Swimming Waterbirds – Page 9

WESTERN GREBE!

I blame the insomnia. I do. I really struggled to sleep last night and ultimately only got a very little bit of shut-eye. Which made for a really tough morning, a difficult workday, and some bizarre birding.

Just before noon, I received a phone call from John Haas – he had a WESTERN GREBE at Piermont Pier! When I got out of work I headed straight to Piermont and arrived with plenty of beautiful light. I parked at the beginning of the pier, and as I walked towards where the bird had been seen, Bob Senerchia pulled alongside me and gave me a lift the rest of the way, explaining that there was plenty of parking further up. Maria Loukeris and Christopher Takacs were both there and photographing the bird, which was in perfect evening light and not very far out (I’ve included one of Maria’s shots below). I jumped out of Bob’s car and pretty much immediately started to take photos… I looked at my camera and saw some awful words: No Card in Camera. Ugh, no way, not today. I must have a spare back in the car! Bob let me borrow his car, which is a Prius which apparently you need a special degree to drive. I finally figured out out how to get it into gear and drove back to my car. With the parking brake on – I thought the beeping was for the seatbelt! I checked my camera bag and of course, no spare card. My heart was broken, but I grabbed my scope and my iPhone adapter and called Bob so he could tell me how to release the brake. I made it back incident-free, and decided to make lemonade out of lemons. I stayed for a good while and enjoyed the bird, what a beauty! I took what photos I could through the scope and shot the above video, which made me happy. When it came time to leave, I took the wrong exit and went across the Tappan Zee Bridge… it’s the insomnia – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Huge thanks to Bob for letting use his car, Maria for her photo, and of course to John Haas for locating the bird and getting the word out.

~WESTERN GREBE at Piermont Pier, 1/716. Photo by Maria Loukeris.~

~One more digiscoped shot of the WESTERN GREBE, Piermont Pier 1/7/16.~

~iPhone digiscope shot of the WESTERN GREBE at Piermont Pier, 1/7/16.~

Suffolk County TUFTED DUCK, 12/26/15

~TUFTED DUCK at Lake Capri in West Islip, NY 12/26/15.~

Tricia and I had a great time on Christmas Eve and Christmas day in Suffolk County, Long Island, celebrating with our families. On our way out of town today, we stopped at Lake Capri in West Islip to try for the Tufted Duck that has been reported there. The earliest reports on eBird are from 12/13/15, and the most recent report was from Christmas Eve, so I was feeling confident that the bird would still be present. Shortly after arriving, we realized that viewing at Lake Capri is less than ideal. As far as we could tell, the only viewing area was along Montauk Highway at the south end of the lake. There is a chain link fence and much vegetation to look through, which made viewing and taking photos a little bit of a challenge. I did better capturing the bird with my iPhone through the spotting scope, but for them the photo quality is then pretty poor. Previous reports indicate that this is a young male TUDU; it is a beautiful bird and life bird #344 for me.

~Here’s an iPhone shot of the Tufted Duck, digiscoped through my spotting scope. This shot almost has the feel of a painting to me. TUDU Lake Capri in West Islip, NY 12/26/15.~

Orange County White-winged Scoter, 12/1/15

~I was very excited this afternoon to see this White-winged Scoter in the distance at Indian Kill Reservoir, 12/1/15.~ — ~I was very excited this afternoon to see this **White-winged Scoter** in the distance at Indian Kill Reservoir, 12/1/15.~

For the past couple of weeks I have been sort of playing a hunch and stopping by Indian Kill Reservoir on my way home from work. Today it paid off when I located a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER in the distance. The bird was distant and it was rainy and gray, but I was able to get some decent documentary shots of the bird, which made me happy. For those who don’t know, Indian Kill Reservoir is located at the intersection of Route 17A and Long Meadow Road (which is the road that leads to the Sterling Forest State Park Visitor’s Center). The best viewing is from the various pull offs on Long Meadow Road. White-winged Scoter is my 196th bird in Orange County this year… creeping towards 200 with less than a month left in the year.

