Archivos de Diario para mayo 2020

viernes, 01 de mayo de 2020

Field Journal 8 ID

I went birding from 4:45 pm until 6:20 pm on May 1st in the village of Malone NY. The weather was decent with a solid overcast the entire time I was out but no rain. The temperature was about 54 degrees Fahrenheit and there was a very mild breeze out of the west. I started off at the local high school and then worked my way down to the salmon river. I then stayed on the edge of the river in a small floodplain zone that was quite marshy and worked my way upriver along a small offshoot of the main river up to a series of small beaver dams though I unfortunately did not see any beavers. The signs of spring are apparent as the vegetation was coming in along the river and there was a noticeable uptick in the number of insects. I then cut up a hill following a series of power lines. I descended on the far side and entered the back of the recently reopened Malone recreational park. The park is a mixture of wooded areas along with soccer and baseball fields. I was a couple of species that I had not seen yet this spring specifically a pair of Great Blue Herons and a Bald Eagle. I observed both species overhead while I was working my way up the Salmon river.

Publicado el viernes, 01 de mayo de 2020 a las 11:46 PM por tsshafer tsshafer | 14 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

lunes, 18 de mayo de 2020

Water Birds

On May 18th I went to the Ausable Marsh Wildlife Refuge just outside of Peru New York. The refuge is primarily a marsh land situated just off of Lake Champlain. The bulk of the refuge is located between the Ausable river and Dead Creek. The refuge then juts up against the Ausable Point Campground. The weather was very nice throughout the day. I arrived at the refuge at about 7:35 in the morning and the temperature was 50 degrees Fahrenheit with a lightly overcast sky and a 10 mph wind out of the north. As the morning progresses the sky cleared off to mostly sun and the temperature warmed up to just over 60 degrees F.

The habitat of the refuge was quite varied. There were numerous small bodies of water isolated from each other by small strips of land. The Ausable river splits at the southern end of the refuge with one part of the river emptying directly into Lake Champlain and the other snaking up north through the refuge before moving west where it enters Lake Champlain. Dead Creek, the Little Ausable River and parts of the main Ausable river provide even more water sources within the refuge. The refuge is composed of a mixture of marshland and floodplain forest. The main part of the marsh is accessible by a dike which snakes its way through the Marsh. within the marsh there is a large amount of vegetation particularly cattails, rushes and reeds. The floodplain forest which borders much of the marsh is composed predominately of deciduous species and riparian vegetation. In the campground which meets the western edge of the marsh there is a small stand of coniferous trees mostly Red Pines.

I saw a large number of Red-winged Blackbirds in the refuge approximately 45, a large number of Common Grackles and a significant number of Tree Swallows. When I first entered the marsh along the dike these three species were very active and quite vocal. I also encountered a number of species in much smaller numbers. These included a pair of Osprey, a Baltimore Oriole, an American Goldfinch and a Great Egret among others. Towards the end of my outing as I made my way back towards where I had parked I encountered three Northern Flickers. The three birds were all out on an open area of grass probing the ground. I had not encountered a Northern Flicker before and was unaware that they fed on the ground. The Flickers I observed were probing at the ground for food.

In terms of water birds that I observed I saw Great Blue Herons, Mallards, Common Mergansers, a Belted Kingfisher and several Caspian Terns and Ring-billed Gulls. The Refuge is quite large and these species were spread out over a considerable geographic extent within the marsh. The Great Blue Herons and the Great Egret were all out wading in deeper water within the marsh while I observed both species of ducks in the Little Ausable river towards the northern part of the refuge. The Belted Kingfisher was at the southern edge of the refuge and was circling over a stretch of the Ausable River.

Publicado el lunes, 18 de mayo de 2020 a las 07:53 PM por tsshafer tsshafer | 29 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

martes, 19 de mayo de 2020

Grasslands and Shrublands

On Tuesday May 19th I went to the Flat Rock State Forest near Altona New York. I arrived to the area just after 7:30 am. The weather was very nice today staring off in the low 50's before warming up to the mid 60's by the afternoon with sunny and mostly clear skies throughout the day. The Flat rock area is made up of a mixture of different habitats including a large stretch of deciduous forest which transitions into a scrub pine forest with large stretches of exposed rock. The State forest juts up to and mixes with the private property owned by the Miner institute. The Dam and much of the grass and shrub land areas are inaccessible from the state managed forest area. While not as successful as yesterday I still managed to see a decent number of species.

