Upland Plover March-April 2016

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Publication of the North Country Bird Club Inc. Since 1948

March / April 2016 Volume 57 No. 2

The

Upland

lover

FIRST SPRING MEETING

Wednesday, March 9 - 7:00 pm

Stone Presbyterian Church - 140 Chestnut St, Watertown

Program: Eagles on the Nest

2016 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

ARE NOW DUE

IF YOU HAVE NOT RENEWED,PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM

ON THE LAST PAGE AND

FORWARD IT WITH YOUR DUES

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

MEMBERS WHO HAVE NOT RENEWED

BY MAY 1ST WILL BE REMOVED FROMOUR ROLLS AND DISTRIBUTION LIST

SPRING MEETINGS

Please note the dates of our spring meetings on yourcalendar. Meetings are held at Stone PresbyterianChurch (140 Chestnut St, Watertown) and begin at7:00 pm. Spring meeting dates are:

Wednesday, March 9

Wednesday, April 13

Wednesday, May 11

FIELD TRIPS - 2016 Season

St. Lawrence River Parks: Sat, April 9 - 8:30 am

Cornell Lab & Montezuma NWR: Sat, April 23 - 8:30 amUpper & Lower Lakes WMA: Sat, May 7 - 8:30 am

Red Lake: Sat, May 21-

8:30 am

Limerick Cedars: Wed, May 25 - 8:00 pm

Chaumont Barrens: Sat, June 4 - 8:30 am

Marlowe Camp, Beartown: Sat, June 18 - 8:30 am

Annual Picnic (Brouse Preserve): Sun, July 10 - 1:00 pm

Marlowe Camp, Beartown: Sat, July 23 - 8:30 am

Perch River WMA: Sat, August 20 - 8:30 am

( please note change of date)

Montezuma South: Sat, Sept 17 - 8:30 am

Montezuma North: Sat, Oct 15 - 8:30 am

NORTH COUNTRY BIG DAY

A New Club Event

See Page 3 for Details

ONONDAGA AUDUBON

Spring Programs in Watertown

Onondaga Audubon will offer two programs this spring atFlower Memorial Library, 229 Washington Street,Watertown.

On Wednesday, April 20, at 6 pm, Jeff Bolsinger, staff

ornithologist at Fort Drum, will give an overview of FortDrum’s birds, with emphasis on species decliningelsewhere in upstate New York.

On Wednesday, May 18, also at 6 pm, ornithologistGerry Smith will give an overview of species of highconservation concern in the North Country, with focuson how we can meet conservation needs of those speciesin our area.

Please note also that the annual Spring Bird Festival atDerby Hill Bird Observatory will be held on Saturday,May 14, from 10 am to 5 pm. The event will include livebirds of prey, bird walks, activities for kids, and great food.

SPRING BIRD CENSUS

Again this year, seeking to create a more completepicture of the great variety of birds which can be seen inour area, the Club will conduct a Spring Bird Census, acombined effort of members and other interestedbirders to survey the bird life in our area during theentire spring season. The Census will extend fromMarch 20 (the Spring Equinox) through June 19. TheCensus Survey Form is included in this issue. Pleasefollow the procedure outlined on the form in recordingyour sightings, noting whether a given species was firsseen before May 1st or on or after May 1st.

April Program: The Birds of Spring



For detailed info about birds,

visit the website of

the Cornell Ornithology Lab

and of Cornell’s renowned

Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary

at http://www.birds.cornell.edu

2

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR REGIONAL SIGHTINGS

A list of birding organizations and list serves for New York (and other states) is available at http://www.virtualbirder.com/vbirder/

Northern New York Birds List Serve: Subscribe at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds .Click on the Join This Group button and follow the on-screen instructions. (You will need to have or to set up a Y ahoo account.

Oneida Birds List Serve (sightings in Central New York): Subscribe at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/Oneidabirds .Click on the Join This Group button and follow the on-screen instructions. (You will need to have or to set up a Y ahoo account.

Cayuga Birds List Serve: Sightings of birds in the Finger Lakes Region with a focus on the Cayuga Lake Basin.E-mail [email protected]. In the message body put JOIN “Your name” (first and last name in quotes).

