The

Upland Plover

Publication of the North Country Bird Club, Inc.

January / February 2015

Since 1948

Volume 56 No. 1

MEMBERS ARE REMINDED THAT

2015 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
ARE NOW DUE
IF YOU HAVE NOT RENEWED,
PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM
INCLUDED AS AN ATTACHMENT
& FORWARD IT WITH YOUR DUES
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

The 2014 Christmas Bird Count report will

appear in the March-April Plover.

SPRING MEETINGS
Please note the dates of our spring meetings on your calendar. Meetings
are held at Stone Presbyterian Church, 140 Chestnut St, Watertown, and
begin at 7:00 pm. Spring meeting dates are:
Wednesday, March 11
Wednesday, April 8
Wednesday, May 13

FIELD TRIPS
2015 Season
St. Lawrence River Parks: Sat, April 18 - 8:30 am
Cornell Lab & Montezuma NWR: Sat, May 2 - 8:30 am
Common Nature Center: Sat, May 16 - 8:30 am
Limerick Cedars: Wed, May 27 - 8:00 pm
Red Lake: Sat, May 30 - 8:30 am
Chaumont Barrens: Sat, June 6 - 8:30 am
Marlowe Camp, Beartown: Sat, June 20 - 8:30 am
Rodman Trails: Sat, June 27 - 8:30 am
Annual Picnic (Brouse Preserve): Sun, July 12 - 3:00 pm
Marlowe Camp, Beartown: Sat, July 25 - 8:30 am
Perch River WMA: Sat, August 22 - 8:30 am
Upper & Lower Lakes WMA: Sat, Sept 19 - 8:30 am
Montezuma NWR: Sat, Oct 17 - 8:30 am

NORTHERN CARDINAL

Watertown, December 2014

Thanks to Susan Favreau for this beautiful photo

ALS
W
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P RE
I
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S
BER R 2015 E!
M
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FO W DU
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ARE

OFFICERS

MARCH MEETING

President
Corky Marlowe
782-4705

Wednesday, March 11 - 7 pm
Stone Presbyterian Church
140 Chestnut St, Watertown

Vice-President
Bill Haller
639-6848
Treasurer
Kathleen Killeen
628-5874
Secretary
Christine Bourquin 649-5403

DIRECTORS
Richard Brouse
David Prosser
Mike Shepard
June Walker
Robert Walker

To 5/2017
To 5/2016
To 5/2016
To 5/2017
To 5/2016

Program: Spring Bird Census

This year we are planning to expand the
scope of the Clubs May Bird Census to
give a fuller picture of the wonderful variety
of bird species which can be seen in our
area. At our March meeting, we will share
the details of this new version of a
venerable Club tradition and discuss the
procedure participants will follow as we join
to survey the birds of springtime in
Northern New York.

GREAT HORNED OWL

Swamp Rd, Three Mile Bay - November 2014
Thanks to Lynn Chavoustie for this intriguing photo

Field Trip Coordinator

Richard Brouse
788-6778
Census Coordinator
Bill Haller
639-6848
Historian
Robert Walker
649-2161
Newsletter Editor
Bill Haller
639-6848

ON THE WEB:
NORTH COUNTRY
BIRD CLUB

FACEBOOK

CEDAR WAXWING

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER

Theresa - June 2014

Dexter - January 2015

Thanks to Kathy Killeen for this excellent photo

A beautiful set of bird-themed notecards is given by
For detailed info about birds, random selection, each time the Plover is issued, to
a member of our Club whose dues are current. This
visit the website of
the Cornell Ornithology Lab is intended to provide extra incentive for members
to keep memberships in good standing. We would
and of Cornells renowned
Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary like to congratulate Genie and Tom McKay of
at http://www.birds.cornell.edu Sackets Harbor, selected as this issues recipients.

ON

Photo by the Editor

TREASURERS REPORT
from the November 12th Meeting
Checking account balance .........$674.65
Savings account balance .........$1770.39
Kathleen Killeen, Treasurer

Information about programs sponsored by the Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as conservation news and regulation
updates, is now distributed to the public by a targeted e-mail system. Subscribers select topics in which they are interested from over
one hundred topics offered. To subscribe, go to: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/NYSDEC/subscriber/new

