Moreau Lake State Park has a designated Bird Conservation Area in which this very important citizen science effort helps support. The project tracks bird species and what they’re doing. It is a nationwide effort and New York State (DEC) is the first state to kick it off. The last one was conducted in 2005. It’s easy to sign up and you can download a great app called eBird Mobile to help you identify and track your sighting. Your valuable participation contributes to hundreds of conservation efforts including right here at Moreau Lake State Park.
About the Program: “If you ever watch birds in New York, you can be a part of the Breeding Bird Atlas! Everyone is encouraged to participate from 2020-2024. Beginner and advanced birders alike can enhance their birding experience by observing bird behaviors. And you can be involved as little or as much as you want. Whenever you go birding—be it in your backyard, at your summer camp, or in your favorite park—every sighting counts!
A key change from previous atlases will be the use of eBird for data collection. eBird offers real-time data entry and outputs, so you’ll be able to follow along with results throughout the breeding season and across the entire project period.”
CLICK HERE to learn much more about the program and to sign up
The Moreau Lake State Park designated Bird Conservation Area is a stopover site for Neotropical migratory songbirds, especially forest dwelling migrants during both spring and fall migrations. The site supports a diversity of birds associated with upland forest. It is also a significant wintering site for the state and federally threatened bald eagle; it regularly supports state threatened pied-billed grebe (possible breeder), northern harrier (spring and fall migration), and state species of special concern Cooper’s hawk (possible breeder) and red-shouldered hawk (probable breeder)
CLICK HERE to learn more about Moreau’s BCA