Songbirds – Page 7 – Orange Birding

Excellent Day of Birding in OC, 10/06/18

~Cape May Warbler at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Lane, 10/06/18.~

Saturday was a busy day for me, so I’m finally getting around to writing this post early Sunday morning. First, the bad news: hawkwatch at Mt. Peter was a total bust as the mountain was completely fogged in all day. The good news, was that I did some more traditional birding and it was very productive.

~Just look at the markings on this beautiful bird. I especially lover the white around the eye. Swamp Sparrow at Liberty Lane, 10/06/18.~

My first stop was Skinner Lane. It was supposed to just be a pit stop, but since the fog was showing no sign of lifting and the birding was good, I stayed for a good while (actually, I ran up to Mt. Pete at 10:30 thinking it might be clear; it wasn’t so I headed back to Skinner). When I first arrived, I was impressed by the number of Tree Swallows present. I was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty good sized flock of Horned Larks had moved in, among them several AMERICAN PIPITS. The big surprise came when I was scanning the larks and came across a LAPLAND LONGSPUR! This is a bird that is certainly one of my favorite, has a certain inherent coolness to it, and I just seem to have a knack for tracking them down. I was pumped, and although the bird was not really close, I was able to get some documentary photos; I’ve posted one at the bottom of this post. Kyle Dudgeon joined me shortly after I’d located the LALO, but unfortunately we were unable to relocate it.

~Very exciting – AMERICAN PIPIT at Skinner Lane, 10/06/18. I was happy to have this bird close enough for some photos.

Shorebirds were, of course, my initial target for my stop at Skinner. I’d had 6 American Golden-Plovers earlier, and Kyle relocated them as soon as he arrived. Then, we had a single shorebird flying and calling. We tracked the bird in our binoculars, waiting for it to put down. But, it never found a spot that it liked and it rose up and flew out of range. We thought that was the last we would see of the bird, but minutes later it returned and did the same routine but this time it put down in the distance. We relocated to try to get a better vantage point, but alas we were unable to relocate the bird. Based on the overall coloring, size, and its call, we believe that it was a SANDERLING. Karen Miller had arrived, and she was able to get the American Pipits and the American Golden-Plovers, but we were unable to relocate the Lapland Longspur nor the Sanderling.

~Palm Warbler at Liberty Lane, 10/06/18.~

Kyle and I had an unproductive stop at the Pine Island Turf Nursery, a single Solitary Sandpiper and several American Kestrels were our best birds. Kyle had to head home, but I continued, heading over to Liberty Lane; Rob Stone had let me know it was pretty active earlier in the morning. It was still hopping when I was there. I had a nice walk with loads of birds with almost every step. Swamp Sparrows and Song Sparrows dominated, but there were also some highlights: 4 White-crowned Sparrows, a Palm Warbler, a Blackpoll Warbler, and a CAPE MAY WARBLER. The Cape May Warbler was super accommodating and I was able to take many photos of it. On my way out I had a single Lesser Yellowlegs flying and calling overhead, which was a nice way to end a good day of birding.

~This bird stumped me. Chipping Sparrow (first winter) at Liberty Lane, 10/06/18.~

~I alway love these dudes. Horned Lark, looking spiffy. Skinner Lane, 10/06/18.~

~Solitary Sandpiper strutting its stuff. PI Turf Nursery, 10/06/18.~

~Blackpoll Warbler in tough photo conditions. I had the bird in better light, but blew it. Liberty Lane, 10/06/18.~

~One more shot of the Cape May Warbler, Liberty Lane 10/06/18.~

~Documentary shot of the LAPLAND LONGSPUR, Skinner Lane 10/06/18.

Sunday Shots, 09/16/18

~Osprey on a nice perch at Wallkill River NWR’s Winding Waters Trail, 09/09/18.~

QUICK POST: Busy day here, so just putting together some recent photos, most from this weekend, all from within the last week. I just realized as I was writing this that all were taken at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, either at the Liberty Loop or at Winding Waters Trail.

