WFB 195 Day 4 @ Ausable Marsh, Cumberland Bay State Park and Cumberland Head Road, 5/27/2021

Date --- 5/25/2021
Start Time --- 7:00 AM
End Time --- 12:45 PM
Location --- A) Ausable Marsh Wildlife Management Area, Peru, VT 12972 ... B) Cumberland Bay State Park, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 ... C) Cumberland Head Road, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Weather --- (Temperature) = 60 degrees Fahrenheit, or ~ 16 degrees Celsius ... (Wind) = 15mph S/SW ... (Precipitation) = none. Transitioned from a deep grey sky and what looked like thunderstorms to a clear and sunny late morning and early afternoon.
Habitats --- The first habitat was the Ausable Marsh, which I visited on Monday 5/24. I was hoping to see new waterbird species, but unfortunately today wasn't the day. Initially, the park is just a road that splits two sections of trees and crosses over the Little Ausable River, but the trees thin out over distance and eventually open up into beaches. Every quarter mile along the road, a trail or dock can be used to reach mudland or dense shrubland along the water body. Marshy areas line the right side of the road, but the deciduous forests that lie just past this microhabitat was a new discovery today. On Monday, I stayed relatively put in this portion of the park, but ventured far along the other side, near Dead Creek and the Ausable River. Upon inspection, the forests were just inland of open rocky beaches (serving as campgrounds) and occasionally contained mudflats. It was here where I thought I heard an American Redstart, but I am not 100% confident.

Cumberland Bay State Park borders (you guessed it) Cumberland Bay, and I was glad I made the trip. In the southern section of the park, varying densities of trees span across the park's land. The beaches separated the water body from the light arboreal areas, and when walking along the beach, I noticed that different species were found within different densities. Perhaps this was just a coincidence, but I noticed the more forest-y species in the denser areas, whereas the generalists hung out among the more interspersed trees. My first ever Pine Warbler and Warbling Vireo sightings were observed in the more densely arboreal areas.

My third and final location happened to be right on the front porch of the location I'm staying at, along Cumberland Head Road. To the one side of the road lies a mix of sandy and rocky beaches, with few trees lining the shore. The other side of the road possesses houses, most with gardens, where I saw the typical generalist species. Our view of the water allowed us to see three Ring-billed Gull sunbathing with a lone Double-crested Cormorant. Untouched woods can be found behind the houses along this road, and I faintly heard some species that couldn't be ID'ed due to the noise of vehicles and nature (water/wind).

Tomorrow, I hope to hit a range of habitats, as I will be visiting Thursday's recommended site (Mud Creek Pond in Alburg, VT), along with Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge in Swanton. I'm excited to scope out Missisquoi; I hope to visit it frequently this summer, as I will be working in Swanton most days.

Julkaistu toukokuu 28, 2021 12:35 AP. käyttäjältä pyramidlakejake