I took my yearly hike out to Jupiter’s Boulder in Black Rock Forest to try for Ruffed Grouse. As with the last 6 years, I did not have any success with my target species . But, it was still a birdy and enjoyable hike. I hit the trail just after sunrise and covered around 5 miles. I observed a total of 35 species; all were expected species. Highlights included a low flyover of a Broad-winged Hawk while I relaxed on Jupiter’s Boulder, eating my Cliff Bar breakfast, and getting fantastic looks at an Acadian Flycatcher which was vocalizing nonstop with with its excellent call of “peeet-SAH!”.
~Looking up at an Acadian Flycatcher at Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25.~~Common Yellowthroat at Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25.~~Here I am at the waterfall near the beginning of the trail to Jupiter’s Boulder, Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25.~
This weekend I hiked out at Reservoir #3 in Port Jervis both mornings. My target bird was Ruffed Grouse, which I know is a total longshot, but I had to try. Yesterday I cut my hike short when I was just soaked through and had had enough. So I gave it another go this morning in the dry weather. Both mornings were quite birdy; I had 22 species yesterday in the rain, and 34 species this morning. Species were all expected; highlights for me included Blackburnian Warblers and an Acadian Flycatcher.
~Ovenbird at Reservoir #3, 06/08/25.~
I also spent some time at the Liberty Loop platform on Saturday. My best bird was a calling Least Bittern. I also enjoyed a couple of Green Herons which were spending some time around the platform, providing some photo ops.
~Green Heron coming right at me. Liberty Loop, 06/07/25.~~GRHE at Liberty Loop, 06/07/25.~~One more Green Heron shot from the Liberty Loop platform, 06/07/25.~~Black-and-white Warbler at Reservoir #3, 06/08/25.~
We’ve enjoyed some good and exciting birding in the area recently; my recent posts have reflected that. So this afternoon I’m just doing a little clean up and posting some of the shots which were also taken during that time. Migration is winding down now, and the exciting birding will probably be on hold for a little while; meanwhile we can change our focus to breeding birds, hiking, and just enjoying being out.
~American Goldfinch in the black dirt, o5/25/25.~~Grasshopper Sparrow in the black dirt, 05/25/25.~~Coyote in the black dirt, 06/01/25.~ ~Barn Swallow in the Black Dirt Region, 05/31/25.~~Cedar Waxwing at Port Orange Road, 05/25/25.~
I was hoping the heavy overnight rains would bring in some shorebirds to the area… little did I know what the day would have in store for us – it was truly a historic day of shorebirding in the area. My first stop in the black dirt set the tone – I had a remarkable 25 Ruddy Turnstones, 20 Dunlin, and over 100 Semipalmated Sandpipers. From there, the day just kept delivering – shorebirds seemed to be at every turn. The bird of the day was definitely RED KNOT. Bruce Nott lived up to his name and located the first of this species; eventually 7 individuals would be observed in Orange County (that I heard about: 6 in the black dirt, and one in Montgomery). In second place was a single RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, which was also located by Bruce.
~Semipalmated Sandpipers and Dunlin in flight. Black Dirt Region, 05/31/25.
I was all over the black dirt region today, and I personally tallied 12 different species of shorebirds for the day; here’s my list with approximate totals. Goodness knows how many actual individuals were in the county – I had birds that were too distant to identify as well as a couple of flocks flying over which are not included in these estimates.
Killdeer (18)
Semipalmated Plover (5)
Black-bellied Plover (9)
Least Sandpiper (4)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (600+)
Spotted Sandpiper (6)
White-rumped Sandpiper (2)
Short-billed Dowitcher (65+)
Dunlin (75+)
Ruddy Turnstone (100+)
RED KNOT (4)
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (1)
~As we have grown to expect in our area, most shorebirds were quite distant. This was a nice close encounter with a flock of Semipalmated Sandpipers. Black Dirt Region, 05/31/25.~
Sullivan County had a great day too – I heard some reports as the day progressed. Click here for John Haas’ account of the day in Sullivan County on his blog, Bashakill Birder. These are the days we wait for and thoroughly enjoy when they do occur. What a day!
~Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and one Short-billed Dowitcher in flight. Black dirt region, 05/31/25.~~Who’s having fun? This guy. Here I am shorebirding in the rain, in the black dirt during an epic fallout on 05/31/25. Photo by Linda Scrima. ~ ~One of four Ruddy Turnstones that were close enough for photos. Black Dirt Region, 05/31/25.~~Semipalmated Sandpiper in the black dirt, 05/31/25.~~This is a terrible photo, but I had to include at least one RED KNOT photo. Black dirt 05/31/25.~
I was up and out early this morning. My first stop was Port Orange Road, where I enjoyed some productive birding. I took my time and birded the entire road; I had a total of 43 species, and I added three species to my Orange County year list (Acadian Flycatcher, Canada Warbler, and my target bird for the morning – MOURNING WARBLER).
Afterwards, I headed out to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop, to see if I could finally catch up with the 7 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS that have been reported there. Fortunately the birds continued, and not only that, they were in a good location, not too far from the trail, so I enjoyed really great looks and got some decent photos. The birds’ preferred area at the refuge is about 300 yards or so south of the NY border, just into Sussex County NJ.
~Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at the Liberty Loop, 05/25/25.~~These guys spent most of their time with their heads under water – I was happy to get some good timing and get all three with their heads up. BBWDs at the Liberty Loop, 05/25/25.~~Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge; Liberty Loop, 05/25/25.~
I was up and out very early this morning; I was rewarded with an enjoyable and productive morning of shorebirding in the black dirt region. I covered a good amount of territory and there were several other birders out looking for shorebirds as well. For the morning I had a total of 9 species of shorebirds, with one clear highlight: Bruce Nott found a RUDDY TURNSTONE way out in a puddle, in a field at the intersection of Pierce Circle and Lynch Avenue. It was another great find by Bruce and I believe it was only my second Ruddy Turnstone ever in Orange County. Less rare but still very impressive was the 45 or so Dunlin at the Camel Farm; they were originally located by Jeanne Cimorelli yesterday.
