Spring Field Ornithology

Despite my birding pursuits, I actually have never taken an ornithology class. That will change this spring as I am excited to attend the Spring Field Ornithology course hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Wednesday evening lectures will be taught by Project Puffin's very own - Stephen Kress and various guest speakers.  Steve has taught this course for over 30 years.  Topics cover everything from birding the Cayuga Lake Basin to bird song identification to bird behavior.  There's still time to sign up if you live in the area and want to brush up on  your birding skills.

Virunga

You should watch Virunga for its breathtaking natural beauty and its heart-wrenching story.  I was captivated by the scenery and then held in suspense by the stories of the people. Their dedication to conservation and the wildlife in this park is unparalleled. Virunga is streaming on Netflix or you can learn more at their website.

When Will Winter End

The temperatures never hit double digits and so my GBBC weekend had birding attempts but mostly misses. Luckily I had a dear friend, Hewy, to keep me company on this freezing weekend. 

We searched the snowy fields for Snowy Owl, we attempted 2 trips to see Short-eared Owls but all our owl chasing was hindered by blinding snow and slippery roads. 

We did successfully find Hewy a lifer Tundra Swan and Redhead. We also had a nice walk around the pond in Sapsucker Woods. Despite our losses we still drank celebratory beers and warmed up inside for most of Sunday. I wish I had more birds and better weather but there's always next time!

This was my first full week of no new year birds.  Hopefully something that doesn't become a regular occurrence.  I'm going to venture out this weekend if the snows aren't too much and look for interesting birds in the remaining non-frozen water.  Even the pond at the Lab of O. was no bigger than a swimming pool by week's end. 

Hog Island Audubon Camp

This island is so beautiful it really makes my heart ache!

Why, it seems to me God's own heaven

can hardly be more perfect.

- Mabel Loomis Todd

Hog Island Audubon Camp has been on my wishlist of destinations for many years now. Roger Tory Peterson, Allan Cruickshank, Rachel Carson, Scott Weidensaul, Kenn Kaufman, and many more have spent time there, taught classes there, been a part of birding history, and now I get to add my name to the distinguished list.

Photo by Stephen Kress

In college I was interested in everything and nothing. Two semesters I volunteered at a banding station but then like the wind my attention went elsewhere. Years later I taught "Ornithology" classes but I mostly was trying to get kids to appreciate the biology of birds and the fact that they exist.  I couldn't identify flycatchers or gulls but I was somehow qualified to take kids in the woods to a pond that had Black-crowned Night Herons and Wood Storks.

The real birding came later. In 2007 I started working at Green Cay Nature Center and I immersed myself in identifying spring migrants.  I was hooked on warblers like an addiction and it hasn't stopped since. Now my vacations consist of birding trips and my work is once again back in the world of birds.

Photo by Stephen Kress

This summer I will be working and living at the Hog Island Audubon Camp as the Program Manager. I won't be an instructor but more of a director of people as they go from boats to dining halls to cabins.  I also plan to do a lot of birding and really delve into the allure of The Hog.

Photo by Stephen Kress

If Hog Island is on your wish list, why don't you join me? We still have openings for a few of the sessions. I think the Hands-on Bird Science led by Scott Weidensaul is going to be especially interesting. Bird banding, songbird recording, taxidermy, you name it!  Or for those beginner birders try Breaking Into Birding.  We have something for all walks of life.  If you're an educator we have Educator's Week or if you're just a birding fan we have Joy of Birding or Field Ornithology. The best part - this is a summer camp for adults. For many of us, that's something that feels right, that feels nostalgic.  Why not go to camp this summer? I'm going to be there, I hope you join me!

Valentine For My Valentine

Lark and I hiking in Costa Rica

When I was younger, public displays of affection were the last thing I ever wanted to do.  Perhaps it was because I lived in the rural South where such things could and did cause harm.  I was lucky, the worse thing ever done to me was my car was scratched and ketchup was left on my door handles. My crime was that I held hands for a second outside the confines of my privacy.  

Now many things in the world have changed and though old habits are hard to break, I do have more bravery, less fear, and more to look forward to as the world changes for the better.  So today, I interrupt the normal schedule of natural history and birding tales to send a little valentine to my valentine. 

Cayuga Bird Club

This past Saturday the forecast was snowy, so it was with no great surprise that only the Cayuga Bird Club guide and myself showed up for the morning outing.  Luckily, the weather held for most of the day and we had a wonderful day of birding. We found an Iceland Gull mixed in with the Herring and Ring-billed Gulls at East Shore Park.  At Myer's Park and Salt Point we had over 30 Tundra Swans. Next we traveled to search for longspurs but came up empty. We did manage to find one long Snow Bunting mixed in a Horned Lark flock.

At Union Springs we found Gadwall and American Widgeon to add to our day.  We continued north finding more swans and ducks.  Most of the north end of Cayuga Lake was frozen but by the dam we did see some open water with Common Mergansers and more swans.

We decided to see if we had any luck finding a Snowy Owl at the Fingerlakes Airport but came up empty.  The snow was deep and not a bird was seen.  We found a nice raft of Ring-necked Ducks near Sheldrake.  As we traveled back south we found a perching Bald Eagle by the lakeshore.  It gave us wonderful looks and obliged for photos.

