Arquivos de periódicos de maio 2020

18 de maio de 2020

Richmond Marsh 5/18/20

Date: 5/18/2020
Time: 7:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Richmond Marsh, MA
Weather: about 55F, overcast and damp from rain the night before
Habitat: Large marshy area with some forest around the edges. In one area there was a beaver dam which sectioned off a portion of the swamp from the rest. There were areas of dense reeds, muddy earth, skunk cabbage, and shallow water throughout the marsh.

Either this marsh was flooded beyond normal or it's an infrequently visited place, because there were no discernible paths anywhere. Near where I entered from the side of the road was the beaver dammed area, with a large beaver lodge in the center (it appeared to be uninhabited). This was where I spotted the belted kingfisher and solitary sandpipers. My next hour and a half was mostly spent bushwhacking through the wet reeds and muddy forest, so I scared off a lot of birds with my noise. Eventually I came upon a raised train-track bed, which gave a great view of the entire marsh along its western side. On the eastern side was forest, so this is where I observed most of the passerines, including all of the warblers. In the marsh I saw at least four great blue herons flying between fishing spots, a couple pairs of Canada geese feeding, and dozens of red-winged blackbirds on the reeds. I also saw some ducks, though only in flight. I just recorded the few I was sure of. On the other end of the marsh was a dry field. From this vantage point I could get a decent view of the swallows. I could also hear an American bittern calling, but the reeds were so dense I had no hope of spotting it.

Posted on 18 de maio de 2020, 06:57 PM by natalya-h natalya-h | 27 observações | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

19 de maio de 2020

Powell and Ooms Conservation Areas 5/19/20

Date: 5/19/20
Time: 6:30am - 12:15pm
Location: Wilson Powell Wildlife Sanctuary (6:30-8:00) and Ooms Conservation Area (8:15-12:15)
Weather: started off about 50F, warmed up to about 65F by midday. Clear skies and sunny.
Habitat: Powell Sanctuary was about 90% woodland, with a field and shrubby areas around a medium-sized pond. Most of my observations took place in the grassy/shrubby and pond-side area. Ooms Conservation Area had about 180 acres of rolling hills surrounding a large pond. Along the pond and cutting up the fields were hedge rows, with some patches of young forest.

When I arrived at the Powell Sanctuary, I was greeted by a dawn chorus of warbler, orioles, goldfinches, catbirds, and other songbirds. This died down after about an hour, and at 8:00am a landscaping crew began working and scared away any remaining birds. I ventured into the woods a little bit, which is where I spotted the eastern wood-pewee and wood thrush, but nothing else of significance. Then I went to Ooms to give myself another chance of seeing grassland birds. The landscape of Ooms was a large pond in the valley of pastoral grassland hills. In the expanse of fields on these hills a few dozen bobolinks created a spectacular aerial display, as the males chased females and caught insects. For the entirety of my time there as well, a bald eagle soared overhead, coming in and out of view as it surveyed the miles of land beneath it. Besides these, there were also eastern kingbirds, tree swallows, yellow warblers, and song sparrows. The open areas and good lighting allowed me to take some very nice pictures of the birds I encountered.

Though not bird-related, I also saw a muskrat, lots of painted turtles, and signs of a beaver all around the pond (including its lodge which was right next to the path along the shore). Today was the second day in a row I've encountered a beaver lodge.

Posted on 19 de maio de 2020, 10:13 PM by natalya-h natalya-h | 30 observações | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

20 de maio de 2020

Harris and Schor Conservation Areas 5/20/20

Date: 5/20/20
Time: 7:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Harris Conservation Area (7:00am - 9:00am) and Schor Conservation Area (10:00am - 12:00pm)
Weather: Moderate temperature, sunny
Habitat: Woodland. Both areas had very similar habitats, though Schor had a pond surrounding by a grassy area as well.

In both areas, the birds were much harder to spot than previous days. However, I was usually able to eventually lay eyes on a bird if I followed its song for long enough and kept my eyes peeled for movement. At Harris I saw the scarlet tanager in my first few minutes, and later on saw a barred owl, yellow-bellied sapsucker, Swainson's thrush, and red-breasted nuthatch. The red-breasted nuthatch was actually feeding right near a white-breasted nuthatch, so it was great to be able to compare them side-by-side in real life.

I then went to the second place that was assigned to me but it was closed, so I searched around on eBird for another wooded area close by and eventually decided on Schor, which turned out to be a good choice. There I saw a couple wood thrushes and a few ovenbirds though my binoculars. By the end of my time here, though, I was frustrated by a couple ID challenges and my shoulders hurt from the binoculars. On the last leg of the trail, I found myself surrounded by many songs that I couldn't identify and couldn't locate the source. I stayed there for a long time just trying to catch a glimpse of them, and for the few that I did see, it was too brief to be able to get an ID that I could be confident in, besides a chestnut-sided warbler and bay-breasted warbler. Then, a broad-winged hawk flew overhead and all the birds stopped singing. I was so frustrated by then that I left.

Posted on 20 de maio de 2020, 07:18 PM by natalya-h natalya-h | 25 observações | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

22 de maio de 2020

Hand Hollow Conservation Area 5/21/20

Date: 5/21/20
Time: 6:45am - 12:00pm
Location: Hand Hollow Conservation Area
Weather: moderate temperature and sunny
Habitat: The area spanned a few different habitat types. At the trail-head was a open field next to a mudflat/marshy area. Beyond this, the environment transitioned into a deciduous forest, which turned into a large stand of young beech trees at the top of a small hill. On the other side was a large pond, surrounded by the same deciduous forest type.

The habitat variation provided opportunities for me to see a wide range of species, however, none were new to me except the great crested flycatcher. There were a couple instances where I heard a song that I didn't recognize, and when I finally located the source, it was a Baltimore oriole. I now feel like I have a sense for how wide a range of songs they can sing, but I've also familiarized myself with the tonal quality that hopefully I won't have this problem again. In general, today was uneventful and just helped me solidify some of my ID skills across the board.
Though not rare by any means, my sighting of Canada geese was special to me. There were two parents, but only one gosling, so they seemed to act very protective of it. In the picture I took, you can see how the parents maintain their pattern of staying ahead and behind their goslings, but they only had one to protect. It made me sad to think of what happened to the others but it was very endearing to see how they cared for their remaining one. There was also a moment where I saw a coyote walking through the woods, just far enough away for me to lose it but close enough to be sure of what it was. I've never seen one in the daylight before so that was a unique experience.

Posted on 22 de maio de 2020, 12:34 AM by natalya-h natalya-h | 39 observações | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

Schodack Island 5/22/20

Date: 5/22/20
Time: 6:45am - 12:00pm
Location: Schodack Island State Park
Weather: warm and sunny
Habitat: Island in the Hudson River. There were some boat docks and a large parking lot, and the tide was quite low so there was a lot of exposed mud along the shores. The interior if the island was covered in a dense under-story with lots of invasive species like honeysuckle and bittersweet mixed with cottonwood and oak trees, among others.

Today's birding trip ended this week on a high note. About an hour in I found myself walking in the same direction as another birder, and over the next four hours we helped each other spot birds and identify calls. He was only a little more skilled than me so it was a good partnership, and by the end of the day we were friends. The highlights of the day were seeing a black-and-white warbler for the first time (my favorite warbler), seeing two pairs of nesting eastern bluebirds, watching a juvenile bald eagle take off from a perch only about 40 feet above my head, and spotting a yellow-billed cuckoo (which I didn't even realize lived on this continent before yesterday).

Posted on 22 de maio de 2020, 10:17 PM by natalya-h natalya-h | 37 observações | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

Arquivos