Just a week and a day after getting decent photos of an adult Black-crowned Night-Heron at DeKorte Park, I was pleasantly surprised by this juvenile that I saw this morning at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. I inadvertently flushed the bird when I paused on the trail to watch an American Kestrel hunting. I watched as the heron briefly flew, then landed and stashed itself in the heavy vegetation. The bird does not look very hidden in this photo, but I can tell you that it took me a long while searching with my binoculars to relocate the bird, and that was after having seen where it had flown in. BCNHs are one of my favorites and it’s always a thrill to see one, especially in Orange County.
~Semipalmated Sandpiper in the mud on one of the islands at Morningside Park, 8/13/16.~
In an effort to beat the heat and catch the good light, Kyle picked me up at my house at 5:30 this morning. We loaded up the kayaks and headed for Morningside Park, which is undoubtedly the best local spot to photograph shorebirds. We arrived just after 6:30 and the air was relatively cool and the light was perfect. We paddled out to the islands where throughout the morning we had 5 species of shorebird:
As usual, the peeps were super cooperative for photos. The other birds not so much, although I was able to get one shot of the snipe. We spent some time shooting the peeps and also just paddling around the lake to see what other birds might be around – we totaled 27 species on the lake for the morning.
~Least Sandpiper with reflection, Morningside Park 8/13/16.~~We weren’t sure if this Wilson’s Snipe would stay like the peeps do or flush. It flushed. WISN at Morningside Park, 8/13/16.~~Least Sandpiper on a nice perch, Morningside Park, 8/13/16.~~Semipalmated Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 8/13/16.~~Semipalmated Sandpiper on the move. Morningside Park, 8/13/16.~
On our way back we stopped at the Bashakill; I had to meet up with Linda Lou Bartle and we figured we’d do some quick birding while we were there. Surprisingly, it was a great morning for raptors there, we had:
When this Red-tailed Hawk actually took flight TOWARDS me, it was so unexpected that I almost panicked. I picked up the bird fairly early as it took flight (shots #1 and #2). Then I lost focus for a moment but was able to get it back again as the bird came closer (shots #3, #4, and #5). After shot #5, I lost focus again, but this time I think the bird may have been too close for my focus setting. Pretty exciting to get an opportunity like this and to not completely blow it!
~A juvenile LEAST BITTERN hunting at DeKorte Park, 8/6/16. I can’t get enough of this bird! ~
Birding in Orange County has been a little bit slow all week, so Kyle, Linda, Maria, and I piled into my Volkswagen Golf and headed south to Richard W. DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. We all seemed to be in the same mood, ready spend the morning at a spot that has no shortage of birds and also offers up great photo opportunities. We were not disappointed and had 41 species for the outing. LEAST BITTERNS were high on the priority list – we were hoping to get Kyle his lifer, which we achieved through a fly-by very early on. We saw several LEBI while were there, and we spent some quality time viewing and photographing one young bird that was in nice light and wasn’t too far away.
~These Semipalmated Sandpipers are sharp looking to me. Look how white this bird is in spite of foraging in the mud all day long! DeKorte Park, 8/6/16.~
Other highlights included a nice look at a couple of male Ruddy Ducks in breeding plumage, and a young, large, (probably a female) Peregrine Falcon that absolutely ripped onto the scene and took what appeared to be a Forster’s Tern. Those PEFAs are killing machines and are fascinating to watch in action. For shorebirds, we had what I suspect are the expected species – Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs, and Lesser Yellowlegs. Other good birds included three Black-crowned Night-herons, a couple of Osprey, two Great Black-backed Gulls, and several Snowy Egrets. It was an excellent morning of birding in great company!
~Beautiful Bird. A male Ruddy Duck at DeKorte Park, 8/6/16.~~An acrobatic Forster’s Tern hunting at DeKorte Park, 8/6/16.~~One of my favorites! I’ve been wanting to get some photos of these guys in OC, but it hasn’t panned out just yet. Black-crowned Night-heron at DeKorte Park, 8/6/16.~~A young Forster’s Tern cruising overhead at DeKorte Park, 8/6/16. I’m not sure if other folks find this plumage as attractive as I do, but I think this is a good looking bird.
~Wow! RUFF at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst NJ, 8/21/16.~
QUICK POST: I’m going to try to keep this short because it’s late and I’m tired. It’s remarkable to me how much luck plays a part in birding. After work today, thanks to some prodding from Maria Loukeris, I ran for the RUFF that has been reported in recent days out at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. I searched for the bird for over 2 1/2 hours from the Transco Trail, along with several other birders and then I decided to head home. On my way back to my car, I ran into Chris Takacs on the boardwalk; Chris had originally located the bird over a week ago. While we were talking, a group of yellowlegs flew over and Chris commented that it looked like the Ruff might have been in with them. Moments later, he received a text – he was right, the Ruff had just come in! We headed back out to the Transco Trail and sure enough the bird was still present! What an incredible bird, and I was so lucky to get it! I got great scope views and tried to take some photos and video – none came out very well, but I did get to document it. The Ruff is life bird #368 for me. Huge thanks to Maria for letting me know the bird had been relocated today, and also to Chris Takacs for all his help out there.
