photos – Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 03/16/25

It was a low key weekend of birding for me. I stayed local, checking the area lakes each morning and then hitting the black dirt. I didn’t have anything too exciting, but I did add (4) new species to my Orange County 2025 list. That brought my species total to (93).

Cooper’s Hawk, My Yard 03/13/25
Horned Grebe, Round Lake 03/16/25
Rusty Blackbird, Black Dirt Region 03/16/25
American Pipit, Black Dirt Region 03/16/25

Photos were tough to come by, but I did manage to get a few raptor shots in my travels.

~Black Vulture portait. Black Dirt Region, 03/16/25.~

~Red-tailed Hawk on some farm machinery in the black dirt, 03/16/25.~

Sunday Shots, 03/09/25

Last weekend was a tough one – very few birds and almost no photo ops. This weekend was a different story. The PINK-FOOTED GOOSE on Saturday was by far the highlight, but in addition to that, it was a birdy weekend and I took a lot of photos. Heat shimmer gave me fits for photos as well as scanning, but that can’t be helped. I was at Wickham Lake both mornings at sunrise; the lake is loaded with birds right now and made for some enjoyable birding. There are many Common Mergansers (hard to say, but probably 300-400?). Gulls were plentiful as well; it was probably the most gulls I’ve ever seen on that lake, with approximately 100+ Ring-billed Gulls and 20+ American Herring Gulls.

~American Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls at Wickham Lake, 03/09/25.~

I can’t even tell you how many geese I looked through in the past two days – many thousands for sure. I had 11 Snow Geese (8 were blue morphs!), and I also had one bird that I think is a very good candidate for a Cackling Goose; see photo at the bottom of this post. Two Sandhill Cranes were reported at the Liberty Loop on Saturday afternoon – I ended up seeing them on Sunday morning through dumb luck (they flew in and landed in front of a flock of geese I was sorting through).

~Sandhill Crane coming in for a landing, Liberty Marsh 03/09/25.~

~I’m loving the fluffed up feathers in this shot. Sandhill Crane at Liberty Marsh, 03/09/25.~

~Blue morph Snow Goose in the black dirt, 03/09/25.~

~Ring-billed Gulls raising an early morning racket. Wickham Lake, 03/09/25.~

~Female Common Merganser at Wickham Lake, 03/08/25.~

~And a drake Common Merganser, Wickham Lake 03/08/25.~

~White-crowned Sparrow at the Liberty Loop, 03/09/25.~

~I’m calling the bird on the far left a Cackler. Black Dirt Region, 03/09/25.~

Sunday Shots, 02/16/25

I had the type of work week where just getting out and away from my desk and seeing any birds at all was the exact medicine I needed. I spent some time in the black dirt on Saturday morning, and it was extremely quiet. From there, I headed to the Hudson River. I started on the Beacon side and then went to Newburgh, where I joined Bruce Nott and our mutual friend Ben in hopes of getting Ben and his son an Iceland Gull. It took a little while, but eventually we were able to find a very distant Iceland Gull and both Ben and his son got scope views (they would later in the day get better looks at the bird from the Beacon side). Bruce also found a pair of Long-tailed Ducks; they were my first of the year in Orange County.

~Ring-billed Gulls at the Beacon Waterfront, 02/15/25.~

On my way home, I decided to bird Purgatory Road; I hadn’t birded it in a while and it’s sometimes good for raptors. On this day, however, I saw a songbird land in a field and it caught my attention – I was pretty sure it was an Eastern Meadowlark. I stopped the car and scanned. Sure enough, I found not one, but two Eastern Meadowlarks out in a field. It was my second new OC species of the weekend, my 70th of 2025.

~Eastern Meadowlark on a snowy afternoon in a field off of Purgatory Road, 02/15/25.~

~Eastern Meadowlarks on Purgatory Road, 02/15/25.~

We had some messy weather on Sunday morning; I waited for the snow to turn to rain and the temperatures to rise above freezing before heading out. I went to the Hudson River again; my timing wasn’t great as I was definitely there ahead of prime gulling time. Of note was five Ring-necked Ducks by the Newburgh Boat Launch; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that species there before. I also had a decent look at an adult Bald Eagle.

