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winter

The Gray Squirrel in the Adirondacks

March 10, 2022 by Tom Kalinowski 1 Comment

Grey Squirrel courtesy Wikimedia user BirdPhotos.comThe gray squirrel is a common member of New York State’s wildlife community.

This bushy-tailed rodent ranks among the most frequently seen creatures, especially if a few individuals in the neighborhood are maintaining bird feeders. Yet, as common as this skilled aerialist may appear, the gray squirrel is not as widely distributed throughout the Adirondack Park as it might seem. [Read more…] about The Gray Squirrel in the Adirondacks

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: nature, small mammals, squirrels, Wildlife, winter

Winter Waters: The Under-Ice Food Web

March 5, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

mixed phytoplankton community courtesy University of Rhode Island Earlier this winter, I took to the pond ice – not to skate, but to peek below the surface. Although lake ecologists once considered the plankton in frozen lakes to be dormant during winter, recent studies reveal that the plant-like, microscopic phytoplankton (which move with the lake’s currents) and animal-like zooplankton remain active below the icy surface. [Read more…] about Winter Waters: The Under-Ice Food Web

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Aquatic Culture, fish, Fisheries, nature, Wildlife, winter

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

Ice Harvesting in Saratoga County

February 13, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Ice Harvesting in Clifton Park – Early 20th CenturyBefore refrigeration, food had to be eaten in a short time before growing bacteria could cause disease. Drying, smoking and salting were used but each had their limitations. In the ancient world, ice was a luxury available to those with great power.

Prior to the nineteenth century, ice harvesting was a local and small time operation. Ponds were the best source, because still water freezes first, but all sources of water were employed. January or February was considered the best month for harvesting. Often communities or groups of farm families would work cooperatively, dividing the “crop” proportionally. In addition to hard work, the “icing” was a social occasion and opportunity for locals to pass gossip and news. [Read more…] about Ice Harvesting in Saratoga County

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, Food, History, Nature Tagged With: Ballston Spa, Culinary History, Hudson River, ice, Industrial History, Labor History, Round Lake, Sacandaga River, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Lake, Saratoga Springs, winter

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

Downy Woodpeckers in Winter

January 22, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Downy Woodpecker courtesy Wikimedia user Wolfgang Wander On winter mornings, I often venture outside to photograph the assembly of birds that visit the feeders in my front yard. One of the regular visitors is the diminutive downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), which clings to my peanut feeder, takes a nibble of suet, or forages in the nearby maple trees. Fairly comfortable with a human presence, these birds feature heavily in my photos.

Measuring only six inches in length and weighing less than an ounce, downy woodpeckers are the smallest of North America’s 22 native woodpecker species. They are often confused with the similar-looking hairy woodpecker. Downies are smaller than hairy woodpeckers, however, and rather than the hairy’s spike-like bill, downies sport a smaller, less conspicuous bill. Males possess a red spot on the back of the head, and both sexes have a general black and white appearance. [Read more…] about Downy Woodpeckers in Winter

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

Look for Wildlife Tracks in Winter

January 22, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

ruffed grouse tracks by Sandy Van VrankenNow is a great time to search for winter tracks or other animal signs visible in the snow. It can be fun to be a detective and figure out what animals have been walking through your yard or across a trail. [Read more…] about Look for Wildlife Tracks in Winter

Filed Under: Nature, Recreation Tagged With: black bears, Bobcats, coyotes, DEC, fox, nature, small mammals, whitetail deer, Wildlife, winter

A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State

January 20, 2022 by John Warren 2 Comments

early Adirondack snowmobile raceIn the motor toboggan era – the time before the advent of the modern snowmobiles we know today – motor sleds had been too slow for racing excitement. As a result they remained strictly utilitarian vehicles racing only occasionally for promotional purposes. Motor toboggan and later snowmobile maker Polaris traveled each year at the end of the 1950s to trapper festivals at The Pas, Manitoba where they helped organize ad hoc races.

“We tried to rig them a little bit so we had a zig-zag effect,” David Johnson said, remembering one of the first informal races, “one guy ahead, and then the other, and so on, at a terrific speed of about 20 miles per hour.” In February 1959, Johnson won the first organized men’s race on an oval at The Pas and in 1960, the first cross-country race was held there. [Read more…] about A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Park, Adirondacks, Boonville, Canada, Cranberry Lake, Essex County, Franklin County, Hamilton County, Herkimer COunty, Lake George, Lake Placid, malone, Old Forge, Oneida County, Saranac Lake, Saratoga County, Snowmobile History, snowmobiling, sports, Sports History, St Lawrence County, Town of Webb, Transportation History, Tupper Lake, Warren County, winter, winter sports

Winter In the Catskills: The Columbia Ski Resort

January 16, 2022 by John Conway Leave a Comment

early 1960s photo advertising the ski hill at the Columbia Hotel in HurleyvilleIt is unlikely that when he built the hotel with the spectacular vistas in 1891 John Harms Knapp envisioned it ever being a year-around resort, let alone one that advertised “superlative skiing,” and yet that is exactly what the Columbia Hotel in Hurleyville in the Catskills became in the early 1960s.

And of all the ski areas in Sullivan County — from Glen Hill to Christmas Hills — the Columbia’s was among the most successful, albeit for a relatively short time. [Read more…] about Winter In the Catskills: The Columbia Ski Resort

Filed Under: Hudson Valley - Catskills, Recreation Tagged With: Catskills, skiing, Sullivan County, winter, winter sports

River Otter Surveys Underway

January 13, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

river otter tracks and slides in the snow courtesy DEC.Have you ever seen a river otter in New York? Prior to the 1990s, river otters were absent from most of Central and Western New York.

That all changed between 1995–2001, when DEC worked with trappers and other groups to reintroduce 279 otter to 16 different sites in those parts of the state. [Read more…] about River Otter Surveys Underway

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: DEC, nature, small mammals, Wildlife, winter

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