black-billed Cuckoo - singing at Helldiver Pond in Moose River Plains

Swainson's Thrush

13 warbler species including Northern Waterthrush & Canada Warbler (singing)

Lincoln's Sparrow

Indigo Bunting

Red Crossbill - 1 flyover calling bird at Helldiver Pond, and several
SINGING birds at Brown's Tract Inlet!

 

7/27/11 Massawepie Mire (St. Lawrence Co.) - some of the 35 species:

 

Broad-winged Hawk

Amer. Kestrel - 2

Gray Jay - at least 10!  We found 2 adults at the beginning of the bog and
at least 8 birds at the bridge over the South Branch of the Grass River (I
suspect there were many more, but I could only count 8 at once).  We
observed many juveniles and adults - it was apparent that multiple families
were together.  This is the second time I have observed multiple families
foraging together - I have also observed this behavior in Blue Jays.  Also,
there were multiple Blue Jay families interacting with the Gray Jay families
- it was a wild scene!

Palm Warbler

Canada Warbler

Lincoln's Sparrow

 

(Interesting behavior note:  I was guiding a group of 14 people on this
hike, and one of the men kept holding out his hand with wild blueberries for
the Cedar Waxwings.  Several of the birds circled him and flew just over his
hand - it certainly appeared as if they were debating landing on his hand!)

 

7/22/11 Moose River Plains (Hamilton Co.) - some of 41 species:

 

Broad-winged Hawk - same 2 juveniles plus the adult

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Boreal Chickadee - at least 8; 2 before the Red River, 2 at the Red River,
and 4 at Helldiver Pond

Swainson's Thrush

14 warbler species including Northern Waterthrush & Canada Warbler

Indigo Bunting - nest site with both adults observed

 

7/15/11 Mount Adams (Essex Co.) (Suspension bridge over the Hudson River was
destroyed in the April floods - took us a LONG time to get across!)

 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Bicknell's Thrush

Swainson's Thrush

Blackpoll Warbler - family group

 

7/2/11 and 7/4/11 Sabattis Bog (Hamilton Co.), Oregon Plains Rd. &
Bloomingdale Bog (Franklin Co.), Whiteface Mountain (Essex Co.), Silver Lake
Bog (Clinton Co.), Moose Pond Rd. (Essex Co.), Tupper Lake causeway (road
between Simon Pond & Tupper Lake) (Franklin Co.), Massawepie Mire (St.
Lawrence Co.), Dead Creek Flow Trail at Wanakena (St. Lawrence Co.)

 

Some of the 86 species found:

Virginia Rail - Trail to Dead Creek Flow at Wanakena (thanks to Bernie Carr
who was on this trail earlier in the day and noted the species in the
register)

Black-backed Woodpecker

Olive-sided Flycatcher - at least 3 along the trail to Dead Creek Flow in
Wanakena, and 1 at Massawepie

Eastern Wood-Pewee - numbers seem way down this year

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe - on Whiteface Mt's summit!

Philadelphia Vireo - 4-way intersection at Massawepie

Gray Jay

Boreal Chickadee

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Whiteface Mt.

Bicknell's Thrush - 4 singing males all within view, perched on dead snags
on Whiteface Mt.  We had fantastic scope views of 3 - we could see right
into their mouths they were so close!  The 

RE: [nysbirds-l] nocturnal flight call listening on Mount Pleasant tonight.

[Joan E. Collins]

Hi Bill/All,

 

I was out last night from about midnight to 1 a.m. and it was remarkable!  I
liked your image of awestruck birders wandering around in darkness!  I've
given up the notion of a good night's sleep at this time of year - I don't
have any recording equipment.yet, but I've spent years just listening truly
in "awe" of bird migration.  Last night, there were 10 to 30 calls per
minute flowing overhead.  We live in the central Adirondacks (Long Lake) at
2,000'.  There is no human noise on our mountain except occasional jets
going over. (Nor are there any lights to obscure the stars, planets, and
Milky Way band from view.)  I arrived home very late in intermittent fog.  I
listened in fog conditions and at first, most of the birds heard were
Swainson's Thrushes high overhead.  I also heard Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a
Scarlet Tanager, and many warblers.  Standing in the fog, there were several
moments when the birds were so low, that it felt like you could reach out
and touch them as they flew by!  (And I felt thankful that wind turbines are
not allowed in the Adirondack Park.)

