Barn Owl in flight, Orange County NY, February 2014.
These photos of a Barn Owl in Orange County, NY are from early February, 2014. In the best interest of the bird, I have waited until now to post. I put the Barn Owl in the category of Birds I Never Thought I Would Photograph. What a pleasure and a privilege to see and photograph such an awesome and beautiful bird.
Notable Observations for 3/16/14:
Curt McDermott was birding the Black Dirt Region today and located a total of 4 Snowy Owls. Additionally, I joined him at Onion Avenue, where he had 5 Greater White-fronted Geese and one Snow Goose.
Five Greater White-fronted Geese, Onion Avenue, 3/16/14.
I have been passing through Warwick NY regularly lately just to see if I could relocate and photograph the Leucistic Red-tail Hawk there. It has been just over a year since I posted my first shots of this bird. In the last two weeks, I had distant looks at the bird a couple times, but yesterday the bird was perched relatively close to the road so I was able to get the above shot. I am fascinated by this bird and I would have really liked to see it fly, but it was not to be. The bird stayed put and I was on my way.
It was for some reason unexpected that I had a nice evening shooting raptors on Friday after work. But, the light was nice and I was lucky enough to have a few birds close enough for some decent shots. Also noteworthy were my first Red-winged Blackbirds for the year in Orange County.
Rough-legged Hawk on Mt. Eve Road, on my way out to Wallkill River NWR, 2/28/14.When I arrived at the parking area of Wallkill River NWR, this Red-tailed Hawk was perched on the wire across the road. The bird did not leave its perch for a good 25 minutes. I kept waiting for the bird to fly, but when it finally did I missed the shot.It’s been ages since I’ve gotten a good Northern Harrier shot – I think I was spoiled last winter when they seemed to always be around. Click to enlarge this shot – I think it looks really nice. Wallkill River NWR, 2/28/14.
RONDOUT RESEVOIR – 3/1/14
I had a nice outing at Rondout Resevoir on Saturday afternoon. I knew there was a good collection of waterfowl present because I read about it on John Haas’ blog, Bashakill Birder. I got all the birds John reported in his post, including three first of the year birds for me: American Wigeon (5), Redhead (7), and Killdeer (1). It was not a great outing for photos, the birds were for the most part distant and from where you view the birds, in the afternoon all the birds are backlit. I did have a Common Merganser that didn’t seem to mind my presence at all:
Common Merganser at Rondout Reservoir, 3/1/14.
SOUTHERN ORANGE COUNTY – 3/2/14
This morning I made the rounds in southern Orange County without seeing much of note. I did see a single Common Grackle and a single Red-winged Blackbird, both on Celery Avenue. I sorted through MANY Canada Geese without anything out of the ordinary. American Crows rivaled the Canada Geese in numbers and seemed to be everywhere.
Horned Larks are still present in numbers in Orange County, I came across several good sized flocks today. This shot was from Onion Avenue, 3/2/14.It’s tough to get a good shot of American Crows. Pierce Circle, 3/2/14.
I was so happy to be able to see these birds today. One of two Sandhill Cranes in Ulster Park NY, 2/26/14.
I had the day off from work today, so I decided to try and take advantage of it by going for the Sandhill Cranes that had been reported on eBird over the last few days. As I pulled up to the area where the birds have been seen, they were flying overhead. I jumped out of the car and managed to get a few shots.
Incredible birds, especially in flight. Sandhill Crane in Ulster Park NY, 2/26/14.
I wasn’t sure if this was good luck or bad luck! I was happy to have gotten the birds, but they were heading north in a very determined fashion. I looked at the map for a moment and then drove around in hopes of relocating the cranes. I didn’t have any luck with that, so I headed over to River Road to look for Bald Eagles. Deborah Tracy-Kral had informed me that there was a deer carcass on the ice that the eagles were enjoying. When I arrived there was one adult Bald Eagle and two American Crows on the now bare carcass. The eagle did not stick around for long and with not much left of the deer, I left it to the crows. I drove up and down River Road, just to check it out and then headed back to try for the cranes again. On my way over I came across this Cooper’s Hawk:
Cooper’s Hawk in Ulster Park NY, 2/26/14.
I drove around for a little while and I was pleasantly surprised when I relocated the two Sandhill Cranes. They were in a small creek and could be seen easily from the road, though they were partially obscured by twigs and branches. The crane on the right only lifted its head one time while I was there:
The crane on the right only lifted its head this one time, I was pleased to get a shot with both birds in it. Sandhill Cranes in Ulster Park NY, 2/26/14.Both birds spent most of the time I was there all tucked in.
I was thrilled to see these birds and get some photos too. I left the cranes and headed to more familiar territory. I stopped by Lippincott Road to see if the Common Goldeneyes were still present but I did not locate them. Several Ring-billed Gulls and 4 Common Mergansers were the standouts. From there I headed to the Shawangunk Grasslands. It was a bit early in the afternoon, so I figured I would not get the Short-eared Owls, but I was curious to see what was flying there. It was very cold and windy but I enjoyed seeing some decent birds, here’s my list for the grasslands:
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Rough-legged Hawk 5
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Ring-billed Gull 15
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Eastern Bluebird 5
American Crow X
Black Vulture NOT from the grasslands, but rather in New Hampton NY, 1/26/14.