Killdeer: 25+
Semipalmated Plover: 5
Short-billed Dowitcher: 2
Spotted Sandpiper: 4
Lesser Yellowlegs: 3
Greater Yellowlegs: 4
Dunlin: 45
Least Sandpiper: 8
RUDDY TURNSTONE: 1
~I was pretty pumped to get a nice close look at this pair of Short-billed Dowitchers. Black dirt region, 05/24/25.~~Killdeer in the black dirt, 05/24/25.~~Short-billed Dowitcher in the black dirt, 05/24/25.~~And one more SBDO shot. Black Dirt Region 05/24/25.~~Large flock of Dunlin at the Camel Farm, 05/24/25.~
Tricia and I went away for the weekend, but I was able to get out and do some local birding on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. I hit the black dirt on Sunday, hoping for the White-rumped Sandpiper that had been reported earlier in the week. I dipped on my target, but I was able to add Semipalmated Plover to my year list and get a handful of shots of a Grasshopper Sparrow. This morning I birded Ironwood Drive at Sterling Forest State Park. It was birdy as can be, and I had several new year birds. Most notable for me, was Alder Flycatcher, as that’s not a species I get every year. I had some frustrating likely misses, as the Merlin app was hearing birds that I wasn’t able to hear nor locate. The trees are full of leaves now, and that made it challenging as well. Here’s some shots from the last couple of days.
~These guys are generally pretty accommodating. Male Bobolink in the black dirt, 05/18/25.~~I rarely take backlit photos – I’ve seen others have some great images with backlighting, but usually I don’t see it. This case was an exception – backlit Prairie Warbler singing at Sterling Forest State Park, 05/19/25.~ ~For a bird that I see and hear daily, I rarely get any photos of Baltimore Orioles. This one was at Sterling Forest, 05/19/25.~~I was pleased to find this GRASSHOPPER SPARROW perched near the road as I made my way home from the black dirt on Sunday afternoon, 05/18/25.
After a couple of days of focusing on shorebirds, I figured I better get out and try for some songbirds this morning before they all pass me by. I spent some time early at Elks Brox Memorial Park, and it was fairly productive. I added several species to my OC 2025 list: Blue-headed Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler. Afterwards, I went to Port Orange Road and enjoyed trying for photos of a couple of Cerulean Warblers that were present.
~Cerulean Warbler at Port Orange Road, 05/11/25.~~Cerulean Warbler at Port Orange Road, 05/11/25.~~Magnolia Warbler hiding in the shadows at Elks Brox Memorial Park, 05/11/25.~~Prairie Warbler at Elks Brox, 05/11/25.~~Eastern Phoebe at Port Orange Road, 05/11/25.~
Yesterday evening, and then again first thing this morning, I was out in the Black Dirt Region, looking for shorebirds in the all the puddling from the recent heavy rains. Between the two days, at a couple different locations, I had a total of 8 shorebird species:
Wilson’s Snipe (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (4)
Solitary Sandpiper (9)
Lesser Yellowlegs (14)
Greater Yellowlegs (3)
DUNLIN (3)
Least Sandpiper (84)
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (3)
~Lesser Yellowlegs in the black dirt, 05/10/25.~~Close up of a Spotted Sandpiper in the Black Dirt Region, 05/10/25.~~I kind of like this photo. Solitary Sandpiper, in the rain, on a pile of onions, in the black dirt region, 05/09/25.~~Least Sandpipers in flight, 05/10/25.~
Well, it was quite a bird-filled weekend. It’s that time of year where just being out and about you will see many new birds for the year. If I include Thursday, I personally added nearly 30 birds to my Orange County year list. I’ve included a list of all my new birds at the bottom of this post.
While most of the birds were nothing out-of-the-ordinary, there were some highlights. On Saturday morning, the Camel Farm was well stocked with shorebirds. While most of the birds were Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, I did add several new species, including a single DUNLIN in beautiful plumage. It was funny, because Linda Scrima joined me there; she was trying to get on the Dunlin and she casually asked me if it was near the GLOSSY IBIS… I was like what GLOSSY IBIS??? The ibis must have flown in while I had my head down in my scope, so that was a funny, pleasant surprise.
~This photo made my weekend. It’s been absolutely years since I’ve gotten a decent cuckoo photo, so I was thrilled to spend a little time at Winding Waters Trail with this Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 05/04/25.~
On Sunday morning, for my final stop, I took a walk out at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail, where two excellent things happened. First, I ran into and caught up with my friends Jeff and Liz; It had been ages since I’ve seen them, and I was coincidentally just thinking about them the day before. And second, a little while after that, I ran into a relatively cooperative YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. It’s been absolutely ages since I’ve had a good cuckoo experience, so I really enjoyed it.
~Greater Yellowlegs at the Camel Farm, 05/04/25.~~My warbler game is right on par, lol. Here’s snazzy shot of a distant Blue-winged Wabler on an electrical tower in Sterling Forest, 05/03/25.~~There were loads of Yellow Warblers at most locations I went to over the weekend. This one was taken at Winding Waters Trail, 05/04/25.~~One more Yellow-billed Cuckoo shot. Winding Waters Trail, 05/04/25.~~Cuteness. Canada Goose goslings at Wickham Lake, 05/03/25.~
