6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary

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.

~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.~

6 1/2 Station Road, 07/03/21

Just after sunrise this morning I was hitting the trail at Black Rock Forest. I was, of course, trying for Ruffed Grouse again; it was a total bust. The rain was relentless, the hike was difficult with slippery rocks, and there were hardly any birds – and no grouse.

Afterwards, I went home, dried off, got changed and went back out. This time to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary to try for Least Bittern. The rain had finally subsided, it was a cool, pleasant walk on level ground, and yes, I got a Least Bittern. It was actually a pretty productive visit; I had nearly 40 species. I got a decent look at the bittern, as well as a low flying Virginia Rail. I was also able to confirm breeding status for (4) species: Song Sparrow, Common Grackle, Wood Duck, and Common Gallinule.

~*Green Heron at 6 1/2 Station Road, 07/03/21.~*

~MODO at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 07/03/21.~

~Adult female Wood Duck with some sleepy ducklings. ^ 1/2 Station Road, 07/03/21.~

~Can you see the Least Bittern? It may have been distant, but it was still great to see. This bird was my 177th species in Orange County this year – I haven’t been really going for a big county list this year, and it shows – I’m 15 birds behind last year’s pace. LEBI at 6 1/2 Station Road, 07/03/21.~

Sunday Shots, 06/27/21

I did most of my birding this weekend in my NYS Breeding Bird Atlas priority block, Warwick_CE. I was able to confirm several species, but unfortunately only one new species for the block: Yellow Warbler. Yesterday was pretty much a dud of a morning, but today was much better. I made a quick stop by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary to try for the Least Bitterns which have been reported there (I still need them for OC this year). I had no luck with the bitterns, but I did find a cooperative Swamp Sparrow, which was a nice treat.

~A singing Marsh Wren at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 06/27/21.~

Afterwards, I birded a new spot in my priority block. I walked along the train tracks in Sugarloaf, heading north. The block continues for nearly a mile along the tracks; the birding was pretty much non-stop and I had a total of 37 species in a one mile span, which I didn’t think was too bad at all. It was at this location that I confirmed Yellow Warbler, and I feel like it will be a good spot to confirm other species in the future.