Orange Birding

Monhegan Island 2026

Last weekend, Tricia and I spent five days on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine. It was our third time on the island, and I have to say that it is probably my all-time favorite vacation spot, which is a little bit ironic because the birding consists largely of songbirds, which readers may know is not my most favorite type of birding. But the island is such a refreshing place to be – I love getting on the ferry, leaving the car behind, and having this small, beautiful, birdy island to explore on foot for the the next several days.

~Magnolia Warbler, Monhegan Island 05/23/26.~

It was our first visit to the island in the springtime, and the birds did not disappoint. Including three additional species from ferry rides, I had a total of 74 species -I’ve included my list of all species observed on the island at the bottom of this post. Over two thirds of all species were songbirds, with (16) of them being warblers. I felt pretty good about the number of birds I observed – I know I missed several species through word of mouth and also birds that the Merlin app heard but I did not pick up on, but overall I thought I did pretty well.

~This is among my favorite warbler species – Blackpoll Warbler on Monhegan Island, 05/23.26.~

In a twist, the highlight of the trip was not songbird related. On Saturday afternoon, after a full morning of birding, I went to the Monhegan Brewery to enjoy a cold beer and some deep-fried pickles. While I was enjoying my lunch, I noticed a distant, interesting bird in flight. I grabbed my binoculars and got on the bird – it was a raptor with a striped wedge-shaped tail. Almost as soon as I got on the bird, my view was obstructed by a building. I jumped up, camera in hand, and tried to pick it up again on the other side of the building, but did not have any luck. The only bird (to my mind) that fit the bill was Mississippi Kite, but that seemed very unlikely – we were on an island ten miles off the coast of Maine! I finished up my lunch quickly and headed in the direction I’d seen the bird. I ran into another birder (Emily) and asked if she’d seen any interesting raptors, and she had, and described a light colored raptor with a white head! We were both floored at the possibility. I mentioned that I was pretty sure on a small island chock full of birders, someone else would have seen that bird and gotten some photos. The next day I ran into Emily again, and she confirmed my suspicions – the bird had been reported with photos! I couldn’t help but feel the pangs of disappointment of not getting any photos, but it was still a very exciting development. Fast forward to Tuesday – the day we were leaving the island. I took a break from packing my bags and went out on the side porch of the Monhegan House hotel where we were staying. I saw an interesting bird flying south and asked Tricia to grab my camera from the room while I tried to stay on it. The bird eventually turned around and flew nearly directly overhead allowing for some terribly backlit, but still very exciting photos:

~Wow! Mississippi Kite on Monhegan Island, 05/26/26.~

I was thrilled to get a second chance to document the bird. I don’t love the photos, but what can you do. From what I heard, the initial sitings on 05/23/26 were the first ever report of Mississippi Kite on Monhegan Island.

Other excitement for me included seeing and hearing plenty of Red Crossbills. For us in the Hudson Valley, it’s a rare treat to get a Red Crossbills, but I think the locals consider this a garbage bird for Monhegan Island, lol. I was excited to get the opportunity to see and photograph them up close.

~Red Crossbill on Monhegan Island, 05/24/26.~

~One more RECR on Monhegan Island, 05/24/26.~

Another interesting thing about birding on Monhegan Island is that the place is loaded with Ring-necked Pheasants. The birds breed there, I’ve photographed their young before and again during this trip. It’s curious to me that eBird still lists them as Exotic/Escapee; I’m not sure how that works.

~Ring-necked Pheasant chick on Monhegan Island, 05/23/26.~

~A female Ring-necked Pheasant takes a snooze. Monhegan Island 05/25/26.~

~These guys are all over the island, usually finding a high spot to perch on and vocalize. Ring-necked Pheasant on Monhegan Island, 05/24/26.~

The ferry ride back to the mainland proved to be exciting and was the icing on the cake for the trip. First I had a distant, unidentified shearwater. I could not get on the bird with my camera unfortunately, so a little bit frustrating, but also pretty exciting. And then, a little bit later, I was able to locate and photograph a single Atlantic Puffin! This was a fantastic way to end a great trip.

