Well, there wasn’t much happening this weekend with one exception: On Saturday morning, in the black dirt, I relocated a DICKCISSEL that Bruce Nott had originally found on Thursday morning but hadn’t been seen since. It was a nice surprise for me – I figured that bird was a one-hit wonder for sure. Otherwise, not much was going on, so I’m supplementing this weeks shots with some recent shots from my back yard. Hopefully things will really start to pick up this coming week.
On Saturday morning I birded the area, hoping for some new fall shorebird arrivals. Unfortunately, I did not add any new species to my list from last week, and I had a total of only 4 shorebird species.
The highlight for me was spending some quality time with a young Killdeer foraging under a sprinkler in the black dirt, so I’ll leave you with an overdose of cuteness. All photos taken on 07/26/25 in the Black Dirt Region.
I was able to get out early both mornings this weekend and things are starting to happen. Shorebirds are on the move. On Saturday morning, I had a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers at the Camel Farm. Then, this morning I had two fields in the black dirt that were loaded with Killdeer, and at the Camel Farm, I found 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Least Sandpipers, and 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers. And finally, at Beaver Pond (near Glenmere Lake), I had 2 Solitary Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, and a handful of Killdeer.
Shorebirds aside, my first stop, super early on Saturday morning, was at Mongaup Falls Reservoir, where I kayaked again. I was trying for Red Crossbills, but unfortunately I didn’t have any luck with that species. Still, it was an enjoyable paddle, birdy enough and even though it was sunny, it was still nice and cool at that hour. I didn’t track my species for that paddle, but I had mostly the same usuals as last weekend, give or take.
It’s not very often these days that I get to say I did something completely new locally, but that was the case this morning. I went kayaking at Mongaup Falls Reservoir in Sullivan County. Last night I was flipping through the book Quiet Water New York by John Hayes & Alex Wilson, and I saw their write up for this location. I realized that in spite of how close it is, I somehow never kayaked there before.
It was a cool misty morning went I put in. The mist stopped quickly, but the morning stayed cloudy and pleasantly cool. I wouldn’t have minded a little more light for photos, but what can you do? It was a very birdy paddle; I had over 45 species, and it was really just a peaceful morning to be out. Notable species for me included Common Merganser, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Magnolia Warbler. Merlin heard Purple Finch a couple of times, but that’s a bird I’ve never been very good at identifying by ear. Merlin also identified RED CROSSBILL several times. I kept missing it when it happened, but then I finally I heard something and looked at my phone and it said Red Crossbill. I kept listening, and even though Merlin was no longer picking it up, I was sure I was hearing a Red Crossbill doing its chipa-chipa-chipa call. I was scanning the treetops madly, but frustratingly, I never got a visual.
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.
We’ve enjoyed some good and exciting birding in the area recently; my recent posts have reflected that. So this afternoon I’m just doing a little clean up and posting some of the shots which were also taken during that time. Migration is winding down now, and the exciting birding will probably be on hold for a little while; meanwhile we can change our focus to breeding birds, hiking, and just enjoying being out.
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.
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.
Yesterday evening, and then again first thing this morning, I was out in the Black Dirt Region, looking for shorebirds in the all the puddling from the recent heavy rains. Between the two days, at a couple different locations, I had a total of 8 shorebird species:
Songbird migration is really kicking into gear, so just being out and about this weekend I added a dozen species to my year list. While none were out of the ordinary, it was just enjoyable to be out with so many birds around. As far as warblers go, I added 6 species: Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Pine Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Parula, and Black-and-white Warbler. While I came up short regarding warbler photos, I did manage to get some shots over the weekend:
~Bald Eagle in flight in the Black Dirt Region, 04/27/25.~
