mattzeit

Orange County Sightings 11/6/13

A Ring-necked Pheasant in the headlights, Skinner Lane 11/6/13.

There were a couple of notable sightings in Orange County on Wednesday 11/6/13. I received a call from Bruce Nott just after 9 am. He had located an American Bittern at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge – Winding Waters Trail. The way I understand it, if you take a right at the fork in the trail, the bird was located in the first ditch that the trail crosses, on the right hand side out maybe a couple hundred yards. Congrats to Bruce on a great find. I also received a text from Rob Stone. Out at Skinner Lane, among the Horned Larks, he had relocated the two Lapland Longspurs and also had 20+ Snow Buntings.

While I was at work, I was trying to decide which of these two sightings to go check out at the end of the day. Ultimately, my decision was made for me; I got out of work a little bit late and that made going for the bittern a bit of a time crunch. My desire for Snow Bunting photos made this an easy decision to accept. Once out at Skinner, I did see two Snow Buntings in flight with about 25 larks, but they never did get close enough for photos. The longspurs were not relocated. Fellow Mearns Bird Club members Bruce, Curt, Lee, and Debbie were also out at Skinner. It was nice to shoot the breeze with them for a while; actually it was the highlight of the evening.

On our way out we had a Ring-necked Pheasant in the road. It is always difficult for me when I see these birds. They are so beautiful and wonderful to see, but knowing that the bird was likely released to be hunted saddens me. Lee and I clicked away, my best effort is at the top of this post.

Lapland Longspurs – Skinner Lane

I made a brief stop at Skinner Lane today after work to look for Snow Buntings. The Horned Larks had increased in number to somewhere between 75 and 100 birds. I did not have any luck with the buntings, but as I scanned the larks with my scope, I did manage to locate two LAPLAND LONGSPURS. Two things seemed to stand out about the longspurs. The first was was the obvious markings that form a dark frame on the cheek of the birds. The second is that they seemed to be moving differently than the surrounding larks, a little closer to the ground and more quickly too. I watched the birds for nearly a half hour in the scope, until they lifted up and I was unable to relocate them, mostly because it was getting pretty dark. This is a life bird for me, so I was of course very excited. The birds were too far out for photos, but I will certainly try for photos in the upcoming days if the birds stick around.

Huge thanks once again to Rob Stone, if it wasn’t for him talking to me about it, I would not have even been out there looking for these birds.

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch 11/2/13

Here's the obligatory Turkey Vulture photo of the week. I almost missed out this week as all birds were flying very high... — Here’s the obligatory Turkey Vulture photo of the week. I almost missed out this week as all birds were flying very high…

Here’s my report for the day:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                2              2             50
Turkey Vulture               2              2             81
Osprey                       0              0            123
Bald Eagle                   4              4             98
Northern Harrier             2              2             41
Sharp-shinned Hawk           6              6            993
Cooper’s Hawk                1              1             52
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          7              7             93
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0           7611
Red-tailed Hawk              9              9             88
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              1
American Kestrel             0              0            112
Merlin                       0              0             14
Peregrine Falcon             0              0             13
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              3
Unknown Buteo                0              0              6
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Raptor               0              0             21

Total: 33 33 9401
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 7 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers:

Weather:
Mix of clouds and sun, seasonably warm. Temperatures ranged from 11 degrees
Celsius to 17 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
Bald Eagles: 3 Adult and 1 Immature
Northern Harrier: 1 Male and 1 Unknown
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2 Adult and 5 Unknown

Non-raptor Observations:
Non Raptor Species: Downy Woodpecker (2), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Common
Raven (2), Red-bellied Woodpecker (1), Black-capped Chickadee (4), Tufted
Titmouse (1), Dark-eyed Junco (1), Blue Jay (10), Canada Goose (39), Cedar
Waxwing (12), American Robin (3), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1), American Crow
(22)

This is the firs Dark-eyed Junco I've had at the watch this year. — This is the firs Dark-eyed Junco I’ve had at the watch this year.