~Common Gallinules at the south end of the Liberty Loop, 09/16/18.~

~Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Winding Waters Trail, 09/16/18.~

~Northern Parula at the Liberty Loop. Actually this bird was on the trail leading to Owens Station, 09/09/18~

~Eastern Phoebe at Winding Waters Trail, 09/09/18.~

~This Greater Yellowlegs was not very far from the Lesser Yellowlegs below. I tried but failed to get a good shot of the two together for comparison’s sake. Liberty Loop, 09/16/18.~

~Lesser Yellowlegs, Liberty Loop 09/16/18.~

A Look at Wrens

~House Wren, Stewart Forest SP, Orange County NY. Photo by Bill Fiero.

GUEST POST BY BILL FIERO

We’re all familiar with our neighborhood wrens, House, Carolina, Winter, Marsh, and Sedge. Of the 5, Winter and Carolina Wrens are resident, while the House, Marsh, and Sedge Wrens are summer breeders in our area. There are actually 88 species of wren occurring throughout North and South America, occupying a number of habitats, and are excellent songsters more often heard than seen. There is, however, one species that occurs in the old world, the Eurasian Wren, largely resident throughout Europe and Asia. Eurasian Wrens had previously been considered the same species as our Winter Wren, but it has recently been split into 3 separate species (‘Winter Wren’ in the eastern US, ‘Pacific Wren’, in the west, and ‘Eurasian Wren’ in the old world). As classification methods improve, we can expect more changes in our understanding of the relationships between familiar birds. Perhaps an increase in ‘armchair lifers’?

~Eurasian Wren in County Galway, Ireland 07/07/18. Photo by Matt Z.~

Rossadillisk, Ireland

From July 7th to the 14th, Tricia and I, along with seven other members of her family rented a house right on the beach in Rossadillisk, Ireland. Rossadillisk is a Townland in County Galway, Ireland. It is very small, taking up just .29 square miles of area. But, it is certainly not the smallest, as, of the approximately 4,556 townlands in County Galway, it is the 2,483rd largest. For such a small area, Rossadillisk packs a pretty mean birding punch. There is great birding along the road – with many fields and plenty of thick vegetation. And then, there is always the beach. I got into a nice routine of getting up nice and early. I would bird the beach right in front of our house and then set off to bird along the road, which is where I found most of my birds. I would finish the morning by birding what I called the “far beach”, which was much larger and more productive than the beach right in front of the house.

~My favorite bird of the trip, a Eurasian SKYLARK sits in some nice light in a pretty setting. Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/10/18.~

For the week, I tallied 46 species of birds in that .29 square miles. I mostly enjoyed the challenge of trying to find birds and identify them; in the beginning, identifying birds was not coming very easily at all. It felt a lot like starting over birding – I came to realize how much I know the birds in our area just because I’ve had plenty of experience with them before and because they are supposed to be there; they are expected. And, I also realized that I’m not actually spending all that much time truly looking at birds and recognizing and knowing their field marks. Additionally, I hadn’t done much homework before the trip, and the guides I was using* just didn’t seem to be quite as comprehensive as the ones we use for birds in the eastern United States, and finally, it was the time of year when there were many young birds around, so some of the plumages I was seeing were not in the guides. This made for some very interesting and rewarding birding, in spite of it being frustrating at times.

~Sedge Warbler, Rossadillisk Townland, Ireland 07/13/18.~

I hope you enjoy this little taste of Ireland’s birds – I’ve included my favorite shots from my mornings in Rossadillisk. If I’ve misidentified any birds, please let me know in the comments.

~A young European Robin. I never once saw an adult, but these guys were around most mornings. Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/09/18.~

~Flyover by a Red-billed Chough, Rossadillisk Townland, Ireland 07/10/18.~

~Hard to beat a Stonechat on a post! Rossadillisk Townland, Ireland 07/10/18.~

~I wonder if the Irish take these European Goldfinches for granted the way many of us do with our American Goldfinches? Beautiful little bird, Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/09/18.~

~One more of my favorite, a EURASIAN SKYLARK showing off its crest. Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/10/18.~

AT THE BEACH

~I was excited to see this bird. Common Ringed Plover at the far beach, Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/09/18.~

