FOG AT THE CLDC MAPS
Tufted Titmouse
This morning was one of our foggiest days that we have had at the CLDC MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) Banding Station in a VERY long time. I feared that this thick fog would reduce the number of birds that we would end up capturing. Instead the birdies were soo abundant that we found ourselves spending most of our time trying to catch up with net checks! (more…)
Seconds feel like minutes!
Broad-winged Hawk
I decided to drive the long way through Allegany State Park to visit some friends camping over in the Quaker Area. Along ASP Rt. 1 I noticed a hawk coming out of the grass with something in its talons and moving directly towards my vehicle! My heart just stopped, I quickly spiked my breaks and hoped not to hear any thump like sound! While trying to look over the hood of my truck for the bird, I found myself thinking “what are my next steps are if I end up hitting the bird”?? Suddenly (more…)
GOOD AND BAD at SWAT!
Did you ever have one of these days when many good things happen but then you have some bad things happen! Today is just one of those days at the SWAT MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station.
(more…)
Banding the Baby Bluebirds
Eastern Bluebird Nestling
The Eastern Bluebird nestlings in my back yard are in good health and yesterday we banded the babies with their very own numbered aluminum band!! I typically like to band the baby bluebirds after 10 to 11 days from hatching. If you try banding them any later than this the nestlings will then get jump happy (babies will then scatter every which direction when you open the box). Any earlier than this date and the nestlings are not developed enough to band (you can injure the bird which is the last thing we want to happen). (more…)
Flickr Guest at CLDC MAPS
Sunrise Shot Overlooking the Banding Station
Yesterday was a slower day with the birds but we had some great company. Marg, who is a regular blog commenter and a wonderful flickr photographer visited the CLDC MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station. It was an awesome way to spend some time together to talk about banding, flickr, photography and life in general. (more…)
THIS WEEKS LESSON
I had Young Naturalist J with me and I know that he LOVES going spotlighting for wildlife. I asked him if he would like to see how “I” like to go spotlighting?? We saw this little critter out along the tree line and so I pulled my truck over on the side of the road! We jumped out of my truck with camera and spotlight in hand. . . . . this is what we found . . . .
Unwanted Visitor at the SWAT site!
A very light colored juvenile Downy Woodpecker
We had a wonderful day banding birds over at the SWAT MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station today. We had a family visit who has been camping here in the park for a very long time, two couples from buffalo make it down, Young Naturalist C (who was the Banding Assistant for the day) and her sister Young Naturalist E visit the banding station. But, you ask, “who was the unwanted visitor??”!! I will get to it . . . . I promise!! (more…)
Red Admiral
I was able to spend a little time today looking for butterflies here in Allegany State Park. These guys appear to be everywhere right now and are have an irruption year. The last time we had an irruption of Red Admirals was back in 2001 when I was working for another nature center. Not sure if this is weather related or not . . . . but it is still fun finding them just about everywhere. (more…)
The Banding Process
Many of our tools use when banding birds!
Last weekend I handed my camera over to Young Naturalist J to document our banding station for the day. Since this is an off weekend for me, I figured this would be a more than appropriate time to do this post since so many of my die-hard blogging friends have asked for this post. I sure hope this helps give you an idea on what we do at the banding station but do note that all photos (except the last one) were taken by Young Naturalist J! (more…)
Friday the 13th
They say that Friday the 13th should be a day when “nightmare-things” happen! Bah-humbug!!! I always try to finding many “good-things” that are happening and even more-so on this unusual day. For example, I visited my Bluebird Box back behind my house this morning and found within the past few days the baby Eastern Bluebirds finally hatched. YEAH!! I can expect many more “good-things” to happening on a day like today . . . . well than I would expect to find “nightmare-things” to be happening! My question to all my blogging friends is “did you have a “nightmare” or “good” Friday the 13th”??
Fledged the Nest Just in Time
Last week while hiking around Red House Lake I heard the calling of some baby birds in a tree! I watched from a distance and within 10 minutes this female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker quickly jammed her head in this hole and started feeding her young. (more…)
Makeup Rain Day – SWAT
(Brother and Sister) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Today we had another great day at the SWAT MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding session here in Allegany State Park. This was a rescheduled session after the rained-out day we had last Wednesday. (more…)
A “Veery” Busy Day
Veery taken by young Naturalist J
You know that you had a busy day banding when you find that you had many wonderful birds and very few pictures to show. Today at the CLDC MAPS banding site we captured 11 different species and 42 different individuals. We collected 23 Avian Bird Flu samples, placed 26 new bands on birds and recaptured 16 individuals. I really need to go back in my records to see how long ago we captured some of these individuals. Maybe this would be a great wrap-up post??
