A crisp and sunny spring morning of waterfowl birding was enjoyed by 17 participants, equally representing Southern Adirondack Audubon and the Hudson Mohawk Bird Club. 

By noon we had tallied 43 species including Bufflehead, Green-winged Teal, and Northern Pintail, in addition to the expected goldeneyes, mergansers, and other more common duck species. A highlight for all, and a life bird for many, was the pair of Canvasbacks which cooperated in the early morning light to give excellent looks.  Also of interest were the four Tundra Swans seen near the Riverview Cemetery in Fort Miller; these elegant birds dwarfed the nearby Canada Geese and all participants were able to get great views of this species which is not often seen in our area.  A Red-bellied Woodpecker showed its brilliant red head in the morning light and a Great Blue Heron perched in the top of a tall tree at riverside was interesting to those who have never seen this species aloft.  We noted that Dark-eyed Juncos and Snow Buntings are still in the area, while Song Sparrows have returned and are joyfully singing their mating songs.  Brown-headed Cowbirds were overheard making plans to find nest space for this year’s eggs while a single Killdeer made its presence known.

 In the grasslands Red-tailed Hawks were plentiful; several Rough-legged Hawks gave good views and a single Northern Harrier interacted with the hawks.  Turkey Vultures soared in several spots.  The return trip offered an American Kestrel in Schuylerville and a Cooper’s Hawk in Queensbury bringing the trip total to 45 species.  A great morning enjoyed by a great group of birders!

Species List

Although we didn’t see many bird species, our snowshoe field trip in the Denton Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday, February 23 was enjoyable. Three people accompanied us on the 1.3-mile loop trail the day after a fresh snowfall. It was a great day to be outside!

Our best bird siting was a Ruffed Grouse. We saw lots of tracks, including deer, rabbit, squirrel, and mouse.  Unfortunately, we did not see bobcat tracks, despite a previous spotting there last fall.

Nan and Don Polunci

The SAAS Winter Raptor Field Trip was a great success, drawing seven enthusiastic beginning and veteran bird-watchers, in addition to the two co-leaders.  Excited participants are probably still talking about the highlight of the trip - a close encounter with a Red-tailed Hawk! 

Moderate temperatures, lots of sunshine and little wind made for a pleasant morning outing as we traveled a shortened version of the official IBA survey route. 

We saw about a dozen Rough-legged Hawks, half a dozen Red-tailed Hawks, a flock of about 20 Snow Buntings and one American Kestrel.  We were very fortunate to spot a Merlin (a medium-sized falcon).  It remained perched atop a telephone pole long enough for everyone to get a good look through binoculars and the spotting scope; it even stayed through all the photos.

The Red-tailed Hawk encounter occurred about half an hour into the trip (good timing, Jason!).  We happened upon a couple of bird banders working for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  They had just trapped the 4-5 year old male Red-tailed seen in the photo.  They not only allowed us to observe and take photos while they recorded data such as the hawk’s sex and weight (roughly 2.2 pounds), but also explained things like how they determined its age.  This hawk had been banded previously, as had his mate, who weighed over three pounds (female raptors are about one third larger than males).   

Everyone seemed to have a good time, and we are all looking forward to the next birding field trip.   

by

Laurie LaFond