Starting off on heavier forest mostly composed of deciduous tree species I worked my way down what I believe was a snowmobile/ATV trail though I'm not entirely sure. I came across both Downy and Pileated woodpeckers in this stretch of forest. As I transitioned out of the deciduous forest into the scrub pine forest I heard several White throated sparrows before I was able to locate any with my binoculars. In a small body of water tucked deeper into the area I saw a pair of Mallards as well as a Red-winged Blackbird near the water body. I also came across a House Wren and several Yellow Warblers. The scrub pine forest was a different habitat than I was used to. There was a large amount of forest cover but the canopy height was quite low. Though there was a lack of grasslands the forest was quite patchy creating a number of different shrub areas and clearings.

I eventually discovered that I was moving out of the State forest land and edging into the Miner Institute property. I then elected to move forward and exit the area rather than backtracking and potentially crossing private property again. I eventually made my way out of the state forest and came to the Miner farm road. I worked my way down the road and observed several species in the fields adjacent to the road. These included the Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird, Song Sparrow and the Red-winged Blackbird again. I also was able to hear several bird calls but was unfortunately unable to see them or ID them based off of the call alone.

Publicado el martes, 19 de mayo de 2020 a las 09:26 PM por tsshafer tsshafer | 22 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

miércoles, 20 de mayo de 2020

Forest

On Wednesday May 20th I went birding at the Lake Alice Wildlife Management Area located between Altona and Chazy New York. The weather was beautiful when I arrived at 7:30 with clear skies and bright sun. The temperature started off at 52 degrees Fahrenheit but by the afternoon had climbed up into the upper 60's. The Lake Alice wildlife area is situated round Lake Alice a small lake bordered by marshes to the south and a deciduous forest to the east. Immediately north of the lake a small patchwork of fields are maintained but beyond those fields a mixed deciduous forest is the dominant habitat type. To the west of the lake is a mixture of properties, fields and small forest stands. Through the deciduous forest to the Northeast of the lake a cross country ski trail cut through the forest offering a useful trail to follow.

In and around lake Alice I saw some a high number of Yellow Warblers who were both very vocal and active. I was surprised by the abundance of Yellow Warblers. While I have come across them before I saw a much greater number of them today than on previous outings. Also in and around the lake were Red-winged Blackbirds, a Belted Kingfisher, Canada Geese, Baltimore Oriole and what I believe was an Eastern Kingbird. The mixture of habitat around the lake appeared to be influenced by the mowing of several small fields which provided a decent amount of open cover north of the lake. The marshlands to the south of the lake were still very boggy and lacked a developed trail which somewhat precluded me from exploring in that direction.

Moving into the deciduous forest I had a fair bit of difficulty. I'm still working on the vocalizations so I struggled a bit as the visibility was significantly reduced in the forested habitat. I think that I heard an American Redstart and an Ovenbird but I was not confident enough to list them. In terms of the Scarlet Tanager it could have been present and I simply did not hear or see one. I was in a fairly large block of forested habitat however I was located on the edge of the block and due to the boggy nature of the forest was somewhat limited to staying close to the trail. So there is a possibility that there may have been Scarlet Tanagers present deeper in the forest. In terms of what I did see I was very happy with the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, the Red-eyed Vireo, the Least Flycatcher and the Wood Thrush. I'm pretty confident that I observed a Least Flycatcher though it was a new species for me so I wasn't 100 percent sure. However, the abundance of flying insects in particular the mosquitoes offered a wide array of food sources.