OFFICERS

President

Corky Marlowe 782-4705

Vice-President

Bill Haller 639-6848

Treasurer

Kathleen Killeen 646-6007

Secretary

Christine Bourquin 649-5403

DIRECTORS

Richard Brouse To 5/2017

David Prosser To 5/2016

Mike Shepard To 5/2016

June Walker To 5/2017

Robert Walker To 5/2016

Field Trip Coordinator

Richard Brouse

788-6778

Census Coordinator


Historian

Robert Walker 649-2161

Newsletter Editor


A beautiful set of bird-themed notecards is given by random selection, each timethe Plover is issued, to a member of our Club whose dues are current, to provide

extra incentive for members to keep memberships in good standing. We would liketo congratulate Sheree Brosk of Carthage, selected as this issue ’s recipient.

ON THE WEB:

NORTH COUNTRY

BIRDCLUB

ON F

ACEBOOK

Information about programs of the Department of Environmental Conservation, conservation news, and regulation updates are distributed by targeted e-mail system. Subscribers select from 100+ topics. To subscribe: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/subscriber/new

Become a part of Cornell’s Project FeederWatch.

For information and to participate,visit the FeederWatch website at

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/.

FIELD TRIP: ST. LAW RENCE RIVER PARK S

Sat, April 9th - Meet at Arsenal St Wal-Mart at 8:30 am

We will visit state parks along the St. Lawrence River, as well as other birding sites in northernJefferson County, to observe migrating waterfowl and arriving songbirds. This is a driving tour, witonly minimal walking involved. It is an excellent chance to add to your Spring Bird Census list.

FIELD TRIP: CORNELL ORNITHOLOGY LAB & MONTEZUMA NWRSaturday, April 23nd - Meet at Arsenal St Wal-Mart at 8:30 am

We will visit Cornell University’s world-renowned Lab of Ornithology on a springtime Saturday to viewa great variety of bird species. The lab facilities and the Lab’s Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary provide aexperience available virtually nowhere else in North America. On our return trip, we will also visit thMontezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Reservations are required before or at our April 13 meeting.

ONONDAGA AUDUBON

Derby Hill Field Trips

On two spring Saturdays, April 2 and April 30,ornithologist Gerry Smith will lead field trips to thelakeshore bird observatory at Derby Hill to look formigrants, including waterfowl, sparrows, anddeparting winter birds. The trips will last from 10 amto 4 pm. To sign up, contact Gerry at 315-771-6902.

Please note the change of date for ouPerch River WMA Field Trip toSaturday, August 20th. Onondaga Audubon has scheduled a field trip toPerch River on Saturday, August 27th(our previously announced date), andwe would like our members to have theopportunity to take part in both field trips

ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION

Saturday, April 16-

9 am to 2 pm

South Jefferson HS - Rt 11, Adams

Again this year, North Country Bird Club will provide adisplay and information table at the Arbor DayFestival. The Festival includes exhibits and displaysby a wide range of local organizations. Come andenjoy this fine event at South Jefferson High School.If you would like to assist at our table, please contactClub President Corky Marlowe or the Editor.

After all local field trips, participants arinvited to join for lunch at a nearbrestaurant, if their schedule permits. Thesgatherings always prove to be mosenjoyable (and entertaining) events.

FIELD TRIP: UPPER & LOW ER LAKES WMA

Saturday, May 7th - Meet at Arsenal St Wal-Mart - 8:30 am

Upper & Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area is located between Rensselaer Falls and Canton icentral St. Lawrence County and includes the Indian Creek Nature Center. The WMA has extensivwoods and wetlands and a number of observation sites. The Nature Center features an elevateboardwalk through a marsh, as well as extensive trails through woodlands. We will visit during thspring migration to look for birds in a variety of habitats. The trails are well maintained and level, bappropriate footwear is strongly recommended, as spring rains may result in wet or muddy areas.



BIRDING HOTSPOT: OLD SWAMP ROAD

LYNN CHAVOUSTIE

Old Swamp Road is located a half mile north of Three Mile Bay,running eastward from NY State Route 12E. It is approximately twoand a half miles long and ends at Burnt Rock Road, another goodroad to bird on. A left turn onto Burnt Rock Road will take you back to12E. A right turn will take you to the Millens Bay Road (Co Rt 8).

Old Swamp Road is most active in the spring or early summermonths. It contains a variety of habitats including cornfields, grassyfields, and a flooded hardwood swamp.

This road is where I have had many of my "first" sightings, including American Kestrel, Yellow Warbler, Black-Crowned Night Heron,

Great Horned Owl and Eastern Blue Bird. This is the road where Imarveled at 16 Cedar Waxwings all in one tree and on another daywas surprised to see hundreds of Canada Geese resting in acornfield just a few feet from the road.

If you pull your vehicle off to the side of the road and sit, you are sureto see Great Blue Herons and Wood Ducks. This past summer Iwatched Black Terns fly back and forth across the wetland area.

This road is also full of wildlife. In the spring the peepers aredeafening, muskrats may show up, and deer may be seen crossingthe road.

We continue our series on birding hotspots in our area with a contribution from Clubmember Lynn Chavoustie. This is the fifth article in the series, which we plan to developinto a birding guide for Northern New York. If you are interested in contributing an articlefor a future issue, please contact the Editor. If you would like to see a favorite birdinghotspot included, but prefer not to put together an article, forward detailed informationabout the location, and the Editor will prepare the article. For now, please enjoy thiscontinuation of our series. [ All photos on this page by Lynn Chavoustie ]

NORTH COUNTRY BIG DAY - A New Club Event In recent years, the American Big Day event has given birders the opportunity to use their skills in a friendly competition, with teamsseeking to identify the greatest number of bird species in a 24-hour period. This year the event was expanded to a Global Big Day.

In an effort to provide this type of opportunity for birders in our area, and to create yet another setting in which our members and friendcan share their enthusiasm for birding with one another, North Country Bird Club will sponsor a North Country Big Day event this springTeams of two to four birders will work together to identify as many species as possible between midnight and midnight of a day inmid-May. We are not specifying a particular day for the event, but ask teams to choose any single day between Saturday, May 14, anFriday, May 20, for their participation. While team members may bird individually and record species at their feeders on the team’

chosen day, the intent for the event is that the team will bird together for much of the time spent in the field. To encourage widparticipation, we will list the members of all teams, as well as all species recorded, but note the number of species recorded only for thteam which finds the most. More details and a checklist will follow in the next issue. Plan to be a part of this new and exciting event!

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS

“TALKING” - Old Swamp Road

CEDAR WAXWINGS “SHARING”

Old Swamp Road - Three Mile Bay

FLOCK OF CEDAR WAXWINGS

Old Swamp Road

WOOD DUCKS

Old Swamp Road



A good idea of the var iety of waterbirds which migrate through our area during fall and early winter is given by the report s ubmitted by Steve Guy sightings made on the far eastern end of Black River Bay on a Saturday in mid-December. The sightings included 2600 Canada Geese, 5 Mute Swan1252 Tundra Swans, 2 Gadwalls, 4 American Wigeons, 6 American Black Ducks, 127 Mallards, 5 Northern Shovelers, 8 Canvasbacks, 4 Redhead6 Ring-necked Ducks, 525 Greater Scaup, 150 Lesser Scaup, 3 Long-tailed Ducks, 3 Bufflehead, 10 Common Goldeneye, 20 Common Merganser1 Ruddy Duck, 25 Bonaparte’s Gulls, 62 Herring Gulls, and 12 Great Black-backed Gulls. Other species sighted during the trip included 12 RocPigeons, 3 Blue Jays, 3 American Crows, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 6 Dark-eyed Juncos, 2 Northern Cardinals, 3 House Finches, and 2 AmericaGoldfinches. Steve also reported a Red-breasted Nuthatch at his feeders throughout January, 6 Bohemian Waxwings in Watertown on New Years Da

a Great Blue Heron flying north over I-81 on January 9, 8 Hooded Mergansers on Black River Bay on January 15, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk whicdined on several Pigeons and Juncos at his feeders between January 11 and 16.

Snowy Owls were not as numerous as during the previous two winters, a pattern expected for the species. While Corky Marlowe and Bill Haller webirding with Dick and Marion Brouse on January 7, the four sighted two Snowy Owls flying and hunting in the same area along Favret Road near CapVincent. Soon after, they had an excellent look at a Short-eared Owl perched on a post further down the road. Earlier that day on and near PoiPeninsula, the four sighted about 25 Tundra Swans, a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, multiple Bufflehead, 12 Red-tailed Hawks, 4 Rough-leggeHawks, 2 immature Bald Eagles, and several flocks of Snow Buntings. On January 10, Corky and Bill sighted a Snowy Owl along US 11 near EvanMills. On January 24, they sighted two Snowy Owls near Gunns Corners, one along NY 12 and one along the Hart Road. Corky and Bill sighted thtwo Snowy Owls near Gunns Corners again on February 11 and February 20, then the one along Hart Road on February 21. They have not seeeither bird since then. Kathy Killeen sighted a Snowy Owl near Horse Island in Sackets Harbor on February 28.

