Walking Waterbirds – Page 9

Good Shorebirds Continue with Orange County BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS!

~One of 4 Buff-breasted Sandpipers takes flight after a gun went off in the distance. Black Dirt Region, 9/7/15.~

POST UPDATE: Thanks to Ken McDermott’s report and Bruce Nott’s subsequent review of his photos, it has come to light that we actually had 3 Buff-breasted Sandpipers and a single Baird’s Sandpiper, rather than the 4 BBSAs I initially reported. Sorry for the missed ID, it’s not a great feeling, but I’m glad to be able to get the accurate report out.

There I was, peacefully paddling my kayak around the lake at Morningside Park a little after Sunrise this morning. I had made three laps around the islands that form out in the lake, searching for the Short-billed Dowitcher that John Haas reported on his blog yesterday, but without any luck. I was in the middle of making lemonade out of lemons by trying for some good Spotted Sandpiper photos; I’ve never done any good with them before since they are so flighty. That’s when the phone rang, it was Bruce Nott who was on 3 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS in the black dirt. I started to head back to shore, I stopped only briefly to photograph a couple of Least Sandpipers that had just flown in. I strapped my kayak to the roof and headed out to the black dirt, wondering if I would get the Buffies, since I was 0ver 45 minutes away.

Luckily, I made in time. Bruce had been joined by a number of other birders and I joined them to get pretty good scope looks at the birds. On two occasions, someone fired a gun off in the distance which luckily moved the birds temporarily closer to us. Photos are distant and of course heavily cropped, but what a thrill to see one of my favorite birds. Thanks to Bruce for putting in the time and having a great eye.

~All my distant shots are pretty terrible, but here’s one just for documentary reasons. Two of the 4 Buff-breasted Sandpipers in the black dirt, 9/7/15.~

After seeing the Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Linda Scrima and I headed over to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, Citgo Pond, to see if the Stilt Sandpiper was still around. It was and although the light was harsh, we got relatively close looks at the bird, which looked really great in the scope but photos were not good at all. Congrats to Linda, this was her lifer Stilt Sandpiper.

I spent a little more time searching the black dirt for shorebirds, but I really didn’t come across many. I got lucky when a pair of American Kestrels landed not to far from my car and I was able to get my first kestrel shot in a LONG time.

~Female American Kestrel in the black dirt, 9/7/15.~

My final stop of the day was Turtle bay to see if the Baird’s Sandpipers were still around, and they were! Bruce showed up and then I called Marianne O. and Karen Miller who both got scope views of the three birds. By that time, I was overheated and it was time to go home.

Oh, and back to first thing this morning. The light was nice and the Spotted Sandpiper was cooperative – I think I got some interesting shots of the bird, and I’ve also thrown in one Least Sandpiper shot just because it’s a cute bird.

~Spotted Sandpiper feeding on one of the islands at Morningside Park in Sullivan County, 9/7/15.~

~A Spotted Sandpiper doing its best Upland Sandpiper impression. Morningside Park, 9/7/15.~

~My brother-in-law Bill B. will like this one – Spotted Sandpiper with reflection, Morningside Park, 9/7/15.~

~A fluffy Least Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 9/7/15.~

Hawkwatch Begins!

~It’s that time of year! Get ready for some Turkey Vulture photos! Even when the migrating raptors are flying high, these dudes usually give up a photo op. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 9/5/15.~

MOUNT PETER HAWKWATCH

So the big news of the day is that it was my first day of the season as official counter out at Mount Peter Hawkwatch. For those who don’t know, Mount Peter Hawkwatch is located on Kain Road, just off of route 17A in Warwick. It’s right across from Bellvale Farms Creamery. Every day from September 1st until November 15th, there will be an official counter tallying all the migrating raptors that pass over. The results from each day’s count are reported to the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) and can be seen at their website HawkCount. They can also be seen on the Mount Peter Facebook Page.

I am excited to be the official counter every Saturday of the season with the exceptions of September 12th and 26th. The season has gotten off to a slow start, but I expect that to change quickly. I had a decent day with only 17 migrating raptors, but plenty of non-migrating raptor action to keep me entertained. For the day I had 10 BALD EAGLE SITINGS! Only four of the birds migrated and went on the official count, but what fun to see so many eagles. The highlight was certainly having one immature and two adult Bald Eagles flying high, directly over the viewing platform. I’ve included a sequence of distant photos of one adult and the immature mixing it up pretty good. I swear, I saw the adult do two barrel rolls! It was fantastic.

