Liberty Loop, 12/13/15 – The Usuals

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~I know I’ve posted a lot of Red-tailed Hawks in flight lately, but hopefully folks aren’t too sick of them. RTHA at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~

I was a little bit at a loss as to where to bird this weekend. I ran around to multiple locations on Saturday and did not have many birds at all. I ended the day with a stop at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, where I ran into Karen Miller. It was a nice evening but not a good one for photos. We had 4 Short-eared Owls, 6 Northern Harriers, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, and my personal highlight – a Wilson’s Snipe.

This morning I walked the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop with Maria Loukeris. It was beautiful, warm morning and it was a birdy walk but all the birds we saw were expected species. I had a three target birds – Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow (I need both for my 2015 Orange County list), and Rough-legged Hawk (because typically I would seen many of them by now). I failed to locate any of my target birds, but we had a nice walk where we had 27 species. I’ve included the morning’s list of birds below.

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~Lucky shot – Black-capped Chickadee in flight at the Liberty Loop, 12/13/15.~
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~I think these American Tree Sparrows are gorgeous. This is the first year that I am taking notice of this.  ATSP at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~

Here’s my list for the morning:

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~Downy Woodpecker at the Loop, 12/13/15.~

Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Coot
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Bluebird
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch


~~We enjoyed watching the Northern Harriers hunting over the marsh, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~

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~This shot is actually from last weekend – Northern Mockingbird at Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, NY 12/6/15.~
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~Also from Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, taken yesterday, 12/12/15.~

9 thoughts on “Liberty Loop, 12/13/15 – The Usuals”

    1. Ha! I wish I’d gotten a RLHA, Deb – unfortunately I failed to locate any of my targets today! Glad you like the pics, thanks. Matt

  2. My favorite is your Mockingbird shot! I was with John this morning at the Bash and we had a Creeper at the Nature Trail boardwalk. Lots of hunters … glad hunting season is over now.

    1. Thanks Karen! Those creepers are just a bird I don’t see very often! I didn’t know hunting season was over, but I’m glad to hear that too. Matt

  3. Well, with all due respect, any day you run into Karen Miller is a good one! The birds are just a bonus!

    1. Wow Jean, that’s awesome – thanks so much for the heads up! I got out late from work today, so unfortunately did not get this until just now (after dark). Matt

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