On February 7, Dick, Marion, Corky, and Bill were birding on Point Peninsula when they met Linnea Rowse, also birding in the area. The five moved otogether around Point Peninsula and Cape Vincent, sighting two Snowy Owls, one on the road to the Isthmus and the second along Favret Road. ALong Point State Park, they sighted 12 Long-tailed Ducks, 2 Common Mergansers, a Common Goldeneye, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, a Northern Flicker, anseveral American Robins. At Point Peninsula Village, the group sighted a Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Mute Swans, a Herring Gull, multiple Buffleheamany Canada Geese, and an immature Bald Eagle. Further out on the Point, they sighted 8 Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 Common Loons.

Snow Geese were sighted several times over the winter, but the major migration this year seems to have moved through the Champlain Valley. LynChavoustie reported substantial numbers of Snow Geese in a field along Smith Road near Limerick just before New Years. Corky and Bill spotted 2 othe ground there on December 31, and 25 or so flying in that area on New Years Day. There have been several reports of large flocks flying over, bno other reports of Snow Geese on the ground. Also on New Years Day, Corky and Bill sighted Snow Buntings at several locations near Perch Rivand on Pillar Point. They sighted three small flocks of Snow Buntings in the Gunns Cornersarea on February 20. Kathy reported a flock of Cedar Waxwings at her home in SacketsHarbor on January 26 (see photo next page). Lynn Chavoustie sighted Horned Larks alongCase Road on January 22 (see photo next page). Bill has had a Red-bellied Woodpecker athis feeders on several occasions this winter.

The Bald Eagles are back at the nest by Perch River WMA’s Lower Pool. Corky and Billsighted one there on New Years Day, then two on January 9. On February 7, from theDepauville Road near the Perch River bridge, Corky, Bill, Dick, and Marion sighted twomature Bald Eagles perched together in a tree along the Perch River. One or two Eagleshave been seen there on several occasions since. On February 23, Corky and Bill sightedone there and a second in a tree by the stream which passes under NY 12E just south of theCase Road. On February 28, they saw two mature Bald Eagles in the Lower Pool nest.

On January 24, Corky and Bill saw 20+ Wild Turkeys along NY 12E near Chaumont. DorisGibson reported 15 Wild Turkeys at her home on Keyser Road near Perch Lake on January23. On February 29, Doris reported several Lapland Longspurs feeding in the gravel alongher driveway. (For a detailed report on Doris’ sightings over the winter and a few of herassociated thoughts, see the article on the next page. )

FUERTES PAINTING

From the State Museum in Albany

Published in Birds of America, 1917

The Editor wishes to express sincere thanksto Mrs. Rena Young for the gift of a copy

of this magnificent volume

NORTHERN FLICKERRED-BELLIEDWOODPECKER

NORTH COUNTRY BIRD CLUB SIGHTINGS

Please forward notable sightings for the next issue by April 15, using the contact info on the last page.

4

NORTHERN CARDINAL

Sackets Harbor – January 2016

Photo by Kathy Killeen

Eagle Convention in Sackets

On January 27, shortly after 10:00 am, theEditor received an e-mail from Tom McKay ofSackets Harbor reporting that 3 mature BaldEagles and 2 juveniles were working on adead Catfish on a shoal near Horse Island. Acouple of Crows and a Gull stopped by, Tomnoted, but weren’t allowed near the carrion.

At 10:30, Tom reported 6 Eagles present, andby 11:00 there were 7. At 11:30, Tom sent afinal report indicating that 10 Bald Eagles werenow congregated at the spot. A photo of thisremarkable gathering of Eagles, taken by aphotographer who was nearby, can be viewedon Facebook at the “I Love Upstate NY” page.



For information on Onondaga Audubon field trips & programs

http://onondagaaudubon.com

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK - LIGHT MORPH

Town of Henderson – February 23, 2016 Photos by Susan Favreau

HORNED LARKS

Case Road (Town of Lyme)

January 22, 2016

Photo by Lynn Chavoustie

TUFTED TITMICE

Watertown – December 12, 2015

Photo by Lauri Piiparinen

CEDAR WAXWINGS ON A GRAY WINTER DAY

Sackets Harbor – January 30, 2016

Photo by Kathy Killeen

For the Birds, a set of events sponsored by the ThousanIslands Land Trust, is scheduled for Memorial Da

weekend. On Saturday, May 28th, several educationastations will be open to the public from 10 am to 3 pm at BoldCastle. Stations will be presented by the Common NaturCenter, Talons! Birds of Prey, NYS Audubon, the Cornell Lab oOrnithology, and others. On Sunday, May 29th, birding trips oabout two hours duration will leave at 7 am from severalocations. Following the trips, presentations about area birdintopics will be given from 10 am to 12 pm at Zenda Farms neaClayton. Detailed information is available at TILT’s websitewww.tilandtrust.org, as well as on their Facebook page.

Long-time Club member Doris Gibson has reported several times during February from her home onKeyser Road, near Perch Lake, noting birds seen there and nearby. The reports give an idea of thewide variety of bird life here in Northern New York even during the winter. Doris, one of our mostexperienced birders, assisted the DEC in surveys of the birds at Perch Lake for many years. OnFebruary 6, Doris reported 5 Tree Sparrows and 3 Chipping Sparrows in her yard, while on a trip toClayton she sighted 5 Dark-eyed Juncos, 2 Mourning Doves, 15 Rock Doves, and 20 Snow Buntings.

As the Buntings flew up from a field on that snowless day, Doris was reminded of an old saying: “Whenthe Snow Buntings are showing their white side (i.e., flying ), it will snow in three days.” The firstsignificant snow of February followed three days later, on the 9th. Coincidence? Or do birdsunderstand the weather better than we do? On the 14th, Doris reported 15 Goldfinches, 5 Tree

Sparrows, a Mourning Dove, and a Blue Jay in her yard. On the 18th, she sighted a Northern Cardinalthere, then saw 20+ Snow Buntings near Perch Lake. On the 19th, Doris added Dark-eyed Juncos andBlack-capped Chickadees to the birds she had seen in her yard during the month. Over the 27th and28th, she sighted a pair of Hairy and a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, a pair of Northern Cardinals, 2White-breasted Nuthatches, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, 9 Tree Sparrows, 5 Chipping Sparrows, aHouse Sparrow, 5 Dark-eyed Juncos, 3 Blue Jays, 15 American Goldfinch, 4 Mourning Doves, and 5European Starlings. Then on the 29th came those Lapland Longspurs mentioned in the Sightings.

ANOTHER IN OUR INTERMITTENT SERIES ON THE DERIVATIONS OF BIRD NAMES: Theorigins of the names of several birds found in our area during the winter, some among the mostcommon of all bird species, have interesting, often ancient origins. The name Sparrow comesoriginally from very ancient times. In Old English, the name is spearwa. But that is derivedultimately from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) sper , meaning simply “bird.” PIE is the ancient

language from which a wide variety of modern European and Asian languages are derived. Itsorigins date to 3500 BC, so the Sparrow’s name has a long pedigree. Finch is also ancient,coming to us from the Old English finc , but ultimately derived from PIE’s pingos, which may simplyhave been meant to imitate the call note of the bird. Nuthatch comes from the Middle Englishnuthake, dating to the 1300’s. The name translates “nut hatchet,” a reference to the bird’s eatinghabits. Bunting has a more obscure origin. It can be traced to the term bountyng , from about1300. That term may be derived from the earlier term buntin, meaning plump, or from an OldEnglish word no longer known, but akin to German’s bunt , which means multi-colored. Longspur

has a much more recent origin, coming from Modern English, and refers to the long claw on thehind toe of each of the bird’s feet.



T

HE

U

PLAND

P

LOVER

P. O. Box 634

Watertown, NY 13601

On FACEBOOK: North Country Bird Club

ITEMS FOR THE NEXT PLOVER ARE DUE BY APRIL 15

If you have sightings, photos, or other items for the May / June edition,

please forward them to the Editor by April 15.

Contact info: Bill Haller, Editor - Mail: P. O. Box 6, Dexter, NY 13634

E-mail: [email protected] - Phone: (315) 639-6848 (9 am to 9 pm)

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Please send Plover by e-mail

Meetings / Programs: March, April,May, September, October, November,

(Second Wednesday of the month)

Field Trips: Spring - Summer - Fall Spring Bird Census

North Country Big Day

Audubon Christmas Bird Count

Newsletter: The Upland Plover

Website: North Country Bird Club on FACEBOOK

The North Country Bird Club Inc.

is a member of the New York State

Ornithological Association Inc.

Consider joining the New York StateOrnithological Association (our Club is amember organization). Membershipincludes a quarterly journal (Kingbird ) and anewsletter (New York Birders).

Details at www.nybirds.org.

The Cornell Lab now offers predictions of birdmigration patterns. Track migrations anddetermine what will move through our area asthe season progresses at http://birdcast.info

Upland Plover March-April 2016

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