I’d just gotten home after birding this afternoon when I saw that I missed a call from Karen Miller. I called her back and she told me that the Mearns Bird Club outing had a bird this morning that was later identified (through photos) as a STILT SANDPIPER. The location was at what I refer to as the Glenmere Pond (because it’s just right up the road from Glenmere Lake), but I think most birders call it Beaver Pond. It’s on Pine Hill Road in Chester just south of Glenmere Road. Anyways, I ran for the bird and joined Kathy Ashman, who had seen the bird but it was currently not visible. We shifted position and relocated the bird quickly – it was feeding in its sewing machine style, next to a Lesser Yellowlegs.
Tom Burke and Gail Benson joined us shortly after, as did Karen Miller and Diane Bliss. We mostly enjoyed scope-distance views of the bird, but then all the shorebirds picked up and the Stilt relocated in a much closer position; allowing for much better looks and some halfway decent documentary photos. I was thrilled to finally get a good shorebird in our area – it was the bird that saved August 2019.
~STILT SANDPIPER in the foreground, Lesser Yellowlegs behind. Glenmere Pond, 08/31/19.~
This morning, eight days after the bird was initially located, I finally ran for the WESTERN KINGBIRD at Croton Point Park. I was joined by birding buds Linda Scrima and Maria Loukeris, and I can tell you this is the way to run for a bird. We showed up, parked, and immediately found two birders that were on the bird. It was perched high in a distant tree line, we viewed it through one of the birder’s scope and took some documentary photographs. Twenty minutes later the bird flew in close and perched relatively nearby in several different spots, in very nice light. The bird was my 304th species in New York State; it was a life bird for both Linda and Maria.
~Good looking bird – WESTERN KINGBIRD at Croton Point Park, 08/24/19. I’m not sure why, but heat shimmer was a real problem while shooting this bird; sadly nearly every one of my shots had evidence of it. ~ ~WESTERN KINGBIRD at Croton Point State Park, 08/24/19.~ ~Osprey at Croton Point Park, 08/24/19. We had a fabulous morning with raptors, with 7 species seen: Black Vulture (2) , Turkey Vulture (many), Bald Eagle (3), Red-tailed Hawk (3), Oprey (3 at least), Cooper’s Hawk (1), and Peregrine Falon (1). ~One final shot of the WESTERN KINGBIRD, Croton Point Park, 08/24/19.~
Finally! An exciting bird in Orange County! It feels like it’s been ages since we’ve had a good bird. Huge thanks to Bruce Nott, who found this beautiful LITTLE BLUE HERON on the Wallkill River just off of Route 208. I ran for the bird and met up with Bruce and John Haas; the bird was moving slowly south along the river and we caught up with it where the river runs along Bradley Park. John left to kayak at Morningside Park and then Karen Miller joined Bruce and I; we enjoyed excellent scope views of the bird and were able to get some halfway decent shots of the bird.
~Little Blue Heron in the Wallkill River at Bradley Park in Walden NY, 08/17/19.~
I spent the early morning at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge – I did not have anything too exciting, but I was able to get a decent photo op with a Green Heron just after sunrise. Again, huge thanks to Bruce for making my birding day.
~ Green Heron at Wallkill River NWR, 08/17/19.~~One more shot of the Little Blue Heron on the Wallkill River in Walden, NY 08/17/19.~ ~Great Egrets have been plentiful at the Wallkill River NWR this summer, but I haven’t posted many pics. Here’s one with prey, 08/15/19. I also had my first Peregrine Falcon of the year at the refuge on the same evening.~
Today was the best day of birding I’ve had in a while. We all know that BAD WEATHER = GOOD BIRDS, so with that in mind I headed out into the rain today. My first stop was at Glenmere Lake, and thankfully it was not an indication of how the day would turn out as it was quiet on the lake. My second stop was at Wickham Lake – from the parking area I immediately saw a Common Loon on the lake. I went to the shore to scan for more waterfowl and I was pleasantly surprised to find 2 Bonaparte’s Gulls perched on the boat dock. I took some photos and moved on to my next stop – Greenwood Lake, where I had 6 very distant Common Loons.
~Wow! One of 4 COMMON TERNS at Long Dock Park, Beacon NY 05/05/19.~
I wasn’t sure what my next move would be, part of me wanted to look for more songbirds at Sterling Forest SP, but a bigger part of me said to check the Hudson River. I, of course, decided to head to the river. My route took me past a couple more lakes – I came up empty at Round Lake, but got lucky at Walton Lake with a raft of 11 LONG-TAILED DUCKS! It was hard to pull myself away because those ducks are so cute and watching them in the scope was super entertaining. As I continued towards the Newburgh area, I spoke with birding bud Bruce Nott on the phone – he’d had 33 Bonaparte’s at Cornwall Bay and I wanted to find out where he was viewing them from – it was Kowawese Unique Area at Plum Point.
