You may have noticed the new sounds and activities of birds in recent days. That’s because bird migration is fully underway and birds are arriving in the watershed daily. To get a sense of how bird migration is progressing visit the BirdCast Migration Dashboard at https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-NY-111. They estimate overnight from Wednesday to Friday, 10,900 birds crossed Ulster County!
The site provides a species list of expected nocturnal migrants, but you can see and hear for yourself who is arriving with a trusty pair of binoculars and a bird identification website or book. To build your identification skills, try the All About Birds guide at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Trails or woodlands with streams are perfect places to watch birds. Some birds prefer streamside habitat and a higher diversity of birds may be found near streams. You can protect habitat for our feathered friends by planting Catskill native species near streams. Native plants and birds evolved together and need each other!
To learn more and get free advise on how to restore or enhance habitat near streams, call the stream program office at 845-688-3047 or contact bobby.taylor@ashokanstreams.org. The Catskill Streams Buffer Initiative helps enrolled landowners develop streamside planting plans and provides free plants and planting assistance.
Special thanks to Audubon member Larry Federman for alerting us to the BirdCast dashboard!