6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary

An Accommodating American Bittern, 05/12/26

I joined birding bud Linda Scrima out at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary this evening after work. We were going there to try for the Snowy Egret that had been reported there a day earlier. We both were pretty sure it would not be around, as it had not been reported all day, but it provided a good excuse to get us out of our houses on a Tuesday evening. We were sorting through shorebirds, and I had just located a single Dunlin. I figured it would be the best bird of the day until moments later Linda got my attention and had me look down at the near shore. To my surprise, it was an AMERICAN BITTERN, out in the open, right below us. We watched and photographed as the bird caught two crawfish just yards away. If you know the typical behavior of bitterns, you will understand how amazing this was. The bird then took a short flight and landed among the vegetation – a much more familiar way of seeing an American Bittern. All photos were taken tonight at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 05/12/26.

Sunday Shots, 10/12/25

Last weekend I was out of commission with some family in for a visit, but I was back at starting on Thursday after work, when I went to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, where I had my first Rusty Blackbirds of the fall. On Saturday morning I was up at Mount Peter Hawkwatch; it was not a productive day with very light winds from the east and only 13 migrating raptors before I wrapped it up at 2 pm when the rain started.

This morning was a little more productive. While I didn’t have anything out-0f-the-ordinary, there were plenty of birds around to enjoy. Highlights for me included a large flock of American Pipits (which frustratingly stayed out of photo range), several large flocks of Canada Geese to sift through, my first Dark-eyed Juncos and White-crowned Sparrows of the year, and a Swainson’s Thrush at my last stop of the day – 6 1/2 Station Road.

~I was totally into watching these two Great Blue Herons do their dance at the viewing platform at Liberty Loop, 10/12/25.~

~Always good to see this bird. Rusty Blackbird at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/09/25.~

~There are plenty of these dudes around right now. Yellow-rumped Warbler at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/12/25.~

~I had a small flock of Horned Larks near the road. I wish the pipits had been as cooperative. Black dirt region, 10/12/25.~

~Great Blue Heron at the Liberty Loop, 10/12/25.~

~I believe this is a juvenile female Northern Pintail. 6 1/2 Station Road, 10/12/25.~

Sunday Shots, 08/31/25

I didn’t get out all that much over the past couple of days, but when I did, I got lucky and made the best of it. On Saturday evening (I didn’t get out in the morning), I birded the black dirt and had some shorebird success. I had (9) distant American Golden Plovers at my first location. Then, on my way to my second location, I saw a Black Bear on the road! Ant then, at my second and final location, I had an additional (29) American Golden Plovers. They were doing their flocking, whipping around the black dirt thing, which is so enjoyable to watch and photograph.

~American Golden-Plovers in the black dirt, 08/30/25.~

~AMGPs whipping around the Black Dirt Region, 08/30/25.~

~One more shot of the American Golden-Plovers in the Black Dirt Region on Saturday night, 08/30/25.~

~A Black Bear moseys down a dirt road in the Black Dirt Region, 08/30/25.~

This morning I went to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary first thing. I got lucky with a distant Sora that kept coming out into the opening. I only had my 400mm lens, so I tried to document by digiscoping with my phone; here is the result. Good bird, terrible photo. I was pretty happy to see a Sora; it’s been several years I believe, since I last saw one. Afterwards, I headed up to Mount Peter to participate in the annual cleanup. Hawkwatch starts this week; I have to say I’m pretty excited.

~Digiscoped image of Sora at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/31/25.~

~White-tailed Deer fawn in the black dirt, 08/30/25.~

Sunday Shots, 10/13/24

I walked the Heritage Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary first thing this morning. I had 34 species; of note was a pair of Blue-winged Teals and several Rusty Blackbirds. I was hoping for shorebirds, but unfortunately conditions are still not great for them and I had only one Killdeer.

Afterwards I birded the black dirt for a while. It was birdy, with lots of sparrows around (Savannah, Song, Chipping, & White-throated mainly). The surprise of the day was a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO feeding in some low roadside brush. For shorebirds, I had a number Killdeer and 2 distant American Golden Plovers. American Pipits were around, but would not cooperate for photos.

~This is from a couple of weeks ago, but I forgot I’d taken it. Female Scarlet Tanager in our yard on 10/03/24.~

~Yellow-billed Cuckoo on Onion Avenue, 10/13/24.~

~Friday evening 10/11/24 in my backyard. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. ~

~These dudes seem to be everywhere right now. Cedar Waxwing in the black dirt, 10/13/24.~

Saturday Shots, 08/24/24?

Yes, it’s Saturday Shots this week. Tomorrow, very excitingly, I head to Cape Cod to go on a two-day pelagic trip, so I will not be able to post.

As you might expect, locally my focus remains on shorebird migration. After work on Thursday I went out to the black dirt; I found very few shorebirds but I had a nice experience with a Northern Harrier in the beautiful evening light. This morning was a little more successful regarding shorebirds – just as I was leaving the house, Kyle Knapp texted me to let me know he had three American Golden-Plovers in the black dirt. The birds stuck around for my arrival, but unfortunately they were quite distant, so while I enjoyed decent scope views, photos were out of the question.

~Northern Harrier in flight, Black Dirt Region, 08/22/24.~

I also tried 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary later in the morning. Conditions are still poor for shorebirds, and probably for waders as well (I had just a handful of Great Blue Herons). My highlight was running into a mixed flock of songbirds on my way back to the car. Birds included: Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Gray Catbirds, and a couple of Black-capped Chickadees.

