~VESPER SPARROW at Wickham Woodlands Town Park area, 10/20/15.~
As I left Mount Peter Hawkwatch this evening after work, I received a call from Rob Stone. He had several VESPER SPARROWS in the area near Wickham Woodlands Town Park earlier in the day. I was heading to the park already, so I went to check it out. After a little bit of searching, and just before the sun got too low for photos, I located one and then two Vesper Sparrows, skulking in the grass. The bold eyering was seen very easily, even without binoculars. In my photos, other identifying features can also be seen: white outer tail feathers on a fairly short tail, large bill, and pale-centered dark ear coverts. I mistakenly thought that this was a life bird, but when I got home I entered the observation into eBird and I saw that I had one when I was in Colorado back in 2013! I can barely remember that bird and I was unable to get photos, so today was much more fulfilling since I got such good looks and photographs too. Plus, it is nice to be able to add the bird to my Orange County year list and life list. Huge thanks to Rob Stone for the heads up!
~VESPER SPARROW, Wickham Woodlands Town Park area, 10/20/15.~
~A Great Blue Heron preens in a channel off of Liberty Lane at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 10/18/15.~
QUICK POST: Here are a few shots from this morning when I walked Liberty Lane and part of Winding Waters Trail at the Walllkill River National Wildlife Refuge. It was an unremarkable morning bird-wise. There were enough birds around to keep me entertained (mostly sparrows, of which I had 5 species: Song, White-throated, White-crowned, Swamp, and Field), but I mostly just enjoyed a walk in the cool crisp weather.
~A young White-crowned Sparrow strikes a pose on Liberty Lane, 10/18/15.~~Swamp Sparrow on the Winding Waters Trail at Wallkill River NWR, 10/18/15.~~White-throated Sparrow on Liberty Lane, 10/18/15.~
~An immature GOLDEN EAGLE soars just to the left of the platform at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/17/15.~
Wow, great day at Mount Peter Hawkwatch for me – I finally got a GOLDEN EAGLE! This is the first one I have seen at Mount Peter, and it was by far my best look ever at a Golden Eagle. I located a large raptor to the northwest of the viewing platform. In my binoculars I could not determine what it was, I was thinking possibly a vulture. I got the bird in my spotting scope and it became clear that it could possibly be a Golden. The bird worked its way closer to the platform, still quite high up, but in great light. I was so excited, I didn’t even know what to do with myself! I knew that I needed to photograph it to document it at least, even if the bird was a bit too high for great pics. The remainder of the watch was pretty good too, I had 71 migrating raptors including 2 immature Bald Eagles, 4 Red-shouldered Hawks, and 5 (!) Merlins. See below for my complete report from the day.
~This one made me happy – Red-Shouldered Hawk at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/17/15.~~A local Red-tailed Hawk finally came in close enough for a photo. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/17/15.~
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter Matt Zeitler
Observers: Rob Stone
Visitors:
Richie Freud, Mike X, and Fred and Donna Paley from York, Pennsylvania, and who are currently doing a tour of Hawkwatches. They spent the morning at Scott’s Mountain in Harmony, New Jersey.
Weather:
Sunny with some clouds with a steady wind from the northwest. Temperatures ranged from 4 to 9 degrees Celsius.
Raptor Observations:
Migrating Raptors: (2) Immature Bald Eagles, (1) immature Northern Harrier, (1) adult Red-shouldered Hawk, (1) immature Red-shouldered Hawk, (2) unknown Red-shouldered Hawks, (1) unknown American Kestrel, and the highlight of the day, at 10:20 EST, (1) immature GOLDEN EAGLE was spotted to the north of the viewing platform, soared just to the left of the platform and then headed southwest. Non-migrating raptors included (2) adult Bald Eagles; one headed north, the other northeast.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Species: Eastern Bluebird (2), Blue Jay (15), American Robin (6), Common Raven (6), American Goldfinch (3), Yellow-rumped Warbler (3), Cedar Waxwing (2), Black-throated Green Warbler (1), Ring-billed Gull (1), Northern Flicker (1), European Starling (75), American Crow (10), and Canada Goose (812).