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR REGIONAL SIGHTINGS

A list of New York State Rare Bird Numbers and list serves is available at the internet site http://www.virtualbirder.com/vbirder/
Northern New York Birds List Serve: Subscribe at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Northern_NY_Birds.
Click on the Join This Group button and follow the on-screen instructions. (You will need to have or set up a Yahoo account.)
Oneida Birds List Serve (sightings in Central New York): Subscribe at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/Oneidabirds.
Click on the Join This Group button and follow the on-screen instructions. (You will need to have or set up a Yahoo account.)
Cayuga Birds List Serve: Sightings of birds and birding in the Finger Lakes Region with a focus on the Cayuga Lake Basin.
E-mail Cayugabirds-L-Request@cornell.edu. In the message body put JOIN Your name (first and last name in quotes). 2

NORTH COUNTRY BIRD CLUB SIGHTINGS

Please forward notable sightings for the next issue by February 15, using the contact info on the last page.
Snowy Owls have returned to Jefferson County in some numbers
again. The first report of one received this season came from Alvin
Hasner, who sighted a Snowy along the south shore of Point
Peninsula on 11/09. The next reported sighting came from Dick and
Marion Brouse, who, along with others in the area, sighted a Snowy
on 11/23 along Rt 12E just south of Chaumont. Sightings of this
bird continued through December, with further reports from Dick and
Marion, and reports from Lee Ellsworth, Lynn Chavoustie, Susan
Favreau, Corky Marlowe, and Bill Haller. Lynn, who saw the bird on
12/01, sighted a second Snowy that day between Chaumont and
Three Mile Bay. On 11/30, Dick and Marion sighted two more
Snowys, 1 along Favret Road and 1 just before crossing the
Isthmus onto Point Peninsula. Corky and Bill sighted a Snowy Owl
near the intersection of the Weaver and Case Roads on 12/06 and
have seen the bird again on several occasions, with the most recent
sighting on 01/05. Corky and Bill also sighted a Snowy on Pillar
Point just south of Sherwins Bay on 12/13.
By midDecember, the numbers began to increase, with multiple
Snowy Owls sighted on Point Peninsula and on the road to the
Isthmus, as well as in the Town of Cape Vincent. On 12/15, Lee
Ellsworth reported sighting a total of 6 Snowys between Chaumont
and Point Peninsula. On 12/16, Corky and Bill sighted 8 Snowys
while birding around Chaumont, Three Mile Bay, Point Peninsula
and the Isthmus, and Cape Vincent, then on 12/20 sighted 9 while
birding in the same area. But the prize most certainly goes to Dick
and Marion, who, also on 12/20 and in the same area, sighted 15
Snowy Owls. On 12/22, Corky and Bill sighted 6 Snowys while
birding in that area. Since then, the number of reported sightings in
the area has decreased.
Snowy Owls have also been sighted along Route 11 between Evans
Mills and Philadelphia. Vici and Steve Diehl reported multiple
sightings of a male, a female, and a juvenile along that stretch of
highway, beginning with a sighting of the male on 11/29 and of the
female on 12/03. They report seeing all three birds regularly since
that time. Dick and Marion sighted a Snowy in the Town of
Hounsfield on 12/21.
Other species of Raptors have been widely reported in recent
weeks. On 11/03, a Sharpshinned Hawk visited Dick and Marions
yard in Watertown. On 11/09, Corky and Bill sighted 5 Redtailed
Hawks while birding in the Town of Hounsfield. Lee sighted a
Northern Harrier near the Dollar Store in Chaumont on 12/15. Steve
and Vici reported sighting a Merlin at their home in Antwerp on
01/03. Dick and Marion sighted Bald Eagles on three occasions, an
immature on 11/04 at their home in Watertown, an adult on 11/20 in
the Town of Lyme, and an immature on 12/20 on Point Peninsula.
Dick and Marion sighted Roughlegged Hawks on numerous
occasions, reporting 3 on 11/20 (in Watertown, the Town of Lyme,
and the Town of Cape Vincent), 1 on 11/23 in the Town of
Brownville, 1 on 11/27 on Point Peninsula, 1 on 12/09 in the Town
of Cape Vincent, and 1 on 12/13 on Point Salubrious. They sighted
a Broadwinged Hawk on Point Salubrious on 11/23. On 11/02,
Lynn Chavoustie sighted a Great Horned Owl on Swamp Road near
Three Mile Bay. On 11/29, Corky and Bill sighted a Great Horned
Owl along Rt 180 north of Limerick. Dick and Marion sighted a

Great Horned Owl at their home in Watertown on 12/20.