Horned Larks 11/1/13

Today’s early rain gave way to beautiful sunny skies in the evening, so I made my way out to Skinner Lane after work. The flock of Horned Larks continues at Skinner Lane with 2 Snow Buntings among them. Unfortunately the Snow Buntings never got close enough for photos, but I did get some Horned Larks that were not too far away. I hope these birds stick around because I would love to get some really close shots.

Snow Buntings – Skinner Lane

Here's a distant, blurry, grainy shot of one of the two Snow Buntings at Skinner Lane, 10/31/13. — There is a bird in this photo! You can click on this distant, blurry, grainy shot to get a better look at one of the two Snow Buntings at Skinner Lane, 10/31/13.

Tonight out at Skinner Lane I had 2 SNOW BUNTINGS in a flock of 25 Horned Larks. It was raining and nearly dark which was no good for photographs, but I certainly plan on getting back out there to try for some better photos. Another highlight was a female Northern Harrier chasing what I believe was a Wilson’s Snipe right over my car – it was pretty exciting!

I also made a couple of quick stops looking for waterfowl:

Glenmere Lake: Mute Swan (5), Pied-billed Grebe (3), Canada Goose (many), Double-crested Cormorant (1).

Wickham Lake: Ruddy Duck (7), Ring-necked Duck (19), Double-crested Cormorant (2).

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch

I had a nice day out at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch today. I had nearly 40 migrating raptors which is not too bad considering that we had a Southwest wind all day. I had a nice variety of birds, with the highlight being 5 Bald Eagles – 3 adults and 2 immatures. Many birds flew over pretty low, which gave me the opportunity to take some photos. I was generally disappointed with my efforts, but I did manage a few decent shots.

A low flying Sharp-shinned Hawk, flying right over my head. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13.

Here’s my report for the day:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                0             22             47
Turkey Vulture               0              6              9
Osprey                       0             18            121
Bald Eagle                   5             22             93
Northern Harrier             2             10             37
Sharp-shinned Hawk          25            541            941
Cooper’s Hawk                0             26             50
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          3             37             58
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0           7611
Red-tailed Hawk              2             35             41
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              1
American Kestrel             1             21            111
Merlin                       0              8             13
Peregrine Falcon             0              7             13
Unknown Accipiter            0              3              3
Unknown Buteo                0              3              6
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Raptor               0              2             20

Total: 38 762 9176
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:15:00
Total observation time: 7.25 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers: Rob Stone

Visitors:
Girl Scout Troop 670

Weather:
Cool, sunny with a SW wind. Temperatures ranged from 4 degrees Celsius to
12 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
Three adult Bald Eagles and 2 immature Bald Eagles migrated. Three
Red-shouldered Hawks included 1 unknown, 1 adult, and 1 immature. One
unknown Northern Harrier and 1 male Northern Harrier came through, and the
first bird of the day was a female American Kestrel.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species: Bluejay (22), American Crow (42), Downy Woodpecker (2),
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1), Tufted Titmouse (3), Black-capped Chickadee
(2), Mourning Dove (1), Common Raven (1), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1),
American Pipit (5), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)

And, here is my weekly Turkey Vulture photo. I have started to enjoy the challenge of getting a decent exposure with this bird each week. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13. — And, here is my weekly Turkey Vulture photo. I have started to enjoy the challenge of getting a decent shot of this bird each week. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13.

6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary

After work today, I walked both the Heritage Trail alongside 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and also the trail off of Route 17M, which leads to the pond that is located to the south of the Heritage Trail. I did well with sparrows, seeing Song Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and my best birds of the day, four White-crowned Sparrows. At the pond, shorebird numbers where down. I did not locate any yellowlegs and the dowitcher may have moved on. Still present were a half dozen Killdeer and a single Pectoral Sandpiper. Duck numbers seemed down a little bit too, but it was nice to see seven Northern Shovelers present. Here’s my list for the day:

6 1/2 Station Rd. Sanctuary, Orange, US-NY

Red-bellied Woodpecker at 6 1/2 Station Road, 10/24/13.