I ended my day by doing some more local birding, heading over to New Hampton, NY. While I was there looking at a large collection of Canada Geese in the Wallkill River, I met some of the folks that live on the river. They were interested in birds too, although the Canada Geese could be a bit loud at times. They invited me into their backyard to get some photos, which I thought was very nice of them and I totally appreciate it.
Canada Goose in flight, New Hampton NY, 2/26/14.Canada Geese and one lonely Ring-necked Duck (upper right) in New Hampton NY, 2/26/14.
On my way back to the car I met yet another neighbor that had an interest in birds (and has since visited this blog and commented!). She told me how often they see Bald Eagles, and moments after leaving them, this bird flew overhead:
Immature (but not for much longer) Bald Eagle in New Hampton NY, 2/26/14.
What a great day of birding! Many good birds and plenty of photo opportunities as well!
Song Sparrow on the Liberty Loop at Wallkill River NWR, 2/1/14.
I woke up before sunrise this morning and headed out; I was going to spend the morning birding in southern Orange County. My first stop was at Wallkill River NWR, where I walked the Liberty Loop for the first time in a while. The weather had finally warmed up a bit after the extended cold spell, so it felt really good to be outside and walking the trail. During my walk I had many of the expected birds for this time of year, but the highlight of my hike was seeing a Coyote crossing the marsh.
It’s amazing to me how easily this Coyote disappeared from view in the marsh. Still it was a thrill to see, Coyote out at Wallkill River NWR just after sunrise, 2/1/14.
After walking the loop, I did a car tour of Pines Island and the Black Dirt Region. I hit many of my usual stops as well as some of new ones, such as Cedar Swamp Road, where I saw a couple of falconers flying their birds way off in the distance, and not surprisingly, I did not have any luck with the pair of Snowy Owls that were reported there. I ended up with 26 species for the day which I don’t think is too bad for not being anywhere near open water all day. Species highlights for the morning included seeing the same Snowy Owl that I’ve been seeing all week and a pair of LAPLAND LONGSPURS in a flock of approximately 45 Horned Larks. The real highlight for me, however was running into several birders I know while viewing the Snowy Owl. It was good to spend time and shoot the breeze with fellow Mearns Bird Club members Gerhard and Tracey, as well as Jack Austin and Linda – they are all such nice folks.
A Rough-legged Hawk flies over, Black Dirt Region 2/1/14.American Kestrel in flight, Black Dirt, 2/1/14.I will keep posting Snowy Owl shots whenever I get them, not matter how distant. I can’t get enough of this bird! Black Dirt Region, 2/1/14.
Here’s my list for the morning, the numbers are a bit rough since I totaled everything I saw while I was out, but I definitely was very conservative with my counts.
It’s not very often an American Kestrel flies towards me. This one was flushed by another vehicle, Black Dirt, 2/1/14.
Canada Goose 1000
Turkey Vulture 1
Northern Harrier 3
Red-tailed Hawk 8
Rough-legged Hawk 5
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 14
Mourning Dove 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 3
American Kestrel 2
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 500
Horned Lark 60
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
American Robin 18
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 80
Lapland Longspur 2
American Tree Sparrow 10
Song Sparrow 20
Dark-eyed Junco 55
Northern Cardinal 2
House Sparrow 12
American Kestrel perched on some farm equipment. Black Dirt, 2/1/14.Red-tailed Hawk shot through the grasses at Round Hill Road, Florida NY, 2/1/14.
Adult Bald Eagle with prey at Charles Point Pier Park, 1/25/14.
Tricia’s sister and her family came up for a visit this weekend. For me, luckily, that means birding with my future brother-in-law Bill. Over Christmas, he took me out on Long Island and we had a great day of birding, highlighted by 2 Snowy Owls on Dune Road, so I wanted to return the favor. I had two target birds for the weekend: Bald Eagles and Short-eared Owls.
Saturday morning we headed over to Newburgh, hoping for Bald Eagles on the Hudson. The river was nearly entirely frozen over, and there were no eagles to be seen. I called my fellow Mt. Peter Hawk Watch counter, Carol Linguanti, and she directed us to head further south, past the Bear Mountain Bridge. We worked our way south, stopping several times, with our final stop being at Croton Point State Park. We ended up with over 30 Bald Eagles for the day and got our best looks at Charles Point Pier Park, where the birds were close enough for some photos.
Bald Eagle in the snow, 1/25/14.Bald Eagle at Charles Point Pier Park, 1/25/14.I love these icy Bald Eagle photos – so much white!
In the afternoon we headed back to Orange County in search of Short-eared Owls where Karen Miller joined us. The temperatures were dropping and the snow was falling pretty heavily, but the owls got up early! Cameras, binoculars filled up with snow as we had at least 10 SEOWs, giving really fabulous looks as they flew all around us and over our heads. Fingers and toes were frozen as we enjoyed the Short-eared Owl show.
This is the first half way decent Short-eared Owl Shot I’ve gotten since early in the season. This was tough – there was enough light for good photos, but the snow was falling pretty heavily. SEOW, Orange County NY 1/25/14.
