Snowy owls have returned to the area. There are currently an estimated three to five in Genesee County. We did not have any consistent sightings last year like we did a few years ago.

This year’s snowy owl irruption (a sudden sharp increase in the relative numbers of a natural population usually associated with favorable alteration of the environment) was caused by a four-year cycle of lemming births that lead to an abundant food supply for the owls in the Arctic Circle this last spring and summer. This large food supply lead to a larger than normal birth rate of owls. Because there are more snowy owls, the young ones need to go further away in the winter to find uncrowded hunting grounds. This is why we currently have so many birds here in Western New York.

The 2014-2014 snow owl irruption was the largest on record (records have been kept on snowy owls since 1890) Given the number of snowy owls that are currently in NY State, this year may surpass even the 2013-2014 irruption.

If you go out to see this winter's snowy owls or any of the other area raptors, please be courteous and safe when doing so. Respect all rules of the road and private property. If you are observing the birds with binoculars try to stay in your car to use it as a blind. If you are trying to photograph the bird, a lens over 400mm is suggested. Do not approach the bird any closer than 100 yards. If the bird is closer than 100 yards to the road it is considered OK to observe from your car. 

Beertavia was this afternoon and it was a funtavia festivia in the suntavia. Sorry for going too far with the puntavias.

Batavia BID (Business Improvement District) hosted a beer tasting with more than 24 craft brews and ciders.

What is normally a blacktop parking lot on Bank Street in Downtown Batavia was transformed into a lawn-covered oasis, with a giant white tent for the nearly 700 people in attendance.

While patrons were tasting the unlimited beer and cider, Ohm’s Band performed a few sets to help keep the atmosphere upbeat.

Batavia Turf donated the grass for the parking lot that had quite a few lawn games as wall as picnic table seating and Adirondack lawn chairs.

The reputation and size of Beertavia is growing every year. So much so, this couple flew up from Chattanooga, Tenn., just for this event. They read about it on beerfests.com and decided it was for the right festival for them. (Picture below.)

Black Creek Cidery won the People's Choice Award for the best drink in the tasting.

Angotti Beverage Corp. helped bring this group of brews together and we are fairly certain all are available locally, if you wan to try some of what was inside the tent or buy some of your favorites to enjoy at home.

Hear the stories behind summer’s celestial constellations and watch for fireballs in the sky far away from city lights. On Friday, Aug. 12th, Genesee County Park & Forest will host an amazing program called “Meteor Shower in the Meadow” from 9:30 to 11 p.m.

Cost of the event is $5 for individuals and $10 for a family. Pre-registration is requested by calling (585) 344-1122.

Attendees will learn about astronomy inside the park’s Interpretive Nature Center and then walk out to a forest meadow where they will watch nature’s fireworks. Feel free to bring a blanker or folding chair to enjoy the show.

The Perseid Meteor Shower is an annual event that occurs in late July and early August – with Aug. 11-12th being the height of the showers. There is speculation that the 2016 Perseids could be a peak year, with more than 200 meteors spotted an hour. The characteristics of a Perseid meteor are that it is fast and bright, often leaving a trail behind it.

“Meteor Shower in the Meadow” is a great example of the types of programming offered at Genesee County Park & Forest. The family-friendly events combine elements of education and experience – making it a fantastic opportunity for everyone. From snowshoe hikes in the winter to wading in ponds looking for signs of life in the summer, Genesee County Park & Forest is a wonderful place to explore and learn. For more information, visit the Park’s website and Facebook page.

Above, the 11 students representing Genesee County in Boys State pose at the Botts Fiorito American Legion post in Le Roy during Wednesday evening's meet and greet. They will be heading to Morrisville for a weeklong educational experience starting June 26th. 

American Legion Boys State is an educational program for students to learn and experience government legislation. Each participant becomes a part of the operation of his local, county and state government.

Boys State has been a program of The American Legion since 1935. 

At American Legion Boys State, participants are exposed to the rights and privileges, the duties and the responsibilities of a franchised citizen. The training is objective and practical with city, county and state governments operated by the students elected to the various offices. Activities include legislative sessions, court proceedings, law enforcement presentations, assemblies, bands, chorus and recreational programs.

High school juniors are selected by local American Legion Posts to attend the program. Expenses associated with attending this program are paid by the sponsoring American Legion Post.

The high school students representing Genesee County are:

From Sackett-Merrill-White Post #575 -- Brandon Burke, Russel Cunningham, Ryan Richardson, Colin Noeth

From Hiram G. Luhman Post #626 -- Campbell Andersen, Christopher Lemley, Jacob Walton, Caleb Walcott

Botts Fiorito Post #576 -- Joshua Laurie, David Privatera, Jacob Steffenilla

For more information on the Boys State, contact Dennis McCumiskey at the American Legion Post in Le Roy at 585-768-8597.

There is also a Girls State. For more information, click here.

There are an estimated 350 nesting pairs of bald eagles in NYS this year and about seven pairs are here in Genesee County. The birds pictured in this post live just outside of Le Roy. Other nesting pairs have been reported in Attica, around Silver Lake, and a few pair in the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. The oldest recorded banded bald eagle in the country lived close by in Henrietta to the age of 38.

This nesting pair was first reported to The Batavian in March of this year. (Original story.) From what is reported by local residents, this is the first year for this nest in this location. Most bald eagle clutches consist of one to three eggs. From what was observed in this nest, there may have been only one egg. There was only one chick ever spotted in the nest.

