photos – Page 25 – Orange Birding

Jersey Shore 2019

Tricia and I spent a long weekend down at the Jersey Shore; it was sort of a mini-vacation where we focused (for once!) on relaxing rather than running around all over the place. We went to the beach every day. I napped. We did some touristy shopping, and we had some delicious dinners out at several restaurants. That said, I did get out for a bit in the mornings. I managed to get some nice photos; the birds are accessible and the backgrounds are often very clean on the beach. But, I also found myself questioning my birding skills. I kept thinking about birding locally versus birding at a new locale and how it puts one’s birding skills to the test.

~Semipalmated Plover, always a favorite (what a cutie!), at Stone Harbor Point 08/04/19.~

The first thing I will say, is that I did not arrive prepared. Sure, I did some quick research on eBird just to find some good locations, but I didn’t do any research to see what the expected species for this time of year are in the region. I am often guilty of under-preparing for a new location; in a perfect world I would spend some quality time prepping beforehand, but it never seems to happen. I think that if you can squeeze in some quality prep time beforehand, it would make your birding at a new location much more enjoyable. One of these days I’m going to do just that.

~Common Tern in flight at Two Mile Landing, Wildwood Crest 08/06/19.~

The second thing is that birding at the Jersey Shore can be intimidating – there are SO MANY BIRDS! It’s very different from birding in Orange County, especially when it comes to shorebirds which are few and far between. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and “in the weeds” while trying to sort through such a large number of birds; I was lacking context and it made identifying the birds that much more difficult. I was also experiencing some eBird intimidation. I figure the checklists in that area are looked at pretty thoroughly – I didn’t want to get anything wrong. Ultimately, for me, patience was the key in this respect. I took it slow while I was birding and I was willing to let some birds go unidentified. I could take some time to think about it some more and maybe do some research and look at my photos later. If, in the end, they remain unidentified, I’m okay with that.

~Ruddy Turnstone at Stone Harbor Point, 8/3/19.~

Another thing I was thinking about was birding “county coverage”. Here in our area, I feel like we have a pretty good idea of the birds present. Sure, there are plenty of birds that are missed, but I think we have decent coverage and I kept trying to compare it to the Jersey Shore where just about everywhere you look seems to be a birding hotspot. How many good birders would it take to actually keep up with this many birds? It kind of blows my mind. Maybe they have a handle on things, but to me it seems overwhelming.

~Black-crowned Night-heron, side of the road in Stone Harbor 08/04/19.~

And, finally, this trip often made me question my birding skills. Am I thorough enough? Do I know the field marks well enough? I think that maybe I’ve fallen into some bad habits – I’m familiar enough these days with the expected species in Orange County so maybe I’m not looking closely enough at the birds. Does that make sense? Maybe it’s time for a reset and to time to refocus on some of details that go by the wayside while birding the same locations day in and day out. So anyways, while I had all these thoughts running through my mind, I was still able to relax and just enjoy the birding in the south Jersey Shore; sometimes you have to just take a step back and enjoy being out with the birds.

~Common Tern at Two Mile Landing, Wildwood Crest 08/06/19.~

~Cuteness! Black Skimmer chick at Stone Harbor Point, 08/04/19.~

~Food exchange between adult and young Common Terns, Two Mile Landing Wildwood Crest, 08/06/19.~

~Handsome Devil. Common Tern at Two Mile Landing, Wildwood Crest 08/06/19.~

~Clapper Rail taking a peek. Two Mile Landing Wildwood Crest 08/06/19.~

~Clapper Rail chick, Two Mile Landing Wildwood Crest 08/06/19.~

~As you can tell, I found a nice spot to photograph Common Terns at Two Mile Landing, 08/06/19.~

~Semipalmated Sandpiper dance, side of the road in Cape May 08/06/19.~

~I always seem to get images of Gray Catbirds that I really like. This bird was at Stone Harbor Point, 8/3/19/~

Excellent Morning, 8/10/19

I missed posting last week because Tricia and I went to the Jersey Shore on a mini-vacation. I fit some birding in while I was there, and I’m working on that post. Meanwhile, I got out early this morning and headed to the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. Kathy Ashman was already there when I arrived; we joined forces and had an amazing morning of birding. It was one of those lucky mornings where the light was beautiful and the birds were plentiful and didn’t mind our presence in the least.