Snow Buntings have also been sighted regularly this season. The
first report came from Lynn, who saw 5 along Ashland Road on
10/31. On 11/16, Corky and Bill sighted 10 in the same location.
On three occasions in mid-December, Corky and Bill sighted as
many as 25 Snow Buntings along Case Road near Chaumont. Lee
sighted 25 Snow Buntings at Long Point State Park on 12/15. On
12/20, Dick and Marion sighted 19 in the Town of Cape Vincent.
Snow Geese have not been reported in the fields this fall in our
area, but Dick reported seeing sizable flocks flying over his home in
Watertown during December. On 12/08, Dick sighted a flock he
estimated at 200 in the sky above, with 800 flying over on 12/19,
8500 on 12/18, and at least 25,000 on 12/29. While flocks of
thousands were seen on the ground east of here, in Massena and
the Champlain Valley, we apparently were not a resting spot of
choice for the Snow Geese during this migration.
The first report of Tundra Swans this fall came from Kezia Sullivan,
who sighted 2 adults and 3 juveniles from her home in Sackets
Harbor on 11/13. On 11/15, Corky and Bill sighted 2 adults and 2
juveniles on Point Salubrious. On 11/23, Dick and Marion sighted
more than 300 Tundra Swans on Point Salubrious, and on 11/30,
birding with Corky and Bill, they sighted more than 300 at the upper
end of Guffins Bay. Dick and Marion also reported sighting Tundra
Swans on Point Salubrious on 12/13 (20 birds), on Point Peninsula
on 11/27 (113 birds) and 12/20 (20 birds), and in the Town of
Henderson on 12/21 (82 birds). Mute Swans were sighted by Dick
and Marion on Point Peninsula, 16 on 11/27 and 3 on 12/20.
While Great Blue Herons have now left the area, they were sighted
here throughout November. On 11/01, Bill saw 2 at Sherwins Bay.
On 11/03, Corky, Bill, Dick, and Marion sighted 1 at the same
location. Dick and Marion sighted a Great Blue Heron on 11/27 in
the Town of Lyme. The last reported sighting was on 11/30, by
Corky, Bill, Dick, and Marion, in Three Mile Bay.
On 11/02, Corky, Bill, Dick, and Marion sighted a Common Loon on
Point Salubrious. On 11/09, Corky and Bill sighted a Common Loon
at Navy Cove in Sackets. On 11/23, Dick and Marion sighted 4
Horned Grebes in the Town of Brownville and a Rednecked Grebe
in the Town of Lyme. On 11/27, they sighted 4 Horned Grebes and
a Red-necked Grebe on Point Peninsula. Lee sighted a
Rednecked Grebe along the south shore of Pillar Point on 12/14.
A variety of Ducks have been reported over the past few weeks. Bill
sighted a pair of Bufflehead at Reeds Bay on Pillar Point on 11/01.
On 11/03, while birding along Pillar Points south shore, Corky, Bill,
Dick, and Marion sighted Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Mallard,
American Black Duck, and Scaup (too distant to be sure whether
Greater or Lesser). On 11/20, Kezia reported that, over the
previous few days, she had sighted Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall,
Northern Pintail, and American Black Duck from her home in
Sackets. Dick and Marion reported sighting Common Goldeneye
and Bufflehead on Point Salubrious on 11/23, 4 Hooded Merganser
on Point Salubrious on 12/13, and 170 Redhead, as well as 6
Longtailed Duck, in the Town of Henderson on 12/21.
(continued on the next page)
3

(continued from the previous page) On 11/03, Corky, Bill, Dick, and
Marion sighted a Great Blackbacked Gull on Point Salubrious.
Kezia reported on 11/20 that she had recently sighted a Bonapartes
Gull in Sackets. Dick and Marion sighted 3 Great Blackbacked
Gulls on 12/09 and 6 on 12/20 in the Town of Lyme, 2 on 12/20 in
the Town of Brownville, and 6 on 12/20 on Point Peninsula.
A Redbellied Woodpecker was a regular visitor at Dick and
Marions home on Kelsey Creek in Watertown throughout November
and into early December, with the first sighting on 11/02 and the last
on 12/03. Bill first sighted a Redbellied Woodpecker at his feeders
in Dexter on 12/15 and has seen one numerous times since, the
most recent visit coming while this report was being written on
01/10. Dick and Marion have also reported Pileated Woodpeckers
at their home, with 2 sighted on 11/02 and 1 on 11/13. They sighted
a Pileated in the Town of Hounsfield on 12/21. On 12/29, Dick and
Marion spotted a male Northern Flicker at their home.
On 12/27, Susan Favreau sighted a flock of 30 Wild Turkeys on
Point Peninsula. Corky and Bill sighted a gathering of at least 200
Wild Turkeys in what appeared to be a double flock in a field along
Middle Road on Pillar Point on 01/05.
Members have reported a variety of birds in their yards and at their
feeders this season. On 11/15, Kezia sighted two Yellowrumped
Warblers in her yard in Sackets. Dick and Marion reported sightings

