6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary

I certainly heard this Carolina Wren before I saw it. 6 12/ Station Road 2-22-13.

I think it might be time to change my expectations of 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. I’m not exactly sure why, but when I go there I am never expecting to see very many birds. Maybe it’s because it is the birding spot closest to home and I get out there pretty often. It is true that there have been many days when I have had hardly any birds, but there are also many days when there are numerous of birds to be seen, and some of them are unexpected.

I made a quick stop at the sanctuary yesterday after work. It was a gray dull day; it snowed for most of the time I was out there. It was not a very good day for photographs, none of the photos in this post are any good with maybe the exception of the Carolina Wren but I did want to document the day. Here is my species list from the forty-five minute stop:

Canada Goose 3
Mallard 11
Hooded Merganser 2
Northern Harrier 3
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Ring-billed Gull 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
American Crow X
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 1
European Starling X
Song Sparrow 3
Red-winged Blackbird 20

I really wasn’t expecting to see any ducks, but there was some open water on the sanctuary side of the Heritage Trail where I found eleven Mallards and an unexpected bonus of two male Hooded Mergansers:

These two were a pleasant surprise. Hooded Mergansers out at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary 2-22-13.

Three of the eleven Mallards out at the sanctuary, 2-22-13.

I had my first of season Red-winged Blackbirds; I guess spring will being coming this year after all:

Red-winged Blackbirds take flight. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary 2-22-13.

As far as raptors go, Red-tailed Hawks are nearly always present at the sanctuary, but I don’t normally see much else. On this day I had three Northern Harriers, one of which was an adult male “Gray Ghost”. Two years ago NOHA were regulars hunting at the sanctuary but I have not seen many this year. The male was flying low and hunting while the other two where soaring up high. All three eventually headed northeast of the sanctuary. Finally, on my way out I saw this Peregrine Falcon fly by with what looked like a Mourning Dove. I been visiting the sanctuary for just over two years – I checked on eBird, and this is my first record of a Peregrine Falcon at 6 1/2 Station Road.

Here's a terrible photo of what was fascinating to watch - a Peregrine Falcon hauls its prey across the sanctuary, 2-22-13. — Here’s a terrible photo of what was fascinating to watch – a Peregrine Falcon hauls its prey across the sanctuary, 2-22-13.

Here is a list of some of the more memorable birds that I have seen out at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary in the past couple of years:

Greater White-fronted Geese

Snow Geese

Common Loon

Bald Eagle

Peregrine Falcon

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

In 2011 I recorded observing 50 species in 25 visits to the sanctuary. In 2012 I had 87 species in 27 visits. I am curious to see how I do in 2013, I would certainly like to increase my recorded visits and, of course, my number of species.

After Nemo

Today was the day after Winter Storm Nemo. Approximately 14 inches of snow fell here in Goshen, so I donned my snow shoes and hit the Heritage Trail that leads to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. It was a tough walk, but very enjoyable. I did not find any out of the ordinary birds, but many of the usual suspects made a good showing.

The most interesting aspect of the day for me was noticing how the snow lit the underside of the birds as they flew over. The amount of detail I could see on this Red-tailed Hawk was fascinating to me. And as the crows flew over I was seeing colors and highlights I never really noticed before. For both of these birds, what I was seeing came through in my photos. I also had several Black Vultures that looked SO different to me, it was amazing – unfortunately it did not come through in my photos. I also had several Ring-billed Gulls fly over that were the brightest, cleanest white I’ve ever seen; none were very close so I was unable to get any photos.

A young Red-tailed Hawk with plenty of details showing. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 2-9-13.

One more of the same Red-tail, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary 2-9-13.

An American Crow flies over, well lit from the fresh snow fall. 6 1/2 Station Rd Sanctuary, 2-9-13.

I was interested in getting some photos of birds in the snow, but it never really panned out. Here are a couple decent shots from the day.

This is one of my best shots of a Downy Woodpecker. For some reason I just haven't gotten a good one yet... — This is one of my best shots of a Downy Woodpecker. For some reason I just haven’t gotten a good one yet…

Song Sparrow in the snow on the Heritage Trail near 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 2-9-13.

Update: I was thinking today that I have not included many species lists in my posts lately. I think it’s probably because my lists have been pretty sparse. On this day I did pretty well, totaling 15 species for the day. I also used the app Birdlog on my iPhone for the first time. It is actually pretty cool and it allows you to easily keep track the species and their numbers while in the field. I enjoyed using it on this day, but I am interested to see if I start to use it all the time. Here’s my list for the day:

Black Vulture 5
Turkey Vulture 7
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Ring-billed Gull 4
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 38
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 1
European Starling 12
American Tree Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 1

Snows on Ice in Goshen!

I made a quick stop today at 6 1/2 Station Road in Goshen after work and found three Snow Geese among approximately 170 Canada Geese out on the ice. Very Exciting! Here’s a couple quick photos…

Here’s one more that I like:

Just another boring Sunday evening in Goshen…

_MG_7629 — An adult Bald Eagle flies over 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary

Yesterday evening I took a walk on the Heritage Trail which is just a block or so from my house. The trail runs along side 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary which, according to the Orange County Tourism web site (see links), is a “62 acre wetland bird sanctuary owned and maintained by the Orange County Audubon Society”. It is a great spot for birding and just happens to be a short walk from my house.

I headed out without high expectations. I have been struggling with the camera lately, not getting good exposures, so I just wanted to go out and experiment and try to work on a few things. For some reason I did not think there would be many birds. Boy, was I wrong! I had a slow start with a lot of the usual suspects – American Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Gray Catbirds, and a couple different kinds of warblers. Then things started to get good. A Green Heron flew across the water giving me a great look and then landed in a tree on the far side of the sanctuary. Not long after that I spotted a beautiful bright orange male Baltimore Oriole. As I was checking out the oriole, I heard some crows making a racket and I looked up to see two crows mobbing an adult Bald Eagle right above me. The eagle flew over several times giving me a really good look and a chance to get some photos. Moments after that I saw my best bird of the night – a COMMON LOON. I stayed for a while getting photos of the loon and got to hear it make its call. What a great evening! I ended up with twenty-four species in all, here are some additional highlights and some photos:

(2) Wood Duck
(6) Green-winged Teal
(4) Spotted Sandpiper
(6) Least Sandpiper
(1) Alder Flycatcher
(1) Yellow Warbler
(8) Canada Goose – two pairs with goslings