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

Belted Kingfisher - © Sue Barth

April 27, 2024 (Saturday) 8:30 AM Field Trip - Montezuma NWR with David and Debbie Suggs. Meet at the Visitor's Center, 3395 US-20, Seneca Falls, NY. The refuge is a two hour drive from Buffalo. Plan for a full day to explore the main pool and the extensive Northern Montezuma areas. DSuggs@Buffaloornithologicalsociety.org.

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 - 268; with the latest being last October’s American Avocet! 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.

This photo of an American Bittern was taken by Tony Dvorak at Tifft NP on April 19, 2021.

Please note that the meeting time is 6:00pm on MONDAY, May 6. This trip has a weather date of MONDAY, May 13 at 6:00pm.

Leaders are:
Steve Giamberdino 716-983-6155
stephengiamberdino@gmail.com

Schuyler Lawson 205-901-5126
slawson1991@gmail.com

Please meet at the barn parking lot on Seneca Street where we will begin our hike through a variety of habitats. Expect to see at least 40 different species of birds by the end of this outing. Stephen and Schuyler will help you learn how to identify them when you’re out on your own!
Expect to see: Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Bluebird, Savannah and Field Sparrows, Killdeer, Tree and Barn Swallows, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker and Wood Thrush.
We also may possibly see: Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Baltimore Oriole, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird and Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
This is during peak spring migration so we hope to see a variety of migratory warblers, vireos and flycatchers! There will also be familiar favorites such as American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow, Blue Jay, Red-winged Blackbird and American Robin. Migrant raptors are a possibility as well!

>> Bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them. We will have a couple extra of each if you need one. We will probably hike over 2 miles, so be prepared for that. Dress mindful of ticks and exposure to the sun. Trails can be muddy so don’t wear your favorite sneakers or dress shoes (boots would be best)!

Photo of a Wood Thrush taken by Bill Massaro at Knox Farm SP on 5/04/2021.

Meet at 7 pm in the Cummings Room.

Dr. Gregory Cunningham of St. John Fisher University will present on a topic that is yet 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 a male Common Yellowthroat taken by Sue Barth on June 26, 2019 at Letchworth SP.

NOTE: Rescheduled from May 18th

Meet at 8:00am on the Dunkirk Pier (parking available on the pier and by the shops right before the pier).

Leader: Devin Banning (716) 260-8889, Devin.Banning@Fredonia.edu

This trip will be targeting various habitats around the Dunkirk-Fredonia area. After looking over Dunkirk Harbor, we will continue to Point Gratiot where we will look and listen for newly arrived migrants as well as the local Red-headed Woodpeckers. Point Gratiot serves as a migrant trap in the city of Dunkirk and funnels northbound migrants into the DEC woodlot; the crown jewel of the park.
In years past, Gratiot has produced such coveted rarities such as Harris's Sparrow, Worm-eating and Kentucky Warblers, Summer Tanager and others.
Our next birding destination will be dependent upon the weather and migration patterns on the days leading up to our outing. We may travel to the Dunkirk Airport for grassland species including nesting Grasshopper Sparrow, Berry Road Marsh and/or Lake Erie State Park.
Last year's trip report can be viewed here
https://ebird.org/tripreport/171944

Photo of a Harris's Sparrow by Gale VerHague at Point Gratiot on May 19, 2021.

Sunday, May 19, 2024

All BOS members will hopefully participate in the 86th 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 »

Photo of a male Blackburnian Warbler by Josh Ketry at Wilson-Tuscarora SP on May 22, 2019.

Please note:
Due to limited parking, we can carpool for those who are interested. For those looking to carpool, please meet at the Burger King at 5597 Camp Rd, Hamburg, NY 14075 at 8:00 a.m. For those who would like to meet us at Floating Fen, we will start the walk at 9:00 a.m.

Leaders: Andrew Gaerte (585) 610-6842, agaerte@wnylc.org
Marcus Rosten (716) 713-7651, mrosten@wnylc.org

In 2023, the Western New York Land Conservancy was able to permanently protect an amazing 225-acre forest and wetland property in northern Chautauqua County. The heart of the Floating Fen property is a beautiful fen, a peat-forming wetland, which provides a unique habitat for rare wildflowers and carnivorous plants. The Buffalo Ornithological Society, under guidance from the BOS Conservation Committee, provided a grant to assist the Land Conservancy in purchasing and protecting this unique property.

Please join Andrew Gaerte and Marcus Rosten, of the Western New York Land Conservancy, for a guided bird hike at the Floating Fen on Saturday, June 8 th . Last year’s outing to Floating Fen in May found 13 species of warblers including Mourning and Hooded, Veery and Wood Thrush, and many other species.
With this outing taking place in early June, we should have nesting birds like
Mourning and Chestnut-sided Warblers, and Least Flycatcher, all of which can be added to the final year of the NYS Breeding Bird Atlas!
Here is the link to last May’s walk: https://ebird.org/checklist/S137725918


Photo of a Barred Owl by Thomas Riley on May 15, 2021 at the nearby College Lodge property.

The annual BOS picnic meeting will be held at Tifft Nature Preserve on Wednesday, June 12, at 6 PM.

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

The gates will be open to drive back to the staff parking area outside the building. 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 a Northern Bobwhite taken by Schuyler Lawson at Darien Lakes SP on July 4, 2023.

Leader - Joe Petre
josephpetre@gmail.com
(716) 207-9555

Start time - 7:30am in the parking lot at 9998 Larkin Rd, Eden, NY

Franklin Gulf County park in North Collins, Erie County, formerly known as Larkin Woods, is a 600+ acre forest with numerous creeks, ravines, ledge outcrops, waterfalls, and extensive hemlock stands which should feature Acadian Flycatcher and Louisiana Waterthrush. Join Joe at one of his favorite locations to hike and bird. This will be a 1/2 day trip wrapping up before noon.

Photo of a male Black-throated Green Warbler by Mike Zebehazy on May 6, 2021 at Franklin Gulf.

UPDATE - This departure is full. Please reach out if you are interested in the next trip to Falsterbo in September of 2025!
Alechumann@msn.com

This is just a heads up that this trip is currently being planned by my contact/guide. This trip will be limited to 7 participants, plus myself, and will span a week; we fly home on Monday, September 15. Flights for western Europe depart in the afternoon from the eastern US, fly overnight and arrive at destination the following morning/afternoon.
Our flight will depart Buffalo for Copenhagen, Denmark where our guide, Stephen, will pick us up and then we drive 45 minutes across the Oresund Bridge to southwestern Sweden.
Falsterbo has a bird observatory where point counts and banding are conducted and our tour will be based nearby. Daily itinerary will be dictated by the weather as this is a migration bottleneck, like legendary Cape May, NJ or Point Pelee, Ontario. This tour will coincide with a wide variety of migrants, and if migration isn't especially active we will head inland to search out forest species such as Black Woodpecker! Target birds will be pretty much everything…Eurasian Hobby, Bearded Reedling, Eurasian Curlew and Oystercatchers, Pied Avocet and Lapwing, several species of Harrier, Wagtails, Pipits, Green Woodpecker and so forth and so on! Stay tuned for updates! If you are interested, let me know so that I can add your name to the participant list.

If September of 2024 doesn't work for you, I will be planning to go again in September of 2025. If 2025 works better for you, let me know and I will add you to the participant list for then.


Sample checklists from the same time of year…
https://ebird.org/checklist/S150047728

https://ebird.org/checklist/S150783940

Photo is of an Eurasian Green Woodpecker.

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. Load your photos onto a thumb drive and bring with you.

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.

This image of an American Golden-Plover was taken by Sue Barth at Woodlawn Beach SP on September 4, 2022.

Saturday, October 12th, 2024

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 »

Photo of an Orange-crowned Warbler by Gale VerHague from the Town of Sheridan, Chautauqua County on October 12, 2021.

UPDATE 3/27/24 - this trip has filled. I have started a wait list, so please reach out if you are interested in being added to the wait list.

We will focus our time on Cape Island (south of the Cape May canal) at all the famous hotspots. Being a migration bottleneck for southbound birds, our itinerary will be greatly influenced by the werather. The great thing about Cape May is that there is ALWAYS great birding to be had - whether a NW wind is blowing birds our way or not!
A pontoon boat trip into the salt marsh, Higbee Beach, the Hawkwatch, South Cape May Meadows, and other hotspots will be on our itinerary. We will also visit Stone Harbor/Nummy Island and the Avalon Seawatch. and I will try to arrange for hawk and owl banding demos. I will be plugged in to the local RBA so we can keep up on reported rarities. Participants are expected to book their own accommodations (I will assist with this) as well as travel to/from/around Cape May. All BOS members are invited. Below is a sample itinerary...

