Outdoor Program
Me with the kids from last years program
For the past two days (Thursday and Friday) I have been busy helping the Allegany State Park recreation department with the Great Outdoors program for almost 350 kids from 5 different school districts.
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First Day at CLDC
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Last Sunday we started banding over at the CLDC MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station and placed bands on 15 species (43 individuals). The highlight was the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (first for the station and a year bird for me CHECK), Veery and Eastern Towhees. The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was a late migrant passing through the area and just encourages me start doing spring/fall banding. Warblers banded included the Blue-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat. Other commonly captured birds included the Gray Catbird, House Wren, Red-eyed Vireo, and Indigo Bunting.
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Allegany Nature Pilgrimage
Young Naturalist J took this photo of me in the Big Basin
Friday and Saturday was the big Audubon weekend here in Allegany State Park. The Allegany Nature Pilgrimage is sponsored by a few of our local Audubon Societies here in the WNY area (and is my favorite weekend of the year). This was my 13th year attending the pilgrimage and my 10th year as being a group leader. I had the privilege of leading two groups (that turned out to be almost 75 people) into the Big Basin Old Growth area. I just loved having Toni, Jennifer and many other regulars to this blog spend their time with me looking for the big trees!
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Wonderful Day
Young Child Enjoying His Cake!
We had an amazing weekend at the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage! So much to write but very little time . . . a CLDC MAPS banding session is scheduled tomorrow morning!
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Allegany Bloggers
On Saturday there will be a Blogger/Flickr get-together during the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage. Many of us local bloggers like Jen from a Passion for Nature, Toni from a Spattering, Linda from Erie Argonaut and maybe Nick from a Biological Rambling will be able to make it. If you are a blogger . . . flickr person and would like to join the get-together . . . . meet on Saturday at the tent at 5pm during the Chicken BBQ (If you don’t have a ticket for the BBQ, make sure you bring your dinner with you). We will probably have a group photo and chat about blogging, photography and just getting to know each other. Hope you can make it!
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The crow and blowflies
American Crow on the Bluebird Box
Yes the crow could hear the baby nestlings inside the box! What do you think happened next?
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Prairie Warbler
Prairie Warbler
While driving through Allegany State Park today, I encountered my first of the year Prairie Warbler (CHECK) singing in one of the abandoned fields near the Red House entrance. I slowly worked my way closer to the bird and hit the jackpot in finding a non-camera shy bird! I did see the female once but she wasn’t as cooperative as the male was! But I do feel that the female was close because I had suspected the male was following her around and singing his trilled song (reason he was ignoring me)! Other first for the year birds that I had today included the Alder Flycatcher (CHECK) and Willow Flycatcher (CHECK)!
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Chestnut-sided Warbler
Female Chestnut-sided Warbler
Last Saturday Jeremy and I followed a male Chestnut-sided Warbler over to this female gathering some nesting material. It was interesting watching her “carefully” selecting . . . . then reaching into the Tent Caterpillar nest without getting herself entangled. I am “assuming” that this material was being gathered for a nest that she is building!!
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Allenburg Bog
I was in Allenburg Bog today with Dragonfly Eye who was searching for a bog Dragonfly species that has never been observed in this bog before! Obviously we didn’t locate the “Boghaunter” but we did manage to find a few Darner species and a few damselfly species.
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Northern Mockingbird in Allegany
Northern Mockingbird
Last Friday (16 May 2008), I found this Northern Mockingbird in Allegany State Park while traveling through the Quaker area. You might wonder “what’s the big deal in finding a mockingbird” ?? The truth is that these guys are not commonly found within Cattaraugus County and I would assume it is because of our hilly terrain. I will watch to see if this bird sticks around the area for a while but I assume the bird was just passing through the area!!
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Moms Doves
Mourning Dove
I received a phone call from my mother the other day about this brown bird who was nesting in her old bird feeder!! She explained how these Blue Jays were bothering the mother but she appeared to be holding her own. I never expected from her description that the bird would turn out to be a Mourning Dove!!!
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International Migratory Bird Day
Northern Mockingbird
Ya, Ya . . . I am about a week late with this report but it has been a busy few days for me. I have been trying to getting ready for the Allegany State Park Geobash Event that we are having this weekend.
On May 10th 2008 the Cattaraugus County Bird Club headed out for our annual Presque Isle State Park field trip for International Migratory Bird Day. (more…)
Wrap up to an amazing trip
Red-headed Woodpecker
We had such a wonderful time visiting the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (aka Crane Creek) with seeing so many great birds and having the opportunity of meeting such great birders. I noticed that the Black Snake Bird Observatory’s Banders Blog reported (Friday 9 May) “We also had the pleasure of a few banders from New York and surrounding states. It is always a pleasure to have visiting researchers see our operation and share ideas and talk shop.” and then said . . . “For the day we had a total of 190 new birds including 30 species and 38 recaptures.” Can you believe they had 20 species of warblers that day??? I knew we should have stayed till they closed up nets! Anyways . . . . I would like to thank Kim Kaufman and the many staff members of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory who helped in making our visit so spectacular.
THANKS!
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More Warblers from Ohio
American Redstart
And you thought I posted all my good warbler pictures!!! All I can say is that these pictures can tell the rest of the warbler story!
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Our Banding Adventure
Common Yellowthroat
Young Naturalist J and I take these trips to the different banding stations for helping us explore how these organizations conduct their studies. Each project is different and they always have a way of showing us something that we had never seen before. The Navarre Marsh Banding Station in Ohio and the Presque Isle Banding Station in Erie PA were no exception and both stations were different in many ways. The truth is that we take these trips to enjoy the many wonderful birds that are not normally caught at our banding station (and for us to capture a few photos)!!
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Banding in the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area
Bay-breasted Warbler (CHECK)
Friday morning Young Naturalist J and I were invited to join the Black Swamp Bird Observatory’s “Navarre Marsh Migration Monitoring Banding Station” in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Last Sunday when we made the first plans to visit . . . . we never realized that this station was located on a National Wildlife Refuge and the hoops that we needed to go through to visit the banding station. I guess driving behind a Nuclear Power Plant to band birds requires some security issues to contend with. Without a doubt this adventure was well worth the hoopla because I ended up with 10 year birds (1 being a lifer) and Young Naturalist J ended up with 3 lifers on this trip!
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Banding at Presque Isle State Park
Northern Cardinal carefully being banded
Young Naturalist J and I joined Toni from A Spattering and Linda from Eries Argonaut over at the Presque Isle State Park banding station this morning to see some migrants up close. We had such a wonderful time together and saw many great birds being banded by Sarah S. from PA Audubon (Thanks for letting us join you Sarah)! Below are just a few pictures that we captured at the banding station:
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more new birds and butterflies
Red Squirrel wondering what birds I am seeing!
I love waking up to my morning alarm clock again and I was extra excited hearing a Woodthrush (CHECK) singing along with my buzzing hummingbirds!! Not bad hearing two great birds before getting out of bed in the morning!! Later in the day I saw my first of the year Indigo Bunting (CHECK) singing up in a tree and didn’t expect in finding the Meadow Fritillary (CHECK), Juvenal Duskywing (CHECK) and American Lady (CHECK) who were also flying roadside! Yeah . . . . to the butterflies!
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Osprey Dinner
Osprey with trees in the background!
This morning the black flies were unbearable and I didn’t do the birding like I would have wanted to do. Between swatting those black flies and driving around in my vehicle . . . . I saw my first Common Yellowthroat (CHECK) and Gray Catbird (CHECK) for 2008! I know many other great birds are in the area but I just couldn’t take it anymore and had to return to my vehicle.
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Jamestown Audubon Photo Club
The Beaver Pond on France Brook
Today a few members from the Jamestown Audubon Photo Club took a field trip to Allegany State Park for some photographic opportunities!! I took the group to one of my favorite Beaver pond along the France Brook Area and as you can tell the group had a wonderful time with many great pictures.
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Morning Surprise at my Feeder
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
I looked out my window this morning and found this Rose-breasted Grosbeak (CHECK) trying to get seeds from my thistle feeder! “Hey Mr Grosbeak . . . your bill is too large for those little thistle holes!! Just look at how the Goldfinch is able to get the seeds!! They have much smaller bills than you do”! We had a frost last night and birds very busy around the feeders! I couldn’t get the sunflowers into the feeders quick enough!!!
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Morning Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher
I have not posted anything in the past few days! Had another dinner Thursday night and Friday night I was busy with some personal things!! I am up and going birding . . . . hope to have something more interesting to post about tonight! Just an update on the past few days . . . Yellow-throated Warbler (CHECK) was first heard yesterday and Thursday brought us three White-winged Scoters (CHECK) on Red House Lake with a raft of Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, Scaup Species, and a female merganser species (maybe Red-breasted Merganser). Can’t wait to see what I come across today!
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Mon@rch's Nature Blog 