Hi, all - This is my first, test post. Nothing major to report, other than enjoying witnessing spring activity for the first time this year!:
I drove along the Hudson in Fort Miller yesterday and enjoyed watching the male goldeneyes doing their mating "head-flip" dance. I also watched a male mallard swimming behind a female doing something I hadn't seen before: he was bouncing his head up and down like a pogo stick, once every second or so, for as long as I watched them. (A couple of minutes.) Two nights ago, at around 10:00 p.m., I heard a "whoo whoo whoo whoo" sound - a great horned owl, someone outside in a pine tree. (I like that bird monitor idea!! I opened my window. It was cold out!!) And, I saw my first robin yeserday in Fort Miller. Grackles were making their squeaking-gate sound outside my apartment in Queensbury this morning. Good signs!

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We've signed up, and gotten confirmation...but does this work?

We too have had more brown creeper sightings the last few weeks than we
remember for several years. Have we had an invasion?

Dale and Lillian





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Welcome all and thanks for posting.

I saw 15 turkey vultures along the northway on my way home today - TV migration is in full swing! Also had cowbirds at the feeders today - this is the only time of the year that I am happy to see them.

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This is not a transcription of the Birdline tape. It is summary of
some of the sightings that were called in to birdline during the past
week. Please call the birdline (518-439-8080) for the full report.

3/10 Fort Edward - snowy owl (it evidently didn't hang around)

3/12 Mechanicville - 4 bald eagles

3/13 Fort Edward - red-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawks (lots), horned
lark, eastern bluebird, northern harrier, 3 raven, 4 lapland longspurs,
11 short-eared owls, snow bunting

3/13 Town of Northumberland - 29 red-tailed hawks (25 in sight at one
time), rough-legged hawk

3/13 Rte 113 (Washington county) - American black duck, northern pintail,
wild turkey

3/13 Saratoga Lake - raven

3/13 Vischer Ferry - bald eagle, raven

3/13 Hudson River north of Schuylerville - common goldeneye, common
merganser, hooded merganser, bufflehead

3/16 Old Chatham - a good description of a golden eagle was called in.

3/17 Stillwater - Barrow's goldeneye, pileated woodpecker

3/17 Vischer Ferry - wood duck

3/17 Schodack - American woodcock

3/17 New Baltimore - wild turkey, fish crow

3/18 Mechanicville - bald eagle, red-tailed hawk

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A pair of Wood ducks were seen on Hanks Rd Salem, NY
Brown creeper on Riley Hill Rd Salem.

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A pair of Wood ducks were seen on Hanks Rd Salem, NY
Brown creeper on Riley Hill Rd Salem. A Northern Flicker in Argyle, on Bald Mt. Rd. on March 15

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Waterfowl are beginning to arrive. Collins Lake is just starting to open up.
There were two pairs of Hooded Mergansers there this morning. Canada Geese
are slowly building up even though the Lake is still about 90% frozen (as of 8
a.m. this morning). Yesterday there were 55 geese. Today there were 70.

At the Niskayuna Railroad station there were 6 American Wigeon (2 days earlier
than my average spring arrivals for Schenectady County) and a Wood Duck
(latest first sighting fro SCHE; 10 days late).

Ray Perry

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Hi Folks,

Stopped by Stissing Mt. today in hopes of spotting a Golden Eagle. Had
to settle for an adult Bald Eagle, a pair of Red tails displaying in the
air, 4 TV's, Tundra Swans and a Raven croaking.

It was gorgeous when I got there, but before long it became overcast and
extremely windy. Never mind the hat, I had to hang on to my scope!

