…And a couple additional photos from today’s birding. I made two stops after work looking for shorebirds:
Liberty Loop – Back Pond:
Least Sandpiper 12
Lesser Yellowlegs 9
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Spotted Sandpiper 3
Killdeer 14
PECTORAL SANDPIPER 1
6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary – Citgo Pond:
Least Sandpiper 14
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Killdeer 9
Since my last post on Monday, I’ve made it back out to the Liberty Loop at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge three times, including a brief visit today. The biggest development was when Linda Scrima contacted me on Wednesday to let me know she had a GLOSSY IBIS in the back pond at the loop. I did not get out there to see the ibis on Wednesday because I was playing in my golf league, but I did get out there to see it on Thursday, when I was accompanied by Kyle Dudgeon who got his lifer Glossy Ibis. The bird was still present this morning when I stopped by; both times I’ve seen the bird it has been in the very back of the back pond. The bird can be seen well with a scope (or even binoculars), but photos were pretty much out of the question. On Wednesday, when Linda first saw the bird, it was closer to the trail and she has provided great shot of the bird for this post – thanks Linda!
The back pond continues to be the best spot in the area (that I know of) for shorebirds. This is what I had there this morning:
Least Sandpiper 15+
Lesser Yellowlegs 6
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Killdeer 12
The remainder of the loop also continues to be birdy with the expected species, with a family of Great-crested Flycatchers on the eastern side of the loop being a nice highlight and providing plenty of photo ops. Really, I should have gotten better photos, but sometimes that’s just the way it goes.
NOTE: I’ve checked the Camel Farm a couple of times for shorebirds (I had several Killdeer and 2 Least Sandpipers today finally), and I checked the Citgo Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary today (4 killdeer and 2 Least Sandpipers). Also, please note that the Citgo Trail is VERY overgrown and ticks are a problem. I do not recommend going there.
QUICK POST: It’s getting late, so I will have to make this a quick post. I met Kyle Dudgeon out at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop Trail, and the good birding on that trail continues. Most of the action seems to be happening in what I call the back pond – the southernmost pool on the trail. On our way back there, at least 2 Sora could be heard calling in the marsh; they sounded like they were pretty deep into the marsh, much farther out than they were on Saturday. As we approached the back pond, we inadvertently flushed a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON that was in the ditch to the right of the trail. The bird did not fly far and we got some photos. This is my first BCNH sighting at the loop this year.
In the back pool we saw my first 2 GREAT EGRETS of the year out in the distance, in the company of nearly 10 Great Blue Herons and one Green Heron. Green Herons flew overhead several times while we were there. Most excitedly, shorebird numbers and variety both increased:
Least Sandpiper 20+
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Killdeer 6
*Click on photos to enlarge.*
QUICK POST: Wow, it was a REALLY great afternoon for shorebirds at the 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary Citgo Pond. Here’s my list:
Short-billed Dowitcher (55!!!)
Dunlin (2)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (2)
Least Sandpiper (2)
Killdeer (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (2)
*Click on photos to enlarge.*
The J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island was definitely my favorite of all the birding spots I hit in southwest Florida. Like Montezuma NWR and Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, the refuge has a Wildlife Drive. The drive is five miles long and the birding is incredible, with many species of birds present, and they are usually close to the road for fantastic looks. A lot of folks ride bikes through Wildlife Drive, I think this would be an enjoyable way to experience it. The refuge is also really pretty and if you get there early the light is super for photographs. I made it out to the refuge two mornings in a row, the first day I was on my own and the second day Tricia joined me – there was no way she was going to miss out on seeing ROSEATE SPOONBILLS. The spoonbills surprised me in how beautiful and charismatic they were. I have, of course, seen many photos of the birds and I was never particularly moved, but seeing them in person changed that for sure. On the second day, after lunch we also went to Bailey Tract to go for the BLACK-NECKED STILTS We got really good looks at the birds, but due to the time of day the light was very harsh for photos.
Over the two days I had 43 bird species and a river otter between Wildlife Drive and Bailey Tract. Ten of the bird species were life birds for me (although the Anhinga and Brown Pelicans I had already seen outside of the refuge).
MOTTLED DUCK
Pied-billed Grebe
MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD
Double-crested Cormorant
ANHINGA
American White Pelican
BROWN PELICAN
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
REDDISH EGRET
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
ROSEATE SPOONBILL
Osprey
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE
Black-bellied Plover
BLACK-NECKED STILT
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Willet
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Eurasian Collared-Dove
COMMON GROUND-DOVE
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Fish Crow
Grey Catbird
American Redstart
CAPE MAY WARBLER
Northern Parula
Blackpoll Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Nearly forgot – Tricolored Heron!
It was a beautiful weekend to get outside and do some birding. On Saturday morning I got up early and headed over to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, where I had my first Green Heron of the year which was distant and in flight, so no photo. From there I made my way to the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area; I was scheduled to volunteer alongside Karen Miller at the Bashakill Area Association’s Nature Watch Program. This is my fourth year participating in the Nature Watch. Most years the program revolves around the Bald Eagles that nest within viewing distance from the main boat launch. Unfortunately, this year the eagles lost their eggs; it is believed that the extended spell of cold weather may have taken its toll. So this year will be a little bit different. We kept at least one scope on the Osprey Nest across the Bash from the main boat launch. The Osprey are in the process of building the nest and it is still on the small side. We saw both perched on or near the nest at different times during our shift. We kept track of all species seen and heard from the boat launch during our 3 hour shift: we had 17 species total. We also kept track of the number of visitors (37) and the number of boats that go out (12). The birding highlight for me was getting my FOY (first of the year) Eastern Kingbird at Haven Road on my way to the main boat launch. The Nature Watch Program runs on weekends (10am – 4pm) from now until the last weekend in June, so stop by if you would like to check out the Osprey nest or anything else seen from the boat launch through the program’s spotting scopes.
