The Zen Birdfeeder

Crown Point NY Bird Banding Station Opens May 9th

This spring, master bird banders Mike Peterson and Gordon Howard will again lead their team mist netting and banding migrating birds that pass through the Crown Point area on the shore of Lake Champlain.  This years marks their 34th season.

Bird banding is a well-established and indispensable technique for studying the movement, survival and behavior of birds.  The Crown Point banding station has been operated since 1976 and since its opening, a total of 14,982 birds of 98 species have been banded.  They hope to band #15,000 during 2009, their 34th year of operation.

Here's a recap of the 2008 season.

VISITOR HOURS AND INSTRUCTIONS

Master bander Mike Peterson and the banding team welcome visitors on any days between Saturday May 9 through Sunday May 24.  The station is open from dawn until late afternoon when the gate closes (hours vary).  Banding is often best on still, cloudy, or even rainy days, and birds are most active in the early morning hours-- generally until about 9 am -- although birds are netted throughout the day.

Please sign the Visitor Log on arrival at the station-- a shelter, tables, and tents west of the British fort.  Feel free to bring food & drink, as well as cameras, but the banders ask that cell phones be turned off.  Waterproof footwear is recommended, since trails and net lanes are often muddy.  Even when banding is slow, the birding is generally good on the grounds of the Historic Site during May.

Crown Point is included in the book "Adirondack Birding - 60 Great Places to Find Birds", co-written by Mike Peterson.  The book gives you more information about this Important Bird Area, the birds you might see there, along with a map of the area.  Adirondack Birding is available at Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs NY.

DIRECTIONS

From Rte 22 south of Port Henry, take the road to the Crown Point Bridge (County Rte 903) and look for the Crown Point State Historic Site sign and entrance on the left just before the bridge.  If the gate is locked, park across the highway and walk in the access road; otherwise, drive in.  Stop and consult the interpretive birding panels on the left for a map that shows the location of the banding station.  Vehicles should then be parked in the main lot in front of the museum.

CROWN POINT BIRD CONSERVATION AREA

The Bird Conservation Area is located on the grounds of the Crown Point State Historic Site, at the tip of Crown Point peninsula, just south of the bridge to Vermont.  Jutting northward into Lake Champlain, the peninsula serves as a migrant trap in spring, concentrating waves of northbound birds in thickets west of the British fort. The State Historic Site has also been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the National Audubon Society.

Over 200 bird species have been observed at the Crown Point BCA, with as many as 27 different species of colorful warblers possible during May. Stop at the BCA interpretive panels on the left side of the entry road to view a map showing the location of the bird banding station, proceed to the main parking lot, then continue on foot.

This is a great activity for the family and for school or youth groups.  You may even get a chance to release a banded bird!

Read more at the Adirondack Almanack blog.

Spring Migration First of the Year Report 2009-6

This is the sixth of my 2009 First of the Year (FOY) posts, reporting spring migrants as they return to or pass through my yard.  And there's still more to come!

Rose-breasted Grosbeak pair on WBU Seed Cylinder Feeder

Rose-breasted Grosbeak
2009 return:    April 27 (male)
2008 return:    May 4
2007 return:    May 11

Nest in New York?    Yes

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are amongst the migratory birds that are known to over-winter in, or migrate through, shade-grown coffee plantations in Latin America.
Find out more about how your can help our grosbeaks through the coffee you choose.

Yellow-rumped Warbler male

Yellow-rumped Warbler
2009 return:    April 28
2008 return:    Not recorded
2007 return:    April 30

Nest in New York?  Yes
Yellow-rumped Warblers can migrate to wintering grounds as far south as Mexico and Central America.

Spring Blooms '09

Daffodils (planted many moons ago)



Cherry - was it Nanking? Can't remember...



Narcissus from the mixture I planted last fall.  Beautiful!

Top 5 Ways to Make Your Window Feeders Stay on the Window

1.  Start with CLEAN WINDOWS.  Suction cups don't stick to dirt.

Purple Finch pair on WBU Window Feeder

2.  Get a QUALITY feeder.  You need the QUALITY suction cups that you find on QUALITY feeders.  You get what you pay for.  Get a cheap window feeder, you'll get lousy results.

 
Ruby-throated Hummingbird approaches window feeder (available at many WBUs)

3.  Though not an issue right now in most locations, install it on a WARM WINDOW.  If you're putting it up in cold weather, do it during the warmest part of the day and if possible, warm the window with a hair dryer.

Evening Grosbeaks on WBU Window Tray Feeder (available at many WBUs)

4.  "SEASON" THE SUCTION CUPS before hanging with a little bit of oil from the creases on your face. Yes, you heard right.  Alongside the nose, below your lower lip, you know the spots. This warms the suction cups and helps them adhere to the window.  Don't use water, don't use spit - they evaporate over time. Facial oil doesn't.

Ruby-throated male Hummingbird at Holland Hill window feeder (available at many WBUs)

5.  Give your suction cups an OCCASIONAL BURP.  Just like the baby.  This eliminates air bubbles.  Do it every time you fill the feeder.  Or the baby.

 
Black-capped Chickadees on WBU Window Feeder

Follow these tips and your window feeders will stick to your window all season - any season.  Cheat on any of them and you may very well find your feeder on the ground.

