The Snow Owl invasion continues. It was just before 3:00 pm and I had just gotten home. I thought my birding for the day was done when I received a phone call from John Haas: He was looking at a Snowy Owl in Bethel, NY. Tricia and I jumped into the car in hopes of getting a look at the bird. When we arrived, the bird was still present, and what a beauty! The markings on this bird were darker than the two I had seen in Orange County and the effect was striking. Many birders were present or on their way to see the bird. I was particularly happy for all the Sullivan County birders to finally get a Snowy Owl for the county. Thanks once again to John Haas for the call. You can go to The Bashakill Birder to see John’s account of the events.
This bird was actively hunting while we were there, and seemed to have success at one point. SNOW in Bethel NY, 12/1/13.
Northern Shrike Update
I also did some birding in Orange County in the morning and I wanted to add that the Northern Shrike on Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, NY continues. I located the bird working the old fence line between Upper and Lower Wisner between 10:00 and 11:00 am. I’m still working on a good photo…
An immature Bald Eagle enjoys a meal at Montezuma NWR, 11/28/13.
I woke up very early Thanksgiving morning to drive up to Syracuse to join Tricia at her Mom’s place to celebrate the holiday. I left early enough so that I could make a quick stop beforehand at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. It was a cold an snowy morning with strong wind gusts. I was at the refuge for just over an hour and in that time I identified 14 species. Here’s my list:
Canada Goose 125
Tundra Swan 80
Mallard 45
Ring-necked Duck 100
Common Merganser 25
Northern Harrier 2
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 7
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Ring-billed Gull X
Rock Pigeon 30
Mourning Dove 12
American Crow X
American Tree Sparrow 1
At first glance I thought this bird was a Rough-legged Hawk because of the way it was hunting – hovering and flapping. Red-tailed Hawk at Montezuma NWR 11/28/13.
I saw plenty of Tundra Swans, but unfortunately no Trumpeters. These birds were completely unconcerned with the adult Bald Eagle hanging out nearby. Montezuma NWR, 11/28/13.
Tundra Swans in flight at Montezuma NWR, 11/28/13.I had ample opportunity to get a good shot of this young Bald Eagle, but I was disappointed, with nearly every photo being underexposed. This was my best effort.
The second Snowy Owl in as many days. Black Dirt Region, Orange County NY 11/27/13.
I got home early from work today, and as I was walking in the door I got a call from Rob Stone: A second SNOWY OWL had been located by Ken McDermott! In case you are thinking this is perhaps the same owl, Rob was out looking at the first Snowy Owl when Ken called him to say he had a second one! Incredible birding days in Orange County! I zipped right over to check out the bird and snap some photos. Thanks again to Rob and of course, Ken who located the bird.
I also went to check on the first owl (which I did not locate), but thanks to fellow birder Maria (sorry I did not catch her last name), I was able to finally get some decent Snow Bunting photos:
Snow Bunting in the Black Dirt Region, Orange County NY, 11/27/13.Snow Bunting in the rain. Black Dirt Region 11/27/13.
Last night I received an email posting through the Mearns Bird Club. Elizabeth McKnight had located a SNOWY OWL in the Black Dirt Region, not 15 minutes from our house! I was losing my mind last night thinking about this bird. I got up early to look for the bird before work. While I was out, it started to snow pretty good, making the task a bit more difficult. I looked for just over an hour, but I was unsuccessful in relocating the bird. Off to work I went. Just before noon I received a call from Bruce Nott. The bird had been relocated! I believe it was Curt McDermott and Scott Baldinger that found the bird. I jumped on the phone with my boss, and he was kind enough to let me go run for this bird. On my way there I called Tricia and Karen Miller to give them the heads up. I joined Bruce, Curt, John Haas, and Ajit Antony who were viewing the bird. Ken McDermott, Tricia, and Karen Miller joined us not long after that. Rob Stone, his son Anthony, and Jeff Goulding were the last to arrive. We were not disappointed as we all got really great looks at the bird. The folks who know more than I do generally agreed that it was likely a first year female. Thanks to everyone involved, this was a life bird for me and a really special one at that.
SNOWY OWL in flight. Black Dirt Region, Orange County NY 11/26/13.The bird seemed to be doing some hunting, taking short flights before returning to its perch.
A Red-tailed Hawk passes over the viewing platform at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 11/9/13.
So it was my last day of the season as official counter out at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch. On my way to Mt. Peter, I stopped at Lower Wisner Road to look for the NORTHERN SHRIKE that Rob Stone reported yesterday. I relocated the bird in the distance right after my arrival. The bird flew and I didn’t track it very well – I think I was expecting it to return to its perch. Well, it never did, and I only got a brief and distant look at the bird. So, I tried for it again after the watch and I apparently missed it by 15 minutes. Several folks got to see the bird today, so that is good. Hopefully the bird will stick around and I will get a better look and possibly a photo.
At Mt. Peter, I had another slow day, but I had some decent photo ops of the birds I did see. Here is my report:
Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 09, 2013
——————————————————————-
Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Matt Zeitler
Observers: Rob Stone
Weather:
Cold and cloudy with temperatures from 1 degree Celsius to 9 degrees
Celsius. Light winds all day; from the west in the morning and shifting to
southwest in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
Bald Eagle: 1 Adult, 1 Immature
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2 Unknown
Northern Harrier: 1 Male
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Species: American Robin (66), Cedar Waxwing (20), Dark-eyed
Junco (5), Ring-billed Gull (1), Common Raven (4), American Crow (13),
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1)
A “Gray Ghost” was my last bird of the day. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 11/9/13.Just when I thought I wasn’t going to get any birds for the day, this immature Bald Eagle passed over nice and low, Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 11/9/13.I got a really good look at this adult Bald Eagle, Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 11/9/13.
