Cold and snowy end to November
I do not need to tell anyone in the western New York or even Great Lakes region about how cold it has been in the last couple of weeks considering it is November! As of yesterday Buffalo has been -2.0 °F so far this month compared to long-term climate averages while Erie comes in at -3.0 °F, Rochester -1.6 °F, and Watertown -1.5 °F, all despite having had some strong surges of warmth heading into the 60s at a couple points in November. This is Barcelona Harbor in Westfield and its weather station beginning to freeze up. This blast of arctic air also led to both lake effect and synoptic scale...
Read MoreGizzard Shad feast
It has been very quiet for passerines in most of our (albeit limited) collective time outside, and the big movements and numbers continue to be seen in the waterbirds, especially on Lake Erie. Take a look at these fantastic Bonaparte’s Gull photos Twan took while at Barcelona Harbor as they dove for their meals with easily over 2,000 individuals present. Can you see the prey? All of the photos have some birds feasting on fish but that last photo has a bird with multiple in its bill. Ducks like this Bufflehead and Horned Grebe, respectively, seem to be diving for them as well. They may...
Read MoreSabine’s Gull (Xema sabini) by Scott Kruitbosch
Check out this rare juvenile Sabine’s Gull in the center of these record photos among many hundreds of Bonaparte’s Gulls in Lake Erie at Barcelona Harbor in Westfield, NY at sunset on November 19, 2013! Thanks to Jim Pawlicki for finding it and getting the word out. Elyse and I headed over and enjoyed seeing this gull which nests in the very high Arctic and typically migrates offshore or along the West Coast. It was a beautiful sight in flight with its contrasting black and white wings and tail. Many birders feel that adult Sabine’s are the most gorgeous gulls on the...
Read MoreBonaparte’s Gulls in a feeding frenzy
Last week I ventured out to Lake Erie to survey a couple of sites in New York that are included in our Natural History Atlas: Dunkirk Harbor and Barcelona Harbor in Westfield (keep an eye on our Natural History Atlas page for many more to come!). I found a lot of great waterfowl, especially ducks and grebes, but the highlight was at least 850 Bonaparte’s Gulls (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) that put on a tremendous show for me as they fed in Barcelona Harbor. Among them was one Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus), a rare but annual visitor to the east coast and Great Lakes from Eurasia...
Read MoreAmerican 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...
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