~Bonaparte’s Gull in flight over the Hudson River, 05/05/19.~
When I arrived at Kowawese, I could only locate 7 Bonaparte’s Gulls. They were heading north towards the Newburgh Waterfront, so I relocated and was eventually able to find all 33 of his gulls! They were on the water, just drifting northward until they started picking up and headed south back towards Kowawese. THEN, just when I was making one last pass with my scope, I saw a tern flying and actively fishing on the far side of the river! I was trying to ID the bird, but between the rain and the distance, it was just too far. My best guess was either Common or Forster’s Tern. Then I saw a second and a third bird. Bruce joined me and after viewing for a little while, we decided to take the drive over to Beacon’s Long Dock Park to try and identify the birds. I figured they would be long gone by the time we arrived, but Bruce was way more optimistic. And, sure enough, he was right and the birds stuck around for us – including Carena Pooth who had met us over there. Between the three of us and sending pics to Rob Stone and Linda Scrima, we determined that the birds were COMMON TERNS (it’s tough – we don’t get enough practice identifying terns in our area!). Not only that, we also found a fourth bird while we were there as well. This is my favorite kind of birding – it was so exciting and the terns was just beautiful to watch as they fished. The icing on the cake came when we were just about ready to leave – the terns crossed over the river and into the Orange County side! They headed south along the west bank; I was thinking they may end up at Kowawese/Cornwall Bay.*Bruce followed up on this but did not find the terns. BUT, he did find 7 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. What a day!
~COTE in the rain, Long Dock Park 05/05/19.~ ~Common Terns fishing in the Hudson River, 05/05/19.~~In the beginning of the day, I would have been happy with just getting such good looks at these two Bonaparte’s Gulls, in spite of their crappy plastic choice of perch. Wickham Lake, 05/05/19.~ ~I really enjoyed seeing these dudes – 11 LONG-TAILED DUCKS at Walton Lake, 05/05/19.~ ~One more shot – 1 of the 4 Common Terns at Long Dock Park, 05/05/19.~
I headed back to Stewart State Forrest’s Route 207 Marsh as my first stop this morning. I was hoping for some interesting shorebirds, but unfortunately I only found Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Solitary Sandpipers. It was a cold morning at the marsh, and the wind gusts were making viewing through my scope less than ideal. It also seemed quieter than it was a couple weeks ago. I wasn’t there as long, and I didn’t have birding bud Bruce Nott’s eagle eyes, but I ended up with only about half the number of species.
~While editing this pic, I zoomed way in and counted a remarkable 32 BONAPARTE’S GULLS. Kowawese Unique Area at Plum Point, 04/27/19.~
My next stop was more productive and downright exciting. I headed over to the Hudson River, hoping for shorebirds, terns, or gulls. I first checked Shore Road in Cornwall on Hudson. From there, looking north, I saw a collection of birds on a small sandbar. They were quite distant, but I was pretty sure one of the birds was a CASPIAN TERN. I jumped back into my car and drove over to Kowawese Unique Area at Plum Point to try and get a better look. I walked along the river heading north for a good ways to try and get closer to the birds. When I finally stopped and set up my scope, I was happy to see that I was correct about the tern, but in addition there was a good number of BONAPARTE’S GULLS present. My best count while I was there was 22 individuals, but when I got home I counted in my pics and I had a remarkable 32 BOGUs in a single shot! I watched the birds for a good while just to make sure I wasn’t missing a Little Gull (now that would have been something!). Still, I was pretty excited to get these birds – it was just the sort of birding I was hoping for today.
~CASPIAN TERN (far left) with a number of BONAPARTE’S GULLS, Kowawese Unique Area at Plum Point, 04/27/19.~ ~Bonies in flight over the Hudson River, as viewed from Kowawese Unique Area at Plum Point, 04/27/19.~ ~One of the highlights of this morning’s stop at Route 207 Marsh – Green-winged Teals with 3 Blue-winged Teals in flight over the marsh.~
This is a really great story. Fellow Mearns Bird Club member Joyce Depew has an eight year old grandson named Ben. And, Ben has been into birds since he was 4 years old. Well, today, while Joyce and Ben were driving on Van Burenville Road in Middletown, from the back seat Ben told Joyce that he thought he saw a Green Heron in a pond in someone’s yard. Joyce pulled over and backed up to get a look, and what did she see? A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON! Can you imagine? According to Ken McDermott, this is only the third record of this species in Orange County, so it is quite a find! Nice job Ben and Joyce!
