Tuesday Trek: Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

I’m Tom Barnes — you might know me from my TGIF with Tom column. And now, I’m bringing you Tuesday Trek! Each Tuesday, I’ll give you some insight about a refuge destination you might enjoy. Planning a winter vacation? Spring break? I might know the perfect spot for your upcoming travels! 

Halfway between Buffalo and the City of Quality, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is on the way to Niagara Falls, and the perfect place to stop and stretch your legs. Founded to manage the hardwood swamp and wetlands of the area, staff use a complex system series of impoundments to create ideal breeding and nesting conditions for wildlife. As Iroquois is on the Atlantic Flyway, migratory birds and waterfowl take shelter here along their continental migration.

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For two legged mammals like us, there are plenty of opportunities for observing and photographing wildlife, or hunting and fishing. The refuge also hosts hundreds of school-aged children every year through a partnership with Canisius College, dubbed “Canisius Ambassadors for Conservation,” in order to teach these future conservationists the importance of environmental awareness.

A new day awakens in the marsh.

Oak Orchard Creek at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge in New York provides a primitive route for canoes and kayaks.

Bird watching is a popular activity on Swallow Hollow Nature Trail at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Forested wetlands are one of many habitats at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Tuesday Trek: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

I’m Tom Barnes — you might know me from my TGIF with Tom column. And now, I’m bringing you Tuesday Trek! Each Tuesday, I’ll give you some insight about a refuge destination you might enjoy. Planning a winter vacation? Spring break? I might know the perfect spot for your upcoming travels!

When I visited Philadelphia, I was mostly concerned with finding a Philly cheesesteak to authenticate the experience. But on the drive into town, I remember catching sight of an expansive wilderness juxtaposing the city skyline cutting above it. John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum is an urban national wildlife refuge, an oasis of natural lands and unique wildlife habitat right in Philadelphia. For a breath of fresh air in the city, check out the largest freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania on the refuge.

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As a key stopover on the Atlantic Flyway, many species of migratory bird will rest and feed here, making it ideal for the urban birder. Around 300 discrete species have been observed here over the years. The refuge offers a number of birding programs year-round. And after all, you can always grab that Philly cheesesteak just a few minutes away.

Bald eagles at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

Visitors enjoy birding at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

Rusty Blackbird Blitz!

In recent years, the population of rusty blackbirds has fallen off a cliff—biologists estimate current numbers are 85-90 percent lower than 40 years ago. As if that’s not bad enough, there’s another problem: scientists have no idea why. Some speculate it might be a “perfect storm” type of situation, where a number of factors are rapidly reducing the bird’s numbers.

We actually know surprisingly little about this species, among the most rapidly declining in North America. So, we’re staging a call to action: the Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz!

Photo via Tom Benson / Licensed via CC

If you’re a citizen scientist or a birder, we’re asking you to record sightings of rusties in eBird, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s excellent tool for gathering and interpreting bird data. With your help, scientists are able to compile data regarding bird sightings and analyze the migratory patterns of rusties, in order to figure out what’s causing their precipitous decline.

Photo via Vlad Litinov / Licensed under CC

“The Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz is an exciting endeavor of the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group,” says Randy Dettmers, a Service biologist studying the bird’s behavior. “The Migration Blitz will provide new information on migration timing and migratory hot spots that will help us focus conservation efforts for this species where and when they will have the greatest impact.”

Any observation is useful—even if you couldn’t find a rusty during your state’s observation period, that information is valuable to biologists as it tells them where the rusties aren’t.

“With about half of the rusty blackbird total population estimated to breed in Quebec and Newfoundland, the Northeast plays a critical role in supporting this species during its migratory periods,” says Dettmers.

Photo via Seabrooke Leckie / Licensed under CC

Make sure you’re looking at a rusty, and not another more common species, like Brewer’s blackbirds. Male rusties are black with rusty-tipped feathers, and females are gray with some rusty shades. Check out this identification guide!

Cooperation is essential to bringing important changes to the world, and here’s one way we can all contribute. So let’s get out there and get to work, together we can bring this species back from the brink!

Photo via Andy Reago / Licensed under CC