Wonderful Day
Young Child Enjoying His Cake!
We had an amazing weekend at the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage! So much to write but very little time . . . a CLDC MAPS banding session is scheduled tomorrow morning!
(more…)
SWAT Banding Day 1
Magnolia Warbler – photo by Young Naturalist J
Friday morning we had our first day of banding at the SWAT MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station. We were able to band 24 species of birds and 47 newly banded individuals (with 8 recaptured birds). We had many banding assistants helping this session which were very much needed with all these great birds! Thanks again for their help everyone! (more…)
Allegany Bloggers
On Saturday there will be a Blogger/Flickr get-together during the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage. Many of us local bloggers like Jen from a Passion for Nature, Toni from a Spattering, Linda from Erie Argonaut and maybe Nick from a Biological Rambling will be able to make it. If you are a blogger . . . flickr person and would like to join the get-together . . . . meet on Saturday at the tent at 5pm during the Chicken BBQ (If you don’t have a ticket for the BBQ, make sure you bring your dinner with you). We will probably have a group photo and chat about blogging, photography and just getting to know each other. Hope you can make it!
(more…)
The crow and blowflies
American Crow on the Bluebird Box
Yes the crow could hear the baby nestlings inside the box! What do you think happened next?
(more…)
Prairie Warbler
Prairie Warbler
While driving through Allegany State Park today, I encountered my first of the year Prairie Warbler (CHECK) singing in one of the abandoned fields near the Red House entrance. I slowly worked my way closer to the bird and hit the jackpot in finding a non-camera shy bird! I did see the female once but she wasn’t as cooperative as the male was! But I do feel that the female was close because I had suspected the male was following her around and singing his trilled song (reason he was ignoring me)! Other first for the year birds that I had today included the Alder Flycatcher (CHECK) and Willow Flycatcher (CHECK)!
(more…)
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Female Chestnut-sided Warbler
Last Saturday Jeremy and I followed a male Chestnut-sided Warbler over to this female gathering some nesting material. It was interesting watching her “carefully” selecting . . . . then reaching into the Tent Caterpillar nest without getting herself entangled. I am “assuming” that this material was being gathered for a nest that she is building!!
(more…)
“Cuckoo” Cuckoo and “tween” Woodcock
Baby American Woodcock
Yesterday before having fun over at Allenburg Bog, I spent the morning opening the CLDC MAPS banding station. Jeremy helped with some weed-eating and also assisted with getting the mist-nets ready for banding. We were both surprised when Jeremy located some young Woodcocks hiding in the grass. They couldn’t fly yet and had some pin feathers in its flight feathers (flight feathers were still growing). I couldn’t believe how well camouflaged these little birdies were with the surrounding vegetation that they were hiding in.
(more…)
Allenburg Bog
I was in Allenburg Bog today with Dragonfly Eye who was searching for a bog Dragonfly species that has never been observed in this bog before! Obviously we didn’t locate the “Boghaunter” but we did manage to find a few Darner species and a few damselfly species.
(more…)
Butterflies at the Birdathon
American Lady
Most people think that birdathons are just for the birds! Well this year team T-bird also kept track of the butterflies that were flying while helping with the Jamestown Audubon fundraiser. We ended up with 15 species of butterflies and I had 2 first of the year butterflies. OK, I guess at this point I have become too much of a lister!!!
(more…)
T-Birds Birdathon
Chestnut-sided Warbler
On the 13th of May, team T-Bird went for our second year of participating in the Jamestown Audubon Birdathon (against other friends like Jen). Last year we were able to located 110 species within a 24 hour period and our goal this year was reaching just as many . . . . if not more birds than last year. Would we do it??
(more…)
Northern Mockingbird in Allegany
Northern Mockingbird
Last Friday (16 May 2008), I found this Northern Mockingbird in Allegany State Park while traveling through the Quaker area. You might wonder “what’s the big deal in finding a mockingbird” ?? The truth is that these guys are not commonly found within Cattaraugus County and I would assume it is because of our hilly terrain. I will watch to see if this bird sticks around the area for a while but I assume the bird was just passing through the area!!
(more…)
Monarch Butterfly [Poem]
Monarch Butterflies
Regal autumn travelers
robed for mediaeval pageantry
in velvet orange and black
Moving in great procession
on tissue wings
from Canada to Monterey, the Sierra Madre
The North American Continent a court for this lepidoptery
ASP Geobash 3
Group Photo (click to enlarge)
This weekend we held our 3rd annual Allegany State Park Geobash over in the Camp 12 area of the park. Besides the rain . . . . it was a wonderful weekend seeing many new and old geocaching friends again. I also had an opportunity to reunite with an old bird banding buddy from back in the 1990’s who recently started geocaching! Maybe I can talk him into joining us banding this summer??
