6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary – Page 5

Blue-winged Teals and Northern Shovelers at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary

One of four Northern Shovelers takes a lap around the Citgo Trail pond at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/6/14.

I had an appointment cancelled, so I got to do some unexpected birding after work this afternoon. I had forgotten my binoculars at home, so I stopped by to pick them up and headed to the closest spot – 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. I was thinking about sparrows as I took the Citgo Trail, but the wind had picked up pretty good and sparrows were scarce. I had a few pleasant surprises when I got to the pond – a nice sized collection of shorebirds: 22 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, and 1 Solitary Sandpiper. The highlight, however, was seeing my first Northern Shovelers (4) and Blue-winged Teal (3) of the fall. A Northern Harrier cruised through at one point and picked up many of the waterfowl and shorebirds. I think it was about 3 years ago that I would get a harrier at this location regularly, but this is the first one I have seen there in a while. It was a gorgeous night and I had some decent birds, which made me happy. Here’s some more photos and my list for the night:

Eastern Bluebird, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/6/14.

A Lesser Yellowlegs takes flight when a Northern Harrier flew over. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/6/14.

I had nearly 20 Tree Swallows tonight. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/6/14.

Canada Goose 65
Mute Swan 4
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 16
Blue-winged Teal 3
Northern Shoveler 4
Green-winged Teal 25
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 8
Northern Harrier 1
Killdeer 9
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 22
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 8
Tree Swallow 18
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 85
Common Yellowthroat 1
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 12
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Common Grackle 20
House Sparrow 25

**One Year Ago at Orangebirding.com: Long-billed Dowitchers at 6 1/2 Station Road and Black Scoters in Orange County. **

Northern Flickers

I only had time for a quick stop by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary on this Sunday evening. The place was loaded with birds, mostly American Robins, Blue Jays, European Starlings, and, to a lesser degree, Northern Flickers. It would be hard to put a number on the robins, starlings, and jays, but definitely close to 100 for the robins and starlings and over 50 for the jays. I had a much more modest number of flickers, but to me, 6 is still a decent number for Northern Flickers. All the birds were quite active, moving around a lot, feeding and a large group of starlings were bathing just off the trail. The flickers were jumpy at first, but then seemed to get used to my presence and I got a few shots.

A female Northern Flicker takes a brief break from feeding in the grass. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/28/14. — A female Northern Flicker takes a brief break from feeding. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/28/14.

A male Northern Flicker feeds in the grasses along the Heritage Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/28/14.

Other noteworthy observations: The only shorebirds present were several Killdeer and what looked like one Least Sandpiper. Great Egrets are still present in numbers, with approximately 15 present tonight.

Self portrait with all my gear - taken with my iPhone. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/28/14. — Self portrait with all my gear – taken with my iPhone. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/28/14.

6 1/2 Station Shorebirds

Two Lesser Yellowlegs sandwich a Greater Yellowlegs. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/26/14.

I had a nice collection of shorebirds at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary tonight. The birds have seemingly totally abandoned the pond at the end of the Citgo Trail and can now be seen easily in the mud flats of the marsh from the Heritage Trail. Here’s my list:

Greater Yellowlegs (1)
Lesser Yellowlegs (2)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (4)
Least Sandpiper (8)
Pectoral Sandpiper (12)

Two Pectoral Sandpipers with what I believe is a Semipalmated Sandpiper. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/26/14.

Pectoral Sandpiper at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/26/14.

**One year ago this week at www.orangbirding.com: On September 29, 2013, I also had a Pectoral Sandpiper – this time at Morningside Park in Sullivan County. See that post here. **

**Two years ago this week at www.orangebirding.com: I had American Kestrels and Sparrows at Wallkill River NWR. Check it out here. **

6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary – Good Birding Continues

This Yellow-billed Cuckoo made my morning. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/21/14.

