Songbirds – Orange Birding

Monhegan Island 2026

Last weekend, Tricia and I spent five days on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine. It was our third time on the island, and I have to say that it is probably my all-time favorite vacation spot, which is a little bit ironic because the birding consists largely of songbirds, which readers may know is not my most favorite type of birding. But the island is such a refreshing place to be – I love getting on the ferry, leaving the car behind, and having this small, beautiful, birdy island to explore on foot for the the next several days.

~Magnolia Warbler, Monhegan Island 05/23/26.~

It was our first visit to the island in the springtime, and the birds did not disappoint. Including three additional species from ferry rides, I had a total of 74 species -I’ve included my list of all species observed on the island at the bottom of this post. Over two thirds of all species were songbirds, with (16) of them being warblers. I felt pretty good about the number of birds I observed – I know I missed several species through word of mouth and also birds that the Merlin app heard but I did not pick up on, but overall I thought I did pretty well.

~This is among my favorite warbler species – Blackpoll Warbler on Monhegan Island, 05/23.26.~

In a twist, the highlight of the trip was not songbird related. On Saturday afternoon, after a full morning of birding, I went to the Monhegan Brewery to enjoy a cold beer and some deep-fried pickles. While I was enjoying my lunch, I noticed a distant, interesting bird in flight. I grabbed my binoculars and got on the bird – it was a raptor with a striped wedge-shaped tail. Almost as soon as I got on the bird, my view was obstructed by a building. I jumped up, camera in hand, and tried to pick it up again on the other side of the building, but did not have any luck. The only bird (to my mind) that fit the bill was Mississippi Kite, but that seemed very unlikely – we were on an island ten miles off the coast of Maine! I finished up my lunch quickly and headed in the direction I’d seen the bird. I ran into another birder (Emily) and asked if she’d seen any interesting raptors, and she had, and described a light colored raptor with a white head! We were both floored at the possibility. I mentioned that I was pretty sure on a small island chock full of birders, someone else would have seen that bird and gotten some photos. The next day I ran into Emily again, and she confirmed my suspicions – the bird had been reported with photos! I couldn’t help but feel the pangs of disappointment of not getting any photos, but it was still a very exciting development. Fast forward to Tuesday – the day we were leaving the island. I took a break from packing my bags and went out on the side porch of the Monhegan House hotel where we were staying. I saw an interesting bird flying south and asked Tricia to grab my camera from the room while I tried to stay on it. The bird eventually turned around and flew nearly directly overhead allowing for some terribly backlit, but still very exciting photos:

~Wow! Mississippi Kite on Monhegan Island, 05/26/26.~

I was thrilled to get a second chance to document the bird. I don’t love the photos, but what can you do. From what I heard, the initial sitings on 05/23/26 were the first ever report of Mississippi Kite on Monhegan Island.

Other excitement for me included seeing and hearing plenty of Red Crossbills. For us in the Hudson Valley, it’s a rare treat to get a Red Crossbills, but I think the locals consider this a garbage bird for Monhegan Island, lol. I was excited to get the opportunity to see and photograph them up close.

~Red Crossbill on Monhegan Island, 05/24/26.~

~One more RECR on Monhegan Island, 05/24/26.~

Another interesting thing about birding on Monhegan Island is that the place is loaded with Ring-necked Pheasants. The birds breed there, I’ve photographed their young before and again during this trip. It’s curious to me that eBird still lists them as Exotic/Escapee; I’m not sure how that works.

~Ring-necked Pheasant chick on Monhegan Island, 05/23/26.~

~A female Ring-necked Pheasant takes a snooze. Monhegan Island 05/25/26.~

~These guys are all over the island, usually finding a high spot to perch on and vocalize. Ring-necked Pheasant on Monhegan Island, 05/24/26.~

The ferry ride back to the mainland proved to be exciting and was the icing on the cake for the trip. First I had a distant, unidentified shearwater. I could not get on the bird with my camera unfortunately, so a little bit frustrating, but also pretty exciting. And then, a little bit later, I was able to locate and photograph a single Atlantic Puffin! This was a fantastic way to end a great trip.

~Wow! Atlantic Puffin on the ferry trip from Monhegan Island to Port Clyde, 05/26/26.~

As always, I took loads of photos, so enjoy a sampling:

~Northern Parula on Monhegan Island, 05/26/26.~

~Red-eyed Vireo on Monhegan Island, 05/23/26.~

~Common Yellowthroats were all over the place. Monhegan Island, 05/23/26.~

~There were loads of Northern Yellow Warblers as well. Monhegan Island 05/26/26.~

~I think is was one of my better birds from the trip. Olive-sided Flycatcher on Monhegan Island, 05/26/26.~

~Another birder told me that the American Herring Gulls nested between Whitehead and Blackhead, so I took a hike out there and checked it out. Monhegan Island, 05/25/26.~

~I always enjoy seeing the seals when I’m on the island. I like how this crew almost seems to be posing for the shot. Monhegan Island, 05/25/26.~

Sunday Shots, 05/03/26

It’s the time of year when there are plenty of birds around, so it made for a very pleasant weekend of birding. I added (18) new species to my 2026 Orange County year list. I had a decent showing of shorebirds on Saturday, with six species observed. At the Camel Farm, Linda Scrima and I had Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper and Killdeer. I added Spotted Sandpiper at the Liberty Loop platform. I did alright with songbirds too; I added (9) new species of wood warblers to my OC year list, including my favorite new species from the weekend, a beautiful Cape May Warbler.

