WFB 195 Day 3 @ Redd Road and Macomb Reservation State Park, 5/26/2021

Date --- 5/26/2021
Start Time --- 7:00 AM
End Time --- 12:30 PM
Location --- Redd Road in Peru, NY 12972 and Macomb Reservation State Park in Morrisonville, NY 12962
Weather --- (Temperature) = 78 degrees Fahrenheit, or ~ 25.5 degrees Celsius ... (Wind) = 8mph N/NE ... (Precipitation) = none. Almost entirely sunny throughout the morning.

Habitats --- Redd Road was a very uneven dirt and gravel road that extended into the deciduous forests of Clinton County for miles; I drove in about 2 miles before turning back, parking near the road's entrance and beginning from there. The road split the forest right in half, and there was little walkable area between the tree lines and the dirt/gravel. Unfortunately, the masses of trees were pretty dense and there were no trails, so it was tough to see any birds here. The very first thing I heard was a Black-throated Blue Warbler, followed by Ovenbird and Eastern Kingbird, which I've come to recognize almost right away. My ID'ing by ear is definitely improving ... can't wait to keep working on it this summer.

Unfortunately, because it was strictly forest split by a dirt road, there were about 10,000 mosquitos hungry for me; my mistake was not bringing it in the first place, but the gas station nearby did not have any when I stopped by before my excursion. Within 5 minutes, I had bites on both arms and legs (despite my limbs being entirely covered) and even the corner of my eye, which kind of stunk. I had to leave after about 15 minutes because it was simply too much, but I relocated to Macomb Reservation State Park, which included a few forest habitats. The road into the site had a few sections of tree, but the land opened up when Davis Lake was reached. A waterfall section under a bridge separated the two elevations of water; to the right of the road was the lake, lined with emergent trees around the entire lake. To the left of the road was the waterfall, but before the drop there was a section of cat tails. The Red-winged Blackbirds were hanging out here, and I was genuinely surprised to find about twice as many females as there were males; whenever I bird, it's usually the other way around. A pleasant surprise for a change. Foraging among the shoreline vegetation was fun, even though it only resulted in one ID, a Song Sparrow.

The more wooded sections of this area did not come from within the park itself, but just outside of it, along Davis Pond Road. Some trails went deep into the woods and were wound all about the deciduous area, but others only jutted into the forest for about a tenth of a mile before fading into nature. It was within the very non-linear, shaded trails I found the House Wren and the Wood Thrush (ID'ed by sound but of course it stopped making noise as soon as I pressed record). The yellowthroat was also observed here, along with a surprisingly dark colored Blue Jay; the dull blue colors threw me off at first, especially because they can be extremely bright in some individuals.

I was hoping to hear more forest species, but I will probably go back to a different forest habitat tomorrow to try and catch some of the songs or the plumages of the other birds we learned for this group. My goal is to become more proficient in warblers and birds of prey this summer, and the forest areas around Burlington will be good spots to practice.

On the other hand, I might go to a general area tomorrow, such as the Ausable Marsh where I went on Monday. I will see if there are any forest areas around there and plan accordingly!

Julkaistu toukokuu 26, 2021 07:34 IP. käyttäjältä pyramidlakejake