Buffalo Ornithological Society
Birding Western New York and the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario

Snow Goose - © Kayo Roy

Leader - Celeste Morien Celeste.morien@gmail.com
WEATHER DATE - Sunday, April 2

Location - Batavia Wastewater Treatment Plant, 17 Treadeasy Ave, Batavia, NY 14020

Meet at 10:00am at the Batavia WWTP main building to sign in. This is a different type of field trip - one with a purpose other than listing! Come help Celeste Morien set up the Purple Martin gourd-style houses on the rack at the Batavia Wastewater Treatment Plant. Who knows - if time allows, we can organize a quick spin through the facility to check for migrant waterfowl. If you plan to attend please e-mail Celeste to let her know and so Celeste has a head count for coffee and donuts!

Purple Martins photographed by Shelley Seidman on 5/29/2022 at Batavia WWTP.

Sunday, April 2nd, 2023

NOTE: this year's April Count date has been changed to the 2nd due to our normally scheduled date falling on Easter Sunday.

All BOS members should plan to participate. Please help us add to the decades of records that the BOS has collected reflecting population dynamics of the area birdlife. You can be part of a field team or simply count birds at your backyard feeder. All observations are important! If you don't know what section you live in, please contact Joel Strong (joelstrong78@yahoo.com ) who will put you into contact with the correct section compiler.

Please visit the April Count information page on the website at the address below. Thank you so much!

More About the April Count: Click here »

© Photo of an Eastern Phoebe at Woodlawn Beach SP, April 24, 2022 by Sue Barth.

Meet at 7 pm in the Cummings Room.

The meeting topic is "Integrating Community Data on Migration Behaviors" given by Dr. Kyle Horton from the Colorado State University.

More information will be forthcoming.

Leader is David Suggs; (716) 861- 8948 DFSuggs@gmail.com
Meet at 830am at the visitor’s center.

The Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge complex is a massive wetland that occupies 15 square miles at the north end of Cayuga Lake. Please join BOS president, David Suggs, as we explore this unique hotspot and work on building your Seneca County life list.

This vast area is a critical stopover site for many migrants and at this time of year, we will be looking for various waterfowl, including rarities like Eurasian Wigeon and Ross's Goose, and early arriving shorebirds such as Pectoral Sandpipers and Dunlin.

Most of this trip will take place along the Wildlife Drive with frequent stops to scan flocks of ducks. Bring your scope if you have one! Marsh Wrens should be singing from the cattails as Black Terns bound across the open waterways in search of insects and minnows.

If any rarities have been found recently, we will try for those as well. With 267 species recorded along the drivable berm alone, something stand-out is bound to await us! This trip is anticipated to wrap up around 1pm. Plan to bring a lunch/snacks and beverages. Bathrooms are available at the visitor center.

American Bittern photographed by Shawn Billerman along Wildlife Drive 4/30/2022.

Meet at 7:30am on the bridge just past the Visitor Center.

Leader: Seaghan Coleman (716-435-7753 or seaghanc@gmail.com)

This trip will focus on newly arrived neotropical migrants as well as lingering waterfowl and sparrows. Tifft holds the distinctive honor of having the highest number of species recorded on premises in our region - 265! The list of highlights is long and includes Kentucky, Connecticut and Yellow-throated Warblers, Summer Tanager, Sedge Wren, Barn Owl, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and so much more.

We will hike the trails in search of early-arriving warblers, thrushes and other long-distance migrants as well as look over the marsh for rails and bitterns. If we are lucky, we may see late migrant raptors.

This will be an easy walk over level ground and boardwalks, possibly muddy trails. The trip will span the morning hours so make sure to bring snacks and something to drink. Remember that the south end of Tifft is plagued by red ants, the biting kind, so wear appropriate footwear. Most of today's trip will traverse the north end of the preserve!

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak photographed by Ken Czworka at Tifft NP on May 9, 2022.

Leader - Alec Humann, alechumann@msn.com, (716) 604-2971.
This will be a full day trip so bring beverages and a lunch/snacks. The passerine banding station has had a porta-potty in years past as has the hawkwatch.

*** NOTE - please email Alec if you plan to attend. Parking is limited at the station so we may have to shuttle from the Owl Woods lot (which is down the road). Because BBBO is a non-profit, I will be collecting a suggested donation of $5/person to be donated to the Observatory. Thank you!

