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
Ducks
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
Mallard Ducks: An Environmental History Leading to Decline
Most people in New York when asked to picture a duck, they’re thinking of an eastern mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) – the green head, the quack, the pond. But just 90-100 years ago, mallards were not known to breed in New York State. Since the ban of live decoys in the 1930s, mallards have been released and taken over as the preeminent duck of the northern Atlantic Flyway.
After all-time highs in the early 2000s however, we have seen significant declines in eastern mallards. [Read more…] about Mallard Ducks: An Environmental History Leading to Decline
Stay Alert for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Since it was first introduced into New York State in January 2022, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been documented in captive birds in multiple counties and detected in free-ranging wild birds and mammals throughout the state.
Wild bird mortalities from HPAI increase in late fall and peak over the winter months, then typically decrease in the late spring and summer months. At this point, it is widespread in wild birds and even suspected to be present in counties where it has not yet been detected. [Read more…] about Stay Alert for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Wildlife Rescuers Save Ducks, Osprey, Alligator & Rattlesnake
On July 30, NYS Environmental Conversation Officer (ECO) Perkins responded to the Bay Shore Marina in Islip, in Suffolk County on Long Island for a report of an injured osprey observed in a parking lot for hours.
Officer Perkins arrived and discovered the bird moving slowly and unable to fly. [Read more…] about Wildlife Rescuers Save Ducks, Osprey, Alligator & Rattlesnake
Exploring Shrub Swamps
A yellowthroat warbler sang, “witchety, witchety, witch,” as I carefully made my way through the tangle of an alder swamp one afternoon not long ago.
I looked about, hoping to catch a glimpse of its yellow breast and black mask. I could hear the twangs of green frogs calling in the distance. A dragonfly zoomed past me, then flew back and landed on my shoulder. [Read more…] about Exploring Shrub Swamps
Shooters Island: Hunter’s Haven to Bird Sanctuary
Shooters Island in Newark Bay, near Staten Island, is so-called because the Dutch supposedly went there to shoot wild geese. Its industrial use resulted in filling and expansion of the area of the island from its original six acres to upwards of 42 acres today, it lies on the border between New York and New Jersey. [Read more…] about Shooters Island: Hunter’s Haven to Bird Sanctuary
Recent Wildlife Rescues; Man Guilty of Felony Cruelty
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) made several wildlife rescues recently, including seven mallard ducklings from a storm drain and a juvenile bald eagle which had fallen from its nest. The also charged a Jefferson County man with felony aggravated cruelty to animals and criminal possession of a weapon. What follows are the reports provided by the Department. [Read more…] about Recent Wildlife Rescues; Man Guilty of Felony Cruelty
Twitchell’s Troubled Waters: Adirondack Water Quality History
As heir to a log cabin in the Adirondacks, I have caught myself imagining the mile-high glacier that carved out its lake and melted to fill it with crystal pure water. The scrape marks on outcrops of stone here and there in the forest remain as testimony to that primeval event.
Big Moose’s Twitchell Lake became host to a native population of brook trout that sportsmen in the 1860s and following decades measured by the pound rather than the inch. But my summers in the 1950s bring up a very different image, water unfit to drink or even swim in, laced with dangerous e. Coli bacteria and a dumping ground for used-up appliances. This essay will tell the story of “troubled waters” and one lake community’s painstaking quest for good water quality. [Read more…] about Twitchell’s Troubled Waters: Adirondack Water Quality History
Study Shows How Millions of Bird Sightings Unlock Precision Conservation
A study published last week in Science reveals that North American bird populations are declining most severely in areas where they should be thriving. Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology analyzed 36 million bird observations shared by birdwatchers to the Cornell Lab’s eBird program alongside multiple environmental variables derived from high-resolution satellite imagery for 495 bird species across North America from 2007 to 2021.
