Bonaparte’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...
Read MoreHorned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) by Scott Kruitbosch
This Horned Grebe in its striking black and white winter plumage was seen with many dozens more in Barcelona Harbor in Westfield, New York in mid-November, 2013. You can find them in good numbers on Lake Erie in migration and winter when the water is unfrozen.
Read More