This will be a fun day of a different type of birding...birds in the hand. We will be visiting a passerine banding station with opportunities to see a wide variety of birds up close and personal during spring migration!
We will also make an effort to look over Braddock Bay itself for lingering waterfowl and don't forget to look up as hawk flights will still be possible! In fact, if conditions are favorable for a hawk flight, we will head over to the hawkwatch around 1030 to check in with the official hawkwatcher, David Brown, and enjoy the show! You may want to bring a lawn chair for the hawkwatch. Dress in layers in case a lake breeze develops off of Lake Ontario which can drop the air temperature quickly!
Meet at 730am at the passerine banding station (see link to map above). Bring rubber boots in case of mud, drinks and snacks/lunch, oh yeah, and your camera! We will be in attendance at the banding station from approximately 730-1030 and then the hawkwatch from 11-130.

*** NOTE - please email Alec if you plan to attend. Parking is limited at the station so we may have to shuttle from the Owl Woods lot (which is down the road). Because BBBO is a non-profit, I will be collecting a suggested donation of $5/person to be donated to the Observatory. Thank you!

Meet at 7 pm in the Cummings Room.

The meeting topic is to be determined.

Leader - Matt Nusstein (Matthew.Nusstein@parks.ny.gov; (716) 446-3376)

Location - Meet at 8am at the Humphrey Nature Center, 6773 Trailside Road, Castile, NY 14427 (see map link above).

Scenic Letchworth State Park, embracing the Genesee River, boasts incredible numbers of migratory birds in May and June. In addition, more than twenty species of warblers nest in the park annually making for an exciting birding destination. This list includes the local Louisiana Waterthrush as well as gems like Hooded, Blue-winged and Mourning Warblers. Acadian Flycatcher is another local species we hope to cross paths with during our outing. We will be birding along the gorge making various stops with short hikes as we go. The trip could last 5-6 hours and we will have lunch overlooking the river. Carpooling is suggested. Bring a lunch, snacks and beverages.

Photo of an adult Broad-winged Hawk by Terry Bohling on April 24, 2020 along the Dishmill Trail at Letchworth SP.

Leader: Marcus Rosten, mrosten11@gmail.com, 716-713-7651

Come search for Spring migrants at the Western New York Land Conservancy's latest project, the Floating Fen, with Marcus Rosten.

Meet at the College Lodge Parking lot (8067 Rte 380, Brocton, NY 14716) at 8:00 AM and we will carpool to the location because parking is scarce.

The Floating Fen is an incredible 223-acre property adjacent to the College Lodge Forest in Chautauqua County, that is home to a unique wetland ecosystem, a diverse forest, and extraordinary wildlife. The crown jewel is a floating mat of peat moss that spans eight acres and is home to an array of native plants, including sundews, colonies of blue flag iris, highbush blueberry, and mountain holly. Small blackgum trees dot the fen, and beautiful orchids are scattered throughout the forest. A continental divide crosses the preserve, sending runoff to both the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins. Its diverse habitats make it an ideal home to black bears, wood ducks, red-shouldered hawks, porcupines, fishers, and beavers—including one exceptionally large beaver dam. We will be targeting the over 20 warblers that will be migrating through or getting ready to settle in along the Chautauqua Ridge, including Canada, Mourning, Hooded, and Blue-winged Warblers. Once the Floating Fen is protected, it will combine with the College Lodge Forest to form nearly 400-acres of connected forest in Chautauqua County.

This field trip will be a sneak preview of the property before it is open to the public!

Learn more about the project here: www.wnylc.org/floatingfen

Photo of a male Common Yellowthroat taken by Gale VerHague on May 5, 2019 at the adjacent College Lodge Forest tract.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

All BOS members will hopefully participate in the 85th annual May Bird Count.

BOS members are encouraged to participate. Please help us add to the decades of records that the BOS has collected reflecting population dynamics of the area birdlife. You can be part of a field team or simply count birds at your backyard feeder. All observations are important! If you don't know what section you live in, please contact Bob DeLeon who will put you into contact with the correct section compiler. Please visit the May Count information page on the website at the address below. Thank you so much!

More about the May Count: more info »

Male Bobolink displaying at Knox Farm SP by Rob Sielaff on June 15, 2022.

