Westchester County GLAUCOUS GULL, 12/26/20

This morning I headed Rye Playland to try for the GLAUCOUS GULL that Gail Benson and Tom Burke reported at that location yesterday. It was a beautiful, cold and sunny day, my favorite type of winter day; a perfect day to put some new Christmas winter gear (coat and gloves) to the test. I was not optimistic about my chances of getting my target; gulls seem to be tough bird to run for. Regardless, I was pretty sure it would be a good day of birding, Rye in the winter is always a good birding trip.

~Yes! GLAUCOUS GULL at Rye Playland, 12/26/20.~

I parked by the ice rink and walked the pier; a flock of 60 or so Brant flew overhead and I able to locate a Long-tailed Duck and my first Common Loon, Buffleheads, and Red-breasted Mergansers of the day. From there I headed over to Playland Lake, where I had great looks and a photo op with a single adult female Common Goldeneye.

~Common Goldeneye at Playland Lake, 12/26/20.~

Leaving the lake, I found Gail and Tom – were just on the GLAUCOUS GULL, but it must have flown as they were saying goodbye to a friend and it wasn’t present. I can’t thank Tom and Gail enough, they did everything in their power to relocate the gull for me, and after parting ways for a short time, I received a call from Gail – they had the gull again! I hustled to join up with them, but alas the bird had flown again. Moments later, Tom picked up the bird in flight right over our heads and we watched as it put down on the rocks across the way. What a big, beautiful beast of a gull! I was blown away; I think because I’d lowered my expectations, it was that much better getting the bird. It was the third Glaucous Gull I’d ever seen, and my first in New York state, making it my 311th NYS bird.

~Big, beautiful gull. GLGU at Rye Playland, 12/26/20.~
~First Killdeer I’ve seen in a while. KILL at Rye Playland, 12/26/20.~
~Lesser Scaup, Playland Lake 12/26/20.~
~Red-tailed Hawk at Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary, 12/26/20.~
~Femail Bufflehead at Rye Playland, 12/26/20.~
~GLAUCOUS GULL, Rye Playland 12/26/20.~
~Glaucous Gull in flight, Rye Playland 12/26/20.~

Orange County BARNACLE GOOSE!

It’s amazing how sometimes things just work out. Today Bruce Nott located a BARNACLE GOOSE at the Camel Farm. He reported it in the early afternoon – right at my lunch time. I raced over and joined Bruce and Linda Scrima, who informed me that the bird had just taken a short flight and was out of view. John Haas arrived, and moments later the bird took flight again. I was able to get distant flight shots as it flew across the Camel Farm and put down again.

~Yes!!! BARNACLE GOOSE at the Camel Farm, 11/24/20.~

As we were observing the bird, it became clear that it was moving about with 4 other interesting looking geese. It was speculated that these were likely the same birds which have been reported around the northeast in recent years: One Barnacle Goose with 4 Barnacle x Cackling Goose hybrids.

I have to say that I was freaking out. I have waited SO long to get a Barnacle Goose in the county, it was just a fabulous looking bird, and it did not disappoint. It’s been absolutely ages since I was this excited to see a bird. The Barnacle Goose was my 264th Orange County life bird, and my 222nd bird in the county for 2020. I can’t thank Bruce enough!

~One Barnacle Goose in the lead, followed by 4 likely Barnacle x Cackling Goose hybrids. Camel Farm 11/24/20.~
~Like a sore thumb. BARG at the Camel Farm, 11/24/20.~

09/05/20: Hawkwatch Begins and Ulster Co. Brown Booby

It’s hard to believe it, but it’s already time for the start of another season at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch. Today was my first day as official counter, and as early as it is in the season, it was expectedly slow with only 10 migrating raptors. But, there were some highlights – (8) Bald Eagle sightings, four of which migrated, a quick look at a couple of Cape May Warblers, a couple of lingering Black-throated Green Warblers, and my favorite part of the day: a messy ball of 11 Double-crested Cormorants flying high south of the viewing platform. You can see my report for HawkCount at the bottom of this post.

~A local Red-tailed Hawk makes a pass over the platform at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 09/05/20.~

Yesterday I got out of work a little bit early, so I decided to head up the the hottest hotspot in Ulster County: Ashokan Reservoir. There has been a White Pelican present for some time, and now there is a BROWN BOOBY. I took a nice drive up to the reservoir, and with some guidance from a quick call with John Haas, I was able to locate the bird easily. It’s quite a bird to see, and I had nice looks in my scope, but unfortunately it’s preferred perch is just a bit out of range for good photos. Consolation prize (in the photography dept) was a young Bald Eagle perched close to the road. I enjoyed the booby, and I was glad to add it to my NYS list – # 310.

~ Brown Booby at Ashokan Reservoir, 09/04/20.~
~A young Bald Eagle was unphased by all the folks walking along the road. Ashokan Reservoir, 09/04/20.~
~Black-throated Green Warbler at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 09/05/20.~

Liberty Loop Back Pond, 08/23/20

The back pond at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop has been one of the hottest birding spots in the area recently (this part of the loop is located in Sussex County, NJ for all of you concerned with which county and state the birds are located in). I spent a pleasant and productive morning there; I’m pretty sure I got all the recent good birds/rarities reported: GLOSSY IBIS (3), LITTLE BLUE HERON, SNOWY EGRET, and SANDERLING.

~GLOSSY IBIS striking a pose at Wallkill River NWR’s Liberty Loop, Sussex County NJ, 08/23/20.~

My main goal of the morning was, of course, shorebirds. Although besides the Sanderling I did not find anything else out of the ordinary, shorebirds were plentiful in number of both species and individuals:

  • Semipalmated Plover (2)
  • Killdeer (30+)
  • Sanderling
  • Least Sanpiper (10+)
  • Pectoral Sandpiper (3)
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper (4)
  • Wilson’s Snipe (3)
  • Solitary Sandpiper (3)
  • Lesser Yellowlegs (20+)
~Immature LITTLE BLUE HERON at the Liberty Loop, 08/23/20.~

I left the refuge just before 10 am, just as it was starting to get a little warm. I finished the morning with 44 species; the only target bird I missed was Least Bittern, which I’ve been getting out there on a regular basis. Nice morning of birding, and some photo ops on top of it all.

~Lesser Yellowlegs were plentiful in the back pond this morning. Liberty Loop 08/23/20.~
~Green Heron at the Liberty Loop, 08/23/20.~
~One more Glossy Ibis shot; I was pleased to have these birds in pretty close. That came to an end when a dog walker came by and flushed them. Liberty Loop, 08/23/20.~
~This Northern Harrier was keeping the shorebirds on their toes. I’m not sure what it was hunting, but the shorebirds were flushed by it several times this morning. Liberty Loop 08/23/20.~
~Semipalmated Plover in the early morning fog. Liberty Loop 08/23/20.~
~Tree Swallow from earlier this week. Black dirt 08/20/20.~

BLACK TERN, 08/08/20

Three BLACK TERNS were reported at Wallkill River NWR’s Liberty Loop on Friday by birding bud Maria Loukeris. I couldn’t make it out Friday after work, but tried for them on Saturday morning, fully convinced that they would be gone. But!, luckily one of them hung in there for me; as I walked the east side of the loop a woman who did not appear to be a birder told me it was in the back pond.

~Black Tern with a Barn Swallow in pursuit, Liberty Loop 08/08/20.~

Black Tern is a really cool bird, and I enjoyed observing and trying to photograph this bird, which I believe was an adult in non-breeding plumage. Unfortunately, Black Tern is a photo-nemesis bird for me. I don’t know what it is, but in spite of seeing this species at least a half dozen times now, I just can’t get a good photo. One thing that hit home yesterday was that it’s a small tern. I realized it because as the bird fed, there were swallows giving it the business the entire time. It’s the smallest tern we get in the our area, listed in Sibley as a mere 9.75″. Compare that to 12″ and 13″ inches for Common and Forster’s Tern respectively, and a whopping 21″ for Caspian Tern. Add to that an erratic flight while feeding, and the bird is tough to pick up and get into focus in the camera. That said, I’ve had the species perched and still the pics were not great. One day I’ll get a goodie.

~Banking Black Tern, Liberty Loop 08/08/20.~
~This is a bird I never get tired of. Northern Mocking Bird at the Liberty Loop, 08/08/20.~
~Great Blue Heron from earlier in the week. Beaver Pond, 08/30/20.~
~I had no idea the bird had turned completely upside down until I saw my photos. Black Tern with Tree Swallow, at the Liberty Loop, 08/08/20.~
~Bunny at the Loop, 08/08/20.~

Hurricane Birding on the Hudson, 08/04/20

QUICK POST: Today would have been a good day to get out of work early. As it was, I had a hellacious work day and ended up working pretty late. I did make it out the Newburgh Waterfront in time for one darn good bird late in the evening: a hatch year LAUGHING GULL. The bird was hanging out with a number of Ring-billed Gulls on the docks by Blue Pointe restaurant. Earlier in the evening, I missed some good birds. Rob Stone had two SOOTY TERNS fly south along the river, as well as another unidentified tern. Also, Bruce Nott, after putting in a lot of time at the river, went to Washington Lake and located a Common/Forster’s Tern there. And finally, while not not on the river, Linda Scrima had a Short-billed Dowitcher in the puddles at Turtle Bay. Once again, bad weather = good birds.

~Juvenile Laughing Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 08/0420.~
~One more shot of the Laughing Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 08/0420.~

Excellent Night at the Hudson, 07/10/20 (Updated 7/11)

I have to thank birding bud Maria Loukeris. This morning she forwarded a Birdcast email about Tropical Storm Fay. At that point, the storm wasn’t even on my radar, but I soon learned that Fay was forecasted to pass right through our area this afternoon and into the night. With that in mind, I headed over to the Hudson River after work, hoping the storm would bring in some interesting birds.

~Yes! FRANKLIN’S GULL in flight over the Hudson River, Plum Point, 07/10/20.~

My first stop was at Plum Point, where I used the pavilion to stay dry and still be able to scan the river. After about forty minutes or so, I had an interesting gull fly by. UPDATE 07/11/20: The ID of the interesting gull in question has been corrected; the bird is not a Laughing Gull but rather a FRANKLIN’S GULL! I was up early and out at the Hudson River when John Haas gave me a call. He was looking at the photos on the blog (rather than an iPhone shot of the back of my camera), and he was having his doubts about the bird being a Laughing, and that he was leaning towards it more likely being a Franklin’s. He wasn’t very familiar with the bird in this plumage, but he mentioned the white tips on the primaries, as well as the more extensive white on the nape. A little later, Richard Guthrie reported on the Mearns app that the bird was in fact a Franklin’s Gull. I’m going to go back now and look at my photos vs the books and see what I can learn. The good news for me is that the FRGU is a life bird for me, number 422 worldwide!

~Caspian Tern overhead at the Newburgh Waterfront, 07/10/20.~

My plan was to just bird from Plum Point, and then head home. But, I got some more help, this time from Rob Stone. He said I should definitely head over to the Newburgh Waterfront before heading home. There was a break in the weather, so I decided to do just that. Before I left , though, I also had an Osprey, which I thought was interesting.

At the riverfront, shortly after my arrival I located a tern flying high overhead. I actually wasn’t sure what kind of tern it was, I guess I was kind of freaking out and I was taking photos in an effort to document. The bird stayed at a pretty good height and eventually disappeared from view, heading south along the river. Looking at photos afterwards, it became clear that it was a CASPIAN TERN. I’m surprised I didn’t get the ID right away, but that’s how it goes sometimes. What a night! And, with the storm continuing through tonight, I’ll be back at the river at first light, hoping for more goodies.

~One more shot of the Franklin’s Gull, Plum Point 07/10/20.~
~Ring-billed Gull giving me the stinkeye. Newburgh Waterfront, 07/10/20.~

Orange County Wilson’s Phalarope, 06/04/20

This morning I got a call from Rob Stone. I figured it had to be something good for him to call me while I’m working, and it was. He had located a WILSON’S PHALAROPE at the Camel Farm. I was able to run for the bird at lunch time and thankfully it hung in there for me. Gail Benson and Tom were on the bird when I arrived, which made it a very easy get. They said that they believed the bird to be a transitioning female, but wanted to check additional resources to be sure. It wasn’t the most colorful bird, but beautiful to see nonetheless. I tried to document, but between the distance, the harsh sun, and heat shimmer, the results were less than stellar. The bird was my 260th Orange County life bird.

~WILSON’S PHALAROPE at the Camel Farm, 06/04/20.~
~One more docushot of the WIPH at the Camel Farm, 06/04/20.~

Orange County Caspian Tern, 04/15/20

After work I went to the Newburgh Waterfront to chase the Iceland Gull that Bruce Nott reported earlier in the day. I had no luck with the ICGU, but as luck would have it, I found a CASPIAN TERN! I was super excited to see this bird and I put the word out immediately. Bruce Nott arrived just before all the gulls, and the tern picked up and flew. I tracked the tern as it headed south along the river and eventually out of view.

~Right on! CASPIAN TERN taking off at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/15/20.~

John Haas arrived shortly after the bird flew. The three of us tried to relocate the bird, searching areas to the south, but we weren’t having any luck. We reconvened at the waterfront, where the Lesser Black-backed Gull made another appearance. I decided to call it a night; I was just about to pull out when my phone rang – it was John – the Caspian Tern had returned! I was happy all three of us were able to get the bird.

~Excellent bird for the county! CASPIAN TERN at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/15/20.~
~CATE in flight, Newburgh Waterfront 04/15/20.~

Happy Mondays*

The timing of the weather was pretty good today. Just as I was finishing up work, the rain was stopping and the sun was coming out. I knew with the storm coming through and the timing, that it might be a good evening for sea ducks. I went to Glenmere Lake first; as I was setting up my scope Rob Stone called to let me know he had two BLACK SCOTERS at Wickham Lake. Figuring that I would come up empty, I told him I would quickly scan Glenmere and then head over.

~Icing on the cake: a trio of Rusty Blackbirds at Wickham Lake just before sunset, 03/13/20.~

Well, I figured wrong. First, I located a Common Loon in non-breeding plumage. Then, I found a pair of SURF SCOTERS! I was pretty excited to see these birds. Scope views were fabulous, photos were strictly documentary. Before I left, I found a second Common Loon, this one in breeding plumage.

~Yes! SURF SCOTERS at Glenmere Lake, 04/13/20. Note that the park is closed, so I was viewing from outside, looking over the fence.~

I headed over to Wickham to try for the Black Scoters – I passed Rob on my way (he was going for the Surf Scoters!). The BLSCs were still present, keeping company with a trio of Ruddy Ducks. Linda Scrima eventually arrived and we enjoyed decent scope views of these birds. Unfortunately they were just a bit too far out for any worthwhile photos. Before I left, I located 3 Rusty Blackbirds in a tree and was able to get some shots of one of them. Not bad for a Monday evening!

*I have no idea how many people may or may not get the reference in this post title. Happy Mondays was a band that I listened to back in the 80’s and early 90’s. I Googled them, and although they have been through several incarnations, they are still making music and playing concerts.