6/1/13 Whiteface Mountain, Essex County, NY
On a dawn tour of Whiteface Mountain with birders from NYC on Saturday, we found at least 15 Bicknell's Thrushes between 3900 and 4400'. After the extreme weather event with 3 feet of new snow between 5/25 and 5/26, I was curious to see what we would find. After my recent post, a birder from NYC emailed about the Swainson's Thrushes. He wondered if the cold/snow would help in "beating them back" down the mountain. I wondered the same thing, and it did indeed seem to be the case! We only heard 3 Swainson's Thrushes in the 3900 to 4400 foot elevation range, and only one was singing (the other 2 called). In the days after the snowfall last week, temperatures were very warm (80 to 90 degrees) and there were only small, remnant snow piles left along the road from the plowing by Saturday. Time will tell if the Swainson's Thrushes will move back up the peak this breeding season. I plan to conduct the Mountain Birdwatch survey as close to last year's date (6/23/12) as possible for a good comparison. It was lovely to hear the Bicknell's Thrushes singing at dawn (& pre-dawn), and as usual, they switched over to occasional calling after 5 a.m.! I also noticed that I did not hear the Black-throated Blue Warbler that I found singing (at around 4200') on 5/19. There was a Black-throated Green Warbler singing, but lower down from where I found one on 5/19. Blackpoll Warblers were found singing up the peak but far fewer than expected. It was the same situation for Yellow-bellied Flycatchers in the 3900 to 4400 foot range. I will be up on Whiteface several times a week through the breeding season with dawn tours, so I'll be able to observe changes that may occur now that the snow/cold is gone (hopefully gone for the season!). Sean O'Brien, a birder friend from Saranac Lake, was up on Whiteface Mountain's summit on 5/31, and he called to note the lack of Swainson's Thrushes after the storm also. The weekend tour was two days, with Saturday spent in boreal habitat (high and low elevation boreal), and Sunday spent in the vast St. Lawrence Valley grasslands, wetlands, and shrublands. In the largest bog (actually a "fen") in NYS, we found boreal bird species including Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Palm Warbler, and Lincoln's Sparrow, along with many bog plants in bloom - Labrador Tea and Bog Laurel. Butterflies were photographed along the way (Tom Fiore - we found Arctic Jutta again this year!). I continue to find the grasslands of the St. Lawrence Valley fascinating, but at times, heartbreaking, when you return to a mowed field knowing all the species that were nesting in it. We spent a great deal of time at a large, Henslow's Sparrow "colony" where I can't even begin to estimate how many birds occupy the gigantic wet, unmanaged field. The birds were buried in the grass - often just a few feet from us, but mostly remained out of sight. The Birds of North America Henslow's Sparrow account mentions that Eastern Meadowlarks are dominate over Henslow's, and we can add Red-winged Blackbird to that section after our observations on Sunday! A few Henslow's Sparrows appeared and were immediately attacked by Red-winged Blackbirds, which may be a factor in their singing from the ground, out of sight. There were very few Savannah Sparrows heard in this location. Thanks to Mike Morgan, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, for sending a journal article discussing the importance of social cues used by Henslow's Sparrows in choosing a breeding location - study conducted in Iowa (playbacks were used to entice Henslow's Sparrows to restored habitat areas). After spending time reading about Least Flycatcher aggregates, I am becoming more and more interested in the social cues used by some species for their choice of breeding habitat. I will write another blog on this topic that will focus on Henslow's Sparrows. At another grassland location, we enjoyed watching Grasshopper Sparrows vying for singing perches on two old stumps in a large field - and they were occasionally confronted by Song Sparrows, but it appeared the Grasshopper Sparrows were winning the stumps! Overall, we found 115 species, including 20 warbler, 11 sparrow, and 8 flycatcher species. Painted and Snapping Turtles have been laying eggs in the past week. I've rescued as many as possible from roadways, where they are often hit. We also observed a Mink, Porcupine, Snowshoe Hare, and of course many Deer. Joan Collins Long Lake, NY http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
