Orange Birding

Interesting Weekend, 11/03/24

I was up at Mount Peter at my usual time on Saturday morning, but I left early. It’s too bad too, because the birds were flying and I feel like the afternoon had some potential. I had 14 migrating raptors during the 2 1/2 hours I counted. I cut the count short for a good reason, however. Tricia and I were heading up north to SUNY Oneonta to see Orange County’s own Kyle Dudgeon give a talk and then show his latest short film To See The Sky. To say that the film is moving is an understatement. Between ornithologist Lorenzo Sympson’s remarkable life story and Kyle’s incredible images, I was really quite moved and feeling borderline weepy by the end. I’m not sure at this point when and where it can be seen next, but when I hear something I will post a follow up.

~Always a good bird to see. American Bittern at the Liberty Loop, 11/03/24.~

On Sunday, I did some local birding in the afternoon, after our drive back from Oneonta. I checked a couple of local lakes and found nothing noteworthy, so I decided to go to Liberty Marsh to see if I could find the American Bittern that’s been reported there recently. I spent some time at the viewing platform, and eventually I was rewarded with some very nice looks at the bittern. On my way back I checked 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary to check for shorebirds. I had no luck with shorebirds, but there was a young Snow Goose present, up close and in some nice late afternoon light.

~A nice up close look at a Snow Goose at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 11/03/24.

~One more shot of the American Bittern at Liberty Marsh, 11/03/24.~

~Kyle Dudgeon at SUNY Oneonta for the showing of his latest short film To See The Sky, 11/02/24.~

~iPhone snap of one of the posters on the SUNY Oneonta Campus.~

~A young Bald Eagle mixing it up with a Red-tailed Hawk at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 11/02/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/27/24

I birded Wickham Lake both mornings this weekend. It was birdy both mornings, but on Sunday morning there was a nice collection of mostly new waterfowl present. The highlight was a single Red-necked Grebe (too far out for photos unfortunately); that’s a bird I alway enjoy seeing. Other waterfowl species included: Canada Geese, Mallards, Northern Pintails, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, American Coots, and Double-crested Cormorants. Both mornings were beautiful, and really I didn’t do as well with photos as maybe I should have, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Wickham Lake, 10/26/24.~

~Double-crested Cormorant in flight at Wickham Lake, 10/27/24.~

~This Belted Kingfisher was chased across the lake by a Northern Harrier, of all things. I’ve never seen anything like that before. BEKI at Wickham Lake, 10/27/24.~

A Good Day at Mt. Pete

I enjoyed a really good flight today at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, with 143 migrating raptors counted. Winds were strong and from the northwest, there was a nice mix of sun and clouds, and temperatures were nice and cool – perfect hawk watching conditions. I had a lot of help up there today too, with veteran counters Judy Cinquina, Tom Millard, and Ken Witkowski all joining me for a good long while. When you have really good help like that, I can’t help but wonder what the count would have been if I was up there on my own. The highlights of the day included a flight of (14) Red-shouldered Hawks and (40) Red-tailed Hawks; I believe that is our high day count for both species so far this year. As a bonus, today’s count pushed our year count over the 3,000 bird mark. See my full Hawkcount report at the bottom of this post.

~Red-tailed Hawk at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/26/24.~

~And the obligatory Turkey Vulture shot, Mt. Pete 10/26/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/20/24

I woke up this morning and I was feeling terrible. I had a bad sore throat, you know the kind where it feels like you are swallowing glass? I thought about just getting back into bed, but then I figured since I was up I would try to get out for a little bit. I decided to forego any birding on foot and instead birded the black dirt from the comfort of my car. My decision paid off before I even left the village; I found a Red Fox in the cemetery and was able to get some photos. The black dirt was birdy, but with what I would consider the usuals. American Pipits are around in good numbers; I enjoyed seeing and photographing them. On my way home, I took the long way and it paid off; I found another Red Fox who did not seem too disturbed by my presence.

~American Pipit in the black dirt region, 10/20/24.~

~Heat shimmer was tough for this fox. Red Fox in the black dirt, 10/20/24.~

~This cutie kept dozing off in the sun, which made me smile. Red Fox in the black dirt, 10/20/24.~

~It’s always nice to catch a Sandhill Crane flyover. Missionland Road 10/20/24.~

GOLDEN EAGLE at Mt. Pete!

It was a strange day at Mount Peter. Between the warm temperatures, the very light winds, and a completely cloudless sky, I did not have very high expectations for today’s flight. And for the most part, my low expectations were met. BUT! Just after 1:00, the day was saved. I picked up a dark/silhouetted bird south of the platform; it was heading south. It had a slight dihedral, so I was thinking Turkey Vulture. But then it flapped and I knew it was not a vulture… I picked up some white on the tail and then the bird started to circle and I could clearly see the white on the underside of the wings – GOLDEN EAGLE! This was probably the most unexpected Golden Eagle I’ve ever seen – this bird was a little early for GOEA, and conditions were less than ideal. But I’ll take it, lol, it certainly saved a day where I had only 13 additional migrating raptors.

