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Another finch yard species
Jeff Nadler
My finch Youtube program was just a day old but had to update it, with a front yard male red crossbill eating cone seeds on my Norway Spruce on Saturday. A new yard bird. A single bird for just five minutes but low enough to get great photos to add to the video. Meanwhile, common redpoll numbers have declined to about 25 on my feeders but also now eating spruce cone seeds in the early morning. Red-winged blackbirds have arrived in the neighborhood. https://youtu.be/3JRyjHNsVwg
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Common Loon - New Baltimore
Richard Guthrie
Today, March 7. Plus 2 C. Goldeneyes, 4 C. Mergansers and 3 Ring-necked Ducks.and other stuff. Viewable from Cornell Park. Richard Guthrie
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Banded Ring-billed Gulls
Richard Guthrie
Yesterday, then today, I came across two different color banded Ring-billed Gulls. One in a parking lot in Catskill. The other at the Coxsackie Boat Launch. Yesterday's [Blue band on Left Leg with the code: "1ZT"] was banded as a juvenile in Quebec in 2013, Prior to my report, it had been seen in Quebec twice in April and again in June, 2017. Today's [ blue band on Left Leg with "FJY"] was banded as an adult male, also in Quebec in June, 2019. I saw and reported this same one back in November last year, also at the Coxsackie Boat Launch. It had also been seen up in Quebec twice in May, 2020. So this one was seen at the same location on its way south last year, and again on its way north this year. Rich Guthrie New Baltimore, The Greene County, NY Richard Guthrie
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Winter finches at home
Jeff Nadler
Pine grosbeaks have been absent from my yard and neighborhood for a couple days now. Common redpolls are still plentiful (Over 35) on my feeders today. The finch irruption at home has been so memorable that I have preserved my memories with a Youtube video of my photos and video taken. All photography from my yard except the male pine grosbeak in a neighbor’s yard. Sharing the link. https://youtu.be/UHDM2mFoV9A
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Re: American Wigeon - Peebles (Confluence Point)
Cynthia Edwardson
Thanks to Lindsey's tip when we saw her at Lock 2 (wood ducks, pintails, and green-winged teals there) Chris and I saw 2 American Wigeon at Confluence Point. Scope was needed. Cindy and Chris Edwardson
On Wed, Mar 3, 2021, 6:21 PM Lindsey Duval <lindsey.duval@...> wrote:
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American Wigeon - Peebles (Confluence Point)
Lindsey Duval
At about 1 pm today I wandered Waterford Harbor and Confluence Point on Peebles Island in the midst of touring Cohoes area and then the Hudson for waterfowl and was rewarded with just one American Wigeon drake. I wondered if maybe I was just seeing things in the harsh sunlight, but it gave a loud, wheezy "whi-whew" call. Not a lot else of note, although a drake Bufflehead showed up in the dwindling waterfowl at Stillwater Blockhouse Park yesterday, and I found one of the annual white-on-orange neck collared Canada Geese on the bank. Lindsey D.
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Cedar waxwings 5 Rivers
Sue Rokos
Greetings, This late afternoon we were greeted with an ear-full of cedar waxwings, round of robins and murmuration of starlings in the apple orchard! Then a hairy woodpecker couple and a Downy. Heard chickadees, nuthatches, and mourning doves. A tufted titmouse followed us down the path.a red tailed hawk was preening himself on bluebird box 18 A, then flew directly towards us, perched in a tree, and well, watched us like a hawk. A gaggle of Canadian geese flew overhead, followed by a solitary hawk, white bellied with dark wings, hard to see in the light, probably another red tailed hawk? And finally head a red winged blackbird as we headed down the misnamed bird watcher's path. Lovely to be out and see pussy willows by the pond. Sue and Dennis Rokos Duanesburg
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red crossbills, many singing passerines Albany Pine Bush this morning
scottjstoner
Blueberry Hill West, (trailhead 5) contiguous red and yellow trail, flyover. Also cardinals, house finch, titmouse, chickadee, song and white-throated sparrows all singing! Scott Stoner, Loudonville Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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Derby hill
Mike Ward
Here's some photos of the hawk migration at Derby Hill @ lake Ontario. (Broad tailed Hawk)
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Good Birds All
Jeffrey Schoonmaker
20 different birds in my yard by 8:35 a.m. including 2 Red-winged Blackbirds, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Song Sparrow, & Mockingbird. Hey Common Redpolls - I've got feeders, too! I know you're around. Come check out my yard here
in Colonie!
