Bald Eagle in Florida
Twan took this shot of an immature Bald Eagle in flight in Florida, the bird spending its winter in a far more pleasant climate. In the Northeast we have had a lot of Bald Eagle action during all of these historically frigid days with the enormous raptor hunting waterfowl on any open water it can find and grabbing fish from icy rivers.
Read MoreCommon Redpolls Arriving!
I have been very glad to see that Common Redpolls are finally arriving in many locations in the Northeast! Their numbers are not terrific and their distribution is still limited but more and more people have been spotting individuals here and there while out birding, and others have been lucky enough to end up hosting dozens of birds at their home. Have you had any of these friendly little visitors yet this January? We will keep our fingers crossed for a continuing irruption of winter finches with Pine Siskins also starting to show up more frequently once again. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation...
Read MoreDrake Northern Pintail
The drake Northern Pintail (Anas Acuta) is utterly spectacular. It is one of many species of waterfowl on the move as waters in the north freeze during this January cold snap. If you have not seen one yet this year you may soon if you can find an open pond near you. There are an abundant number of ducks to be found in unfrozen bodies of water during such frigid stretches of weather.
Read MoreCommon Redpoll Irruption Update
This is a companion blog entry to the Winter Bird Forecast by Audubon Connecticut and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. The first two forecasts were published recently: “Cloudy with a Chance of Snowys” and “Expect the Unexpected”. The third will be coming soon! The Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) was predicted to make a “moderate to good flight” this fall and winter due to “variably poor to average” birch seed crops in the boreal forest according to Ron Pittaway’s 2014-15 winter finch forecast. Nearly a month ago I started to notice more reports...
Read MoreNorthern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Depending on where you live the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) may be an uncommon to rare species or a typical neighborhood pest. They have been advancing north in the past several decades, possibly because of development and more favorable habitats and likely thanks to climate change. They are still a scarce bird in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region likely for both of those reasons. Why the pest, you ask? One day, if you’re fortunate, you may wake up to a car alarm going off all night long outside your window…except it’s a bird doing a perfect imitation and it will...
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