I enjoyed a modest flight of 43 migrating raptors today at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, but the most exciting moment of the day was not raptor related. I’d been scanning behind the view platform in the beginning of the second hour of the watch. When I turned around, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Black Bear! I grabbed my camera and was able to grab a few shots before the bear headed off into the vegetation. Fellow counters Bev and Rich joined me for a couple of hours and found A LOT of birds; I was thankful for that. See my Hawk Migration Association report at the bottom of this post.
~Black Bear at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/27/25.~~One of many young Cedar Waxwings at Mount Peter today, 09/27/25.~~Sharp-shinned Hawk migrates through. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/27/25.~
I birded the black dirt and 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary this morning. I didn’t have any targets in mind, I just wanted to see what was happening. It was a birdy and enjoyable outing; notably I had my first fall American Pipits of the season, a dozen or so lingering American Golden-plovers, and an impressively large flock of Tree Swallows. Savannah Sparrows were also quite numerous. At 6 1/2 Station Road, conditions continue to be less than optimal, with high water levels and no birds of note. I was hoping for another look at the Sora, but I was unable to relocate it. Here is a handful of shots from the morning.
~Tree Swallows in a corn field in the black dirt, 09/21/25.~~Mourning Dove in the Black Dirt Region, 09/21/25.~~American Golden-plover in the black dirt, 09/21/25.~~A young Red-shouldered Hawk at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 09/21/25.~~Savannah Sparrow in the black dirt, 09/21/25.~~Male Wood Duck at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 09/21/25.~
In spite of a very difficult, nearly all blue sky, it was a really great day of counting migrating raptors at Mount Peter Hawkwatch today. It was a lot of work, but but thanks to the help of many of our observers (other counters) and guests, we were able to tally over 640 birds for the day. Entering into the day, I was wondering if we would get many more Broad-winged Hawks coming through this season; I am happy to report we counted over 600 today. We also had a decent variety, with Osprey, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, and Peregrine Falcon all also getting in on the act. I’ve included my Hawk Migration Association report at the bottom of this post.
~One of the few low Broad-winged Hawks from the day. Mt. Pete Hawkwatch, 09/20/25.~~Local Red-tailed Hawk buzzes through. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/20/25. ~
I went to Winding Waters Trail first thing this morning with CONNECTICUT WARBLER being my primary target bird. I was also hoping for Lincoln’s Sparrow, but I knew that bird wouldn’t be nearly as difficult to track down. I walked the trail; it was quite birdy on my way out, and I picked up a couple of Lincoln’s Sparrows. It wasn’t until I was on my way back in that I first heard and then saw my primary target. Unfortunately, the bird was severely backlit, so my photos aren’t great. But I think I’ve heard more than one person say that any photo of a Connecticut Warbler is a good photo. I was happy to get lucky with this bird it’s been several years since I’ve had one.
~Good bird for the county… Connecticut Warbler at Winding Waters Trail, 09/14/25.~
Later in the morning I headed to Mount Peter Hawkwatch. I wanted to try for some Broad-winged Hawks since I was out of commission on Saturday (see below). We had some early movement, including just over 40 Broadwings, a handful of Sharp-shinned Hawks, a young Bald Eagle, and a couple of Osprey. It slowed down mid-day, and I left. But it picked up again and they finished the day with over 500 Broad-winged Hawks!
On Saturday, I went on a fishing trip in the Long Island Sound with my work. It was a successful trip for those who were fishing – they were pulling up fish left and right. For me, I don’t fish, but I enjoyed birding and taking some photos as we went. All the birds I had were expected, including four species of gulls. It’s been a minute since I’ve posted any gull shots, so here’s all four species.
~American Herring Gull in flight over the Long Island Sound, 09/13/25.~~Ring-billed Gull during Long Island Sound fishing trip, 09/13/25.~~Laughing Gull taking off. Long Island Sound, 09/13/25.~~A sharp looking young Great Black-backed Gull, Long Island Sound 09/13/25.~
Saturday was pretty much a dud for me. I started the day up at Mount Peter Hawkwatch; when I arrived it was socked in with fog. I counted for 4 1/2 hours when a big storm rolled through and I left (with 0 migrating raptors counted). Hopefully this is not an indication of how this season will go for me.
This morning was much better – at my first stop I found a nice collection of shorebirds. The highlight was a couple of BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS. There was also a huge flock of American Golden-Plovers – probably between 40 and 50 birds. Additional species included Pectoral Sandpipers and, of course, plenty of Killdeer. Later at the Camel Farm, I had a couple of Wilson’s Snipe and a handful of Least Sandpipers. At the Liberty Loop platform, I had a single Semipalmated Sandpiper. And finally, at Winding Waters Trail, I had a Spotted Sandpiper and a Greater Yellowlegs. That’s a total of (9) species of shorebirds, not too shabby. And, in my travels, I found a pair of Sandhill Cranes in range for some photos.
As always, I took photos as I went; several of these were actually taken earlier this week, on Labor Day. Unfortunately all the shorebirds from today were just too distant for any good shots.
