The Naturalists' Club of Broome County, NY

Weed Walk Diary – March 2010

March 3 – Central Broome
Canada Geese, Black Ducks, Mallards, Ring-Billed Gulls and a lone Ring-Necked Duck were spotted at Boland Pond and the river. A light morph Rough-Legged Hawk flew over on Knapp Hill Rd, Horned Larks on Edwards Hill and Tree Sparrows on Brotzman were special. But our “best” bird was probably the Ruffed Grouse sitting eye level in a close bush on Arnold Rd. Altogether we had 26 species, keeping us happy.

March 10 – Northern Broome
SSE winds brought many big flocks of Canada Geese headed north, some included Snow Geese; also many C.Grackles, Red-Winged Blackbirds & Am.Robins. At Boland Pond, besides the usual Mallards & Am.Black Ducks, there were Am.Wigeons, Green-Winged Teals, Canvasback, Ring-Necked Ducks, C.Mergansers and a Great Blue Heron – all exciting signs of spring’s arrival. On Edwards Hill Rd. we spotted a lingering N.Shrike; Howland Hill hosted a Killdeer & Horned Larks. Adding to our total of 35sp were Pileated & Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, E.Bluebirds, Song Sparrow, W.Turkeys and other common.

March 17 – Eastern Broome
Sharp-Shinned, Cooper’s & Red-Tailed Hawks plus E.Bluebirds, Song Sparrows, a late Am.Tree Sparrow and other common species. Ending at Boland Pond we had Am.Wigeons, Am.Black Ducks, Mallards, Green-Winged Teals, Ring-Necked Ducks, Hooded and Common Mergansers. An immature Bald Eagle perched along the river in Chenango Bridge.

March 24 – On the road again
Still a good migratory waterfowl day as we added Wood Ducks on the river; N.Shovelers & Buffleheads at Boland Pond added to the previously seen duck species. Our list of 39sp included a Bald Eagle off Jacobs Highway, E.Bluebirds and many W.Turkeys. The Am.Kestrels, Tree Swallows, N.Flicker, E.Phoebe, dozens of Am.Robins as well as C.Grackles & Red-Winged Blackbirds were all early signs of spring.

March 31 – Headed north
Green-Winged Teals, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads & C.Mergansers at Boland and Upper Lisle plus Gr.Blue Heron & DC Cormorants. Raptors included Turkey Vultures, Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed Hawks and a hunting N.Harrier on Smith Hill Rd. Killdeer, E.Phoebe, Horned Larks, WB Nuthatch, E.Bluebird as well as huge flocks of Red-Winged BB’s & C.Grackles on a manured field gave us 33sp total.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – October 2009

October 7 – Roading
The quiet period after a strong cold front went through gave us a respectable number of species including Wood Ducks, Mallards, W.Turkeys, Pied-Billed Grebe, DC Cormorant, Gr.Blue Heron, Turkey Vultures, N.Harriers, Sharp-Shinned & Red-Tailed Hawks, Am.Kestrels, Am.Coots, B.Kingfisher, E.Phoebes. E.Bluebirds and more at Boland Pond and other central Broome locales.

October 14 – Broome and Tioga
Cold but the birds were good; at Murphy’s we got a good start with Ruddy Duck, DC Cormorants, GB Heron, Am.Kestrel, E.Phoebes, Carolina Wren, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, RCKinglet, E.Towhee and our first White-Crowned Sparrows of the season, both adult & juvenile. Stewart Pond had a Sharp-Shinned Hawk and more White-Crowneds. In Tioga County at the DEC river overlook was a huge raft of Canada Geese, Killdeers, B.Kingfisher and an adult Bald Eagle; a Beaver swam past us. Our last stop at Livingston Park gave us Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Downies, WB Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Robins and White-Thr.Sparrow plus others.

October 21 – West Corners Marsh
A Mockingbird started us off from the Mall & we found a huge flock of RW Blackbirds at W.Corners Marsh along with a dozen Rusty Blackbirds, a great find. Ducks included Mallards, Green-Winged Teals, Black Ducks and C.Merganser there and at Boland Pond. An adult Bald Eagle perched along the river at Whitney Pt., contributing to a good total count.

October 28 – Rainy day
A constant heavy downpour let up at Dorchester Park, making it easy to spot the 10 Sanderlings moving along the shore. There also were B.Kingfisher, Killdeer, Gr.Blue Herons, RB Gulls & two adult Bald Eagles. Other birds of note on various routes were two Snow Geese in a huge flock of Canadas, Hooded Mergs, Am.Wigeons, Black Ducks, Turkeys, Am.Robins & E.Bluebirds. We topped off our respectable list with the Merlin, perched a little west of his usual spot along Rt17.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – August 2009

August 5 – Roading
Three special birds made for an exciting trip – at Dorchester Park we had a Caspian Tern; on Round Pond Rd. an immature Broad-Winged Hawk gave us long looks but our most unusual was a Yellow-Throated Warbler on German Hollow Rd. Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Am.Kestrels, E.Wood Pewee, E.Phoebes, E.Kingbirds, E.Bluebirds and many dozen others contributed to an impressive number of species.