~Wow! Atlantic Puffin on the ferry trip from Monhegan Island to Port Clyde, 05/26/26.~

As always, I took loads of photos, so enjoy a sampling:

~Northern Parula on Monhegan Island, 05/26/26.~

~Red-eyed Vireo on Monhegan Island, 05/23/26.~

~Common Yellowthroats were all over the place. Monhegan Island, 05/23/26.~

~There were loads of Northern Yellow Warblers as well. Monhegan Island 05/26/26.~

~I think is was one of my better birds from the trip. Olive-sided Flycatcher on Monhegan Island, 05/26/26.~

~Another birder told me that the American Herring Gulls nested between Whitehead and Blackhead, so I took a hike out there and checked it out. Monhegan Island, 05/25/26.~

~I always enjoy seeing the seals when I’m on the island. I like how this crew almost seems to be posing for the shot. Monhegan Island, 05/25/26.~

OC Prothonotary Warbler and Monhegan Island Teaser

This morning after an early doctor’s appointment, I ran for the PROTHONOTARY WARBLER that’s been seen at Sterling Forest State Park. I believe the bird was originally found by Kathy Ashman; congrats to Kathy on an excellent find. I arrived at the spot and joined Silas Wareham and another birder who I didn’t know. The bird was actively calling not too far off the road; it eventually made its way to the roadside and the three of us were able to get some really good looks and some photos, and wow, what a gorgeous bird. I was excited to get the the bird in Orange County as it was a county life bird, number 282 for me.

~Prothonotary Warbler at Sterling Forest SP, 05/28/26.~

~Beautiful bird! PROW at Sterling Forest, 05/28/26.~

MONHEGAN ISLAND 2026 TEASER

Tricia and I just returned yesterday afternoon from a 5 day trip to Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine. The island was loaded with songbirds as expected, but this year’s visit also included a rare raptor surprise. It will take be a few days to get through all the photos, so I am planning on publishing the post sometime this weekend – stay tuned!

Sunday Shots, Long Island Edition 05/17/26

Tricia and I attended a Friday wedding on Long Island. We rented a place on the water in East Patchogue, right on Patchogue Bay, with her family. On Saturday morning I was able to do some birding at small park right that was a couple doors down, before heading home. One of the neighbors has Purple Martin houses on his property, so I enjoyed plenty of Purple Martins that were flying around. Birds of note at the park included Forster’s Terns, Least Terns, and a relatively cooperative Snowy Egret.

~Snowy Egret in East Patchogue, Long Island, 05/16/26.~

~Snowy Egret in East Patchogue, 05/16/26. The Great Egret in the background serves as a nice comparison to the two most common egrets on Long Island.~

On Saturday evening I birded 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and added Semipalmated Plovers to my Orange County 2026 year list. This morning (Sunday), I birded the Middletown Reservoir Trails again – this is a place that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine – it always seems to be extremely birdy. My best bird was a Canada Warbler, which is not a bird I get very often in the county. Photos were tough this morning, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

~My only usable photo from this morning. Pileated Woodpecker at Middletown Reservoir Trails, 05/17/26.~

~Purple Martin, East Patchhogue 05/16/26.~

~Least Sandpiper in East Patchogue, NY 05/16/26.~

~Greater Yellowlegs wading in the Patchogue Bay, 05/16/26.~

~One more Purple Martin shot – this one with nesting material. East Patchogue, NY 05/16/26.~

An Accommodating American Bittern, 05/12/26

I joined birding bud Linda Scrima out at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary this evening after work. We were going there to try for the Snowy Egret that had been reported there a day earlier. We both were pretty sure it would not be around, as it had not been reported all day, but it provided a good excuse to get us out of our houses on a Tuesday evening. We were sorting through shorebirds, and I had just located a single Dunlin. I figured it would be the best bird of the day until moments later Linda got my attention and had me look down at the near shore. To my surprise, it was an AMERICAN BITTERN, out in the open, right below us. We watched and photographed as the bird caught two crawfish just yards away. If you know the typical behavior of bitterns, you will understand how amazing this was. The bird then took a short flight and landed among the vegetation – a much more familiar way of seeing an American Bittern. All photos were taken tonight at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 05/12/26.

Sunday Shots, 05/10/26

I had another fantastic weekend of birding. It’s actually hard to remember when I’ve had a more birdy weekend. I added 26 species to my Orange County 2026 year list; I’m including a screenshot from eBird with the new birds and their locations at the bottom of this post. Notable birds included White-winged Scoters – four of them at Wickham Lake this morning – a very nice find by Kyle Knapp. It’s the first time since 2022 that I had all three scoters in Orange County (Surf, Black, & White-winged). Also at Wickham Lake, I had my first Wilson’s Warbler in several years. It was a crafty little stinker, but I managed to get a couple shots to at least document it. Also at Wickham Lake, I had a Northern Waterthrush – that’s a bird that’s not a guarantee for me on any particular year.