(more…)
Moms Doves
Mourning Dove
I received a phone call from my mother the other day about this brown bird who was nesting in her old bird feeder!! She explained how these Blue Jays were bothering the mother but she appeared to be holding her own. I never expected from her description that the bird would turn out to be a Mourning Dove!!!
(more…)
International Migratory Bird Day
Northern Mockingbird
Ya, Ya . . . I am about a week late with this report but it has been a busy few days for me. I have been trying to getting ready for the Allegany State Park Geobash Event that we are having this weekend.
On May 10th 2008 the Cattaraugus County Bird Club headed out for our annual Presque Isle State Park field trip for International Migratory Bird Day. (more…)
Wrap up to an amazing trip
Red-headed Woodpecker
We had such a wonderful time visiting the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (aka Crane Creek) with seeing so many great birds and having the opportunity of meeting such great birders. I noticed that the Black Snake Bird Observatory’s Banders Blog reported (Friday 9 May) “We also had the pleasure of a few banders from New York and surrounding states. It is always a pleasure to have visiting researchers see our operation and share ideas and talk shop.” and then said . . . “For the day we had a total of 190 new birds including 30 species and 38 recaptures.” Can you believe they had 20 species of warblers that day??? I knew we should have stayed till they closed up nets! Anyways . . . . I would like to thank Kim Kaufman and the many staff members of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory who helped in making our visit so spectacular.
THANKS!
(more…)
More Warblers from Ohio
American Redstart
And you thought I posted all my good warbler pictures!!! All I can say is that these pictures can tell the rest of the warbler story!
(more…)
Our Banding Adventure
Common Yellowthroat
Young Naturalist J and I take these trips to the different banding stations for helping us explore how these organizations conduct their studies. Each project is different and they always have a way of showing us something that we had never seen before. The Navarre Marsh Banding Station in Ohio and the Presque Isle Banding Station in Erie PA were no exception and both stations were different in many ways. The truth is that we take these trips to enjoy the many wonderful birds that are not normally caught at our banding station (and for us to capture a few photos)!!
(more…)
Banding in the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area
Bay-breasted Warbler (CHECK)
Friday morning Young Naturalist J and I were invited to join the Black Swamp Bird Observatory’s “Navarre Marsh Migration Monitoring Banding Station” in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Last Sunday when we made the first plans to visit . . . . we never realized that this station was located on a National Wildlife Refuge and the hoops that we needed to go through to visit the banding station. I guess driving behind a Nuclear Power Plant to band birds requires some security issues to contend with. Without a doubt this adventure was well worth the hoopla because I ended up with 10 year birds (1 being a lifer) and Young Naturalist J ended up with 3 lifers on this trip!
(more…)
Finding Purple Martins
While heading to Crane Creek from Presque Isle State Park . . . . Young Naturalist J and I decided to take an alternative route to the thruway. I felt at one point that we were lost but I am glad we continued the adventure because we found this wonderful series of Purple Martin houses (my brakes screeched and I yelled “Purple Martin” (CHECK). Since the business that had these Martin houses were closed . . . we decided to take a few pictures of their birds!!
(more…)
Banding at Presque Isle State Park
Northern Cardinal carefully being banded
Young Naturalist J and I joined Toni from A Spattering and Linda from Eries Argonaut over at the Presque Isle State Park banding station this morning to see some migrants up close. We had such a wonderful time together and saw many great birds being banded by Sarah S. from PA Audubon (Thanks for letting us join you Sarah)! Below are just a few pictures that we captured at the banding station:
(more…)
more new birds and butterflies
Red Squirrel wondering what birds I am seeing!
I love waking up to my morning alarm clock again and I was extra excited hearing a Woodthrush (CHECK) singing along with my buzzing hummingbirds!! Not bad hearing two great birds before getting out of bed in the morning!! Later in the day I saw my first of the year Indigo Bunting (CHECK) singing up in a tree and didn’t expect in finding the Meadow Fritillary (CHECK), Juvenal Duskywing (CHECK) and American Lady (CHECK) who were also flying roadside! Yeah . . . . to the butterflies!
(more…)
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 