Songbirds – Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 05/11/25

After a couple of days of focusing on shorebirds, I figured I better get out and try for some songbirds this morning before they all pass me by. I spent some time early at Elks Brox Memorial Park, and it was fairly productive. I added several species to my OC 2025 list: Blue-headed Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler. Afterwards, I went to Port Orange Road and enjoyed trying for photos of a couple of Cerulean Warblers that were present.

~Cerulean Warbler at Port Orange Road, 05/11/25.~

~Magnolia Warbler hiding in the shadows at Elks Brox Memorial Park, 05/11/25.~

~Prairie Warbler at Elks Brox, 05/11/25.~

~Eastern Phoebe at Port Orange Road, 05/11/25.~

Sunday Shots, 05/04/25

Well, it was quite a bird-filled weekend. It’s that time of year where just being out and about you will see many new birds for the year. If I include Thursday, I personally added nearly 30 birds to my Orange County year list. I’ve included a list of all my new birds at the bottom of this post.

While most of the birds were nothing out-of-the-ordinary, there were some highlights. On Saturday morning, the Camel Farm was well stocked with shorebirds. While most of the birds were Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, I did add several new species, including a single DUNLIN in beautiful plumage. It was funny, because Linda Scrima joined me there; she was trying to get on the Dunlin and she casually asked me if it was near the GLOSSY IBIS… I was like what GLOSSY IBIS??? The ibis must have flown in while I had my head down in my scope, so that was a funny, pleasant surprise.

~This photo made my weekend. It’s been absolutely years since I’ve gotten a decent cuckoo photo, so I was thrilled to spend a little time at Winding Waters Trail with this Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 05/04/25.~

On Sunday morning, for my final stop, I took a walk out at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail, where two excellent things happened. First, I ran into and caught up with my friends Jeff and Liz; It had been ages since I’ve seen them, and I was coincidentally just thinking about them the day before. And second, a little while after that, I ran into a relatively cooperative YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. It’s been absolutely ages since I’ve had a good cuckoo experience, so I really enjoyed it.

~Greater Yellowlegs at the Camel Farm, 05/04/25.~

~My warbler game is right on par, lol. Here’s snazzy shot of a distant Blue-winged Wabler on an electrical tower in Sterling Forest, 05/03/25.~

~There were loads of Yellow Warblers at most locations I went to over the weekend. This one was taken at Winding Waters Trail, 05/04/25.~

~One more Yellow-billed Cuckoo shot. Winding Waters Trail, 05/04/25.~

~Cuteness. Canada Goose goslings at Wickham Lake, 05/03/25.~

130. Barred Owl – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
131. Black-billed Cuckoo – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
132. Solitary Sandpiper – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
133. Northern Rough-winged Swallow – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
134. Northern House Wren – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
135. Bank Swallow – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
136. Eastern Kingbird – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
137. Northern Waterthrush – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
138. American Redstart – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
139. Dunlin – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
140. Least Sandpiper – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
141. Pectoral Sandpiper – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
142. Glossy Ibis – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
143. Red-eyed Vireo – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
144. Ovenbird – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
145. Scarlet Tanager – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
146. Yellow-throated Vireo – Elks Brox – 05/03/25
147. Worm-eating Warbler – Elks Brox – 05/03/25
148. Wood Thrush – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
149. Rose-breasted Grosbeak – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
150. Indigo Bunting – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
151. Green Heron – Sugar Loaf – 05/03/25
152. Eastern Whip-poor-will – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
153. American Woodcock – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
154. Blue-winged Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
155. Cerulean Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
156. Chestnut-sided Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
157. Prairie Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
158. Yellow-billed Cuckoo – Winding Waters – 05/04/25

Easter Birding, 04/20/25

We hosted for Easter, so it was mostly a birding-free weekend for me. I did manage to get out for a couple of hours late this morning into the early afternoon, and it was productive for not being out very long. At Wickham Lake I picked up my first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher of the year. Then in the black dirt, I saw my first Broad-winged Hawk of the year. And, I also found a trio of VESPER SPARROWS. It had been 2 years since I last saw a Vesper Sparrow in Orange County, so I was pretty happy about it. The birds did not stick around very long, and heat shimmer wreaked havoc on my photos, but it was still great to see them.

~Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at Wickham Lake, 04/20/25.~

~One of three Vesper Sparrow in the black dirt today, 04/20/25.~

~One more shot of the BGGN at Wickham Lake, 04/20/25.~

Sunday Shots, 10/06/24

As I did last Sunday, early this morning I walked Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail. It was a chilly, foggy start, but then it got beautifully cool and sunny. I have to say, that trail is extremely birdy right now. I walked the entire loop; I had a total of 41 species and who-knows-how-many individuals. There were birds present nearly every step of my walk today. Sparrows were far and away the most numerous, especially White-throated Sparrows. Additional sparrow species included Song, Swamp, Lincoln’s, and Dark-eyed Juncos. My best birds of the day included a couple of Tennessee Warblers and a single Nashville Warbler.

~Nashville Warbler at Winding Waters Trail, 10/06/24.~

~Tennessee Warbler at Winding Waters, 10/06/24.~

~Yellow-rumped Warbler at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/05/24.~

~A male Northern Cardinal at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/05/24.~

~Lincoln’s Sparrow at Winding Waters Trail, 10/06/24.~

Winding Waters Trail, 09/29/24

I arrived at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail this morning just after sunrise. It was a gray misty morning, but I’m happy to report that no substantial rain fell while I was on the trail. I walked the full loop and enjoyed logging nearly 40 species observed. I was happy to add a couple of birds to my Orange County 2024 list (Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Lincoln’s Sparrow). I was hoping for maybe a Connecticut Warbler or a Mourning Warbler, but that wasn’t in the cards for me today. I was using the Merlin app to identify bird sounds; at one point it indicated that it had heard a Connecticut, but in spite of my efforts, I never heard the bird, nor did I see it. The trail is absolutely loaded with birds right now, so it made for a very pleasant and birdy walk.

~Northern Flickers must be on the move right now – my yard has been full of them all week, and then I saw several on my walk this morning. NOFL at Wallkill River NWR, Winding Waters Trail 09/29/24.~

~You hear them before you see them. Four of five Sandhill Cranes that flew through while I was on the trail. The fifth bird was trailing and didn’t fit into my field of view . SACRs at Winding Waters, 09/29/24.~

Sunday Shots, 09/15/24

Outside of my day at Mount Peter Hawkwatch yesterday, I didn’t do all that much birding this weekend. I cruised the black dirt both mornings, hoping for shorebirds. I didn’t have any luck with my targets, but I was able to get some nice Savannah Sparrow and Palm Warbler shots in the early morning light.

I looked back at the last few years, and typically we would still have some shorebirds in the black dirt (American Golden and Black-bellied Plovers and Buff Breasted Sandpipers), but the only shorebirds I was able to locate this weekend were Killdeer, a single Greater Yellowlegs, a single Spotted Sandpiper, and a single Wilson’s Snipe.

Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24

Stewart State Forest is a spot in Orange County that, for no real reason, I don’t bird very often. After the enjoyable morning I had today, I think it will be a little bit more on my radar. I walked a 6 mile loop; the terrain was very flat, which made for easy walking and birding. Several of the trails were overgrown and very wet – which conversely made for some uncomfortable hiking and birding, as my hikers and pants were absolutely soaked through. One of my goals was to walk through the Great Swamp Boardwalk and Trail; it was nice out there because it opens up a bit and the gentle breeze kept the insects at bay for at least a little while.

I had a few noteworthy sightings – the first was running into a family of Barred Owls on the trail. I inadvertently flushed the birds, but one young bird was kind enough to stick around for a couple of minutes so I could get a photo. Another birding highlight was my first Alder Flycatcher of the year – this was very unexpected to me; this is a species that I don’t get every year. I first heard it calling and then located the bird up in the treetops and snapped a documentary shot.