Here are my shots from the week – I’m starting off with one of my favorite shots of the year so far – of a young Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region. I was out on Monday 5/4/26, hoping for Lapland Longspurs, and although didn’t have any luck in that regard, this bird was an excellent consolation prize.

~I love this bird and this shot. Young Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 05/04/26.~

~Chestnut-sided Warbler at Middletown Reservoir Trails, 05/10/26.~

~Veery at Middletown Reservoir Trails, 05/10/26.~

~White-winged Scoters at Wickham Lake, 05/10/26.~

~Wilson’s Warbler at Wickham Lake, 05/10/26.~

~This bird would not come out into the open. Wilson’s Warbler at Wickham Lake, 05/10/26.~

~Brown Thrasher at Wickham Lake, 05/10/26.~

~It was a Brown Thrasher kind of weekend, this bird was at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/09/26.~

~One more shot of the young Horned Lark in the black dirt on 05/04/26.~

Sunday Shots, 05/03/26

It’s the time of year when there are plenty of birds around, so it made for a very pleasant weekend of birding. I added (18) new species to my 2026 Orange County year list. I had a decent showing of shorebirds on Saturday, with six species observed. At the Camel Farm, Linda Scrima and I had Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper and Killdeer. I added Spotted Sandpiper at the Liberty Loop platform. I did alright with songbirds too; I added (9) new species of wood warblers to my OC year list, including my favorite new species from the weekend, a beautiful Cape May Warbler.

~Cape May Warbler at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis, 05/03/26.~

I also spent some time in the black dirt looking for and finding Lapland Longspurs. On Saturday I was pleasantly surprised to see the flock of Horned Larks was still around and although it took a while, I was able to locate a single LALO in non-breeding plumage. Today I was able to get on a couple of LALOs pretty quickly, and one was in breeding plumage. Unfortunately, the birds are moving around a lot, and the spots they have been favoring are distant enough to make getting photos very challenging, and I failed on both days. I was still pretty excited though, as these are my first observations ever of this species in the month of May.

~The flock of Horned Larks with the Lapland Longspurs remained uncooperative, but there are plenty of of larks which are not part of the flock and are going about their business of having young. This one landed on the road right in front of me; I couldn’t resist getting a few shots. Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 05/02/26.~

~Sandhill Crane in flight over Liberty Marsh, 05/02/26.~

~Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/03/26.~

~Cape May Warbler at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/03/26.~

~And one final shot of the CMWA at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/03/26.~

~I took this last weekend, Greater Yellowlegs on Lynch Avenue in the black dirt on 04/26/26.~

Lapland Longspurs, 04/26/26

It’s not necessarily very easy to see a Lapland Longspur in breeding plumage. You can travel during the breeding season to the arctic tundra across North America, Europe, and Asia – areas such as Alaska, northern Canada, northern Scandinavia, Russia, or coastal Greenland. See the pink highlights on the range map below.

Or you can stay local and head out to the black dirt in mid to late April and try to get really lucky. Readers of the blog know that Lapland Longspur is among my very favorite species; I search for them all winter long and in April I try to see them in their fabulous breeding plumage. And I’ve had some success over the years, and this weekend I got lucky again and found a handful of Lapland Longspurs associating with a flock of Horned Larks. Two of the birds were in beautiful breeding plumage, but unfortunately, in spite of my efforts on both days, I never had the birds close enough for quality photos. Here’s my best effort.

~Lapland Longspur in the Black Dirt Region, 04/26/26.~

It was back in April of 2023 when I got super lucky and finally got a decent shot. I was was very excited at the time; it was a great day for me. Here’s another look at that bird:

~A look back to 2023: Lapland Longspur in the Black Dirt Region on 04/23/23.~

On a separate note, I wanted to give a shout out to birding bud Silas Wareham. Silas is an excellent Orange County birder and photographer. He has an online photography newsletter, Raw Nature, that I encourage everyone to visit and subscribe if you like what you see (you will). Here is lovely shot that I pulled from Silas’ site.

