New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

waterfowl

Banding Study Hopes To Understand Mallard Declines

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Eastern Mallard Spring Migration GraphOver the past 20 years, mallard populations in New York and the Northeast have declined significantly, leading to limits on hunting them starting in 2018.

To understand what factors may be contributing to the decline, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Pennsylvania Game Commission, Ducks Unlimited, SUNY Brockport, and the University of Saskatchewan partnered with 22 state, federal, and non-governmental organizations to start one of the largest telemetry projects ever conducted in North America. [Read more…] about Banding Study Hopes To Understand Mallard Declines

Colorful Wood Ducks Returning To The Northeast

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Wood Duck courtesy Wikimedia user Frank Vassen I’ve seen all kinds of birds on the wooded New Hampshire hilltop where I live, but never – until recently – a duck. So when I spotted a pair of wood ducks loitering in my yard one spring morning, I reached for the binoculars.

A closer look revealed these were indeed Aix sponsa, newly returned from their wintering grounds. Most likely it was the pair I had seen on the pond a mile from my house. But what, I wondered, were these dabbling ducks doing up here? [Read more…] about Colorful Wood Ducks Returning To The Northeast

Watchable Wildlife: Mongaup Valley Wildlife Management Area

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Mongaup Falls Reservoir courtesy DECThe Mongaup Valley Wildlife Management Area, located in the Catskills 75 miles northwest of New York City, was designated a Bird Conservation Area because of its unique combination of habitats important to bird species, including forests, reservoirs, and river habitat where bald eagles nest and overwinter. [Read more…] about Watchable Wildlife: Mongaup Valley Wildlife Management Area

Update On Grasse River Superfund Site Restoration

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freshwater mussels courtesy DECThe Alcoa Massena-West Plant is an aluminum production plant on the north shore of the lower Grasse River. In the 1950s, Alcoa began using and discharging polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Grasse River, contaminating water and sediment. [Read more…] about Update On Grasse River Superfund Site Restoration

Bird Collisions With Planes: A New Study Looks At Patterns

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China Eastern Airbus A330 encounters a flock of birds at Londons Heathrow AirportWorldwide, the cost of bird collisions with planes has been estimated at $1.2 billion per year. But information on bird movements throughout the year can help avoid damage to aircraft and risk to passengers.

Scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and partners have been looking for patterns in bird strike data from three New York City area airports. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. [Read more…] about Bird Collisions With Planes: A New Study Looks At Patterns

Ashland Flats Wildlife Management Area

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Ashland Flats Wildlife Management AreaAshland Flats Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in the towns of Lyme and Cape Vincent, in Jefferson County. The 2,028-acre property includes large grassland fields, wetland impoundments, shrublands, and forested wetlands. [Read more…] about Ashland Flats Wildlife Management Area

Two New Wildlife Management Areas in Western NY

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Genesee River WMAThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the acquisition of more than 1,200 acres in two Western New York counties that led to the creation of the new Genesee River and Poverty Hill Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs).

The parcels in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties preserve natural habitat essential for wildlife populations and provide new wildlife-related public recreation such as fishing, hunting, trapping, and wildlife viewing. [Read more…] about Two New Wildlife Management Areas in Western NY

Waterfowl: The Common Merganser

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common merganser couple courtesy Wikimedia user Bengt NymanThe waterways of New York State that are a favorite for outdoor enthusiasts during the summer are also highly attractive to many forms of wildlife. While many creatures are often difficult to spot, others are regularly noticed by kayakers, canoeists, power boaters, and individuals simply sitting on a porch overlooking a busy lake, a quiet pond, or a back country river. Among those forms of animal life routinely seen, especially after the July Fourth weekend, are the mergansers, which thrive in most of the larger aquatic settings in New York. [Read more…] about Waterfowl: The Common Merganser

Mute Swans: An Adorable Invasive Species

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The big white birds paddling gracefully across a Massachusetts pond one recent November surprised me. I’d grown up in the town I was visiting and had never seen swans there, although my friend assured me they were resident birds. The only mute swans I’d seen before, years ago, were floating along the River Thames between Eton College and Windsor Castle. [Read more…] about Mute Swans: An Adorable Invasive Species