 

I will be out again tonight - I may even spend the whole night out.  I would
join you on Mount Pleasant if it were only closer.  It is terrific to know
that there are others outside in "awe" of this remarkable phenomenon too.
It is wonderful that you offered your nocturnal activity to the list serve
members - enjoy the night!

 

Take care,

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

From: bounce-38020663-13418...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-38020663-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bill Evans
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 10:14 AM
To: Cortland nature listserve; natural history network; CAYUGABIRDS-L
Birding
Cc: nysbirds-l@cornell.edu
Subject: [nysbirds-l] nocturnal flight call listening on Mount Pleasant
tonight.

 

Greetings Birders,

 

For anyone interested in listening to nocturnal flight calls of migrating
birds, I'll be in the vicinity of Cornell's Hartung-Boothroyd Astronomical
Observatory on Mount Pleasant tonight from 9PM-midnight with a couple
amplified microphone listening stations. I'll also have a realtime NEXRAD
display for observing the migration via weather radar.

 

Last night was the first big nocturnal movement of birds across central NY
in the past two weeks. The forecast tonight is for light northerly winds and
I'm anticipating another large flight with a great variety of warblers along
with lots of Swainson's Thrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in the mix.

 

Should be very pleasant outside tonight. Temps are forecasted to be in the
low 60s, dropping into the high 50s. There are no lights atop Mount Pleasant
so bring a flashlight. Please take caution in driving by and in parking on
the side of Mount Pleasant Rd as awestruck birders may be wandering around
in the darkness. And as always, when you arrive keep voices down and be
respectful of others who are trying to listen.

 

For directions, seach Google maps for "Hartung-Boothroyd". If you'd like any
other information, email me before 7PM tonight.

 

The conditions look good for listening to night migrants across most of New
York State tonight. If you can't make it over to Ithaca, find your nearest
open hilltop and get out for a listen.

 

Bill Evans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

NYSbirds-L List Info:

  Welcome and Basics 

  Rules and Information 

 
Subscribe, Configuration and Leave

Archives:

The Mail Archive
 

  Surfbirds

BirdingOnThe.Net  

Please submit your observations to   eBird!

--


--

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/

--

RE:[nysbirds-l] NNYBirds: Red Crossbill report from around the state/cone crops (long)

[Joan E. Collins]

Hamilton and Essex Counties

 

I just wanted to clarify one of the Red Crossbill locations:  I joined Matt
and Julie on Friday, August 12th, 2011.  Red Crossbills have been found
along Vanderwhacker Brook on an old railroad bed in the town of Minerva.
(The Vanderwhacker Mountain Trail is 4 miles from this location.)  Mike
Moccio found the birds along the railroad bed on 7/30/11.  I found at least
3 Red Crossbills at this location on 8/2/11.  We found the birds again on
Friday (8/12/11).  The railroad bed location is just off Route 28N south.

 

I found several White-winged Crossbills on Tahawus Road - Upper Works area
(Newcomb) last fall - this location is always an excellent place to search
for White-winged Crossbills.  Hopefully, they will show up soon.

 

I found Red Crossbills at Brown's Tract Inlet on 7/28/11 and again with Matt
and Julie on 8/12/11.  So the locations along Vanderwhacker Brook (railroad
bed) and Brown's Tract Inlet are currently reliable sites for this species.

