Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 06/01/25

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.~

~Barn Swallow in the Black Dirt Region, 05/31/25.~

~Cedar Waxwing at Port Orange Road, 05/25/25.~

Epic Shorebird Fallout, 05/31/25

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.~

Sussex County Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, 05/25/25

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.~

More Good Shorebirding in the County, 05/24/25

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.~

~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.~

Sunday Shots…a day late, 05/19/25

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.

Sunday Shots, 05/11/25

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.~

~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.~

OC Shorebirds, 05/10/25

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.~

Sunday Shots, 05/04/25

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.~

130. Barred Owl – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
131. Black-billed Cuckoo – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
132. Solitary Sandpiper – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
133. Northern Rough-winged Swallow – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
134. Northern House Wren – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
135. Bank Swallow – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
136. Eastern Kingbird – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
137. Northern Waterthrush – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
138. American Redstart – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
139. Dunlin – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
140. Least Sandpiper – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
141. Pectoral Sandpiper – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
142. Glossy Ibis – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
143. Red-eyed Vireo – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
144. Ovenbird – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
145. Scarlet Tanager – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
146. Yellow-throated Vireo – Elks Brox – 05/03/25
147. Worm-eating Warbler – Elks Brox – 05/03/25
148. Wood Thrush – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
149. Rose-breasted Grosbeak – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
150. Indigo Bunting – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
151. Green Heron – Sugar Loaf – 05/03/25
152. Eastern Whip-poor-will – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
153. American Woodcock – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
154. Blue-winged Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
155. Cerulean Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
156. Chestnut-sided Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
157. Prairie Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
158. Yellow-billed Cuckoo – Winding Waters – 05/04/25

Sunday Shots, 04/27/25

Songbird migration is really kicking into gear, so just being out and about this weekend I added a dozen species to my year list. While none were out of the ordinary, it was just enjoyable to be out with so many birds around. As far as warblers go, I added 6 species: Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Pine Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Parula, and Black-and-white Warbler. While I came up short regarding warbler photos, I did manage to get some shots over the weekend:

~Bald Eagle in flight in the Black Dirt Region, 04/27/25.~

~Bald Eagle in the black dirt, 04/27/25.~

~One of my first Gray Catbirds of the yeaar. Wickham Lake, 04/26/25.~

~Tree Swallow at Wickham Lake, 04/27/25.~

~Horned Lark on the move in the rain on Saturday morning. Black Dirt Region 04/26/25.~

Easter Birding, 04/20/25

We hosted for Easter, so it was mostly a birding-free weekend for me. I did manage to get out for a couple of hours late this morning into the early afternoon, and it was productive for not being out very long. At Wickham Lake I picked up my first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher of the year. Then in the black dirt, I saw my first Broad-winged Hawk of the year. And, I also found a trio of VESPER SPARROWS. It had been 2 years since I last saw a Vesper Sparrow in Orange County, so I was pretty happy about it. The birds did not stick around very long, and heat shimmer wreaked havoc on my photos, but it was still great to see them.