Chris,
I came across a product in LL Bean and Amazon called stabilicers which are
inexpensive and work so much better than yak-trax. They come in two variants
and the
light is plenty for icy sidewalks, roads and groomed trail. In the mountains
I'd
recommend the more expensive version, short of crampons for real ice. These are
much
like the more expensive micro-spikes which are also great on trail. The
Stabilicer
lights are easy on/off and we have used them often this winter. By using these
you
can largely eliminate the trekking poles and have hands for stability, camera,
binos
and the like.
John
--
John and Sue Gregoire
Field Ornithologists
Kestrel Haven Avian Migration Observatory
5373 Fitzgerald Road
Burdett,NY 14818-9626
Website: http://www.empacc.net/~kestrelhaven/
Conserve and Create Habitat
On Wed, February 26, 2014 08:56, Chris R. Pelkie wrote:
I did a lunchtime turn around Hoyt-Pileated inner loop back to Wilson
yesterday.
I took and would highly recommend you take trekking poles: it is seriously
treacherous out there with the frozen snow/ice/footprint holes.
It was cold and crisp but not snowing (yesterday), so good exercise but few
birds.
Crows, jays, red-bellied woodpecker, titmouses, and chickadees called or flew
over.
I had hopes of an owl or creeper or even yellow-rumped warbler but saw none of
those.
The thing of note was 2 PILEATED WOODPECKERs who called (not the crazy laugh
call
but more like a flicker social call) and flew to a tall tree where I saw them
together, then flew again.
I caught up with them near the south end of Woodlleton Boardwalk where they
have
excavated a roundish hole in a 16 live oak just 15 up and so close to the
boardwalk that chips are littered over it.
I think these are both juvenile males because I could see some red as well as
black
in both malar patches. I stand to be corrected, but dont think females have
red
there, and yet it took some looking even to be sure there was red, unlike the
ease
of IDing a breeding color male. I fancy they are brothers.
They stayed together on that tree, hopping up and hopping down while
chattering to
each other, worked the hole, then jumped to another tree, which finally
allowed me
to pass without scaring them off. Good thing because I was starting to freeze
in
place.
So if you need a PIWO for your year list, they should be around that oak some
more,
Id guess.
__
Chris Pelkie
Research Analyst
Bioacoustics Research Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
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