 

Joan Collins

Long Lake, NY

 

 

From: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Matthew Young
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 4:28 PM
To: northern_ny_bi...@yahoogroups.com; NNY Birds; NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu
Cc: m...@cornell.edu
Subject: NNYBirds: Red Crossbill report from around the state/cone crops
(long)

 

  

Hello all,

Julie and I got back from Adirondacks last night (it's going to be a good 
year for crossbills in the northeast!):

Red Crossbill tally from northern NY:

Brown Tract Inlet western Adirondacks: 2-3 pairs of Type 10s and two pairs 
of Type 2 --all within the same general area breeding side-by-side.
Tahawus Rd southern High Peaks Region eastern ADKS: one Type 10
Vanderwhacker Trail Newcomb just south of High Peaks east-central ADKS: 4-6 
Type 10s

In recent days, Red Crossbills have also been reported from near Tupper 
Lake (Dear Pond Trail), Paul Smiths and Boreas River areas. 

Cone crop assessment for Adirondacks:

5=excellent
4=good
3=fair
2=poor
1=bad

White spruce: 4.75
Red spruce: 4.5
Black spruce: 4.0
Norway spruce: 4.75 (very local in North Country)
Balsam fir: 4.5
N. white cedar: 5
Eastern hemlock: 5
Tamarack: 4
E. white pine: 3.75
Red Pine: 2.25 (fair crop in Sevey Coners area)

Overall, best cone crop (bumper!) since 2000 and perhaps before. Spruce 
crop was a bit better in North Country in 2000 than this year, but when you 
add in the cone crops on the hemlock and white pine this year, I'd rate 
this one a bit better. The white pine cone crop in many areas of the 
central and northern Adirondacks is more in the good to very good range, 
but from Sevey Corners to Cranberry Lake it's rather poor. It's very 
unusual to have white pine producing a good cone crop in the same year that 
all the other soft-coned conifers are producing good to great crops. The 
tamarack crop is quite variable in spots as well, with some areas in the 
very good range, and others in the fair range. 

Tally from southern NY recent weeks:

Month ago (mid July) I recorded 8-10 Type 1 Red Crossbills on territory in 
the Southern 
Hills south of Syracuse (i.e. Pharsalia, North Rd; Otselic, Ridge Rd; 
Muller Hill). Chris Wood and I did a tour of the same areas on 7/31 and had 
3 Red Crossbills, one undetermined Type (probably Type 1 but it was too 
distant) and a pair of Type 10s on the same road (North Rd Pharsalia) 
there's been 1-2 pairs of Type 1s. Many Type 1s were likely just quiet and 
nesting.

Cone crop assessment for central NY (there's great synchrony across much of 
the state and northeast this year!):

5=excellent
4=good
3=fair
2=poor
1=bad

White spruce: 4.5
Red spruce: 4.75
Black spruce: (didn't look at enough in central NY where it is rare)
Norway spruce: 4.5 (common in central NY)
Balsam fir: 4.5 (local in central NY)
Eastern hemlock: 5
N. white cedar: 4.5 (local in central NY)
European larch: 4.25 (fairly common in central NY)
Tamarack: 4.75 (local in central NY)
E. white pine: 3.75
Red Pine: 2.50 

WW Crossbills are already on territory in parts of New Hampshire and Maine, 
and I suspect some will start to turn up in the Adirondacks on territory by 
end of month/first half of September. I was a little surprised I did not 
turn a few up in the Tahawus Rd area where white spruce is quite common 
compared to other areas of the Adirondacks. If I were to predict, I'd say 
we'll have a good breeding year for Pine Siskin, WW Crossbills, and many 
types of Red Crossbills (1, 2, 10 and perhaps 3). If I were to compare, I'd 
say it'll end up being a better year than 2006-07 (which was a nice 
moderate invasion of siskins, WW Crossbills, and Red crossbill types 1, 3 
and 10), but not quite as good a year for WW Crossbills as 2000-01BUT, 
it will be better for Red Crossbills than in 2000-01 when Reds were nearly 
non-existent in that amazing WW Crossbill/siskin breeding invasion. 

cheers, and sorry for the ramblings,
Matt Young

[Non-text portions of this 

[nysbirds-l] Pine Siskins & other sightings in Hamilton Co.