(more…)
Swallow fledglings
Barn Swallows saying “me mom, me, me me”
We have many species of Swallows that nest here in Allegany State Park. I have talked about the Tree Swallows in some of my previous post and even posted some pictures of Rough-winged Swallows. I always think of Mary when visiting the Barn Swallow nest and greatly enjoy watching the Cliff Swallows each morning while heading to work. But, soon these birds will be gone and the fledglings will be on their own. (more…)
Rain, grrr
This morning our SWAT MAPS banding station was scheduled for banding. I woke up with light rain but the weather man said that it wouldn’t rain until 11am. So, onward to the banding station and luckily it did stopped. . . . I decided to open the nets and give some banding a try. An hour into the banding session it started to rain again (uggg). I had just started doing a net check, so I decided to just close all the nets up. Birds were singing up a storm, we had captured a family of Redstarts, a Yellow Warbler, two male Magnolia Warblers and a Gray Catbird. The rain continued for about 45 minutes while I processed the captured birds and I then finally decided to cancel the session (just before the rain stopped). Do I open the nets again or do I keep them closed till Sunday?? Decisions, decisions!!! I figured the nets were close already; I would just reschedule the banding until next Sunday. I then went home to crawled back into bed!! I had woken up to the sun shining in my window and singing birds outside the window!! Ok, the sun was only out for a few seconds but I just knew at that point that I made the wrong decision in closing early! I hope that my make-up day is full of good birdies! (BTW: The time of this post would be when I would be closing up my nets.)
So . . . . Happy 4th of July! Now off to a Chicken Barbeque!!
Caught with the Marshmallow
Just a cute video that I captured over the weekend!
Baby Day at the CLDC Site
American Robin fledgling.
Yesterday was our “Baby Day” at our CLDC MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding session. It appears that many of our fledglings are just starting to fledge the nest and will soon be on their own!! (more…)
Bald Eagles and their Change of Status
Peter Nye who is a Biologist and head of the Endangered Species Unit for the NYS DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) talked on NPR yesterday regarding his restoration and conservation efforts of the Bald Eagles here in New York State. You can listen to the story | HERE ON NPR|. This was done after yesterday’s announcement from the Interior Department that they are removing the American Bald Eagle from protection under the Endangered Species Act. Personally, I think it is still a little early for the federal government to remove them from this list but I guess this is a good thing that happened! (more…)
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in Allegany State Park
Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
In the 1930’s the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was considered “a regular summer bird of Allegany Park but it is not very common. It occurs regularly about the edges of big timber areas such as the Big Basin and other patches of mature Maple-Beech” (A.A. Saunders. 1942. Summer Birds of the Allegany State Park, NYS Museum Handbook 18). Saunders did not document any nesting pairs of Sapsuckers but did indicate that he saw some fledglings. Baird found the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker had gone from 0 breeding pairs in 1930 up to 282 breeding pairs in the Quaker Run Valley in just over 55 years (T.H. Baird. 1990. Changes in Breeding Bird Populations Between 1930 and 1985 in the Quaker Run Valley of Allegany State Park, NYS Museum Bulletin No. 477). I have also found the Sapsucker to be commonly found (if not the most commonly found woodpecker) here in Allegany State Park. But I have also found that they are more commonly heard moving through the woods than being seen. They are quickly identified by their unevenly drumming song and their cat-like call notes that are very distinctive for this species. (more…)
Another SWAT morning!
Chestnut-sided Warbler being released on the MAPS Cap
Today a family from Michigan (who are camping in Allegany for the week) visited our SWAT MAPS banding station here in Allegany State Park. They have been attending my nature walks since 1999 and joined me with my bird banding for as long as we have been friends. They have always supported our studies and volunteered to make all of our bird bags that we are using. They saved the banding station with their wonderful sowing skills and we are grateful for all they have done for us!!! (more…)
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 