I like the little tilt of the head of the bird in this photo. Short-eared Owl at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14.
I had a full day of birding today, but the best was saved for last. Huge thanks to PJ Singh who texted me to let me know that there was a single Short-eared Owl up early at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR. I was over in Newburgh picking up a couple of birds I needed for the county (Great Black-backed Gull and Great Cormorant), and I was not going to go to the grasslands. It had been gray and cloudy all day which would not make for good photos, and the owls had not been up early yet this year as far as I knew. I decided to head over to check it out and boy am I glad I did. Sun came out and the so did the SEOWs, right before 3:30. I was lucky enough to get into the south blind and that’s where the birds seemed to spend most of their time tonight. PJ joined me in the blind shortly after the owls got up and wow did they put on a show! I approximate at least 10 Short-eared Owls were there, but it is tough to get a good count while photographing. What an exciting afternoon!
Short-eared Owl in flight at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14. This is my favorite shot of the day, I love how both the bird and the grasses are well lit on a dark background. SEOW at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14.SEOW at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14. This stick was a favorite perch of the Short-eared Owls, Shawangunk Grasslands NWR 12/14/14.This shot was taken as the sun started to get lower, SEOW at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14. Ralph put this perch in the perfect position, directly in front of the blind, and the owls love it. Perched Short-eared Owl at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14.
Cackling Goose among Canada Geese. This bird was quite distant and this photo has been heavily cropped. Blue Chip Farm, Ulster County NY, 12/13/14/.
This afternoon I was sifting through a flock of Canada Geese at Blue Chip Farms in Ulster County and I observed the above bird, which I believe is a Cackling Goose. The bird was a shade paler than the surrounding Canada Geese, with a small stubby bill, and a shorter neck. I am having a little hesitation in positively identifying this bird because although the bird was smaller than the Canada Geese, it did not appear to be as small as some Cackling Geese that I have seen in the past. According to the Crossley Guide, “Most look small and cute compared to Canada Geese, but this is not always the case”. I believe that this bird falls into the latter category. If anyone has thoughts about this bird, please comment.
I did some other running around today, particularly looking for the Snow Geese that I’d seen fly over last night. I didn’t have any luck with them, but I did get some photos along the way:
Red-tailed Hawk in Goshen NY, 12/13/14.Horned Larks in the black dirt. There was a single Snow Bunting with these birds but I was unable to get a photo. 12/13/14.
I spent the afternoon and evening at the Shawangunk Grasslands, which were a little quieter than last weekend. I still had several Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Harriers. When I left at 4:30 the Short-eared Owls were still not up. Here’s one shot I got of a young harrier:
Northern Harrier in flight. This was taking as I walked the trail rather than when I was in the blind. I was a little unlucky today, while I was in the blind I did not have any birds come close by. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/13/14.
Snow Geese flyover in the Black Dirt Region tonight, 12/12/14.
QUICK POST: Rob Stone and I had two large groups of Snow Geese fly over the black dirt this evening just around sunset. I approximate the number of birds somewhere in the neighborhood of 700. Given the height that the birds were flying and the time of day, I am hoping that they put down somewhere in the area. I will certainly be out tomorrow morning to check it out…stay tuned.
UPDATE: No luck this morning relocating the Snow Geese. I was at the Camel Farm just after 8 and then I made the rounds without success.
Um hmmm they ARE Snow Geese! Terrible pic of super birds. Black Dirt Region 12/12/14.
A backlit light morph Rough-legged Hawk at the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, 12/7/14.