[Joan E. Collins]

10/27/11 Long Lake (northern Hamilton Co.), 34 degrees, calm winds, low
cloud ceiling, snow covered landscape!  (Last night's snow was the first of
the season in Long Lake.)

 

Pine Siskin continues to be the most abundant species encountered on outings
(& outside our house, but none at the feeders yet).  Today, the number of
siskins was even more remarkable.  Flocks were encountered everywhere I
walked and whenever I stopped my car.  I visited the outlet area of Little
Tupper Lake and Sabattis Bog (10 a.m. to noon), both on Sabattis Circle Rd.
in Long Lake.  The outlet area of Little Tupper Lake is often an exciting
birding location, and this morning it was filled with birds.  There were a
couple hundred Pine Siskins at this spot - calling and singing - it was
loud!  The first bird heard when I got out of the car was a singing Rusty
Blackbird.  After an hour of birding at this location, I was just about to
get in my car (freezing with completely numb hands) when a male Rusty
Blackbird flew into the berry bushes a few feet from me.  It was picking the
red berries - it would pause for a moment with a large berry in its bill
before swallowing it - one of those moments when I wished Jeff Nadler was
there with his camera!  After eating berries, it flew up to a branch on a
dead snag, and a Pine Siskin joined it - yet another wonderful photo
opportunity!  The morning became even more exciting at Sabattis Bog.  Here
are some of the 30 species encountered this morning:

 

Ruffed Grouse

Common Loon

Turkey Vulture - 2

Northern Goshawk - flying over the trees surrounding Sabattis Bog

Red-tailed Hawk - 3

Black-backed Woodpecker - 2, one male and one female

Northern Flicker - several

Gray Jay - 2

Common Raven

Boreal Chickadee - 4 (2 groups of at least 2)

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Yellow-rumped Warbler - small flock, one bird had no tail

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow (small flock of ~10 found near the intersection of
Tarbell Hill Lane and Route 28N - same location I found them yesterday
(10/26/11))

Dark-eyed Junco

Rusty Blackbird

Common Grackle

Purple Finch

White-winged Crossbill - one heard near Sabattis Bog

Pine Siskin - hundreds (there was a huge flock heard at the intersection of
Route 30 and Sabattis Circle Rd.)

 

Blue Jays and Amer. Robins continue to be abundant also.  Geese were on the
move, but with the low clouds, it was impossible to see them.

 

While I was walking at Sabattis Bog, a car stopped, and the people asked if
I was looking for the moose!  I should keep a tally of how many times I am
asked that question!  They told me that people have recently been observing
a moose on Sabattis Circle Rd.

 

10/25/11 Long Lake

 

Two Hermit Thrushes were observed in the trees outside our home.  While I
was out with our dogs in the evening, I heard a fox calling.  Later in the
evening, a coyote pack howled, which was amplified over the baby monitor we
have on our porch to bring in feeder bird sounds.  

 

10/22/11 Northville-Placid Trail (S) in Long Lake

 

I hiked 2 miles round trip on the N-P Trail (S).  A Ruffed Grouse was
drumming as if it were spring - heard several times on the way in and way
out.  A Black-backed Woodpecker called and flew between the tops of two
trees.  A Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrushes, Winter Wrens, and Pine
Siskins were some of the other species found.