~*Green Heron stalking prey, Wallkill River NWR 08/10/19.~*

My main goal was, of course, shorebirds – I’ll get to them in a minute. Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets are still present at the refuge in good numbers, and this morning they were joined by several very accommodating Green Herons, as well as a brief but amazing look at a pair of Sandhill Cranes. Swallows were also present in good numbers. I had mostly Tree Swallows, with a handful of Barn Swallows and a couple of Bank Swallows. Kathy had Northern Rough-winged before I arrived. Also of note, we had my first Northern Harrier in a good while.

~It was awesome to get such a close up look at this Wilson’s Snipe, Wallkill River NWR, 08/10/19.~

As for shorebirds, we had a respectable nine species:

Semipalmated Plover (3)
Killdeer (8+)
Least Sandpiper (35+)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (2)
Wilson’s Snipe (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (3)
Solitary Sandpiper (2)
Greater Yellowlegs (1)
Lesser Yellowlegs (4)

~Solitary Sandpiper at Wallkill River NWR, 08/10/19.~

I did pretty well with photos, as the birds seemed to be coming closer and closer rather than the opposite. Which was nice for a change. It was an enjoyable morning of birding; it was great to see Kathy who I hadn’t seen in ages and the birds were numerous and cooperative. Hard to beat that. Stay tuned, Jersey Shore post to come later this weekend…

~This photo will give you an idea of how large a shorebird the Greater Yellowlegs is. With a Green Heron, Wallkill River NWR, 08/10/19.~

~Sweetness. White-tailed Deer crossing the marsh, Wallkill River NWR, 08/10/19.~

~*It was nice to see these dudes. Sandhill Cranes at Wallkill River NWR, 08/10/19.~*

Sunday Shots, 07/28/19

I think we picked a good weekend to go to the beach. Not for birding, but for going to the beach like normal people – getting a little sun and riding the waves. I say that because not much is going on with local birding lately. I can’t remember the last report to come over on the Mearns Bird Club app. Anyways, I did manage to get locally out for few hours this evening; it was more of the usuals. One highlight was seeing my first juvenile Pied-billed Grebe of the season at Wallkill River NWR. Here’s hoping that things start to pick up sooner rather than later; I’m looking forward to some more exciting posts…

~Indigo Bunting in the Black Dirt Region, 07/28/19.~

~A pair of European Starlings in the Black Dirt, 07/28/19.~

~Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at Wallkill River NWR, 07/28/19.~

~There are loads of Great Egrets at Wallkill River NWR these days, 07/28/19.~

Sunday Shots, 07/21/19

I got out early both days of this weekend; with the hot weather we’ve been having, it was the only time to do any sort of comfortable birding. It was mostly more of the usuals – it’s that time of year. The most notable siting I had was nearly 100 Great Blue Herons at a single pool at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. There is also a good number of Great Egrets at the refuge these days. Returning shorebirds have been sparse thus far in OC but I finally had some at the refuge on Saturday morning; but just Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpipers, and a single Lesser Yellowlegs. Let’s hope that it’s the start of a good fall shorebird migration in our area.

~Common Yellowthroat at Stewart Forest – Ridge Road, 07/21/19.~

~A recently fledged Cedar Waxwing at Glenmere Lake, 07/21/19.~

~American Goldfinch at Black Rock Forest, 07/14/19.~ ~

~17 of the nearly 100 Great Blue Herons in one pool at Wallkill River NWR, 07/20/19.~

~Giant Swallowtail at Wallkill River NWR 07/20/19. Thanks to Linda Scrima for the ID help.