It’s also worth mentioning that Wickham Lake has been decent lately as well – I had a Common Loon there last night, and a Common Goldeneye there on 11/25/15.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2015

~American Coot at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Liberty Loop 11/29/15.~

This afternoon, upon my arrival home after a fun but busy Thanksgiving weekend up in Syracuse, I headed out to do some birding and enjoy the beautiful weather. I was undecided on where to go, but excited to get out locally. I tooled around the black dirt to see what I could find; it was a birdy ride, and I hit many of my usual spots and I eventually made my way out to the Camel Farm, where I ran into Karen Miller. We caught up, trading Thanksgiving stories and we sorted through the nearly 1200 Canada Geese that were present. A Red-tailed Hawk flew right over us, calling the whole time. We did not locate anything different among the Canada Geese, and I kept moving eventually making brief stops at the Wallkill River NWR’s Winding Waters Trail and Liberty Loop. I was happy to find over a dozen American Coots in front of the viewing platform at the Liberty Loop, in very nice light so I took some photos. For the afternoon I had a total of 29 species, I’ll include my list below.

~A Red-tailed Hawk flyover at the Camel Farm, 11/29/15.~

Black Dirt Region 11/29/15:

~Downy Woodpecker at Wallkill River NWR, Winding Waters Trail, 11/29/15.~

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
House Sparrow

~Two more cute coots at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop, 11/29/15.~

Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, my brother-in-law Bill and I went out to one of my favorite birding spots – Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. It was a terrible day for photos and tough for viewing distant birds as it was very gray and dark all day long. The refuge was loaded with waterfowl and we had 17 different types of water birds: Canada Geese, Tundra Swan, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Pied-billed Grebe, and American Coot! We did not get a large number of raptor species, but we had plenty of individuals, with several Northern Harriers and over a half a dozen of both Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks. As I mentioned, it was a tough day for photos, but here are a few shots from the morning:

~Red-tailed Hawk at Montezuma NWR, 11/28/15.~

~It was exciting to get close up looks at this young Bald Eagle, unfortunately it was tough light to photograph. Montezuma NWR, 11/28/15.~

~A nice look at a Northern Shoveler at Montezuma NWR, 11/28/15.~

Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 10/8/15

~One of the many Yellow-rumped Warblers at Wickham Woodlands Town Park tonight, 10/8/15.~

I was happy to finally get out to bird Warwick’s newest town park, Wickham Woodlands. For me, the best thing about the park is that it offers a good look at nearly all of Wickham Lake. My highlight was seeing 11 Ruddy Ducks that were present on the lake, my first of the season. Scanning the lake, I also had many Mallards, Canada Geese, a dozen Ring-billed Gulls, 2 Belted Kingfishers, a Double-crested Cormorant, and an adult Bald Eagle. But as I wandered through the 50 acres that make up the park, I realized that it was quite birdy. I had easily over 20 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, several Eastern Bluebirds, and I got a nice look at a Pileated Woodpecker as it flew across the lake. Nice night of birding!

~Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Wickham Woodlands, 10/8/15.~

~Ten Ruddy Ducks, my first of the Season, out on Wickham Lake, 10/8/15.~

~I actually took this on Tuesday afternoon at the Liberty Loop but still wanted to post it – Sharp-shinned Hawk perched, 10/6/15.~

~iPhone panoramic shot of Wickham Lake, taken from Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 10/8/15.~

Bashakill Common Gallinules, 7/4/15

~An adult Common Gallinule at Haven Road in the Bashakill WMA, 7/4/15.~

I have to say that it felt great to get out after several days of not feeling well and being stuck inside recuperating. Kyle Dudgeon joined me this afternoon and we headed out to the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area to try for the Common Gallinules that John Haas had posted about in his blog earlier in the week. We went directly to Haven Road, which is still flooded. We walked slowly through the water and over the bridge before we saw our first family of Common Gallinules, which consisted of one adult and 3 chicks. Fortunately, they were not too far out for photos, although the vegetation did make focusing on the birds a little bit difficult. It was super to get such a good look and photos of these birds, which are typically much tougher than this to locate. And, it was Kyle’s lifer COGA, so that was exciting too. There was an additional 6 Common Gallinules in open water out in the distance, and I could hear other COGAs in at least two other locations. Huge thanks to John for posting – what a great birding opportunity.