~Eurasian Oystercatchers were plentiful. Other shorebirds that I saw but was unable to get good photos of include Eurasian Curlew and Common Greenshank. My brother-in-law Bill located a Common Redshank at a beach not too far way. This oystercatcher was at the far beach in Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/09/18.~

~I saw these guys (gals?) every day as well. Black-headed Gull at the far beach in Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/08/18.~

~I misidentified this bird initially as a Common Rosefinch. The eBird reviewer from the area communicated with me to let me know it was in fact a Eurasian Linnet and that CORO was a rare sighting in Ireland, with perhaps 10 a year. Far beach at Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/09/18.~

~Stonechat on the beach, Rossadillisk Townland, Ireland 07/10/18.~

~European Greenfinch at the far beach, Rossadillisk, Ireland 07/09/18.~

*I used the Complete Field Guide to Ireland’s Birds by Eric Dempsey & Michael O’Clery, as well as two apps on my phone: iBird UK Pro and Birds of Britain and Ireland by Natureguides.

Sterling Valley Loop, 06/03/18

I usually like to post on Sunday nights, or at least once over the weekend, but last night I was having some computer issues, so this post had to wait until today.

I got a nice early start on Sunday morning. I headed to Sterling Forest State Park, where I was going to walk the Sterling Valley Loop, an eight mile hike that I have done several times and is typically quite birdy. I use the end of Ironwood Drive as the trailhead, which is nice as that spot is usually very active with birds, particularly with Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers. I was surprised by the number of cars in the parking area and by the number of birders and photographers lingering around the power cut. This made me switch gears a little bit, and instead of birding the area before heading on the trail, I hit the trail immediately (not to worry, I picked up BWWA and GWWA out on the trail).

~How cute is this little dude? Young Louisiana Waterthrush at Sterling Valley Loop, 06/03/18.~

You don’t go on a hike like this, at this time of year, especially in the overcast conditions we were having on Sunday, expecting to see and photograph all that many birds. Large stretches of the trail were flat out dark (ISO set to 4000+), and much of my birding was done by ear with the occasional nice surprise of tracking down a bird. I feel like I really appreciate seeing birds so much more when they are harder to come by. I began to rack up the number of species and individuals. The most numerous species were likely American Redstarts and Red-eyed Vireos. Highlights included: hearing a remarkable 6 ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS hearing both species of cuckoo and seeing my first BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO of the year, hearing 4 CERULEAN WARBLERS and finally being able to track one down for at least a documentary photograph, and watching a young Cedar Waxwing get fed by and adult. The best moment of the day came when a young LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH landed on a branch just off the trail to my left. This bird was so stinkin’ cute!

I ended the hike with what I thought was a respectable 56 species. You can see my complete list of species here.

~All spring I’ve been hearing Cerulean Warblers at Sterling Forest SP. I FINALLY tracked one down on the Sterling Valley Loop, 06/03/18.~

Goosepond Mountain State Park, 05/26/18

On Saturday morning, I met up with Linda Scrima and Maria Loukeris and we headed to Goosepond Mountain State Park to try our luck. We parked at the Laroe Road entrance to the trail, which has been renovated since the last time I was there – the parking area is better with fresh gravel and the entrance to the trail has been cleared of all overflowing vegetation. I was on a bit of a tight schedule, but we still managed to walk a pretty good portion of the trail, walking nearly a mile and a half in before turning around.

~This was my first chance to photograph an Eastern Towhee this year. Goosepond Mountain SP, 05/26/18.~

It was a birdy walk, but with all the trees leafing out, we certainly had more birds heard than seen. We had many BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS; they were mostly heard but we did track down several of them and they all were, indeed, Blue-winged Warblers (no hybrids, no Golden-winged Warblers). American Redstarts were numerous, as were Eastern Towhees, one of which provided a nice photo op. We didn’t know it at the time, but our best bird of the day was a flycatcher, perched high on a dead tree snag. The sun was on the other side of the bird, causing it to be severely backlit. We spent some time trying to turn it into an Olive-sided Flycatcher, but in the end we left the bird unidentified. That is, until Maria got home and looked at her photos. In the pics she could see that the bird had white tufts on its back – indicative of an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER! I never even knew this was a field mark for OSFL! When I got a chance to look at my photos and lifted the shadows, sure enough the tufts were quite evident (see photo below). I thought it was really nice work by Maria to pick up on it and I was happy to have taken a few photos of the bird – you never know! I’d had some possible OSFLs in the past – all out at the Bashakill, but I was never certain enough to count them – so this bird is a lifer for me : )

