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/ --
