Black Dirt – Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 08/24/25

After last night’s Uppy excitement, today was relatively uneventful. Kyle Knapp let me know early in the day that he had (3) Baird’s Sandpipers in the black dirt; I eventually caught up with those birds later in the morning alongside Bev, Rich, and Diane. There was young birder there as well; it was only his second trip to the black dirt. We got him on the birds and it was a lifer for him, so that was exciting. I did some running around prior to that, hoping for more shorebirds. At 6 1/2 Station Road I had just (8) Least Sandpipers; Bullville Pond had high water levels and just a single Spotted Sandpiper. The platform at Liberty Marsh had a similar situation with high water and no shorebirds at all. As always, I took photos as I went, so here’s the latest batch.

~Horned Lark in nice light in the black dirt 08/23/25.~

~Great Blue Heron at Echo Lake, 08/23/25.~

~Upland Sandpiper in the black dirt, 08/23/25.~

~Upland Sandpipers can make some quirky movements – here’s one caught in a funny position in the Black Dirt Region, 08/23/25. ~

~This image is from a couple weeks back, but I never got around to posting it. Least Sandpiper in the black dirt, 08/11/25.~

~There are MANY Bobolinks on the move right now. I seemed to hear them everywhere I went this weekend. BOBO in the black dirt 08/24/25.~

Upland Sandpiper, 08/23/25

I didn’t get out this morning, so this evening I followed up on several reports of an UPLAND SANDPIPER from earlier in the day. I was hoping to get some better looks than I did a couple of weeks ago. Well, mission accomplished! I got super lucky with an Upland Sandpiper very close to the road. The bird flushed from some longer grasses as I approached in my car. It posed for a short time right in front of me, and then worked its way along the side of a turf field. It was probably the best/longest Uppy observation that I’ve had, and I was excited and thrilled.

~Upland Sandpiper in the Black Dirt Region, 08/23/25.~

Good Shorebirding, 08/19/25

QUICK POST: I played a hunch and ran out to the Black Dirt Region after work this evening. I got lucky and was able to locate a single BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, along with two American Golden-Plovers. The birds were distant and mostly backlit, but still it was a thrill to see them. I put the word out and Silas Wareham and Jeanne Cimorelli both ran for the birds and got them. On a personal note, this evening put me over the 200 bird mark in Orange County for the year, with birds #200 and #201. Pics were tough, but I tried my best to document.

~Always a thrill to see this bird. BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER in the black dirt, 08/19/25.~

~One of two American Golden-Plovers in the black dirt tonight, o8/19/25.~

~Buff-breasted Sandpiper and American Golden-Plover in the BDR, 08/19/25.~

Young Horned Larks

I went out to the black dirt three nights this week, and again this morning, hoping for shorebirds of course. Unfortunately, notable shorebirds were not in the cards; the only shorebirds I found were Killdeer (many!), a handful of Least Sandpipers, and a single Semipalmated Sandpiper. As a consolation prize, on a couple of evenings I spent some time with some young Horned Larks. I think they have a fantastic look at this age – it’s obvious that they are larks, but at the same time they look like an entirely different bird. The photos with the nice golden look were taken on 08/11/25 and the others were taken on 08/14/25.

Orange County Sanderling, 07/31/25

With the weather moving in today, I knew I wanted to check the Black Dirt Region for shorebirds after work this evening. It was mostly quiet until I found a single field with a decent sized collection of shorebirds, maybe 40 or so birds. One bird stood out immediately; I did what I could to document it before the rain came down in full force. While I sat in my car in the rain, I put the word out and sent photos. John Haas responded very quickly, identifying the bird as a SANDERLING. Sanderling was on my short list, but I certainly wasn’t sure about it. Big thanks to John and everyone that weighed in. Other species present were Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, and Killdeer. I’ll leave you with this reminder: BAD WEATHER = GOOD BIRDS = TERRIBLE PICS.

~Sanderling in the black dirt, 07/31/25.~

~Semipalmated Plover in an absolute downpour. Black Dirt Region 07/31/25.~

More Good Birding, 04/12/25

As anticipated, along with the weather came some good birds. Wickham Lake continues to deliver; I made an early stop there this morning while it was still snowing quite heavily, and had 8 Horned Grebes and a Bonaparte’s Gull on the lake. I also had my first Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Palm Warblers of the year. I checked a few other nearby lakes – I didn’t have any out-of-the ordinary birds at Glenmere, Round, and Greenwood Lakes. Walton Lake, however, had 4 Long-tailed Ducks. In the black dirt afterwards, I got the year’s first good looks at American Pipits, having had only flyovers previously.

~American Pipit marching through a field in the black dirt, 04/12/25.~

~Long-tailed Ducks at Walton Lake, 04/12/25.~

~Double-crested Cormorant in the snow at Round Lake, 04/12/25.~

~Red-winged Blackbird flock in the black dirt, 04/12/25.~

Sunday Shots, 02/02/25

It was a quiet birding weekend for me. Quiet and cold. The black dirt was pretty dead on Saturday morning and just a smidge bit better on Sunday morning when I was able to at least get distant looks at both a large flock of Snow Buntings and a light morph Rough-legged Hawk. I birded the Newburgh Waterfront with Bruce Nott on Saturday afternoon; it was my most productive birding from the weekend – we were able to locate (2) Iceland Gulls among five or six hundred of the usuals. And on a final note, first this morning I tried to change it up a little bit by birding the Port Jervis area, but unfortunately it was just super cold and very quiet on the birding front, with no real highlights to mention.