~Olive-sided Flycatcher at Goosepond Mountain, 05/26/18.~

AND A FEW PHOTOS TO CATCH UP FROM EARLIER THIS WEEK:

~Not the best shot, especially since I think this is a very photogenic bird; Eastern Kingbird at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop, 05/20/18.~

~Flycatcher Sp. at Citgo Pond, 05/22/18. My suspicion is that this is a Willow Flycatcher, based on the crest and the long tail, but this bird never called while I was there.~

~Great Blue Heron at the Liberty Loop last Sunday, 05/20/18.~

A Small But Productive Window, 05/19/18

~Flycatcher Sp. at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/19/18. I suspect this is an Eastern Wood-Pewee as I had heard one call earlier; I did not witness this bird calling however.~

I have some things going on this weekend, so my birding window was a brief one early this morning. I made the best of it – I went to Laurel Grove Cemetery, which was quite birdy. Best birds were: a family of Common Mergansers (one adult female with 7 young), Blackpoll Warblers (6+, my FOY), Cape Warbler (1), American Redstart (1), Chestnut-sided Warbler (1), Pine Warbler (2), Yellow-rumped Warblers (4), and most exciting – Bay-breasted Warblers (2, my FOY).

~I always loved Cape May in the rain. When we were kids, we spent the summers in Wildwood, NJ. On rainy days we would head to Cape May and wander around looking at the shops – usually getting candy or ice cream. Cape May Warbler in the rain at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/19/18.~

On my way out, I was contacted by Rob Stone; he had 10 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 3 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS at the Camel Farm. I ran for the birds on my way home, meeting up with Linda Scrima. Unfortunately I was pressed for time, so I was only able to take a quick look at the birds before I had to run, but still it was great to see them and add them to my 2018 Orange County list. I also saw my FOY Bobolink as I was leaving the Camel Farm. Not bad for a quick morning in the field!

~Short-billed Dowitchers and on the far left, a single White-rumped Sandpiper, at the Camel Farm, 05/19/18.~

WARBLERS!

From Friday evening to Saturday evening, I’m pretty sure I had my best 24 hours of warblers ever. In that span I had 19 species of warbler in three different locations: Sterling Forest State Park’s Ironwood Drive, Sterling Forest’s Old Forge Road, and Pochuck Mountain State Park.

Black-and-white Warbler: Ironwood Drive and Old Forge Road

Ovenbird: All three locations

~Ovenbird at Pochuck Mountain SP, 05/05/18.~

Nashville Warbler: Pochuck

Worm-eating Warbler: Ironwood Drive

Louisiana Waterthrush: Ironwood Drive and Old Forge Road

Northern Waterthrush: Ironwood Drive

Black-throated Blue Warbler: Ironwood Drive and Pochuck

~Male Black-throated Blue Warbler at Sterling SP, 05/05/18.~

~Female Black-throated Blue Warbler at Pochuck Mountain SP, 05/05/18.~

Blue-winged Warbler: Ironwood Drive

Common Yellowthroat: Ironwood Drive

Hooded Warbler: Ironwood Drive

~I still need a good Hooded Warbler Photo. Sterling Forest, 05/04/18.~

Cerulean Warbler: Ironwood Drive

Northern Parula: Ironwood Drive and Pochuck

Blackburnian Warbler: Ironwood Drive

Yellow Warbler: Ironwood Drive and Old Forge Road

~American Redstart at Sterling Forest SP, 05/04/18.~

American Redstart: Ironwood Drive and Old Forge Road

Black-throated Blue Warbler: Ironwood Drive and Pochuck

Black-throated Green Warbler: Pochuck

Yellow-rumped Warbler: Ironwood Drive

Prairie Warbler: Ironwood Drive

Golden-winged Warbler: Ironwood Drive

~Golden-winged Warbler at Sterling Forest, 05/04/18.~

Maybe more remarkably, in that same 24 hours, I added a total of 27 new species to my Orange County year list. Highlights (outside of the warblers) include: Virginia Rail (Liberty Loop), Broad-winged Hawk (Sterling SP), Green Heron (Sterling SP), and Baltimore Oriole (Pochuck).