Wednesday, October 23
730-900. Coral Avenue Dune Crossing on Cape May Point. We will gather on the wooden deck overlooking the Delaware Bay and enjoy the dawn passerine flight, early raptor flight, gulls, terns and shorebirds.
900-1200. Stop for breakfast/lunch at Wawa and then go the the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge aka 'The Meadows' (Nature Conservancy Property). We will walk the gravel trail through the freshwater marsh out to the ocean/beach. Birds of interest here include shorebirds and herons/egrets, bittern, terns, possibly hawk flight overhead and VA Rail and Sora.
1200-400. Hawkwatch. If the hawk flight isn't happening we will walk the trails at Cape May Point State Park. If raptors are flying, it will be awesome! Not only do raptors pass over the hawkwatch but so to many other birds. Bunker Pond, in front of the platform, will have a great collection of waterfowl, usually including several Eurasian Wigeon. We will have plenty to look at!
400-630. Siesta, shower, catch your breath.
630. Group dinner at Congress Hall’s Blue Pig Tavern
830. Possible owl banding demo if any birds have been caught at the net check around this time and then to bed!

Thursday, October 24
730-900. Coral Avenue Dune Crossover for the morning passerine flight - as yesterday.
900-200. Pick up breakfast/lunch at Wawa and head north to the Avalon Seawatch; weather permitting. This is staffed by a CMBO employee for the entire fall season. We should expect to see plenty of scoters, Red-throated Loons, Gannets, Brant and others. More uncommon species include Purple Sandpiper, Parasitic Jaeger and occasionally Humpback Whale!
200-400. Drive back to Cape May (about 30 mins), take a nap, visit CMBO bookstore on your own if you like
430-600. Sunset at The Meadows. We will walk out to the observation tower and look west for possible Long-eared Owls to come out of roost, as well as American Bitterns flying up out of the marsh in front of us and whatever else we may be privy to see!
600-630. Possible owl banding demo if any birds are caught upon opening nets.
730-830. Group dinner at Lucky Bones.

Friday, October 25
730-1100. Stone Harbor and Nummy Island Loop. We will stop at the Wetlands Institute to check the marsh for possible Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and Glossy Ibis. At Stone Harbor Point we will walk the beach in search of shorebirds like Western Sandpiper, Sanderling, Turnstone, Black-bellied Plover, etc... We will stop on Nummy Island to check the marsh for Nelson's, Saltmarsh and Seaside Sparrows, Clapper Rail, herons and egrets and Oystercatcher.
1100-430. Drive back to Cape May (15 mins), pick up lunch and go to the hawkwatch. Bird around the State Park trails/ponds/beach. If the hawkwatch isn't exciting, we will head over to The Rea Farm/Beanery to walk the trails there for songbirds. We may also check Lily Lake for interesting waterfowl.
430-530. Rest back at hotel before dinner.
600-730. Dinner at Bella Vida.
800. Possible owl banding demo if birds are caught.

Saturday, October 26
730-930. Walk the trail at The Meadows for shorebirds, rails, herons and other waders.
930-1230. Salt marsh safari aboard The Skimmer, which is a flat-bottom pontoon boat. The boat leaves from Cape May Inlet Marina. We will be hoping for up close looks at Clapper Rail, Tricolored and Little Blue Herons, Oystercatcher, Brant, Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows, Great Cormorant and more.
1230-200. We can get lunch and head to the hawkwatch or if the weather isn't conducive, we can eat lunch at The Lobster House which is close to the marina.
230-500. Bird Higbee Beach or Hidden Valley for passerines and then end the trip. No group dinner tonight.

So this is a tentative schedule. We will plan on chasing any rarities that are found during our 4 days and that will of course affect our schedule. Some of the target birds include Clapper Rail, Seaside, Nelson's and Saltmarsh Sparrows, Marbled Godwit, American Oystercatcher, Western Sandpiper and Red Knot, Parasictic Jaeger, Purple Sandpiper and more!
If any of the days sound too intensive, remember, you can always head back to your hotel for a rest or stay at the hawkwatch when we go somewhere else. A WhatsApp group will be set up so everyone can stay in touch. It will make it easier to reconnect with the group of you decide to bow out of a time slot for some reason. Other hotspots we may add in or supplement with are Sunset Beach/Magnasite Plant, Cox Hall Creek and 2nd Avenue Jetty. Whatever we do, we are going to enjoy lots of great birds! If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me (alechumann@msn.com).

Photo is of Marbled Godwits.

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.

