Ulster Early, Orange After

I headed up north this morning to Ulster County just for a change of pace. It was a gorgeous morning, sunny and warming up nicely. I took the back roads and had an enjoyable ride, scanning for birds all the while. My first stop was for the Red-headed Woodpeckers. I hadn’t been up to see them in a while, and never in the winter. When I arrived, the only birds present were the steady stream of crows overhead. I was beginning to think I might strike out with the RHWOs, when I finally spotted one in my binoculars. Eventually the bird worked its way closer to me and I was able to get some decent photos. Besides the crows, I did not have another bird in that swamp this morning besides the single Red-headed Woodpecker.

I finally left the Red-headed Woodpecker behind and headed to my favorite birding spot in all of Ulster County – the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. Although all the birds there were quite distant, I had an enjoyable stop there with 6 species: (6) Rough-legged Hawks, (4) Red-tailed Hawks, (1) Bald Eagle, several Turkey Vultures, a constant movement of American Crows going through, and (2) American Tree Sparrows.

My final Ulster County stop of the morning was at Lippincott Road in Wallkill. I was hoping for a new waterfowl species for the year, but it was not to be. It was still a good stop, highlighted by the presence of (15) Common Goldeneye, (5) Common Mergansers, and (2) Hooded Mergansers.

I stopped home for a quick sandwich and then headed back out, this time in Orange County. I spent the afternoon into the evening hitting some of my usual spots and then finishing up at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge to go for the Short-eared Owls (who came up late, a couple minutes after 6:00 and only four birds). Generally speaking the county seemed a bit quiet to me, and the birds I did see tended to be a bit distant. Here’s my list for the afternoon: