Birds and Mammals of the Tupper Lake Marsh and The Greater Raquette River Wetland Complex

The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is one of five species of the family of birds known as Gaviidae, and the only loon species to breed in New York, primarily on the lakes of the Adirondack Park.

Three of the other species, Yellow-Billed (Gavia adamsii), Red-Throated (Gavia stellata) and Pacific loons (Gavia pacifica), breed in northern North America on arctic waterbodies, and are occasionally observed in New York during migration. Arctic loons (Gavia arctica) live on waterbodies in northern Europe and Asia, and look very similar to Pacific loons.

The Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program (ACLP) is a collaborative research and education effort studying the natural history of the Common Loon (Gavia immer) and the effects of contaminants and human interactions on the loon population in the Adirondack Park. ACLP evolved from loon contaminant research conducted by the Northeast Loon Study Workgroup in the Park from 1998-2000.

The Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program conducts research to determine the status and trends in the Adirondack breeding loon population, and the effect of mercury contamination on this population's reproductive success. This work is coordinated with similar research throughout northeastern North America to determine the effect of environmental mercury contamination on the breeding loon population throughout the region. BACK

	The Pied-Billed Grebe has brownish feathers and a short whitish bill. Its bill has a dark ring around it during breeding season. The pied-billed grebe's range covers most of eastern Canada and all of the United States. It the northern parts of its range, the pied-billed grebe will migrate to areas with open water. It will live year-round In the southern part of its range as long as the water doesn't freeze over.
	The male pied-billed grebe or a male and female pair will establish a territory during breeding season. Both the male and female gather vegetation from the pond or marsh bottom and build a floating nest in shallow water. The female pied-billed grebe lays two to ten eggs. Both the male and female incubate the eggs. Incubation takes about 23-27 days. The chicks are precocial and leave the nest within an hour of hatching.
Although they can swim and dive as soon as they leave the nest, the parents will protect the chicks and will sometimes carry them on their backs. They will leave their parents when they are a month to two months old. In the southern parts of their range, females may have two broods a year. The pied-billed grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver. It often dives to evade predators. In fact, another name for the pied-billed grebe is the Hell-diver. BACK

	The American bittern is a secretive bird inhabiting lush, emergent vegetation along the borders of lakes, marshes and rivers. Breeding occurs in valley bottom marshes or on flat plateau regions, from near sea level on the coast, up to 1300 m in the interior. The American bittern is almost never seen on the ground because it rarely leaves heavy cover, and its cryptic plumage provides excellent camouflage.
It is active mainly at dawn and dusk, when it forages by standing motionless to capture passing prey such as insects, amphibians, crayfish, and small fish and mammals. It is most often noticed when territorial males give their distinctive call. Because of its secretive habits, it is likely more abundant and widespread than currently known. The American bittern nests in emergent vegetation, and builds its platform nest over water or mud. Nesting marshes must have extensive stands of emergent vegetation and have stable water levels throughout the nest-building, egg-laying, incubation and nestling periods.
	It is a solitary breeder, and the nesting season extends from early April to mid-August. Coastal populations have suffered from the loss of brackish marshes along the lower Fraser River and its major tributaries, and the drainage of most wetlands in the lower Fraser River valley. Interior populations are threatened mainly by drainage of wetlands and fluctuating water levels. BACK

The Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, common all over North and Central America.

This species usually breeds in colonies in trees close to lakes or other wetlands, often with other species of herons. These groups are called heronry (many people say "rookery", but that term actually refers to colonies of other birds, not herons). It builds a bulky stick nest. The female lays 3 to 5 pale blue eggs. Both parents feed the young at the nest by regurgitating food.
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It feeds in shallow water or at the water's edge and spears fish or frogs with its long, sharp bill. The Great Blue Heron stands four feet tall, has a seven-foot wingspan. It has a long yellow bill. Adults have blue-grey wings and back and a white head with a black cap and a long black plume. In flight, the head is held close to and aligned with the body by a downward bend in the long neck. The long legs trail behind.

The Green Heron (Butorides virescens) is a small heron. Some sources consider this bird and the Striated Heron or Mangrove Heron, Butorides striatus, of tropical Africa and Asia, to be a single species, the Green-backed Heron.

Adults are about 44 cm long, and have a blue back and wings, a chestnut neck with a white line down the front, a black cap and short yellow legs. Juveniles are duller, with the head sides, neck and underparts streaked brown and white and greenish-yellow legs.

Their breeding habitat is small wetlands in eastern and midwest North America, Central America, the West Indies and the Pacific coast of Canada and the United States. They nest in a platform of sticks often in shrubs or trees, sometimes on the ground, often near water. The female lays 3 to 5 eggs. Both parents incubate for about 20 days until hatching, and feed the young birds which take a further 3 weeks to fledge. BACK

Northern Green Heron populations are migratory and winter from the southern United States through to northern South America. Green Herons stand still at the water's edge and wait to ambush prey. They mainly eat small fish, frogs and aquatic insects. They sometimes drop food on the water's surface to attract fish. Their call is a loud and sudden kyow.

Canada Geese feed mainly on plant material. When feeding in water, they submerge their heads and necks to reach aquatic plants, sometimes tipping forward like a dabbling duck. Flocks of these birds are often seen at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park. Canada's mate and stay together all of their lives. If one is killed, the other may find a new mate. The female lays 4-8 eggs and both parents protect the nest while the eggs incubate.

