Snowy Owl © Sue Barth
Scoping January
The new year begins and so do all the year lists! Now is the time to get out and find any of those rarities that were uncovered during the Christmas Bird Counts. Those who use eBird can watch all their newly submitted checklists autofill their new year's county and state lists. If you do not have an eBird account, why not make that a resolution! It's easy and you are adding valuable data as a citizen scientist! The BOS statisticians frequently pull data out of eBird for the monthly noteworthy records column in The Prothonotary newsletter.
Great Horned Owls are vocalizing this month as the birds begin nesting. During your birding outings, check old Red-tailed Hawk and Crow nests, they may have been repurposed by a Great Horned Owl! It's always exciting to see those ear tufts sticking up above the edge of the old stick nests!
Goat Island is a great place to begin your list. Catch up with Iceland and Glaucous Gulls at the roosting areas just south of Three Sisters Islands; in 2008 a Ross's Gull showed up here. Even if the access to Three Sisters is closed due to icy walkways, you can easily scan these flocks from the shoreline opposite the parking area. The resident passerines forage in mixed species flocks along the water's edge and by the parking area where people put out seed. Check these flocks for uncommon wintering species such as Winter Wren, Yellow-rumped and Pine Warblers.
Waterfowl are still plentiful above and below The Falls. There is a nice little pull off along the Niagara Scenic Parkway between the north Grand Island Bridge and Niagara Falls SP, appropriately called Waterfowl Viewing Area. You may catch massive rafts of diving ducks here with scattered dabbling ducks mixed in. Uncommon species such as Black and Surf Scoter may be found amongst the hordes as well as the rarer King Eider; bring your scope.
The Buffalo Ornithological Society, Inc. (BOS) was established in 1929 to promote the study of the birds of the Niagara Frontier Region. Annual grants are awarded by the BOS to fund member-sponsored avian research projects. We are proud of our extensive scientific research databases, our continuing involvement in environmental and conservation activities that impact birds, and our promotion of the enjoyment of ornithology.
The BOS coverage area includes Western New York and parts of nearby Ontario, Canada. This region is rich in bird life with over 380 species and 25 recognizable subspecies of birds recorded. Explore our site to learn more about where to report and find birds, both regional specialties and rare visitors.
The Buffalo Ornithological Society has something to offer to anyone passionate about birds: from the backyard feeder- watcher, the avid lister or the environmental activist, to the dedicated citizen scientist or the professional ornithologist. Society activities include regular programs, field trips, intensive long-term bird counts, checklist and date guide development, varied research activities, and involvement in local conservation efforts. We invite you to join in the activities of the society!
JOIN the BOS
Reflections on "What the BOS Means to . . . "
. . . Joe Fell
What the BOS means to me...
It means trips along the Lake Ontario Plain led by Willie.
It means spring at Forest Lawn.
It means Bill Watson’s defense of the Double-crested Cormorant, and his impish cackle.
It means absconding from a gull trip in Queenston to see a beautiful King Eider with Pamela in St. Catherine’s.
It means counts, April, May, and October, with Jim and HM, and never having enough people help, but the Farnans always coming through.
It means pitching in at the Hamburg Hawkwatch for Jim. If I was really lucky, I might have Fran stop by.
It means wondering who will figure out where David Gordon is.
It means visiting the Adirondacks, hoping to see Canada Jays, Boreal Chickadees, Crossbills, And Alan’s “chicken-like bird”, and a frightening encounter with a Moose!
It means “This is a message from the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Hi, this is Mike Galas with a report of . . .”
It means Sue working on a website that gets better and better.
It means being sick on the floor of a hotel in Massachusetts, wondering if I will make it to Maine.
It means looking at wonderful photos and stories from friends traveling to wonderful places to see wonderful birds.
It means Marcie picking me up at 1:30 am to drive for hours (and hours and hours) to see a fantastic thrush from far away.
Finally, the BOS means community. It is.
Joe Fell
Upcoming Field Trips and Events
For a full list of our upcoming field trips, meetings, and events, visit our calendar page. You don't have to be a member to join our field trips or meetings! (Note that meetings run from September through June.)