~A Common Gallinule chick on a precarious perch at the Bashakill WMA, 7/4/15.~

~COGA chick at the Bashakill WMA, 7/4/15.~

~One more of the adult Common Gallinule, Haven Road at the Bashakill, 7/4/15.~

Photographing Common Loons in the Adirondacks

*Click on photos to enlarge.*

~A nice look at a Common Loon after reemerging from the water. Follensby Clear Pond, Santa Clara NY 6/13/15.~

One of my main goals for my weekend trip to the Adirondacks was to photograph the Common Loons. A couple years ago, Tricia and I kayaked one of the “Fish Creek Loops” in Santa Clara, New York, which included kayaking five ponds with four carries between ponds. We had great luck with Common Loons on that day, particularly in one pond in particular, Follensby Clear Pond. This year I went on my own while Tricia was having a “Ladies Weekend” here at the house. I planned my paddling around the good light; Saturday morning was forecasted to be a little cloudy, so I planned to try in the late evening when skies were forecasted to be clear.

As I put in and head out, I was immediately a little bit worried. The water was very choppy, with waves lapping over the front of my kayak as I made my way out. I had seen a single Common Loon from the shore and I headed in its direction. I worked my way around a small island to get the sun at my back, but when I got to where I thought the loon should be, the loon was not to be found. I eventually located the bird, but it kept its distance. I tried for some distant photos, but it was so wavy that I could barely keep the focus point of my camera on the bird. This was discouraging, but the pond is very large, so I figured I would just paddle the perimeter and see what I could find.

In the northwest section of the pond, I saw two more Common Loons. I paddled far and wide around the birds to get the sun at my back. The water was much calmer here, and I stopped paddling and just floated, my kayak drifting slowly towards the birds, which were eventually joined by two more loons. At first the foursome seemed wary of my presence and kept their distance. But as I sat basically motionless, they appeared to get used to my presence and maybe even become curious. Before I knew it, the birds were surfacing from dives less than 15 feet from my kayak! This was just like that first paddle a couple years earlier (when a loon surfaced right next to my kayak within moments of being in the water!). It is difficult to describe what an incredible and almost magical experience it is to see these birds up close like that; diving and interacting with one another. I enjoyed this for a good while, gently back-paddling every once in a while to keep the sun at my back. I love loons; it’s hard to convey what a blast this was!

Next post…birding in the Adirondacks – Bloomingdale Bog, Bigelow Road, and Whiteface Mountain.

~A Common Loons stretches its wings at Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

~A COLO takes a break from looking underwater for prey. Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

~A pair of Common Loons cruise by my kayak, Follensby Clear Pond 6/13/15.~

~I thought this was a little bit of a different look at a COLO. Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

~COLOs at Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

~Stretching COLO, Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

~COLO close-up. Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

~COLO at Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

~The fabulous four Common Loons huddle up. Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

Glenmere Lake Red-necked Grebes

~The bird on the left spent most of the time I was there tucked in, as seen in this photo. This is a heavy crop of a distant shot of two Red-necked Grebes at Glenmere Lake, 4/23/15.~

QUICK POST: After work this afternoon, I checked out several waterfowl spots in southern Orange County without much going on until I got to Glenmere Lake, where from the fishing dock I saw two distant birds on the water. They were all tucked in and quite far – I was thinking RED-NECKED GREBES, but I was not sure. I followed the trail that runs along the water’s edge, heading southwest for about a half mile to get a better look. At first I had trouble relocating the birds, but once I did, I was sure they were RNGRs. I spent some time on the shore getting good looks in my binoculars and great views through the scope. The birds slowly worked their way towards me a little bit and I was able to get some usable photos, the light even improved a little to help me out.