~At the Newburgh Waterfront, while scanning for gulls, this Red-tailed Hawk flew in with a dead Ring-billed Gull in its talons. It appeared to have scavenged the meal, rather than it being fresh kill.~

~Red-tailed Hawk with prey, Newburgh Waterfront 02/01/25.~

~One of a couple of Snow Geese that have been around the black dirt recently, associating with a large flock of Canada Geese. SNGO in the black dirt, 02/01/25.~

~Eastern Bluebird in the black dirt, 02/02/25.~

~Red-winged Blackbird in the black dirt on 02/01/25.~

~Unfortunately, this has become the norm for this species for me. This is only the second Rough-legged Hawk I’ve seen in 2025, and as usual it was just miles away. RLHA in the BDR on 02/02/25.~

Winter Waterfowl Count, 01/18/25

On Saturday, Linda Scrima and I took part in the Mearns Bird Club’s Orange County Winter Waterfowl Count. For the seventh straight year, we covered the Black Dirt Region for the survey. Much of the water in the area was frozen over, but in spite of that, I think we managed to tally some decent numbers:

Canada Goose: 4,716
Cackling Goose: 1
Snow Goose: 3
Mallard: 22
American Black Duck: 4
Green-winged Teal: 1
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser: 2
Common Merganser: 16

~American Kestrel in the Black Dirt Region, 01/19/25.~

I did some additional birding this weekend, mostly trying to catch up with the GLAUCOUS GULL that Bruce Nott found last weekend. I tried for that bird both days, but unfortunately came up empty. I also birded the black dirt first thing this morning; I was rewarded by an extremely confiding American Kestrel.

~One more shot of the Am. Kestrel in the black dirt this morning, 01/19/25.~

Christmas Eve Birding 2024

I can’t remember if I’ve ever had the opportunity to bird on Christmas Eve since I started seriously birding over 12 years ago. But this year, circumstances were such that I was able to get out for a couple hours in the evening. I went out to the black dirt region and drove around. Slowly, an interesting and enjoyable evening of birding began to unfold. I was seeing a fair number of Red-tailed Hawks around, which is pretty normal. But then one flew over my car with what looked like a snake in its talons. I saw where the hawk perched and got closer to explore. Sure enough, the raptor had a live snake and was starting to consume it. Where does a Red-tailed Hawk find a snake in the dead of winter?

~Red-tailed Hawk enjoying a meal in the black dirt, 12/24/24.~

I started seeing more and more raptors; mostly Red-tails (~10) and Northern Harriers (~8), but I also had a Peregrine Falcon and 4 Adult Bald Eagles. The icing on the cake was finding 3 Short-eared Owls. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a shorty, so I really enjoyed it.

~Short-eared Owl in the Black Dirt Region, 12/24/24.~

I saw and heard many, many Horned Larks flying around, and I heard at least 2 Lapland Longspurs among them, but no Snow Buntings. As the sun was setting, many, many Canada Geese were flying in, looking for a place to roost for the night. I had a small flock of 7 Snow Geese with them. I had a brief moment t of excitement- in a distant field I spotted a lone swan. I figured for sure it would be either a Tundra or a Trumpeter, but unfortunately it turned out to be a Mute Swan! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Mute Swan sitting out in a field before. I guess you just never know what you will find if you get out and go birding.

~Mute Swan in a field!?! What the heck? Black dirt region, 12/24/24.~

Good Birding in the Black Dirt, 11/17/24

This weekend I enjoyed some really good “winter” birding in the Black Dirt Region. Horned Larks are currently present in good numbers; among them, at a couple different locations, I was able to locate a total of at least (5) Lapland Longspurs and (8) Snow Buntings. There are very likely more than that, as the birds were quite active and I was hearing both species calling in flight quite a bit. American Pipits are still around, but I heard and saw fewer birds this weekend than last weekend. I also saw my first Rough-legged Hawk of the season, as well as my first Cackling Goose of the year.

~I don’t know what it is about this species, but I just love finding them, seeing them, and photographing them. Lapland Longspur in the black dirt 11/17/24.~

~Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 11/17/24.~

~This is a sharp looking individual, in my opinion. Horned Lark in the black dirt, 11/17/24.~

~American Pipit in the black dirt, 11/16/24.~

~I’ve come to expect to see hot air balloons over the black dirt on calmer days. These Canada Geese were probably not enjoying it quite as much as the passengers. BDR 11/17/24.~

~This bird has not been confirmed on eBird just yet, but I think it’s good for Cackling Goose. Breeze Hill Road, New Hampton 11/17/24.~

First thing Saturday morning, I really felt like I needed a break from everything, so I took a 5 mile hike around Reservoir 3. It was windy and cold, and I really enjoyed my walk. The birding was what you would expect, with just the usuals being seen and heard. My best birds were Brown Creeper and my final bird of the day, an adult Bald Eagle circling over the reservoir as I neared my car in the parking area.