~I shot this Sharp-shinned Hawk at Mt. Peter on Thursday, 10/15/15.~~One more shot of the Golden Eagle, Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/17/15.~
~For such a common bird, I never seem to get photo ops with Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 10/11/15.~
QUICK POST: I birded Wickham Woodlands Town Park once again this morning, and it was quite birdy. I walked for over two hours and had 37 species for the morning. I had all six of the expected woodpeckers for our area; I was especially happy to see and get a shot of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Sparrows were not numerous, but I did get 2 White-crowned, 4 White-throated, and 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow. Other highlights included more Yellow-rumped Warblers than I could possibly count, a single Palm Warbler, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, and both kinglets. The Golden-crowned Kinglet was the first I’ve had this year, making it my 190th Orange County bird for the year, which is four more than I had all of last year.
~This bird always hides from me. Lincoln’s Sparrow peeking out of the brush, Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 10/11/15.~~Always good to see a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 10/11/15.~~I like this shot, it’s a little bit of a different look at a Palm Warbler, Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 10/11/15.~~I haven’t seen an Eastern Towhee in a while. Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 10/11/15.~
~A Black-throated Green Warbler at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/10/15~
I had a pretty good day today at Mount Peter, at least compared to how dead it has been up there for the last week or so (the weather just hasn’t been cooperating!). I had 46 migrating raptors, which was just enough to keep it interesting throughout the day. Raptor highlights included an immature Bald Eagle that flew over the valley heading southwest in the third hour of the watch, and the final bird of the day was an adult Peregrine Falcon that passed, very high, directly over the viewing platform. Sharp-shinned Hawks led the day with 28 being counted.
One of the many things that I like about counting at the hawkwatch is that it is 8 hours of straight birding. You never know what you might get during that time. Right upon my arrival and pretty much throughout the day, I had a pair of Black-throated Green Warblers not very far from the platform. I also had several Yellow-rumped Warblers and a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets at different times, and Canada Geese were moving big time; I counted over 1,300 for the day. Here’s my report:
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter Matt Zeitler
Observers: Ken Witkowski
Visitors:
Amy Greher, Kate Blitz, Ruth Ross
Weather:
Sunny with some clouds in the morning, then sunny and clear. Temperatures ranged from 11 to 17 degrees Celsius.
Raptor Observations:
Migrating Raptors: One immature Bald Eagle, (1) immature Northern Harrier, (1) male Northern Harrier, (2) adult Red-shouldered Hawks, and (2) unknown American Kestrels. Non-migrating Raptors: One adult Bald Eagle flew north and One immature Bald Eagle headed east.
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose (1,305), American Goldfinch (8), Hairy Woodpecker (1), Cedar Waxwing (35), Tufted Titmouse (4), Black-capped Chickadee (5), Common Raven (4), Red-bellied Woodpecker (2), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Yellow-rumped Warbler (4), Black-throated Green Warbler (2), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2), Northern Cardinal (1), White-breasted Nuthatch (1), Blue Jay (9), American Crow (6).
~One day I will get a good Common Raven photo. Until then, I give you this; Common Raven at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/10/15.~
~These guys seem to be all over right now – Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch,10/10/15.~~I had to include at least one raptor shot – Turkey Vulture posing on the cell tower in front of the viewing platform at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/10/15.~
~One of the many Yellow-rumped Warblers at Wickham Woodlands Town Park tonight, 10/8/15.~
I was happy to finally get out to bird Warwick’s newest town park, Wickham Woodlands. For me, the best thing about the park is that it offers a good look at nearly all of Wickham Lake. My highlight was seeing 11 Ruddy Ducks that were present on the lake, my first of the season. Scanning the lake, I also had many Mallards, Canada Geese, a dozen Ring-billed Gulls, 2 Belted Kingfishers, a Double-crested Cormorant, and an adult Bald Eagle. But as I wandered through the 50 acres that make up the park, I realized that it was quite birdy. I had easily over 20 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, several Eastern Bluebirds, and I got a nice look at a Pileated Woodpecker as it flew across the lake. Nice night of birding!
~Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Wickham Woodlands, 10/8/15.~~Ten Ruddy Ducks, my first of the Season, out on Wickham Lake, 10/8/15.~~I actually took this on Tuesday afternoon at the Liberty Loop but still wanted to post it – Sharp-shinned Hawk perched, 10/6/15.~~iPhone panoramic shot of Wickham Lake, taken from Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 10/8/15.~
~A local Red-tailed Hawk flies in over the Hudson River at eye level. State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~
If it wasn’t for Kyle Dudgeon’s persistence, we would have missed a lot of good birds. We met up at 7:30 am and arrived around 8:15, just in time to catch one of the local Peregrine Falcons enjoying a meal at “the perch”. We had many good birds early on, including several Bald Eagles, but the lighting was pretty bad; all the early photos in this post have a stark white background. I haven’t shot hawks in flight for an extended period of time like this in a while and I definitely felt rusty. I was having a hard time keeping up with the birds (and camera settings!), particularly the Peregrines which move so fast it’s incredible. I managed to get some good shots, but really I felt like I could have done better; that many opportunities had slipped by. I guess that will motivate me for the next outing.
We were joined by Jill Homcy and then a little later on by Maria Loukeris. We all enjoyed a good mix of local raptors (Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, and Osprey) and migrating raptors which were lead by Osprey (35), followed by a tie between two accipiters Sharp-shinned Hawks (28) and Cooper’s Hawks (28). I felt like they must have been having a pretty good day for migration, I checked when I got home and according the Hawkcount.org, the total count for the day at State Line Lookout was 121 migrating raptors. It was a really enjoyable day for me, with good company and plenty of super birds to photograph.
~A local Peregrine Falcon enjoys and early morning meal. State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~This was one of our first birds of the day – eye level Cooper’s Hawk at State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~An immature Cooper’s Hawk flies over, State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~This is not the clearest shot, but I love seeing the top of the bird like this. Sharp-shinned Hawk at State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~I’m not sure how folks will react to this photo, but it is one of my favorites from the day. A Cooper’s Hawk maneuvering overhead at State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~Red-tailed Hawk over the water, State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~Immature Bald Eagle flyover, State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~Not the best shots, but a cool interaction between and adult and an immature Peregrine Falcon. State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~This one is a few shots later – can’t believe the adult is totally upside down! Peregrine Falcons at State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~~We did not see many American Kestrels, this one whipped by getting blown around by the wind. State Line Lookout, 10/4/15.~
~This made Kyle Dudgeon happy – Northern Harrier in flight in the Black Dirt, 10/3/15.~
It was a rainy, wet and cold day for starters. I woke up early with the plan to get out early before heading up to Mt. Peter for my Saturday hawkwatch. I wanted to go to Owens Station Crossing to try for the tern I saw last night and also to try for the Red-necked Phalarope that Ken Witkowski had reported seeing in the back pool of the Liberty Loop. As I drove through a pretty steady rain, I was surprised to get a call from Maria Loukeris; she and Linda Scrima were already at Owens Station Crossing and wanted to try for the phalarope. And Marianne O. was on her way. Four birders out on the worst rainy morning in recent memory? Sounds good to me!
Shortly after arriving at Owens Station Crossing, I relocated the tern in the distance, perched on a stump in the lake. The tern flew for us one time (before I even had my camera out!!), but it gave us some good looks, coming closer in decent light. We were in agreement that the bird was likely a COMMON TERN. Perched, the bird did not stand tall and appeared to have a short neck, a hint of a dark carpal bar could be seen, dark primary/wing edges were very apparent, and the tail did not extending past wingtips. In flight, the wings were strongly angled back, and showed a dark trailing edge on the primaries.
We headed down the trail that leads to the back pond of the Liberty Loop. Shortly after arriving, Marianne located a Short-billed Dowitcher. Linda was the only one with a camera out due to the steady, continuing rain and she provided me with a photo of the bird. We continued to scan for quite a while, getting very wet and cold. Eventually, I located the RED-NECKED PHALAROPE in my scope! Marianne got on it quickly with her scope and Linda got a quick look in my scope, but unfortunately the bird disappeared into some grasses before Maria got her turn on a scope. It took a while to relocate the bird; when Marianne finally did, Maria got a look and we all got some better looks, but they were by no means good looks, through wet lenses and the bird coming and going through the vegetation. This was a life bird for both Maria and Linda, congrats to them both!