~Golden Eagle just south of Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/19/24.~

~There was a small flock of Purple Finches present when I arrived at Mt. Pete. I thought they would be the highlight of day, but I was wrong. PUFI at Mount Peter Hawkwatch 10/19/24.~

~One more shot of the Golden Eagle at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/19/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/13/24

I walked the Heritage Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary first thing this morning. I had 34 species; of note was a pair of Blue-winged Teals and several Rusty Blackbirds. I was hoping for shorebirds, but unfortunately conditions are still not great for them and I had only one Killdeer.

Afterwards I birded the black dirt for a while. It was birdy, with lots of sparrows around (Savannah, Song, Chipping, & White-throated mainly). The surprise of the day was a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO feeding in some low roadside brush. For shorebirds, I had a number Killdeer and 2 distant American Golden Plovers. American Pipits were around, but would not cooperate for photos.

~This is from a couple of weeks ago, but I forgot I’d taken it. Female Scarlet Tanager in our yard on 10/03/24.~

~Yellow-billed Cuckoo on Onion Avenue, 10/13/24.~

~Friday evening 10/11/24 in my backyard. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. ~

~These dudes seem to be everywhere right now. Cedar Waxwing in the black dirt, 10/13/24.~

Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/12/24

Today I enjoyed a nice day at Mount Peter Hawkwatch. It was sunny and relatively warm, but winds were strong and mostly from the Northwest, which helped carry a decent flight of 65 migrating raptors. Kyle Knapp, Silas Wareham, and Mario Meier all visited and helped find birds in a mostly blue sky. Shout out to Kyle who spent a good amount of time at the watch and picked up many birds for me.

In addition to raptors, Canada Geese were moving through pretty well also. I sort of wasn’t expecting a good goose flight, so I didn’t keep count, but I had at least 15 skeins fly over. As always, I’ve included my Hawkwatch.org report at the bottom of this post.

~A Pileated Woodpecker darts over the Hawkwatch at Mount Peter, 10/12/24.~

~Topside Turkey Vulture at Mt. Peter, 10/12/24.~

~There weren’t many song bird photo ops today. Cedar Waxwing at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/12/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/06/24

As I did last Sunday, early this morning I walked Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail. It was a chilly, foggy start, but then it got beautifully cool and sunny. I have to say, that trail is extremely birdy right now. I walked the entire loop; I had a total of 41 species and who-knows-how-many individuals. There were birds present nearly every step of my walk today. Sparrows were far and away the most numerous, especially White-throated Sparrows. Additional sparrow species included Song, Swamp, Lincoln’s, and Dark-eyed Juncos. My best birds of the day included a couple of Tennessee Warblers and a single Nashville Warbler.

~Nashville Warbler at Winding Waters Trail, 10/06/24.~

~Tennessee Warbler at Winding Waters, 10/06/24.~

~Yellow-rumped Warbler at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/05/24.~

~A male Northern Cardinal at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/05/24.~

~Lincoln’s Sparrow at Winding Waters Trail, 10/06/24.~

Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/05/24

I was optimistic going into today’s Hawkwatch; not many hawks seemed to have moved through this week, and winds were forecasted out of the north, so I was hoping for a good flight. I was feeling good after the first two hours of the watch – I had tallied 25 migrating raptors already. Unfortunately, over the next four hours I was only able to add 18 additional birds for a total of 43 migrants for the day. Not the day I’d hoped for, but still, not too bad. As always, I’ve included my Hawkcount.org report at the bottom of this post.

~Cooper’s Hawk coming in hot! Mount Peter Hawkwatch 10/05/24.~

~And when it’s possible, I alway like to include the obligatory Turkey Vulture shot, Mt. Pete 10/05/24.~

~The first bird of the day, an Osprey shot through some low cloud cover. Mount Peter Hawkwatch 10/05/24.~

Winding Waters Trail, 09/29/24

I arrived at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail this morning just after sunrise. It was a gray misty morning, but I’m happy to report that no substantial rain fell while I was on the trail. I walked the full loop and enjoyed logging nearly 40 species observed. I was happy to add a couple of birds to my Orange County 2024 list (Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Lincoln’s Sparrow). I was hoping for maybe a Connecticut Warbler or a Mourning Warbler, but that wasn’t in the cards for me today. I was using the Merlin app to identify bird sounds; at one point it indicated that it had heard a Connecticut, but in spite of my efforts, I never heard the bird, nor did I see it. The trail is absolutely loaded with birds right now, so it made for a very pleasant and birdy walk.