Fallout?

Just after midnight on Wed., April 10th, a large area of heavy rain swept through upstate New York, heading east into New England. Weather radar showed not only the precipitation, but migrating birds flying as well. In fact, a widespread movement of birds was evident on radar across the eastern half of the United States, from Texas north to Illinois, and eastward to the coast from Florida to New England (Figure 1.)

Figure 1

The light blue rings with medium blue centers show birds aloft around the various radar sites. The darker blues, greens, and yellows indicate precipitation. Looking more closely at the National Weather Service radar display from Albany (the radar site is actually located in Berne), the large area of heavy precipitation can be seen just to the north and west of the Capital District (Figure 2.)  Albany is located at the center of the display.

 Figure 2

The light and medium blue colors are migrant birds, and they are encountering the edge of the precipitation where green is displayed. When migrants find themselves in this situation, they look for a place to land immediately; it is often referred to as a "fallout," as the birds get stopped in their tracks and "hit the deck." The following morning, and perhaps for a day or two afterwards if poor weather conditions persist, can be a good time to look for these birds. 

On Wednesday morning, I found a pair of Horned Grebes in the Mohawk River in Latham. On Thursday morning, there was a Caspian Tern at Collins Lake in Scotia. This morning (Friday) there were three Bonaparte's Gulls at Collins Lake. All three of these species are infrequently seen in our area, but this is the correct time of the spring to see them, as they make their way back towards their breeding areas from the coast. Did the "fallout" conditions help to produce them? 

    Caspian Tern at Collins Lake, Scotia, NY

Bonaparte's Gulls at Collins Lake, Scotia, NY

(Image courtesy of Jeff Nadler, http://www.jnphoto.net/)

What's Next:

Apr. 12th- 18th

Yellow-rumped Warblers will begin to show up this week across the region; they have an unusually long migration "window" that peaks at the end of April-early May. They will be joined by the Blue-headed Vireo, and the diminutive Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by the end of the period.

Marsh Wren, Sora, and American Bittern will return to the marshes and wetlands that they favor this week.

Bonaparte's Gulls are on the move from the coast to their inland breeding areas, look for them at stopovers where gulls typically congregate to rest. Great Egret is occasionally seen in early to mid-April in our area, look for them in shallow waterways and ponds. 

Vesper Sparrow can often be overlooked when it arrives due to the presence of numerous Song and other sparrow species that show up simultaneously. Look for them in short grass areas. They have a distinctive eye ring, and white outer tail feathers that can be observed while they are in flight.

Capital District Bird-Finding Calendar is here

 

TW

Point of view

Habitat is where it's at...

 

 What a Louisiana Waterthrush sees...

 What a Pine Warbler sees...

 What a Field Sparrow sees...

I visited many different habitats today, observing a total of 56 species in 6 hours. In order, stopped at Five Rivers, Albany Pine Bush- Madison Ave. Pinelands, Albany Pine Bush- Karner Barrens East, Ann Lee Pond, Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, and Mohawk River Lock 7. Some highlights included:

• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• Winter Wren
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Field Sparrow
• Sharp-shinned Hawk
• Hermit Thrush
• Eastern Towhee
• Chipping Sparrow
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Greater Scaup
• Horned Grebe
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow 
• Swamp Sparrow

A look at the weather forecast over the next week suggests that migration opportunities look hit-and-miss, so there may be limited opportunities for new arrivals. Monday and Tuesday might bring the next wave. Stay tuned.


TW

And just like that...

They're back. New arrivals in earnest.

On Sunday the 7th, the winds turned to the south, strong and gusty, pushed temperatures to 60F, and continued through midnight. Monday had afternoon sun, 60F again, and the winds turned back to the south overnight. The boundary between the warm and cold air masses slipped just to our south this morning, but we managed 60F for a third straight day. The result was substantial nocturnal migration, and signs of plant growth and a noticeable increase in insects. All the following species were reported locally in the last 48 hours:

• Field Sparrow
• Osprey
• Wilson's Snipe
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- numerous
• Swamp Sparrow
• Pine Warbler
• Hermit Thrush
• Barn Swallow
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Palm Warbler
• Winter Wren- fresh arrivals
• Chipping Sparrow 
• Golden-crowned Kinglet- abundant fresh arrivals

Large numbers of Song Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos are on the move as well. Eastern Phoebes, Northern Flickers, and Tree Swallows continue to arrive and swell the ranks. My day list at Five Rivers EEC in Delmar jumped to 38 species this morning, a sign of things to come. Time to saddle up and hit the trails.


TW

HMBC Field Trip report: Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail/Lock 7- Apr. 6th

Wall to wall sunshine and cold, blustery conditions were the order of the day
for the 25 participants at this morning's HMBC Field Trip along the Mohawk River
in Niskayuna. Starting at the "railroad station" building at Lions Park, the
group headed northwestward to Lock 7, scanning the river, wetlands, woods, and
fields on a two mile trek.

A Red-shouldered Hawk glided overhead; the black border outlining the wings, and the translucent crescents at the base of the primaries were backlit very nicely. (image by Bill Hubick at www.billhubick.com)

A group of two dozen Green-winged Teal were foraging in the backwater near the
Ferry Rd. bridge, with two Killdeer on the exposed mudflats nearby. There were
still quite a few American Tree Sparrows present, feeding in the grass next to
the bike path, along with numerous Song Sparrows.