When we got back to the Owens Station Crossing parking lot, we could not relocate the Common Tern; had it moved on already? The weather was trying to break at this point, but the rain continued, just a little lighter than before.
~Short-billed Dowitcher at the Liberty Loop Trail, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 10/3/15. Photo by Linda Scrima.~
I went home and changed into some dry clothes. It appeared that the rain might stop, so I was going to head to Mt. Peter. Once on the road, it became clear that it was still raining pretty good. Kyle Dudgeon was home from college for the weekend, we exchanged texts and decided to try to get the phalarope for him. We tried for a while at the back pond of the Liberty Loop, but we were unable to relocate the bird, even with the help of a Sussex County birder named Kevin who was out for the bird as well. Kyle and I decided to hit the black dirt to try for shorebirds (me) and raptors (Kyle). We were successful in both searches. American Kestrels were extremely numerous, we didn’t keep count but figured by the evening that we had seen over 30 kestrels! We also saw several Northern Harriers including one Gray Ghost, and we had one immature Bald Eagle fly over. For shorebirds we struggled for the most part with not many being seen, but eventually Kyle’s young eyes located three birds I am thinking might have been BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS; I’ve included a photo of one them below. And then a little later, way out in a field he spotted 23 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS! (Several of these birds lifted their wings to show wing pits that were not dark). What a day of birding! Crazy weather and awesome birds; it’s usually a good combination.
~I have this as a Black-bellied Plover – the bill and head look large enough to me? I’m not sure why I struggle so much to differentiate the plovers?! Any thoughts on this bird would certainly be appreciated. Black Dirt Region, 10/3/15.~
~Unidentified, distant tern at Owen’s Station Crossing, 10/2/15.~
This evening after work, I was birding the black dirt when I got a call from Marianne O., who told me that a Red-necked Phalarope had been reported at the back pond of the Liberty Loop at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. The quickest way to the back pond is to park at Owen’s Station Crossing and head into the loop from there. I hustled over and parked. I figured I should check the lake there before heading towards the loop. When I did, I saw a tern flying in the furthest part of the lake. I grabbed my gear and headed towards that end of the lake for a closer look and to take some photos. It was raining pretty steadily and getting dark very quickly. Marianne eventually joined me, and unfortunately, we were both stumped in attempting to identify this tern. I’ve put out a few emails looking for some help, but the photos are so poor that I’m not sure they will help. When Marianne and I left at sunset, the bird was still perched out in the lake. I plan on returning first thing in the morning to try and get a better look. If anyone has any thoughts on this bird, please contact me or comment – thanks!
~This shot is actually from last week, a Lesser Yellowlegs at the Citgo Pond, 9/22/15.~
It feel like ages since I’ve last posted. There was not much going on birding-wise for me at the end of last week and then I went away for a long weekend to New Hope, Pennsylvania where Tricia had a booth for her pottery at the New Hope Craft Fair. This week I have gotten out birding briefly on a few days, and being shorebird obsessed, I went looking for shorebirds each day. On Tuesday I went out to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary – Citgo Pond, to see if the Long-billed Dowitcher was still around. I was unable to relocate the dowitcher, but the pond had a decent showing of shorebirds:
On Wednesday I drove around the black dirt, much of which had puddles in the fields due to the recent rainfall. Only a couple of stops were good for shorebirds. At Turtle Bay I had many Killdeer (30+) and then at Skinner Lane I had more Killdeer, a Wilson’s Snipe, two Pectoral Sandpipers, and a single long billed shorebird which I was, unfortunately, unable to identify due to the distance and darkness.
Today I went back to Skinner Lane to try for the unidentified shorebird, but it was not to be seen. I did, however, locate two Buff-breasted Sandpipers in a distant field with a dozen or so Killdeer.
ALSO: I should mention that I stopped at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch on both Monday and Tuesday and though both days were quite slow, they came right on the heels of a very good weekend where the all time record for migrating Broad-winged Hawks at the watch was broken. The old record was 11,044 and as of today we have counted 11,255 at Mt. Peter so far this year. Pretty exciting stuff!
~Least Sandpipers in flight over the murk and amongst the Mute Swans and Canada Geese at Citgo Pond, 9/22/15.~