~Yellow-crowned Night-Heron with a fresh catch, Middletown NY 04/15/19. Photo by Linda Scrima.~
I ran for the bird after work and was happy to see that it was still present. I snapped some quick photos to document, but because it is a residential area, I didn’t want to linger too long. Linda Scrima was kind enough to provide a couple better shots from earlier in the day, where the bird is being more cooperative and not looking in the wrong direction.
~And down the hatch! YCNH in Middletown, NY 01/14/19. Photo by Linda Scrima.~ ~Black-crowned Night-Heron looking the wrong way, lol. Middletown, NY 01/14/19.~
I don’t know if I have premonitions or if I just think this way all the time and when it happens it becomes a premonition in my mind, but I was sorting through a flock of mixed blackbirds on Lynch Avenue in the black dirt this afternoon and I suddenly thought that I was going to see a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. As immediately as I had the thought, bam! there was a Yellow-headed Blackbird in my binoculars! I couldn’t believe my eyes!
~Wow! YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in the Black Dirt, 03/23/19.~
After initially freaking out, I quickly grabbed my camera and took some quick shots through my passenger side window. I put the word out, and of course as soon as I did that, the flock picked up and relocated across the street in a small patch of woods. I relocated the bird three times as the flock shifted and moved through the woods, but by the time anyone showed up I’d lost track of the bird. Maria Loukeris, Karen Miller, and John Haas were the first birders to arrive. We staked out the area initially, but then a large number of the birds took off and headed south and WAY out into the fields. By the time Bruce Nott and Rick Hansen showed up, we were dividing up and driving around looking. Bruce located a large flock, very distant, at the south end of Lynch and everyone eventually joined him, as did Gail Benson and Tom Burke. And it was Bruce who finally relocated the bird (way to go Bruce!) – in the center of a tree way across the field. Everyone present got on the bird and everyone was really excited about this bird! John was thrilled because YHBL has been an OC nemesis bird for him for quite some time. Rick told me it was a lifer for him. I’m sure for others it was either a county bird or a state bird; for me it was both (I’d gotten my lifer in Colorado a few years back). What a great birding experience, I was so happy that Bruce relocated it and that other birders also got to enjoy the bird.
~One more shot of the YHBL on Lynch Avenue in the Black Dirt, 03/23/19.~
With the beginning of Daylight Savings Time over the weekend, I’ve finally been able to get some after work evening birding in this week. Tonight I stopped at Greenwood Lake and had a really great night of birding. I did really well with waterfowl, with 9 species:
Mallard
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Lesser Scaup
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Common Goldeneye
~Lesser Black-backed Gull at Greenwood Lake, 03/13/19.~
The real highlight came when I located a gull with darker gray coloring. The bird was out on the ice and quite distant, but I was thinking it looked good for a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. At the distance and the low light (it was getting late), I could not pick up the coloring on the legs. But, the size looked good to me and the head was smudgy. Rob Stone ran to join me, but as fate would have it, the bird flew literally just as he put his eye to my spotting scope. When I got home, I reviewed my pics and became more convinced that is was a Lesser Black-backed Gull; it looked to me like it might be a 2nd year with a dark bill tip as seen in The Crossley Guide. I emailed the photos to John Haas, he reviewed them and agreed with my ID! That’s a good bird for the county! And it’s great to be out during the week again!
~Lesser Black-backed Gull with its back to me. Picture included to give a sense of the size of the bird. Greenwood Lake, 03/13/19.~~Another good bird for OC – Common Goldeneye at Greenwood Lake, 03/13/19.~
~Wow! TRUMPETER SWAN at Rondout Reservoir, 2/23/19.~
My main goal today was to follow up on the swan the John Haas located yesterday at Rondout Reservoir. For just over 24 hours, there was some uncertainty regarding which species of swan it was, but just this afternoon the bird was confirmed as a TRUMPETER SWAN by Kevin McGowan at Cornell University, after reviewing photos by John and Bruce Nott. This is only the second record of the species in Sullivan County. John has written 3 posts on his blog about the bird – check it out here.