During that time, they lose their flight feathers, so that they cannot fly until after their eggs hatch. This period lasts for 25-28 days.

Adult geese are often seen leading their goslings in a line with one parent at the front, and the other at the back of the "parade". While protecting their young, parents often violently chase away nearby creatures, from small blackbirds to other geese, to humans that approach. The young do not leave their parents until after the spring migration, when they return to their birthplace. BACK


This goose breeds in northern Canada and the northeastern tip of Siberia, and winters much further south in the continent in the southern USA and beyond. These birds migrate in large flocks, often visiting traditional stopover habitats in spectacular numbers. The larger of the two subspecies, the Greater Snow Goose (C. c. atlanticus), nests to the north of eastern Canada. The smaller subspecies, the Lesser Snow Goose (C. c. caerulescens), commonly occurs in two plumage variants. White-phase birds are white except for black wing tips, but blue-phase geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing most of the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. White- and blue-phase birds do interbreed and the young may be of either type. Blue-phase birds are rare among the Greater Snow Geese. BACK

A colorful duck of wooded swamps and streamsides, the Wood Duck is one of only a few North American ducks that nest in trees. Many people consider it to be the most beautiful of all waterfowl. Natural cavities for nesting are scarce, and the Wood Duck readily uses nest boxes provided for it. If nest boxes are placed too close together, many females lay eggs in the nests of other females. These "dump" nests can have up to 40 eggs.

The Wood Duck nests in trees near water, sometimes directly over water, but other times up to 2 km (1.2 mi) away. After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest tree and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them in any way. The ducklings may jump from heights of up to 89 m (290 ft) without injury.

The Wood Duck is a popular game bird, and is second only to the Mallard in numbers shot each year in the United States.

Wood Ducks pair up in January, and most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. The Wood Duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year. BACK

The population of Atlantic Brant (approximately 120-140,000) breed in the Islands in the Eastern High Arctic and Greenland. In September and October, they assemble on James Bay, Ontario and build up fat reserves for migration to the Atlantic coast. Most birds winter in New Jersey, New York and Virginia but smaller flocks and individuals can be found locally from Maine to Florida and Texas. In the 1930's a wasting disease killed many large eelgrass beds along the Atlantic coast in the U.S. The Brant, which heavily rely on this foodplant during the winter declined considerably. Since then, populations have recovered and have adapted to other foods, especially grass and clover on lawns. The population is currently managed through the use of hunting regulations and waterfowl surveys. BACK


American Black Duck numbers declined significantly in mid 20th century. Hunting was restricted in 1983, and populations stabilized and then started to increase. The United States and Canada started the Black Duck Joint Venture to try to restore the populations. The American Black Duck occasionally strays from its normal range. One female banded in New Brunswick, Canada turned up in France. The American Black Duck has suffered somewhat from the introduction of captive-raised Mallards into its breeding range. The species hybridize (interbreed), and the Mallard may take over some breeding spots from the black duck. Still, the black duck seems to be holding its own in most of its range. BACK


The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos[1]), also known as the wild duck, is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Probably the best-known of all ducks, it gave rise to most domestic ducks, apart from the Muscovy Duck. It is strongly migratory in the northern parts of its breeding range, and winters farther south. It also frequents Central America and the Caribbean, and has been introduced into Australia and New Zealand. It is now the most common duck in New Zealand. In captivity, Mallards come in wild-type plumages, white, and other colours. Most of these colour variants are rare but increasing in domestic collections. The dabbling duck is 56�65 cm length, with an 81�98 cm wingspan, and weighs 750�1,000 g. The breeding male is unmistakable with a green head, black rear end and a blue speculum edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest. Males also possess a yellow bill with a black tip, females dark brown. The female Mallard is light brown like most female dabbling ducks. It can be distinguished from other ducks by the distinctive speculum. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female. BACK

Waterfowl and Shore Birds most likely to be found in the marsh
Common Loon	Pied-Billed Grebe	American Bittern	Great Blue Heron
Green Heron	Canada Goose	Snow Geese	Brant (transient)
Pintail (occasional)	Wood Duck	Black Duck	Mallard Duck
Blue Winged Teal		ringed-neck duck	goldeneye
bufflehead (transient)	hooded merganser	common merganser	green-wing teal (transient)
mourning dove	killdeer	sandpiper	common snipe

Avian Predators, Carrion and Fish Eaters
osprey	bald eagle	golden eagle	northern harrier
kingfisher	great horn owl	________________	________________

Gulls and Terns
herring gull	ring-billed gull	Bonaparte’s gull	black tern

Insect Eaters
alder flycatcher	kingbird	tree swallow	barn swallow
yellow warbler	magnolia warbler	yellow-rumped warbler	redstart
yellowthroat	bobolink	nuthatch	downy woodpecker

Crows and Jays
American crow	raven	blue jay	gray jay

Seed Eaters, Sparrows, Buntings, Hummingbird
chipping sparrow	song sparrow	swamp sparrow	snow bunting
hummingbird	junco	pine siskin	grossbeak
chickadee

Blackbirds, Starlings, Cardinal
grackle	red-wing blackbird	starling	cardinal

Mammals
white-tail deer	beaver	muskrat	coyote
fisher	mink	moose	weasel
river otters	snoeshoe hare	red fox	raccoon
black bear	bobcat	________________	_________________