Backtrack through this cave and exit on the left side. Walk right a screen and enter the cave found here. Jump off the ledge that is on the right side of the screen. She said other issues like trespassing can also dampen local enthusiasm for protecting more of the grasslands in the future.Once you appear back outside of Eagle’s Tower, you’ll notice your friendly blue rooster has gone missing! No worries, the rooster is fine and we can see it in just a few moments. "The more pressure that people put on these birds, it could cause them to leave the area." "Sometimes, people may not recognize the consequences of their actions," said Jillian Liner, director of bird conservation for Audubon New York. The group is raising money to buy another 64 adjoining acres, and currently has about $70,000 toward its $125,000 goal, she said.ĭonations to the group's campaign, called Acres for Owls, can be made online at. LaFond's group owns 14 acres there, and manages another 60 acres of private property as bird habitat. People looking for a view of the birds ought to go to a public viewing area owned by LaFond's group off County Route 42, she said. LaFond said people also need to remember that most of the grasslands is privately owned, and owners do not want trespassing. Owls tend to fly low to the ground, and can sometimes fly across roadways after leaving a roost to avoid approaching people, where the bird can be struck by a vehicle. "We want people to know that it is harmful to the birds to get too close." "We have had a problem with a handful of overenthusiastic people approaching the owls," said Laurie LaFond, executive director of the not-for-profit Friends of the Washington County Grasslands IBA. Made up mainly of open fields, which owls prefer in order to hunt small rodents, this area is part of the largest stretch of open grassland in the eastern part of the state. Open vistas make it easier for raptors like the low-flying owls to spot and swoop down upon prey.ĭesignated as a critical bird habitat in 2005 by the Audubon Society of New York, the area also is home to 10 of the state's most imperiled grassland birds, including short-eared owls, northern harriers, American kestrels, eastern meadowlarks, upland sandpipers, grasshopper sparrows and bobolinks. The land is dominated by open farm fields and grasslands, some from active farms, and others long abandoned. These fields contain large numbers of rodents including meadow voles, the owl's favorite food. Running about eight miles long and three miles across at its widest, the area includes the towns of Fort Edward, Argyle and Kingsbury. The owls, along with other birds of prey that live in the far north during the summers, are star attractions of the 13,000-acre Fort Edward Important Bird Area, which is near the village of Argyle and Fort Edward. Last year, two overly aggressive photographers were given written warnings by DEC officers, he added. So far, no tickets - which could carry a fine of up to $250 - have been issued, said DEC spokesman Dave Winchell. It also warned that "trespassing and harassing wildlife is illegal, is harmful to the birds and DEC environmental conservation police officers and forest rangers will be patrolling the area and enforcing these laws." Before its demise, the owl had been in apparent good health and had been seen hunting and feeding.ĭEC issued a statement this week that "strongly encourages all visitors to the Washington County Grasslands Wildlife Management Area to safely observe birds and other wildlife from a distance and to not approach roosting raptors." Owls can swoop low and cross over roadways. Source: Cornell University Ornithology Lab See More CollapseĪnd on Tuesday, one of the snowy owls was found dead along a roadway, apparently struck and killed by a passing vehicle. In warm weather: They spend summers far north of the Arctic Circle hunting lemmings, ptarmigan, and other prey in 24-hour daylight. Coloring: Mostly white, with some black markings and vivid yellow eyesīehavior: While hunting for rodents, the owls can perch for hours atop a fencepost, hay bale, building, telephone pole, grain elevator-anywhere with a good view.
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