**NOTE: I finally figured out how to get email subscriptions to the blog. If you are interested, please look at the top of the side bar on the right to subscribe. Please note that you have to respond to the confirmation sent to your email address.**
One thing I knew I wanted to do this weekend was to try to get out to the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR. When Ken McDermott let me know on Friday evening that he had a Northern Shrike there that day, I knew for sure that’s where I was headed. Saturday was, unfortunately, a wash. Steady rains all day made for poor birding, though it was not for lack of trying. I went to the grasslands early in the day where I met up with John Haas and Ralph Tabor and we had no luck with the shrike. Sunday was a different story; it was a beautiful, sunny, cold, and crisp day which was very refreshing. No luck again with the Northern Shrike, but I did REALLY well with raptors. I spent a few hours in the morning in the new blind that Ralph placed pretty far into the eastern most portion of the refuge. The blind is well placed with several nearby trees for the birds to perch on, and it is in an area where the Rough-legged Hawks seem to spend a lot of time. By the time I headed back to my car in the early afternoon, I had put together what I consider a pretty good list of raptors:
Black Vulture (3)
Turkey Vulture (4)
Bald Eagle (2 adults)
Northern Harrier (4)
Red-tailed Hawk (5)
Rough-legged Hawk (5 – at least!)
American Kestrel (1)
Peregrine Falcon (1)
And, being in a blind, I had some very good opportunities for photos:
This male American Kestrel could be seen working the grasslands all morning long, and then luckily stopped to perch in the tree right in front of the blind. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/7/14.American Kestrel in flight, Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/7/14.xDark morph Rough-legged Hawk in flight over the blind at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/7/14.This is the same bird pictured above, as it came in to perch. RLHA at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/7/14.VERY distant shot of a Pergrine Falcon that seemed to just pass through. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/7/14.
In the parking lot of the refuge I ran into PJ Singh who decided to join me in looking for some waterfowl. At our first stop, Lippincott Road in Wallkill, we saw a half dozen Common Mergansers, but that’s it. We did much better at our second stop, Chadwick Lake. The highlight for me was five Common Goldeneyes, and we also had: Ruddy Duck (9), Ring-necked Duck (35), Hooded Merganser (6), Common Loon (1), and a single Mute Swan.
Ruddy Duck at Chadwick Lake, 12/7/14. This is one of the few that were not tucked in.xThree of five Common Goldeneye at Chadwick Lake, 12/7/14.
Since it was such a gorgeous afternoon, I returned to the grasslands in the afternoon to try for photos of the Short-eared Owls. The light was a good as it could be, but unfortunately the owls did not cooperate and did not get up until after dark. It was tough to see, but when they did come up I counted at least three. I sat in the north blind until it was too dark for photos and did alright with Northern Harriers:
The harriers seem to be eating well at the grasslands. Many of the birds I photographed had full crops like this bird. Northern Harrier at Shawangunk Grasslands, 12/7/14.NOHA at the grasslands, 12/7/14.Here’s another bird with a pretty full crop. Northern Harrier hunting at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/7/14.And finally, the deer are plentiful at the refuge.
Rough-legged Hawk through the branches at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/7/14.
QUICK POST: I birded from sunrise to sunset on this Sunday; the weather was perfect, I saw many good birds, and took a ton of photographs. I do not have time to complete a full post tonight, so here is the first bird I photographed this morning, taken from my car as I pulled into the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. Full post tomorrow!
One of a group of four Snow Buntings out in the black dirt today, 11/30/14.
QUICK POST: Today I finally got some of the good winter birds that we expect to see in the Black Dirt Region of Orange County. Highlights:
(2) Rough-legged Hawks (one light morph and one dark)
(4) Snow Buntings (3) LAPLAND LONGSPURS
(2) American Pipits
(many) Horned Larks
It was also a good day for raptors with many Northern Harriers and Red-tailed Hawks seen throughout the day. I also had a single American Kestrel and a single adult Bald Eagle. I had two large groups of Canada Geese but the only unusual bird that I could find among them looked to me like a domesticated goose.
