December 15th: Join the Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count

Winter has come and gone three times this week so I don’t have much hope for the snow that’s currently falling. It should make for more open water for birds to be included in the Audubon Christmas Count on Saturday, December15.

Birds that are seen three days before and three days after the 15th can be included in the tally of birds seen during the count period.

I know of several ducks that are still hanging around. And yesterday (12/9) I saw two Loons on Raquette Lake.

I’m sure there are a couple more to be found somewhere on the Fulton Chain.

There have been a lot of Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneye and Bufflehead on the big lakes.

I heard there are still some Geese hanging out in the area also.

One feeder in Thendara had three pairs of Cardinals for over a week now. There were several reports earlier in the fall and maybe some of them are still around.

Some Common Redpolls arrived at local feeders this week. I saw a few of them eating grit on the South Shore Road.

If someone wants to take a walk in the woods on Saturday to join in the bird count there are plenty of areas that need coverage.

You just have to keep track of the number of birds you saw and how many miles you walked.

There are still a few birds out in the woods, mostly Chickadees, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers.

I have flushed a few Ruffed Grouse in my travels and there seems to be Turkeys along most of our highways. A few more moved into my feeding area this week.

The cost of sunflower seeds and whole corn is up this year, however the price of gas to go buy feed is going down.

There are some interesting programs scheduled at View as part of its Science on Sunday series.

This Sunday (12/16) Amy Sauer is doing a program on her song bird studies done in various areas of the Adirondacks.

She worked as part of BRI Program studying mercury in the birds she was catching.

Some song birds seem to be in trouble. This may be linked to mercury pollution as it has been documented in big birds like Loons.

The program will be held in the Eco Gallery and begins at 2 p.m.

I didn’t see much wildlife this week during my tromps in the woods.

I saw a Pileated Woodpecker on Bear Pond Trail, 15 Hooded Mergansers on 5th Lake, Ruffed Grouse on West Pond off the Big Moose Road, a flock of Turkeys on Route 28, and two Loons on Raquette Lake. I saw a Black Duck twice on Indian Brook.

And then there was the Ermine outside my cellar entrance.

This little guy runs in the end of a drain pipe when he sees or hears me coming.

The critter has kept the mouse population down since it has arrived on the scene.

I think he can get in the garage through a hole the Chipmunks made as I’ve seen him in there a couple times. I don’t know why he is chasing mice.

He should have enough meat to eat with from the coon carcass that’s hanging in the tree out back.

I haven’t seen him on it but I’m sure he has found it in the dark. Ermine can climb up a tree as fast as a Squirrel so they can get away from a Coyote or Fox.

They also have a very strong spray that they can use to defend themselves from their enemies.

It’s not as strong as a Skunk spray, but it smells pretty bad.

Meat eaters will not starve around here as there are also a couple beaver carcasses out front waiting for a Bald Eagle to find them. I’m sure the Coyotes will come first.

Maybe Fisher or Pine Marten will show up now that that the season is closed.

They cover a lot of territory, particularly in a year like this when there is so little wild food out there.

They might find a dead Deer that someone lost during hunting season which they will stay with most of the winter.

I once came across such a scene as that while I was Beaver trapping in the spring.

The snow was about four feet deep that year and a Fisher had made holes down through the snow just like a Woodchuck.

He had been eating on this all winter and had it pretty well cleaned up down to the bones.

It was like having frozen meat in a snow refrigerator. He must have been fat and happy.

Back then we didn’t have trail cameras, but if I find something like that now I put out my camera and catch the action.

The American Chestnut is making a comeback, but that’s another story. See ya.