photo by Dorelle Ploutz
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The Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, covers the northern Catskill Mountain and upper Susquehanna River region of New York State. The organization is dedicated to the natural environment, with activities focused on protection and maintenance of ecological systems, wise use and conservation of natural resources, and environmental quality improvement.
View of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society Sanctuary, site of the
Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch.
Read the 2011 hawkwatch season
wrapup.
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Once again we have camera traps set up for a Golden Eagle winter range project of Todd Katzner's at West Virginia University. The bird in the photo is one of at least seven balds that arrived at the Burlington, NY site between January 18 and January 21. There are four juveniles that can be identified by plumage. Two adults have bands — this bird from Virginia or Maryland, and a blue-banded bird from New York.
It seemed odd to me that the first eagle was recorded 21 days after bait was set out. Within three days the number grew to seven (or more — it is hard to tell unbanded adults apart). My theory is that the end of the warm weather, and somewhat extreme cold of the previous two weeks, froze much of the open water to our north. We have had a number of below-zero nights. The ridge this site is on is a known migratory corridor. It is not known as good Bald Eagle habitat — there are no large water bodies. I suspect the birds arriving here over the last few days were moving south, essentially they were migrating in mid-January.
Tom Salo - January 25, 2012
These grants are awarded to teachers each spring to enable them add new environmental education activities to the curriculum. The application deadline is February 29, 2012. See our Educational Activities page for more information.
Friday, February 17, 2012 — DOAS Program: Successful Local Bluebird Projects
Friday - Monday, February 17-20, 2012 — Great Backyard Bird Count
Saturday, February 25, 2012 — Short-eared Owls Field Trip
For more information on these and other coming events, see the DOAS Calendar of Events.
See reports and photos from past activities (updated May 8, 2011).
Conservation and Legislation by Andy Mason (updated January 4, 2012)
Golden Eagle Research (updated April 11, 2011): A collaborative effort to identify Golden Eagle migration corridors will provide information to site "eagle safe" wind projects.
Natural Gas Drilling
DOAS Position on Gas
Drilling and Hydrofracking
DOAS comments on regulations
Wind Power Development
DOAS Position on Wind Power
Development
DOAS comments on specific wind power
projects or regulations
NYS DEC Summary of
Lead-poisoned Birds (May 2010) (1/25/2011)
See page 4 of the February 2011 issue of The Belted
Kingfisher for more information about this issue.
Download a copy of our newsletter The Belted Kingfisher (latest is January 2012).
Visit our Get Involved! page for some ideas on how you can help DOAS help wildlife.
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