The best concentration of birds was at the wetlands formed where Lishakill Creek
winds through on its way to the river at Ferry Rd. Wood Duck, American Black
Duck, Green-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser and two Great Blue Herons were seen
there. Tree Swallow numbers are increasing, and a half dozen or so swirled
overhead making their twittering call. On the short return leg from the lock, we
heard an Eastern Phoebe and a Carolina Wren.

At Lock 7, the winds were quite strong, making for substantial wave action out
on the river, and less than ideal (or comfortable) viewing conditions.
Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded and Common Merganser, and some distant
Scaup sp. were present. A single Double-crested Cormorant flew by giving good
looks, and some 50-75 Tree Swallows braved the winds as they slowly pushed
upriver, nearly skimmimg the surface of the water.

There should be clear skies and southerly winds overnight, let's see what the morning brings.


TW

Running late...

Based on average arrival dates, the earliest short-distance passerine migrants, Tree Swallow, Fox Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, and Field Sparrow are being reported up to two weeks late this season. Waterfowl and raptors are pretty much on schedule. We are still looking for a period of seasonably warm weather, and southerly wind flow, to bring a good wave of birds northward. Perhaps that may begin to happen early next week.

Tree Swallow back at Five Rivers

Empty Field Sparrow habitat, Five Rivers

What's Next:

April 5th- 11th

This is the prime week to look for Red-throated Loons on rivers, large lakes and reservoirs. 

Two Swallow species, Northern Rough-winged and Barn, will start to arrive in small numbers.

Woodland arrivals this week may include Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Louisiana Waterthrush, and a fresh supply of Winter Wren.

Fields, edges and scrub might welcome Palm Warbler, Eastern Towhee, and Brown Thrashers. Migrant Savannah Sparrows and Chipping Sparrows should show up at the end of the period.

Virginia Rail will sound off in cattail marshes around this time, especially early morning and late afternoon. Greater Yellowlegs may be seen in proper shorebird habitat.

TW

Will winter ever let go?

Bright sunny skies barely took the edge off a morning that felt more like late February. Strong, gusty winds were blowing down the Mohawk River in Niskayuna, making it difficult to observe distant objects in the scope. There wasn't much to see at Lock 7 other than a group of Common Mergansers and gulls. A Belted Kingfisher was rattling around the breakwater, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was giving its "mew" call as it poked around a tree trunk.

Cement pier at Mohawk River Lock 7 in Niskayuna

Boat launch and fishing area at Lock 7

Further upriver at Blatnick Park, the sun angle and howling winds made viewing from the hillside a challenge. Fortunately, there is a shelter with benches that made it almost comfortable to scan the river. There were some Scaup present, a low-riding Common Loon, two flyby Bald Eagles, and a few Tree Swallows.

There was a pair of American Kestrels frequenting the area. At times they perched close together, allowing side by side comparison of plumage differences.

Fair quality iPhone-thru-scope photo of American Kestrel pair

At Lions Park in Niskayuna, we used the downwind side of the railroad station building as a screen. There were at least 55 Green-winged Teal foraging in the shallow cattail areas, a few more Scaup, and a "Gray ghost" Northern Harrier.

TW

Buzzards, box barons, and bridge pewees

On the way to Black Creek Marsh early Sunday morning, we came upon a roost of Turkey Vultures at the Farnsworth Middle School, on Rt. 155 in Guilderland.

Turkey Vultures roosting in a snag

A fairly careful count totaled 52 birds, including some on the roofs of the school buildings, but there were likely more out of sight.

Turkey Vultures

At Black Creek Marsh, there was a nice assortment of thirty species present. A red-morph Eastern Screech-Owl was sunning in one of the Wood Duck boxes. Four newly-arrived Tree Swallows were flying around the marsh; they will battle the starlings and woodpeckers for tree cavities to nest in.

Waterfowl observed included Wood Duck (6), Gadwall (4), American Black Duck (6), Blue-winged Teal (6), Green-winged Teal (12), and Hooded Merganser (2). Two Great Blue Herons silently glided by, and a Brown Creeper was singing his spring song. There were still a couple of American Tree Sparrows around, and many singing Song Sparrows setting up territories.

Black Creek Marsh- NYS DEC

Five Rivers, on the other hand, was strangely quiet. We did hear an Eastern Phoebe near the bridge at the Heron Pond, and saw several Tree Swallows checking out bird boxes, with Eastern Bluebirds defending the ones they had already gotten dibs on. 

Wood Duck Marsh at Five Rivers

Down along the Vlomankill it was very quiet. We'll have to wait another week or so for the first warblers to make the scene.

Vlomankill Trail at Five Rivers

This morning (April 1st) a Double-crested Cormorant flew down river at Mohawk River Lock 7 in Niskayuna. From the train station building at Lions Park, four more Tree Swallows were seen out over the river. Upon our return home, we found an Eastern Phoebe hawking insects from a telephone wire in our yard. There were some flying insects around this morning before the rain and wind arrived.


TW