Dredging in Lake Erie
This past weekend while out at Barcelona Harbor, I witnessed some of the ongoing work being done to deepen the waterways within Lake Erie for the purposes of maintaining navigation channels for federal, commercial and recreational boats. Through the past few years, the channels have filled in significantly with sediments and debris from the increasingly intensifying storms, such as Superstorm Sandy, and the rate of erosion taking place within the area’s streams feeding into the great lake. With the growing risk of shoreline flooding and safety issues arising for boaters, it was...
Read MoreGlaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) by Twan Leenders
How did your first day of birding go in 2014? Twan had a few cool sightings yesterday in Chautauqua County while checking out some local hotspots. At Barcelona Harbor in Westfield on Lake Erie he picked out this Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) that he noted dwarfs the Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) that is next to it and even closer to his camera. What did you see in the field yesterday?
Read MoreCold and snowy end to November
I do not need to tell anyone in the western New York or even Great Lakes region about how cold it has been in the last couple of weeks considering it is November! As of yesterday Buffalo has been -2.0 °F so far this month compared to long-term climate averages while Erie comes in at -3.0 °F, Rochester -1.6 °F, and Watertown -1.5 °F, all despite having had some strong surges of warmth heading into the 60s at a couple points in November. This is Barcelona Harbor in Westfield and its weather station beginning to freeze up. This blast of arctic air also led to both lake effect and synoptic scale...
Read MoreGizzard Shad feast
It has been very quiet for passerines in most of our (albeit limited) collective time outside, and the big movements and numbers continue to be seen in the waterbirds, especially on Lake Erie. Take a look at these fantastic Bonaparte’s Gull photos Twan took while at Barcelona Harbor as they dove for their meals with easily over 2,000 individuals present. Can you see the prey? All of the photos have some birds feasting on fish but that last photo has a bird with multiple in its bill. Ducks like this Bufflehead and Horned Grebe, respectively, seem to be diving for them as well. They may...
Read MoreSabine’s Gull (Xema sabini) by Scott Kruitbosch
Check out this rare juvenile Sabine’s Gull in the center of these record photos among many hundreds of Bonaparte’s Gulls in Lake Erie at Barcelona Harbor in Westfield, NY at sunset on November 19, 2013! Thanks to Jim Pawlicki for finding it and getting the word out. Elyse and I headed over and enjoyed seeing this gull which nests in the very high Arctic and typically migrates offshore or along the West Coast. It was a beautiful sight in flight with its contrasting black and white wings and tail. Many birders feel that adult Sabine’s are the most gorgeous gulls on the...
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