Allenburg Bog
Dragonfly Eye gave me a call yesterday and asked if I wanted to join him in search of the Boghaunter. If you are not familiar of the Boghaunter (I wasn’t), it is a rare Dragonfly that is frequently found in areas associated with bogs. Jeremy informed me that none of the Boghaunter species have ever been found at Allenburg Bog (Cattaraugus County, NY) area. He wanted to visit the bog to see if we could find any of them flying yet. Of course I am always up for an adventure and couldn’t resist in also taking the time to look for newly arrived warblers! (more…)
Sometimes you are better off birding at home
As anticipated, today was a wonderful “new” species day with 5 first for 2007s and a Cabbage White (CHECK) butterfly. The second that I walked outside (to head to work) I heard two Red-eyed Vireos signing (CHECK) in the trees across the street. I didn’t want to go to work but knew in 8 more hours that I would be enjoying the birdies again.
Northern Parula way up in the pines. (more…)
Nestbox Project
This evening I talked Grace in joining me as I visited all of the Bluebird Nest Boxes here in Allegany State Park. I am proud to announce that we located two Eastern Bluebird with 5 eggs in their box. The first nest had the female incubating her eggs . . . . . (more…)
Wordless Wednesday
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Butter Butt
Rose-breasted Grosbeak *
Red Squirrel and Painted Turtle*
* First for 2007 (CHECK)
Spring Butterfly Day
I had a late start in getting outside this morning, which resulted in seeing a few birds. I worked hard to come across the Cedar Waxwing (CHECK) and Baltimore Oriole (CHECK) which were both first for 2007’s. I took advantage of the late day to search for some spring butterflies. I started my search in an area where the Toothwart (Dentaria diphylla) grows. I had hoped to find Allegany State Park’s only butterfly species of concern called the West Virginia White. What is interesting is that the NY State Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) list Allegany State Park as the best place to see the West Virginia White here in New York State. If you head over to the West Virginia White cover page, you will see that someone (hint) has a photo credit! (more…)
Bluebird Soaps
I ate my breakfast outside this morning and watched some of the Eastern Bluebird soaps!! That poor female continued to put up with this males bluebirds crap! How does she ever get anything done!! This continued to happen all day long!! To understand what I am talking about; click the video below! (more…)
Rainy Saturday
This rainy weather is for the ducks or should I say Common Mergansers! They are predicting sun for tomorrow, so expect me to get out and do some catch up on my birding. (more…)
Stocking Fish in Allegany State Park
Today I had the opportunity to help with some stocking of Brook Trout here in Allegany State Park. I was only able to participate with a few stops but today they proposed throwing in about a thousand fishies into the streams! Not being a fisherman, I was amazed at how colorful and beautiful these Brook Trout are. (more…)
Fiesta Poem
Fiesta
by Maxwell Croyden Wheat, Jr.
Comes with warblers,
waves of warblers
moving up the continents:
Yellows, Bay-breasteds
Black-throated Blues, Greens.
Myrtles, Magnolias
flourishing wing-tail skirts of white and yellow, Redstarts flashing flamenco fans of orange and red, Chestnut-sideds displaying headdresses of sun
Then, Blackburnians
flown from flames of Aztec fires,
Prothonotary emblazoned with Inca gold
migrants starting to move!
It is great finding Trilliums again!
