Wildlife, Fish & Marine Life Newsletter

Home Sweet Home: A Place for Birds and People

All along the Atlantic coast, people love going to the beach. The sun, the surf, and the memories we create with our friends and families make the beach a special place. We fish, play, fly kites, walk our dogs, and relax while some of our most imperiled wildlife attempt to feed, rest, and raise their young nearby. For shorebirds like Piping Plover and Red Knot, and seabirds like the Roseate Tern, the beach is ‘home sweet home.’ Every year, as we flock to our favorite beach destination for sun and fun, shorebirds and seabirds return from their wintering areas in the Caribbean and South America to eat, rest, mate, and raise their young on the beach. These birds face many threats during migration, including loss of habitat, hunting, predation, climate change, and human disturbance that keeps them from the food they need to survive.

Learn how you can share the shore and help these beach birds survive or check out this short video about sharing the beach.

Photo and story courtesy of Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative.

State Lands to Visit: Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area

Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in Ontario and Livingston Counties at the south end of Honeoye Lake and is named after the lake and stream that flows through the property. A great variety of wildlife finds high-quality habitat on this WMA, making it a worthwhile stop for birding and other wildlife observation. Wood duck, great blue heron, swamp sparrow, and least flycatcher are abundant in the silver maple-ash swamp. Each spring, thousands of salamanders migrate from the surrounding upland forest into the swamp to breed.

The pursuit of game is also quite good here. Deer, bear, turkey, and cottontail rabbit are common. Each fall, pheasants are released into the larger fields. American woodcock are abundant during migration. Several miles of trails exist on the WMA. A series of old farm lanes are located around—or traverse through—many of the fields, providing excellent views of the surrounding hills. Paddling is also a great way to experience the inlet and swamp. Kayaks and canoes can be put in just north of the WMA at the Honeoye Lake State Boat Launch, where there is a small parking fee.

Read more about Honeoye Inlet WMA in the April/May 2022 edition of the Conservationist (PDF, 10 MB).

Photo of field at Honeoye Inlet WMA by Michael Palermo.

Discover Wildflowers Right Outside Your Door

Wildflowers can be found just about anywhere! Look for wildflowers at your local park, in your backyard, in fields and forests, and along roadsides. Not only are they nice to look at, but can be food for wildlife, including pollinators. Learn more in the Conservationist for Kids pollinator issue (PDF). Wildlife may eat the leaves, flowers, seeds, or stems.
 
Below are some species of native wildflowers to look for:

• butterfly weed—orange flowers, found in dry fields throughout summer
• wild blue lupine—blue/purple flowers, found in dry, sandy areas from late spring to summer 
• selfheal—light purple flowers, found on lawns, fields, and roadsides from late spring to fall
• black-eyed Susan—yellow/orange flowers, look in dry to moist open areas from summer to fall
• jack in the pulpit—green and purple striped hood, grows in moist woods from spring to early summer 

Interested in Doing More?

• Want to know more about a certain species? Look up more information on the New York Flora Atlas website. 
• Try planting wildflowers in your backyard. Choose native species (PDF) whenever possible. Short on extra space? Use a container.

Photo of wild blue lupine by Marcelo del Puerto.

Please Report Moose Sightings

DEC asks the public to report moose sightings via an online form as part of ongoing efforts to monitor moose distribution across New York. While the Adirondacks are home to most New York moose, some live in the eastern part of the state along the Vermont and Massachusetts borders. Moose can also occasionally be found in southeastern New York and the Catskills, but these are usually individuals that have dispersed from other areas. Many moose sightings occur along roadways. Drive cautiously at dusk and dawn as moose can be hard to spot due to their dark color.

Moose are the largest land mammal in the state. In the summer, when most sightings occur, moose typically spend a lot of time in ponds and wetlands feeding on submerged aquatic plants. During the rest of the year in cooler weather, they browse on leaves, twigs, and buds of trees and shrubs. Bulls weigh up to 1,200 pounds and stand up to six feet tall at the shoulder. Cows weigh anywhere from 500 to 800 pounds and usually give birth to one or two calves in late May or early June.

If you manage to capture one of these magnificent mammals on camera, please share your photos with us!

Photo courtesy of G. Lee.