Uncategorized – Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 06/08/25

This weekend I hiked out at Reservoir #3 in Port Jervis both mornings. My target bird was Ruffed Grouse, which I know is a total longshot, but I had to try. Yesterday I cut my hike short when I was just soaked through and had had enough. So I gave it another go this morning in the dry weather. Both mornings were quite birdy; I had 22 species yesterday in the rain, and 34 species this morning. Species were all expected; highlights for me included Blackburnian Warblers and an Acadian Flycatcher.

I also spent some time at the Liberty Loop platform on Saturday. My best bird was a calling Least Bittern. I also enjoyed a couple of Green Herons which were spending some time around the platform, providing some photo ops.

~Green Heron coming right at me. Liberty Loop, 06/07/25.~

~One more Green Heron shot from the Liberty Loop platform, 06/07/25.~

~Black-and-white Warbler at Reservoir #3, 06/08/25.~

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.~

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.~

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.~

Sunday Shots, 09/15/24

Outside of my day at Mount Peter Hawkwatch yesterday, I didn’t do all that much birding this weekend. I cruised the black dirt both mornings, hoping for shorebirds. I didn’t have any luck with my targets, but I was able to get some nice Savannah Sparrow and Palm Warbler shots in the early morning light.

I looked back at the last few years, and typically we would still have some shorebirds in the black dirt (American Golden and Black-bellied Plovers and Buff Breasted Sandpipers), but the only shorebirds I was able to locate this weekend were Killdeer, a single Greater Yellowlegs, a single Spotted Sandpiper, and a single Wilson’s Snipe.

Sunday Shots 06/11/23: Killdeer of All Ages

Aside from my hike at Black Rock Forest, I seemed to find Killdeer everywhere I birded this weekend. Many are working on their second clutch of the season. Meanwhile, the young Killdeer from the first clutch now have the appearance of clumsy teenagers; not quite adult size with a very pathetic looking tail, lol. Here’s a few shots from the weekend, with Killdeer ages ranging from eggs in the nest to the adult watching over.

~Ulster County Killdeer chick, 06/10/23.~

~Another puffball in Ulster County, 06/10/23.~

~Adult Killdeer with eggs on the nest. I took this shot through a fence, using my car as a blind. Orange County 06/11/23.~

~A young Killdeer in Orange County, 06/11/23. To me, at this age they look like awkward teenagers.~

Sunday Shots, 02/19/23

My best birding of the weekend came on Saturday afternoon. I finally went to the Newburgh Waterfront at the most productive time of the day, only to find it completely dead. I looked across the river to Beacon and saw that there were many gulls present there. I headed over, figuring the birds would cross the river to Newburgh while I was driving. Fortunately, they didn’t; as a matter of fact the birds stayed at the Beacon Waterfront until when I left just before sunset. I had a total of (5) gull species for the afternoon; in addition to the expected three species (Ring-billed, Herring, & Great Black-backed), I was able to locate a young Iceland Gull and a young Lesser Black-backed Gull. The LBBG was particularly satisfying for a couple of reasons: 1. It’s a bird I somehow missed in 2022, and 2. the LBBG is not the easiest bird to pick out of the crowd.

~A single Iceland Gull among a bunch of Herring Gulls. It’s the well illuminated all-white gull about 6 or 7 gulls from the right. Beacon Waterfront, 02/18/23.~

~Lesser Black-backed Gull, Beacon NY 02/18/23. It’s the bird on the far left, notice the dark mantle and its size: it is slightly smaller than the Herring Gulls.~

Other good birds on Saturday included a pair of Snow Buntings in the black dirt and my first Common Goldeneye (Wickham Lake) and Merlin (BDR) in Orange County 2023.

Sunday was mostly uneventful. First thing, I birded 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary for the first time in ages. It was quite birdy and I was pleased with 27 species in just under an hour of birding. Afterwards, I cruised the black dirt and it was pretty quiet. I found several larger flocks of Canada Geese; I enjoyed sorting through them, but didn’t find any additional species.

~I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Horned Lark perch off the ground. This individual perched on this old corn stalk long enough to grab a shote. Black Dirt Region 02/18/23.~

~One of two Snow Buntings I had in the black dirt on Saturday, 0218/23.~

~House Finch in the black dirt, 02/18/23.~

~White-throated Sparrow at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 02/19/23.~

A Good Weekend, 11/13/22

We had some weather move in this weekend, and along with it came some good birds:

WICKHAM LAKE: First thing Saturday morning, I met up with Kyle Knapp and we had 15(!) HORNED GREBES on the lake. We had a spectacular photo op as the birds came right to us… until afterwards when I went to look at my shots and the back of my camera read “NO MEMORY CARD”. Ugh! I was initially a little sick about it, but I got over it. I went back in the evening to try for them again; no magical close up opportunity, but I did document the birds. On Sunday morning, Kyle Knapp had 22(!) Bonaparte’s Gulls over the lake. I arrived a little bit later (after spending time at the Hudson River), and one Bonaparte’s remained. As did one Horned Grebe. New birds included 5 Lesser Scaup, a pile of Buffleheads, and a single Ruddy Duck. I also tried Greenwood Lake early on Saturday morning; I had one single duck, a very accommodating Bufflehead – see pic below.

~14 of the 15 Horned Grebes at Wickham Lake on Saturday, 11/13/22.~

~Female Bufflehead at Greenwood Lake, 11/12/22.~

HUDSON RIVER: I went to the river first thing this morning. My first good find was 6 Bonaparte’s Gulls. They were distant, but nice to see. The highlight, however, was a single Brant associating with a flock of Canada Geese just south of the boat launch. It was my first Brant of the year in Orange County, and the bird was close enough to get some decent photos.

~One Brant on the Hudson River near the Newburgh boat launch, 11/13/22. I was pretty darn happy to get this bird – I’m a huge fan of Brant, and I hadn’t had them in Orange County yet this year.~

~2 of the 6 very distant Bonaparte’s Gulls on the Hudson River this morning, 11/13/22.~

MOUNT PETER HAWKWATCH: The season wraps up this Tuesday, so Saturday was my last day of the year counting. I thought I had a possible Golden Eagle, but upon review of the photos and help from John Haas, the bird was an immature Bald Eagle. That said, my final day was a pretty good one. Highlights included 5 migrating Bald Eagles, 18 Red-tailed Hawks, and I was joined by Hawkwatch Leader, Judy Cinquina. I didn’t get to spend much time with Judy this season, so I really enjoyed our time. As usual, you can see my report at the bottom of this post.

BLACK DIRT: I only got out to the black dirt region one time this weekend, but it was a goody! Loads of Horned Larks have moved in. A good number of American Pipits are still around. Add about a dozen SNOW BUNTINGS and a single LAPLAND LONGSPUR, and you’ve got some darn good black dirt birding.