~It was great fun to watch this live. An adult and an immature Bald Eagle tangle way overhead. Heavy crop here! Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 9/5/15.~

And here is my report for the day:

THE REST OF THE DAY

I actually got out early this morning and went back to look for the Baird’s Sandpipers that were at Turtle Bay yesterday evening, hoping to get a better look and perhaps some photos. I located one at Turtle Bay, more distant than they were the day before, and then Bruce Nott called to say he had 3 Baird’s Sandpipers at his location and they were pretty close. I hustled over to meet Bruce and was able to improve on my photos from last night considerably. Huge thanks to Bruce for the heads up!

~Baird’s Sandpiper in the grass in the Black Dirt Region, 9/5/15.~

~Two of the 3 Baird’s Sandpipers that I photographed this morning in the black dirt. The photo is backlit but still appeals to me for some reason. 9/5/15.~

After I left Mount Peter, I went to 6 1/2 Station Sanctuary Citgo Trail to see, one if the Stilt Sandpiper was still around, and two, if anything new had come in. When I arrived at the pond, the STSA was still present, a little closer and in nice evening light. I was able to improve on my shots of this bird as well. The pond was quite birdy, with many Least Sandpipers again, plenty of Killdeer, and several Pectoral Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs. It was a nice way to end a really super day of birding.

~Stilt Sandpiper feeding at the Citgo Pond, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/5/15.~

~This is what I call a lot of swallows! I ran across these birds in my travels this morning in the Black Dirt Region. From what I can tell, these are basically all Tree Swallows, 9/5/15.~

Orange County Baird’s Sandpiper (x4!), 9/4/15

~Two of 4 Baird’s Sandpipers at Turtle Bay this evening, 9/4/15. HEAVY crop here. ~

QUICK POST: It’s Friday night so I’ll do my best to make this quick. Rob Stone located 4 BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS out at Turtle Bay this morning. I went for the birds when I got out of work in the evening and was able to relocate them, so I put the word out. When I first arrived, I got nice scope views of the birds and was able to snap some documentary photos. By the time Linda Scrima and Maria Loukeris joined me, the birds had gradually worked their way to the back of the field, out of photo range but they still got decent looks in the scope. Click here to see what this beautiful bird actually looks like – I got great looks and photos of a Baird’s last year in Sullivan County. Huge thanks to Rob Stone for the heads up on these birds.

~Baird’s Sandpiper with Killdeer Turtle Bay 9/4/15.~

Orange County Stilt Sandpiper, 9/3/15

~STILT SANDPIPER, on the left with a Lesser Yellowlegs on the right, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/3/15.~

I made it out to the Citgo Pond side of 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary this evening after work, and I’m glad I did (it was so hot and humid, I almost bailed on it). As soon as I arrived at the pond, I looked through my scope and immediately saw what I thought was a STILT SANDPIPER. I watched the bird for a little bit in order to be a little more comfortable with the ID, and then put the word out. John Haas joined me first and concurred that it was a Stilt Sandpiper, most likely in first winter plumage. Karen Miller arrived shortly after that and we enjoyed good scope views of the bird as it worked the pond. The bird did not seem all that far out, but it was still a little too far out for quality photos, so what I’ve posted here is the best I could do. There were many shorebirds present at the pond with Least Sandpipers being by far the most numerous (100 birds +/-). Also present were Killdeer (15), Lesser Yellowlegs (5), Solitary Sandpipers (2), and a single Pectoral Sandpiper.