~Tiger Swallowtail at Wallkill River NWR, 07/20/19.~

~I have this as a large Painted Turtle. Silver Mine Lake, 07/19/19.~ UPDATE: this is a Red-eared Slider, thanks to Michael Mallon for the ID help (see comments).~

Eastern Kingbirds

Sometimes it just takes one good bird or one good photo to make my day. Today it was this shot of a pair of Eastern Kingbirds taken at Black Rock Forest. I got out early(ish) and took a shorter hike that was not overwhelmingly birdy, but still pleasant enough. I had a secret hope that I might hear Ruffed Grouse in the distance, as the trail I walked is not all that far from Jupiter’s Boulder, but alas it didn’t happen. This time of year, it’s just nice to get out for a little while, and if you can beat the heat it’s that much better.

Sunday Shots – From the Archives

Since this weekend was pretty much a bust as far as photos go, I decided to take the opportunity to go back to some photographs that I previously hadn’t posted. This spring and early summer, several Sandhill Cranes were being seen in the area of the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. I was lucky enough to get flight shots on two occasions; it was quite a treat to see these big beautiful birds in flight.

~Sandhill Crane at Wallkill River NWR, 5/31/19.~

SACR in flight, Wallkill River NWR 05/26/19.~

Sunday Shots…

…well, a day late due to the holiday weekend. I got out several times over the long weekend, basically staying local and getting the usuals. I had my first Semipalmated Sandpipers of the year at the Camel Farm and at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday. Yesterday I ran to the Deli Fields at the Bashakill for a Mourning Warbler that John Haas had reported, but alas I didn’t have any luck with that bird. Today I had my first Black-billed Cuckoo of the year, a bird I would usually have seen or heard before now most years. Migration is winding down, so I mostly was just glad to be outside and enjoying the birds.

~Song Sparrow at Skinner’s Lane on 05/23/19.~

~American Coot at Wallkill River NWR, 05/25/19.~

~Savannah Sparrow at Skinner’s Lane, 05/23/19.~

~Eastern Kingbird at Wallkill River NWR, 05/25/19.~~

~Indigo Bunting at Wallkill River NWR, 05/26/19.~

~Of course this doesn’t come close to Kyle’s shot, but it was really cool to get a look at a Virginia Rail out in the open; Wallkill River NWR, 05/25/19.~

~I had to look this one up – I knew this was a hybrid between Blue-winged Warbler and Golden-winged Warbler, but I didn’t know that it was called Lawrence’s Warbler. Goosepond Mountain, 05/27/19.~

Take it Off the List

Okay, so I don’t have an actual list, but there are certain birds that I put on my mental list of “birds I’ll never get a decent photograph of”. Golden Eagle, Northern Goshawk, and Ruffed Grouse are examples that spring to mind right off the bat. SORA was on that list until earlier today, when I finally got a decent opportunity to photograph this normally super-secretive bird.

Break 100, 05/18/19

I was a little too busy to officially participate in this year’s Mearns Bird Club‘s Break 100, but I was able to join up with my previous team for a few hours this morning. I met up with John Haas, Karen Miller, and Lisa O’Gorman at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis just after 8 am. I know it’s stating the obvious, right now is really good time of year to look for birds. I think with how busy I”ve been with work and in my personal life lately, lost track of that to some extent. It came back to me when I arrived at the cemetery and the team was having a great morning, with several CAPE MAY WARBLERS, Blackpoll Warblers, and at least a couple BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS. One male Cape May was very obliging for photos:

~CAPE MAY WARBLER at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/18/19.~

~CAPE MAY WARBLER with a snack. Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/18/19.~

Our next stop was at Elks Brox Memorial Park, where the team added several birds to their tally. I don’t want to say exactly where they stood, but suffice to say they had a good Friday Evening and early Saturday morning and were well on their way to breaking 100. Highlights at Elks Brox included Prairie Warblers, Great Crested Flycatchers, good looks at another couple of Bay-breasted Warblers, and a nice photo op with a male Scarlet Tanager.