August 12 – Parks
We made short visits to several valley parks, seeing or hearing many typical August birds including Am.Redstart, Gr.Blues, B.Kingfisher and Blue-Hd.Vireo. In downtown Binghamton we spotted one of the Peregrine Falcons perched on the Security Mutual Bldg.; a Scarlet Tanager was at Port Dick Park and on the Susquehanna a Bald Eagle, Great Egret and DC Cormorants.

August 19
Two special happenings gave us a great morning – After racking up a good number of very nice species we were checking the marsh on Leetville Rd when a Sheriff’s Deputy drove by – no ticket, but instead led us to where he had seen a Turkey Vulture perched in a tree. They do “serve” indeed! Then along Hyde St we were treated to good looks of an adult Golden Eagle circling before it headed off to the southwest.

August 26 – Middendorf Park
We started off here with a flock of B.Orioles, Blue Jays, others, then to Tri-Cities Airport to check for shorebirds, finding Killdeers, Semi-Palmated and Solitary Sandpipers. A Green Heron posed in the reeds. At Vestal-Rail Trail marsh we picked up Wood Ducks and Mallards and wrapped up on the Vestal side of the river with more Killdeer and DC Cormorants.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – June 2009

June 3: Private Property, E.Maine Rd.
The Am.Kestrels are nesting at the barn as before. Also Gr.Blue/Green Herons, Chimney Swift, Alder Flycatcher, E.Kingbird, Ovenbirds; we were treated to many other species but undoubtedly the winners were the two Blue-Winged Warblers that afforded us fabulous looks. Thank you, Elliott for your hospitality.

June 10: Sky Lake Methodist Camp
We enjoyed the hospitality granted us here; besides spotting the neighborhood Osprey we saw Red-Br.Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Wood Thrush, Chestnut-Sided/Blk.Thr.Blue & Green/Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Ovenbird, Scarlet Tanager and Indigo Bunting. On our return a stop at 5-Mile Pt. added Wood Ducks, Alder/Willow Flycatchers, Rough-Winged/Cliff Swallows, Am.Redstart/Magnolia Warblers plus.

June 17: Cole Park
A Prairie Warbler greeted us & the trail along the lake yielded the expected woods birds like Blue-Hd./Red-Eyed Vireos, Veery, Wood Thrush, Blk-thr.Green Warblers & Ovenbirds; Killdeer on the shore. Heading back via Old State Rd. we picked up W.Turkeys, RT Hawks, Am.Kestrel, a Merlin flying over, Chestnut-Sided Warblers, Bobolinks and many more.

June 24: BU Nature Preserve
A hot summer day gave us a complement of birds usually found at this time of year incl. Green Heron, Turkey Vultures, RT Hummingbird, Yellow Warblers, C.Yellowthroats, N.Flicker & B.Oriole. Young Rough-Winged Swallows lined up on the wires being fed by the adults.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – October 2008

October 1:
Leaves turning color at West Corners Marsh gave us a beautiful background for 33 species including Wood Ducks, Green & Blue-Winged  Teals, Flickers, Phoebes, RC Kinglets, Bluebird, Catbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Palm Warbler, Lincoln’s/Swamp Sparrows and Purple Finch.  At Rt17C Park we saw Field Sparrows and Mockingbirds while at the river an Osprey flew over.

October 8:
At Aqua-Terra there were Wood Ducks, Mallards, Catbirds, Robins, White-Throated/White-Crowned Sparrows and a Yellow-Rumped Warbler.  Along Hance Road we saw more sparrows, Turkey Vultures, Bluebird and House Finches.  RC Kinglets showed up at Jones Park.  Our final stop along the river gave us Gr.Blue Herons, Kingfisher, C.Mergansers, DC Cormorants and Killdeer for 30sp total.

October 15:
Undoubtedly the BOD was the big flock of Am.Pipits we saw up close on Owen Hill Rd.  Also sparrows were very active in many places, including Song, Savannah, White-Throated plus many White-Crowned, both adult and immature.  Many Robins and Cedar Waxwings fed on King St. We found a family of Bluebirds on Nanticoke Rd. making 30 our total species for a very foggy morning.

