Rarities – Page 22 – Orange Birding

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.~

Gyrfalcon Continues, 2/10/15

~The Ulster County Gyrfalcon on a nice perch on Bruyn Turnpike in Wallkill, NY, 2/10/15.

I received word from Denise Farrel that the Gyrfalcon had been relocated for the fourth straight day while I was at work today. It was a beautiful day out with nice light, so I headed up to Ulster County right after work to see if I could see the bird. I knew when I saw the first traffic jam ever on Bruyn Turnpike that I would indeed be able to see the bird. The bird was perched on a fence post way out in a field, where it stayed for some time but then eventually headed back north. Karen Miller had also come straight from work and finally caught up with the bird (third times a charm). We both went to the Grasslands to see what was going on there, but there was not much activity, just one distant Rough-legged Hawk. After Karen left, I sat with Ralph Tabor and we waited for the Short-eared Owls. It was a gorgeous night with a fabulous sky and although they got up a little late for photos, Ralph and I enjoyed watching 7 Short-eared Owls put on a nice show. What a great way to end the day.

WOW – GYRFALCON!!!

~Perched Gyrfalcon in Ulster County, New York, 2/7/15.~

I had slow start to the day birding-wise. I joined Ken Witkowski and we headed up to the town of Hancock in Delaware County, NY. We were participating in a Golden Eagle Survey and due to the weather most likely (we had snow showers on and off), we had a very slow day with very few raptors and no Golden Eagles. It was still a great morning; Ken is very knowledgeable and super interesting to talk to.

I got back to Goshen just before 2:30 and immediately headed up to Ulster County to try for the Gyrfalcon that had been located by Karen Maloy Brady the day before (huge thanks Karen!). On the way I spoke with John Haas to see how the morning had gone – apparently there were plenty of birders out looking for the falcon, but the search had been unsuccessful. I wondered if it was worth the trip up there, but then I figured the worst thing that could happen would be that I didn’t locate the bird and then headed over to the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR to go for the Short-eared Owls. So, I decided to try for it and boy am I glad I did. There is a saying that it’s better to be lucky than good. Well, boy did I get lucky. As I was nearing Bates Lane (which is where the bird had been seen the day before), I noticed a perched bird in a tall evergreen tree. I stopped and took a quick look through my binoculars and nearly had a heart attack – it was the GYRFALCON! I took some quick photos and then put the word out; I was praying that the bird would stay put for others to see. The falcon had other ideas and after some time flew from its perch, heading north and over a little hill where I lost sight of the bird. Less than a minute later Curt McDermott showed up and I explained the situation. Curt relocated the bird inside of 5 minutes just north of where I was on Old Fort Road, and it was on a fresh kill! Many birders arrived (I would guess between 40 and 50) and got to see this beautiful creature. The falcon finished its meal, and then returned to its perch on the evergreen, then to a telephone pole on Old Fort Road where it stayed for a good while. Just after 5:00 the bird was flushed by a Red-tailed Hawk and headed north.

The Gyrfalcon was life bird #317 for me. What an exciting afternoon of birding, one I will never forget. And what a magnificent bird – really and truly remarkable.

~Gyrfalcon hunched over prey, Shawangunk NY, 2/7/15.~

~It took a while for the bird to finish eating. Gyrfalcon in Ulster County NY, 2/7/15.~

~Photos were tough as the light was not great. The bird was however, Gyrfalcon in Shawangunk NY 2/7/15.~

~And one final shot of the Gyrfalcon with prey, Shawangunk NY 2/7/15.~

~A distant flight shot as the Gyrfalcon returned to Old Fort Road, Shawangunk NY 2/7/15.~

Sussex County Painted Bunting 2/6/15

~Painted Bunting in Andover, NJ, as seen from the Sussex Branch Trail, 2/6/15.~

QUICK POST: I bolted out of work to run for the PAINTED BUNTING that had been reported in Sussex County, New Jersey. Since it was Friday, the traffic was miserable and I got to Andover a little on the late side (I didn’t think I would ever get there!). I located the bird with the help of Denis, the only other birder present. It was his first time seeing the bird in New Jersey, and for me it was life bird #316. And what a beautiful bird at that, really it’s hard to believe this bird unless you see it. The bird only came to the feeder one time while I was there, but he spent a good amount of time there before finding a nearby perch. I wish the light had been better for photos, but that’s the way it goes some times. What a super bird and a very nice way to end the week. Thanks to Linda Scrima, Maria Loukeris, and Marianne Ofenloch for the heads up about the bird and for the details on how to locate him.

~Grainy shot of the Painted Bunting perched, not too far from the feeder. Sussex Branch Trail in Andover NJ, 2/6/15.~

LAPLAND LONGSPURS!

QUICK POST: This afternoon, just after 3:00, I had 6 LAPLAND LONGSPURS on Missionland Road. I had just finished looking through hundreds of Horned Larks hoping for longspurs or buntings but without success. I have photos which contain all six birds, but unfortunately none came out very well, so here is a decent shot with four of the six. Nice birds to see, that’s for sure.

Orange County Iceland Gull, 12/29/14

Iceland Gull with Herring Gulls, Newburgh Waterfront, 12/29/14.

I decided to head up to Newburgh, NY after work tonight to look for gulls. Ken McDermott had reported an Iceland Gull there a week or so ago, so I figured I would try my luck. I tried first from where the ferry goes out. I located a distant floating “white winged gull” almost immediately, but soon lost the bird among all the other gulls while trying to switch between scope and camera. Luckily, I was able to get the above shot from that location. The gulls were also floating steadily north on the Hudson River and out of my view. I jumped in my car and moved to the parking lot near what used to be Torches Restaurant. I relocated the bird from that position, but it was getting dark and the bird was even further out. I gave Ken McDermott a call and he walked me through the ID: a white winged gull that is smaller than a Herring Gull but larger than a Ring-billed. The nearly all black bill indicates that this is likely a first winter bird. Thanks Ken for your help, it is greatly appreciated!

This Iceland Gull was probably my favorite bird of the day. I think it is a very elegant looking gull. The New Jersey Crew was having a discussion about this bird, wondering if it could possibly be a hybrid. The reason for this was that it was very close in size to the Herring Gulls it was found with. According to The Crossley ID Guide, the Iceland is 22" as compared to the Herring Gull at 25". The Iceland Gull was certainly smaller, just not noticeably. — Here’s a better look at an Iceland Gull. I photographed this bird in January of this year at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park in New Jersey.

Orange County Cackling Goose 12/28/14

Cackling Goose with Canada Geese at the Camel Farm in Orange County NY, 12/28/14.

I made the rounds in southern Orange County on this gray, drizzly, Sunday morning. I was a little cranky due to the poor weather and not sleeping well, so I was pretty happy to find a single Cackling Goose among approximately 500 Canada Geese at the Camel Farm in Orange County, NY. I put the word out, and luckily both Linda Scrima and Maria Loukeris were close by and ran for the bird. It was a lifer for both of them, so that was exciting. Another highlight was 8 Snow Buntings in with a large flock of Horned Larks in the Black Dirt Region. Aside from that, I had 34 species for the morning, all birds you would expect to see.

American Tree Sparrow off of Onion Avenue, 12/28/14.

A female Common Merganser in the Wallkill River in Pine Island, NY. It was funny because, although not in this photo, the merganser was hanging out with a Wood Duck. They were the only birds that I saw in this location and they were never more than a few yards from one another.

I was eating my lunch, contemplating my next move, when I I received a text from Maria -She had located a Barred Owl in Vernon NJ! I hustled down and got super looks at the bird and some photos too (in spite of large number of branches in the way). I have no idea how she located this bird, the pics don’t do justice to how well it was hidden. Huge thanks to Maria for the heads up.

It's always awesome to see a Barred Owl. Appalachian Trail in Vernon NJ, 12/28/14. — Awesome bird – Barred Owl. Appalachian Trail in Vernon NJ, 12/28/14.

BARNACLE GOOSE!!!

I got out of work a little bit late this afternoon, but I still had time to try for the BARNACLE GOOSE which had been reported in Ramsey, New Jersey on eBird. I tried for the bird yesterday without any luck, but today it worked out great. I got my lifer BAGO and it did not disappoint – what a super bird! I was able to get very good looks and my photos, while quite grainy due to the low light, still made me very happy. The Barnacle Goose has been sort of a nemesis bird for me. There have been a few Barnacle Geese that have been reported in the NY/NJ area in the past several years. There was one in Orange County back in 2012 that eluded me as did the one in the Bronx last year (which I only tried for one time). There was a Barnacle Goose reported at this same location last year and I tried for it several times but struck out each time. So, it was VERY satisfying to finally see this bird. If you are planning to go for this bird, please contact me and I will give you details.

– Another look at the BARNACLE GOOSE in Bergen County today, 12/17/14.

Cackling Goose 12/13/14

Cackling Goose among Canada Geese. Blue Chip Farm, Ulster County NY, 12/13/14/. — Cackling Goose among Canada Geese. This bird was quite distant and this photo has been heavily cropped. Blue Chip Farm, Ulster County NY, 12/13/14/.

This afternoon I was sifting through a flock of Canada Geese at Blue Chip Farms in Ulster County and I observed the above bird, which I believe is a Cackling Goose. The bird was a shade paler than the surrounding Canada Geese, with a small stubby bill, and a shorter neck. I am having a little hesitation in positively identifying this bird because although the bird was smaller than the Canada Geese, it did not appear to be as small as some Cackling Geese that I have seen in the past. According to the Crossley Guide, “Most look small and cute compared to Canada Geese, but this is not always the case”. I believe that this bird falls into the latter category. If anyone has thoughts about this bird, please comment.

I did some other running around today, particularly looking for the Snow Geese that I’d seen fly over last night. I didn’t have any luck with them, but I did get some photos along the way:

_MG_1726 — Horned Larks in the black dirt. There was a single Snow Bunting with these birds but I was unable to get a photo. 12/13/14.

I spent the afternoon and evening at the Shawangunk Grasslands, which were a little quieter than last weekend. I still had several Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Harriers. When I left at 4:30 the Short-eared Owls were still not up. Here’s one shot I got of a young harrier:

Northern Harrier in flight. This was taking as I walked the trail rather than when I was in the blind. I was a little unlucky today, while I was in the blind I did not have any birds come close by. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/13/14.

And one more shot of the Cackling Goose: