American Coots coming to Chautauqua
In the last couple of weeks I have seen thousands of American Coot (Fulica americana) across Chautauqua County. They have started to pour into our region during this migratory period along with other types of waterfowl. These unique birds are quite different than the average duck, grebe or goose, though. The photo below shows several of them hanging out at a boat ramp at Dunkirk Harbor. This Lake Erie location held approximately 303 of the species when I visited on November 11. As you can see they are definitely not ducks and actually belong to the Rallidae family. They visit our lakes to...
Read MoreBlack Squirrel (actually melanistic Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis)
The Black Squirrels (or actually melanistic Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis) of Point Gratiot Park in Dunkirk, NY were doing quite well on November 11, 2013 grabbing all the food they could while they can. Despite that fact this one struck the classic, “Please sir I’m starving!” pose for me. It better fatten up soon as more snow and cold air is on the way with a frontal passage coming through our region tonight.
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