--
Joan Cipriani
jlcip@...
Schenectady, NY



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At Fort Edward this afternoon 4-6pm:
5 rough-legged hawks, 4 red-tailed hawks, bluebird, horned larks, kestrels, wild turkeys, tree sparrows, numerous flocks of red-winged blackbirds, 14 northern harriers (13 on Fitzpatrick), killdeer, and 2 short-eared owls

Near Hudson falls: 1000 snow geese (in the air over route 196)

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As of yesterday morning at 8 a.m. (things are happening fast now) the Lake was
about 35-40% open. More open water was alos marked by the first day of a more
varied asortment of waterfowl including

Canada Geese (upto a count of 92 now including neck collared geese L+Z and
XS2; this pair has been nesting at the Lake since 1992 {from "The
Establishment and Subsequent Nine-Year Daily Study of the Canada Goose {Branta
canadensis} at Collins Lake, Scotia, NY with Particular Focus on 1KA, a Banded
Female, Unpublished]; they were at the east tip of the island and then swam
just about 10m onto the south side.

American Wigeon 5
Ring-necked Duck 2
Hooded Merganser 4
CommonMerganser 23

Also a Great Blue Heron and true tooits name a singing Song Sparrow.

And in spite of the increasing open water
Ice Fisherman 1 (down from 2 the previous day;where is he?!)

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3/20/99 - Fort Miller, Hudson River. 10-11 AM. 1 Ross's Goose seen well,
up close and great looks. Much smaller than Snow, small round head and
small beak. Gene Vermillyea was there to see. Also 1500 Snow Geese, 3000
Canada Geese, 1 adult Bald Eagle, Pintail, bufflehead, GW Teal, Am Wigeaon,
C Goldeneye, etc. It is truly a spectacle seeing all the geese. One of
the Snow Geese had a yellow collar but I didn't read the number. On
Thursday 3/18 there was a reliable report of a G White-fr Goose. Best to
get there in the morning with the sun at your back. Take Rte 4 north of
Schulylerville, cross the bridge and take an immediate left onto River
Road. Go up about a mile to the intersection with Fort Miller Rd. this is
the best place to be.

Meanwhile at Vischer Ferry, a pair of N Shovelers and another Bald Eagle
adult.

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Just a reminder that you should still call in your sightings to the Hudson-Mohawk Birdline. This list is NOT a replacement or a competitor to the birdline. 439-8080

(This is not aimed at you, Frank - your posting just reminded me that I should remind others.)

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At the Saratoga Sod Farm this morning there was 1 Greater White-fronted Goose in the company of 2500-3000 Canada Geese. In the flooded field on the north side of Wright's Loop Road were Mallards, American Black Ducks, Green-winged Teal (including 1 that was partially albinistic), N. Pintails, American Wigeons, Wood Ducks, and 3 Killdeer. At Fort Miller there were 2 Ross' Geese in with 2500-3000 Snow Geese. Also present were Canada Geese, Hooded and Common Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Bufflehead, and Common Goldeneyes.

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March 21 -

Hudson River betwen Fort Edward and Schuylerville: ring-necked duck, American wigeon, wood duck, American black duck, mallard, common merganser, hooded merganser, common goldeneye, green-winged teal, Canada goose, tree swallow, song sparrow, bufflehead, cedar waxwing

Route 113 in Washington county: 100+ northern pintail, canada goose, snow goose, mallard, American black duck, green-winged teal, rough-legged hawk
Hollingworth-Vose pond: pied-billed grebe, common merganser, a few of the other ducks mentioned above

Fort Edward: horned lark, rough-legged hawk (only one), red-tailed hawk, nothern harrier, killdeer, eastern bludebird, Amercian kestrel (I did not stay long enough to look for short-eared owls)

Town of Moreau: wild turkey

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Canada Goose numbers peaked this weekend on Saturday (20th) with 400 Geese.
Both pairs of collared birds (1KA and XSZ ; L+Z and XS2) have been at the
Lake.

