March 24, 2016 brought a couple inches of snow and ice to Long Lake - and another record setting day at our feeders (Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, and Amer. Goldfinches). Today's (3/25) rain wiped away the snow and feeder birds are slowing down - phew! 14-mile Long Lake is opening up faster than I've ever observed - there is so much open water, that I'll likely hear a Common Loon before I observe one. Usually, we have a small patch of open water in early April, so it is easy to observe the returning loons.
Other observations from the past week: March 24, 2016 Long Lake (Hamilton Co.) Two Gray Jays were observed at Sabattis Bog. March 23, 2016 Long Lake Two Gray Jays were observed along Route 30, and a Red Crossbill called along Sabattis Circle Road. March 22, 2016 Long Lake Two Gray Jays were observed along Route 30 (near a likely nest site) and I observed them mate-feeding! They made soft vocalizations during the observation - beautiful! March 21, 2016 Long Lake Two Boreal Chickadees were observed along Route 30. On a March 19 & 20 tour with 2 NYC birders, we visited locations in Newcomb, Minerva (Essex Co.), Long Lake (Hamilton Co.), and Tupper Lake (Franklin Co.). While hiking in two different locations, we heard very unusual vocalizations that were stationary (& very high in conifers) - and then a calling Red Crossbill flying over - I suspect we happened to be near two different active nest sites (wish I had good recording equipment - I suspect the vocalizations heard were coming from females on nests). A huge highlight was finally viewing a male White-winged Crossbill along the Round Lake Trail in Long Lake at the end of the day on Sunday! I know they are nesting in small numbers in a few areas along Sabattis Circle Road, but since Nov., I have heard and observed only flyover calling and singing birds, so it was very exciting to finally view a perched bird! Here are some of the species found each day: March 19, 2016 (Newcomb, Minerva, Long Lake, and the Tupper Lake causeway) American Black Duck Bufflehead - Tupper Lake Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Turkey Vulture - 2 over Long Lake (first day in LL) Bald Eagle - adult over Tupper Lake American Woodcock - 2 different birds observed along Sabattis Circle Road in Long Lake Black-backed Woodpecker - female observed along Route 30 in Long Lake Pileated Woodpecker Gray Jay - 6 (3 along Route 30, and 3 at Sabattis Bog) Common Raven Boreal Chickadee - 6 (two different groups of 2 in Minerva along Route 28N and 2 along Route 30 in Long Lake) Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet American Robin American Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch Red Crossbill - many! (including a flock of 8 in Newcomb with 3 juveniles (& 4 males & 1 female), and another flock of 3 in Newcomb with at least 1 juvenile, and many flyovers heard at our stops in Newcomb and Minerva, and a likely nest site found) Pine Siskin - everywhere! Evening Grosbeak - 8 to 10 in Newcomb observed and more heard in Newcomb-Minerva March 20, 2016 (Newcomb, Minerva, Long Lake, and Tupper Lake) Bufflehead - Tupper Lake Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Pied-billed Grebe - Long Lake (I first observed this bird on 3/11/16 - a new early record for Hamilton Co.) Turkey Vulture Black-backed Woodpecker -3; pair observed in Minerva, and a female at Sabattis Bog Pileated Woodpecker Gray Jay - at least 4 (at least 2 in the Spring Pond Bog complex (it may have actually been 5 unless the first birds were following us!), and 2 at Sabattis Bog) Common Raven Boreal Chickadee - 3 (Spring Pond Bog complex) Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet American Robin American Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal - in Newcomb Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch Red Crossbill - many! (including a singing male observed in Newcomb, 2 gritting in Route 28N in Newcomb and many heard in Newcomb, Minerva, and Tupper Lake - and another likely nest location found during a hike) White-winged Crossbill - male flew in and perched at the top of a conifer where we turned around on the Round Lake Trail at the end of the day - nice view! Pine Siskin - everywhere! Evening Grosbeak - flock heard in Newcomb and 2 observed, more heard along Route 28N in Newcomb and Minerva March 18, 2016 Long Lake I observed a River Otter popping up and down in ice holes on Little Tupper Lake by the inlet along Sabattis Circle Road. It was washing its chin in the snow and preening! March 17, 2016 Lake Placid (Essex Co.) Three Turkey Vultures soared over Lake Placid. I have been posting photos of many of the above species on my Facebook page below - including the River Otter, Red Crossbills (including fledglings), Grays Jays, Black-backed Woodpeckers, Amer. Woodcock, etc. Joan Collins President, NYS Ornithological Association Editor, New York Birders Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home 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/ --
