Snowy Owls spreading south
In the past week, since I posted this entry about another possible irruption, more Snowy Owls have moved in to southern Canada and the United States. One bird was found and photographed by Michele Rundquist-Franz, President of the Presque Isle Audubon Society, in Erie, Pennsylvania, not too far from us at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York. Local excitement went up another level this weekend as two Snowy Owls appeared here in our own Chautauqua County on Saturday, November 15, both at the Dunkirk Airport. The first was found in the morning by our...
Read MoreSnowy Owl irruption…underway? Again?!
Yes, my friends, here we are again! Is a Snowy Owl irruption into the southern parts of Canada and the lower 48 states already underway? The answer certainly looks to be a firm yes considering recent list serv reports. The eBird Snowy Owl map below highlights sightings from August 1, 2014 through November 9, 2014. It also says yes… Remember that sightings in the last 30 days are in bright orange. Look how far south some birds have already been spotted! Now let us remember that a certain number of Snowy Owls move to the south every winter. If you live near a major migratory corridor or...
Read MoreNorthern Wheatear season
The Northern Wheatear is undoubtedly one of my favorite North American nesting species despite the fact it is one of the toughest to find in the contiguous United States. I have no real reason for why I love the bird except for the fact that it is so difficult to call it simply a “North American” species and I admire its biology. Two populations nest on the continent with a western group breeding in Alaska and far northwest Canada with an eastern group in north central and northeastern Canada, the former group migrating southeastward across Asia to move to Europe and finally...
Read MoreTennessee Warbler sightings and numbers
The Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) is probably one of those migrants you’re glad to find in either the spring or the fall. It is most often an uncommon treat for the U.S. or Canadian birder as a species that breeds in the boreal forest and can readily blend into the background. Looking at my last five years of eBirding I see only 14 records and half of those came from the last fall season here in and around Chautauqua County, New York. All of the records were of one or two individuals. Suffice it to say it is a tough spot here but this is currently not the case in Costa...
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