Other waterfowl at the Lake include on Saturday-Monday (20-22nd) include
4 Gadwall (Monday)
9 American Wigeon (all 3 days with peak on Monday)
American BlackDuck
Mallard
2 green-winged Teal (Sunday)
8 Ring-necked Duck (Saturday and Sunday)
14 Hooded Mergansers (all 3 days; peak on Sunday)
25 Common Merganser (all days; peak on Monday)

and 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker (Sunday)


Elsewhere on Sunday
Killdeer, Eastern Meadowlark, Rough-legged Hawk (light morph) and 2 flocks of
Turkeys (55 and 5) in Duanesburg

Bufflehead at Nisky RR Station in Niskayuna (with 7 Ring-necked Ducks)

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A Ross's Goose was among the many hundreds of Snow Geese still at Ft Miller
Rd and River Rd n of Schuylerville yesterday. Also present were Ring-necked
Ducks, Cm and Hooded Mergansers among others. Nearby there were also many
hundreds of migrating Canada Geese.




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At Fort Edward this evening, I saw 6 red-tailed hawks, 4 northern harrier, and 11 short-eared owls (most of the owls were on Fitzpatrick). This was between 5:45 amd 6:15pm.

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This is not a transcription of the Birdline tape. It is summary of
some of the sightings that were called in to birdline during the past
week. Please call the birdline (518-439-8080) for the full report.

Fort Miller 3/18-3/22 - Canada goose, ring-necked duck, green-winged
teal, mallard, common goldeneye, hooded merganser, bufflehead, wood
duck, gadwall, tree swallow, snow goose (30 blue phase), Ross' goose,
bald eagle

Delmar 3/18 - cedar waxwing

Glens Falls 3/19 - 15 turkey vultures over I-87

Fort Edward 3/19-3/24 - rough-legged hawk, red-tailed hawk, eastern
bluebird, horned lark, American kestrel, wild turkey, American tree
sparrow, northern harrier, killdeer, short-eared owl, snow goose,
great blue heron

Hudson River between New Baltimore and Catskill 3/20 - 2 peregrine
falcons, 1 bald eagle, killdeer, great blue heron, great egret, and 3
iceland gulls at Coxsacki Landing

Guilderland 3/20 - fox sparrow, American woodcock

Hudson River (north of Schuylerville) 3/21 - ring-necked duck,
American wigeon, wood duck, American black duck, mallard, common
merganser, hooded merganser, common goldeneye, green-winged teal,
Canada goose, tree swallow, song sparrow, bufflehead, cedar waxwing

Saratoga Sod Farm 3/20, 3/21 - snow goose, Canada goose, tundra swan,
green-winged teal, northern pintail, American wigeon, greater white-
fronted goose

Town of Moreau 3/21 - wild turkey

Vischer Ferry 3/21 - northern shoveler, wood duck, green-winged teal,
gadwall, hooded merganser

Schodack 3/21, 3/22 - fox sparrow, golden-crowned kinglet, ruffed
grouse, eastern bluebird, song sparrow, cedar waxwing

Delmar 3/21 - fox sparrow

Stillwater 3/21 - Barrow's goldeneye

Nott Road Park 3/21 - wood duck, Cooper's hawk, killdeer, 4
red-bellied woodpeckers, 1 winter wren, golden-crowned kinglet,
eastern bluebirds, American tree sparrow, and 7 song sparrows

Schemerhorn Road 3/22 - belted kingfisher, purple finch

Rotterdam 3/22 - white-throated sparrow, common merganser

Warrensburg 3/23 - American woodcock, turkey vulture

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3/25/99
Saw a single Pied-billed Grebe today. It was in the body of water on
the right-hand side of Riverview Rd just before it intersects with
Boyack Rd (Take a right out of the main entrance to Vischer Ferry
Historic Preserve). Also in that water were American Wigeons,
Ring-billed Ducks, Common Mergansers, a Common Goldeneye, and a Belted
Kingfisher flying around.

The pair of Northern Shovelers were still on the second pond at Vischer
Ferry this afternoon. Also just beyond Riverview Orchards on the way to
Vischer Ferry, a TV was flying low, just above the tree line.

--
Joan Cipriani
jlcip@...
Schenectady, NY



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In my message about the Grebe, I said Ring-billed Ducks--should have
been Ring-necked Ducks. However, there were several Ring-billed Gulls
there also. Sorry.

Joan

--
Joan Cipriani
jlcip@...
Schenectady, NY



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