~Stilt Sandpiper at the Citgo Pond, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/3/15.~

~One more of the Stilt Sandpiper, with a Least Sandpiper back and to the right. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/3/15.~

Liberty Loop Shorebirds, 9/1/15

~I only had a single Lesser Yellowlegs at the back pond of the Liberty Loop at Wallkill River NWR today, 9/1/15.~

QUICK POST: I hope folks are not sick of shorebirds – I am obsessed with them. I made it out to Liberty Loop back pond at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge tonight looking for shorebirds. I entered from the south via Owens Station Road, so I did not check the west side of the loop for shorebirds. The shorebird highlight of the afternoon was getting a pretty good look at one of the 5 Wilson’s Snipe that I had for the day. Here’s my list:

Killdeer 15
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 40
Pectoral Sandpiper 7
Wilson’s Snipe 5

~This Northern Harrier was causing havoc in the back pond, making 4 passes over the compound and shuffling the shorebird deck each time it did. Walkill River NWR, 9/1/15.~

~This was a nice look at a Wilson’s Snipe, although the photos just turned out so-so. Back pond at the Liberty Loop, 9/1/15.~

Shorebird Update, 8/31/15

~One of 3 Wilson’s Snipe at 6 1/2 Station Sanctuary, 8/31/15.~

QUICK POST: Here’s a list of the shorebirds I had tonight at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. I got my first Orange County Wilson’s Snipe of the season and my first Greater Yellowlegs for the season at the sanctuary. Numbers are serious guesstimates, as it’s tough to keep count while going back and forth from the Citgo Pond Trail and the Heritage Trail (both myself and the birds!):

Killdeer 10
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 4
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 35
Wilson’s Snipe 3

~I ran across this little baby on the trail to the Citgo Pond, 8/31/15.~

More Morningside Park, 8/15/15

~A Least Sandpiper just after sunrise at Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

Kyle Dudgeon and I headed to Morningside Park early this morning and arrived just as the sun was rising. We unloaded the kayaks and hit the water hoping to do well with shorebirds. It was a gorgeous morning with a little bit of cool breeze; it was supposed to be a hot day, so it was good to be out ahead of the heat. We paddled out to the small islands that form in the west end of the lake at this time each summer, which attract migrating shorebirds. On this day, unfortunately, shorebird numbers were down, we had 1 Killdeer, 5 Least Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, and a single Lesser Yellowlegs which made a brief appearance before moving on. Kyle and I were not deterred and we made the best of it by taking many photos of the Least Sandpipers which were very accommodating. I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating – seeing the shorebirds at Morningside Park by kayak is quite a treat. You can get SO close to the birds who simply go about their business as if you were not there at all. We also paddled a good portion of the rest of the lake; we had good looks at Great Blue Herons, a couple of Green Herons, and we finally got Kyle his lifer Belted Kingfisher – he was surprised at how big they are! We got great looks at a kingfisher, unfortunately it was in poor light so no photos to share. What a great morning of birding!

~This shot is nearly full frame, I cropped it a little bit just to improve the composition. Least Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

~This is my favorite shot from the morning – Least Sandpiper leg and wing stretch! Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

~Look at the feet on this bird! Least Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

~This is a cute look to me. Least Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

~I love this shot, unfortunately the camera has focused on the bird’s right foot, making the eye/head a little soft. LESA at Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

~We had one lone Killdeer while we were there. I was curious to see if this bird would flush when we approached in our kayaks, but it did not. Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

~A rare Green Heron photo! Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

~A Great Blue Heron in the vegetation at Morningside Park, 8/15/15.~

Sullivan County WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER!, 8/9/15

~White-rumped Sandpiper at Morningside Park in Sulllivan County, 8/9/15.~

I was pretty darn happy this morning when I received a text from John Haas, alerting me that he had located a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER at Morningside Park in Sullivan County (click here to read John’s account of locating the bird).

I finished what I was doing and then headed home. Yes home… to get my kayak. Morningside Park offers a rare opportunity in our area to see shorebirds up close, and the key is to bird by kayak. I followed John’s directions and located the bird almost immediately and enjoyed taking many photos. It was pretty exciting for me to get such a good shorebird, hopefully it is the first of many for this season. And, what a good looking bird; it was super to get such good looks at it. There were also several Least Sandpipers present, so I got some shots of them as well.

I’ve also included some photos from the week, most are from the Liberty Loop, where I have been spending most of my birding time lately.