UPDATE - This departure is full. If you are interested in this trip, I will be running a second departure January 26 - February 8, 2025. Please email me for the itinerary at alechumann@msn.com.

The bulk of the trip will be spent between two Amazonian lodges situated along the Napo River, which is a tributary of the mighty Amazon. Both Sani Lodge and Napo Wildlife Center (links embedded in the itinerary) have canopy towers which will offer spectacular views of the tree tops and close views of birds that would be very difficult to see from the ground as well as a clay lick where parrots/parakeets/macaws come in the early morning to ingest the clay minerals which help to neutralize toxins found in rainforest fruits and seeds. A recent video taken at Napo of an adult Crested Eagle raiding an Oropendola colony had me quite captivated! Travel to/from these lodges is in motorized boats which will offer views of birds and mammals as we come and go.
There are so many iconic species to be seen such as Blue-and-Yellow-Macaw, Zigzag Heron, Hoatzin, Horned Screamer, Gray-winged Trumpeter, Blue-throated Piping-Guan, Swallow Tanager, Ladder-tailed Nightjar, several of the large Woodpeckers, and Hawk-Eagles among so many, many others! We will take an interior flight from Quito to Coca to start off our Amazon tour. On the return trip, we will drive back towards Quito with stops along the way.
Our guide has also added Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge which is in the cloudforest belt of the Andes. This will get us into position to see a different suite of birds such as Plushcap, Tanager Finch, White-faced Nunbird and others.

Photo is of male Swallow Tanagers.

This will be the second departure for the Amazon of Ecuador Tour. Please see the details in the previous trip description as this trip will mirror-image it.

Date span will be Sunday, January 26, 2025 - Saturday, February 8, 2025. Your arrival date into Quito will be Saturday, January 25.

Photo is of a Gray-winged Trumpeter.

UPDATE - 5 of the 8 spaces have already been filled as of 3/28/24.

This trip will be limited to 7 participants, plus myself, and will span 8 full days of birding plus 2 travel days. We will depart on Sunday, August 31 and we fly home on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Flights for western Europe depart in the afternoon from the eastern US, fly overnight and arrive at destination the following morning/afternoon.
Our flight will depart Buffalo for Copenhagen, Denmark where our guide, Stephen, will pick us up and then we drive 45 minutes across the Oresund Bridge to southwestern Sweden.
Falsterbo has a bird observatory where point counts and banding are conducted and our tour will be based nearby. Daily itinerary will be dictated by the weather as this is a migration bottleneck, like legendary Cape May, NJ or Point Pelee, Ontario. This tour will coincide with a wide variety of migrants, and if migration isn't especially active we will head inland to search out forest species such as Black Woodpecker! Target birds will be many including…Eurasian Hobby, Bearded Reedling, Eurasian Curlew and Oystercatcher, Pied Avocet and Lapwing, several species of Harrier, Wagtails, Pipits, Green Woodpecker and so forth and so on! Stay tuned for updates! If you are interested, let me know so that I can add your name to the participant list - alechumann@msn.com

Sample checklists from the same time of year…

https://ebird.org/checklist/S148759552

https://ebird.org/checklist/S148197307

Photo is of the iconic White Stork.

UPDATE - this departure is already filled. If you are interested in this trip, please reach out as I can add a 2nd departure if enough interest warrants. The 2nd departure would run Sunday, February 8 - Saturday, February 20, 2026.

Tour 1 will run Sunday, January 25 - Friday, February 6, 2026.
This tour will span a full 12 days on the famous and well-travelled northern Colombia birding route including Barranquilla, the Santa Marta Mountains, the ProAves Preserves of El Dorado and Perija, the flamingo sanctuary at Camarones and more! The Santa Martas host a bevy of endemic species including Blossomcrown and Woodstar hummingbirds, an antpitta, a brush finch, the endangered Santa Marta Parakeet and more. We will not only be looking for the endemics but for other species such as Scarlet Ibis, Vermillion Cardinal, Northern Screamer, Wattled Jacana, Dwarf Cuckoo, Russet-throated Puffbird, White-tipped Quetzal, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, Golden-breasted Fruiteater and so many more jewels!
I have a Colombian guide that will make all of the tour arrangements and travel with us to show off the wonders of Colombia! The itinerary will be finished soon and sent to those that are booked on the first departure. If you are interested in the 2nd departure, let me know and I will get an itinerary to you when it becomes available!

Photo is of the endangered Santa Marta Parakeet.