I had some things to take care of at the house this morning before getting out, so I got a little bit of a late start. Because of this, I decided to go to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary again, since it is only a few minutes from the house. I was not disappointed. The highlight was getting great looks at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, one of my favorites to see and photograph. Other good birds for me included this Blue-headed Vireo, a bird that I have not had much luck photographing:

Blue-headed Vireo on the Heritage Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/21/14.

I also got what I think is sort of an unusual life bird for me at this point in my birding (#314). While walking the Heritage Trail, I had a pair of PURPLE FINCHES. This is a bird that for some reason, I have never gotten a good enough look at over the past few years to report with confidence. I got a great look today and I also managed a couple of photos:

I was happy to get this bird in pretty good focus through all the branches. Female Purple Finch, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/21/14.

A little more distant look at the male Purple Finch at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/21/14.

Other notable observations include an apparently growing number of Green-winged Teals in the small pond at the end of the Citgo Trail. Shorebirds have abandoned the small pond and today I located several Killdeer and a likely, but too distant to be sure, Least Sandpiper on the far side of the large marsh (looking from the Heritage Trail). I will keep my eye on this area for sure. I ended the morning with 37 species which is not too bad. You can see my list at the bottom of this post. Here’s one more shot of the cuckoo:

YBCU at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/21/14.

Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
American Black Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Cooper’s Hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Red-winged Blackbird
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary 9/18/14 (And Some Catch Up)

Scarlet Tanager at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/18/14.

I stopped by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary after work today. It started out slowly, particularly because I was hoping for shorebirds and found NONE. But, in the end, it was a relatively productive day with 25 species being identified. Here’s my list for the day and some more photos:

Six and a Half Station Rd. Sanctuary, Orange, US-NY

I finally got a shot of one of my photo-nemisis birds - Pileated Woodpecker at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/18/14. — I finally got a shot (not a good one yet!) of one of my photo-nemisis birds – Pileated Woodpecker at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/18/14.

Sep 18, 2014 4:45 PM – 6:05 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
25 species

Canada Goose 35
Mute Swan 4
Wood Duck 10
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 8
Green-winged Teal 15
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 13
Turkey Vulture 1
Common Nighthawk 3
Downy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 3
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 2
European Starling 12
Common Yellowthroat 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Scarlet Tanager 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Bobolink X Heard
American Goldfinch 5

Black-throated Green Warbler at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 9/18/14.

And now to catch up a bit. On Sunday evening I got this shot of a juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron at Wallkill River NWR:

I was happy to see these guys are still around. BCNH at Wallkill River NWR, 9/14/14.

Then, on Monday of this week, I stopped by Mount Peter Hawk Watch and got some decent birds including an adult Bald Eagle and a juvenile Northern Harrier. On my way out, Linda Scrima alerted me to the fact that there were some shorebirds at the Wallkill River NWR:

One of these things is not like the others.... L — One of these things is not like the others…. 6 Lesser and one Greater Yellow legs at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 9/15/14. Totals were 8 Lessers and 2 Greaters.

Lesser Yellowlegs - Wallkill River NWR, 9/15/14. — Lesser Yellowlegs – Wallkill River NWR, 9/15/14.

On Tuesday I stopped by Mount Peter again and got very lucky. Tom Millard and I had a total of 278 Broad-winged Hawks and 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks from 4:00 to 5:00. Then on Wednesday I had some business in Wappingers Falls NY, so I stopped by Denning’s Point on my way back. It was not very birdy, but I did get a shot of this young buck:

Denning's Point, 9/17/14. — Denning’s Point, 9/17/14.

Lesser Yellowlegs Antics

This evening I stopped by the small pond at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and was treated to a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs doing who knows what for nearly five minutes. It involved a lot of hopping around and chasing one another. I really enjoyed seeing this; the photos are distant and heavily cropped, but I really like them. Any thoughts on this behavior are certainly welcome…

Orange County Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 8/30/14

Buff-breasted Sandpiper in the Black Dirt Region, 8/30/14.

