The free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology uses AI technology to identify bird species by their sounds, displaying in real time a list and photos of the birds that are singing or calling. [Read more…] about ID Bird Sounds in Real Time with Free Merlin App
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Loon Center Awarded Oil Spill Settlement Money
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is one of six grant recipients in a natural resource damages settlement from the tank barge Bouchard B-120 oil spill that occurred in Buzzard’s Bay, MA, in April, 2003. More than 500 Common Loons wintering in Buzzard’s Bay were killed by the spill of No 6 Fuel Oil. [Read more…] about Loon Center Awarded Oil Spill Settlement Money
Feeding Hummingbirds
Having a hummingbird feeder near your home and being able to regularly monitor the activity around this colorful structure can provide some insight into the summer life of this tiny, iridescent bird.
When the hummingbird returns in the spring, this petite creature tends to seek out the same general region that served as its home the previous summer. Older adults are known to claim the same surroundings which they used the past year as their breeding territory. [Read more…] about Feeding Hummingbirds
The Turkey Vulture: A Welcome Invasive Species?
Over the past several centuries, there have been numerous additions to New York State’s flora and fauna. Invasive Species Awareness Week highlights some of the many forms of life that have invaded the region and are currently wreaking havoc with the established members of the region’s plant and animal communities.
However, not all organisms from outside the area adversely impact the environment like Eurasian milfoil or the zebra mussel. One of the largest transplants to New York’s North Country is the turkey vulture, a bird that occupies a niche for which few other creatures are so well suited. [Read more…] about The Turkey Vulture: A Welcome Invasive Species?
Study: Darkened Windows Save Migrating Birds
Building lights are a deadly lure for the billions of birds that migrate at night, disrupting their natural navigation cues and leading to deadly collisions. But even if you can’t turn out all the lights in a building, darkening even some windows at night during bird migration periods could be a major lifesaver for birds. [Read more…] about Study: Darkened Windows Save Migrating Birds
Great Blue Heron Rescued From Orange Co Powerline
According to a press release issued by DEC, on May 22nd, Environmental Conservation Officer DuChene responded to reports of an injured Great Blue Heron in the Town of Chester. [Read more…] about Great Blue Heron Rescued From Orange Co Powerline
The Great Blue Heron
For those people familiar with nature, the uniquely-shaped silhouette of a large bird in flight with a set of thin legs jutting well beyond its tail, and a neck that coils back into a compressed “S” creates an unmistakable image. [Read more…] about The Great Blue Heron
Acrobatic Swallows: Aerial Insectivores
I never tire of watching the aerial acrobatics of swallows as they swoop over fields, darting back and forth to snap up flying insects. With their smooth, flowing flight and pointed wings, they are beautiful, graceful fliers. Tree swallows and barn swallows are the most abundant and widespread of our six northeastern swallow species, and these are the birds I see hunting insects on summer evenings. [Read more…] about Acrobatic Swallows: Aerial Insectivores
Kleptoparasitism: Wildlife Thieves
Picture a robin, out in the morning and hopping around the park. It finds breakfast in the form of a worm, but out of the nearby trees swoops a bigger bird. The bigger bird acts threatening, and the robin surrenders its worm like a kid giving up their lunch money to the school bully. It’s a common scenario between many kinds of animals – and a classic example of kleptoparasitism. [Read more…] about Kleptoparasitism: Wildlife Thieves
Help Protect Nesting Birds in Your Field or Yard
In the spring and summer many species of birds will set up nests in shrubs (catbirds and common yellowthroats) and on tree limbs (robins, orioles, or vireos). Chickadees, nuthatches, or woodpeckers may be nesting in tree cavities. These nests may be hard to spot from the ground. To protect birds, wait until the fall to cut or prune trees and shrubs if possible. Birds such as house wrens, phoebes, and Carolina wrens often get creative and build nests on decks, porches, or sheds. [Read more…] about Help Protect Nesting Birds in Your Field or Yard