~I like this pic – Blue-headed Vireo at Sterling Forest SP, 05/05/18.~

~Ruby-crowned Kinglets were numerous at Sterling Forest today – I had at least 20 of them.~

Excellent Birding at Glenmere Lake, 01/01/18

~What a little cutie – Golden-crowned Kinglet at Glenmere Lake, 01/01/18.~

I really didn’t have much in the way of expectations for my first day of birding in 2018. I knew I wanted to get up early to try for the two ROSS’S GEESE at Glenmere Lake, but beyond that I didn’t have a plan. It was zero degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up, but I managed to rustle myself out of bed and get to the lake before the geese left. When I arrived, there were several other birders that had the same idea as me: Karen Miller, Diane Bliss, Mike Mallon, Rick Hansen, and Kathy Ashman were all present, getting their Orange County Ross’s Goose for the new year. I waited with Karen, Diane, and Mike for the geese to pick up, since the 2 Ross’s spent most of the time with their heads tucked in. On my way out, I was talking to Kathy in the parking lot and we decided to walk the trail. Kathy had already walked it earlier with Rick, but was game for some more birding.

~I have to say I was definitely surprised to see Yellow-rumped Warblers on the trail today. Glenmere Lake, 01/01/18.~

I haven’t spent much time birding the trail at Glenmere, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. We ended up having an incredible morning with nice variety of songbirds and some close encounters. How’s this for some good birds on January 1st: Golden-crowned Kinglet (many!), Yellow-rumped Warbler (7), Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebird (12), and six different species of woodpecker! (Hairy, Downy, Red-bellied, N. Flicker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Pileated). Of the likely woodpeckers, we only missed the Red-headed Woodpecker (which is still present, Judy Cinquina, Tom Millard, and Maria Loukeris all saw it today).

~Hermit Thrush at Glenmere Lake, 01/01/18.~

At one point, I had a Golden-crowned Kinglet feeding just inches from my right shoulder! I stayed completely still and just enjoyed it; I couldn’t believe how close the bird was, nor could I believe how very tiny they are when you see them that close – they are just little peanuts! We walked the trail until it opens up to a field. The field was very active and we weren’t sure where to look for the next bird. Then a Pileated Woodpecker flew out of the trees right towards us, banking right over our heads before landing on a nearby tree. It really was a super morning of birding and in the end we tallied 28 species for the morning. I’ve not birded one on one with Kathy much before this, and I have to say it was a joy and she is really good – always a step ahead of me picking up birds all around us. Good birding for sure and a great way to start the year.

~One of my favorites! Brown Creeper at Glenmere Lake, 01/01/18.~

~Big, dinosaur like bird – Pileated Woodpecker at Glenmere Lake, 01/01/18.~

~The 2 ROSS’S GEESE take off from the lake just after 8 am. Glenmere Lake, 01/o1/18.~

~Mike Mallon picked up two coyotes crossing the lake in the distance. Glenmere Lake, 01/01/18.~

~One more butter-butt. Yellow-rumped Warbler with a snack at Glenmere Lake, 01/01/18.~

~In the afternoon, I headed back out. I met up with Kyle Dudgeon and we cruised the black dirt. Kyle picked up his lifer Lapland Longspur, and we both got shots of this awesome Merlin. Black Dirt Region 01/01/18.~

Beautiful Bird

~Rusty Blackbird at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 10/16/17.~

If you had a chance to be out this evening, you know it was a gorgeous night, cool and breezy with an amazing sunset. The only thing that could make it better is a beautiful bird, and the Rusty Blackbird is the kind of bird that can just make your day with their distinctive call and fabulous coloring. I ran into several of these beauties this evening at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and I’m still smiling about it.