Heavy and low avian migration in Jamestown
This past Wednesday, October 15, I was outside in downtown Jamestown, New York, for much of the night. An area of low pressure had moved by earlier in the day and precipitation had cleared. Clouds were thinning and moving east. There are plenty of unnatural noises to hear on a typical night in the City of Jamestown – music, people shouting, vehicles and often large trucks passing by. There was also an incessant yet subtle chorus of noises coming from the low levels of the sky in the form of avian flight calls! Birds were moving south and in strong numbers with almost endless peeps and...
Read MoreLark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
This Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) is the one rarity Twan and I enjoyed in the post-Irene week that was likely not brought in by the tropical cyclone. You can find them rarely in the east during the late summer and early fall while our friends to the west enjoy these beautiful sparrows all summer.
Read MoreWhite-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) by Scott Kruitbosch
Sparrow season is upon us and this bird is telling you to get out there and enjoy it this October!
Read MoreRare Henslow’s Sparrows Recently Discovered at Chautauqua County Airport
Area birdwatchers recently made a discovery that has regional conservationists very excited: a small population of the endangered Henslow’s Sparrow exists at the Chautauqua County Airport near Jamestown. These small, elusive birds inhabit grasslands and prairies and, like many other grassland birds, their numbers have declined precipitously in the eastern U.S. over the past 100 years. This is happening for a variety of reasons but the transitioning of old farm fields into forest over time and the increased production of row crops and intense harvesting of hay in areas where grassland...
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