Meet at 8pm at the intersection of Wilson and Garringer Roads, Wainfleet, Ontario. This location is north of Morgan's Point. Whips may not start calling until 930 so plan accordingly.

SPECIAL NOTE - This trip requires crossing the border into Canada. Proper identification is required (Passport, NEXUS, Enhanced Driver's License). Bridge toll also required.

Back by popular demand!!! This trip used to be an annual highlight for BOS members and was led by Bill Burch.

Wainfleet Bog's underlying peat material supports plants such as Labrador tea and cotton grass.

This year Joe Fell will lead us for an evening trip to the Wainfleet Bog. As evening descends and birds begin singing after the midday lull, we will listen for Wood Thrush, Veery, Mourning Warbler and Alder Flycatcher. Both species of cuckoos breed here and we will be looking for these birds as well.
As the skies darken we may see American Woodcock along the roadsides. The stars of the show come next...Eastern Whip-poor-wills. As the sky darkens a bit more, Whips should begin singing and we should hear multiple individuals. The birds frequently come out onto the road to hunt for insects. As we drive we will look for eyeshine from the birds and hopefully get to see them sally up from the road after moths and other insects.

© Photo of an Eastern Whip-poor-will by Sue Barth at Woodlawn Beach SP on 4/24/22.

Holland Bog Field trip for late spring migrants and early breeding birds.

Meet at 8:00 AM at the first snowplow turnaround after Rise n’ Swine farm shop coming from the North. This is on the East side of Wagner Rd. between Wilkens Rd. and Miller Ave.

Leader: Rob Sielaff (585-319-7438 or rsielaff@me.com)

This trip explores dense hardwood and hemlock habitat in two of the Erie County Forest blocks #4 and #5 and features some limited views and access to a unique bog habitat. We will start on Wagner Rd. and access some unmarked trails that lead into the woods. Afterwards, we will drive to Wilkins Rd. and bird along the gravel road and other trails that lead along the bog.

On this trip we hope to see some breeding birds that can be difficult to find in migration such as Hooded Warbler, Northern Waterthrush and Mourning Warbler. We also hope to see a variety or other warblers and thrushes that tend to stick to this unique Erie County habitat.

Photo of a male Mourning Warbler carrying food by Don Dixon on July 3, 2021 from Holland, NY.

The annual BOS picnic meeting will be held at Tifft Nature Preserve on Wednesday, June 14, at 6 PM.

Weather permitting, bring your meal, a folding chair if you like, and meet at the picnic tables beyond the Visitor Center.

The gates will be open to drive back to the center parking area. Also, the restrooms will be open 6:00 to 6:30.

After our meals, we will hike the preserve until sunset.

Meeting time is 8:00am in the gravel lot off Alleghany Road (Route 77) across from 10271 Alleghany Road.

Leader is Matthew Nusstein - (716) 446 3376; matthew.nusstein@parks.ny.gov

Matt will be leading our group in search of grassland breeding birds at Darien Lake SP in Genesee County. In the fields at this location, we will be looking for Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and Savannah Sparrow. This trip will last approximately 3 hours.

Photo of Eastern Meadowlark taken by Don Dixon at Knox Farm SP on 5/19/19.

PLEASE NOTE - THIS TRIP IS FULL
***This trip is limited to 14 people.***

I am just beginning to work out the details for this trip, tentatively scheduled for July 9-16, 2023. This will be a 8-day trip (4 days land birding, one with a local guide, and 2 days birding by boat) plus 2 travel days to/from WNY.

We will hire a local guide for one day to help us search for coastal Maine specialties in and around Scarborough Marsh...Nelson's and Saltmarsh Sparrows, Roseate Tern, Piping Plover and the eastern subspecies of Willet.
Breeding warblers are also well represented in Maine. We will also visit several bogs within the boreal zone with hopes of seeing Lincoln’s Sparrow, Eastern Palm Warbler and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

We will take two boat trips. One will depart from Cutler Harbor and take us out to Machias Seal Island. Here we will climb ashore, weather permitting, and walk out to observation blinds. This unique opportunity allows up close and personal viewing of the hundreds of breeding Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills and Common Murres. Arctic Terns will dive bomb us as we walk out to the blinds! Keee-arrr! This experience will offer incredible photography opportunities! This is a 5-hour excursion. Landings are weather-permitting and NOT GUARANTEED!

The second boat trip will focus on deeper water pelagics during a whale watching cruise from the Bar Harbor area. Along the way, we will keep our eyes open for Manx, Sooty and Great Shearwaters, Red-necked Phalaropes, Northern Gannet and Wilson's Storm-Petrel in addition to Common Eiders and the alcids we enjoyed at Machias Seal Island. We will test our skills at picking Roseate and Arctic Terns out of the Common Tern flocks. Whale encounters could include Humpback, Finback and Minke as well as several dolphin/porpoise species. This will be a 5-hour excursion in the afternoon.
Land birding plans are still evolving but we will plan to stretch our legs at Acadia National Park, Quoddy Head State Park, The Nature Conservancy's Great Wass Island Preserve as well as search for Upland Sandpiper in local blueberry barrens.


Atlantic Puffin trio on Machias Seal Island taken July 7, 2022 by Alec Humann.

Meet at 7 pm in the Cummings Room.

Our first meeting back after summer break. Members...please bring photos from your summer travels to share with the rest of us.

Also looking to sign members up for the October bird count; whether as compilers or volunteers within the sections. Please help us improve our coverage from last year.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE -OUR ROUTE
WILL INCLUDE A CREEK CROSSING SO EITHER WEAR SANDALS OR BE PREPARED TO REMOVE SHOES/SOCKS TO CROSS THE CREEK!

Leader - Seaghan Coleman (seaghanc@gmail.com) 716-435-7753

Meet at 730am in the main parking lot.

Join Seaghan this morning as our group seeks out migrants during the busy month of September. Even without a good cold front, migrants are moving through the region nightly and you never know what the day might bring.
With its range of diverse habitats, Woodlawn offers respite to weary winged travelers in the form of sand beach, riparian woods, open lake, grassy dunes and a creek! Neotropical migrants may entertain us in the woods while various sandpipers use the beach to pick through the high water mark for food. Gull flocks that loaf on the beach may offer up more unusual species such as Lesser Black-backed or Little.
Woodlawn regularly supplies the BOS statisticians with review species. Among them are gems such as Piping Plover, American Avocet, Blue Grosbeak, White-eyed Vireo and Cave Swallow.
This will be a half day trip wrapping up around 11:30. Wear footwear appropriate for walking through grassy trails and loose sand.

Rob Sielaff took this photo of a Baird’s Sandpiper at Woodlawn Beach SP on September 11, 2022.

Meet at 7 pm in the Cummings Room.

The meeting topic is to be determined.

Saturday, October 14th, 2023

BOS members are encouraged to participate. Please help us add to the decades of records that the BOS has collected reflecting population dynamics of the area birdlife. You can be part of a field team or simply count birds at your backyard feeder. All observations are important! If you don't know what section you live in, please contact Marcie Jacklin who will put you into contact with the correct section compiler. Thank you so much!

Compiler: Marcie Jacklin (mjacklin@brocku.ca or 905-871-2577)

More about the October Count: more info »

Eastern Towhee at West Seneca Wetlands on October 7, 2021 by Sue Barth.

Saturday, October 28, 2023 - Lake Ontario Plain Field Trip for fall migrants.
*PLEASE be mindful of the weather date which will be Sunday, October 29, 2023.

Meet at 8 AM at Tops Market in Wright's Corners. This is on the east side of Route 78 and Route 104, north of Lockport.

Leader: Willie D'Anna (716-751-3637 or dannapotter@roadrunner.com)

This trip is a car caravan of sorts, plying the rural roads of Niagara County in search of late fall migrants. Every year is different, but with all of the fields and open space habitat we will check, it is reasonable to see Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, and possibly early winter arrivals such as Northern Shrike and Rough-legged Hawk. Horned Larks should be added to the day's list as well. A few stops along the Lake Ontario shore lookouts should produce Horned Grebe and several species of scoters and other diving ducks.

PLEASE NOTE - this field trip can be moved to Sunday as a rain date. This will be an annual standing possibility due to the likelihood of inclement weather at this time of year!

© Photo by Sue Barth of a Northern Shrike

Meet at 7 pm in the Cummings Room.

The meeting topic is to be determined.

Annual Holiday Celebration at 7:00 PM in the Cummings Room of the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Please bring a treat to share and enjoy an evening of birding friendship. We will also elect officers for the year 2024.

