News and Views from the Empire State
DEC Forest Ranger Sarah Bode cited two rock climbers April 11 for climbing on routes at Poke O Moonshine that are temporarily closed to protect peregrine falcon nesting sites.
Bode issued tickets for Failure to Obey a DEC sign, returnable in the Town of Keeseville. The tickets were written to a 31-year-old man from Bernardsville, New Jersey, and a 32-year-old woman from New York City. [Read more…] about Rock Climbers Ticketed For Violating Falcon Closures
Spring is an ideal time to observe bird migrations. New York is conveniently located along the Atlantic Flyway, one of the main migration routes. This provides a great opportunity to observe birds flying to their summer breeding grounds.
Here’s a few resources to get you started: [Read more…] about Quarantine Pastimes: Tracking Spring Bird Migrations
Thump. Thud. Something was hitting our window! It was a bright red cardinal flying at his reflected image in the glass – which he perceived to be an intruder in his territory. The bird kept it up for an hour, until I covered the window. On other occasions that spring, this cardinal attacked his reflection at a different window and in the car’s side mirror. [Read more…] about Singing Cardinals Defend Territories
Around the middle of March, I begin to feel that springtime urge to hit the road, to lace up the winter-neglected running shoes and start slogging through some miles.
My early-season jogs take me past a wetland area that stubbornly spans both sides of a road near my home. It’s a usual – and very welcome – happening to spot red-winged blackbirds here, even while snow lingers around the cattails and brushy willows. [Read more…] about Red-Winged Blackbird Epaulets Play Important Role
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced a call for citizen science volunteers to help in the development of a comprehensive, statewide survey that takes place every two decades to detail New York’s breeding bird distribution.
Starting in 2020, five years of field surveys will be conducted by volunteers and project partners to provide the data that will be analyzed to create the third New York State Breeding Bird Atlas. [Read more…] about Birdwatchers Sought for 2020 Breeding Bird Atlas
This is such a disorienting time, when all our lives have been turned upside down and shaken. One of the ways my own family is coping is by spending time outside every day.
We stage nature treasure hunts in the woods behind our house. [Read more…] about A Treasure Hunt for Early Spring