On Sunday I went to Glenmere Lake first thing but had no luck. From there I went to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge to walk the Liberty Loop. I walked the west side of the loop first, and about halfway up that side another birder caught up with me. We started talking and made introductions; his name was Dick Champion. We walked the remainder of the loop together, Dick has a good eye and the birding was good but the conversation was better. The highlight of the walk for me was when Dick located 5 Greater Yellowlegs at the southern end of the loop, they were my first of the year. I ended the walk with a total of 33 species.
I made a couple more stops after the loop, I walked a little bit at Pochuck Mountain State Forest but it was pretty quiet there. I also made a quick stop at the Camel Farm and although quiet, I picked up a single Greater Yellowlegs for my Orange County list.
QUICK POST: It’s not much, but it’s a start. I stopped by Glenmere Lake after work today and I was pleased to find two Ring-necked Ducks (first of the year for me) and one Common Merganser in one of the thawed areas in the lake. Afterwards, I made my way over to the Liberty Loop viewing platform. Kyle Dudgeon was there already, Linda Scrima and Maria Loukeris showed up not too long after I arrived. It was nice to be out in the warmer temperatures, and we enjoyed watching a male American Kestrel hunting. The bird went two for two, successfully catching (and then eating) what I assume were voles on his first two attempts. Also of note, we heard my first Orange County Killdeer of the year.
I got out a little late on this Saturday morning because I was waiting for the roads to clear from the fresh snow which had fallen overnight and continued to fall into the morning. I spent a little time in the New Hampton area of the black dirt. From Celery Avenue I could see many Canada Geese over the river in the fields that run along Onion Avenue. I stopped to scan them and from there I could see that there were approximately 20 SNOW GEESE among them. The Snow Geese were difficult to make out – there was plenty on the ground and it was still falling. I hustled around to Onion Avenue and spent some time scanning a large group of geese; I estimate over 1200 Canada Geese and maybe 100 Snow Geese. I did not find any other types of geese in with them. I birded my way up to Turtle Bay Road before turning back (I wanted to get to the Newburgh Waterfront for late afternoon to try for gulls again). Along the way I came across what is likely the same Merlin I have had before, as it was perched in the same spot on a wire along the road. I saw a couple of distant flocks of Horned Larks and then a small group landed briefly on the road. Among them was a single LAPLAND LONGSPUR, which was awesome to see.
I tried for gulls from the old Torches parking lot on the Newburgh Waterfront. There were many present, mostly riding the ice floes up the Hudson River. Herring Gulls seemed most numerous, followed by Ring-billed Gulls and then Great Black-backed Gulls (which I had nearly 30 of). I had one distant first winter Iceland Gull, but no sign of the bird I had yesterday and believed was a Lesser Black-backed Gull. I guess a better, confirmed look at that bird will have to wait until another day. When I have seen a bird that I am not very sure of, I really like to have a photo, because as time passes, doubts start to creep into my mind. I had a couple of raptor highlights while I was there as well. Out on the ice I had 8 Bald Eagles. In the parking lot, a woman stopped her car to tell me there was a hawk perched on a post. It ended up being a Cooper’s Hawk that posed nicely for me. For a day where I wasn’t sure if I would even get out, it was a really good day.
I got out of work a little bit late this afternoon, but I still had time to try for the BARNACLE GOOSE which had been reported in Ramsey, New Jersey on eBird. I tried for the bird yesterday without any luck, but today it worked out great. I got my lifer BAGO and it did not disappoint – what a super bird! I was able to get very good looks and my photos, while quite grainy due to the low light, still made me very happy. The Barnacle Goose has been sort of a nemesis bird for me. There have been a few Barnacle Geese that have been reported in the NY/NJ area in the past several years. There was one in Orange County back in 2012 that eluded me as did the one in the Bronx last year (which I only tried for one time). There was a Barnacle Goose reported at this same location last year and I tried for it several times but struck out each time. So, it was VERY satisfying to finally see this bird. If you are planning to go for this bird, please contact me and I will give you details.
I had an appointment cancelled, so I got to do some unexpected birding after work this afternoon. I had forgotten my binoculars at home, so I stopped by to pick them up and headed to the closest spot – 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. I was thinking about sparrows as I took the Citgo Trail, but the wind had picked up pretty good and sparrows were scarce. I had a few pleasant surprises when I got to the pond – a nice sized collection of shorebirds: 22 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, and 1 Solitary Sandpiper. The highlight, however, was seeing my first Northern Shovelers (4) and Blue-winged Teal (3) of the fall. A Northern Harrier cruised through at one point and picked up many of the waterfowl and shorebirds. I think it was about 3 years ago that I would get a harrier at this location regularly, but this is the first one I have seen there in a while. It was a gorgeous night and I had some decent birds, which made me happy. Here’s some more photos and my list for the night:
Canada Goose 65
Mute Swan 4
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 16
Blue-winged Teal 3
Northern Shoveler 4
Green-winged Teal 25
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 8
Northern Harrier 1
Killdeer 9
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 22
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 8
Tree Swallow 18
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 85
Common Yellowthroat 1
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 12
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Common Grackle 20
House Sparrow 25
**One Year Ago at Orangebirding.com: Long-billed Dowitchers at 6 1/2 Station Road and Black Scoters in Orange County. **