Hawk Watching

Sitting On Top of the Millbrook Ridge Trail at the Preserve's Hawk Watch.
Even though it was cloudy and overcast, it was a great day to sit and watch for birds
(and count the hours as work)!

International Hawk Week

This upcoming week is International Hawk Migration Week. While we have volunteers stationed at Hawk Watch identifying and counting raptors that fly over the Ridge, the Preserve is hosting a few programs for the public and supplying our visitor center with some cool bird props. This morning, I put together some raptor feathers in Riker Mounts and properly display some falconry hoods. Falconry hoods and raptor feathers were supplied by my Director of Conservation Science to let us borrow for the week. If you stop by the Preserve, you should attend one of the programs or go visit the Hawk Watch on top of the Millbrook Ridge Trail. On Saturday, September 17, I'll be hosting a Children & Family Raptor Biology program. As part of International Hawk Migration Week, the program will explore the hawks that migrate over the Shawngunk Ridge. Meet at the Visitor Center and take a short walk to the Hawk Watch site. If you want something a little more adult-level, you can attend an evening program on Thursday, September 22. As part of International Hawk Migration Week, raptor biologist Zach Smith will give a presentation on the tips and techniques on spotting raptors on the wing at the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center. This program is aimed at advanced-beginner and intermediate birders. If you cannot attend either program, you can always come up to the Hawk Watch. Anyone can join Hawk Watch volunteers and ecologists from the Preserve’s Daniel Smiley Research Center at our Hawk Watch site on top of the Near Trapps (accessible via the Millbrook Ridge Trail). Visitors are welcome to drop by the site (10am-12pm daily from Saturday September 17th through Sunday September 25th) to learn more about Hawk Watch, raptor biology, and our research programs.

TheChristyBel

Prepping Some Exhibits for International Hawk Week

Squirrel!

During some field work, Paul, Bryan, and I were in the field and totally stumbled upon a really cool find - we observed a melanistic Gray Squirrel. Melanistic, meaning all black, is a development of dark-colored pigment in the skin or appendages of an animal. It is the opposite of albinism. This was definitely a rare sighting on the Ridge!

TheChristyBel

A Really Cool Find in the Field Today!

Morning Limnology

A Moment From This Morning's Lake Sampling of Lake Mohonk
It's 8AM and I am Already Doing Science!

Collecting Water Samples from the Lake's profile at the surface, 20', and 40' down. We test the temperatures and pH levels of each depth. It's pretty cool; as we can tell when the lake begins to experience seasonal changes like lake turnover and summer thermoclines. We can also add this data to a 120-year history of lake data and determine if climate change is really affecting our lake and changing the normal temperatures and water quality levels.

Kestrel Banding - Pt. II

Little Fluffers!

This morning, I participated in a second session of Kestrel Bird Banding with Mohonk Preserve Research Associate, Zach Smith. In the kestrel box off of Pine Road, Zach banded five immature kestrels. While banding and collecting data on each of these birds, we were able to watch the parents hanging out on the telephone wire and trees surrounding the box. Enjoy some of the photos from me and Marc.

TheChristyBel

Dr. Elizabeth Long (Director of Conservation Science & One of My Bosses)
and Zach Smith (Mohonk Preserve Research Associate & Elizabeth's Husband)
Collecting Measurements in Addition to the Banding
Photo Credit: Marc Sweet

Sometimes, the Kestrel will Cooperate and Sit Still While They Get Weighed & Photographed
Photo Credit: Marc Sweet

Hudson Valley Weather Visits the DSRC

Every month, I tabulate the weather records and formalize it into a summary for distribution to the public. Amanda, the Media Associate, posts all of our weather summaries online and shares them on social media. When she posted our February weather summary, it sparked the attention of Hudson Valley Weather. For those of you who do not know, they are the "MountainWeather.com" of the Hudson Valley. They are more reliable than the Weather Channel. Pretty impressive. Majority of the locals of New Paltz swear by Hudson Valley Weather. They have told me that even though this organization started out as a hobby for a bunch of businessmen and engineers, they have been predicting the weather of the region more accurately than the Weather Channel. So, back to sparking their attention. They were so stunned that we had a weather station at Mohonk and wanted to close in on some partnerships with using our data and having access to our summaries. So with that, they wanted to meet us. I felt more like a fan than the celebrity when they met us. We talked about what the Daniel Smiley Research Center does, the history of the weather station and data collection, many of our research projects, and of course, brought them up to the lake and weather box. It was a super great meeting and introduction to each other! Hopefully we will develop some closer ties and able to use each other as we continue the focus on Climate Change. 

TheChristyBel

We made their blog!

Daniel Smiley Research Center Staff Meet Hudson Valley Weather Staff
Weather Nerds All Around!

Peregrine Watch

Seasonal change is about to occur in the next few weeks. The temperature is going to (hopefully) get warmer, plants will begin to sprout leaves and flowers, mammals will be emerging out of their burrows, and birds will be migrating back and starting to breed. Many of these phenological events that spring has to offer are scientifically studied by the Mohonk Preserve. We have our Phenology Project that observes specific plants throughout the year, we monitory lake profile health daily, we count breeding birds and vernal pool breeding, and monitor raptors during fall migration and breeding on the cliff. Most of these projects are led by me, but we rely on a handful of volunteers for each project. Today, we hosted our Peregrine Watch citizen science program where we have three eyrie (nest) locations along the Shawangunk cliffs where Peregrine Falcon pairs breed. This orientation that we had today was introducing volunteers to the project of Peregrine Breeding Observation, showing them where the eyrie locations are (the general regions), and identifying the types of breeding practices that the raptors go through during the season. We have three known locations on the Ridge where Peregrine pairs have been known to make home for their eyrie: one on the Near Trapps, one on the West Trapps (where most of our climbing happens), and one on Bonticou Crag. Volunteers are asked to come out daily or a couple times during the week and observe the peregrines. They record what they are seeing on the day of their observation, like: copulation, nesting or incubating (there is a lack of bird presence, but some solo bird flying to and from the eyrie), prey exchanges, sightings of chicks, fledging, and young in flight. Our goal is to monitor these birds closely and gather an estimate date throughout the breeding season of when these stages will usually occur. The Peregrine Falcon was pretty much brought to extinction in the Gunks due to DDT useage. They were introduced back int he 1970s and have been closely monitored. We monitor our Falcons to make sure their population is thriving and how we can manage our land and recreational protocols (cliff closures, trail closures, etc) to encourage population growth and stability. Feel free to check out more about Peregrine Watch here (along with many of our other birds programs).

Cheers to a great Peregrine Season!

TheChristyBel

Ted & Sami Viewing Peregrine Activity on the West Trapps

Viewing the West Trapps

See that White Dot - that is a Peregrine!

A Little White Dot - A Peregrine!

A Side Profile of Bonticou Crag for another Eyrie