Excellent Night at the Hudson, 07/10/20 (Updated 7/11)

I have to thank birding bud Maria Loukeris. This morning she forwarded a Birdcast email about Tropical Storm Fay. At that point, the storm wasn’t even on my radar, but I soon learned that Fay was forecasted to pass right through our area this afternoon and into the night. With that in mind, I headed over to the Hudson River after work, hoping the storm would bring in some interesting birds.

~Yes! FRANKLIN’S GULL in flight over the Hudson River, Plum Point, 07/10/20.~

My first stop was at Plum Point, where I used the pavilion to stay dry and still be able to scan the river. After about forty minutes or so, I had an interesting gull fly by. UPDATE 07/11/20: The ID of the interesting gull in question has been corrected; the bird is not a Laughing Gull but rather a FRANKLIN’S GULL! I was up early and out at the Hudson River when John Haas gave me a call. He was looking at the photos on the blog (rather than an iPhone shot of the back of my camera), and he was having his doubts about the bird being a Laughing, and that he was leaning towards it more likely being a Franklin’s. He wasn’t very familiar with the bird in this plumage, but he mentioned the white tips on the primaries, as well as the more extensive white on the nape. A little later, Richard Guthrie reported on the Mearns app that the bird was in fact a Franklin’s Gull. I’m going to go back now and look at my photos vs the books and see what I can learn. The good news for me is that the FRGU is a life bird for me, number 422 worldwide!

~Caspian Tern overhead at the Newburgh Waterfront, 07/10/20.~

My plan was to just bird from Plum Point, and then head home. But, I got some more help, this time from Rob Stone. He said I should definitely head over to the Newburgh Waterfront before heading home. There was a break in the weather, so I decided to do just that. Before I left , though, I also had an Osprey, which I thought was interesting.

At the riverfront, shortly after my arrival I located a tern flying high overhead. I actually wasn’t sure what kind of tern it was, I guess I was kind of freaking out and I was taking photos in an effort to document. The bird stayed at a pretty good height and eventually disappeared from view, heading south along the river. Looking at photos afterwards, it became clear that it was a CASPIAN TERN. I’m surprised I didn’t get the ID right away, but that’s how it goes sometimes. What a night! And, with the storm continuing through tonight, I’ll be back at the river at first light, hoping for more goodies.

~One more shot of the Franklin’s Gull, Plum Point 07/10/20.~
~Ring-billed Gull giving me the stinkeye. Newburgh Waterfront, 07/10/20.~

10 thoughts on “Excellent Night at the Hudson, 07/10/20 (Updated 7/11)”

  1. Lovely shots – a study in grey and white; poetry in motion captured in stand-still!

    1. I’m glad you appreciate them Norma, they’re not the prettiest shots I’ve ever taken, but still. Matt

    1. It was awesome! It was really nice to get some unexpected excitement during the summer doldrums. Matt

  2. Glad you got the Franklins . I had it at South Amoy once. ( also in the west ) went down to Brig yesterday morning in the heavy rain. The water level was so high that many of the birds were up on the dike road. Had least sandpipers and terns as well as skimmers and an Avocet on the road. Could not locate the Reece seen the day before. Leave for North Carolina tomorrow.
    Bruce

    1. I enjoyed the photos you emailed me, that must have been something to see at Brig. Enjoy North Carolina. Matt

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