OC Red-headed Woodpecker, 03/02/24

A mostly uneventful, rainy morning was saved when I found a single RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at the south end of Brown’s Pond. It’s been a few years since I’ve had this species in the county (others have had it), so for me it was good to see one. The bird was working some dead trees on the far side of the pond, so photos were difficult but I was able to at least document it. The only other noteworthy birds this morning was a quartet of distant Red-breasted Mergansers which I viewed on the Hudson River from Donahue Memorial Park.

~Red-headed Woodpecker at Brown’s Pond, 03/02/24.~
~RHWO in flight at Brown’s Pond, 03/02/24.~

Sunday Shots, 02/25/24

This morning I arrived at Black Rock Forest just after sunrise. It was a cold morning; my car told me it was 16 degrees Fahrenheit when I arrived. I enjoyed a 6.25 mile walk on a gorgeous, crisp morning. The birding was as you would expect, with plenty of the usuals. Birds of note included a calling Barred Owl, and a singing Winter Wren. Both birds were my first for 2024. Photos didn’t happen, so you will have to settle for a selfie I took in front of Upper Reservoir. I really was a beautiful morning to be out and about.

~Wilson’s Warbler at Newburgh Waterfront Park, 02/25/24.~

Afterwards, I went to Newburgh Waterfront Park to try one more time for the Wilson’s Warbler. Well, I guess 5 (6?) times is a charm, because not only did I get the bird, it posed for photos. Otherwise, it was the usuals, including the Ruby-crowned Kinglet which as been at that spot for a while now. I did a quick scan of the gulls present and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but by then I was ready to head home for the day.

~American Goldfinch in the Reservoir 3 area, 02/24/24.~
~One more shot of the WIWA, Newburgh Waterfront Trail 02/25/24.~
~It was a super cold but positively gorgeous morning at Black Rock Forest, 02/25/24.~
~A winter weekend in OC wouldn’t be complete without a Horned Lark photo. This one was showing its horns pretty well, which I enjoyed. Black Dirt Region, 02/24/24.~

OC Red Crossbill, 02/24/24

Well, it took many miles and several trips out to the Port Jervis area, but I was finally able to get more than just a flyover look at a RED CROSSBILL. I was just northwest of Huguenot, driving on Franke Road, when I luckily spotted a bird on the road and slowed to a stop before flushing it. I picked my bins up, and sure enough, it was a male RED CROSSBILL, gritting on the road. It was a brief, but very exciting encounter – after about 3o seconds the bird flew. I tried to stay on it, but it went quite a distance and I lost it in the tree line. I’m not sure if this totally satisfies this crossbill itch I have, but it certainly beats a flyover.

~Male Red Crossbill gritting on the road in Huguenot NY, 02/24/24.~
~RECR in OC, 02/24/24.~

Glaucous-winged Gull, 01/21/24

Yesterday afternoon, birding bud Bruce Nott contacted me to let me know he had a gull at the Newburgh Waterfront that he believed was a GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. Unfortunately, I was unable to run for the bird yesterday, but I was able to catch up with the bird today. I headed over towards the river in the early afternoon – I knew it was likely too early for the birds to be in Newburgh, so I went directly to the Beacon Waterfront. Luck was on my side, as that was exactly where this rare gull had decided to spend the afternoon. There were many happy birders that came out to try for the bird, whose normal range is on the West Coast. There has been some chatter online, some from from gull experts, about the possibility of the bird being a hybrid – I will be curious to see if we get any additional information or clarity. Most reports from today seem to indicate that the bird looks good for GWGU, and yesterday’s eBird reports were confirmed. I will post a follow up if any more information is forthcoming. Huge thanks and congratulations to Bruce on yet another great find.