October 22:
We walked my favorite dirt road on a cold, damp day and were rewarded with 22 species including dozens of Robins, Downies/Hairys, N.Flicker, RC Kinglets, Mockingbird, Cedar Waxwings, Cardinals, House Finches.  On the river we found Hooded/C.Mergansers, Cormorants, Gr.Blue Herons.  At Tri-Cities Airport there was a mixed flock of 12sp adding Carolina Wrens, Red-Bellied Woodpecker and our BOD – a Clay-Colored Sparrow in with a dozen Chipping Sparrows.  Wood Ducks and Mallards at W.Corners Marsh made our total of 35sp.

October 29:
Being undaunted by cold and snow flurries we found five species of raptor – Bald Eagle at Dorchester, Cooper’s Hawks, Red-Tailed Hawks, Kestrel and N.Harrier; huge flocks of Canada Geese, Starlings and Red-Winged Blackbirds with a lone Grackle tossed in.  Again we had a large flock of Am.Pipits, this time on Edwards Hill Rd. along with some Horned Larks.  A 29sp day.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – August 2008

August 6:
Rain turned into sunshine and we were treated to a good count of birds at Upper Lisle & Bassett Road. Rose-Br.Grosbeaks were in abundance as were Cedar Waxwings. Green Herons, Gr.Blue Heron, RE Vireos, Am.Redstart, White-Thr.Sparrow were at UL, We then added Broad-Winged Hawk, B.Kingfisher, Yellow-Thr.Vireo, Yellow Warblers and our BOD – a Blackpoll Warbler on Bassett – seems the fall migration is underway!

August 13:
At Nanticoke Lake we found R-T Hummingbird, N.Flicker, E.Wood Pewee, E.Kingbirds, Brown Thrasher, C.Yellowthroat, Scarlet Tanager, Savannah Sparrows, Indigo Buntings and Purple Finches. Many Am.Kestrels, Least Flycatcher, more Kingbirds, E.Bluebirds, N.Mockingbird and several E.Meadowlarks along the way added to our species. On Reed Rd. we had a Coyote run across the road, giving us an unusual mammal sighting.

August 20:
Birding at Aqua Terra and along the Susquehanna turned up a migrating Osprey along with several dozen other species including E.Wood Pewee, Turkey Vulture, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Veery and Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. The BOD was our last bird – a Philadelphia Vireo which gave us great looks.

August 27:
We found the shorebirds as reported on a Hyde St. pond, seeing Least, Semi-palmated, Solitary Sandpipers and Killdeer. At Parsons Rd. a large wave of mixed species included Broad-Winged, Sharp-Shinned and Red-Tailed Hawks, B.Kingfisher, BG Gnatcatcher, Chestnut-Sided/Yellow Warblers, Blue-Hd./Yellow-Throated Vireos. A huge flock of Cedar Waxwings gorged on the Black Cherries at Chenango Bridge Park. And our BOD was undoubtedly the N.Goshawk(f) on King St.that we observed as it flew, then perched.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – November 2007

November 7 – We checked a couple of places in Tioga Co. and were rewarded with a Ruddy Duck at Mirror Lake, a Red-shouldered Hawk at the Campville Bridge and E.Bluebirds on Kinney Rd. Back in Broome we picked up Wood Ducks, many Mallards, Cooper’s Hawk and Carolina Wren along with other common species.

Novemer 14 – Cincinnatus Lake in Chenango Co. gave us Green-Winged Teals, Hooded Mergansers and W.Turkeys. Two Am.Kestrels on the way to Edwards Hill Rd. in Broome started a good hawk day, closing with 3 N.Harriers, 7 Rough-Legged and 12 Red-tailed Hawks.

These were our last official Weed Walks for the year till next March.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh and Dan Watkins. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – October 2007

October 3 – Hawkins Pond – On the way to Hawkins Pond we ran into a nice flock of Turkeys. The day went slow and we did not see much until half way around the Pond, when we ran into a warbler flock that had Palm, Black-throated Green and Yellow-rumps mixed with some Ruby Crowned Kinglets. Other highlight birds: Red-tail, Phoebe, White-throat and Meadowlark.

October 10 – West Corners Marsh – With reports of a Black-crowned Night Heron we headed for the Marsh. NO Black-crowned. At Rt.17 Park, River Road and Victory St. we added these highlight birds: C. Mergs, Kingfisher, 4 Woodpeckers, Carolina Wren, Field Sparrow and Purple Finch.

October 17 – Pharsalia – We went for Red Crossbills and while not seeing them we did pick up their little but consistent chirping. We searched for quite a while before even getting the sound. On a Truck Road we had a flock of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. As things were slowing down, a Vesper Sparrow gave us a good look. Other highlight birds were Hairy Woodpecker, Sharpie and a massive number of Juncoes.

