Road Trip
Tomorrow morning I am off to Cape Cod for the weekend. I am expecting to get some lifers since I have never done any east coast ocean birding before. The hotel will have wireless internet in it, so expect some updates while I am out on my trip. I will leave everyone with these Tree Sparrow photos that I captured this morning. (more…)
Spring Dusk Birding!
This evening I went searching to see if our American Woodcocks have arrived. Not long after sunset, one of the Great Horned Owls started vocalizing (only one individual this time). It wasn’t long and I saw this silhouette of the Great Horned Owl fly across the sky! I had only wished my camera wasn’t sitting in the truck. I continued to watch this silhouette fly from tree top to tree top looking for something to eat (or a good place to sit). I sure hope they are not hunting my woodcocks??
While leaning up against my truck, I was starting to believe the American Woodcocks hadn’t arrived yet …… but then I hear it ….. Peent…… Peent ……Peent… (CHECK, first of the year) few minutes later I hear a second bird .. Peent……. Peent ……. Peent … Peent…..then they starting doing their twittering flight display way up into the sky! I was lucky able to follow two of their flights up into sky! What joy this is watching such wonderful birds on the beginning of spring. I continued listening to three different birds doing their display till almost twilight (then there was silence again). They were too far away from the road to capture any video clips/pictures. Once I return from my conference, I plan on hiking through the snow and get some up close video clips of them doing their display (I promise).
BTW: I had a major scare this morning. Pulled the 400mm lens out to try and capture a few pictures of the Fox Sparrows. Hmm, error!! Hmmm still erroring! Hmmm ….. I can’t seem to be able to take any pictures!! hmmm (ok, now you can start changing the hmmm’s with words that I should be typing)! I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t able to capture any photos with my 400mm!! Kit lens, no problems! Hmmm, after many hours assuming my lens died just before my big trip to Cape Cod something came to me by a fluke. I realized that my manual f-stop ring had moved. In digital SLR’s your older lenses irises need to be opened up all the way before the body can properly register the lens….. YEAH!! Mystery solved! Once again I am to take pictures again and the world hasn’t come to an end!
Equinox
Depending on where you live in the world, March 20th or March 21st is your official Equinox with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. To celebrate this important “natural” holiday you can make many wonderful camping style treats for your Equinox party. The dessert called “DIRT” is one of my favorites:
DIRT DESSERT
3 pkgs of instant vanilla pudding *
4 ½ cups milk *
1 u oz pkg Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 carton Cool Whip (room temperature)
1 pkg Oreo Cookies (frozen)
Gummy Worms
Mix vanilla pudding, milk and cream cheese together. Fold in cool whip. Chop cookies in blender or food processor. Layer (starting with cookies and ending with cookies) one of cookies, then pudding mix, then cookies, etc. Top with Gummy Worms.
*1 large pudding and 3 cups milk can be substituted.
It is always good to see dirt after a long winter. I figured this Dirt Dessert would be right up everyone’s alley. Don’t forget your gummy worms!! Happy Equinox and I have a ton of things to write about but very little time to get it posted. I am trying to get ready for my Eastern Bird Banding Association conference at Cape Cod this weekend (well leaving on Thursday). Lets hope that the big “Salamander Migration Night” doesn’t happen while I am at the Cod!
BTW: Had my first Fox Sparrow of the year today!! CHECK!
Dark-eyed Junco Behavior and Vocalization
You can learn a great deal about a bird once you begin watching their behaviors. There is no better time to start observing these behaviors than during the spring months when the birds are just starting establishing their territories. The Dark-eyed Junco or also known as the Slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis) is one of Allegany State Park’s early species that are just beginning to sing. Before we learning their song, here is a video for you to become better familiar with two of their calls. (more…)
Happy Furry/Feathery Friday
I ended up finding the birds very active around my window feeder today and it was probably due to the St. Patrick’s snow storm hitting us. So, I decided to capture some wonderful up close videos of the birds interacting together. I am very excited to add these to the blog but I first want to figure out how to make them educational (so they should be posted soon)!! I began to review them on the computer and something wonderful happened (and I quickly grab my camera)!