~Bald Eagle taking off from the ice floes on the Hudson River at the Newburgh Waterfront, 02/16/25.~

Common Goldeneyes, 02/08/25

I had an enjoyable but mostly unremarkable weekend of birding; I hit the black dirt both mornings and the Newburgh Waterfront on Saturday afternoon. I added three new species to my Orange County year list: Brown Creeper, Hairy Woodpecker, and Red-breasted Merganser. Photos were tough to come by in general, but I did score with a trio of Common Goldeneyes at the Newburgh Waterfront. It was probably comical to watch, but I waited for all three birds to dive at the same time, and then I ran and jumped into some brush on the shoreline.

A Good Weekend, 01/26/25

On Saturday, I spent the day birding at the Jersey Shore with birding buds Maria Loukeris and Linda Scrima. I was serendipitous that Maria suggested a road trip, I was feeling like I was definitely ready for a break from local birding, and the beach was already on my mind. We spent most of the morning at Manasquan Inlet. All three of us were able to achieve scope views of our two target birds: Razorbill and DOVEKIE. I was hoping to get an alcid close enough for photos, but it wasn’t in the cards. As expected, the location was very birdy and also very, very cold. Other highlights included photo ops of Snow Buntings and Long-tailed Ducks, a couple of seals, and a nice-sized flock of Purple Sandpipers (with a trio of Sanderlings mixed in).

~It’s a little different seeing Snow Buntings at the beach! I’m so used to seeing them in the typically drab black dirt habitat. SNBU at Manasquan Inlet, 01/25/25.~

Afterwards, we went to Shark River Inlet, where we had a close encounter with a Cooper’s Hawk, got some better looks and photos of Purple Sandpipers, enjoyed our first Surf Scoters of the day, and watched as hundreds of Black Scoters streamed by. A delicious late lunch at The Greek Spot was a nice way to wrap up a good day of Jersey Shore birding.

~The puppy dog of ducks, a Long-tailed Duck at Manasquan Inlet, 01/25/25.~

~Purple Sandpiper at Shark River Inlet, 01/25/25.~

~I always enjoy it when I get to see some Brant. This one was at Manasquan Inlet, 01/25/25.~

~Cooper’s Hawk at Shark River Inlet, 01/25/25.~

~Locally, I would have spent much time with any Common Loon. On the Jersey Shore, they are numerous and easy to take for granted. COLO at Manasquan Inlet, 01/25/25.~

~Snow Bunting on a rope, Manasquan Inlet, 01/25/25.~

~One more Long-tailed Duck from Manasquan Inlet, 01/25/25.~

On Sunday morning I birded the Black Dirt Region and things were on the quiet side, with just the usuals observed. In the afternoon I went to the Newburgh Waterfront to try for gulls. I was lucky with a cooperative Iceland Gull, however that was the only out-of-the-ordinary gull I was able to locate.

~Gray Ghost in the black dirt, o1/26/25.~

~Iceland Gull with the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge in the background. Newburgh Waterfront, 01/26/25.~

~Iceland Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 01/26/25.~

~A sharp looking Horned Lark in the black dirt, 01/26/25.~

Sunday Shots, 01/05/25

It’s been a nice start to the new year of birding. I started with a nice 5-gull afternoon at the Newburgh Waterfront (Ring-billed, Am. Herring, Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, and Iceland). Then, yesterday, it was exciting to see the Eurasian Wigeon. And I had some more excitement today, chasing a Clay-colored Sparrow that Bruce Nott found in the Black Dirt Region. Unfortunately I was unable to relocate that bird (I don’t think anyone has), but it was exciting to try for a good bird like that. I did get my first Lapland Longspur and Snow Buntings of the year, so that was nice. Anyways, here’s a handful of shots from the past week or so.

~Male Northern Harrier in the black dirt on 01/05/25.~

~Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 01/01/25.~

~Adult Bald Eagle at Wickham Lake, 12/30/24.~

~American Tree Sparrow in the Black Dirt Region, 01/05/25.~

~One more shot of the “Gray Ghost”, a male Northern Harrier in the Black Dirt Region 01/05/25.~

2024 Year in Review

Looking back at it, it was a pretty remarkable year of birding in our area. We had an extraordinary number of what I would consider REALLY GOOD BIRDS. Fortunately, I was able to catch up with a good number of them. Here’s the list that I came up with, in chronological order. I’m sure there are additional birds that could have made the list; if you have any, feel free to add a comment to fill in the gaps.

01/01/24: Red Crossbills flyover at Reservoir 3, near Port Jervis. It was good to get this bird on my year list on the first day of the year, and I was able to photograph one gritting on the road several weeks later:

~Red Crossbill in Huguenot, NY 02/24/24.~

01/06/24: Northern Shrike at Wallkill River NWR’s Winding Waters Trail. It’s always good to see one of the coolest birds we get in our area.

~Northern Shrike at Wallkill River NWR’s Winding Waters Trail, 01/06/24.~

01/07/24: I found a Yellow-throated Warbler at the Newburgh Waterfront trail See photo below in top 10 pics.

01/21/24: GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL!!! An absolutely fantastic find by Bruce Nott. Bruce originally found the bird at the Newburgh Waterfront; I was personally able to catch up with it in Beacon a day later.

~GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL at the Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~

02/11/24: Ross’s Goose on Wisner Road, found by Maria Loukeris. Another Ross’s Goose was located in the fall by Silas Wareham.

03/02/24: I found a Red-headed Woodpecker at Brown’s Pond.

04/13/24: I finally caught up with the Great Cormorant that had been in the Newburgh area. I believe Bruce Nott was the original locater of that bird.

04/20/24: LITTLE GULL!!! Extraordinary find by Jeanne Cimorelli, originally at Washington Lake, and then later relocated by Bruce Nott on the Hudson River by Plum Point.

~I have been desparate to see this bird, and finally we got one in Orange County. LITTLE GULL at Plum Point, 04/20/24.~

05/12/24: The NEOTROPIC CORMORANT spent its 3rd year in a row at the Newburgh Waterfront area. I was able to catch up with it on this date.

05/13/24: TRICOLORED HERON!!! Another great OC find by Linda Scrima. It was really something to see this species in our area, and just minutes from my house.

~TRICOLORED HERON at Beaver Pond, 05/13/24.~

06/01/24: I was able to see and photograph the Kentucky Warbler on Mine Road, originally found by Bruce Nott.

~Kentucky Warbler at Mine Road, 06/01/24.~

06/30/24: I was thrilled to find an AMERICAN AVOCET at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary.

~AMERICAN AVOCET at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 06/30/24.~

07/12/24: I found a Blue Grosbeak in the Black Dirt Region. It had been a while since we’ve had one, and I believe a lot of birders got this one.

07/06/24: Borderline extralimital; Jeanne Cimorelli made another extraordinary find – she identified a PACIFIC LOON among a group of Common Loons at Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County. I was able to catch up with the bird a day later, and then I went back a week later and got some decent photos.

~PACIFIC LOON with Common Loons at Ashokan Reservoir, 07/14/24.~

08/02/24: A Yellow-crowned Night Heron was found by Mary B. at Majestic Park in Gardiner NY. I did not get this bird unfortunately.

08/09/24: Jeanne had a remarkable 21 Laughing Gulls at the Newburgh waterfront, and later in the evening, I found a pair of Willets in the Black Dirt Region. A day later, John Haas had a Laughing Gull at Rondout Reservoir.

~One of two Willets in the black dirt, 08/09/24.~

11/24/24: A CAVE SWALLOW was found by Patrick D. at Roundout Reservoir. I unfortunately did not have any opportunity to run for this bird.

OUT OF OUR AREA

In early February, I went on a 12 hour pelagic trip out of Brooklyn. While we did not have any extraordinary birds, we did do very well with good numbers of our target Alcid species, including Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill, Dovekie, and Common Murre. I also enjoyed some great photo ops with Iceland and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

*~ICELAND GULL during the American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24*. ~

In early May, Tricia and I spent a long weekend on Cape Cod. Again, I didn’t have anything out-of-the-ordinary, but but it was super birdy with loads of photo ops.

~White-winged Scoters in flight at High Head Beach on Cape Cod, 05/05/24.~

And then, in late August, I joined Rob Stone and we did an overnight pelagic out of Cape Cod. During this trip, we had several extraordinary birds, and I got 5 new life birds, including my #1 target for the trip, SOUTH POLAR SKUA. My other lifers were: Long-tailed Jaeger, Pomarine Jaeger, White-faced Storm-petrel, and Audubon’s Storm Petrel.