~Least Sandpiper at Wallkill River NWR, 7/31/16. I’m loving the markings on this bird.~
After running for a trio of Little Blue Herons that were reported at Riverfront Park in Montgomery and coming up empty, I spent a good portion of the day searching for shorebirds in southern Orange County. I stopped at Turtle Bay Road on my way to Wallkill River NWR and, although conditions looked good with muddy puddles present, I only had Killdeer there. At Wallkill River NWR, the pool in front of the viewing platform at the Liberty Loop had water levels that seemed to high for shorebirds and I did not locate any. I walked out Liberty Lane and in spite of the high water levels there, I had one Killdeer, (3) Solitary Sandpipers, and (2) Lesser Yellowlegs. On my way back, I had a single Least Sandpiper foraging on the puddles on Liberty Lane, which allowed for a good photo op. A walk to the west side of the loop did not result in much – I had another Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper, a couple of Great Blue Herons, and only a single Great Egret.
~Lesser Yellowlegs at Wallkill River NWR, down Liberty Lane, 7/31/16.~
I made my way back to Goshen, checking some areas of the black dirt, where conditions were good with plenty of puddles. I had many Killdeer on Skinner Lane. The Old Warren Sod Farm was the most productive spot; aside from many Killdeer, I also had one Solitary Sandpiper, one Semipalmated Sandpiper, and my most exciting bird of the day, a Semipalmated Plover. Unfortunately all of these birds were too far out for photos.
~One more of the Least Sandpiper at Wallkill River NWR, 7/31/16.~
The rain started to fall pretty heavily, so I headed home and took a break. I waited for the rain to subside (it never really did!) before heading back out to the Citgo Pond in the evening. I was curious to see how the water levels would be there, normally they would be very high with all the recent rain, but a during quick check on Friday afternoon I saw that the water level was lower than I’ve ever seen it (by the way I had several LEYE and KILL, many LESA, and two likely SESA on Friday). Well, when I got out there, not only was the water level high at the pond, the trail itself was flooded as well. Needless to say, I had no additional shorebirds there. With all the rain that is falling, the black dirt looks to be the best spot in OC for shorebirds for the next few days at least.
~Killdeer at Skinner Lane, 7/31/16.~ ~A nice size comparison – Lesser Yellowlegs on the left and Solitary Sandpiper on the right, Wallkill River NWR, 7/31/16.~
~Excellent, excellent bird. LEAST BITTERN at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, NJ 7/24/16.~
Maria Loukeris and I got an early start and headed south to Richard W. DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, New Jersey; we were trying for the Ruff that had been reported there. We were not the only ones with that idea, as the park was absolutely loaded with birders. We met up with Marianne O., as planned, met some other birders for the first time, and also ran into Denise Farrel, who is also a hawk counter at Mount Peter Hawkwatch. Ultimately, we left and the Ruff had not been relocated. Meanwhile, we had some great birds at the park, including several LEAST BITTERNS. I was hoping when I finally got my lifer LEBI, it would not be a speck in a scope, or a fleeting glimpse of a bird, and I was not disappointed. The first one we had was only 50 feet away or so. It was in the shadows and partially hidden by phragmites reeds, but it looked absolutely incredible in the scope, and we worked hard to get some decent photos (I was not at all optimistic about these shots, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and saw them on the computer).
~These photos do not tell the truth. This bird was tough to see, even though it was not all that far away (50 feet?). Naked eye, you would lose the bird every time. It was even tough to locate in the camera view, I kept having to relocate with my binoculars or scope. Least Bittern at DeKorte Park, 7/24/16.~
DeKorte is absolutely loaded with shorebirds. There were too many Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers to count, the same goes for Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers. We also had a handful of Semipalmated Plovers and also several Greater Yellowlegs. A Peregrine Falcon came through a couple of times and lifted up all the shorebirds (I somehow missed it both times!?). Also of note was a Sora that was seen well by Marianne and others but would not re-emerge when Maria and I made our way back to where it was being seen.
I had always been intimidated to go to DeKorte; mostly because of the driving and traffic, but also because I didn’t know the lay of the land. I admit that we did get a little bit lost on the way in, but really the driving wasn’t a problem at all especially since it was early on a Sunday with little traffic. And the park is very inviting, you don’t really have to know anything going into it; just arrive an enjoy some good birding.