Although this was a test with my cats self control; the real birds outside quickly refocused their attention elsewhere. Do note that I edited out the 5 minutes of Phoebe studying the screen and showed you the two cat’s breaking points. It was very cute to watch.
Happy Furry and Feathery Friday everyone.
Change of Plans!
I first intended this post to include a wonderful in-depth discussion on Eastern Skunk Cabbage!! But, things just continue to occur which has kept me from writing it (high school friend called, cat puked, ect…)! So, I have decided that instead of writing a half ass post that I am going to hold off till tomorrow. I hope this White-tailed Deer video clip that I captured on Sunday will make up for my laziness.
Although, I am pleased to report more signs of spring are still becoming apparent! Today I saw my first Red-shouldered Hawk this season displaying high up in the sky. CHECK – Great part is that I didn’t see one, but three different males displaying in three different locations here in Allegany State Park! Even though they wouldn’t allow me to photograph them, they are still my favorite of all hawks!
Things you find at dusk!
This evening I went out searching for some early arrivals of the American Woodcock here in Allegany State Park. My searching started close to dusk where I almost stepped on a caterpillar while getting out of my truck. Not exactly sure which species of caterpillar this is but looks like it could be in the dagger family (See photo below). Finding this little fuzzy caterpillar had encouraged me to continued searching for little things on the pavement. It didn’t take long before I located another caterpillar called the Woolly Bear. But, this one wasn’t photographable because it was about as flat as a quarter. You can only find on so many dead Woolly Bears on the pavement before you start focusing your energy on something else (like unusual sounds).
Didn’t take long before I heard my first sound of the night …. Could it be the twittering sounds of the woodcock during its display?? …. (more…)
Sunny Sunday
Today was a perfect day to do some bird watching and I was happy to locate 29 species of birds. Although most of the waterways were frozen over, there were 6 species that were first of the year sightings for me (which include the): Pied-billed Grebe, Woodduck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Killdeer, and Song Sparrow. Other great sightings for the day included the Bald Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, Wild Turkey, Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead and a Red-necked Grebe! I spent extensive time watching the Red-necked Grebe with hopes that I might be able to see a band on it. I even tried to shoot some video threw my spotting scope and this evening I reviewed all the video clips frame by frame. Here are two good clips of the Grebe that I captured through my spotting scope (most others were too wobbly): (more…)
Could spring be near?
Rumor has it that spring temperatures will be around for this next week and there have been many signs that just maybe spring is finally starting to get close. Yesterday I heard one of those familiar signs during my walk around Red House Lake!! (more…)
Going back to my roots!
I remember back when I started college that one of my professors was telling me “your life is like a tree … but it is up to you to decide which branch of the tree to sit on …. some branches might break …. you might get a little bored sitting on some branches ….. some branches might hold you strong forever …. but it is up to you to decide where to sit!”. Looking back to my past, I now seem to better understand his points that he was trying to get across to me. (more…)
Wordless Wednesday (ok a few words)
Goldfinch visiting me just outside the Administration Building here in Allegany State Park, NY
Took the Wordless Wednesday idea from Barbara. Wait, have I said too much already?? Darn!
Finding things on the snow!
While coming home from work yesterday, I accidentally flushed a Red-tailed Hawk doing something behind the house. You know that look on a child’s face that something just happened and there is no way that they are going to tell you? Well, this was the same feeling I had with this Red-tailed Hawk who took off carrying something in its talons. I would have loved to follow it for a good photo opportunity but I needed to get the cats fed and get ready for the Kenn Kaufman talk. I did hiked through the deep snow for CSI – TOM to investigate those fallen remnants from under its perch (before I rudely interrupted is dinner). (more…)
Kenn Kaufman at RTPI
Kenn Kaufman spent the evening talking to many guest and members of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) in Jamestown, New York. Kenn is the fourth author who has been invited to speak at the Distinguished Speaker Series at RTPI (funded through the Johnson Foundation). Kenn is best known as the author of the book Kingbird Highway and his Kaufman Focus Field Guides. Tonight was the official release date for his newest Focus Guide on the Insects of North America and it looks like a very useful guide for any nature enthusiast (I know its going in my library).
Grebe Update
Picture taken two days ago at the released
Yesterday, while heading into town; I checked two times and didn’t see the Red-necked Grebe anywhere along the Allegheny River. Although I did see many ducks swimming around like the Common Merganser, Black Duck, Mallard, Canada Goose, Common Goldeneye and a Long-tailed Ducks. It was very possible that the Red-necked Grebe was down stream (where I didn’t have access to look). (more…)
Grounded with no where to go!!
This morning a fellow employee came into the office saying “Tom, we have an injured bird in the snow!!” He told me how “a bird watcher found this bird and asked if he would go get some help”. I agreed to help out and while looking for a box; I started asking questions like “how big was it?”, “what was it doing” etc.. I quickly realized that the bird being described was probably a grebe species. I went down the hall and asked “Randy” a fellow naturalist to give me a hand with the bird. (more…)
-2.9° to 42.4°F in 36 hours
Over the past 36 hours we have had a temperature change 45.3° degrees! To put that into perspective, if we had a low temperature of 55°F and had the same temperature change within 36 hours; we would be looking at it being 100°F outside!! Isn’t that crazy?
Here is my GOOD / BAD thoughts regarding this temperature changes.
| Spring is getting closer | Very muddy and ugly outside |
| Things are finally starting to melt | Soon will have flooding |
| More time outside | Treadmill gets dusty |
| Take more pictures | Less time to watch Ellen |
| Furnace doesn’t run as long | House in generally colder |
| Cats don’t lay on furnace vents as much | Cats are laying on me more |
| No more shoveling | Will probably snow again |
This evening I went for a quick walk around Red House Lake. I hoped to try and capture a bunch of pictures but the rain just made it too dark (and kinglets were too high up in the trees). Although taken with high ISO, there were 3 American Robins feeding on some berries. This was my only opportunity for a photo.
HAPPY FAT TUESDAY EVERYONE!
If you didn’t know…
…… what an owl or duck sounded like!!
My nephew will tell you!
Adding another post (video) tonight since flickr is all goofy!
Presidents Day Along the River
Ducks have finally arrived on the Allegheny River after the freezing of Lake Erie. In most areas where the river was open you could find some species of duck swimming. Some of these species included:
Canada Goose
Mallard
American Black Duck
Common Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Bufflehead
and….
…. these Common Goldeneye.
Mums Cardinals
These Cardinals teased me at my parent’s house and I just had to grab my camera from the truck. (more…)
Bird Feeders and Sleeping Birds
Yesterday I started feeding the birds again after the feral cat took the cardinal a few weeks ago. Rumors have it that the cat was seen about a mile + away from my house. I hope it lost some interested with my empty feeder and gets lost in the deep woods. I will keep my eye open for any cat tracks and if found again, I will stop feeding for a second time. I enjoyed seeing my feathered friends again during my lunch break. I was amazed that chickadees returned within minutes of placing the feeder back in its spot on the tree.
Chickadee
March 21, 1858 Standing by the mud-hole in the swamp, I hear the pleasant phebe note of the chickadee. It is, methinks, the most of a wilderness note of any yet. It is peculiarly interesting that this, which is one of our winter birds also, should have a note with which to welcome to spring.
