From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Juncos are the “snowbirds” of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in and then retreat northward each spring. Some juncos in the Appalachian Mountains remain there all year round, breeding at the higher elevations. These residents have shorter wings than the migrants that join them each winter. Longer wings are better suited to flying long distances, a pattern commonly noted among other studies of migratory vs. resident species.

You can find more information in its Outdoor Discovery newsletter.

“Presentations by members of the County Deer Task Force will include details on the history and ecological context of local deer populations, and proposed ways of protecting biodiversity in the face of increased deer populations. Following the panel presentations, public discussion will be moderated by Fred Koontz, Executive Director of Teatown Lake Reservation. This free program is co-sponsored by the Lower Hudson Chapter of the Sierra Club; refreshments served.
Moderator: Fred Koontz, Executive Director, Teatown Lake Reservation
Panelists will include: Rod Christie, Executive Director, Mianus River Gorge; Beth Herr, Program Administrator, Conservation for the County of Westchester, Member of County Deer Task Force; Laura Simon, Field Director, Urban Wildlife Program, The Humane Society of the United States, Minority Report WCDTF; Dan Aitchison, Curator & Wildlife Biologist, County of Westchester.”

The forum starts at 7:30 p.m.

On Sunday, November 8th about 7.30AM, my friend and I were taking our weekend hike up Turkey Mountain (rt. 118). As we entered the white trail we saw several deer, which ran off into the forest. It was a lovely morning. When we got to the top of the mountain, we sat and spoke for a while. We then started down on the blue trail. After about 50 feet of walking, we both stopped and looked at this huge black object  digging through the leaves to get to the underbrush. We thought it might be a huge dog. We noticed the tail did not look like a dogs tail. Also, the legs were massive. Suddenly, the animal lifted its head and turned and looked at us. It was not a dogs face, it was a huge Black Bear.

“Typically, female bears enter a den during October or November, and males enter their dens in November or December.”

During these past couple of warm nights, I’ve heard one or two crickets still chirping from somewhere in my yard. It wasn’t so much a chorus of crickets but just a couple of solo performers, sounding off very slowly as if it was taking a lot of effort to push out the chirps.

“The number of chirps varies with the temperature with more and faster chirping at higher temperatures. Chirps vary from four to five to more than 200 per second.”

For some tips on better wildlife photos, check out DEC TV.

The series starts in December and runs until April.

From December 2009 through April 2010, we’re offering the chance for you to hear and converse with experts who will talk about sustainability issues concerning food and agriculture, local farming, the Hudson River and our coastal waters, and energy.

In hopes of reaching more people in more places, we’re offering the lectures in locations around Westchester County.

The discovery of a rabid skunk in Cold Spring sent me to the state DOH’s web site and its rabies section. There, you can find tons of data about rabies in the state and learn about how the virus spread across New York.

Rabies in New York State was initially a disease carried by domestic dogs, a problem brought to all of North America by European settlers in the 1700s. With the advent of record keeping in the 1930s, reported cases of animal rabies fluctuated between 20 and 600 annually. Most cases were recorded in domestic dogs although there was also some spillover to livestock. From 1925 until 1944 there were 10 human rabies fatalities, all linked to domestic dog contact.