~I’m not sure why, but I sort of like this shot. I feel like this bird has some personality. Scarlet Tanager at Elks Brox Park, 05/18/19.~

From there we headed to Hawk’s Nest; the team added Peregrine Falcon, White-throated Sparrow, and Bald Eagle to their list. The traffic and the loud cars and motorcycles at that place make me absolutely crazy, so I was happy to head up to Reservoir 3 where the only new bird for the team was Brown Creeper. That’s where the team and I parted ways. They were headed to Sterling Forest, I went back to Laurel Grove where I located a CANADA WARBLER before heading home for the day. It was a great morning, and I’ll be curious to see how many species the team finishes with. I’ll update this post when I find out.

*Update: Our team ended the break with a total of 116 species – pretty darn good in my opinion!

~Great-Crested Flycatcher hawking bugs from a high perch at Elks Brox Park, 05/18/19.~

~This is a bird I don’t think I’ve ever taken a good photo of . Prairie Warbler at Elks Brox Park, 05/18/19.~

Weekend Wrap Up, 05/12/19

It was an interesting and productive weekend of birding for me. It started on Friday evening after work at Ironwood Drive at Sterling Forest State Park. I had over 40 species in total; highlights included an up-close look at a Hooded Warbler, 2 American Woodcocks peenting and in flight, and several Eastern Whip-poor-wills calling. I had an exciting moment when 2 Whip-poor-wills took flight after sunset, calling as they flew right into the parking area at the end of Ironwood Drive. I could barely see them but I picked them up as they flew through and then disappeared into the night.

~I didn’t think I got a shot of this bird – I didn’t think I was quick enough. I was thrilled when I was going through my pics and saw this shot. HOODED WARBLER at Sterling Forest, 05/10/19.~

On Saturday morning, I woke up unsure of where to bird, or even what type of birding I should do. I had thoughts of shorebirds at the Route 207 Marsh, but instead I headed to Port Jervis to try for passerines. I went to Laurel Grove Cemetery first and it was birdy, but without many warblers present. New birds for the year (for me) included: Brown Thrasher, Least Flycatcher, and Chimney Swifts. From there, I headed up to Elks Brox Memorial Park, where it was also birdy, but with many more warblers. I had 10 species of warbler: Ovenbird, Worm-Eating Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler. Best of all, I got some decent looks and photo ops of several species. Other good birds at Elks Brox included: RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES (FOY), Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, and my FOY Eastern Wood-Peewee.

~A singing Northern Parula at Elks Brox Memorial Park, 05/11/19.~

In the afternoon I joined Karen Miller and we headed to the Bashakill to volunteer for Nature Watch. A pair of BLACK TERNS had been located and reported earlier in the day by the Mearns Bird Club outing, so we stopped at Haven Road first to try for the birds. When we arrived, several other birders were also looking for the birds, which hadn’t been seen in nearly 45 minutes. Birding bud Bruce Nott was there and I told him I had a feeling we would see the birds… five minutes later Bruce located them, north of the bridge and quite distant. Karen and I looked at them briefly but then had to head to the Main Boat Launch for Nature Watch. The terns eventually made their way all the way to us, and we enjoyed viewing them for most of our shift.

~This was a pleasant surprise – One of at least 2 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES at Elks Brox Park, 05/11/19.~

Today (Sunday) was yet another cold and rainy day. It rained ALL day long. I got out early and was optimistic that it wouldn’t rain too hard. I went to the 207 Marsh to try for shorebirds. I didn’t stay as long as I would have liked because the rain was relentless and my optics were just saturated. Every time I went use the scope or my binoculars they would instantly fog over. I did add a new shorebird for the year: SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS. I went home to dry off and then headed back out in the afternoon, again in search of shorebirds. I went to Lynch Ave (Least Sandpipers, Solitary Sanpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Killdeer) and then to the Camel Farm (same species plus Greater Yellowlegs). The Camel Farm is loaded with shorebirds right now, but sadly there really isn’t a good spot for viewing. My final stop made all the wet weather birding worth it – I located a GLOSSY IBIS at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. I’ve included a documentary shot at the bottom of this post. I have to say it feels good to be home, warm and dry!