~Not a great photo, but I was pretty happy to add this Alder Flycatcher to my 2024 Orange County list. Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24.~

Non-avian highlights include an Eastern Box Turtle, and a first for me – a crayfish walking across the trail! It was interesting, because it was quite aware of my presence and as I approached it immediately and quickly backed up off the trail. It was pretty cool. I did some Googling and watched a YouTube video, and I learned just enough to know I can’t identify the exact species. If anyone knows crayfish, please post in the comments of you know the species.

~Crayfish backing off the trail at Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24.~

I’ll mention one last observation from the morning: I SAW more birds today than I do on most hikes through the woods. As always, most birds were heard and not seen, but today I definitely got looks at way more birds than I would expect on a hike like this. I finished the day with a respectable 46 bird species.

~Field Sparrow at Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24.~

~A nice looking Yellow Warbler at Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24.~

Black Rock Forest, 06/08/24

Early June of 2018, I found my first (and only!) Ruffed Grouse in Orange County at Black Rock Forest, not far from Jupiter’s Boulder. Ever since then, I have gone back to that location at this time of the year in hopes of seeing another. Unfortunately, today’s hike did not produce any grouse, but I did have a excellent morning. It was cool and comfortable walk with plenty of birds. Highlights included my FOY (first of year) Acadian Flycatcher and Black-throated Blue Warblers. I watched a Red-tailed Hawk and a Broad-winged Hawk get into a tangle over Sutherland Pond. Ovenbird was the bird of the day – they seemed to be everywhere. My best observation, however, was not bird related. I got a fantastic look at beautiful Black Bear through some thick vegetation (which prevented photos). It was some really enjoyable summer-type birding and by the time I got back to my car, I had tallied 37 bird species.

~There were absolutely loads of Ovenbirds at Black Rock Forest this morning, 06/08/24.~

~One more Louisiana Waterthrush shot, Black Rock Forest 06/08/24.~

Sunday Shots, 05/19/24

As opposed to last weekend (when I added over 30 species to my Orange County year list), this weekend I added just a handful of new species. But! Also as unlike last week, this week I was able to get some photos of songbirds. I birded at several locations this weekend – Laurel Grove Cemetery, Elks Brox Park, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, & Sterling Forest. It was an enjoyable weekend for me; all the locations were active with many birds, the weather was good, and I was able to get some decent photos of some of the beautiful songbirds which have recently returned to our area.

~Blue-winged Warbler at Sterling Forest State Park, 05/19/24.~

~A Prairie Warbler belting it out. Sterling Forest, 05/19/24.~

~Black-capped Chickadee at Elks Brox Memorial Park, 05/18/24.~

~A female Scarlet Tanager at Elks Brox, 05/18/24.~

A Good Morning, 03/24/24

After a bleak and rainy Saturday that broke my “bad weather = good birding” rule in convincing fashion, I enjoyed a lovely, crisp, cold, and sunny Sunday morning of productive birding. I ran into Kyle Knapp at Lower Wisner Road, where we easily found my first Rusty Blackbirds of 2024; they were feeding with a small flock of American Robins out in a field. The Brown Thrasher that Kyle found skulking in some nearby hedges was an excellent bonus bird. Brown Thrasher is not a bird I see very often, so it was good to get one so early in the year.

~Brown Thrasher, Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, 03/24/24.~

~One of four Eastern Bluebirds on Lower Wisner Road, 03/24/24. I don’t know if it was the light, or what, but these birds were just spectacularly blue; just gorgeous.

Afterwards, I headed out to the black dirt to see what I could find. I was finally able to track down some Wilson’s Snipe – they were in an odd location to me – out in a field on Skinners Lane, loosely associating with nearly a dozen Killdeer. Later, at The Camel Farm, I was able to find my first American Pipits of the year; a trio of birds working around some of distant puddles out in the field.