The team set out to develop reliable information about where birds are increasing or decreasing across North America, but the patterns they uncovered were startling. [Read more…] about Study Shows How Millions of Bird Sightings Unlock Precision Conservation
Featured Outdoor Escape: Pharsalia Wildlife Management Area
Located in the northwest portion of Chenango County and about 10 miles southwest of Sherburne is Pharsalia Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Pharsalia is also the fifth highest elevation spot in the state and a designated Audubon Important Bird Area. [Read more…] about Featured Outdoor Escape: Pharsalia Wildlife Management Area
Vernal Pools on the Rensselaer Plateau
Winter lingers long on the Rensselaer Plateau. The snow piles deep, muffling the landscape in an icy hush, and the trees stand still in their frozen slumber. But as the days lengthen and the sun begins its slow work of softening the land, the transformation begins.
The snow melts, trickling down into the forest floor, pooling in low spots, carving out secret, glistening pockets of water between the trees. These pools, often small and shallow, are the first sign of life returning to the woods. [Read more…] about Vernal Pools on the Rensselaer Plateau
Tree Cavities: Prime Real Estate for Wildlife
Tree cavities are a precious commodity for wildlife. It has been estimated that about one-fourth of northeastern forest wildlife species need trees with cavities.
Some cavities are excavated by birds while others are created by decay and broken branches. Trees with cavities are used by wildlife for nesting and raising young, protection from predators, a place to store food, hibernation, and roosting. [Read more…] about Tree Cavities: Prime Real Estate for Wildlife
Northern Pintails: Incredible Fliers
Northern pintails (Anas acuta) are dabbling ducks, feeding on the surface of the water by filtering out seeds and insects. They nest on the ground in open habitats like unwooded wetlands, grasslands or tundra, relying on camouflaged plumage to protect their eggs. [Read more…] about Northern Pintails: Incredible Fliers
Report Suspected Cases of Avian Influenza in Wild Birds
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has launched an online platform for the public to report suspected Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in wild birds. The platform was designed as part of an ongoing effort to monitor HPAI in New York. [Read more…] about Report Suspected Cases of Avian Influenza in Wild Birds
New York State Responding to Bird Flu Found at Poultry Farm
New York State is monitoring and encouraging testing to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) as the State continues to see HPAI in the wild bird population and now in a poultry farm on Long Island. [Read more…] about New York State Responding to Bird Flu Found at Poultry Farm
Montezuma Wetlands Projects Completed
The roughly 50,000-acre Montezuma Wetlands Complex in Central New York is a globally significant Important Bird Area situated at the outlet of Cayuga Lake, and consists of the National Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, the State’s Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area, and lands owned by The Nature Conservancy and other private parties. [Read more…] about Montezuma Wetlands Projects Completed
Black Willow Provides Many Ecological Benefits
I often spot black willow trees as I’m kayaking along a riverbank or lakeshore. While perhaps less picturesque than its (non-native) cousin the weeping willow, black willow is native to the Northeast and provides a host of ecological benefits. [Read more…] about Black Willow Provides Many Ecological Benefits
The Eye-Opening Realm of Avian Sleep
Birds exist in a fluid and unpredictable world. Survival depends on remaining constantly alert, adapting and responding to encounters with predators and environmental conditions that change with the seasons, weather, and geography. But sleep is also essential, providing rest, rejuvenation, and healing.
Normally, day-active (diurnal) animals sleep at night, and night-active (nocturnal) species sleep by day. During the sleep cycle, brain activity diminishes, as do metabolic rate and sensory awareness of an animal’s surroundings. When people (and many forms of wildlife) sleep, both sides of our brains disengage in a process known as bihemispheric slow-wave sleep (BSWS). [Read more…] about The Eye-Opening Realm of Avian Sleep
Wildlife Rescues: A Rattler, Falcon, Fawn, Ducklings & Eagle
New York Almanack regularly reports on wildlife rescues that take place around the state. Recently New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) rescued a number of wild animals from around New York State, including a peregrine falcon in Manhattan, a whitetail deer fawn in the Catskills, ducklings from a storm drain on Long Island, a rattlesnake in Letchworth State Park and a bald eagle at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff in Erie County. [Read more…] about Wildlife Rescues: A Rattler, Falcon, Fawn, Ducklings & Eagle