At least five Short-eared Owls were present all day yesterday in large agricultural fields along the Hudson River in Albany County, one to two miles north of the bridge that carries the NY Thruway Berkshire Spur over the Hudson. It's an area that looks like suitable habitat, but it's very close to my home and I have never seen them there before. I first saw them at sunrise yesterday while looking south from Henry Hudson Park in Selkirk. They were circling over the Hudson after being flushed from a tree by a Bald Eagle. They were seen again at dusk yesterday. Also present in the area yesterday were Snow Buntings, Rough-legged Hawk, and three Northern Harriers. The fields are private property, and the area where the owls apparently roosted is not accessible. It seems that the best view of the fields (with a scope) is from the waterfront of Castleton, on the other side of the Hudson (and almost a 30 minute drive away).
John Kent Selkirk -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
