NYS Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Brandon Franz responded to a call regarding an owl stuck in a soccer net in Armonk, a hamlet near the Connecticut border in the town of North Castle, in Westchester County on August 28, 2026 [Read more…] about Hungry Horned Owl Rescued From Soccer Net
Stories About Birds in New York State
See also stories only about birding or bird migrations. New York Almanack tags help you navigate to different kinds of wildlife, such as raptors, owls, bats, small-mammals and lots more.
Encountering Solitary Sandpipers On Their Way South
As summer ticks towards autumn, the flow of birds heading south for the winter grows in volume until it becomes a rushing torrent of migrants in September and into October. Millions of birds – hundreds of millions, in fact – will pass through the Northeast’s airspace during this time, as species that bred up north head to warmer locations. But this southbound river of migrating birds all began with a few drops as far back as early July, when a handful of shorebirds from northern arctic and subarctic regions started heading south. [Read more…] about Encountering Solitary Sandpipers On Their Way South
The Often-Overlooked Ovenbird
“There is a singer everyone has heard, / Loud, a mid-summer and mid-wood bird…”
Heard, yes, but maybe not seen. This bird keeps me company on summer walks, calling out tea-CHER tea-CHER tea-CHER in loud, ringing tones. When I hear it, I imagine Robert Frost pausing in his New Hampshire sugarbush to pen his ode to the ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla). [Read more…] about The Often-Overlooked Ovenbird
Bronx Beavers: Rewilding the Bronx River
Wildlife cameras and conservationists along the Bronx River captured footage of a North American beaver (Castor canadensis) near the Mitsubishi Riverwalk in the Bronx Zoo, marking the first confirmed resident since a previous short-time resident disappeared in 2018.
Biology student and Bronx River Alliance intern R.J. Hawkins found the new beaver on trail cameras set April to May. A fresh tree gnawing and saplings cut down also proved a beaver was living and working in the area. [Read more…] about Bronx Beavers: Rewilding the Bronx River
Caring for Backyard Birds in Summer
Do you enjoy feeding birds? Having a bird feeder in your backyard can bring you closer to the birds in your community. In winter, you can supplement natural food sources and give birds an extra boost of energy to make it through the cold months.
For the warm summer months, the NYS Department of Conservation (DEC) is passing along a few tips to benefit the birds in your backyard: [Read more…] about Caring for Backyard Birds in Summer
Recent Wildlife Rescues Around New York State
New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) recently rescued six baby opossums on Long Island, and a whitetail fawn that fell down an abandoned well in Dutchess County.
They also released a previously rescued Bald Eagle along the Mohawk River in Montgomery County. [Read more…] about Recent Wildlife Rescues Around New York State
New Reporting Tool Lets Public Record Their Loon Sightings
Researchers at the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (ACLC) in Saranac Lake, NY have developed an online Loon Observation Reporting Tool for members of the public to log their loon sightings on water bodies throughout New York State. [Read more…] about New Reporting Tool Lets Public Record Their Loon Sightings
Jewelweed: A Hummingbird Favorite
By midsummer, the deck in our backyard is lined with a profusion of tall orange flowers. Each flower is shaped like a small funnel with a curved spur and hangs from a slender arched stem.
Hummingbirds zip back and forth, hovering in front of the flowers and probing them with their long beaks to sip nectar. [Read more…] about Jewelweed: A Hummingbird Favorite
Birds Preying on Stinging Insects: A Meal Worth the Sting?
One predator-prey interaction always leaves me torn. Birds sparked my love for the natural world years ago, but after my interest lapsed during adolescence, bees brought me back into the fold.
So I found myself split between two allegiances the first time I watched a bird, in this case, a gray catbird, swoop into the garden and snatch a bumblebee on the wing. [Read more…] about Birds Preying on Stinging Insects: A Meal Worth the Sting?