of a Fox Sparrow at their home on Kelsey Creek in Watertown on

11/01, 11/02, and 11/04. They last reported sighting the Fox
Sparrow on 11/06, when it was courteous enough to appear during
a visit by Corky and Bill. During that visit, the four also sighted
multiple Whitethroated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal
(3m & 1f), Darkeyed Junco, Blackcapped Chickadee, and both
Hairy and Downy Woodpecker. Dick and Marion also reported
several visits by large groups of Rusty Blackbirds, 18 on 11/03,
nearly 200 on 11/10, and 225 on 11/13. Dick and Marion sighted 6
American Robins at their home on 11/01, 15 on 11/04, and 5 on
11/23. They also reported 21 Cedar Waxwings on 11/10, 2 Pine
Siskins on 11/17 and again on 11/19, a Purple Finch on 11/01 and
11/02, and a Carolina Wren on 12/03 and again on 12/08.
On 11/20, Susan Favreau reported sightings over the previous few
days at her home in Watertown of Tufted Titmouse, Whitebreasted
Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, American Tree Sparrow, Blue Jay,
Darkeyed Junco, Blackcapped Chickadee, American Goldfinch,
and Mourning Dove. Susan reported a visit by 3 male Northern
Cardinals at her home on 12/03. Kathy Killeen reported sighting 3
Pine Siskins in her yard in Theresa on 12/06. On 01/06, Corky
reported as many as 4 male Northern Cardinals had been in her
yard throughout early January. On that day, Dick and Marion had
sighted 7 at their home in Watertown.

A SNOWY ECHO?
In the interest of accuracy in terminology, we pass on this information from a report aired by CBC News Windsor on 12/29:
The . . . invasion of snowy owls in 2013 was called an irruption. This year, the second year of the phenomenon, is called an echo.
An irruption is a dramatic, irregular migration of large numbers of birds to areas where they arent typically found. An echo year occurs
when the same phenomenon occurs the following year. - Thanks to Susan Favreau for bringing this item to our attention.

FUERTES PAINTING

Dick Brouse received the above photo from Harriet McMillan of

Watertown, who took it on 12/26 and asked Dick for help with
identification. Dick forwarded the photo to Jeff Bolsinger, Fort
Drums ornithologist, and thought our readers would be interested
in Jeffs response. Jeff indicates the bird is a Dark-eyed Junco,
and said many would refer to it as an Albino. However, it is not an
Albino - Albinos have pink eyes - but a Leucistic Junco. According
to Jeff, most animals termed Albino are actually Leucistic, and
Leucistics can be either partial or complete - this bird is nearly
complete. (Both terms come from root words meaning white,
with Leucistic derived from the Greek and Albino from the Latin.)
Our thanks to Jeff for clarifying these descriptive terms.
For info on Onondaga Audubon Society field trips
and programs, visit http://onondagaaudubon.com/

SNOWY OWL

WHY THE IVORY-BILLED?

