Rarities – Page 21 – Orange Birding

WOW! UPLAND SANDPIPERS!

~Wow wow wow! UPLAND SANDPIPER in Ulster County NY, 6/9/15.~

My work took me up north today, so I figured I would hit the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR on my way home. I was hoping to have some better luck photographing the Grasshopper Sparrows at the reserve. On my way there, I checked Blue Chip Farms for Upland Sandpipers but did not have any luck. I was a little bit annoyed by it because there have been SO many reports of the bird at that location on eBird lately. I continued to the grasslands where I walked the trails briefly but had no luck with Grasshopper Sparrows (maybe it was the time of day? It was around 4:00 in the afternoon…). I enjoyed seeing and photographing the Bobolinks and I saw a distant Northern Harrier hunting.

On my way home, as I was checking Blue Chip Farms once again (I was doing a drive-by basically), I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw an UPLAND SANDPIPER perched on the fence closest to the road!!! I stopped the car and the bird did not flush. As I reached for my camera, a motorcycle went screaming by and flushed the bird! My heart was broken! It relocated to a far off fence where I got good looks and some distant photos. I went back to my car and waited, and I couldn’t believe it when not one, but two Upland Sandpipers flew in and landed on the grass just beyond the closest fence. Then, one of them flew closer and perched briefly on the fence! I couldn’t believe my luck, what a great day, to get photos of this bird, which until today was considered one of those awesome birds that I would probably never get a decent photograph of!

~UPSA at Blue Chip Farms in Ulster County NY, 6/9/15.~

~Love this shot on the distant fence too, UPSA at Blue Chip Farms, 6/9/15.~

~Upland Sandpiper in flight, Ulster County NY, 6/9/15.~

Dutchess County YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT!

~**YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT!** Hopeland Sanctuary in Staatsburg, NY 6/6/15.~

All twitches should be this easy! Actually it would probably get boring if they were all this easy, but this morning I was more than happy to have an easy time finding the YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT which had been initially located by Steve Bauer and reported by many. I got up very early and headed north towards Hopeland Sanctuary in Staatsburg, NY. It was raining pretty good as I left, and I was beginning to think it was a mistake to try and fit this into my busy day. When I arrived, it was cloudy and gray, but rain-free. I did not have any details about the bird or the sanctuary, I was figuring that there might be some other birders present to point me in the right direction, but unfortunately this was not the case, so I parked and headed up the trail. About 100 yards in, the trail split, the Hopeland Trail continued straight and the Huntington Trail went off to the right. I’m not sure why I took the Huntington Trail, but I did, and a couple hundred yards later I heard and saw the bird, perched out in the open! I watched and photographed as the bird moved around in the brush on the right hand side of the trail, more often out of sight than in sight, but calling nearly non-stop. I took photos whenever the bird did come out in the open, the light was low so the shots are a noisy, but I am so thrilled to get any chat photos at all! This was as different as can be from my Yellow-breasted Chat FAIL from last spring! This was a life bird for me (#341), and an exciting one at that!

~YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT cooperating for a photo! Hopeland Sanctuary, Staatsburg NY 6/615.~ — ~**YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT** cooperating for a photo! Hopeland Sanctuary, Staatsburg NY 6/615.~

~What a thrill to see this bird! **YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT** at Hopeland Sanctuary, 6//6/15.~

~This Pileated Woodpecker was SO close but never got out into the open! Mills-Norrie State Park, 6/6/15.~

Orange County Red-necked Phalarope, 5/23/15

*Click on photos to enlarge.*

~A heavily cropped photo of the Red-necked Phalarope on Orange Lake, 5/23/15.~

I was on my way out the door this morning when I I received a text from Bruce Nott saying he had a phalarope on Orange Lake. He had originally located the bird yesterday, but the bird was quite distant and it had not been determined if it was a Wilson’s or a Red-necked. I made my way over and I was luckily able to locate the bird pretty quickly (that’s a small bird on a big lake!). At first, the views were a bit distant but eventually the bird got a little bit closer for some better looks in my scope. I called John Haas to discuss the identification of the bird; he eventually joined me and arrived while the bird was still in relatively close. He immediately looked at the bird in my scope and identified the bird as a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, noting the completely vibrant red hind neck – it was totally red, there was no white stripe down the center as you would see in a Wilson’s Phalarope. In addition to this, the dark gray cap versus the pale gray cap of a Wilson’s was easily discerned. I managed to get some photos, which was tough because I struggled just to find that bird in the camera! The bird was still quite distant for photos and all the shots in this post are heavily cropped. Huge thanks and congratulations to Bruce!

Please Note: ORANGE LAKE HAS NO PUBLIC ACCESS! The lake is private and there are no public viewing areas.

~On more of the RNPH, Orange Lake 5/23/15.~

Florida 2015 – SNAIL KITES!

*Click on photos to enlarge.*

~A female Snail Kite takes a break from snail hunting near Harn's Marsh in Fort Myers Florida, 5/5/15.~ — ~A female Snail Kite takes a break from snail hunting over a canal near Harn’s Marsh in Fort Myers Florida, 5/5/15.~

One of my target birds during our trip to Florida was the SNAIL KITE. When I checked on eBird before we got down to the Fort Myers area, it looked very likely that I would have to do some traveling if I was to see this federally endangered species. But, sometimes you get lucky. Twice. First, we met another birder (whose name I never got) at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge and she shared with us a super location for Snail Kites – they could be seen hunting their favorite food, the apple snail in the canal that leads into Harn’s Marsh in Fort Myers. We went for them the next evening, as we arrived and parked the car, I could immediately see a Snail Kite over the canal – Yes! There were three kites present and they were actively hunting. Unfortunately, from our vantage point the light was terrible and the birds were all silhouetted. That’s when we got our second lucky break – we met local bird photographer Cindy Reilly. She took us to an amazing location just up the canal a bit, where there were 3 additional Snail Kites hunting. Huge thanks to Cindy – because of her we got amazing looks at these birds, who seemed completely unfazed by our presence. I was, however, still fighting the light for photos; it was getting later and some clouds had rolled in. I cranked up the ISO on my camera and did the best I could. I felt like I would like another try for some photos, so I went back two days later in the morning. The birds were not hunting, but I did manage to get some better perched photos of the male and the immature bird. What a super birding experience, so lucky and awesome.

~Success! Snail Kite with snail in is grasp, near Harn's Marsh 5/5/15.~ — ~Success! Snail Kite with snail in its grasp, canal near Harn’s Marsh 5/5/15.~

~Male Snail Kite perched on a treetop. Near Harn's Marsh, 5/7/15.~ — ~Male Snail Kite perched on a treetop near Harn’s Marsh, 5/7/15.~

~A Snail Kite makes a mid-air maneuver over the water. Near Harn's Marsh, 5/5/15.~ — ~A Snail Kite makes a mid-air maneuver over the canal near Harn’s Marsh, 5/5/15.~

~Another shot after a successful dive for a snail. Snail Kite near Harn's Marsh, 5/5/15.~ — ~Another shot after a successful dive for a snail. Snail Kite near Harn’s Marsh, 5/5/15.~

~Immature Snail Kite, perched near Harn's Marsh in Fort Myers Florida, 5/7/15.~ — ~Immature Snail Kite, perched near Harn’s Marsh in Fort Myers Florida, 5/7/15.~

~Snail Kite flying over an irrigation ditch near Harn's Marsh, 5/5/15.~ — ~Snail Kite flying over a canal near Harn’s Marsh, 5/5/15.~

More CARACARA!!!

When I saw this video by Jess Deitz on Facebook, I loved it and kept watching it over and over. I knew I wanted to share it on the blog, so I reached out to Jess and she gladly gave her permission. Huge thanks to Jess – please check out her website and also her Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/jldeitzphotography

www.jldeitz.smugmug.com

Crested Caracara Part II

Huge thanks to Mary B. for giving me a call this evening to let me know that the CRESTED CARACARA was actively feeding on a poor dead possum. I rushed out there and was able to get some much better shots than I did yesterday.

~Crested Caracara with its meal, Montgomery, NY 4/12/15.~

~Whenever a car would pull into the area, the bird would flee…

~But the bird would come back: It’s my possum! Crested Caracara in Montgomery NY, 4/12/15.~

Orange County Crested Caracara!

~Wow wow wow! CRESTED CARACAR in Montgomery NY on 4/11/15.~

Early this afternoon, I finally caught up with the rare CRESTED CARACARA which was found by Curt McDermott yesterday morning. I tried for it yesterday after work but I had horrible timing and missed it twice! You can go to John Haas’ blog to see more details about how yesterday went down.

Today looked like more of the same; I received several calls and texts that the bird had been seen, but I kept missing it. Just around one o’clock, while I was making a final sweep of the area by River Road (where the bird was first located), I got a call from Karen Miller. The bird had been relocated near the intersection of Route 208 and Route 17K! I’m not entirely sure who exactly relocated the bird, but huge thanks to them! And also thanks to Al (whose last name I never got and who relocated the bird several times today!), Dan Whalen, and Karen Miller for keeping me in the loop which made it possible for me to see this bird. At first the bird was in very thick trees and photos were nearly impossible. Then the bird repositioned, a little further out, but with a less obstructed view. It was incredible to see this bird! It’s a lifer for me (#320) and to see it in Orange County was just awesome.

To see just how far out of its range this bird is click here for a range map.

Super Birding In Orange County!

~I love these blue morph Snow Geese! Coming in for a landing on Onion Avenue in New Hampton, NY 3/18/15.~

Wow, what a day of birding in Orange County today. I, of course, was at work and missed most of it! The action started early when I received a text from Karen Miller 7:30 this morning saying that while she did not relocate the Snow Geese from last night, she did have (8) likely TUNDRA SWANS at the Camel Farm. An hour later Linda Scrima texted that the Snow Geese had just come in and landed in the fields off of Onion Avenue. She also sent over a photo confirming the Tundra Swans. A couple of hours later, John Haas and Rob Stone were on the scene and located not one, but 2 ROSS’ GEESE! And one of them was a blue morph! Check out John’s blog for his account. And not too long after that, I checked my email to see that Rob Stone had located a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE at Scenic Farms Golf Course! Are you kidding me??? I was losing my mind at work and when I finally got out my first stop was at the golf course to go for the GWFG. I met Bruce Nott and Dave Baker over there, and thanks to them I was able to see the bird pretty quickly. Unfortunately it was miles out, so no photos. My next stop was the Camel Farm, where Dave and I had no luck with the swans. Next was Onion Avenue, where I spent most of the rest of the evening trying for the 2 Ross’ Geese with some great company like Ken McDermott, Marianne Ofenloch, and Scotty Baldinger. Unfortunately, we never located either bird.

My last ditch effort was to join Bruce to check the Camel Farm one more time… and I got lucky and the 8 Tundra Swans were there! Karen Miller joined us for a better look than she had gotten in the morning. I took some distant photos and enjoyed seeing them through my scope. What a day – incredible really!

~SNGO in flight, New Hampton NY 3/18/15.~

~I like this shot, a nice mix of white and blue morph Snow Geese in New Hampton, NY 3/18/15.~

~On a slow day, the number of flocks of mixed blackbirds would have been the top story. It’s hard to estimate how many birds where out there, maybe 5,000+. Onion Avenue in New Hampton, NY 3/18/15.~

~A great way to end the evening – 7 of the 8 Tundra Swans at the Camel Farm, 3/18/15.~

Orange County Lesser Black-backed Gull, 3/10/15

~Lesser Black-backed Gull, Newburgh Waterfront, 3/10/15.~

As my work day was coming to an end, I received two separate reports for Red-breasted Mergansers on the Hudson near Newburgh, NY. One was a text from Rob Stone, the second a call from Bruce Nott. I headed in that direction in hopes of getting a RBME for Orange County for the year. From Plum Point Park I had some distant waterfowl where the water was open, but the heat waves were distorting the image in my scope way too much to confidently ID the birds. From what I could tell, they were likely Common Mergansers.

When I got back in my car, I had a missed call on my phone (which I had forgotten there). It was from Bruce; I called him back and he had what he believed to be a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – seen from the old Torches parking lot. I hustled over, but I was too late. The bird had ridden the ice floes up river and out of scope range. I was really bummed! Then, some folks started to feed the ducks and gulls from the parking lot and a good number of the gulls were up in the air. Many relocated on the ice floes right in front of us, and fortunately, one of them was the Lesser Black-backed Gull. I relocated the bird and had Bruce take a look – we both liked it for a LBBG. The bird was close enough for some decent photos, so I sent it out – thank you to John Haas, Rob Stone, and Curt McDermott who all responded that they agreed with LBBG. Huge thanks to Bruce Nott – this is life bird #318 for me, very exciting! Oh, and I never did get a Red-breasted Merganser tonight…

~One more look at the LBBG, seen from Torches at the Newburgh Waterfront, 3/10/15.~

2/18/15 – Gyrfalcon Continues

~Gyrfalcon in flight, Wallkill NY, 2/18/15.~

I finally caught up with the Ulster County Gyrfalcon again this evening. I got really good looks at the bird as it perched in an evergreen briefly on Bates Lane before heading in the direction of Old Fort Road. This is just a super bird that I feel very fortunate to be able to see at all, nevertheless so close to home. The down side is that photos were a bit tough – by the time I saw the bird, the gorgeous afternoon light was gone. It had clouded over a bit as it was getting late, pushing 4:30. Regardless, my day was made!

On my way home, I went to Lippencott Road to look for waterfowl. During a brief visit, I saw: Common Goldeneye (8), American Black Duck (5), Common Merganser (6), Hooded Merganser (2), Canada Goose (45), and Mallard (10). I also had a Cooper’s Hawk on my way over and an adult Bald Eagle perched on the ice in the river.

As a side note, I was happy to see that the number of birders out for the Gyrfalcon appeared to be down a little bit this evening (which may have been simply because it was so late in the day). If you go for this bird, PLEASE be courteous and aware of the locals. I have gotten some feedback that indicates that Gyrfalcon Circus might be wearing thin for some folks, so I think it would be helpful if everyone put there best foot forward while enjoying this fabulous bird.

~The incredible Gyrfalcon perched, Wallkill NY, 2/18/15.~