NY Harbor’s Black-Crowned Night Herons Could Vanish
The Black-Crowned Night Heron, historically the most abundant wading bird in New York Harbor and an important environmental indicator, is vanishing fast, according to new research led by NYC Bird Alliance and published today the scientific journal Conservation Science and Practice. The study confirms that local Black-Crowned Night Heron populations have declined by 55% in just 22 years. [Read more…] about NY Harbor’s Black-Crowned Night Herons Could Vanish
Henry Davis Minot’s Adirondack Warbler & ‘Diary of a Bird’
Henry Davis Minot was born near Forest Hills (part of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston) in 1859, the sixth of seven children of William and Katharine Maria Sedgwick Minot.
He took an early interest in ornithology (the study of birds), recording careful observations, including, at the age of 11, what he believed to be a new species of bird in 1871 (it turned out not to be the case). [Read more…] about Henry Davis Minot’s Adirondack Warbler & ‘Diary of a Bird’
Recent Wildlife Rescues: A Turkey, A Gosling, and 11 Ducklings
New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) responded to several recent wildlife rescues in the Hudson Valley, including a Saratoga County turkey apparently hit by a vehicle; and in Dutchess County, eleven ducklings stuck in a storm drain and an orphaned gosling. [Read more…] about Recent Wildlife Rescues: A Turkey, A Gosling, and 11 Ducklings
Bobolink: The Grassland Bird in a Reverse Tuxedo
If you live near a large meadow, hayfield, or grassland, you may have recently noticed some bubbly robotic noises emanating from those areas. It might sound like an overexcited android, but the real source is a medium-sized songbird, the bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus).
One of the few avian grassland specialists in the Northeast, bobolinks have recently returned from their wintering grounds in southern South America and are now fully engaged in breeding activity. [Read more…] about Bobolink: The Grassland Bird in a Reverse Tuxedo
Rare and Fragile Floating Bogs and Fens
New York State is home to several rare and fragile floating bogs and fens. These unique ecosystems feature mats of sphagnum moss and vegetation that actually float over water.
Bogs and fens are both peatlands (wetlands that build up deposits of dead plant matter called peat). The primary difference is their water source: bogs are largely by nutrient-poor rainwater, making them highly acidic. Fens are fed by mineral-rich groundwater, making them alkaline or neutral. [Read more…] about Rare and Fragile Floating Bogs and Fens
Final Recreation Plans Announced for Hamilton County Easement Tracts
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the final Recreation Management Plan (RMP) for the Speculator Tree Farm, Perkins Clearing and Burnham Mountain Conservation Easement Tracts in the Adirondack Park.
The RMP was developed in partnership with Lyme Adirondack Forest Company, the landowner. [Read more…] about Final Recreation Plans Announced for Hamilton County Easement Tracts
Beginner Birding Library Lending Program Launched
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has launched the I BIRD NY Library Lending Program. The hopes to expand access to free birding equipment by offering backpacks with binoculars and reference materials about birding in New York to libraries across the State. [Read more…] about Beginner Birding Library Lending Program Launched
Songbirds Struggle With Noise Pollution
One of the great joys of early May in the Northeast is the dawn-break aubade of songbirds returning to summer habitats or passing through to their nesting grounds in higher latitudes.
Mornings that only a month ago were silent – save the croaking crows and shrieking blue jays – are now filled with a polyphonic chorus of trills, chirrs, and fluted arias that quicken both body and soul. [Read more…] about Songbirds Struggle With Noise Pollution
Recent Wildlife Rescues Around New York State
New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) made several wildlife rescues recently including a Red-Tailed Hawk on Long Island, two rabbits in Erie County, and an Red-Necked Grebe in Columbia County. [Read more…] about Recent Wildlife Rescues Around New York State
Watching Migrating Birds This Spring: A Primer
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 Watching Migrating Birds This Spring: A Primer
Spring Paddling in Floodplain Forests
By early April I start to get impatient for full-blown spring. I’m ready for the treetops to be full of warblers and the understory to be crowded with blooming flowers.
But when mud season lingers, I pick up my paddle. Kayaking and canoeing in floodplain forests is a seasonal treat as fleeting as spring ephemerals – and it comes earlier. [Read more…] about Spring Paddling in Floodplain Forests