As of 3/26/23, our guide is currently working up an itinerary for this trip. It will be very similar to the trip I arranged this past February and will run for 2 weeks. As soon as the dates and cost become available, I will send out the info to those that have already expressed interest. This trip will be limited to 8 people including myself (Alec Humann). I already have interest from 7 people!

I took a few BOS members to Ecuador this past February-March (2023) and it was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! Our two week trip netted close to 500 species. Everything ran so smoothly! Our guide was superb as was the lodging, the food, the large/comfortable bus and expert driver, the BIRDS. Highlights included close to 70 species of hummingbirds, 10 Antpittas SEEN, Andean Condors, Oilbirds, several owls, birds coming to moth lights at dawn to feast on insects, hand-feeding hummingbirds, loads of tanagers, Hoatzin, two species of Mountain-Toucans, Cock-of-the-Rock lek, Torrent Duck pair with a days-old duckling, Toucan Barbet, Paradise Tanager, and SO MUCH MORE! With that said, I would be more than happy to go back! I will keep the group to 8 participants. If you are interested, let me know (alechumann@msn.com) so I can add your name to the participant list!

Photo is of a Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan.

Preliminary dates set for this trip span Sunday, March 3 thru Saturday, March 9, 2024; 5 full days of birding with two travel days.

The commonwealth of Puerto Rico hosts 18 endemic birds as well as many unique Caribbean species. We will enjoy a week-long adventure on this emerald isle during March of 2024. The island's vegetation and bird populations should be recovered by 2024 after Hurricane Maria decimated the island in 2017.

As we traverse the island, we will visit the legendary El Yunque rain forest preserve in the NE corner, the salt flats of Cabo Rojo in the SW and many places in between. In addition to the 17 endemic species of birds residing on Puerto Rico, we will aim to see Caribbean specialties such as West Indian Whistling-Duck, White-cheeked Pintail, American Flamingo, Key West Quail-Dove, Red-legged Thrush, Antillean Euphonia and Antillean Crested Hummingbird. We should also catch up with White-tailed Tropicbirds along the coast!!!

We will plan to hire a local guide for the entire trip so as to maximize our chances at seeing all 17 endemics plus a good number of Caribbean specialties.

Stay tuned for details on this trip. We will be joining Audubon of Kansas during their spring Prairie-Chicken festival. This festival offers field trips, a keynote speaker and evening socials. This trip will run for about a week…from Tuesday, April 9 to Monday, April 15, 2024.
Pre-dawn field trips will offer views of Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens as the males gather to dance on their leks to impress the girls. Other field trips offered during the weekend will include the famous Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira NWR. Species we hope to see at these locations include Franklin’s Gull, Cinnamon Teal, Baird’s Sandpiper, Snowy Plover, and Yellow-headed Blackbird.
Additional trips to Smoky Valley Ranch and Little Jerusalem Badlands will offer opportunities to see Ferruginous Hawk, Say’s Phoebe, Rock Wren, and Harris’s Sparrow.
Pre and post festival trips will offer views of lekking Sharp-tailed Grouse in nearby Nebraska - I will see if we can fit this into our schedule if the group is interested. We will bird a day or two on our own seeking out uncommon species such as Smith’s Longspur and Sprague’s Pipit, Henslow’s and Lark Sparrows and Brewer’s Blackbird.
As with any BOS Travel Trip, please email Alec at alechumann@msn.com if you are interested to get on the participant list!

I am having Patrick O'Donnell, my friend/guide in Costa Rica plan for a Part 2 trip for sometime in February-March 2025. The exact date has yet to be decided upon. This trip would last about two weeks and explore areas that the Intro Tour did not visit. Anyone is welcome on this trip - you don't need to have participated on an Intro Tour!
We would explore points south of San Jose including the Savegre Valley (Quetzal, Sulphur-winged Parakeet), Rancho Naturalista (Snowcap, Lovely Cotinga), Hotel Quelitales (Green-fronted Lancebill, Scaled Antpitta), Ciudad Neilly rice fields (Savannah Hawk, Paint-billed Crake), Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Monteverde and more. There is lots of time to plan for this, BUT...lodges fill up quickly (especially Rancho and Esquinas) and so reservations need to be booked over a year in advance. If Costa Rica Part 2 interests you, please let me know ASAP (alechumann@msn.com). I would limit this trip to 10 people.

Photo is of an adult male Resplendent Quetzal in the Savegre Valley.