A local Red-tailed Hawk flies over the platform. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13.
I had a nice day out at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch today. I had nearly 40 migrating raptors which is not too bad considering that we had a Southwest wind all day. I had a nice variety of birds, with the highlight being 5 Bald Eagles – 3 adults and 2 immatures. Many birds flew over pretty low, which gave me the opportunity to take some photos. I was generally disappointed with my efforts, but I did manage a few decent shots.
A low flying Sharp-shinned Hawk, flying right over my head. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13.
Here’s my report for the day:
Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2013
——————————————————————-
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:15:00
Total observation time: 7.25 hours
Official Counter: Matt Zeitler
Observers: Rob Stone
Visitors:
Girl Scout Troop 670
Weather:
Cool, sunny with a SW wind. Temperatures ranged from 4 degrees Celsius to
12 degrees Celsius.
Raptor Observations:
Three adult Bald Eagles and 2 immature Bald Eagles migrated. Three
Red-shouldered Hawks included 1 unknown, 1 adult, and 1 immature. One
unknown Northern Harrier and 1 male Northern Harrier came through, and the
first bird of the day was a female American Kestrel.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species: Bluejay (22), American Crow (42), Downy Woodpecker (2),
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1), Tufted Titmouse (3), Black-capped Chickadee
(2), Mourning Dove (1), Common Raven (1), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1),
American Pipit (5), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
And, here is my weekly Turkey Vulture photo. I have started to enjoy the challenge of getting a decent shot of this bird each week. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13.
Well, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I had another slow day at the hawk watch with a total of 24 migrating raptors (a lot less than the 122 from the day before!). The highlight for me was stumbling upon a Hermit Thrush when I first arrived at the watch in the morning. It’s a miracle that I had the camera out and was able to get a shot. Here’s a shot of a low flying Turkey Vulture:
And, here is my report for the day:
Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2013
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:30:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Matt Zeitler
Observers:
Visitors:
Lynne Snyder, Eileen Fox, and Allen Herron.
Weather:
Cool and sunny at the start of the watch with very little wind.
Temperatures and clouds both increased and wind picked up from the south as
the day progressed. Temperatures ranged from 11 to 18 degrees Celsius.
Raptor Observations:
The height of the flight was highly variable today with some birds flying
just over the observation platforms and others at the limit of binoculars.
For migrating raptors we had (1) unknown American Kestrel. In the third
hour of the watch (2) adult Bald Eagles were spotted to the west of the
platform and eventually headed northeast. In the fourth hour of the watch a
single adult Bald Eagle soared over the valley for a while before heading
north.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species: Brant (10), Blue Jay (11), Tufted Titmouse (4),
Black-capped Chickadee (2), Cedar Waxwing (16), Canada Goose (102), Downy
Woodpecker (1), Red-bellied Woodpecker (1), Northern Flicker (1), American
Robin (2), Common Raven (2), American Crow (6).
I was very pleased to find four Eastern Bluebirds first thing in the morning at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch.
I spent the day counting hawks out at the Mt. Peter Hawk Watch. I feel a little snake bit this year; I had another slow day with a total of only 28 migrating raptors. The highlights for me were an immature Bald Eagle and a Peregrine Falcon in the afternoon. Here’s my report:
Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2013
——————————————————————-
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Matt Zeitler
Observers: Don Leak
Visitors:
Terry Ann Gmelch, Don Leak, Caroline and Richard Kurtz, and Jeane
Thelander.
Weather:
Sunny and warm with some clouds. There was a light NE wind for the duration
of the watch. Temperatures ranged from 11 degrees to 23 degrees Celsius.
Raptor Observations:
Migrating Raptors: One immature Bald Eagle and one unknown Northern
Harrier. The local Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures were very active and
could be seen in flight or on the cell tower for the duration of the watch.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non Raptor Species: Canada Goose (713), Eastern Bluebird (4), Blue Jay
(105), White-breasted Nuthatch (1), Downy Woodpecker (1), Red-bellied
Woodpecker (1), American Crow (9), Common Raven (4), Titmouse (2),
Black-capped Chickadee (2), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1), and (4) unidentified
gulls.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Matt Zeitler (mattzeit@yahoo.com)
A local Red-tailed Hawk flies right over the viewing platform at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/28/13.
Well, I had another slow day for migrating raptors at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch today. Overall I think the numbers of migrating hawks at the watch have been good this season, but I only had 21 today. Visit Hawkcount.org to see all the data for the year. Here is my report from today:
Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2013
——————————————————————-
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Matt Zeitler
Observers: Tom Millard
Visitors:
Steven Liss and family, several families eating their ice cream.
Weather:
A heavy fog rolled in from the valley shortly after my arrival to the
watch, but cleared up by the end of the first hour. It was a warm sunny day
with some clouds and a gentle NW breeze that shifted to NE during the fifth
hour of the watch. Temperatures ranged from 10 to 25 degrees Celsius.
Raptor Observations:
Migrating raptors included (1) Immature Bald Eagle, (2) unknown Northern
Harriers, and an immature Red-shouldered Hawk.
Non-migrating raptors: Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures were flying for
most of the day as was one local Red-tailed Hawk. Just before noon Eastern
Standard Time an immature Bald Eagle circled west of the viewing platform
but then headed north.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species: Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay (49), Black-throated Green
Warbler (2), Cedar Waxwing (18), Eastern Phoebe, Canada Goose (33), Chimney
Swift (5), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Palm Warbler.
Beautiful marking on this bird. Red-tailed Haw at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/28/13.I had a decent Blue Jay flight early in the day, with 49 Blue Jays, Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/28/13.I really think I should have gotten a better shot of this bird, this was the most accommodating Black-throated Green Warbler. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/28/13.