Migrants are starting to move through the area! Yesterday evening I heard and saw my first Yellow-rumped Warbler (CHECK) for 2007. When I had first heard the butter butt, I had thought it could have been a Yellow-throated Warbler since they do have a some what similar song!! It appears the YTWA’s have not made it back yet and will be my next quest in locating!! I was happy to have followed many Pine Warblers around yesterday (although they wouldn’t let me photograph them so high up along the tree tops). So many places to go, so many bird sounds around me and yesterday I found myself taking my truck to the shop for some work! Uggg! (more…)
Ecological Niches
Many of our diurnal and nocturnal animals will both have similar ecological niches. Think of a niche as a job someone (human) might have in the grocery store. Many employees that work in this grocery store have a specific duty and specialties in getting their job done. One employee might be the butcher and makes sure the meat isn’t spoiled or is always sliced the same way. Another employee will have the duty of keeping the fruit fresh and knows everything that needs to be known about the fruit they are selling. Some grocery stores have seafood departments, bakeries and even a pharmacy. By everyone working together will provide a location for us making choices in what we eat. Animals also have jobs and their “ecological niche” which keeps them from competing for food but still allows many species to live together in the same habitat. For example, nuthatches walk upside down on the tree to pull out insects that they can see under the bark (which other birds easily overlook). Walking upside down is their ecological niche! (more…)
The Adventure to Ripley
We had a wonder time heading out to the Ripley Hawk Watch. In my previous post I talked about the many hawks we observed while on this trip. Overall we had 46ish species of birds, 5 first for 2007’s and one lifer on this trip! We started off this trip with some Barn Swallows under the highway bridge (CHECK, first for 2007). In this one town heading out to Ripley, the leader (who was in the car ahead of ours) had turned his vehicle around and started heading back the direction we were coming from. Then he pulled right up to someone’s house (it was trash day) and we thought he was interested in a TV that was out in the front lawn!! He was interested in their TV’s but the big feathery kind. He had observed a whole group of Turkey Vultures on top of someone’s house. The people at the Hawk Watch stated that the individual who owns the house is unable to sell it because the vultures are scaring off all potential buyers! I wonder what is so interesting with this one house that the Turkey Vultures?? (more…)
Ripley Hawk Watch
Today I joined the Cattaraugus County Bird Club for our annual hawk field trip to the Ripley Hawk Watch in Ripley New York. We headed to this hawk watch because the birds will migrate north along thermos and then reach Lake Erie. Since the lake water is cold (causing cold airs and no thermos) the hawks will not cross the lake and follow the waters edge until they find a land bridge. These areas are perfect spots in seeing many raptors in one location. Although, it was a clear sky and hard finding these bird specks way up in the sky. It was fun anyways with many great birds. (more…)
Just another Saturday
Today I cleaned out all of my Northern Saw-whet Owl boxes that I have here in the park. Hint to everyone, don’t accidentally delete your GPS coordinates or make sure you write them down somewhere before clicking “delete”. I have three boxes that I couldn’t seem to relocate and my luck is that they probably have a bird nesting in them. (more…)
Just enjoying being outside!
An older photo of a Blue-headed Vireo that I took in 2006
Some days you find yourself not wanting to pull the camera out of your backpack or even picking up your binoculars. Today was one of those days where I just wanted to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. I started after work exploring my new bird banding site and checking out how much damage the Beavers have done. I think my changes that I need to do will be better in the long run (as long as the beaver doesn’t expand its range)! I then headed over to France Brook area of the park where I typically find Blue-headed Vireos and Louisiana Waterthrush. They still have not arrived but I am anticipating one of the two species to arrive sometime this weekend. I have been looking but not located any Eastern Phoebes anywhere since I took that photo of the one eating the worm on the road. While out along France Brook, I had heard a deew deew deew!! Deew Deew Deew!! This was worth the binoculars going up! Greater Yellowlegs just few over my head!! CHECK, first for 2007! Getting ready for my slide program that I am doing for the Cattaraugus County Bird Club tomorrow! Enjoy the weekend, its going to be a nice one!!
Dead Swallows and my Cousins Blog!
Spider photo by kirispupis
It has been such a busy week for me and I am trying to get things done before the weather gets better. Just seems like everything is happening at once!! I did get out today and checked all the bluebird boxes before all the birdies start building their nest. My stomach dropped as soon as (more…)
BOS Count
Today I participated in the Buffalo Ornithological Society (BOS) Count were I cover the lower half of section 24 (Allegany State Park – go figure). The BOS conducts three annual bird counts during the months of April, May, and October. The count dates are targeted to periods of significant bird migration and have been ongoing since 1935. Normally I locate around 50 species during the April count but rarely have to deal with a nor easter storm that just arrived. We woke up to snow on the ground and quickly the weather turned into mixed rain/snow. By noon it was entirely rain coming down and it wasn’t an easy day to be out birding. I worked hard and only able to come up with 40 species (see list below). Adding birds that I did see yesterday (and not today) I could have easily been over 50 but blame the low numbers due to this storm. Typically the April BOS count gives me an opportunity to locate Blue-headed Vireo, Barn Swallow, Louisiana Waterthrush, Broadwing Hawk, and 3-4 species of Butterflies (not this year). I did have some species of waterfowl that normally have moved through the area already. (more…)
Day Before the Storm (part 2)
Wild Turkey wondering through the snow!