 

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] White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Evening Grosbeaks, etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

11-9-11 (Submitted most locations to eBird, but I'll do a quick summary)

 

Pine Siskins continue to be remarkably abundant in the Adirondacks.  There
are so many, that it feels like the entire population must currently be in
the Adirondacks!  Everywhere you stop, you hear them.  This morning, the
trees outside our house were once again filled with siskins (none yet at the
feeders).  Purple Finches and Amer. Goldfinches are also currently
widespread, but in far fewer numbers than siskins.  Blue Jays also continue
to be abundant.  Most exciting this morning, I found 4 flocks of
White-winged Crossbills!  (Total of 35)  I was able to view 2 flocks with my
scope.  Here are some of the species found:

 

(Birded from 7:45 a.m. to noon, clear skies, 37 to 64 degree range)

 

Our house (Long Lake, Hamilton Co.):

Purple Finch - 5

Pine Siskin - 40

Amer. Goldfinch - 3

 

Route 28N .7 miles southeast of the intersection with the Blue Ridge Rd. in
Newcomb, Essex Co.:

Black-backed Woodpecker - 1 (I find them here about 50% of the time I stop)

Boreal Chickadee - 5 (3 on one side of the road and 2 on the other)

Purple Finch - 6

White-winged Crossbill - 25 (two flocks: one 19 and one 6.  The flock of 19
was feeding on tamarack cones - nice scope views!)

Pine Siskin - 60

Amer. Goldfinch - 7

 

Railroad Bed south off Route 28N in Minerva, Essex Co.: (This is one of the
locations where Red Crossbills nested this past summer, but I didn't find
any today.)

Pileated Woodpecker - 3

Purple Finch - 6

White-winged Crossbill - 8 (One flock feeding on black spruce cones - nice
scope views!)

Pine Siskin - 100 (Feeding on black spruce cones, balsam fir cones, and
tamarack cones.  It was very hard to count the number of siskins and 100 is
a very conservative estimate.  You could see them all the way down the
railroad bed in the trees.)

Evening Grosbeak - 12 (In a large white pine.  I was able to see 5 before
the flock of 12 flew off (4 males, 1 female)).

 

As I was hiking back to my car on the railroad bed, I was thinking it would
really make my day if I could also find Evening Grosbeaks.  Just a few
seconds later, I found the flock of 12!  They were in a large white pine
right along Route 28N across from my car.

 

Hewitt Eddy Trail in Minerva, Essex Co.:

Purple Finch - 6

White-winged Crossbill - 2 (They were flying over as I got out of my car.
It is possible I was seeing the end of a larger flock.)

Pine Siskin - 40

Amer. Goldfinch - 6

 

Blue Jays are abundant everywhere also.  One of the Blue Jays gave a perfect
Broad-winged Hawk vocalization!  I also found a few flocks of Dark-eyed
Juncos.  I had hoped to also visit the Boreas River bridge area and hike the
Roosevelt Truck Trail, but both locations had hunters.

 

It appears we have an exciting finch winter ahead!  There is certainly an
abundance of food for them this year.

 

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] Roosevelt Truck Trail in MInerva, Essex Co.

[Joan E. Collins]

11/16/11 Roosevelt Truck Trail (Minerva, Essex Co.)

 

I had a beautiful walk on the Roosevelt Truck Trail today.  I don't recall
ever finding as many Boreal Chickadees on one walk before.  Views of the
Boreal Chickadees were terrific throughout the hike.  Winds were calm all
day (not as forecast) and it began to drizzle only on my drive home.  There
are two wheelchair accessible camping sites along this dirt road trail
(there is a gate, but you can call your local DEC office to get the lock
combination to drive to the camp sites).  There are tents sites, picnic
tables with large overhangs at one end for wheelchairs, firewood, fire pits,
and wheelchair accessible outhouses.  The camp sites are lovely and
extremely quiet - I had lunch at the second camp site today.