Sep 26, 2026 (Saturday)
Field Trip - Roger Tory Peterson Institute Fall Bird Walk with Devin Banning and Katelyn Davis
Details: (click for more info)
Roger Tory Peterson Institute, 311 Curtis Street, Jamestown, NY 14701
UPDATE - Please take note of new field trip date!
Saturday, September 26
9:00am-11:00am
Devin Banning and Katelyn Davis as leaders
[email protected]
Please join birders from the Chautauqua-Warren Birding Association for a guided bird walk through the Peterson Preserve in search of southbound migrants. The Preserve hosts over 140 species throughout the year, and we should be able to get our eyes on dozens of them as they make their way south through WNY. After the walk, enjoy our discounted admission fee of $5 to the museum to take in the current exhibitions.
Last year’s eBird checklist…
Https://ebird.org/checklist/S274443902
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Oct 07, 2026 (Wednesday)
Field Trip - Darien Lake SP with Matt Nusstein
Details: (click for more info)
Route 20 parking area for Darien Lakes SP
Meeting time is 10:00am in the Route 20 Parking Area (GPS coordinates: 42.900706, -78.422602).
Leader is Matthew Nusstein - (716) 446 3376; [email protected]
Matt will be leading our group in search of mid-autumn migrants at Darien Lake SP in Genesee County. In the fields and shrub edges at this location, we will be looking for species attracted to the many berry-producing shrubs along the paths. This trip will be a collaborative effort by Matt with NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and will last approximately 2 hours.
Philadelphia Vireo photographed by John Garrett at Darien Lakes SP on September 6, 2020.
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Oct 10, 2026 (Saturday)
BOS October Bird Count
Details: (click for more info)
Throughout the BOS Study Area
Saturday, October 10th, 2026
BOS members are encouraged to participate. Please help us add to the decades of records that the BOS has collected reflecting population dynamics of the area birdlife. You can be part of a field team or simply count birds at your backyard feeder. All observations are important! If you don't know what section you live in, please contact Marcie Jacklin who will put you into contact with the correct section compiler. Thank you so much!
Compiler: Marcie Jacklin ([email protected] or 905-871-2577)
More about the October Count: more info »
Photo of a Northern Shoveler from the Batavia WWTP on October 23, 2025 taken by Andrea Heine.
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Oct 14, 2026 (Wednesday)
Meeting - Birding the Adirondacks with Ryan Shostack
Details: (click for more info)
Buffalo Museum of Science
Meet at 7 pm in the Cummings Room at the Buffalo Museum of Science.
This meeting will be shared via Zoom. Ryan is a graduate of Canisius University and has worked at the Buffalo, Syracuse and Tulsa, OK Zoos. Waterfowl are Ryan’s favorite family of birds and we met at Forest Lawn Cemetery one spring taking in the newly arrived ducks! Ryan has also created a Facebook group called Birders for Inclusiveness to create awareness for members of the community with autism.
The Adirondack Park boasts an incredible variety of habitats from alpine meadow and krummholz, to lowland boreal bogs, Lake Champlain wetlands as well as some of New York’s remaining old growth deciduous forest. The Park hosts the only breeding populations of Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker and Canada Jay in New York State as well as one of the most diverse collections of breeding wood warbler species in the Lower 48! Tune if to hear Ryan discuss this unique park which is only a few hours’ drive from WNY.
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Oct 31, 2026 (Saturday)
Field Trip - Lake Ontario Plains with Willie D’anna
Details: (click for more info)
Top's Market in Wrights Corners, north of Lockport, NY
Saturday, October 31, 2026 - Lake Ontario Plain Field Trip for fall migrants.
Meet at 8 AM at Tops Market in Wright's Corners. This is on the east side of Route 78 at Route 104, north of Lockport. Leaders are Willie D’Anna and Joel Strong.
Leaders:
Willie D'Anna
P: 716-471-7595 or E: [email protected]
Joel Strong
P: 727-519-4043 or E: [email protected]
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See Our Full List of Events