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birding

The Gray Catbird: A Loud and Curious Bird

July 29, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Gray Catbird courtesy Wikimedia user Hari Krishnan Several years ago, I was awakened nearly every day of late spring by a recurring – and very loud – bird sound. I say “sound,” rather than “song” because this particular noise was not so melodious as the cheery whistling of the robin or the musical trilling of the hermit thrush. It was more of a short squawk, repeated over and over again.

This, I discovered, was the call of a gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). Over the years, catbirds have returned each spring to our yard, and I have come to enjoy their sounds – and the antics of these curious and loud birds. [Read more…] about The Gray Catbird: A Loud and Curious Bird

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, nature, Wildlife

Birding Spotlight: Bicknell’s Thrush

July 23, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Bicknell’s thrush by Kent McFarlandOn the cold, coniferous mountaintops of the Catskills and Adirondacks lives a native bird that is a High Priority Species of Greatest Conservation Need: the Bicknell’s Thrush.

Nesting in the low branches of stunted conifers, Bicknell’s Thrush exclusively relies on high altitude spruce-fir forests in the northeast to nest and raise chicks. Bicknell’s Thrush is considered one of the most at-risk songbirds in eastern North America and highly vulnerable to habitat loss. [Read more…] about Birding Spotlight: Bicknell’s Thrush

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature Tagged With: alpine ecology, birding, birds, boreal ecology, DEC, endangered species, nature, Wildlife

Beyond Books: Libraries Lend Binoculars to Give New Birders a Start

July 17, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

backpacks stocked with binoculars and field guidesStarting this summer, the Keene Valley Public Library and Saranac Lake Free Library, both located in the Adirondacks, are loaning backpacks stocked with binoculars and field guides to give people an opportunity to try out birding.

The backpacks are part of the Adirondack Land Trust’s “Adirondack Birding for All” program, which is working with the libraries to increase awareness and appreciation of Adirondack birds and their habitats. [Read more…] about Beyond Books: Libraries Lend Binoculars to Give New Birders a Start

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: birding, birds, Keene Valley, Keene Valley Library, nature, Saranac Lake, Wildlife

Featured State Lands: Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area

July 2, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

field at Honeoye Inlet WMA by Michael PalermoHoneoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in Ontario and Livingston Counties at the south end of Honeoye Lake and is named after the lake and stream that flows through the property.

A great variety of wildlife finds high-quality habitat on this WMA, making it a worthwhile stop for birding and other wildlife observation. Wood duck, great blue heron, swamp sparrow, and least flycatcher are abundant in the silver maple-ash swamp. Each spring, thousands of salamanders migrate from the surrounding upland forest into the swamp to breed. [Read more…] about Featured State Lands: Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area

Filed Under: Nature, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: birding, boating, Honeoye Lake, Honeoye Lake Inlet WMA, hunting, kayaking, Livingston County, nature, Ontario County, paddling, Wildlife

Featured Historic Site & Wild Area: Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill

June 26, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Sagamore HillThe Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, was the home of the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, from 1885 until his death in 1919. It’s located in Cove Neck, in Nassau County, NY near Oyster Bay on the North Shore of Long Island, about 25 miles east of Manhattan. [Read more…] about Featured Historic Site & Wild Area: Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill

Filed Under: History, Nature, New York City, Recreation Tagged With: birding, Long Island, Nassau County, National Park Service, nature, New York State Birding Trail, Political History, Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt, TR, Wildlife

2022 ‘I BIRD NY’ Challenges Announced

June 25, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

DEC LogoNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the start of the 2022 “I BIRD NY” challenges for beginning and experienced birders.

Two levels of challenges provide the opportunity to identify birds and learn about birdlife and offer a chance to win birding equipment. With the launch of many New York State Birding Trail segments this year, DEC will be increasing the chances of winning if participants find birds on a New York State Birding trail site. [Read more…] about 2022 ‘I BIRD NY’ Challenges Announced

Filed Under: Nature, Recreation Tagged With: birding, birds, DEC, nature, Wildlife

Duck Nesting Season Is In Full Swing

June 11, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

duck eggs courtesy DECThroughout northeastern North America, ducks are setting up nests and hatching out ducklings. New York State’s

Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is in the first year of a four-year effort to better understand mallard movements and how they affect their breeding success. [Read more…] about Duck Nesting Season Is In Full Swing

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, DEC, nature, Science, Spring, waterfowl, wetlands, wildife

Capital Region Segment of the NYS Birding Trail Opens

June 11, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Capital Region Segment of the NYS Birding TrailThe Capital Region segment of the NYS Birding Trail is now open and is the sixth region to be completed. The region includes 29 sites on a mix of public and private lands throughout five counties. [Read more…] about Capital Region Segment of the NYS Birding Trail Opens

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Albany County, Albany Pine Bush, birding, birds, DEC, Five Rivers Educational Center, nature, New York State Birding Trail, Peebles Island State Park, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County, Schenectady County, Tivoli Lake Preserve, Washington County, Washington County Grasslands WMA

A Bird’s-Eye-View of Air Pollution

June 4, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Eastern Meadowlark provided by DECControlling air pollution is not just for the benefit of humans. Exposure to pollution can harm birds and other animals, just like it does people, while also harming the environment around them. Ground-level ozone pollution, for example, can contribute to habitat damage and food source loss for birds. In fact, habitat loss and degradation, on the whole, have resulted in an 80-99% decline in the abundance of grassland bird populations since 1966. [Read more…] about A Bird’s-Eye-View of Air Pollution

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, nature, pollution, Wildlife

Tracking Timberdoodles: American Woodcock

May 29, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

American woodcock by M. NoomeThe American woodcock, or Timberdoodle, is a migratory upland bird, whose numbers have been declining for several decades. Since 2018, DEC has been a partner in the Eastern Woodcock Migration Research Cooperative, led by the University of Maine. [Read more…] about Tracking Timberdoodles: American Woodcock

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, DEC, nature, Wildlife

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