 

The Roosevelt Truck Trail is becoming one of my favorite birding trails
(this is the location where I found 3 singing Cape May Warblers in the
spring).  It has wonderful boreal habitat.  In the morning fog, it felt
primeval.  The first bird I found - just outside my car - was a male
Black-backed Woodpecker.  As I hiked, I heard what sounded like another
Black-backed Woodpecker, so I started to bushwhack toward the sound.  What I
found was hemlock cones dropping to the ground - and at least 120 Pine
Siskins in a feeding frenzy in the huge hemlock tree above me!  The tree
appeared to be boiling with siskins - it was quite a sight!  The siskins
moved to a birch tree next to the hemlock so I was able to finally count
them.  I found another group of 3 Black-backed Woodpeckers (2 were giving
the rattle call) on my way out - I believe there were actually 4, but I
could only hear/observe 3 at once.

 

One of the Ruffed Grouse was drumming and I heard yet another new (to me)
Common Raven vocalization (their vocalizations seem endless).

 

I will paste in my eBird report:

 

Roosevelt Truck Trail (southern trailhead), Essex, US-NY Nov 16, 2011 9:45
AM - 2:15 PM

Protocol: Traveling

5.2 mile(s)

Comments: 39 to 50 degrees, calm winds, cloudy.  Wonderful bird walk!

18 species

 

Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)  4

Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)  1

Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)  4

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)  1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  15

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  2

Common Raven (Corvus corax)  5

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  57

Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  20 5 Flocks: 2, 3, 7, 4, 4

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  24

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  5

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  26

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  10

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)  20

White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)  4

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  235

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  6

Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus)  5

 

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

 

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] Singing Red & White-winged Crossbills & a BLACK BEAR!!!

[Joan E. Collins]

12/14/11 Minerva & Newcomb (Essex County)

 

I hiked the Roosevelt Truck Trail today because I lost my favorite water
bottle on the trail on Monday!  (I came out too late on Monday to re-hike
it.)  With the new reality of our warmer climate, I am often asked what
Black Bears do when there is little or no snow on the ground at this time of
year.  Well I found the answer today!  A large Black Bear had hiked much of
the trail sometime between Monday night and this morning.  I did a double
take when I realized the tracks in the snow paralleling mine were not my
tracks from Monday, but the tracks of a large Black Bear - the paw tracks
were larger than my winter boot!  It was a bit unnerving and I kept much
more alert as I continued the hike.  (I also got out my bear protection - my
whistle!  It is my psychological protection and kept my knees from shaking!)

 

On Monday, a Red Crossbill was singing at the second camp site on the
Roosevelt Truck Trail.  Today, I heard two Red Crossbills singing - once
again at the second camp site, and earlier on the trail.  As I listened to
the interesting call note of a female Red Crossbill (heard both on the way
in and the way out at the second camp site), White-winged Crossbills flew in
behind me and one sang 3 times!  (I've been finding them calling, but today
was the first time I've heard singing.)  While all this was happening, a
huge flock of over 100 Pine Siskins was creating a din nearby and a couple
of Purple Finches flew over!  It felt like finch grand central station.  I
found 23 Red Crossbills and 8 White-winged Crossbills during the hike, with
a nice observation of a Red Crossbill pair at the second camp site on the
way in.  On a stop along Route 28N (.7 miles southeast of the Route 28N and
Blue Ridge Rd. intersection) on my drive home, I found 5 more Red Crossbills
- definitely a different "type" from the Roosevelt Truck Trail birds.  I
also found a Black-backed Woodpecker at this stop.

 

In addition to Black Bears still being active, I am still finding waterfowl
on the large lakes (Common Loon, Bufflehead, Common & Hooded Mergansers,
Ring-necked Duck, etc.) and Blue Jays, Purple Finches, and Amer. Goldfinches
- species that have usually left our mountain area by now.  Numbers of Pine
Siskins are still remarkable - I found 450 in a short walk of the trail to
Raquette Falls last week (feeding on birch seeds, hemlock cone seeds and
balsam fir cone seeds).  I hear siskins outside our house all day, including
a flock of 80 this morning.  They have plenty to eat in the forest and are
not yet coming to the feeders.  A pair of River Otters was observed in
Middle Cat Pond (intersection of Sabattis Circle Rd. and Route 30 in the
Town of Long Lake) on Dec. 6.  At one point, they surfaced facing each other
and appeared as mirror images - one of those moments when I wish I had a
camera handy!