~American Goldfinch on Missionland Road, 09/01/25.~~Sandhill Crane in the Black Dirt Region, 09/07/25.~~Red-tailed Hawk in the black dirt, 09/07/25.~~Chestnut-sided Warbler at Winding Waters Trail, 09/01/25.~~A second Sandhill Crane in the black dirt on 09/07/25.~~Ruby-throated Hummingbird on Missionland Road, 09/01/25.~ ~Red-tailed Hawk on a pile of crates in the black dirt, 09/07/25.~~Great Egret at Bullville Pond, 09/01/25.~
I didn’t get out all that much over the past couple of days, but when I did, I got lucky and made the best of it. On Saturday evening (I didn’t get out in the morning), I birded the black dirt and had some shorebird success. I had (9) distant American Golden Plovers at my first location. Then, on my way to my second location, I saw a Black Bear on the road! Ant then, at my second and final location, I had an additional (29) American Golden Plovers. They were doing their flocking, whipping around the black dirt thing, which is so enjoyable to watch and photograph.
~American Golden-Plovers in the black dirt, 08/30/25.~~AMGPs whipping around the Black Dirt Region, 08/30/25.~~AMGP in the BDR, 08/30/25.~~One more shot of the American Golden-Plovers in the Black Dirt Region on Saturday night, 08/30/25.~~A Black Bear moseys down a dirt road in the Black Dirt Region, 08/30/25.~
This morning I went to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary first thing. I got lucky with a distant Sora that kept coming out into the opening. I only had my 400mm lens, so I tried to document by digiscoping with my phone; here is the result. Good bird, terrible photo. I was pretty happy to see a Sora; it’s been several years I believe, since I last saw one. Afterwards, I headed up to Mount Peter to participate in the annual cleanup. Hawkwatch starts this week; I have to say I’m pretty excited.
~Digiscoped image of Sora at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/31/25.~ ~White-tailed Deer fawn in the black dirt, 08/30/25.~
After last night’s Uppy excitement, today was relatively uneventful. Kyle Knapp let me know early in the day that he had (3) Baird’s Sandpipers in the black dirt; I eventually caught up with those birds later in the morning alongside Bev, Rich, and Diane. There was young birder there as well; it was only his second trip to the black dirt. We got him on the birds and it was a lifer for him, so that was exciting. I did some running around prior to that, hoping for more shorebirds. At 6 1/2 Station Road I had just (8) Least Sandpipers; Bullville Pond had high water levels and just a single Spotted Sandpiper. The platform at Liberty Marsh had a similar situation with high water and no shorebirds at all. As always, I took photos as I went, so here’s the latest batch.
~Horned Lark in nice light in the black dirt 08/23/25.~~Great Blue Heron at Echo Lake, 08/23/25.~~Upland Sandpiper in the black dirt, 08/23/25.~~Upland Sandpipers can make some quirky movements – here’s one caught in a funny position in the Black Dirt Region, 08/23/25. ~~This image is from a couple weeks back, but I never got around to posting it. Least Sandpiper in the black dirt, 08/11/25.~~There are MANY Bobolinks on the move right now. I seemed to hear them everywhere I went this weekend. BOBO in the black dirt 08/24/25.~
I didn’t get out this morning, so this evening I followed up on several reports of an UPLAND SANDPIPER from earlier in the day. I was hoping to get some better looks than I did a couple of weeks ago. Well, mission accomplished! I got super lucky with an Upland Sandpiper very close to the road. The bird flushed from some longer grasses as I approached in my car. It posed for a short time right in front of me, and then worked its way along the side of a turf field. It was probably the best/longest Uppy observation that I’ve had, and I was excited and thrilled.
~Upland Sandpiper in the Black Dirt Region, 08/23/25.~~Uppy in the black dirt, 08/23/25.~~Upland Sandpiper in the black dirt, 08/23/25.
QUICK POST: I played a hunch and ran out to the Black Dirt Region after work this evening. I got lucky and was able to locate a single BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, along with two American Golden-Plovers. The birds were distant and mostly backlit, but still it was a thrill to see them. I put the word out and Silas Wareham and Jeanne Cimorelli both ran for the birds and got them. On a personal note, this evening put me over the 200 bird mark in Orange County for the year, with birds #200 and #201. Pics were tough, but I tried my best to document.
~Always a thrill to see this bird. BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER in the black dirt, 08/19/25.~~One of two American Golden-Plovers in the black dirt tonight, o8/19/25.~~Buff-breasted Sandpiper and American Golden-Plover in the BDR, 08/19/25.~
I went out to the black dirt three nights this week, and again this morning, hoping for shorebirds of course. Unfortunately, notable shorebirds were not in the cards; the only shorebirds I found were Killdeer (many!), a handful of Least Sandpipers, and a single Semipalmated Sandpiper. As a consolation prize, on a couple of evenings I spent some time with some young Horned Larks. I think they have a fantastic look at this age – it’s obvious that they are larks, but at the same time they look like an entirely different bird. The photos with the nice golden look were taken on 08/11/25 and the others were taken on 08/14/25.