~I love the crossing primaries as seen in this photo of the bird. White-rumped Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 8/9/15.~

~One more good look at the White-rumped Sandpiper as it feeds on one of the islands located in the lake at Morningside Park in Sullivan County, 8/9/15.~

~Least Sandpiper coming this way! Morningside Park, 8/9/15.~

~It’s hard to believe how very small these birds are when you get this close to them – they are just little peanuts! Least Sandpiper at Morningside Park in Sullivan County, 8/9/15.~

~This is just a small portion of the crowd of Great Egrets in front of the viewing platform at the Liberty Loop this morning, 8/9/15.~

~Ha ha! Finally got a shot of a Marsh Wren! Liberty Loop at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 8/9/115.~

~Great Blue Heron takes a short flight at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop, 8/4/15.~

~Scarlett Tanager on the west side of the Liberty Loop, 8/8/15.~

Shorebird Update, 8/6/15

~I’m thinking American Golden-Plover along with this Greater Yellowlegs, but not positive about the ID. It was exciting to see this bird today, I will get out tomorrow and try for it again. Liberty Loop back pond, 8/6/15.~

UPDATE 8/7/15: Since I posted, I have received feedback from several better birders than myself, agreeing with AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER for the above bird. Then this afternoon I saw that my report to eBird had been confirmed by the reviewer. American Golden-Plover it is!

QUICK POST: Karen Miller and I walked the Liberty Loop this evening and had a good showing of shorebirds. The west leg of the loop had the first decent collection of shorebirds that I’ve seen there this season: 1 Killdeer, 6 Solitary Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 4 Least Sandpipers, and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs. For those who care, all these birds were in Sussex County (they’re edging towards Orange!). Most of the shorebird action, however, was still in the back pond. The highlight was a distant look at a plover that I am thinking was an American Golden-Plover (rather than Black-bellied). Black wing pits in flight are diagnostic for BBPL; I saw this bird take two short flights and did not notice black wing pits. The bird was quite distant and the flights brief, so I am not 100% about this (I wish I was!). One of the reasons I think I am doubting this ID is that the bird appeared to be on the large side for an AMGP My impression of the bill size in the field is that it was small enough for AMGP, but that’s a tough call for me to make, especially at the distance we were viewing the bird. Please comment if you have any thoughts about this bird or if anyone gets out to see it, I would be curious as to what they think.

Here’s a list of all the shorebirds we had for the day:

?American Golden-Plover? 1
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer 25
Spotted Sandpiper 3
Solitary Sandpiper 11
Greater Yellowlegs 4
Lesser Yellowlegs 12
Least Sandpiper 15

~American Golden-Plover? Liberty Loop, Sussex County NJ, 8/6/15.~

Weekend Wrap-up, 7/26/15

~A Great Blue Heron at Clark Pond, New Windsor NY 7/25/15.~

I got out both Saturday and Sunday mornings, mostly looking for shorebirds. First thing Saturday, thanks to Bruce Nott, I went to a new spot for me – it’s a small pond near Stewart Airport that is now a mud flat. Shorebirds present included Killdeer, Least Sandpipers, and a single Lesser Yellowlegs. There were many Great Blue Herons and a couple of Green Herons also present. It looks like a spot with some good potential, so I will keep checking back. Next I went to Lake Washington where I struck out with shorebirds – a quick stop yielded only a Great Blue Heron and a Green Heron. Bruce saw a Great Egret and a Black-crowned Night-Heron out there earlier in the week. My final stop was a total bust – I wanted to check the mud flats on the Hudson River just north of Cornwall-On-Hudson. The problem is that there is no real good spot to view that area, and there are “No Parking” signs everywhere. I eventually got frustrated with the situation and bailed on it.

Sunday morning I went back to the usual – I walked the Liberty Loop. It was a birdy morning where I had over 40 species. Shorebirds in the back pond remained basically the same as my last shorebird report, with the addition of a second Pectoral Sandpiper, and my first 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS of the season. Waders were numerous, particularly Great Egrets (8), and Great Blue Herons (12). I also saw several Green Herons and managed a distant photo of one.

~Great Egret in flight at the Liberty Loop, 7/26/15. This crop doesn’t show very well on the blog – click on the photo to have a better look.~

~Least Sandpiper in the back pond of the Liberty Loop, 7/26/15.~

~Great Blue Heron in flight at Clark Pond in New Windsor, NY 7/25/15.~

~I’m trying to mix it up with all the Lesser Yellowlegs photos – half submerged LEYE at the Liberty Loop, 7/26/15.~

~Green Heron in the ditch alongside the back pond at the Liberty Loop, 7/26/15.~

~An unidentified flycatcher on the west side of the Liberty Loop, 7/26/15.~