Field Journal 8 ID

I went birding from 4:45 pm until 6:20 pm on May 1st in the village of Malone NY. The weather was decent with a solid overcast the entire time I was out but no rain. The temperature was about 54 degrees Fahrenheit and there was a very mild breeze out of the west. I started off at the local high school and then worked my way down to the salmon river. I then stayed on the edge of the river in a small floodplain zone that was quite marshy and worked my way upriver along a small offshoot of the main river up to a series of small beaver dams though I unfortunately did not see any beavers. The signs of spring are apparent as the vegetation was coming in along the river and there was a noticeable uptick in the number of insects. I then cut up a hill following a series of power lines. I descended on the far side and entered the back of the recently reopened Malone recreational park. The park is a mixture of wooded areas along with soccer and baseball fields. I was a couple of species that I had not seen yet this spring specifically a pair of Great Blue Herons and a Bald Eagle. I observed both species overhead while I was working my way up the Salmon river.

Posted on May 1, 2020 11:46 PM by tsshafer