DOAS Reports from Field Trips and Other Activities

Reports from Field Trips and Other Activities - 2008 / 2009

(Reports from previous years)

May 28, 2009 Wildflower Trip at Gilbert Lake

Pinkster

Star Flower

White Mustard

Pink Lady Slipper

Jack In-The-Pulpit

Cinnamon Fern

Trip leader Jean Miller on the right

Photos by Janice Downie

May 16, 2009 Big Day Results

April 5, 2009 Annual Lake Otsego Waterfowl Trip

On April 5th despite a cold wind and drizzle, nineteen enthusiastic participants made the rounds of Otsego Lake and its northern tributaries, led by Matt Albright of the Biological Field Station and John Davis, with the help of expert DOAS birders Tom Salo and Dave Kiehm. Highlights included a Common Loon in breeding plumage and a covey of American Coots on Lake Otsego, hundreds of Ring-necked Ducks on Youngs Pond, many Canada Geese in a pond off Chyle Road in southern Herkimer County, several pairs of Wood Ducks, a couple of Black Ducks, Common and Hooded Mergansers and several Bufflehead. Raptors sighted included five Bald Eagles (an adult perched at Weaver lake, an adult spotted on a nest near Lake Otsego, an immature perched close up in the woods and a pair in acrobatics together at Glimmerglass State Park), a pair of Redtails probably near their nest, several Kestrels and at Summit Lake a fishing Osprey. At the Rathbun Farm, a female Belted Kingfisher and a pair of Kestrels gave very obliging views, and a couple of Meadowlarks were foraging in the grass. Next-year’s trip is only a year away...

Report by John Davis, photos by John Davis (birders) and Dave Kiehm (swan and eagles)

March 21, 2009 Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Field Trip

On the way to Montezuma, from the Oneonta area, a number of Red-tails were spotted along with robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Pileated Woodpecker, Song Sparrow, Kestrels, and in the fields along the way Canada Geese and Snow Geese.

Once at Montezuma, on the Main Pool, thousands of Snow Geese were resting, two or three groups of 6-7 blue morph Snow Geese were spotted coming into the Main Pool and landed quite close for the group to get a wonderful view. Canada Geese were present but not in such large numbers as the Snow Geese, along with Tundra Swans. The group had started out at the observation tower at the Main Pool and were treated to an Osprey flying low over the pool with a fish in a tight grasp while being pursued by gulls...

Ducks seen that day on both the Main Pool and the Tschache Pool were: Ring- necked, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Canvasback, Redhead, American Wigeon, Scaup (we believe Lesser), Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Ruddy, Wood Duck. A few coots were spotted further out on the Main Pool, and one Great Blue Heron was spotted near Tschache Pool.

Mature and immature Bald Eagles, Northern Harrier, one Osprey (as stated before), Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks.

Traveling along to the Carncross area where the Sandhill Cranes are nesting, we were carefully optimistic about the possibility of catching sight of them... no luck. But Bald Eagles were spotted along with American Black Ducks. All in all, not a shabby day for birding... .

Eleanor Moriarty

Birder photos by Tom Salo, bird photos by Dave Kiehm

February 21, 2009 Short-eared Owl Field Trip

Under sunny late afternoon skies, 18 people went out looking for winter owls. We found 2 Snowy Owls (adult and immature); one caught a vole and ate it in a tree. We also had a Barred Owl during the day sitting close to the road. We spent so long looking at these birds that we did not get to the Short-eared Owls until after dark. We also found 3 Screech Owls and had good looks at 2 of them after dark.

Other species of note included Red-tails, Kestrel, and Snow Buntings.

Report by Bob Donnelly, photos by Dave Kiehm

February 13-16, 2009 Backyard Bird Count

Here are some local photos taken during this year's Great Backyard Bird Count.

January 17, 2009 Eagle Field Trip

The annual eagle field trip to the Delaware County rivers and reservoirs turned up 17 Bald Eagles and 24 participants, starting at -17 degrees F.

The eagles were quite scattered considering the reservoirs were completely frozen and the rivers mostly so.

Other sightings of interest included a small flock of White-winged Crossbills in spruces alongside the parking lot in Oneonta at the start of the trip. Also, several Pine Siskins, Red-tailed Hawks, a few pintails, Common Goldeneyes, Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, a Belted Kingfisher, etc. made appearances. Two coyotes were observed feeding on a deer carcass on the Cannonsville Reservoir ice.

Andy Mason