~Two Wood Ducks that were working their way along the shore finally realized I was there and fled across the lake, past the two grebes. It was the only time the second Red-necked Grebe looked up. Glenmere Lake, 4/23/15.~

A Little Catch-Up

~I have this as a Greater Scaup based on the shape of its head – to me it has a pretty evenly domed rear crown. Glenmere Lake, 4/15/15.~

QUICK POST: There has been some interesting waterfowl movement in Orange County in recent weeks, which I have not posted about here on the blog. I have reported a couple of times recently to the Mearns Bird Club, but between not having much time and honestly not getting any good photos (most birds have been quite distant), I haven’t posted here. Here’s list of highlights from some of my recent sightings:

4/9/15, Greenwood Lake: 11 Common Loon

4/9/15, Glenmere Lake: 11 Bufflehead, 3 Common Merganser, 1 Ruddy Duck, 6 Common Loon, 1 Red-necked Grebe

4/14/15, Glenmere Lake: 10 Bufflehead, 8 Scaup (Lesser??? I’m not sure, these birds were very distant), 3 Common Loon, 9 Horned Grebe

Today – 4/15/15, Glenmere Lake: 3 Bufflehead, 1 Greater Scaup, 2 Common Loon

*One final exciting thing for me – my Canon 70D is repaired and has been shipped back to me. I’m not sure when it will arrive, but hopefully for the weekend!

~I have seen many Common Loons this spring, but I’m yet to have one close enough for a decent photo. This one was at Glenmere Lake on 4/14/15.~

I came across this Red-tailed Hawk in my travels yesterday on Mt. Eve Road. — I came across this Red-tailed Hawk in my travels yesterday, 4/14/15, on Mt. Eve Road.

Weekend Wrap-up 4/12/15

*Click on photos to enlarge.*

~A sweet looking Ruddy Duck at Piermont Pier, 4/11/15.~

The highlight of the weekend was, of course, the Crested Caracara in Montgomery, which I saw Saturday afternoon (I’ve received reports that this bird continued at the same location on Sunday 4/12). While looking for the caracara on Saturday, I came across many raptors and I was lucky enough to get a decent photo of a couple American Kestrels. Later that evening, Tricia and I went to Piermont, NY to go out for her birthday dinner. We did not have tons of time, but we made a quick stop at Piermont Pier where we got very appropriately lucky with the very blue-billed Ruddy Duck at the top of this post (appropriate since Ruddies are Tricia’s favorite, the blue bill was the icing on the cake!).

~American Kestrel on River Road in Montgomery, NY 4/11/15.~

On Sunday morning, I joined Karen Miller and Sharon Dewey Scavatto (who drove in that morning from Massachusetts) and we birded the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area. It started out on the chilly side with enough of a cold breeze to make my hands uncomfortable as we birded Haven Road first thing. Highlights at Haven Road included: 1 Common Goldeneye, 2 Northern Shoveler (first ones at the Bash this year), and 4 Blue-winged Teal (my first of the year). From there, we headed over to the Nature Trail, hoping for the Red-necked Grebe and the Common Loon that had been seen there. We struck out with the RNGR, but we did get brief but good looks at the Common Loon. We also heard a Barred Owl from across the Bash, and I got my first Golden Crowned Kinglets of the year. Our next stop was the Deli Fields where I got my FOY Field Sparrows. Our final stop was at the Main Boat Launch to go for the Horned Grebes that have been there. We got very good scope views in perfect light of 4 HOGRs. We walked part of the Birch Trail and I got my FOY Swamp Sparrows. By my record we had 44 birds for the day, I’ll put the list at the bottom of this post.

~Yet another one of my favorites, it was great to see my first Blue-winged Teals of the year, Haven Road at the Bashakill WMA, 4/12/15.~

Bashakill State WMA

~I’m not sure why American Kestrels love to perch on wires so often. This one was located on East Searsville Road in Montgomery, 4/11/15.~

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech-Owl
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle