History, Natural History & the Arts
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently completed several improvement projects at Ashland Flats Wildlife Management Area (WMA), located in the towns of Lyme and Cape Vincent in Jefferson County, NY.
Improvements at the WMA include an accessible wildlife observation tower, along with a designated accessible parking area, and educational sign. [Read more…] about Access Improvements Made at Ashland Flats Wildlife Area
Birdability is a nonprofit group that advocates and promotes a welcoming, safe, and inclusive atmosphere in the birding community for people of all abilities. Their vision is “birding truly is for everybody and every body, regardless of disability or other health concerns.” [Read more…] about Birders Accessibility Resources for Birdability Week
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the launch of the NYS Birding Trail to highlight world-class birding opportunities across the state. Birding or birdwatching is one of the fastest-growing recreation and tourism activities and requires little to no experience or equipment to get started. [Read more…] about NYS Birding Trail Takes Flight In NYC
One morning in early autumn, I was running errands in downtown Keene, New Hampshire, when I was stopped in my tracks by a flash of yellow. Crouching down, I found a gorgeous, palm-sized bird, olive above, with a belly as gold as sunshine. It was a species I’d never seen before, and it was lying dead on the ground beneath a store window.
After consulting several field guides and two friends who know the intricacies of warbler identification far better than I ever will, I deduced that it was a mourning warbler – a secretive songbird of boreal and high-elevation forest clearings, with a migration route that tracks to Central and South America. Imagine flying all that way – a wonder of beauty and color – only to be felled by a run-in with a pane of glass. [Read more…] about The Perils of Bird Migration
As the bright yellow tops of goldenrod begin to fade in fields, and the foliage of the red maple increasingly begins its change to a bright reddish-orange, gulls engage in a nomadic phase of their life and can often be seen visiting a variety of settings in Northern New York.
Two species of “seagulls” are notable seasonal components of upstate fauna; however, the slightly smaller ring-billed gull is far more common and likely to be observed than the nearly identically colored herring gull. [Read more…] about Ring-Billed Gulls In Northern New York
In September, as summer yields to fall, most of the colorful birds that breed in our region during spring and summer head south for warmer locales. The departure of ruby-throated hummingbirds, Baltimore orioles, migratory woodpeckers, and numerous warblers doesn’t leave us entirely without striking birds, however.
Perhaps the most vivid remaining species is the purple finch, which occurs in northeastern forests year-round and is a winter visitor to bird feeders. [Read more…] about Purple Finch: A Colorful Year-Round Resident
The grackle appeared early last spring, the day before I put the feeder away (so as not to tempt the bears who would soon be awakening from their winter dens). In the dim light of a cloudy day, this avian visitor seemed at first to be just another blackbird, on the larger side, perhaps, and with a longer than usual tail. When I peered at him through the binoculars, however, his head and neck shimmered with iridescent blues and purples, and there seemed to be a greenish tinge to his wings. [Read more…] about Common Grackles: Shifting and Shimmering Feathers
In the spring and summer of 2021, the public reported many deaths in young songbirds — common grackles, American robins, blue jays, and other species — in the mid-Atlantic states.
It was thought to be a new disease, or syndrome. Birds had swollen crusty eyes and/or an inability to hop or fly. Scientists at several regional laboratories have so far not been able to find a common disease agent or toxin for these bird deaths. [Read more…] about An Update On The Recent Flood Of Songbird Illness Reports
New research on the glittering White-necked Jacobin hummingbird reveals nearly 20% of the species’ adult females have male-like plumage.
This strategy is all about dodging bullies and getting better access to food. The findings were published recently in the journal Current Biology. [Read more…] about Some Female Hummingbirds Look Like Males to Evade Harassment
Worldwide, the cost of bird collisions with planes has been estimated at $1.2 billion per year. But information on bird movements throughout the year can help avoid damage to aircraft and risk to passengers.
Scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and partners have been looking for patterns in bird strike data from three New York City area airports. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. [Read more…] about Bird Collisions With Planes: A New Study Looks At Patterns