DeDea added that the Reservoir’s variety of habitats is part of its appeal. The Reservoir itself offers both deep water, which attracts fish-diving birds, such as loons and grebes; secluded coves with aquatic vegetation, which draw dabblers such as mallards and black ducks; and the tundralike mudflats, which have been particularly extensive this year thanks to the drought. Besides attracting the winter finches, the forests are also magnets for warblers during the spring migration – although Schoenberger said that he hit the jackpot this fall, spotting a rare Connecticut warbler.
He also has identified all three types of scoters – black, surf and white-winged – at the Reservoir this year, an inclusion otherwise uncommon for Ulster County. The numbers of birds also are far more significant than anywhere else. For example, Schoenberger counted a flock of 40 greater yellowlegs, compared to the one or two individuals that one typically sees along the Hudson.
Schoenberger, who plans on continuing his regular birding forays around the Reservoir until the water freezes, said that what he has found so far is tantalizing, hinting at further discoveries. “It’s a vast place, and there’s parts of the Reservoir where nobody goes” – namely the western basin. Schoenberg speculated that long-eared owls and saw-whet owls might well be found in the area, for example. But no one really knows, and for now, the western basin remains as remote as the Amazon.
Anyone, however, can catch glimpses of the Reservoir’s marvelous birdlife from Dike and Monument Roads. The JBNHS is sponsoring a free walk of the area this Saturday, November 10 at 9 a.m., with participants meeting in the parking area in the aeration basin on the Reservoir’s south side. Glen Van Gorden will be leading the tour, which will include the dividing weir, the spillway and a swamp on the other side of Route 28A. Take Route 28 west from Kingston, turn left onto Reservoir Road at Winchell’s Corner, cross the Reservoir, turn left and go down the hill; at the first intersection bear right on Route 28A and turn right into the parking area. For more details and other upcoming field trips, visit www.jbnhs.org.
Ashokan Reservoir Waterfowl Walk, John Burroughs Natural History Society, Saturday, November 10, 9 am -12 noon, free, Ashokan Reservoir aeration basin parking area; www.jbnhs.org.
Rosendale Library hosts talk on Mohonk Preserve climate data
Weather records have been taken daily since 1896 at the Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz and Gardiner, and species records since 1925. From these records, the local story of climate changes can be shown. The longevity of the data sets reveal how temperature, precipitation and the timing of the seasons have altered over the years and affected various species as well.
Conservation biologist Shanan Smiley will discuss this data in “Climate Change at Mohonk: Weather and Species,” a lecture at the Rosendale Public Library on Wednesday, November 14 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Smiley is the conservation biologist/collections manager at the Daniel Smiley Research Center and has studied the ecology of the Shawangunks for the past nine years. She is working toward her Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College in Vermont.
The Rosendale Public Library is located at 264 Main Street. For more information, call program coordinator Sue Horowitz at (845) 658-9013 or visit www.rosendalelibrary.org.