It is common for the chick that hatches first to eat the small chick once it hatches. This is normal and the parents pay no attention if this happens. In this bald eagle family, the father was banded and the mother was not.

Mom and Dad trade places sitting on the incubating egg(s).

Father sits in nest on eggs as mom flies by.

After about 35 days of incubation, a chick was hatched. At the time this picture was taken, the chick was about two to three weeks old.

The chick has fresh fish flown in for lunch by Dad.

Mom and chick snuggle up in nest as the weather turns cold again in April.

Growing very quickly...the chick, about six to seven weeks old, is still fed by Mom.

Even though the chick now looks like a big bird, there is a lot of learning and practice that needs to be done before the chick can leave the nest.

About the second week in June, the chick fledged the nest. While looking strong and graceful in flight, this eaglet is still not very graceful at landing. Mom will still hunt for the eaglet for about another five weeks. After that, the eaglet will be on its own until it mates in maturity in about five years. After about four years, the eaglet will have the white feathers on its head, yellow beek and solid brown body that we are familar with as our national bird. 

Below the eaglet practices life skills, in this case, using its talons to pick up a stick.

If you haven’t already seen some of the local eagles, keep an eye to the sky and look for them, thanks to a managed recovery program we are blessed with quite a few in this area.

For more information about bald eagles visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/74052.html 

If you would like to learn more about photography visit: Batavia Photography Club

Eagle pictures

Rochester has had the nickname of “Image Capital of the World” due to its famous industries. It is also well known as a center for visual arts, particularly photography. The premier photography-only gallery in Rochester is Image City on 722 University Ave. Every month they rotate their exhibits featuring the best photographic art the city has to offer.

This month Batavia is more than well represented. Works from seven local photographers belonging to the Batavia Photography Club are hung on the walls. They are in a special exhibit in the East Gallery that will remain open until Sept. 6th. The first Friday art walk exhibit opening party is this week, Aug. 14th, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. All of the local photographers are expected to be in attendance; come on out and show them your support. Admission to the gallery is always free.

For more information, a preview of the show and normal gallery hours please click here.

Le Roy First Presbyterian Church, at Main and Clay streets in Le Roy, is having a spaghetti dinner this afternoon from 4 to 6:30. Also going on now and continuing throughout the day is a sale with craft vendors, including the entire yard of the church decorated with metal art from Adam’s Welding and Fabrication. 

This is the fifth in our series of profiles of the 2014 Chamber of Commerce Award winners. The awards will be presented at a dinner at the Clarion Hotel on Saturday.

Owning and operating farm equipment is costly. Just ask Genesee County farmers. In fact, it’s so costly it’s hard for farmers to justify having their own equipment. They’ll also tell you how hard it is to find qualified equipment operators. These are headaches and expenses farmers don’t need as they battle today’s economy.

But thanks to Corcoran Combining & Trucking, the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce’s Agricultural Business of the Year, local famers have another weapon that can help them survive. Corcoran provides planting and harvesting services designed specifically for local farmers. And it’s been doing successfully it for nearly a quarter of a century.

“Many farmers find it more profitable to hire out their field work to companies like us because of the high costs of owning and operating equipment,” says Stacy Corcoran, who co-owns Corcoran Combining with her husband, Bill. “That’s where we come in. The custom services we provide enable farmers to dramatically cut equipment costs. It works out well for both them and us.”

Delivers topflight services

Corcoran delivers topflight service that farmers can count on. With nearly 100 customers throughout a seven-county area, Corcoran works more than 40,000 acres annually. Using equipment that can cost several hundred thousand dollars each, Corcoran justifies the investment by using the equipment on multiple farms.

This kind of use spreads the cost over thousands of acres so they’re able to achieve cost-efficiencies individual farmers can’t.

“We’re try to help farmers any way we can with our services,” says Corcoran. “Agriculture is a significant industry in Western New York and we’re honored to be a part of it.”

Corcoran employs up to 15 people during its busy season, which starts in April and runs through December. Workdays during the season often run upwards of 14 hours or more. During the winter months, Corcoran washes, repairs and services their equipment, housing it in a heated facility the company built in 2014.

Started as a sideline

Bill Corcoran and his brother Tom started the business in 1992 as a sideline. They had two customers: their father and a neighbor. They never expected it to expand to what the business is now. At first, they worked their full-time jobs and did combining on the side.

But the customer list grew rapidly within a few years, prompting the purchase of a second combine and a grain truck. After a few years, the brothers split the business, with each pursuing separate custom-harvesting businesses.

Stacy and Bill expanded services in 1997. They added forage harvesting to their list of services, which involves harvesting hay and corn to make cow feed. The equipment they purchased for offering this service is also used in tillage and manure handling, which spreads the costs out. They also added a partner.

Growth eventually forced Bill to quit his full-time job and commit all his time to the business. Since then, the company has grown and prospered by helping farmers throughout seven Western New York counties: Genesee, Wyoming, Orleans, Livingston, Niagara, Erie and Monroe.

Future looks bright

The future looks bright for Corcoran Combining & Trucking. It recently purchased a new forage harvester and merger with an eye toward expanding their customer base even further. Plus, another family member may be joining them in the business in a few years.

“Corcoran Combining and Trucking is a family business,” says Corcoran. “Our sons help out whenever they can and my brother-in-law and father-in-law both have farms, so farming is in our blood.”

“But our youngest son is showing great interest in the business. He’s only 11 right now but he has great potential. It would be great to have him or any of our children join us in the business. But for now Bill and I are still going strong.”