 

I added 9 new eBird lists today, but I'll paste-in just today's 2 lists
below:

 

Roosevelt Truck Trail (southern trailhead), Essex, US-NY Dec 14, 2011 10:00
AM - 2:30 PM

Protocol: Traveling

5.2 mile(s)

Comments: Black Bear tracks in the snow (2") for a long distance along
the trail!!!

15 species

 

Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)  4 1 bird alone and 3 birds together

Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)  1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  10

Common Raven (Corvus corax)  2

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  62

Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  11 Flocks of 3, 5, and 3

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  26

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  1

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  20

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  17

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)  6

Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)  23 Two different birds singing - one
by the second camp site.

White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)  8 One bird sang 3 times!
Also at the second camp site.

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  195 There was a flock of over 100 near the
second camp site.

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2

 

Route 28N Brook .7 SE of Blue Ridge Rd. Intersection, Essex, US-NY Dec 14,
2011 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Protocol: Stationary

4 species

 

Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)  1

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)  2

Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)  5 Three on one side of the road and
two on the other

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  4 Feeding in tamaracks

 

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] 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:
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] Red & White-winged Crossbills/Evening Grosbeaks/etc.

[Joan E. Collins]

February 17-20, 2012 St. Lawrence Valley & Adirondacks (St. Lawrence,
Hamilton, Franklin, and Essex Counties)

 

The record warm winter this year is truly alarming.  Some of the unusual
results in northern NY: a lot of open water; lack of snow; intermittent rain
nearly every week, springtails (snow fleas) have been observed since January
(usually it is late March); Black Bear tracks in the snow; huge Amer. Crow
flocks returned in January and they have been battling Common Ravens
(normally this behavior begins in March); most of my feeder species are
birds that normally leave the mountains in Oct.; Brown Creepers have been
singing each day since 2/11; Anthony Collerton and I observed a Golden Eagle
soaring over Big Brook in Long Lake on 2/16; and in the past two days,
Brenda Inskeep and I observed 2 Red-tailed Hawks in the mountains (Lake
Clear area, and Blue Mountain Lake).  It doesn't feel like "February" at all
in the Adirondacks.

 

Finches:  The Pine Siskin irruption is HUGE and I think there is a siskin
(maybe several) in every bush of the Adirondacks!  There is a good irruption
of White-winged Crossbills and they have been actively singing for several
weeks now.  Red Crossbills are also singing (first singing heard on 2/8),
but are not as widespread as White-winged Crossbills.  The Red Crossbills
can be found along the Route 28-Route 28N corridor including Inlet/Raquette
Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, Long Lake, and Minerva.  They nested last summer
and now appear to be doing a winter nesting in the same areas.  Several days
ago, I observed a male Red Crossbill gritting on Route 28 between Blue
Mountain Lake and Raquette Lake along with 2 juvenile Red Crossbills.
Evening Grosbeaks showed up in Long Lake on February 4 and have been
observed every day since (not sure where they were before 2/4!).  Purple
Finches and Amer. Goldfinches never left the mountains this year and Purple
Finches are vocalizing as if it was already spring.

 

2/17/12 St. Lawrence Co.

 

I had an early morning appointment in Potsdam, so I spent a few hours
birding in the area.  I traveled the "magic rectangle" (the St. Lawrence
Valley's equivalent of the "magic triangle" in the Lake Champlain Valley!) -
Regan Rd. to May Rd. to Pleasant Valley Rd. to Stockholm Rd. to Route 11
back to Regan Rd. (where I go to see Bohemian Waxwings, Northern Shrikes,
and Rough-legged Hawks).  Bohemian Waxwings are very reliable in this
location every winter because of the vast invasive buckthorn vegetation.
This year, the waxwings have competitors with record numbers of Amer. Robins
staying north.  Some of the species found:

 

Rough-legged Hawk - dark morph (Route 11 Potsdam)

Northern Shrike - Robinson Bay Rd. in Massena

Bohemian Waxwing - 135; (110 on May Rd. and 25 on Pleasant Valley Rd. in
Potsdam)  I only counted the birds perched high - there were many more down
in the buckthorn vegetation out of sight.