Oct 24, 2013 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
24 species

Canada Goose 25
Mute Swan 2
Mallard 9
Northern Shoveler 7
Green-winged Teal 30
Great Blue Heron 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Killdeer 6
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Rock Pigeon 20
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 10
American Robin 2
European Starling 150
Savannah Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 12
Swamp Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 3
White-crowned Sparrow 4
Red-winged Blackbird 8

Bergen County American Avocet

After work today, I drove over to the Clay Avenue Wetlands, located in Lyndhurst NJ. I had received a rare bird alert email from eBird, indicating that an American Avocet had been seen at the wetlands. The bird was easily located and what a beautiful bird it is! Unfortunately the bird was pretty heavily backlit and there are not many spots to view the birds from, which made taking photos difficult. I am not really thrilled with the above photo for various reasons, but I had to post this awesome bird. I hope to get back in the morning when the sun will be at my back. Stay tuned for more photos.

Here’s one more from today:

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch

Well, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I had another slow day at the hawk watch with a total of 24 migrating raptors (a lot less than the 122 from the day before!). The highlight for me was stumbling upon a Hermit Thrush when I first arrived at the watch in the morning. It’s a miracle that I had the camera out and was able to get a shot. Here’s a shot of a low flying Turkey Vulture:

And, here is my report for the day:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                0             20             45
Turkey Vulture               0              4              7
Osprey                       1             16            119
Bald Eagle                   0             14             85
Northern Harrier             0              7             34
Sharp-shinned Hawk          18            354            754
Cooper’s Hawk                3             21             45
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             11             32
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0           7611
Red-tailed Hawk              0              3              9
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             1             18            108
Merlin                       1              6             11
Peregrine Falcon             0              6             12
Unknown Accipiter            0              2              2
Unknown Buteo                0              1              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Raptor               0              1             19

Total: 24 484 8898
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:30:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers:

Visitors:
Lynne Snyder, Eileen Fox, and Allen Herron.

Weather:
Cool and sunny at the start of the watch with very little wind.
Temperatures and clouds both increased and wind picked up from the south as
the day progressed. Temperatures ranged from 11 to 18 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
The height of the flight was highly variable today with some birds flying
just over the observation platforms and others at the limit of binoculars.
For migrating raptors we had (1) unknown American Kestrel. In the third
hour of the watch (2) adult Bald Eagles were spotted to the west of the
platform and eventually headed northeast. In the fourth hour of the watch a
single adult Bald Eagle soared over the valley for a while before heading
north.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species: Brant (10), Blue Jay (11), Tufted Titmouse (4),
Black-capped Chickadee (2), Cedar Waxwing (16), Canada Goose (102), Downy
Woodpecker (1), Red-bellied Woodpecker (1), Northern Flicker (1), American
Robin (2), Common Raven (2), American Crow (6).

NO! Nelson’s Sparrow

Common Yellowthroat at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/18/13.

The amazing Rob Stone strikes again, locating a NELSON’S SPARROW earlier this week, on the trail near 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, just off Route17M. This is another first for Orange County. You can visit John Haas’ blog for photos and more details. In an effort to see and photograph the bird, I have spent the last three evenings searching. I had no luck at all on Wednesday. On Thursday I ran into fellow Mearns Bird Club members John and Mary (sorry, but I don’t know their last names). John successfully re-located the bird and got a good look at it. By the time I got to where he was, I could see the bird moving in the grasses but I did not get to see the bird. Ajit and Liza Antony showed up shorty after and we relocated what we presumed was the bird. Liza and I got a very brief look at the bird – enough for me to know that we were likely looking at the correct bird, but not enough for me to positively identify it. Tonight I tried my luck again but it was very windy, making it very difficult to see such a small bird moving in the grasses. I plan on giving it one more try tomorrow morning.

Swamp Sparrow at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/17/13.

The birding was still very good without getting the Nelson’s Sparrow. In the pond at the end of the trail, shorebirds are still making a good showing, with one of the two Long-billed Dowitchers still present, as well as Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, and Least Sandpipers. For waterfowl I had: Canada Geese, Mallards, Green-winged Teals, Blue-winged Teals, Mute Swans, and Northern Shovelers.

Five Lesser Yellowlegs and one Long-billed Dowitcher congregate on the near side of the pond. 6 1/2 Station Sanctuary, 10/18/13.