Field Sparrow
Why do they call them Field Sparrows again? Oh, right. Way to blend in! It appears to be simply a more mobile assemblage of some brown blades of grass…late sparrow migrants are still on the move, so keep an eye out for them along with Vesper Sparrows and all those Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows.
Read MoreWinter Raptor Surveys
The Harriers have arrived! This is a migrant Northern Harrier hunting over coastal grasslands in November. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History will be assisting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a third season of wintering raptor surveys in Chautauqua County in 2015-2016. The primary focus of these surveys is to determine where Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus), ‘endangered’ in New York, and Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus), ‘threatened’ in New York, are spending the winter season to roost and feed. We need your help,...
Read MoreField Sparrow
This Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) actually flew directly towards me and my dog to perch on this white pine branch this morning. It looked us over for a minute and then went back to snacking. It is another great example of a lovely bird that we can still find even in the..uh, cold days of November? It is November, and apart from the low sun angle and early sunset it felt like it could have been late August out there today. This will undoubtedly keep birds with us a little longer with easier to survive temperatures, poor migratory conditions because of the southerly flow, and prolonged...
Read MoreFall Field
Here are some more seasonal shots to get you into the fall mood – a Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) from a couple of days ago during a busy migration time for the species. They will pass through the eastern U.S. in good numbers in the autumn with some staying into the winter if they find an acceptable field or other open space with plenty of seeds. They are certainly declining overall in the east because we have far fewer fields than we used to as our natural areas often revert back to forest with the decline of agriculture combined with the continued rise of suburbia. Other remaining...
Read MoreLess Common Yellowthroats
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, October 1, changed both the calendar and the composition of life as nocturnal migration slammed a lot of areas in the lower Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with some of those really autumnal avian sightings. I had my first of fall White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos along with dozens of Eastern Phoebes. I also picked up a Lincoln’s Sparrow to start off the most sparrow month of the year. Warblers are starting to thin out and turn over to later migrating species, and the now less Common Yellowthroats like this one are becoming a bit more...
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