Singing Junco
Snowbirds
What does spring mean to you??? . . . . when do you consider it the first day of spring??? Allegany Tom says “six more weeks of winter” . . . . threecollie brings up a good point “You know we will always have six more weeks up here”! Very true my friend! Another good friend of mine believes that Groundhogs Day should be the first day of spring . . . . why?? . . . it is when you start to notice the birds behaving differently!
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Groundhogs Day
To all my blogging friends; I Allegany Tom on the 2nd of February 2009 saw my shadow when I woke up this morning. I predict that we will have 6 more weeks of winter!!
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Blue Jays at my feeders!
Blue Jay Smiling for the Camera
This year the Blue Jays appear to be a little too abundant at my feeders and it never seemed to be that way previously. I think my kitties don’t mind the stunning blue colors flashing past the window since I always find them chattering among themselves. Hmm maybe they are cussing the Blue Jays out saying “stop being so greedy”?? Greedy . . . that is an understatement and not only do they grab all the seeds but on occasion you find them stashing the seeds in different hiding places!
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Allegany State Park Can-Am Dog Sled Race
Today the Canadian-American Dog Sledders had their annual dog sled race here in Allegany State Park, NY. I took this opportunity to capture a few pictures of these great team of dogs working together to reach the finish line.
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Turkey of a day!
Today I had the opportunity to assist the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) band a dozen Wild Turkeys here in Allegany State Park. This is the final year of their project looking at the harvest and survival rates of the male Turkey in New York State.
That’s me and the Turkey
more birds on sumac [Wordless Wednesday]
Sorry for posting more birds on sumac pictures . . . . “Sumac” seems to be where all the birdies have been over the past few weeks!
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Chickadee Apples and Sumac
Black-capped Chickadee on Sumac
Had the opportunity to watch a bunch of Chickadees feeding on some Sumac and on an Apple Tree today. They were so cute jumping from branch to branch . . . I am surprised these photos were actually in focus!
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What Woodpeckers Eat
The woodpecker’s main diet is insects that are heard from under the bark of the tree. They will drill a hole and then use their awfully long tongue for pulling the insects out. The tongue is sticky at the end which is helpful in grasping the insect from the center of the tree. You can think of the woodpecker as a tree doctor removing the insects that could potentially do harm to the tree (that’s how I think of them)!!
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Annual Skiing Day
Today was our annual skiing/snowboarding day where many of the Young Naturalist, their parents and I got together for a fun day over at the Holimont Ski Resort in Ellicottville, NY. It was such a wonderful day and had some good laughs. After skiing/snowboarding we followed the tradition of eating pizza over at the Depot Restaurant. Hmm Pizza!
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for the BIRDS [Book Review]
The book “for the BIRDS: A Month-by-Month Guide to Attracting Birds to Your Backyard” was written by three sisters “Anne Schmauss”, “Mary Schmauss” and “Geni Krolick”. I found this book just as cute inside as it appears on the outside cover. The first 50 pages gets into the basics explaining the pro and cons of different seed types, bird suet, nectar, bird baths, and nest boxes that should be used in the habitat that you have created in your backyard. The rest of the book is broken down into a month-by-month explanation of expected birds that you would find at your feeder, suggested seed mixtures to be used and other backyard tips to improve the birds in your yard for that month.
2009 Annual Waterfowl Survey
Today a few of us from the Cattaraugus County Bird Club participated in the NYS DEC / NYSOA annual waterfowl survey. Each January a quarter of a million ducks across New York State are counted by bird clubs, state officials and your average birder. In years past we had participate in the Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey, where we would help locate Eagles wintering along the Allegheny River (while also looking for waterfowl) . . . . But for some reason these dates did not overlap as they had previously. The results of this survey will help determine the long-term monitoring of waterfowl within New York State during the winter months.
Common Goldeneye in the Snow (more…)
Winter Shadows
The suns shadows were amazing today!
I intended to work on an in-depth blog post this evening but everything changed as soon as I turned the television on! (more…)
Winter Beaver [Wordless Wednesday]
American Beaver
It has been a while since I have done a Wordless Wednesday . . . figured why not upload some Beavers swimming around in the frigid ice cold water! I think we all are ready for spring to arrive!
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Tips for Nature Photography – The Natural Way
Guest Post by: Sarah Scrafford
photo by mon@rch
If you’re an avid viewer of nature channels like the National Geographic and Animal Planet, you’re probably used to the sights and sounds of nature and wildlife in all their glory. You’ve probably seen them in their natural habitats, doing all the things that come naturally to them, not knowing or not caring that human eyes were being trained on them. And you’ve most probably wondered at the resilience and skill of the photographers and videographers who risked life and limb to bring you such beautiful images and videos. If you’re thinking of launching yourself as a nature photographer, here are the skills and attributes you need to possess:
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Winter in Allegany
The Administration Building
We are expecting a deep freeze this week here in Allegany and without a doubt the skiers and snowmobilers couldn’t be any happier. Thought this would be a great opportunity to finally post a few of my snowy shots from this November when the hills still had a little color on it.
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Northern Saw-whet Owls Report for 2008
This year the Allegany State Park (Northern Saw-whet Owl) banding station was open for 15 nights and captured 26 different individuals (not including 1 Barred Owl). We didn’t capture as many owls per day like we did last season but the number of days we could open the station was reduced due to weather conditions. (more…)
The Life of Roger Tory Peterson [Book Review]
The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
Recently author Elizabeth J. Rosenthal asked me to review her newest publication, “The Life of Roger Tory Peterson”. I contacted my friends at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (www.rtpi.org) who raved at how accurate Elizabeth was able capture Mr. Peterson’s legacy. They stated some of her research was done at the institute ( so that was a plus for me before even starting to read the book) but she had also collected interviews with a hundred of Roger’s closest colleagues. (more…)
Wordless Wednesday
A perfect fall day. Oct. 4, 2008
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I am not in Prison
Allegany State Park, Administration Building
Thanks for the wonderful emails and kind comments from everyone! My favorite was TuNaMeLt asking “Are you in Prison”?? No, I am not in prison, I have no health problems and everything is alright . . . . just ask Jennifer . . . . I am still enjoying life as it should be enjoyed! Actually, I had my first of the year White-winged Crossbills around Red House Lake (CHECK). I wish my camera was close, they seem to be everywhere I looked and allowed me to get within 6 feet of them! Picture of them should be coming soon and maybe I will get a chance to band a few this year???
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Allegany State Park Firetower
Allegany State Park Firetower
The weather was so beautiful the other day and with the leaves being at their peak this weekend . . . . I decided to try and capture some tree top photos from inside the Allegany State Park Firetower.
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The Owls Have Arrived
Northern Saw-whet Owl
We caught our first of the year Northern Saw-whet Owl Saturday night! Been a slow start to their movement but I believe that is due to warmer temperatures and the bright moon shining down on the nets. Their numbers should be picking up in a week or two as soon as the moon starts rising later in the evening!
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Mon@rch's Nature Blog 