Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone
I am thankful for many things this year and I am especially thankful for your views taking this website over 400,000 views!
Happy Halloween
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Happy Halloween Everyone! It has been a decent owl banding season this year!
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Nature Haikus – Apples
By Young Naturalist C
Apples
Flowering in the spring
In summer, ripe apples come
Red and delicious
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Canada Goose Banding
Rounding Up the Geese on the Lake
I had an opportunity to assist with some banding of Canada Goose this summer. I was amazed at the number of people required in banding these guys. People were first used to help direct them to the pen and then the masses of people would then help in quickly band the birds . . . then they would be released. For sure an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life!
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Flying along the Lake
Double-crested Cormorant
While out on the pontoon boat we saw a few things flying along Chautauqua Lake.
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Babies in the Boxes
House Wrens
While visiting Young Naturalist C . . . she had some babies in her back yard nest boxes! Sorry there is something about babies that make me smile!
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Along Chautauqua Lake
Woodducks
A few summer photos taken from the pontoon boat on Chautauqua Lake.
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Puffins at Machias Seal Island
Guest Post by my good friend Mike Desha
On Father’s Day 2008 my wife and I treated ourselves to a trip to Machias Seal Island in Maine (or Canada, as the boundary between Canada and the U.S. is still in dispute even at this late date). Cap’t Andy ferried about 17 of us to the island from Cutler, Maine, a fishing village about 10-miles away. As you can tell we were very fortunate that the ocean was almost as smooth as glass, That’s not always the case in the North Atlantic. Sometimes one is not able to land on the island because of rough seas.
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Rainy Sunday at CLDC
Me cold and wet
On Sunday the 21st of June 2009 we opened the 3rd session of the CLDC MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station! Three hours of banding with thick fog we closed the nets due to light drizzle and strong winds. Within the three hours of operation we captured 5 different species and banded 2 newly banded birds with 7 recaptures (total of 9 individuals).
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Baby American Robins
Baby American Robin’s
Baby American Robin’s are ready to fledge the nest!
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Towhee and Grouse at CLDC
Blue-winged Warbler
On Saturday the 13th of June 2009 we opened the 2nd session of the CLDC MAPS banding station! We captured 14 different species and banded 13 newly banded birds with 14 recaptures (total of 27 individuals).
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Kid Birders at SWAT
Cedar Waxwing
On Friday the 12th of June 2009 we opened the 2nd session of the SWAT MAPS banding station! We captured 14 different species and banded 17 newly banded birds with 16 recaptures (total of 33 individuals). The weather was very cooperative and we had a great steady number of birds being captured in the nets.
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Just Born
Three baby Bluebirds and three baby blue eggs!
This afternoon while checking the bluebird box in the back yard . . . . we had 3 baby bluebirds just hatch! These babies could have been just a few hours old! I just love this time of the year!
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Life Appreciated
Their Kitten with Binocs
I have been blessed to know an amazing family for over two years and I am always finding myself dieing to find an update on her photostream!! It all started with friends commenting on other friend’s flickr pages when I suddenly found Colleen commenting on my photos . . . we suddenly became flickr contacts and I remember we were always viewing each others nature photography! Then one day you find pictures of her little girl after having two brain surgeries and you are lost with emotion!!
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Baby Birdies
Song Sparrow Baby
Last Saturday during the Roger Tory Peterson Birding Festival we banded a recently fledged Song Sparrow with its father only a few inches from it in the net. This was my first nestling for the year and I know other babies will be found in numbers!
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Roger Tory Peterson’s 100 Year Birthday Party
RTPI Group for the Peterson festival!
This weekend the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) celebrated the 100th anniversary for the birth of Roger Tory Peterson with a big birding festival. RTPI had lined up a world series of speakers and had many participants for his celebration.
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Banding Demo for Kids Last Friday
For the past 6 years I have had the opportunity to participate in Allegany State Park’s Great Outdoors Day with the Recreation Department. This year due to the scheduling conflicts . . . . I was only able to banding during the Friday Class Sessions. But I still had the opportunity to interact with over 200 children from numerous school districts.
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First Day at CLDC for 2009
Wilson’s Warbler
Last Sunday after the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage we started banding over at the CLDC MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station. We placed bands on 14 species and we placed new bands on 19 individuals. In addition to the newly banded birds we recaptured 2 Song Sparrows, 4 Common Yellowthroats, 1 House Wren and 1 Indigo Bunting which were previous year banded birds (for a total of 27 individuals).
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Allegany Nature Pilgrimage 2009
Old Growth Walk (Photo by Patty)
Last weekend the 51st annual Allegany Nature Pilgrimage was held in Allegany State Park. This is my 14th year attending the pilgrimage and my 11th year as a trip leader. The Allegany Nature Pilgrimage was started by Gilbert Burgeson (aka Gib) who traveled to Tennesee to visit their daughter. While in Tennessee he attended the Smokey Mountain Wildflower Pilgrimage and said, “Why can’t we have a pilgrimage? Why not at Allegany Park?”! Over the past 51 years the organization still frequently has visitors from all over the United States, Canada and other Countries to attend the Pilgrimage weekend. (more…)
Roger Tory Peterson Birding Festival
Reposted from: The Peterson Journal, June 2009, Volume 6, No. 2
A highlight of our year-long Schedule of events celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Roger Tory Peterson is the inaugurating of an annual birding festival to be held this year on June 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2009. The focus of the festival will be Eastern North American Warblers on the Allegheny Plateau. During the course of the festival we will visit habitats where Peterson birded as a youth that are likely to hold singing males on territory, with a goal of sightings all or most of the 25 species of warblers that are known to breed in this area. (more…)
First Day of SWAT
Common Yellowthroat
On Friday the 29th of May 2009 we opened the SWAT MAPS banding station! We captured 12 different species and banded 22 newly banded birds with 10 recaptures. I wouldn’t have called this a good banding day but turned out better than how we first expected it to turn out like!
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Banding Starts Friday
I Miss Banding Season!
We start banding Friday Morning at the SWAT site! . . . . . CHEERS! The SWAT site is ready and I almost have the CLDC site ready! After Banding Friday morning we will be attending the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage over the weekend and then banding again at CLDC Sunday Morning! Look for the photos and updates once I can get to them!
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Yellow-breasted Chat
Me with the Yellow-breasted Chat
Did I mention that on International Migratory Bird Day . . . . . I got another LIFER!! Yellow-breasted Chat (CHECK)!
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Mon@rch's Nature Blog 