Glossy Ibis
This is not a bird you expect to fly by low over your head, nor one you are ready to turn up and shoot…but here is the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), a wader of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The species is actually present on six continents, and because it is a long-legged wading bird found in our coastal marshes it is one of the many species we tally in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. Protecting their habitat, tracking their populations, and studying where they are and when all helps us learn more now and utilize better conservation management practices later. Scott...
Read MoreAmerican Bittern
This is the American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), a stupendously cryptic and sensationally camouflaged heron species of freshwater and brackish marshes and wetlands. During late fall and winter they can be infrequently found moving south to warmer or coastal areas where the water does not freeze. Even their movements are meant to blend in perfectly to surrounding vegetation, stalking prey including fish, amphibians, insects, mammals, reptiles, and more. The American Bittern was once a terror in the night to many early American settlers who lived in coastal regions. Its pumping, gurgling,...
Read MoreSavannah Sparrow
This Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) was one of dozens of migrants of the species that I spotted this past weekend. Their numbers are increasing as they head south for the winter. As we go deeper into autumn we will see hundreds of them in fields, grasslands and farms across large open spaces in areas like Chautauqua County or coastal scrub and shrub habitat in locations such as Stratford Point. Get those Peterson Field Guides ready! They will not all be this easy to identify…
Read MoreGreat Egrets in Ashville
Although Great Egrets are not uncommon in some of the coastal sites we work in, they are pretty rare inland. The Jamestown area usually does not see many of these stately birds, but they show up occasionally suitable wetlands during migration. Yesterday afternoon I ran into former RTPI Facility Manager Miley Miller, who mentioned seeing a Great Egret foraging in a wetland in Ashville. Since that wetland was on my way home I decided to check it out and was happily surprised to see not one but four Great Egrets foraging there! Of course I was not prepared for this encountered and only managed...
Read MoreSavannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
Here we have an attentive Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), a winter landbird species that you should be on the lookout for mixed in with other sparrows. They can be found especially near any farmlands, fields, grasslands and coastal areas, looking for seeds to devour. If there is a snowfall you can find them seeking out areas near water or plowed habitat that provides unexpectedly helpful access to grasses. This is a more typical Savannah Sparrow, but if you live on the Atlantic Coast be mindful of finding the large, pale “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow on beaches and...
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