Squirrel Obstacle Course

I've had this in my files for a long time now but thought you'd enjoy this video of those darned (or whichever adjective you'd prefer) squirrels.  It'll crack you up and confirm what we already know about these persistent creatures!

22 Species in Monday's eBird Count

I worked from home on Monday April 20th and since I was still in the Project FeederWatch mode (it just ended earlier this month), I thought I'd keep track of birds in the yard and report them to Cornell's eBird citizen science project.

eBird is a year-round online checklist that allows birdwatchers to record their observations.  A birdwatcher simply enters when, where, and how they went birding, then fills out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during the outing.  That "outing" can even be from inside your home - like I did on Monday.

Red-winged Blackbird female (digiscoped image)

Well it turned out to be a fabulous day to watch for birds.  Mind you, these are all birds seen through the windows of my house!  In all, I saw 22 species; all during the 2008-09 Project FeederWatch season, my high species count for any count period was 17.  Of course the fact that migration is ramping up here in upstate New York doesn't hurt.

I had a triple-triple with 3 types of sparrow (fox, chipping, and white-throated), 3 types of finches (gold, purple, and siskins), and 3 types of woodpeckers (hairy, downy, and flicker).  The Chipping Sparrow was a first-of-season bird too.

Other highlights include the pass through by a Sharp-shinned Hawk, the flyover by a raven (wings tipping side to side catching the wind), the return of the Brown Creeper (not seen since early February), and the large groups of juncos covering the ground.  Lots of chickadees too.

Brown Creeper

Here's the list of all I saw:

Sharp-shinned Hawk     1
Mourning Dove     4
Downy Woodpecker     2
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     1
Blue Jay     2
Common Raven     1
Black-capped Chickadee     11
Tufted Titmouse     2
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
Brown Creeper     1
American Robin     2
Chipping Sparrow     1
Fox Sparrow     3
White-throated Sparrow     1     Brown morph
Dark-eyed Junco     25
Northern Cardinal     2
Red-winged Blackbird     1
Brown-headed Cowbird     7
Purple Finch     5
Pine Siskin     7
American Goldfinch     1

22 Species
83 Individuals

Overall, an outstanding day of birds at home.  If you're interested in reporting your sightings to Cornell, read more about their year-round citizen science project eBird.

Northern Cardinal female (digiscoped image)

Pledges for Earth Day

I've always considered my activities pretty earth-friendly overall.  But I know there's always more I can do.  So what did I do NEW this month to mark today's Earth Day?

• I installed 5 new triple-pane energy-efficient windows at home
• I started vermi-composting again (I'll share pictures of that in a future post)
• I'm starting a vegetable garden (first time in years!)
• Late last month we made the switch to Bird-Friendly shade grown coffee, we carry it in our Wild Birds Unlimited shop, and we have been active advocates for the cause.
• I've really become conscious of turning off or unplugging as many devices as possible that have a indicator light on them.

I also took the following earth-friendly pledges:

• Birdfreak's One Million Birder Project - show the world that we are serious about improving the environment for the animals we love so dearly.  I KNOW there's more than 140 of us out there who care for the birds!
• Audubon's Healthy Yard Pledge - Create and maintain a healthy environment for you, your family, and local wildlife.
• Took the Good Neighbor Pledge at National Wildlife Federation to help reduce global warming.
• Get kids involved saving the earth too!  Have them pledge at Nickelodeon's The Big Green Help.
• The Million Garden Pledge at Gardener's Supply Company - plant a vegetable garden this year and Grow What You Eat.  I was number 14,533 so there's a way to go.  Every garden helps!

Please join me by taking one or more of these pledges too!  Let me know if you do.

The Many Sides of a Fox Sparrow

Caught Mid-scoot

Spring Migration First of the Year Report 2009-5

This is the fifth of my 2009 First of the Year (FOY) posts, reporting spring migrants as they return to or pass through my yard.  Here they come!

White-throated Sparrow (Fall 2007)

White-throated Sparrow
2009 return:    April 16
2008 return:    April 12
2007 return:    April 23

Nest in New York?    Yes
These showy sparrows will nest at higher elevations in NY, though an estimated 83% of the North American population breeds within the Boreal Forest. (Boreal Songbird Initiative)  Read more.

Northern Flicker (Fall 2008)

Northern Flicker
2009 return:    April 19
2008 return:    May 5
2007 return:    Unknown

Nest in New York?  Yes
Flickers will also winter in New York; I saw one at lower elevations in February this year.  I have never seen them here at our higher elevation during the winter.

Chipping Sparrow (Spring 2007)

Chipping Sparrow
2009 return:    April 20
2008 return:    April 15
2007 return:    April 22

Nest in New York?  Yes
Chipping Sparrows are returning to our area from their wintering grounds in the southern US states as well as Mexico and the Caribbean.

Spring Migration First of the Year Report 2009-4

This is my fourth 2009 First of the Year (FOY) post, reporting spring migrants as they return to or pass through my yard.  Keep an eye out for spring migrants!

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallow
2009 return:    April 16
2008 return:    Unknown
2007 return:    April 23

Nest in New York?    Yes
Tree Swallows are returning from their winter homes in Florida, states along the gulf coast, as well as Mexico and central America.