Jeff Schoonmaker
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Peregrine falcon taken @ Vroomans Nose
Mike Ward
Her name is "Broken Feather"
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Permission to post on forums
Mike Ward
Mike W
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Normanside Drive near Normanskill Fishing Access Site Albany
Cynthia Edwardson
Continuing flock of about 40 Red-winged Blackbirds hanging out on Normanside Drive off of New Scotland. They've been there off and on all winter. Feeders nearby. Today they were singing. Nearby were two Common Grackles. FOY for me. Heard a Song Sparrow singing too. Spring is getting closer! Even more exciting was spotting at least 3 Red Crossbills in our backyard on Highfield Lane in Albany, this am. They were on the ground checking out pine cones and didn't stay long. At least one immature. New yard bird for us. Cindy Edwardson
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winter finches heading back north
scottjstoner
FYI, an update from the Finch Network and a heads up that Matt will be our May program speaker! https://finchnetwork.org/winter-finch-forecast-update-the-return-begins Scott Stoner, HMBC program chair Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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Re: flicker abundance at Washington Park, Albany
zach schwartz-weinstein
Hi Cynthia, There have been several flickers overwintering in the park this winter. My daughter and I also saw a Merlin in the park last week. Between 2015 and 2017 a pair of Merlins nested in the park - successfully in 2016 (the nest was knocked down during a thunderstorm in 2017.). They may still be nesting locally, so keep an eye out as the spring progresses. I’ve also been seeing small groups of Common Redpolls in the park, mostly across from the Broderhof complex on Englewood Place
On Mon, Mar 1, 2021 at 2:26 PM Cynthia Edwardson <Cjredwardson@...> wrote:
--
Zach Schwartz-Weinstein 203 500 7774
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flicker abundance at Washington Park, Albany
Cynthia Edwardson
Yesterday Chris and I were surprised to see at least 4 Northern Flickers while walking around Washington Park in the afternoon. I wondered if these might be early migrators or winter hardies? We had 15 species there including a Merlin and a Northern Mockingbird. We did have to walk carefully to avoid the dog poop bombs everywhere! Turkey Vulture just flew over our house in Albany (Highfield Lane) and we have a continuing Brown Creeper near the feeders since at least January 1st. It explores the same pine trees over and over for hidden tidbits. So many new things for us after 34 years in Northern MN. Fun!! Birds may be blowing in the wind tonight! Cindy Edwardson
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field birds - quaker springs (sara co.) area
gregg_recer
following up on Ron H's report, Cathy G and I took a spin this afternoon through some of the farm roads south of SR 29 and east of saratoga lake down to US 4. We had one large flock of roughly 150 horned larks and 50 or so snow buntings along CR 67 in a very aged-looking manure spread. They lifted up and circled very high over the field for some time, eventually returning to the manure, but never came in close enough to make searching through for longspurs possible.
In the stillwater/schaghticoke area we also re-found the curious hybrid goose (canada x Anser sp?) associated with several hundred canadas at the river rd/stillwater bridge rd intersection just on the east side of the river. No sign of other unusual geese though. -- gregg recer malta NY
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Saratoga National Historic Park
Robert S Pastel
Outside the entrance we saw an immature eagle (5 others along the way, 2 across the Hudson at the blockhouse which scared many of the ducks away). As we walked we saw a barred owl, it was there several hours later. We saw several pileated woodpeckers.
Robert S. Pastel
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Statts Island Road on Saturday afternoon
Alison Van Keuren
The pleasant surprise on Statts Island Road this afternoon was the presence of two Killdeer. Alison Van Keuren
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HMBC Monday Zoom program - workshop on Flycatcher ID with Chris Benesh of Field Guides
scottjstoner
This is a reminder that the HMBC March program will be held via a Zoom meeting on Monday March 1st at 6:30 PM. Use the meeting link below to join the meeting as a participant. All participants will enter the "waiting room" until the meeting host opens the meeting. Participants' audio lines will be muted on entry. We ask that participants keep their lines muted except when prompted for Q&A during the program.
NOTE: The first time you use Zoom on a device, you will be prompted to download the Zoom app when you click on the meeting link below. Follow the prompts to download the app and then launch the meeting using the meeting ID from the invite. (The app is recommended, but if you prefer, there is also an option when you open the link below to join the meeting via a web browser window, but with limited capabilities.) Audio connections can be through the app on your device or through a separate dial-in phone number given below.
Program details:
Tonight’s talk looks at breaking down the mystique of flycatchers. Taken as a whole, this group can be a bit overwhelming, and all but the most experienced birders can struggle with them. In tonight’s talk, we will consider structure, behavior, along with vocal clues in sorting out differences between types of flycatchers likely to be encountered in the United States and Canada.
Chris Benesh is a lifelong birder living in Tucson, Arizona and has been studying flycatchers for many years. He works for Field Guides as a professional birding guide and produces educational videos for OutBirding.com.
Further details available at:
Meeting details:
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