Today was a wonderful day with 43 species and a ton of photos. I decided to spit the post up between waterfowl (part 1) and non waterfowl (part 2). I started my day over at Red House Lake and one of the first birds I saw were 2 Eastern Meadowlarks (CHECK, first for 2007)!! I jumped out of my truck and took a long series of photos of these two first of the year birds (for the blog). Then I got a little too close and they flew away!! Going to review my pictures, I realized that I didn’t have a memory card in my camera!! Ugg – no pictures of Meadowlarks today!! I then headed to the woods in search of a Goshawk territory that I know about. Didn’t get dive bombed but did quickly observe the Goshawk passing overhead (CHECK, first for 2007)!! While searching for the Goshawk, I also come across an American Woodcock, Turkey Vulture and a Common Raven. This Wild Turkey (in picture above) greeted me once I returned back to my truck! (more…)
Day Before the Storm (part 1) Waterfowl
Common Merganser Pair
Today was a wonderful day with 43 species and a ton of photos. I decided to spit the post up between waterfowl (part 1) and non waterfowl (part 2).
Red House Lake had a good majority of the species today. The 4 Common Loons, 4 Scaup species, 2 Red-breasted Merganser and a Northern Shoveler were the highlighted birds. I also saw the more common waterfowl like 3 Bufflehead, 6 Common Merganser, 4 Pied-billed Grebe, Mallard and Canada Goose swimming around. (more…)
snow is melting
The snow is finally starting to melt with temperatures in the 40’s today. This evening I decided to head over to the Quaker side of Allegany State Park to do a little birding. Despite the rain that started falling, I saw some wonderful birds. Ospreys were fishing with only one dive attempt which came up empty. There were numerous loons and mergansers that I was able to see swimming around. I enjoyed finding a Double Crested Cormorant near the overspill, but wait . . . what is that flying?? Bonaparte’s Gull, CHECK first for the year!! Not one but three or four could be seen flying around the lake. This is the only time of the year which we can locate these gulls flying through this area and I was starting to worry that I would miss seeing them this year due to this crazy weather. All these gulls were adults in their alternate (breeding) plumage, like we typically find them in this area. I hope they stick around for my count that I am doing on Sunday.
Other ducks observed included Ring-necked Ducks, Horned Grebes and Buffleheads. I decided to drive over to where my bluebird boxes were located and thought I had seen a Kestrel up in the tree. I turned the truck around (so I can see better due to the rain and check out the Osprey Nest). I slowly made it back to the falcon and something wasn’t right?? Kestrels don’t have banded tails like that?? the color pattern isn’t right?? Could this bird be it a Merlin?? I pulled the field guide out! Sure enough, Merlin, CHECK first for the year!! This poor bird wasn’t enjoying the rain and very skittish. I tried to move my truck a little closer for a better photo and away it went. Not bad for a rainy day, at least it wasn’t snowing (whoops, it was snowing in the higher elevations).
Osprey, Worms and Loons
Yesterday was the first I have seen the Osprey since the snow started on Wednesday. It is hard to believe that it was only a week ago when I was watching these large birds gathering nesting material and copulating at this same platform. Since Osprey captures their food in the water, their wings and muscles do not do well with these colder temperatures. Although, this one individual appeared to be doing alright and I am glad to see they are still in the area. (more…)
Purple Finch Visits the Feeder
When the weather gets bad, the birds require doing just about anything to make sure they have built up enough fat to survive the cold nights. As in yesterdays post, I discussed how many species were heading straight for the roads with hopes of finding worms, bugs or seeds. I have also been talking about the Tree Swallows skimming the lakes in search of flying insects. In my previous posts, I had neglected to tell you about the numerous birds that I have been seeing at my birdfeeders. One highlighted bird that I want to tell you about is the Purple Finch (more…)
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 