This morning a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was located in the Black Dirt Region by Jim Schlickenrieder (who I just met for the first time today). Not only that, the bird was moving around the Black Dirt pretty good, and Jim was able to relocate the bird two more times! To me this is pretty incredible, and thanks to his diligence and John Haas alerting me, I was able to see this amazing bird. Shortly after parting ways, Jim contacted John again to say he had located an American Golden-Plover. Wow, pretty good morning of birding for Jim!

Orange County Glossy Ibis – A Learning Experience

A Glossy Ibis picks through the small pond south of the Heritage Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 8/20/14.

So, yesterday afternoon I located an ibis the small pond to the south of the Heritage Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. Having just had a very good look at the three Glossy Ibis out at the Liberty Loop just last week, this bird seemed a little different to me. This bird had white at the base of both the upper and lower bill, legs that appeared to be light orange in color (as opposed to the darker legs on the three LL ibis), a much redder overall look that was less iridescent, and to me, the bill appeared to be slightly larger. With all this in mind I started to think about the possibility of a White-faced Ibis. I did some quick, inconclusive research on my phone app and then called Rob Stone and John Haas for some guidance. Apparently, both the legs and the facial skin of a WFIB should be red/pink in color, but the key for this ID, was to see the color of the bird’s eye. If the iris was red then it would make it a White-faced, if dark it would be a Glossy. Well, this bird does not have a very large eye, and I was viewing it from just under 150 yards away, which was going to make it difficult to determine. John showed up in no time at all, but by that time, the had bird picked up and move further out by about another 40 yards. Karen Miller, Linda Scrima, Bruce Nott, and Kathleen Ashman had also showed up. We all agreed that the bird was too far to see the eye color. It was getting darker by the minute, so it was decided that John and I would work our way around the pond to get a closer look. When we did so, it was still tough to determine the eye color; I think the setting sun was playing some tricks on us. Scotty Baldinger eventually joined us, and not long after that we felt confident that the bird’s iris was not red and the bird was therefore a Glossy Ibis. It was really a fun evening for me, spending time observing such an interesting and beautiful bird and to do so with some great people made it that much better.

GLIB at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 8/20/14.

One last thing – John wrote an interesting post about this bird on his blog, and reading it, I learned about another important identifying feature: according to the Crossley Guide, the white at the base of the bill always disappears behind the eye, as opposed to the complete white surround of the White-faced Ibis.

This photo shows that the white does not continue behind the eye. Glossy Ibis at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 8/20/14.

LITTLE BLUE HERON

It was an eventful afternoon of birding; before I went to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, I went for the LITTLE BLUE HERON in Bullville again. This time I did not come up empty handed, the bird was easily located and though it was little far out, I got great looks in my scope and the photos were not too bad. This bird had a lot of personality to me – if I was a little closer (and it wasn’t backlit), I could have had some nice photos for sure because the bird kept striking interesting poses.

Stilt Sandpiper in Goshen 8/12/14

Quick Post: Tonight after my golf match I stopped by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and I had what I believe was a STILT SANDPIPER. It was located at the small pond that is south of the Heritage Trail (I call it the Citgo Trail because you can access it from the Route 17M Citgo Station). Because I came straight from golf, I did not have my camera. I failed miserably at taking photos with the iPhone through my scope, but I did shoot some video of the bird (which is also pretty poor!), which can be seen HERE. Also present were approximately 20 Least Sandpipers, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 8 or so Killdeer. I will try for the bird again tomorrow and hopefully get some photos…

Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 7/6/14

A young Northern Rough-winged Swallow waits to be fed, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14.

I only got out for an hour this morning – I met Karen Miller and Maria Loukeris at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. The highlight of this short outing was definitely watching a group of young Northern Rough-winged Swallows being fed by a couple of adults. Thanks to Karen who located the birds – this is the second NRWS photo opportunity this year that I have her to thank for!

NRWS at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14.

Not the greatest shot, but a food exchange between 2 NRWS,6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14. — Not the greatest shot, but a food exchange between two NRWS, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14.

One more shot of a young Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14.