The Nov-Dec 2014 issue of Birdwatchers Digest reprints an article written for the magazine in
1988 by Roger Tory Peterson, often called the father of modern birdwatching. The article
outlines the principal reasons for the steep decline of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, now widely
believed to be extinct. A sizable population of this magnificent bird occupied the forested
swamplands of the southeastern United States into the early twentieth century. By
mid-century, only the slightest evidence of the birds continued existence could be found, and
that evidence was far from universally accepted.
While many factors could be counted as having contributed to the apparent loss of this nearly
mythical bird, one aspect of the situation seems particularly intriguing. It is often found that an
extinction event affects a whole group of related species. At present, for instance, amphibians
appear to be in trouble - not some particular amphibian species, but a large number, perhaps
even the great majority, of amphibian species. The Great Apes are similarly, as a group, in
Painting by Tomasz Cofta
rapid decline. But most species of Woodpeckers seem to be doing tolerably well. They are
affected, certainly, by such factors as loss of habitat and change in climate, but no more so than other common avian species.
Why the Ivory-billed? What was it about this particular Woodpecker that made it so much more susceptible to the influence of
changing conditions than the Downy, the Hairy, the Red-bellied, the Redheaded, the Pileated? What would have been necessary
to sustain the magnificent Ivory-billed that apparently was not a critical issue for these other, closely related species? Peterson
provides some interesting answers to these questions, answers which might well assist us in sustaining other species in decline.
Perhaps the most striking fact that Peterson sets forth concerns territorial requirements. A single breeding pair of Ivory-billed
Woodpeckers required six square miles of habitat. That same area, he notes, would support 36 pairs of Pileated or 126 pairs of
Red-bellied Woodpeckers. The extensive clearcut logging of southeastern forests to meet the demand for wood of our expanding
population would have had a much more severe, and much more rapid, effect on Ivory-billeds than on other Woodpeckers with
much smaller habitat requirements.
Another factor setting the Ivory-billed apart, according to Peterson, was its very specific feeding habits. The bird fed mostly on
white grubs which lived in decaying wood just below the bark of trees that had been dead for two or three years. After about a year
of further decay, as the decay moved further into the tree, these grubs moved on, and the tree no longer provided a food source for
the Ivory-billed. Pileated Woodpeckers, however, were able to obtain food from the tree for some time as it continued to decay,
being much less particular than the Ivory-billed. As a result of differing feeding habits, the Pileateds had a much more extensive,
much longer-lasting food source than the Ivory-billeds.
A third factor which led to the disappearance of the Ivory-billed would have made any eventual attempt at restoring the species
virtually impossible. So this third factor, while not the most striking, is probably the most significant. According to Peterson, unlike
the Pileated, the Ivory-billed did not adapt well to second-growth forests, even where forests did recover after logging operations.
Peterson does not elaborate, and it may well be that the specific reasons why this was the case are not fully understood.
However, once the virgin forestland in the Southeast was largely gone, there would have been no way to restore sufficient suitable
habitat for the Ivory-billed. What would have been necessary to sustain the magnificent Ivory-billed? Not to cut the old-growth
forest in the first place. Once extensive logging was under way - and that occurred long before the appearance of any real concern
for the bird - it was game over. The Ivory-billed was doomed.
What made the Ivory-billed so much more vulnerable than other Woodpeckers? In simplest terms, this: It required extensive
resources, had very specific requirements, and, most critically, could not adapt to changing conditions. These three general
factors combined to remove one of natures most stunning creatures from our world. What can we learn from the disappearance of
this incredible bird? There are many lessons here. But certainly the most important is that these factors combined to doom the
bird only because humans made major, irreversible changes to its world without taking the trouble to fully understand the
implications of those changes. In reality, there is only one factor here, and it is us. A number of scientists are proposing that we
are now in the midst of a sixth major extinction event, the previous five stretching back through Earths long history. The principal
cause proposed for this event? A look at the fate of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker leads readily to the answer to that question.

Each winter, the DEC conducts a survey of Wild Turkey flocks,

to gather data for conservation and management. Birders are
encouraged to join in this survey by reporting sightings of flocks
observed from January through March.
For instructions and report forms, go to:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/wintertkysurvey15.pdf

MIGRATION FORECASTS
The Cornell Ornithology Lab now offers
predictions of bird migration patterns. Track
migrations and find out what birds should be
moving through our area as the seasons
progress at http://birdcast.info
5

THE UPLAND PLOVER

North Country Bird Club, Inc.
P. O. Box 634
Watertown, NY 13601
On FACEBOOK: North Country Bird Club

REMEMBER TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2015!

N ORTH C OUNTRY B IRD C LUB
A CTIVITIES
Meetings / Programs: September,
October, November, March, April, May
(Second Wednesday of the month)
Field Trips: Spring - Summer - Fall
Spring Bird Census
Newsletter: The Upland Plover
Website: North Country Bird Club
on FACEBOOK
The North Country Bird Club, Inc.,
is a member of the New York State
Ornithological Association, Inc.

SNOWY OWL
Point Peninsula - December 2014
Thanks to Susan Favreau for this excellent photo

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ITEMS FOR THE NEXT PLOVER ARE DUE BY FEBRUARY 15
If you have sightings, photos, or other submissions for
the March/April edition, please forward them by February 15.
Contact info: Bill Haller, Editor - Mail: P. O. Box 6, Dexter, NY 13634
E-mail: haldex@twcny.rr.com - Phone: (315) 639-6848 (9 am to 9 pm)

BROWN THRASHER
Theresa - September 2014
Thanks to Kathy Killeen for this striking photo
Consider joining the New York State
Ornithological Association, (our Club is a
member organization). Membership includes a
quarterly journal (Kingbird) and a newsletter (New
York Birders). For details: www.nybirds.org.