Publicado el miércoles, 20 de mayo de 2020 a las 09:12 PM por tsshafer tsshafer | 27 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

jueves, 21 de mayo de 2020

Missiquoi National Wildlife Refuge

On Thursday May 21st I went out to Vermont and went birding on several of the trails located within the Missiquoi National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is located towards the northern end of Lake Champlain and is compose of several habitats though the dominant habitat type with the refuge are wetlands. The weather continued the trend for the week and was beautiful. Starting out just before 7:40 am the temperature was in the upper 50's and by the end of the morning was approaching 70 degrees F. There was definitely more wind today at least at the first two loops I explored. I would say the wind was a little over 10mph. I ended up driving between three distinct trails today. This allowed me to experience a larger array of habitats.

I started the day off at the refuge Visitor Center and walked down the Discovery trail. Just below the center there was a large number of American Robins, Tree Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds who were all very active. As I entered the woods I almost immediately spotted an American Redstart. As I looped down the trail the wind made it a bit difficult to distinguish specific vocalizations. I looped back to the center and drove down to the Stephen Young Marsh trail. Along the route I spotted what appeared to be Bobolinks in the field to my left. Pulling over I was able to see several Bobolinks and even snap a picture. The Young Marsh Trail started off in wetlands before transitioning into a young mixed deciduous forest. While I didn't see any new species on this loop I did identify a female Red-winged Blackbird which was a first.

I ended up heading down to Black Creek trail network farther east in the refuge. This trail followed the Black creek as it worked its way through a young deciduous forest. The area immediately next to the creek was very boggy throughout. On the herpetology side I came across 7 garter snakes along the trail. I also encountered two beavers. The wind was reduced in this area which made it quite a bit easier to hear the vocalizations. I saw a decent number of species including an osprey overhead but the two distinct highlights were the Scarlet Tanager and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak both new species for me. The two Scarlet Tanagers stayed visible for quite a while and were quite vocal which was really nice. I also encountered quite a few Baltimore Orioles and was able to hear their song quite clearly which was a big plus.

Publicado el jueves, 21 de mayo de 2020 a las 11:26 PM por tsshafer tsshafer | 30 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

sábado, 23 de mayo de 2020

Point Au Roche State Park

On Friday May 22nd I went birding in the Point Au Roche New York state park. The park is located north of Plattsburgh and east of Chazy. The park is situated out on a small peninsula on Lake Champlain. The park is primarily composed of mixed deciduous forest, small wetlands and some developed areas including fields and a beach. The weather was fantastic. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and the temperature rose from the lows 60s when I started at 7:20 am to the upper 70s by the time I finished. It was also a pretty good day in terms of birding as I was able to encounter several new species.

I started off the day by picking my way down into a wetland. I spotted and heard a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers. The way in which the wetland was situated made it difficult to get close to them but I was able to observe them from a distance. I then worked my way down onto Long Point. This is a small peninsula which juts off of the main peninsula. The perimeter of the point was made up of primarily Northern White Cedars. Working inwards it transitioned to a mixture of young deciduous trees and open shrub land. I didn't have much luck on the perimeter as the wind and waves crashing into the shore made it difficult to pinpoint any vocalizations. In the interior of the point however I came across several new species. I heard then saw a Brown Thrasher which was really cool. I also spotted a Black-throated Blue Warbler. I then worked my way back to the main peninsula.

I then drove over to the main campground area which included an open beach as well as several large cleared fields and parking lots. The forest habitat was predominately a young mixed deciduous forest though the area was a bit swampy. Again along the lake edge there were numerous Northern White Cedar. Right off the bat as I exited the parking lot I saw a group of Tree Swallows. Intermixed with the Tree Swallows were a couple of Barn Swallows which was a new species. I worked my way into the forest and came across another new species. I bushwhacked off of a trail into an open clearing and heard a Black-and-white Warbler. I was eventually able to spot him in the tree. I was able to get a recording but the angle of the sun and the foliage made a picture difficult. Returning to the beach and open area I was working my way down the small sandy beach when I spotted a group of Semipalmated Plovers. I was super excited to spot them as I have not had much luck with shorebirds this past week. All in all it was quite a rewarding way to wrap up the week of birding.

Publicado el sábado, 23 de mayo de 2020 a las 12:13 AM por tsshafer tsshafer | 30 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

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