It was a great day of birding capped of by the fact that Bill got three life birds on the day: Black Vulture (Route 207 north of Goshen), Eastern Meadowlark (Croton Point State Park), and Short-eared Owl (Orange County NY).
**NOTEWORTHY OBSERVATIONS**: In the past week in Orange County, I had Snowy Owl sightings on 1/20, 1/22, and 1/24 (two different owls, one seen twice). It is really great to still have these owls around, it is still so exciting for me to see them every time!
The Harlequin Ducks were just amazing – gorgeous birds. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to join what I call “the New Jersey Crew” on an outing this past Sunday to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. The “crew” includes: Judy Cinquina, Tom Millard, Denis Farrell, B.A. McGrath, Gene Tappan, and honorary New Jerseyan, Dennis Murphy. I really enjoy birding with these folks because they are all very good and experienced birders that are extremely generous with me, taking the time to teach me the ins and outs of birding, bird identification, and birding locations. Plus they are all just nice people to spend time with.
Dennis Murphy, Gene Tappan, Judy Cinquina, and Denise Farrell go to work at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.
I cannot express strongly enough what a great birding location Barnegat is. As soon as we got on the beach, until it was time to leave, there was ALWAYS a large number of birds to observe. Additionally, while some of the birds were a bit distant, most birds were quite close and gave great views. It was a super day for photography with so many birds near and far and the light was beautiful. For me, the icing on the cake was the fact that six (!!!) of the over 30 species that we had for the day were life birds: HARLEQUIN DUCK, COMMON EIDER, PURPLE SANDPIPER, ICELAND GULL, CAROLINA CHICKADEE, and BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE.
So I took tons of photos and I was happy with many of them:
This Iceland Gull was probably my favorite bird of the day. It was a life bird for me, and I think it is a very elegant looking gull. The New Jersey Crew was having a discussion about this bird, wondering if it could possibly be a hybrid. The reason for this was that it was very close in size to the Herring Gulls it was found with. According to The Crossley ID Guide, the Iceland is 22″ as compared to the Herring Gull at 25″. The Iceland Gull was certainly smaller, just not noticeably.It was great to finally get the Purple Sandpipers. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.
Ruddy Turnstone at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.
Here’s a nice look at female Harlequin Duck, Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.I was fighting a backlit situation for this Common Eider, so not a great shot, but what an interesting duck. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.I can’t get enough of these Long-tailed Ducks. Definitely the cutest duck out there. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.One more Long-tailed Duck at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.Male Harlequin Duck at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 1/19/14.
After Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, we made a quick stop at the “Bridge to Nowhere”, which is basically small road (Stafford Avenue) that ends in a destroyed bridge. It also borders along the Manahawkin Wildlife Management Area. It was here that I got my life Carolina Chickadee and Boat-tail Grackles.
My life Carolina Chickadee, at Manahawkin Wildlife Management Area. While it looks very much like our Black-capped Chickadee, there are some differences, the most notable being their call. It is the same “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” but much more rapid than the Black-capped Chickadee.
What a fabulous day of birding, with great company and tons of great birds. Hard to ask for anything more than that.
Male Northern Harrier on Missionland Road, 1/12/14.
Well, pretty much took the weekend off in terms of birding. Every once in a while, I think I just need to go out and not worry about identifying and counting every bird I see. Instead I just went out and just enjoyed looking for birds and trying to get some decent photos.
I love the heavy markings on this Red-tailed Hawk, seen on Skinner Lane, 1/12/14.A sweet looking Ring-billed Gull at Bashakill WMA, 1/12/14. The best birds of the day were a flock of Snow Buntings at Haven Road, but they never came close enough for photos.One more of the “Gray Ghost” on Missionland Road, 1/12/14.
Rough-legged Hawk on a foggy and rainy Saturday morning. Jessup Switch Road in Goshen, 1/11/14.
I got out briefly this morning in the rain and fog and managed to get a few shots of the above light morph Rough-legged Hawk. This bird was located on Jessup Switch Road in Goshen, but I initially went out to Indiana Road where I had five RLHAs yesterday evening (2 dark morphs and 3 light).
This immature Bald Eagle was in a tree in the Torches parking lot in Newburgh. The bird was not disturbed by anything, people were walking their dogs right underneath the tree! Newburgh Waterfront, 1/5/14.When the bird finally flew, I was of course making an adjustment on my camera. I was lucky to get this shot, every other shot was either blurry or had a wing clipped.Adult Bald Eagle at Lippincott Road in Wallkill, 1/5/14.
NOTABLE OBSERVATIONS:
Just a couple of quick notes: In the afternoon I had a flock of approximately 60 Snow Buntings on MIssionland Road. Also present were a couple of smaller flocks of Horned Larks, one of which had 5 Snow Buntings in it. In the morning, I made it out to Lippincott Road and had 10 Common Goldeneyes. Thanks to Ken McDermott for posting about them, they were great fun to see. They were a bit distant for photos, but here is one shot:
Common Goldeneyes in flight, Lippincott Road, Wallkill NY, 1/5/14.
