The Basha Kill – Page 2 – Orange Birding

Shooting Shorebirds, 8/13/16

~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:

Semipalmated Sandpiper (2)
Least Sandpiper (6)
Wilson’s Snipe (1)
Solitary Sandpiper (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (1)

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:

Turkey Vulture (1)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Red-shouldered Hawk (3)
Broad-winged Hawk (2)
Cooper’s Hawk (1)
Bald Eagle (3)
Osprey (1)

You know with all those raptors that Kyle and I were both very happy! Hawkwatch starts in less than 3 weeks!

~A Red-shouldered Hawk flies over the Deli Fields at the Bashakill, 8/13/16.~

Fourth of July Birding

~I got a nice look at this Veery as I pulled into the Main Boat Launch at the Bashakill this morning, 7/416.~

This morning, I joined forces with John Haas and we birded the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area by kayak. We had a very enjoyable paddle with a decent number of birds (32 species), but we had no luck finding our target bird, the Least Bittern. I’m not sure at what point a bird becomes a nemesis bird, but I am certainly starting to think Least Bittern is officially a nemesis bird for me.

In spite of dipping on the LEBI, it was a fun morning of birding. It is awesome to bird with John, he is really great company and an absolute wealth of birding knowledge; every time I bird with him, I learn so much. Plus we did alright with some of the more expected birds: Eastern Kingbirds were numerous and seemed to be at every bend in the channel, we heard at least 10 Common Gallinules, saw 2 Belted Kingfishers, and we got really great looks at one adult and two young Bald Eagles.

~A Bald Eagle chick perched over the channel. The young eagles were still begging the adults for a handout, which did not seem to be forthcoming. Bashakill, 7/4/16.~

In the afternoon, I received a call from Ken McDermott; he had a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER at the viewing platform at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. I jumped into the car and made my way out there, but unfortunately the bird had flown north shortly before my arrival. Ken also had a Lesser Yellowlegs a little earlier, which had also moved on. So, I joined Ken and Maria Loukeris (who had also run for and missed the SBDO) for a while and we had an interesting afternoon/evening of birding. Shorebird highlights included Spotted Sandpiper (2), Solitary Sandpiper (2), Least Sandpiper (4), and many Killdeer, including 4 chicks. Other than shorebirds, we had many Great Blue Herons, several Green Herons, Cedar Waxwings, and one of the last birds of the day was an adult Bald Eagle that flew directly over the platform. The 2 Great Egrets that I had there earlier in the week were nowhere to be seen. All in all, a good day of birding, with the promise that shorebird migration is already underway! Huge thanks to Ken for the call.

~Great Blue Heron in flight a Wallkill River NWR, this shot was from Saturday, 7/2/16.~

~Killdeer chick in the muck at Wallkill River NWR, 7/4/16.~

~Solitary Sandpiper at Wallkill River NWR, 7/4/16.~

~Also from a couple days ago, Great Egret with a snack at Wallkill River NWR, 7/2/16.~

6/18/16 – Birding the Bashakill by Boat

~A Red-winged Blackbird strikes a pose at the Bashakill WMA, 6/18/16.~

I broke out the kayak for the first time of the year this morning. I put in at the Bashakill’s Deli Fields boat launch just before 7:00 am and headed northeast, thus starting what ended up being a six hour paddle. I was hoping for some decent photographs, and I had three target birds for the morning: Pied-billed Grebe, Common Gallinule, and Least Bittern. Actually, the Least Bittern was my main goal, and I would have been happy just to catch a glimpse since I have never even seen this bird yet. Pied-billed Grebes, unfortunately were a no-show. Common Gallinules were vocal and I eventually caught a glimpse of one bird, but I was unable to get any photos. I had an interesting brush with a Least Bittern; early on in my paddle, I heard one calling. I followed the sound and eventually pinpointed where it was coming from. Unfortunately, the bird was in very thick vegetation with almost no visibility. I tried to see if I could approach it from the other side, but again the vegetation was too dense. It was both exciting and frustrating; the bird was so close but as I tried to wait it out, I started to realize how unlikely it would be for the bird to come out into the channel. After a while the bird went quiet and I decided to continue with my paddle (I eventually heard a second Least Bittern, but this one was distant and deep into the vegetation).

~One of MANY Wood Ducks seen while paddling out at the Bashakill WMA, 6/18/16.~

I ended up paddling all the way to Haven Road; I had many birds along the way but most of them were heard and not seen. I passed underneath the Bald Eagles’ nest and heard the young calling. Further on, I saw an adult Osprey perched just off the nest. At one point, I watched a Cooper’s Hawk fly clear across the Bash with Red-winged Blackbirds on its tail. The hawk never flew more than a foot above the vegetation as it bobbed and weaved trying to ditch the blackbirds. At Haven Road I paddled to the east side of the Bash, hoping to hear the Hooded Warbler that has been in that area, which I did, and then, to my surprise I also heard a Barred Owl calling in the distance. And then right after that, I had a pair of Red-shouldered hawks flying above the trees.

