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birds

Watch the Skies for Spring Bird Migrations

March 19, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

bird watchers courtesy DECSpring is an ideal time to observe bird migrations. New York is conveniently located along the Atlantic Flyway, one of the main migration routes. This offers a great opportunity to observe birds flying to their summer breeding grounds. [Read more…] about Watch the Skies for Spring Bird Migrations

Filed Under: Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Bird Migration, birding, birds, nature, waterfowl, Wildlife

Sharp-Shinned Hawks: A Terror to Smaller Birds

March 19, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

sharp-shinned hawk courtesy Wikimedia user Matt Edmonds One late winter day, I heard our dog barking fiercely from the yard. I went outside to find him standing about 6 feet away from a hawk that was on the ground beside our house. I grabbed the dog’s collar, brought him in, and observed the hawk through a window.

It was an immature sharp-shinned hawk, about a foot long, with a dark brown back, vertical streaks on its white breast, and piercing yellow eyes. The hawk had likely crashed into the house while trying to catch a bird at our feeder. I thought perhaps it was stunned and would recover in a little while. [Read more…] about Sharp-Shinned Hawks: A Terror to Smaller Birds

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

Long Island Section of NYS Birding Trail Goes Live

March 16, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Long Island NYS Birding TrailDEC has announced the grand opening of the Long Island segment of the New York State Birding Trail. The Long Island segment includes 20 locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, providing a variety of quality birding experiences for New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy. [Read more…] about Long Island Section of NYS Birding Trail Goes Live

Filed Under: Nature, New York City, Recreation Tagged With: Bird Migration, birding, birds, Fire Island National Seashore, Governors Island, Long Island, Montauk Point State Park, Nassau County, nature, New York State Birding Trail, Suffolk County, Wildlife

Joseph Davis State Park’s Watchable Wildlife

March 6, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Joseph Davis State Park courtesy DECThe Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and New York State.

Located on the banks of the Lower Niagara River, the Joseph Davis State Park’s diverse habitats enable visitors to enjoy the natural world. Wetlands, successional shrublands, fields, meadows, forest, and open waters attract an abundance of wildlife species. The park has a nature trail, as well as cross-country skiing/snowshoeing and snowmobiling trails. [Read more…] about Joseph Davis State Park’s Watchable Wildlife

Filed Under: Nature, Western NY Tagged With: birding, birds, DEC, Great Lakes, Joseph Davis State Park, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, nature, Niagara County, Niagara River, Niagara River Corridor, Wildlife

A Ruffed Grouse Visitor

February 25, 2022 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Ruffed Grouse courtesy Wikimedia user Mdf A few weeks ago, I noticed a dark, football-shaped shadow skulking quietly among the stems of honeysuckle and lilac by our driveway. I was throwing seeds to the blue jays that wait for it in the morning, and I tossed a handful into the border for the stranger in the shadows. Out popped the head and neck of a ruffed grouse. She took a few steps towards me, stopped, and began filling her crop, an expandable pouch near her throat useful for storing food the bird will digest later. This took a few minutes and then it was back under cover for our unusual visitor. [Read more…] about A Ruffed Grouse Visitor

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

Crows in Winter

February 19, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

american crow courtesy Wikimedia user BKleinWiki During winter, I catch glimpses of crows as they fly swiftly over our valley, cawing, or gather in small groups to feed on roadkill along the highway. Sometimes I find their wandering tracks leading to holes in the snow where a crow probed for food. These sightings have made me curious about how these large birds survive the winter. [Read more…] about Crows in Winter

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

Greater Niagara Birding Trail Opens To Public

February 19, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Greater Niagara Birding Trail Region mapNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the grand opening of the Greater Niagara segment of the New York State Birding Trail. The route highlights the State’s world-class and wide-ranging birding opportunities.

The Greater Niagara segment includes 36 locations throughout Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties, providing a variety of quality birding experiences. [Read more…] about Greater Niagara Birding Trail Opens To Public

Filed Under: Nature, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Bird Migration, birding, birds, DEC, Erie County, Genesee County, Great Lakes, nature, New York State Birding Trail, Niagara County, Niagara River, Niagara River Corridor, Orleans County, Wildlife, Wyoming County

DEC’s Intent to Restrict Certain Neonicotinoid Pesticide Products

February 12, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

honeybee courtesy DECThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced plans to reclassify certain neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticide products as “Restricted Use” effective January 1st, 2023. [Read more…] about DEC’s Intent to Restrict Certain Neonicotinoid Pesticide Products

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, birds, butterflies, DEC, gardening, insects, Landscape Architecture, nature, pollinators, pollution, Wildlife

Hummingbirds Exert Fine Control Over Body Temperature

February 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Blue throated Mountain gem by Catherine JacobsAt night, hummingbirds lower their body temperature and metabolism drastically by dropping into an energy-saving state of inactivity called torpor.

Scientists from multiple universities now find there’s more than one level of torpor: shallow and deep, plus the transition stage between levels of torpor and the normal sleep state. Their findings have been published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. [Read more…] about Hummingbirds Exert Fine Control Over Body Temperature

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, hummingbirds, nature, Stony Brook University, Wildlife

How Birds Weather New York Winters

February 4, 2022 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

female northern cardinal courtesy Wikimedia user Rhododendrites Were it not for compelling evidence to the contrary, I’d believe I descended from birds – migratory birds in particular. So familiar to me are the urges and behaviors of migratory birds, I’m pretty sure I blushed, or at least looked around sheepishly, when learning of them in my undergraduate ornithology class. Take hyperphagia (excessive eating), if you will.

Every fall, like a songbird building fat reserves for its epic flight, I ransack my environment for calorie-dense foods. As the temperature drops, my hunger grows. By November, I’m buttering Fig Newtons. [Read more…] about How Birds Weather New York Winters

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Bird Migration, birding, birds, nature, raptors, Wildlife, winter

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