~Least Sandpiper close up at DeKorte Park, 7/24/16. You could spend all day just shooting shorebirds if you wanted to.~This bird was a messy eater, ha ha. Semipalmated Sandpiper with a face full of mud, DeKorte Park, 7/24/16.~~This Marsh Wren was one of the first birds of the morning. It put on a nice show and allowed for some decent shots, in fact I am posting 2 because I couldn’t decide which I liked better. Richard W. DeKorte Park, 7/24/16.~~MAWR at DeKorte Park, 7/24/16. Cutie.~~One final shot of another Least Bittern. This was a nice scene, too bad the bird was mostly backlit. Richard W. DeKorte Park, 7/24/16.~
~One of the many Eastern Towhees on the Long Path off of Mountain Road, 7/17/16.~
This morning I hiked a section of the Long Path Trail off of Mountain Road, just north of Greenville, NY. According to the New York New Jersey Trail Conference website, the Long Path extends 358 miles from the 175th Street Subway Station in New York City to John Boyd Thacher State Park near Albany in New York, connecting many of New York’s parks, preserves, and state forest lands. I looked at the overview map of the trail and saw that the Heritage Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road is part of the Long Path as well. I’ve really been enjoying combining birding with hiking this spring and summer, and it’s pretty cool to know that you can walk trails from NYC all the way to the Adirondacks.
~I made a quick stop by the Liberty Loop on my way home and had this Baltimore Oriole on the west side of the loop.~
As far as the birding went, my hike was relatively unremarkable. I had 28 species for the walk and all were expected birds. Eastern Towhees were probably the most numerous, followed by Red-eyed Vireos and then Eastern Wood-Pewees. I did have some interesting experiences, including a black bear that I saw about 5o yards off the trail; the bear high-tailed it once it became aware of my presence.
I also had a Wood Duck at one of the ponds, and I witnessed a behavior I’ve never seen from a Wood Duck before. The bird was perched on a rock in the middle of the pond. I walked down the trail and took some photos from the shore and then made my way back up the trail, satisfied that I had not disturbed the bird. About twenty paces up the trail I looked over my shoulder and the duck was getting into the water – instead of floating/swimming like normal, the bird nearly completely submerged itself, leaving just its head and a little bit of its butt showing and swam that way into the grasses along the shore where it stayed hidden.
My final bird of the day, after walking for over three hours, was a Prairie Warbler right near where my car was parked (it’s amazing how often that happens!).
~To me, this was a sweet and sad looking Wood Duck, on one of the ponds on the Long Path off of Mountain Road, 7/17/16.~ ~Gray Catbird perched on the Long Path off of Mountain Road, 7/17/16.~
Notes: Linda Scrima had a Little Blue Heron in front of the viewing platform at the Liberty Marsh on Friday afternoon (7/15/16). Unfortunately, the bird flew before I arrived later that afternoon. I have been on the lookout for shorebirds, mostly checking Liberty Marsh and the Citgo Pond. Both locations have Least Sandpipers and Killdeer, and earlier in the week I also had a single Lesser Yellowlegs at the Citgo Pond.
~Brown Booby in flight at Merrill Creek Reservoir in Warren County, NJ, 7/14/16.~
Sometimes things just seem to work out. I had a work appointment in Wilmington Delaware this morning, and Merrill Creek Reservoir in Warren County, New Jersey, where a BROWN BOOBY has been recently reported, is not very far off the route that I took home. With some directions from Linda Scrima and a little luck, I found the location easily enough, and the bird was still present and was immediately pointed out to me by the other birders present. It spent most of its time perched and partially hidden on the I/O Tower, but in time I was there it did take flight a couple of times, which allowed for some halfway decent photos. I really enjoyed this bird and with its beautiful long thin wings it was exciting to see it in flight. Plus, it’s a booby in the middle of New Jersey, that’s pretty amazing! And finally, it was life bird for me, my 367th.
~Brown Booby at Merrill Creek Reservoir, 7/14/16.~~I liked the trees in the background of this shot – Warren County, New Jersey Brown B0oby, 7/14/16.~ ~Beautiful bird – Brown Booby in flight at Merrill Creek Reservoir, 7/14/16.~~This is where the bird spent most of its time while I was there; Brown Booby perched at Merrill Creek Reservoir 7/14/16.~
At the conclusion of a fun but relatively unremarkable morning of birding, I was lucky enough to spot this little beauty in a field on the side of the road. The fox was looking for a good place to take a nap. As I watched from a distance, the fox settled in, and when I left all that could be seen was the tips of its ears through the long grasses.