I turned around and meandered my way back to the Deli Fields boat launch. I figure that I probably paddled nearly 10 miles in 6 hours and I was sore, mostly in my back. I ended up with 54 species for the day, which didn’t seem too bad to me.

~Eastern Kingbird at the Bashakill, 6/18/16.~

~I haven’t taken many Great Blue Heron photos yet this year, I love shoot them at the Bashakill with all the heavy vegetation. 6/18/16.

Bashakill Nature Watch, 5/22/16

~This was very exciting to me! Common Gallinule out in the open, Bashakill WMA, 5/22/16.~

This afternoon I joined Karen Miller as we took our first shift of the season volunteering for the Bashakill Area Association sponsored Nature Watch Program. I believe it is my fourth year volunteering for the program, which monitors the Bald Eagle and Osprey nests at the Bashakill. On Saturdays and Sundays from late April until the end of June, spotting scopes are set up to view both of the nests and volunteers are on hand to answer questions. You can click here to read more about the program which I featured in a blog post a few years back.

When we arrived, there was an adult Bald Eagle near the nest with the two very large eaglets. And, we learned from the morning shift that the adult Osprey appeared to have been feeding young in the nest before we arrived. While we were there, the young eagles were hopping around and really giving their wings a workout, flapping like mad!

It was a pair of Common Gallinules, however, that stole the show for me. We got absolutely fantastic looks at the birds out in front of the boat launch. Typically (in my experience) much more secretive, we enjoyed good looks of the birds throughout our 3 hour shift. I had my scope out and kept it on one of the birds for folks to get a look, and I also shot some video through it using my iPhone, which I’ll include at the bottom of this post. What a super bird and so great to get such amazing looks.

Wow! I finally got a decent Pileated Woodpecker shot! Bashakill Wildlife Management Area, 5/22/16.~

~Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at the Bashakill, 5/22/16.~

~I finally caught up with a male Common Yellowthroat, a bird that I haven’t seen many of this year so far. Bashakill, 5/22/16.~

Bashakill WMA, 3/19/16

~One of at least 5 **Fox Sparrows** at the Nature Trail at the Bashakill, 3/19/16.~

Kyle Dudgeon and I got an early start and spent the morning and early afternoon birding at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area. I was sort of stumped on where to bird for the day, and when Kyle suggested the Bash, I jumped at the opportunity – it had been ages since I’d been there. We had a really fun and productive outing as we checked out several of the Bashakill’s hotspots. Our best stop of the morning was definitely the Nature Trail, where from the viewing platform saw the two adult Bald Eagles share a brief flight and then watched a single Red-shouldered Hawk flyover. It got really good on our walk back to the car when we had a nice flurry of activity that included several Purple Finches and at least five Fox Sparrows! Photos were backlit and tough, but it was really exciting to see both species.

~Wow! My first **Purple Finch** in ages! Nature Trail at the Bashakill, 3/19/16.~

Another good stop was at the Deli Fields. The birding was a little slow (although we did see an additional 3 Fox Sparrows), but we ran into Scotty Baldinger, who I hadn’t seen in a while. I introduce him to Kyle and it was really good to shoot the breeze and catch up with Scotty.

It was a great day, it was awesome to get back out to the Bash, and we ended the day with a total of 37 species. I’ve included our species list below.

~White-breasted Nuthatch at the Deli Fields, 3/19/16.~

~Two adult Bald Eagles take a quick spin above the nest at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area, 3/19/16.~

~One of the very many Song Sparrow we had at the Bashakill WMA today, 3/19/16.~

~It was so awesome to see this adult Red-shouldered Hawk. This photo doesn’t do it justice, we got a really good look at this bird. Bashakill, 3/1916.~

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Wilson’s Snipe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch

Bashakill Common Gallinules, 7/4/15

~An adult Common Gallinule at Haven Road in the Bashakill WMA, 7/4/15.~

I have to say that it felt great to get out after several days of not feeling well and being stuck inside recuperating. Kyle Dudgeon joined me this afternoon and we headed out to the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area to try for the Common Gallinules that John Haas had posted about in his blog earlier in the week. We went directly to Haven Road, which is still flooded. We walked slowly through the water and over the bridge before we saw our first family of Common Gallinules, which consisted of one adult and 3 chicks. Fortunately, they were not too far out for photos, although the vegetation did make focusing on the birds a little bit difficult. It was super to get such a good look and photos of these birds, which are typically much tougher than this to locate. And, it was Kyle’s lifer COGA, so that was exciting too. There was an additional 6 Common Gallinules in open water out in the distance, and I could hear other COGAs in at least two other locations. Huge thanks to John for posting – what a great birding opportunity.