~Glaucous-winged Gull on the ice at the Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~
~GWGU, Beacon 01/21/24.~
~I thought this was a sharp looking bird, especially in flight. Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~
~GWGU in flight, Beacon NY 01/21/24.~
~GWGU in Beacon NY, 01/21/23.~
~We also had 2 Iceland Gulls while I was in Beacon, one adult (above) and one 2nd year. Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~

OC Yellow-throated Warbler, 01/07/24

As the snowstorm wound down today, I headed out to the Newburgh Waterfront to see what I could find. I was mostly thinking about gulls, but I also knew I had to check the Waterfront Trail for warblers. Well, the gulls were a bust (only the expected species), but I was thrilled to find a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER! I put the word out – at least I thought I did, but in my haste, I unfortunately sent it to the wrong What’s App thread. Bruce Nott and Peter Chernak arrived as I was departing (I’d contacted them directly), and they both got the bird as well. Hopefully it will stick for others. I also had a Palm Warbler and I was finally able to finally catch up with the Tennessee Warbler that’s been reported at the same location. It was quite an unexpectedly good afternoon of birding.

~Exciting bird! Yellow-throated Warbler at the Waterfront Trail in Newburgh, NY 01/07/24.~
~YTWA at the Waterfront Trail, 01/07/24.~
~Palm Warbler, Newburgh Waterfront Trail, 01/07/24.~
~Tennessee Warbler at Waterfront Trail in Newburgh, NY 01/07/24.~

Orange County Northern Shrike, 01/06/24

This morning, after a stop in the black dirt region to pick up Lapland Longspur for the new year (I found 2), I went to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail. I went for the NORTHERN SHRIKE that has been seen there for a few days (huge thanks to birding bud Maria Loukeris for the heads up). On my way out on the trail, I did not have any luck with my target bird. But, on the way back, I could see the shrike perched high in a tree in the distance. I made my way back towards the car (and closer to the bird), and I joined Linda Scrima. We enjoyed decent, if brief looks at the bird, and took some photos of course. I think Northern Shrike is a favorite of many birders, and you can certainly count me among them.

~Yes! Excellent way to start the new year off – Northern Shrike at Wallkill River NWR, 01/06/24.~
~One more shot of the Northern Shrike at Winding Waters Trail, 01/06/24.~

Excellent Day in OC, 12/09/23

Today was an unexpectedly good day of birding for me. My first stop was Reservoir #3 in Port Jervis. I have birded this location a lot over the years, and I think as far as fall/winter birding is concerned, today was the most productive day I’ve ever had out there. As soon as I got out of the car, a Pine Siskin flew over calling. Not long after that, I heard and saw my target bird of the morning: a small group of RED CROSSBILLS flew over. I recorded the call on the Merlin app, and I was able to get some documentary, mostly-silhouetted photos. I took a modest hike and I tallied 20 species; other highlights included a Red-breasted Nuthatch, several Brown Creepers, and three Golden-crowned Kinglets.

~Bald Eagle in the black dirt, 12/09/23.~

Afterwards, I made a short visit to the black dirt. I tracked down a flock of Horned Larks with 2 Snow Buntings and 1 Lapland Longspur among them. I also enjoyed a nice photo op with a Bald Eagle.

~Iceland Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/09/23.~

In the evening, I joined Bruce Nott at the Newburgh Waterfront. Bruce had informed me earlier in the week that he had a couple of ICELAND GULLS, so I was excited to get out and get the gulling season started. We were able to locate one first winter Iceland Gull among approximately 400 gulls of the expected species (Herring, Great Black-backed, and Ring-billed) on the river.

~Red Crossbill in flight at Reservoir #3, 12/09/23.~
~Brown Creeper at Res 3, 12/09/23.~

The Grasslands Deliver, 11/26/23

This morning I had a fabulous outing at Shawngunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. I had a couple of reasons I wanted to get up there – the first was my target bird, the LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE which has been seen up there this fall. I caught up with (presumably) the same bird about a year ago, and I was hoping to get lucky again. The second was that I was due. It’s that time of year when raptors are flying over the refuges, so I was definitely feeling a visit to the Grasslands.

I arrived just after sunrise; it was a beautifully cold morning, just over 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with barely a whisper of a breeze. As the sun started to get a little higher, I paused to check my camera settings. Looking around for something to shoot, I was surprised to find a young Northern Harrier, just off the trail, peering out of the vegetation at me – I was floored that it hadn’t flushed.

