Words of a Feather: News From the New York State Birding Trail—July 2023

Enjoy Summer Vacation on the New York State Birding Trail

Looking for new ways to spend your summer vacation? Consider taking a trip to a location on the New York State Birding Trail. With over 350 locations state-wide, many adventures await those looking to appreciate and spend time with birds.

Highlights along the Birding Trail:

• unparalleled raptor viewing at the Mount Peter Hawk Watch Trailway (Orange County);
• great expanses of wetland habitats and bird species at the Montezuma Audubon Center (Wayne County);
• many unique species of gulls and migratory birds along the Niagara River Corridor (Niagara County), a globally significant Important Bird Area.

In addition to visiting trail locations, challenge yourself to the 2023 I BIRD NY Challenge! This fun and easy activity is a great way to practice identifying the birds around you. Plus, all participants are awarded an embroidered patch and certificate to commemorate their I BIRD NY experience. To enter, simply complete an online or paper (PDF) Challenge Log with 10 bird observations of your choosing. Make sure to check out our list of bird species fact sheet as a field guide to help complete your Challenge Log!

Photo Credit: I BIRD NY Challenge Participant, Amber Krauss

Trail Site Spotlight: Keeney Swamp Wildlife Management Area (Southern Tier Region)

Located in Allegany County, Keeney Swamp Wildlife Management Area is a designated Bird Conservation Area (BCA). Numerous species of waterfowl (PDF) breed or migrate here through the various wetlands, including Canada geese, wood duck, American black duck, mallard, blue-winged teal, hooded merganser, bufflehead, tundra swan, common moorhen, Northern pintail, common loon, and pied-billed grebe. A tremendous diversity and abundance of songbirds also breed and migrate through the shrub and forest habitat on this BCA. Some grasslands also support grassland species including Northern harrier, upland sandpiper, vesper sparrow, bobolink, and Eastern meadowlark. In addition to great birding, this site features trails and parking for visitors. Check out some of the latest bird sightings on eBird.

To plan a visit to this site or to check out more unique birding areas located around New York, check out the NYS Birding Trail map.

Research in Action: Nesting Birds in Mountaintop Habitats

DEC is partnering with the Cary Institute, NY Natural Heritage Program, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and SUNY New Paltz Biology Department to monitor birds, such as the Bicknell’s thrush, that nest in rare mountaintop habitats. Three field technicians are surveying dense and shrubby spruce-fir habitats on high peaks in the Catskills for Goldilocks-like montane bird species that nest on or near the ground in trees that are not too big, not too small, but just right.

Finding montane nesting birds is no easy feat—field technicians must be on these summits before dawn, monitor for montane birds along specific routes in the dark, and identify these birds strictly by their song. In June and July, the birds’ pre-dawn song indicates that they are breeding in the vicinity.

Some goals of this fieldwork:

• Collecting data about the presence of nesting montane birds including Bicknell’s thrush, yellow-bellied flycatcher, white-throated sparrow, dark-eyed junco, and blackpoll warbler.
• Helping DEC determine the impact that informal trail networks and bushwhacking have on montane nesting birds.
• Adding to existing data that DEC is collecting for the visitor use monitoring efforts in the Catskill High Peaks.
• Comparing this season’s bird monitoring data to data collected from Mountain Birdwatch and other sources. This will help DEC make management recommendations to decrease the negative impacts of recreation to help protect vulnerable bird species.

To learn more about ongoing research on informal trails in the Catskill High Peaks, visit our website.

Photo Caption: Field technicians monitoring for montane nesting birds in the Catskill Preserve.

Staff Profile: Mike Wasilco

DEC is home to many staff birders, including those who interact with birds in the field via research and conservation efforts, as well as those who claim birding as a hobby. Read on to learn more about Mike Wasilco, Region 8’s Wildlife Manager.

What do you do at DEC? — As a Wildlife Manager, I supervise the wildlife biologists and technicians to carry out DEC’s mission of managing the wildlife resources for the people of New York in the western Finger Lakes part of the state.

Favorite birding memory? — One of my favorite encounters was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the early 1990s when we had a string of winters that brought down many owls from the boreal forests up north. We had a day where we encountered at least 4 different Great Gray Owls (PDF), including one that was very accommodating on a low tree branch, allowing for some great photos.

More recent fond memories are when I have headed out to see a rare bird that is making an appearance locally, and I get to be around fellow birders on the prowl. Often the target bird is a new life bird for those present, and the experienced birders are almost always willing to help new arriving birders spot the target.

Do you keep a life list? — I have kept a life list since 1996. My overall life list lies right around 500 species. I keep lists by state and county using eBird and have identified 312 species throughout New York State and 256 species in Livingston County, my area of residence.

What is your coolest spotting? — The coolest species I have observed is an albatross I spotted while on a fishing boat just outside of Moriches Inlet on Long Island. I might not have even noticed it if my father (who is not a birder) had not asked what that giant black and white bird was! I had not quite begun my birding journey at the time I saw this bird, but I believe it was likely a yellow-nosed albatross.

Photo Credit: eBird

Photo Submissions

Photo Credit: Common yellowthroat at Green Lakes State Park by Lew Troast Jr.

Photo Credit: Bald eagle at Meacham Lake by Mary Tashjian

Photo Credit: Hooded merganser couple in Central Park by Susan Asch

Each month we will be spotlighting the best pictures from across the Birding Trail! To share your photos from the trail, please email us photo submissions with photo locations.

Upcoming Birding Events

Sat. July 29: Conesus Inlet WMA with the Rocester Birding Association (Livingston County)
Sat. July 29: Birding by Canoe Excursion at Pelham Bay Park (Bronx County)
Fri. July 28: Birding at Minnewaska State Park (Ulster County)
Fri. Aug. 4: On the Canals Pollinator Hike at Montezuma Audubon (Wayne County)
Sat. Aug. 5: Governor’s Island Bird Tour with NYC Audubon (New York County)
Thurs. Aug. 10: Early Morning Bird Walk at Five Rivers (Albany County)
Sat. Aug. 12: Vulture Tour at the NY Botanical Garden with NYC Audubon (New York County)
Sun. Aug. 13: Summer Birding at Wave Hill Park (Bronx County)
Thurs. Aug. 17: Wildlife Outing at Madison Square Park (New York County)
Sat. Aug. 19: Young Birders Trip to Braddock Bay (Monroe County)
Sat. Aug. 19: Raptors at Paul Smiths VIC (Franklin County)
Sat. Aug. 19: On the Canals Pollinator Hike at Montezuma Audubon (Wayne County)

Find more birding events at State Parks by visiting their events webpage.