~A Common Gallinule chick on a precarious perch at the Bashakill WMA, 7/4/15.~

~COGA chick at the Bashakill WMA, 7/4/15.~

~One more of the adult Common Gallinule, Haven Road at the Bashakill, 7/4/15.~

Saturday 3/28/15

~One of 9 Bald Eagles at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area, 3/28/15.~

On this cold, windy Saturday morning, I left the house without much of a game plan. I wandered around, hitting several spots in southern Orange County before ending up at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area.

GLENMERE LAKE: Highlights included 42 Ring-necked Ducks and 4 Common Mergansers.

SCHERVIER PAVILLION, WARWICK: 10 Hooded Mergansers, 2 Common Mergansers, Canada Geese, and Mallards.

~ A pair of male Hooded Mergansers at Schervier Pavilion in Warwick NY, 3/28/15.~

WARWICK TOWN HALL PONDS: Ring-necked Ducks too spread out and numerous to count (maybe 60+?), Gadwall, American Wigeon, Canada Geese, and a single American Coot

SANFORDVILLE ROAD, WARWICK NY: 1 American Kestrel and 2 Red-tailed Hawks (including the one pictured below with some super markings).

~Red-tailed Hawk perched on a dirt pile off of Sanfordville Road in Warwick, NY 3/28/15.~

LAUREL GROVE CEMETERY, PORT JERVIS NY: Highlights included 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Common Goldeneyes, and over 40 Tree Swallows, my first ones of the year!

~It was great to not only see the Tree Swallows, but to also get a decent photo of one. Laurel Grove Cemetery, 3/28/15.~

BASHAKILL WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA, SULLIVAN COUNTY NY: I got my best bird of the day here – a pair of FOX SPARROWS located at the Deli Fields. I tried desperately for photos because I haven’t had a Fox Sparrow since sometime in 2013! The birds would not cooperate and in the end this was my best shot:

~Fox Sparrow at the Bashakill Deli Fields, 3/28/15.~

Other highlights included 9 (!) Bald Eagles including one cooperative one that seemed to be playing while flying above Haven Road. And I also had 4 Tree Swallows and I able to get a decent photo of an Eastern Bluebird.

~An immature Bald Eagle flies over Haven Road at the Bashakill, 3/28/15.~

~Eastern Bluebird at the Deli Fields, 3/28/15.~

~This eagle seemed to be playing as it flew. Bald Eagle over Haven Road at the Bashakill, 3/28/15.~

Foggy Morning Great Blue Heron Lift Off

I’ve been wanting to post this series of photos for a while. I took these back on July 18th while kayaking at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area. It was an extremely foggy morning, so much so that until late in the morning, the fog prevented any good photos. This Great Blue Heron was shot just as the fog had lifted.

I allowed the kayak to just drift in the direction of this perched Great Blue Heron. Bashakill WMA, 7/18/14. — I allowed the kayak to just drift in the direction of this perched Great Blue Heron…

I love this shot – you can barely see the bird as it compresses before lift off. I actually had one frame where the bird was not visible at all.

The heron seems to simultaneously leap and flap its wings to take off…

Air born! Miraculously the bird took off straight to my left instead of away from me. I love the full extension in this photo.

I’m not sure if this is due to my crop or if the heron actually got a little closer as it passed by…

…And one more shot as the bird passed to my left.

Bashakill WMA, 5/25/14

Karen Miller and I birded the Bashakill this morning. I hit most of the hot spots at the Bash by the mornings end; Karen and I started at Haven Road and then moved on to the Orchard/Stop Sign Trail, and then we hit Nature Trail before Karen had to leave to meet a friend. I continued on to the Horseshoe Trail and then ended my morning at the Deli Fields, where I enjoyed a delicious sandwich from the deli. It was not an overly exciting morning of birding, as we did find any out of the ordinary birds, just the usual suspects for this time of year, but we quietly put together a list of 48 species identified:

I haven't had too many Cedar Waxwings this spring. Bashakill WMA, 5/25/14. — I haven’t had too many Cedar Waxwings this spring. Bashakill WMA, 5/25/14.

Baltimore Oriole at the Horseshoe Trail, Bashakill WMA, 5/25/14.

Bashakill WMA, 4/24/14

I went out to the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area today after work. There has not been much bird movement, so I figured I would head out there in hopes of relocating the Little Blue Heron that was seen there yesterday. I figured my chances were pretty slim of finding that bird – John Haas had scoured the Bash the day before and today as well without any luck. On Haven Road, I ran into John along with Lance Vanderame and we shot the breeze for a little while. There was not much going on there, though I did watch a young Bald Eagle fly in and perch on a muskrat hill. After that I went over to the boat launch off of Route 209 where I was pleasantly surprised by a lingering pair of Blue-winged Teals. I also was able to get some photos of a couple of Wood Ducks:

A pair of Wood Ducks at the Bashakill WMA, 4/24/14.

I, of course, struck out with the Little Blue Heron, but it was still a nice evening at the Bash.