Butter Butt
The Yellow-rumped Warbler, or “Butter Butt” as we can see here, is one of the few warblers you can see here in December. While the leaves have left the trees the Yellow-rumps may still be around in warm areas such as coastlines, wooded wetlands and ponds, heated urban areas or places like sewage treatment plants. They are one of the only bits of yellow you can find in the winter season, and while hanging out here in our neck of the woods through the cold temperatures and snow is certainly difficult, at least these birds avoid the peril of a prolonged migration.
Read MoreWhere Are They?!
We have now entered December, and though we lack the truly cold air that the month and the beginning of meteorological winter can sometimes bring, we are cooling down and birds are still moving south. Regular arrivals spanning the spectrum from the American Tree Sparrows of our backyards to the Tundra Swans of Chautauqua Lake are joining us now. Where are we with the irruptive avian species so far this season across the Northeast and Midwest? I went through eBird maps this morning to find that out, and let’s start with the big name… The Snowy Owls started their annual southbound...
Read MoreSea Star Snack
Anyone care for a sea star snack? The gulls have it easy – from landfills to parking lots to shores there always seems to be a lot for them to eat year-round compared to some other starving species. I will say this…that does not look like it would feel good going down. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreNorthern Cardinal
Here’s a female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) enjoying another lovely November day during what was one of the warmest meteorological autumns (September, October and November) on record for our region. We often forget the familiar backyard species is another bird expanding their range northward, using the changing climate, regrowth of woodlands and expansion of suburban yard and bird feeders to their advantage in the Northeast. They do look so wonderful against a snow cover, but we may have to wait on that for a while.
Read MoreGray Ghost
The past week yielded a very large push of migrant Northern Harriers throughout the Northeast, with a sizable percentage of these birds being gray ghosts – adult males – like this one. The strong north and northwest winds following this current cold front should help many more migrants come through our area in the next few days. Will there be more southern and western November rarities with them? Probably, so keep an eye out for everything from the Swainson’s Hawk to the Townsend’s Warbler. Don’t forget we are only a couple weeks away from December 1 and the...
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