Birding in the Towns of Yates, Somerset and Surrounding Areas 2023

Save Ontario Shores once again presents an updated list of birding information and bird counts conducted in our area. Some of the counts begin this month so scan the information below if you’d like to participate.

We are fortunate to live in an area with abundant bird life. The Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is a featured site on I Love New York: https://www.iloveny.com/listing/iroquois-national-wildlife-refuge/2436/ .Those of us who live here find a stunning diversity of birds that change with the seasons, whether we are along the lakeshore, near a wildlife sanctuary or looking out a window. (See more information about Iroquois Refuge below.) A fun and useful identification tool developed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is Merlin https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/. This free app will help you to identify a bird’s call by recording its song, its appearance by photos in ebird and assist in general information about birds in your area. Most North American birds, about 75%, migrate. Spring migration takes place from the end of February and can last until the beginning of May. Most birds will travel through one of four flyways in the US. New York is in the Atlantic Flyway. This flyway covers the east coast, see https://birdcast.info/.

Bird Counts
Anyone can participate as citizen scientists by reporting what you see on the lake, at your feeder, or during one of a number of organized bird counts this year. It is a simple way to enjoy the variety of birds that pass our way and help to determine both numbers and species that are part of the natural beauty we enjoy and hope to preserve.

The Christmas Bird Count: Organized by the Audubon Society, this count takes place in specifically designated areas. Audubon's 123rd Christmas Bird Count will be held from Dec 14, 2022, to January 5, 2023, with designated areas for the count. http://www.audubon.org/join-christmas-bird-count. You can participate in as many counts as you like, or choose the one that works best for you. Type in your zip code using the map on the website to find the contact information for the Compilers. They should be contacted in advance of the count day. There are counts for the Oak Orchard River and the Niagara Falls area in December.

The Great Backyard Bird Count: http://gbbc.birdcount.org/ is a popular event where people collect information on bird populations all over the world. It’s free and easy to participate. The GBBC will be held Friday, February 17 through Monday, February 20, 2023. In addition to the count there is a photo contest with many of the pictures sent in displayed on the website and where you will find data from the 2022 bird count, including the number of IDs using Merlin (298,208). The eBird mobile app is available and allows you to enter eBird observations from anywhere in the world. You can upload both photos and sound recordings. Sightings of owls, eagles, other rarities can be added to e-Bird at any time: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/.

Project FeederWatch: The Cornell Lab also sponsors Project FeederWatch https://feederwatch.org/, a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders in backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Feeder Watchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. The FeederWatch season always begins the second Saturday in November and runs for 21 weeks, ending on a Friday in April. Even if you only count once all winter, your data are still considered valuable https://feederwatch.org/about/detailed-instructions/. If you are a beginner, the site provides a list of common birds to get you started and an interactive page about birds, what they like to eat and where they like to eat it. https://feederwatch.org/learn/common-feeder-birds/.

Buffalo Ornithological Society: The Buffalo Ornithological Society http://www.buffaloornithologicalsociety.org/ was established in 1929 to promote the study of the birds of the Niagara Frontier Region. The BOS coverage area includes western New York and parts of nearby Ontario, Canada. This region is rich in bird life with over 380 species and 25 recognizable subspecies of birds recorded. Explore the site to learn more about where to report and find birds, both regional specialties and rare visitors, and find upcoming events on their calendar page. https://www.buffaloornithologicalsociety.org/Calendar.aspx.The Society is affiliated with the Buffalo Museum of Science and is a member of the New York State Ornithological Association https://nybirds.org/.

Braddock Bay Bird Observatory: The Observatory is located in Hilton, NY, near Rochester on Lake Ontario. The Observatory focuses on ornithological research, education, and conservation. Bird counts, banding and classes are held on site. https://braddockbaybirdobservatory.wordpress.com/.

New York State Ornithological Association has conducted the Project Waterfowl survey annually since 1955: Each January, members visit lakes, rivers and shorelines to count waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans, loons, grebes, etc.). In most years, more than a quarter of a million birds are tallied.  In addition to being an enjoyable outing, DEC has acknowledged this to be a useful survey for long-term monitoring of waterfowl populations wintering in New York.  The count will always begin the Saturday just before Martin Luther King Day, which is the third week in January. For 2023 - January 14-22 (target date - Sunday, January 15). http://www.nybirds.org/ProjWaterfowl.htm

Places to watch for birds in the area: Golden Hill State Park offers shoreline and wooded areas that attract a number of both wintering and migrating species. Yates Town Park (Morrison Rd. off Route 18) offers birdwatching and has undergone a major upgrade with a graded walk, kayaking area, new enclosed pavilion and a handicap accessible playground.

The Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge has a number of areas off Route 77 that provide birdwatching opportunities. Located south of Medina in Alabama, the refuge headquarters and visitor center is located at 1101 Casey Road, one mile north and west of the Alabama traffic light at the intersection of Highway 63 and Highway 77. (585) 948-5445 https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Iroquois/. The refuge offers programs throughout the year for youth and adults as well as self-guided activities. The Wildlife Observation handout included at the following link gives instruction on using their lookout points. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/iroquois/visit-us

Birds on the Niagara: An international winter celebration of the birds that call the Niagara River corridor home. It is planned for February 2023, but no additional information was available at the time of publication. Check the website for updates at http://www.birdsontheniagara.org/.

Thinking of Spring: If you enjoy watching the first hummingbirds come into the area each Spring, this interesting website tracks the bird intensity on a heatmap. Hummingbird Central maps sightings of hummingbirds across the US. https://hummingbirdcentral.com.

Birding classes: Offered at different levels, see the Cornell Bird Academy at https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/course-list. Song Bird Basics and the Wonderful World of Owls are two current offerings.

Other Bird Organizations:

Partners in Flight: An international organization with the goal of Keeping common birds common and helping species at risk through voluntary partnerships. https://partnersinflight.org/about/

The American Bird Conservancy: An organization that has consistently promoted the safety of birds and bird habitat against habitat encroachment. https://abcbirds.org/.