~Red-eyed Vireo at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/24/24.~

~I have this as a Blackburnian Warbler. I can’t remember if I’ve ever had this species during fall migration before. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/24/24.~

~Northern Harrier in the black dirt, 08/22/24.~

~Red-tailed Hawk at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/24/24.~

~One more shot of the Red-eyed Vireo, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary 08/24/24.~

Good Birding, Sunday 08/04/24

This morning, at my first stop in the black dirt, I found a nice collection of shorebirds in a field which had substantial puddling. I had a total of 6 species, and it made me very happy:

Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Pectoral Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper

Later in the morning, I stopped by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, hoping for more shorebirds. I didn’t have any luck with shorebirds, but I was able to locate a Glossy Ibis. It was a bonus that the bird was close enough for excellent scope views and some decent photos. I spent some time with the bird, put the word out, and then continued my search for shorebirds. Later, I saw the Glossy Ibis flying across the marsh to the far shore.

~GLIB at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/04/24.~

~The Glossy Ibis was being hassled by a Great Egret, and so it kept taking short flights to keep its distance. GLIB at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/04/24.~

~I’ve been trying to not take Indigo Bunting photos this summer – I’ve taken so many over the years and they are just everywhere. But, I couldn’t resist this dude in his colorful perch. Black dirt, 08/03/24.~

~I photographed this same bird a couple weeks back, on a nearby similar perch. Red-tailed Hawks are generally not very confiding, but on both occasions this bird did not seem to mind my presence. Here the bird took a glance my way, but immediately afterwards, it went right back to scanning for prey. Missionland Road, 08/04/24.~

~This bird never said a word, but I believe it’s a Willow Flycatcher, Black Dirt Region, 08/03/24.~

~Some quick Googling tells me that these are likely a type of Meadowhawk Dragonfly. If anyone knows more about them, please feel free to weigh in. Black Dirt Region, 08/03/24.

Wow! Orange County AMERICAN AVOCET, 06/30/24

I woke up this morning with shorebirds on my mind. My early stops (Camel Farm, Liberty Loop, & and Beaver Pond) didn’t yield any, with the exception of Killdeer. My final stop, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, however, had a doozy in store for me – an AMERICAN AVOCET. After scanning for a while and only finding more Killdeer, I was shocked to see an American Avocet in my scope view. I put the word out, and several birders came and enjoyed the bird. Additionally, after I left, Jeanne Cimorelli located a Short-billed Dowitcher, another excellent bird for the county.

~Exciting stuff! American Avocet at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 06/30/24.~

~Another look at today’s bird of the day -American Avocet at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 06/30/24.~

In other news, on Saturday morning, I went to Hickok Brook Multiple Use Area to try for Ruffed Grouse. Historically a good spot for grouse, I did not have any luck yesterday. I enjoyed a pleasant 5.25 mile walk, which was birdy and I enjoyed seeing my first porcupine of the year.

~Porcupine chowing on a leaf at Hickok Brook MUA, 06/29/23.

~I heard MANY Black-throated Green Warblers at Hickok Brook on Saturday, 06/29/24, but only a few were actually seen. The lighting was terrible all morning so super high ISO for these photos.~

~A young American Robin at Beaver Pond, 06/30/24.~

~Great Blue Heron in flight at Liberty Loop, 06/30/24.~

Sunday Shots, 04/28/24

I did my usual running around the county this weekend, looking for birds. It’s a good time of year, as there are plenty of new birds around. I added 11 new species to my Orange County year list; most were the usuals and not entirely exciting, but on Saturday morning, I was able to see a Black-crowned Night Heron at the mouth of Quassaick Creek just south of Newburgh. These days that’s a pretty good bird for the county, and it’s been seen in that location now for several years. Warblers and other songbirds are starting to trickle in, but I haven’t been in the right place / right time just yet. I added Yellow Warble, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Redstart, and Warbling Vireo over the weekend. For shorebirds, I only added Solitary Sandpiper, but I was happy to see that 6 1/2 Station Road has good shorebird conditions and a number both Yellowlegs present – thanks to Linda Scrima for the heads up.

Next weekend we are heading to Cap Cod, so I’m looking forward to birding there for a few days and sharing my experiences here on the blog.

~Black-crowned Night Heron at Quassaick Creek, 04/27/24.~

~Red-winged Blackbird at Beaver Pond on Friday evening, 04/26/24.~

~Tree Swallow at Quassaick Creek, 04/27/24.~

~Wild Turkey at Cedar Hill Cemetery, 04/27/24. Is this a crazy looking bird or what?!?

~Great Blue Heron with a nice catch. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 04/28/24.~

~Another Tree Swallow, this one at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 04/28/24.~

Ring-necked Duck, 03/17/24

Looking at field guides, and from my own personal experience, Ring-necked Ducks do not show off their namesake very often. Even today, when I photographed this drake, I didn’t take notice of it. But, when I reviewed my photos, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I’ve never seen a maroon/brown neck-ring this distinctive. I’m not sure if this is the effect of particular lighting condition, or if this is this individual’s current plumage. Regardless, I didn’t much luck otherwise with photos today, but I definitely wanted to share a couple shots of this good-looking bird, which I photographed at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary this morning.

~Male Ring-necked Duck at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 03/17/24.~

~One more shot of the drake Ring-necked Duck at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 03/17/24.~

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.