Henry David Thoreau – THOREAU ON BIRDS
Red-tailed Hawk Feeding on its Prey
I get calls all the time about a hawk that just visited someone’s feeder and they would like to know what kind of hawk is it?? Majority of the time the visitor is an Accipiter species like the Sharp-shinned Hawk or even the Cooper’s Hawk. The Accipiters have longer-tails and shorter-wings which allow them to chase the little birdies through the trees and shrubs. On occasions I have heard about Red-tailed Hawk stalking a feeder. Unlike the Accipiters who hunt by surprise, the Red-tailed Hawks will wait for their prey to come out in the open. The Buteos (which is the genus of the Red-tailed Hawk) have a shorter-tail and longer-wings which will allow them to soaring high up in the sky. They are also known to sit tight on a branch looking for any kind of movement and quickly swoop down on their prey when they are not looking.
Today one of my co-workers yelled down the hall that a Red-tailed Hawk just caught something at the feeder! Quickly I grabbed my camera and ran down the hall to see what happened. I captured a few shots (was a good distance away, sorry about the quality of the photos) and I was amazed how quickly it devoured this small critter. I feel confident that this hawk captured a small mammal due to not finding any feathers (most birds pluck the feathers away) and then closely examination the prey in the photographs. These small mammals could include meadow voles, mice, or even squirrels that might be hiding around the feeder. I have heard stories about how they witnessed a Red-tailed Hawk chasing a squirrel around a tree and then came within inches of actually catching it.
Obviously when a Red-tailed Hawk captures that squirrel the hawk needs to kill its prey as quickly as possible. If they fail to do so, the squirrel could bite the hawks toes and try to force it to let it go. This picture above shows a dead Red-tailed Hawk that was recently brought into the office. After closely inspecting it, we realized that it had numerous bite marks on its feet. Although this bird probably passed away from a vehicle strike, there was always a chance that it could have gotten an infection in its toes and then increased it chances of dieing from starvation (for not being able to use its feet properly).
Getting over the winter blues!
Seems like there has been all kinds of talk about the fidget temperatures over the past few days and the weather service isn’t expecting any changes till next week sometime. After helping my blogging buddy “Nature Woman” with her video clip; I just knew this 5 second clip would be a perfect reminder that our snow white castle will soon become green again with some sights and sounds of spring.
Here is a video clip of an American Beaver feeding on some Raspberry species and what sounds like a Yellow Warbler singing (and Red-eyed Vireo) in the background. If you listen closely you can even hear this beaver chewing (I am a nature nerd and find that cool). The ear tag was placed on this Beaver as part of a many long term studies by SUNY ESF Forestry students (wish I knew more about the study).
Ok, now back to the real world of -0 F air temperatures and -20 F windchill temperatures! Tomorrow heading out with another Naturalist from Jamestown Audubon to do some Cross-country Skiing on the Art Roscoe Cross-country Skiing trail system here in Allegany State Park!! You can be sure this video will be in the back of my mind once I can’t feel my toes anymore! Please be sure to dress warm everyone!!
Unwanted Visitor at the Feeder
I found some Cardinal feathers scattered about this morning and just knew something wasn’t right. I quickly headed outside to investigate the crime scene and hoped it was a Coopers Hawk or even one of the Screech Owls that made the kill! But these were mammal track left in the fresh snow. I would have settled with some fisher or even fox tracks but these were obviously cat tracks! Hmm, CSI-Tom followed the feral cat tracks to its hiding spot and you have no idea how bad I scared it away. I only wish I could have barrowed Zick’s Chet or even Mary’s Chloe to help with my cat problem!! But, it came down to removing the feeder, no seeds scattered about and blocking its hiding spot. I am now bird less at my home bird feeder and I am amazed at how quickly the birds learn that there isn’t any food around (or that a predator is around). Lucky I still have my birds at my window feeder (on the second floor) to keep me entertained.
Photo of birds from this weekend before I took everything down.
Then on my way home from grocery store; I happen to see a fox running away with something in its mouth! Is it bad that I wished it was the feral cat? Hard to tell under the moon light but looked like a meadow vole or something else that size. I have to appreciate the food chain but did it have to be one of my Cardinals?
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 