October 24 – Valley Spots – Dodged raindrops and came up with some great birds: Wood Ducks, flocks of DC Cormorants, Osprey (eating a fish), Sharp-shinned Hawk, Bald Eagle, Am.Coots, Carolina Wrens, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Bluebirds, dz’s of Robins, Mockingbird (serenading us), Wht-Throated Sparrows and Wht-Crowned Sparrow being among the choicest.

October 31 – Northward – A beautiful fall day yielded many species including some early migrants – Brant at Dorchester Park, Rough-legged Hawks, an immature N.Shrike and Fox Sparrow. Other of our “best” birds were a late Yellowlegs,Hooded/C.Mergansers, Pied-Billed Grebes, N.Harriers, Bald Eagles and Purple Finches.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh and Dan Watkins. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – September 2007

September 5 – We found Aqua Terra Park very busy with many birds testing our skills as they foraged among the leaves. In addition to RT Hummingbirds, B,Kingfisher and YB Sapsuckers we were rewarded with RE Vireo, RC Kinglet, many Cedar Waxwings, Magnolia/Prairie Warblers, C.Yellowthroat, Field Sparrow, RB Grosbeak and Purple Finch. Along the way were W.Turkeys, Turkey Vultures, Am.Kestrels and E.Bluebirds for a total of 43 species.

September 12 – Strong winds made Cole Park relatively quiet bird-wise but a jaunt along some country roads ended up giving us a good raptor day with Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned/Red-tailed Hawks and many Am.Kestrels. E.Bluebirds were seen in big numbers and our total of 30 species included C.Mergansers, E.Phoebe, RE Vireo, Blk-Throated Green and Blue-winged Warblers.

September 19 – Starting off at Greenwood Park gave us a group of warblers including Blk-Thr.Green/Blackburnian/Blackpoll and Yellow-Rumped. A Red-Breasted Nuthatch and Scarlet Tanager were there plus Killdeers. We went on to Dorchester which was unrewarding but along the way we picked up Meadowlarks and many raptors, especially N.Harriers and Am.Kestrels for a total of 37 species.

September 26 – Many Cedar Waxwings, Robins, Catbirds, DE Juncoes and WB Nuthatch started us off on Puffer Drive, continuing with N.Flickers, RE Vireo, YB Sapsucker, E.Bluebirds, Brown Thrasher, Am.Kestrels and E.Phoebe to Upper Lisle where an immature Bald Eagle flew over and we found Solitary Sandpipers and a Lesser Yellowlegs. Returning to the Mall we spotted “The” Merlin perched atop his favorite pole at Kamikazi Curve to cap our 36-specie morning.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.

Weed Walk Diary – July 2007

July 4 – We celebrated Independence Day with a trip to Oakley Corners where we had Hermit Thrush, YB Sapsuckers and lots of wildflowers. On the way there, along Cornell Hollow Rd, were two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks plus Veeries. Just west of Owego we viewed the active Purple Martin colony and found hundreds of Tree & Bank Swallows decorating the electric lines across the Susquehanna. At the Apalachin-Campville bridge we saw Cliff Swallows and Bluebirds. Kestrel, Wood Thrush, Indigo Bunting and others rang up a total of 44 species.

July 11 – Our trip to the Pharsalia Gamelands area in Chenango County was very good despite occasional light rain. Outstanding of the 50 species we had were White/Red-Br.Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-Cr.Kinglet, Veery/Swainson’s/Hermit/Wood Thrushes, Chestnut-Sided/Magnolia/Blk-Thr.Blue & Green/Blackburnian/AmRedstart Warblers, Scarlet Tanager and White-Thr.Sparrows.

July 18 – Visited Sky Lake Camp, an old favorite; there and nearby we counted 48 species with a Ruffed Grouse perched in a tree, Red-Shouldered Hawk, E.Wood Pewees, E.Phoebes, E.Kingbirds, BH Vireo, Hermit/Wood Thrushes, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, E.Towhees, Savannah Sparrows and Rose-Br.Grosbeak being among the choicest. We saw much Indian Pipe and Bunchberry.

July 25 – Wood Ducks, Gr.Blue/Green Herons, Solitary Sandpipers, RT Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpeckers, Willow Flycatcher, House Wrens and Cedar Waxwings were some of the birds we found at West Corners Marsh. At Round Top an accommodating Pine Warbler gave us close looks; also there were E.Phoebes and BH Vireo. Other birds adding to our total of 42 species were Am.Kestrels, Carolina Wren and Indigo Bunting while G.Catbirds were everywhere. Yellow Day Lily and Tansy bloomed at Middendorf Park.

Weed Walk Diary is provided by members of the Naturalists’ Club of Broome County. This Weed Walk Diary was written by Marie Petuh. For information on the Naturalists Club, write P.O. Box 191, Vestal, N.Y. 13850.