 

2/18/12 Hamilton & Essex Counties

 

Sean O'Brien, Ted Mack, and I spent several hours birding in Long Lake,
Ferd's Bog, and the Newcomb-Minerva area.  Some of the species found:

 

Gray Jay - 2 at Ferd's Bog

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill - by Long Lake

White-winged Crossbill - many singing at Ferd's Bog and along Route 28N in
Newcomb

Pine Siskin - countless

Evening Grosbeak - ~ 50 in Long Lake

 

2/19/12 & 2/20/12 Hamilton, St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Essex Counties

 

Brenda Inskeep and I birded in Hannawa Falls/Potsdam/Stockholm in St.
Lawrence Co., and then traveled to the Paul Smith's/Bloomingdale area in
Franklin Co. on Sunday.  This morning, we birded in Long Lake and Raquette
Lake (Ferd's Bog) in Hamilton Co.  Some of the 34 species found:

 

Ruffed Grouse - 5 flushed on Bigelow Rd.

Bald Eagle - soaring over May Rd. in Potsdam

Rough-legged Hawk - 3; (2 in Hannawa Falls and 1 in Potsdam)

Northern Flicker - 1 (early? Or did it ever leave?!) on Regan Rd. in Potsdam

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Shrike - 3 (1 at the Sweeney - Back Hannawa Rd. intersection; 1 on
Regan Rd. which we watched stab a mole/shrew, then pick it up in its bill
and transfer to toes as it flew into the bushes; 1 at the Pleasant Valley
Rd. - Stockholm Rd. intersection)

Gray Jay - 1 in Bloomingdale and 2 at Ferd's Bog

Boreal Chickadee - 5 at Bigelow Rd. (2 flocks)

Brown Creeper - singing

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Bohemian Waxwing - 81 (30 in Hannawa Falls (Route 56), 40 on May Rd. in
Potsdam, and 11 on Fletcher Farm Rd. in Bloomingdale)

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill - singing in Long Lake

White-winged Crossbill - many singing in Bloomingdale, Ferd's Bog, and Route
28N in Newcomb

Pine Siskin

Evening Grosbeak - ~50 in Long Lake and at least one on the Keese Mills Rd.
in Paul Smith's

 

We observed a perplexing behavior - a battle between a male Evening Grosbeak
and a male Red Crossbill in Long Lake (near where the Red Crossbills are
singing/nesting).  The grosbeak aggressively chased the crossbill back and
forth for several minutes.  I suspect the 

[nysbirds-l] Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch update

[Joan E. Collins]

3/6/12

 

Janet Akin, sister of Nancy Loomis (homeowner), reported that the
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch showed up at 6:26 a.m. this morning.  Nancy sent me
a message that a TV crew from Channel 7 out of Watertown is on the way to
her house!  Little does the rosy finch know how famous it is becoming!
Locust Grove must be experiencing a boon in tourism!

 

Nancy also mentioned "what a nice bunch of guys" visited yesterday, and
today, she mentioned it has been great to meet everyone visiting.  She
particularly enjoyed reading Corey Finger's blog (I'll list the link below
for members of Northern NY Birds):

 

http://1birds.com/gray-crowned-rosy-finch-in-new-york.htm

 

Beautiful photos Corey!  Thank you for writing such an interesting blog - I
found it wonderful to read more about the bird's behavior, and its behavior
around the other feeder species.  Thanks to Benjamin and Seth for
identifying the bird's subspecies.

 

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/

--