~A frosty perch for this bird. I would have another encounter later in the morning with this immature Northern Harrier. SGNWR, 11/26/23.~

I walked the trails for a while, just enjoying being out. There was a good number of songbirds present, at least for out in the middle of the refuge: Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, American Goldfinches, House Finches, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and absolutely loads of Eastern Bluebirds. At one point, I was pretty sure I heard an Eastern Meadowlark, however I wasn’t able to confirm it.

~An Eastern Bluebird takes flight, SGNWR 11/26/23.~

Then, in my binoculars, I saw a white dot in a distant tree. I knew it had to be the shrike, and sure enough it was. I was lucky enough to watch the bird for a good while – it was still perched in some small brush south of the trail when I finally tore myself away. What an excellent bird!

~Loggerhead Shrike at the Grasslands, 11/26/23.~
~Loggerhead Shrike on the tiniest of perches. When I saw this, I started to wonder if the Loggerhead was smaller than the Northern Shrike. I checked my Crossley Guide when I got home, and sure enough, LOSH is listed as 9″, versus the NSHR at 10″.~

On my way back, I was hearing a Northern Harrier calling repeatedly. I eventually found, what I presume is the same young Northern Harrier, harassing a perched Red-tailed Hawk in the distance, on the tree line. As I worked my way along the trail, the harrier, maybe distracted by the presence of the Red-tail, flew directly at me, allowing for an excellent photo op.

~This young NOHA flew directly towards me, only veering off at the last second. SGNWR, 11/26/23.~
~NOHA in flight at the Grasslands, 11/26/23.~
Loggerhead Shrike at SGNWR, 11/26/23.~

Near the parking area, there was a very sharp-looking adult female Northern Harrier perched on a post, that was a nice way to end an excellent and exciting morning of birding.

~Adult female Northern Harrier perched not too far from the parking area, SGNWR 11/26/23.~
~One more of the young NOHA. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 11/26/23.~

Sunday Shots, 10/22/23

It was an interesting weekend in local birding. On Friday afternoon, Linda Scrima located a NORTHERN WHEATEAR in the black dirt. On Saturday morning, it was raining (as usual this fall), so I was able to spend some time searching for the bird. Unfortunately I didn’t have any luck, but I enjoyed another rainy morning in the black dirt, seeing the absolutely massive numbers of American Pipits, and I also found an unlikely sparrow for this time of year – a late Grasshopper Sparrow.

~Grasshopper Sparrow in the Black Dirt Region, 10/21/23.~

I also enjoyed a nice look a Merlin:

~Merlin perched in the wind and rain. Black dirt, 10/21/23.

In the afternoon, when the rain stopped, I managed to squeeze in two and a half hours at Mount Peter Hawkwatch. I had 15 migrating raptors, including another Merlin and a Peregrine Falcon. I’ve included my full report at the bottom of this post.

On Sunday morning, I found a Long-billed Dowitcher at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Marsh. This is a species which we don’t see all that regularly in Orange County; I believe that today was my just 4th siting in the 13 years I’ve birded OC.

~Long-billed Dowitcher at Liberty Marsh, 10/22/23.~
~Love these dudes. American Pipit in the black dirt in the rain, 10/21/23.~
~It’s always good to see our buddy the Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk in Warwick, NY 10/21/23.~

Getting Lucky with Uppies, 08/18/23

It’s been the summer of the Upland Sandpiper for me. Tonight I was birding in the black dirt and an Uppy ran right across the road in front of my car! I’d inadvertently flushed the bird from the long grasses on the roadside. It flew into the field to my right and then made its way across the field and then flew to the neighboring field. I put the word out and Karen Miller and I enjoyed my best Upland Sandpiper looks of the year. The bird eventually disappeared into a tall grassy area, so we decided to move on. I got back to my car and a second Upland Sandpiper flew across the road! It was an excellent evening of birding. All photos taken in the Black Dirt Region, 08/18/23.