We stopped for lunch at Glenwood Pines where we had a great breakfast burger.  They were also serving a PB&J burger but we weren't brave enough to give it a go.  Next time!  The birds were plentiful enough to make the day fun and the company was wonderful as Suan provided me with lots of entertaining history of the Cayuga Lake Basin.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Lost Bird Project

The final stop was where it all started - the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where we tried one last time for a Redpoll but found only the usual suspects of Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finch, American Goldfinch, and Mourning Doves. 

For the year list I was able to add Iceland Gull and American Widgeon.  An additional weekend visit to East Shore Park also added Hooded Merganser.  My total is up to 92 for the year.  Andy broke 100 with an American Woodcock in Tennessee.  I hope I'm not doomed to playing catch-up all year.  

Great Backyard Bird Count 2015

Have you signed up for The Great Backyard Bird Count?  Click on the linked photo above to get started.  Basically you have the President's Day weekend to get busy birding - even if for only 15 minutes you can participate!  The 18th annual count is taking place February 13 through 16. Enter your sightings at www.BirdCount.org. The information gathered by tens of thousands of volunteers helps track changes in bird populations on a massive scale. The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with partner Bird Studies Canada. Give the birds a Valentine and count them this weekend!

Hog's Hole

View from Hog's Hole

Hog's Hole is a wetland area and shoreline area in Alan H Treman State Marine Park on Cayuga Lake, in Ithaca, New York.  I've spent some time there scanning the rafts of Redheads and scaups looking for a Tufted Duck.  Without a scope it was like looking for a needle in the haystack and unfortunately, I struck out three times.  

Hog's Hole is such an interesting name and I learned from some internet sleuthing that it was named for a transient man named Hoggie that once camped out in that area.  Ithaca has a fairly infamous homeless population with multiple encampments around the city known today as The Jungle, The Jungle II and even The Jungle III.  I like birding but I also like learning about the history of the area.  Every place I've lived as been so different and interesting.  I look forward to learning more and hopefully picking up some good birds in the process.

Birding Competition Update

Friday update: The past weekend gave me an uptick of 2 birds to put me at 89.  I spent Saturday afternoon birding around the Long Point Winery area of Cayuga Lake.  I first went in search of longspurs but only found Snow Buntings and Horned Larks. This is when I really wish I had a scope to scan with!

Down by Cayuga Lake I found the usual suspects including Redheads, Common Mergansers, and even two Tundra Swans.

As the sun was setting and deer came out to feed I had a calling Common Raven overhead which was bird #88.  It was heading for the trees, perhaps to roost for the evening.

Next came the Northern Harrier over the vineyards and surround fields.  Year bird number #89! I stayed around in the single digits to wait to glimpse the Short-eared Owl again.  It came as the sun was setting and the light almost too dim to take a photo.  The best show I managed was the one above of the Short-eared hunting over the vineyard.  A few minutes after this it hit the ground with prey in foot.  A great way to end the day and head home to warm up.

On Sunday I tried for an Eastern Screech-owl that's roosting nearby but it was a no-go after an hour of waiting and searching.  I'll be back little owl if the weather improves!  Until then, I hope to go on a Cayuga Bird Club outing this coming weekend and pick up a few more birds.  There are some winter birds around I'd love to pick up like Redpoll, Pine Sisken, and Snowy Owl.  Wish me luck!

Book Review: The Bee

This book review is supplied by the talented Kat Shiffler - who knows a thing or three about bees.  

There is no shortage of books about bees. The eusocial honey bee has mesmerized scientists, philosophers, political scientists, artists and curious laypeople alike since the time of the ancient Egyptians. Apis mellifera, is often said to be the most-studied species, after Homo sapiens. But vastly overlooked are the world’s 20,000+ other fascinating bee species, most of which are solitary. That is precisely the unique contribution of Noah Wilson-Rich’s fabulous book, The Bee: ANatural History.

Wilson-Rich and other contributors have put together a rich reference; an engaging narrative explaining the big picture as well as practical hands-on discussions on hive management and bee health. The Bee goes further than any other bee book to explain and display in full-color, the astounding diversity that exists in this corner of the animal kingdom.

The book’s directory of notable bee species alone makes this a worthwhile purchase for any naturalist’s library. Never before have I seen such wonderful photographs and complete descriptions of the world’s species organized as solitary, stingless, bumble and honey bees. The Bee makes visible for the first time, lesser-known bee species that normally buzz just under our radar. They don’t make honey, but are vitally important for pollination and the health of the planet.

While the book’s scope is without precedent, some sections are more robust than others. The sections on bee evolution, ecology, genetics and physiology are wonderfully summarized, while explanations of the human-bee relationship over time could be more developed for my taste – indeed warranting another book.

Rich and his co-authors have made an important and unique contribution to a body of knowledge that seemingly has no end.

“The bee’s life is like a magic well: the more you draw from it, the more it fills with water.” – biologist Karl von Frisch

This review copy was provided by Princeton University Press.  Book review by Kat Schiffler.

Frozen Waterfall

Frozen waterfall,

how appropriate to see

on a lonely day.

Your grand beauty chills

even the softest of hearts

when they stand by you.

Frozen Taughannock Falls - person in lower right for  scale.