~*The bird of the trip for me – one of two South Polar Skuas. BBC Overnight Pelagic 08/26/24.~*

TOP TEN PHOTOS OF THE YEAR

And finally, to my favorite part of this post each year: my top ten photos of the year. I love to look back over a year of bird photography and try to whittle it down to my favorites. I feel like this year’s top ten is a little bit weaker than some that I’ve had in previous years, but hopefully I’m being overly critical of my own work, and readers will find them appealing.

#1: American Kestrel in the Black Dirt Region, 12/01/24.~

#2: I loved this photo from the moment I took it. Willow Flycatcher in the Black Dirt Region, 08/03/24.~

#3: A snow covered White-tailed Deer at Reservoir 3, 02/17/24.~

#4: A Semipalmated Plover marches through the dirt in the Black Dirt Region, 08/10/24.~

#5: Northern Gannet in flight during the American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic on 02/10/24. This photo has always been a little bit of a mystery to me – I love the image, but I don’t know why it has such a pastel-y quality to it.~

#6: Louisiana Waterthrush does a balancing act at Black Rock Forest, 06/08/24.~

#7: Cedar Waxwing at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/28/24.~

#8: Yellow-throated Warbler at the Waterfront Trail in Newburgh, 01/07/24.~

#9: It’s not very often you get to see a Red-necked Grebe up close like this. Greenwood Lake, 04/18/24.~

#10: A sharp looking Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 11/17/24.~

Sunday Shots, 12/29/24

It was a relatively uneventful weekend of birding for me. Friday was my best day and the only day that I got any photos; I started at Greenwood Lake, where I had a Common Loon and an American Coot as my best birds. Then I went to the black dirt, where everything was frozen and covered with ice crystals, which made for some decent photo ops. On Saturday I birded the Reservoir 3 area near Port Jervis but had only the usuals. On Sunday I hiked at Black Rock Forest in the rain, and it was more of the usuals. Afterwards, I stopped at the Newburgh Waterfront, where Bruce Nott and I had 2 Iceland Gulls.

~Savannah Sparrow in the black dirt, 12/27/24.~

~Song Sparrow in the Black Dirt Region, 12/27/24.~

~American Coot at Greenwood Lake, 12/27/24.~

~Common Loon at Greenwood Lake, 12/27/24.~

~I was just starting to go through this flock of Canada Geese, when a car came by and flushed them. Black Dirt Region, 12/27/24.~

Sunday Shots, 12/22/24

It was a cold but enjoyable weekend of birding. I mostly had the usual suspects, with a couple of exceptions. First thing Saturday morning, I went to Wickham Lake, where I found a Common Loon, always a favorite. Afterwards, I hit the Black Dirt Region; I enjoyed being out in the fresh snow, but found only the expected species. Then, on Sunday morning I headed back out to Highland Lakes State Park to try for the Ruffed Grouse again (I can’t help myself!). It was super cold out (9 degrees Fahrenheit), but I still managed to enjoy a nice walk around the park. Of course I had no luck with the grouse, but I did score with a beautiful puffed up Hermit Thrush; I believe this is only my second Hermit Thrush in Orange County this year. I also hit the Newburgh Waterfront on Sunday, but had just the usuals.

~Hermit Thrush at Highland Lakes SP, 12/22/24.~

~Common Loon at Wickham Lake, 12/21/24.~

~Red-tailed Hawk in the black dirt, 12/21/24.~

~White-throated Sparrow at Highland Lakes SP, 12/22/24.~

~American Tree Sparrow in the black dirt, 12/21/24.~

Sunday Shots, 12/08/24

My birding time was a little bit limited this weekend, so I spent most of it just birding the black dirt. For the most part it was just the usual cast of characters for this time of year, however one highlight was relocating the Ross’s Goose. It was associating with a flock of Canada Geese still; I found it swimming in a small pond off Little York Road. I also had a nice look at a handful of Snow Buntings in a small flock of Horned Larks. I’ve been hoping the arrival of some more exciting winter species; hopefully there will be a pleasant surprise in the coming week.