I ran for the bird this morning and fortunately it was still present. Karen Miller arrived right after me, and we both set up our scopes and enjoyed viewing the bird. My initial thoughts on the bird was that it looked good for trumpeter for two main reasons – 1. The bill shape and size looked good to me – it was large and fairly straight and 2. The connection of the bill to the eye seemed substantial enough. But, one field mark that wasn’t present was the “V” shape where the bill meets the forehead (in this bird it was more like a “U”). According to John’s blog, Kevin McGowan explained that variability in individual birds does not make this a reliable fieldmark for final identification. If you are interested in learning more about swan identification, have had a couple of hard lessons on swan identification that I have blogged about: one at Montezuma NWR and one at Wallkill River NWR.
~TRUMPER SWAN wing flap at Rondout Reservoir, Sullivan County NY 02/23/19.~
I also did a little local birding today. Prior to running for the TRSW, I had a nice stop at Glenmere Lake, where I had 8 species of waterfowl: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Wood Duck, and American Black Duck. Kathy Ashman was there after me, and she also had a COMMON GOLDENEYE. I’m not sure how I missed that bird! In the early afternoon I ran around the black dirt for a while. I went through probably 1,500 Canada Geese in 2 locations but did not come up with anything. I got lucky with a beautiful ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK that flew right over me at Liberty Marsh. Oh, and I started the day, right around sunrise, with a coyote in a field not too far from my house. Great day!
~ Coyote in Goshen, NY 02/23/19.~ ~Love this bird. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK in flight at Wallkill River NWR, 02/23/19.~ ~I saw this bird in a distant tree line. I was thinking, wouldn’t it be awesome if it flew over towards me, instead of away? That’s exactly what it did. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at Wallkill River NWR, 02/23/19.~ ~RLHA at Wallkill River NWR’s Liberty Marsh, 02/23/19.~
~CACKLING GOOSE at Lockenhurst Pond in Westtown, NY 02/16/19.~
Regular readers of this blog may remember that it took me 51 weeks in 2018 to get a CACKLING GOOSE in Orange County. Well, today I potentially had three. Which just shows you how crazy birding can be. First thing this morning I headed to Glenmere Lake, hoping for the ROSS’S GOOSE that Kathy Ashman had seen there earlier in the week. The Ross’s wasn’t present, but I did run into Kathy and we had some good birds, including one bird that looked to us like a sure Cackler and a second bird that looked pretty good, but was slightly larger with a slightly longer bill. See photo below, I’d love to hear any opinions on these birds. The birds stuck together the entire time we were there, a cute tiny couple. Other waterfowl present: Wood Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Canada Geese, Mute Swans, American Black Ducks, Mallards, Gadwalls, and a single LESSER SCAUP.
~I’ll be interested to hear opinions on the bigger of these 2 birds – both birds were significantly smaller than the surrounding Canadas, and although the photo doesn’t show it that well, both had a lighter, frosty look to them. CACKLING GEESE (GOOSE?) at Glenmere Lake, 02/16/19.~
I tooled around the black dirt and then took a walk at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Marsh; it was actually pretty quiet and I had mostly the usuals including White-crowned Sparrows at two locations. On Onion Avenue there was a large flock of mixed blackbirds – perhaps 1,000 birds or so, nearly all Red-winged Blackbirds with a sprinkling of Brown-headed Cowbirds, Common Grackles, and European Starlings thrown in.
~Mixed blackbird flock – mostly Red-winged Blackbirds, but I also see Brown-headed Cowbirds, E. Starlings, and a single Common Grackle.~
My final stop in southern OC was at Lockenhurst Pond. This is the small pond on Route 284 in Westtown, NY; I just looked it up to see what it was actually called. While I was there I sifted through the flock of approximately 400 Canada Geese and eventually located another CACKLING GOOSE. This bird looks good to me, see top photo as well as below.
~CACKLING GOOSE at Lockenhurst Pond in Westtown NY, 02/16/19.~
After a late lunch, I headed up to the Newburgh Waterfront to try for more waterfowl and gulls. I had only the 3 expected species of gull, and for waterfowl the only noteworthy species was 9 Northern Pintails. I can only remember one other time having NOPIs on the Hudson River. Just as it was starting to get dark and I was thinking about heading home, I saw something I’ve not seen before. A group nearly 60 Canada Geese flew in and landed on the river. I don’t know if they were out in the fields all day, or if they just finished a long flight, but as soon at they landed all the birds were drinking from the river. I found it sweet to see 60 Canadas sipping away as the sun set.
~Ring-billed Gull in flight over the Hudson River, Newburgh Waterfront 02/16/19.~