Two Lapland Longspurs (far left) in a small flock of Horned Larks. Black Dirt Region, Orange County NY, 11/30/14. Snow Bunting in the black dirt, 11/30/14.I seem to get an awful lot of over-exposed adult Bald Eagle photos. This one was just barely salvageable, and ultimately I kind of like the way it looks. This Bald Eagle caught me by surprise, flying pretty low over the black dirt, Orange County NY, 11/30/14.Horned Larks coming in for a landing. Black Dirt in Orange County NY, 11/30/14. Dos MODOs in the black dirt, 11/30/14. Still love these guys.
Two of Seventy (!) Sandhill Cranes fly over Montezuma NWR, Seneca Falls NY, 11/28/14.
Going to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge on Black Friday has pretty much become a holiday tradition for me. And having an amazing birding experience has grown to be expected; I haven’t had a bad day out there yet. This year had a slow start, it was very cold and windy at the main pool, which made it very difficult to see the waterfowl which were located WAY out in the distance. I made the full circuit of the spots I usually hit, and it was on the quiet side. I was beginning to think that my “slump” was continuing. On my way back to hit Wildlife Drive for a second time, I made a quick stop at Tschache Pool. I picked up 4 Common Mergansers there, but more importantly, I met another birder named Mary Beth, who was out for the day with her sister-in-law (who, though enjoying herself, was not a birder and therefore spent a good amount of time in the car keeping warm). Mary Beth mentioned that there had been Sandhill Cranes reported out on East Road. Now, I had just come from East Road, but I was certainly willing to give it another shot. I followed them over, and moments after arriving, Mary Beth pulled over pointing to the west of the road. I got out of the car and started smiling ear to ear – it was a BIG flock of cranes – I initially counted 58 birds but later got better photos where I could count all the the birds and there were actually 75 Sandhill Cranes there! I high-fived Mary Beth, who was just as excited about it as I was. I was actually a little bit embarrassed because I had missed the birds – I spent all my time looking east of the road down towards Knox Marsellus and Puddler Marsh, where I have had birds in the past.
I was happy to get a shot with all 75 of the birds in it. Sandhill Cranes at Montezuma NWR, Seneca Falls NY, 11/28/14.
Mary Beth showed me one more spot that I had not birded in the past, I believe she called the the Potato Barn. It is basically just a vast stretch of farm land and we stopped and looked for Snowy Owls with no luck. Mary Beth mentioned that they sometimes got Short-eared Owls there; I went back just before sunset and had a single SEOW tangling with a Northern Harrier on the west side of the road.
I eventually made it back to Wildlife Drive, where the highlight was a single Snow Bunting, my first of the season. There was a photographer that was pulled over, and I could not see what she was shooting. I eventually, slowly pulled up along side her vehicle and asked her. She pointed down at the single Snow Bunting, not 20 feet from the side of the road. I took a bunch of photos, and I guess this is a good time to mention that I shot all my photos for the day on the wrong setting; a very small file size. I had changed my settings for a project at work on Wednesday and somehow I forgot to change this back. I did not realize until later in the evening when I was looking at the pics and noticed that something wasn’t quite right. I was totally deflated but, live and learn I guess. And, ultimately, I felt like although photos were not like I would want them, they were good enough for a post. It really helped that this bunting was so close.
A single Snow Bunting forages in the snow. Montezuma NWR in Seneca Falls NY, 11/28/14.Snow Bunting at Montezuma NWR, 11/28/14. While this bird was accommodating, the light was unfortunately terrible.Snow Bunting flicking snow. Montezuma NWR, 11/28/14.
I went back for another look at the Sandhill Cranes. When I arrived at East Road, all the cranes except 7 were located to the east of the road in Knox Marsellus. Shortly after my arrival, all of the cranes flew over the road and I took a bunch of photos. It was truly very exciting to watch these beautiful birds fly over, calling as they went. What fabulous birds!
The Sandhill Cranes flew from the east side of the road to the west in groups of varying numbers. Here eight birds are practically on top of one another as they cross the road. Montezuma NWR in Seneca Falls NY, 11/28/14. This group of seven was much more orderly about it. Sandhill Cranes at Montezuma NWR, Seneca Falls NY, 11/28/14. …and a group of nine come in for a landing on the west side of East Road, Montezuma NWR, Seneca Falls NY, 11/28/14. Seven Sandhill Cranes in the field on the west side of East Road. Montezuma NWR, 11/28/14. Coyote! This shot is from Saturday morning when I went back to Montezuma for a brief visit. Montezuma NWR 11/29/14.
Here’s my list for the day (28 species):
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
American Black Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Pied-billed Grebe
Northern Harrier
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Short-eared Owl
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
American Robin
European Starling
Snow Bunting
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Sparrow
I finally got a shot of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that was not in the shade. Laurel Grove Cemetery, Port Jervis NY, 11/23/14.
I’ve been feeling like I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately, so in an effort to mix it up a bit, Karen Miller and I birded Port Jervis, New York this morning. We birded three different locations: a reservoir northwest of Port Jervis, Laurel Grove Cemetery, and a small park in Port Jervis that borders the Delaware River. We identified 27 species for the morning. Before heading home, Karen wanted to show me the “Hawk’s Nest”, which is a beautiful scenic stretch of road just outside of Port Jervis. The road winds alongside the Delaware River, climbing all the time. There are areas where you can pull off and take it all in. We stopped at one of these, where we got our 28th species of the day; an adult Bald Eagle flew right over the car! I was not prepared for it, so my exposure is not great, but I did get some photos, here’s one:
An adult Bald Eagle flies over the “Hawk’s Nest”, Port Jervis NY, 11/23/14.Tufted Titmouse at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis, 11/23/14.Far and away the most plentiful bird of the day, I sort of like this shot of an American Crow, a bird that I find difficult to photograph. Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis NY, 11/23/14.
It was good to change things up and bird some new locations; thanks to Rob Stone who helped out with the spots. Here’s our list:
The “Hawk’s Nest” scenic drive in Port Jervis NY.
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
American Coot
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Bald Eagle
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch
I just love these Horned Larks and I I was trying to get some more interesting photos of them today. I was trying to anticipate when the birds would interact like this. Black Dirt Region, 11/22/14.
I birded in the black dirt this morning and didn’t have any out-of-the-ordinary sightings but the light was nice and I took a lot of photos, so I’m going with basically a photo post.
It’s the Northern Harrier time of year. I didn’t have any terrific opportunities but I did take some distant shots. Black Dirt Region, 11/22/14.I love the light and the shape of this bird the streetlight and a truck in the background….ugh. Northern Harrier in Pine Island, NY 11/22/14.I have this as a first winter White-crowned Sparrow, at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop Trail, 11/22/14.This not a bird that I get many photos of for some reason. Northern Cardinal at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop Trail, 11/22/14.
The highlight of the day was being able to spend some time with some Horned Larks in several locations in the black dirt. These two shots preceded the photo at the top of this post:
I love the dirt flying in this photo! Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 11/22/14.Gorgeous individual here, in my opinion. Horned Lark in the Black Dirt, 11/22/14.Sweetness. Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 11/22/14.This is a more typical look; Horned Lark in the Black Dirt, 11/22/14.
Can you locate the two blue morph Snow Geese in this photo? Black Dirt Region, Orange County NY, 11/18/14.
It’s that time of year again, when my evening birding time is severely reduced by the shortened days and Canada Geese gather in numbers in Orange County. Tonight I made it out to the Black Dirt Region and located a flock of approximately 1,700 Canada Geese with 3 blue morph Snow Geese among them. It was a distant look, but still nice to sift through the geese and find some gems. Oh, and it is also that time of year when it is COLD! Windy and low temps made for some uncomfortable birding. Here are some shots of the Canadas:
A flying, calling Canada Goose comes in for a landing right at sunset. Black Dirt Region, 11/18/14.I love these guys. Canada Geese in the black dirt, 11/18/14.