~Cape May Warbler at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis, 05/03/26.~

I also spent some time in the black dirt looking for and finding Lapland Longspurs. On Saturday I was pleasantly surprised to see the flock of Horned Larks was still around and although it took a while, I was able to locate a single LALO in non-breeding plumage. Today I was able to get on a couple of LALOs pretty quickly, and one was in breeding plumage. Unfortunately, the birds are moving around a lot, and the spots they have been favoring are distant enough to make getting photos very challenging, and I failed on both days. I was still pretty excited though, as these are my first observations ever of this species in the month of May.

~The flock of Horned Larks with the Lapland Longspurs remained uncooperative, but there are plenty of of larks which are not part of the flock and are going about their business of having young. This one landed on the road right in front of me; I couldn’t resist getting a few shots. Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 05/02/26.~

~Sandhill Crane in flight over Liberty Marsh, 05/02/26.~

~Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/03/26.~

~Cape May Warbler at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/03/26.~

~And one final shot of the CMWA at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/03/26.~

~I took this last weekend, Greater Yellowlegs on Lynch Avenue in the black dirt on 04/26/26.~

Sunday Shots, 10/12/25

Last weekend I was out of commission with some family in for a visit, but I was back at starting on Thursday after work, when I went to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, where I had my first Rusty Blackbirds of the fall. On Saturday morning I was up at Mount Peter Hawkwatch; it was not a productive day with very light winds from the east and only 13 migrating raptors before I wrapped it up at 2 pm when the rain started.

This morning was a little more productive. While I didn’t have anything out-0f-the-ordinary, there were plenty of birds around to enjoy. Highlights for me included a large flock of American Pipits (which frustratingly stayed out of photo range), several large flocks of Canada Geese to sift through, my first Dark-eyed Juncos and White-crowned Sparrows of the year, and a Swainson’s Thrush at my last stop of the day – 6 1/2 Station Road.

~I was totally into watching these two Great Blue Herons do their dance at the viewing platform at Liberty Loop, 10/12/25.~

~Always good to see this bird. Rusty Blackbird at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/09/25.~

~There are plenty of these dudes around right now. Yellow-rumped Warbler at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/12/25.~

~I had a small flock of Horned Larks near the road. I wish the pipits had been as cooperative. Black dirt region, 10/12/25.~

~Great Blue Heron at the Liberty Loop, 10/12/25.~

~I believe this is a juvenile female Northern Pintail. 6 1/2 Station Road, 10/12/25.~

Sunday Shots, 06/29/25

At my first stop this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find two young Barred Owls. They were being mobbed by Common Grackles, which is the only reason I found them.

For my second stop, I’d nearly forgotten about one of the best summer birding spots in Orange County: the Mongaup River Trail. It’s an easy hike that, as the name indicates, runs along the Mongaup River. I find that it’s not a great spot first thing in the morning because everything is still in dark shadows. I arrived around 9:00 am, and that seemed to be a good time to arrive. I was in some shade on the way out and mostly in sun on the way back. My first bird was a Pine Warbler, followed shortly by a high, calling Blackburnian Warbler. There were a good number Louisana Waterthrush, Ovenbirds, and Black-throated Green Warblers. I usually get Magnolia Warbler at this location, but did not today. I also had a single Northern Parula and an adult Bald Eagle.

On my way home, I took the long way and went through the Rio Dam area. I had a Red Fox cross the road in front of my car. They disappeared into the woods quicker than you can imagine! And, a little later I had a Winter Wren singing just off the road.

~Young Barred Owl in Orange County, NY 06/29/25.~

~A Louisiana Waterthrush with a mouthful of insects. Mongaup River Trail, 06/29/25.~

~Ovenbird at Mongaup River Trail, 06/29/25.~

~A Green Heron cuts a nice figure on a dead tree limb, 06/29/25.~

Sunday Shots…a day late, 05/19/25

Tricia and I went away for the weekend, but I was able to get out and do some local birding on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. I hit the black dirt on Sunday, hoping for the White-rumped Sandpiper that had been reported earlier in the week. I dipped on my target, but I was able to add Semipalmated Plover to my year list and get a handful of shots of a Grasshopper Sparrow. This morning I birded Ironwood Drive at Sterling Forest State Park. It was birdy as can be, and I had several new year birds. Most notable for me, was Alder Flycatcher, as that’s not a species I get every year. I had some frustrating likely misses, as the Merlin app was hearing birds that I wasn’t able to hear nor locate. The trees are full of leaves now, and that made it challenging as well. Here’s some shots from the last couple of days.

~These guys are generally pretty accommodating. Male Bobolink in the black dirt, 05/18/25.~

~I rarely take backlit photos – I’ve seen others have some great images with backlighting, but usually I don’t see it. This case was an exception – backlit Prairie Warbler singing at Sterling Forest State Park, 05/19/25.~

~For a bird that I see and hear daily, I rarely get any photos of Baltimore Orioles. This one was at Sterling Forest, 05/19/25.~

~I was pleased to find this GRASSHOPPER SPARROW perched near the road as I made my way home from the black dirt on Sunday afternoon, 05/18/25.

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.