~American Robin photo by Silas Wareham… see more good stuff like this here. ~

Excellent Sunday Birding, 04/29/26

When I looked at today’s forecast last night, I was hopeful that we might get some good birds. It called for rain starting before sunrise and continuing through the morning until the early afternoon. When I arrived at Wickham Lake this morning, it was a steady rain. I was initially viewing from under the pavilion, but then I saw some interesting ducks, so I had to venture out into the rain for a closer look from the shore. I was pretty excited when I got a better look – it was (4) SURF SCOTERS and (1) BLACK SCOTER, which was super exciting for me. Also of note was (4) Bonaparte’s Gulls, associating with about a half dozen Ring-billed Gulls. I checked a few more lakes in the area, and when I got to Walton Lake, I found (2) more Surf Scoters. The rain had stopped, and the birds were closer, so I was at least able to get a halfway decent photo of the birds.

~Surf Scoters at Walton Lake on 04/19/26. Why are they always on the other side of the lake?~

I checked a few more local lakes without anything noteworthy and then headed to the Hudson River. I’d seen on social media that route 218 (Storm King Highway) had finally reopened after being closed for I think over three years, so I wanted to drive that for the first time in ages. Unfortunately it was raining pretty good again when I went through, so the views weren’t so great, but I’m excited that it’s open again. I birded Cornwall Bay with hardly any birds. I went to the mouth of the Quassaic Creek, and I was happy to find that the Black-crowned Night Heron had returned! I snapped a few shots and sorted through some cormorants, hoping for the Neotropic Cormorant that had been reported this week, but no luck.

~Black-crowned Night Heron at the mouth of the Quassaic Creek, 04/19/26.~

I made my way up to the Newburgh Waterfront, where at first I didn’t have much. Then, to my surprise, while I was sorting through the gulls on the floating docks, a couple of LAUGHING GULLS flew in. They spent some time close to the shore for a while, but then eventually settled down way out on the river with a small flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls. I’d put the word out, and Silas, Bruce and Jeanne joined me with the birds. Later in the day, Ronnie reported that they had relocated to the parking lot at the boat launch; Bill Fiero was able to catch up with them there.

~One of two Laughing Gulls at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/19/26.~

~Laughing in the rain, just laughing in the rain… sorry I couldn’t help myself. LAGU at Newburgh Waterfront, 04/19/26.~

~Laughing Gull in flight over the Hudson River at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/19/26.~

~It was a wet day out there. Common Grackle, soaking wet at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/19/26.~

~Eastern Meadowlark in the black dirt on Saturday, 04/18/26.~

~Savannah Sparrow in the black dirt, 04/18/26.~

Sunday Shots, 04/12/26

I checked some local lakes and then birded the Newburgh Waterfront on Saturday morning; my best birds were a couple of distant Horned Grebes on Wickham Lake. This morning I took a hike at the Middletown Reservoir Trails. I find it a very enjoyable place to bird, it has some decent habitat and the trails are very easy to walk. It was a birdy walk this morning; I got fantastic looks at a Red-breasted Nuthatch, and I had over 30 species on my list. I also added couple of new birds to my OC year list – Eastern Towhee and Pine Warbler, which is always nice.

~I was pleased to hear and see several Pine Warblers at Middletown Reservoir Trails this morning. It’s a start!~

~Carolina Wren is a bird that is absolutely everywhere, but somehow I never seem to get any photos. I got this one on Saturday 04/11/26 at the Newburgh Waterfront Trail.~

~A young Red-tailed Hawk at the Newburgh Waterfront Trail, 04/11/26.~

~Tree Swallow at Wickham Lake, 04/11/26.~

~Female Common Merganser at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/11/26.~

Sunday Shots 04/05/26

Last weekend was a birding bust for me (hence no post), but things started to pick up on Thursday when I found a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER at Wickham Lake. Other notable birds that evening included a Common Loon and a Horned Grebe. We hosted family for Easter, so although I got out both days for a little while, my birding time was a little bit limited this weekend. Common Loon was definitely the bird of the weekend for me – I had two early Saturday morning and then today, I had a total of (13) on four different lakes – Wickham (6x), Greenwood (5x), Walton (1x), and Round (1x). Also of note this morning was a Horned Grebe, a trio of Lesser Scaup, my first Northern Shovelers of the year, and a single Bonaparte’s Gull, all at Wickham Lake.

~Bonaparte’s Gull at Wickham Lake on 04/05/26.~

~Common Loons at Wickham Lake, 04/05/26.~