Shorebirds – Orange Birding

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.~

~Upland Sandpiper in the black dirt, 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.~

UPLAND SANDPIPER, 08/10/25

I finally got lucky and found an UPLAND SANDPIPER in the Black Dirt Region this morning. Unfortunately, the bird was absolutely miles out in a field, so pics were very tough (click here to see what an Uppy actually looks like). The bird was jumpy, and I felt like at any moment it might come closer, but, frustratingly, it kept taking short flights and getting further away instead. During one longer flight, the bird was calling while in flight, so that was pretty cool. Several folks came out for the bird; I know a few got it and a few were still trying to relocated it when I finally left.

~Terrible, distant photos, but what can you do? Upland Sandpiper in the Black Dirt Region, 08/10/25.~

~Upland Sandpiper in the black dirt, 08/10/25.~

OC Baird’s Sandpiper 08/05/25

QUICK POST: I made an impromptu trip to the black dirt this evening after work, hoping for maybe an Upland Sandpiper. It was a beautiful evening with an eerie light due to the smoke in the air from the wildfires in Canada. There were loads of Killdeer to keep my interest up, and although I came up empty regarding the Uppy, I was able to locate a single BAIRD’S SANDPIPER associating with a small flock of Killdeer in a grassy field.

~Baird’s Sandpiper in the black dirt, 08/05/25.~

~One more look at the BASA in the black dirt, 08/05/25.~

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.~

Sunday Shots -An Overdose of Cuteness, 07/27/25

On Saturday morning I birded the area, hoping for some new fall shorebird arrivals. Unfortunately, I did not add any new species to my list from last week, and I had a total of only 4 shorebird species.

Black Dirt: Killdeer
Camel Farm: Killdeer and Least Sandpipers (2)
Liberty Marsh Platform: Solitary Sandpipers (2)
Beaver Pond: Killdeer and Solitary Sandpipers (5)
Bullville Pond: Killdeer, Least Sandpipers (2), Solitary Sandpipers (2), and Spotted Sandpiper (1)
6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary: Killdeer and Least Sandpipers (2)

The highlight for me was spending some quality time with a young Killdeer foraging under a sprinkler in the black dirt, so I’ll leave you with an overdose of cuteness. All photos taken on 07/26/25 in the Black Dirt Region.

Sunday Shots, 05/04/25

Well, it was quite a bird-filled weekend. It’s that time of year where just being out and about you will see many new birds for the year. If I include Thursday, I personally added nearly 30 birds to my Orange County year list. I’ve included a list of all my new birds at the bottom of this post.

While most of the birds were nothing out-of-the-ordinary, there were some highlights. On Saturday morning, the Camel Farm was well stocked with shorebirds. While most of the birds were Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, I did add several new species, including a single DUNLIN in beautiful plumage. It was funny, because Linda Scrima joined me there; she was trying to get on the Dunlin and she casually asked me if it was near the GLOSSY IBIS… I was like what GLOSSY IBIS??? The ibis must have flown in while I had my head down in my scope, so that was a funny, pleasant surprise.

~This photo made my weekend. It’s been absolutely years since I’ve gotten a decent cuckoo photo, so I was thrilled to spend a little time at Winding Waters Trail with this Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 05/04/25.~

On Sunday morning, for my final stop, I took a walk out at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail, where two excellent things happened. First, I ran into and caught up with my friends Jeff and Liz; It had been ages since I’ve seen them, and I was coincidentally just thinking about them the day before. And second, a little while after that, I ran into a relatively cooperative YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. It’s been absolutely ages since I’ve had a good cuckoo experience, so I really enjoyed it.

~Greater Yellowlegs at the Camel Farm, 05/04/25.~

~My warbler game is right on par, lol. Here’s snazzy shot of a distant Blue-winged Wabler on an electrical tower in Sterling Forest, 05/03/25.~

~There were loads of Yellow Warblers at most locations I went to over the weekend. This one was taken at Winding Waters Trail, 05/04/25.~

~One more Yellow-billed Cuckoo shot. Winding Waters Trail, 05/04/25.~

~Cuteness. Canada Goose goslings at Wickham Lake, 05/03/25.~

130. Barred Owl – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
131. Black-billed Cuckoo – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
132. Solitary Sandpiper – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
133. Northern Rough-winged Swallow – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
134. Northern House Wren – Beaver Pond – 05/01/25
135. Bank Swallow – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
136. Eastern Kingbird – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
137. Northern Waterthrush – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
138. American Redstart – Wickham Lake – 05/03/25
139. Dunlin – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
140. Least Sandpiper – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
141. Pectoral Sandpiper – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
142. Glossy Ibis – Camel Farm – 05/03/25
143. Red-eyed Vireo – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
144. Ovenbird – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
145. Scarlet Tanager – Pochuck Mountain – 05/03/25
146. Yellow-throated Vireo – Elks Brox – 05/03/25
147. Worm-eating Warbler – Elks Brox – 05/03/25
148. Wood Thrush – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
149. Rose-breasted Grosbeak – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
150. Indigo Bunting – Reservoir #1 – 05/03/25
151. Green Heron – Sugar Loaf – 05/03/25
152. Eastern Whip-poor-will – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
153. American Woodcock – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
154. Blue-winged Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
155. Cerulean Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
156. Chestnut-sided Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
157. Prairie Warbler – Sterling Forest – 05/03/25
158. Yellow-billed Cuckoo – Winding Waters – 05/04/25

Saturday 09/28/24

I spent most of the day up at Mount Peter counting migrating raptors. It was a modest flight of only 21 migrating hawks counted, but I enjoyed my time up on the mountain. There are certain raptors that I really enjoy seeing migrate, Northern Harrier and Osprey among them, and I enjoyed seeing two of each fly over the viewing platform today. There was also a very large flock of Cedar Waxwings hanging around; it was fun to see them and to get some photos. It was drizzling intermittently for most of the watch, and finally, during the 6th hour, the drizzle became pretty steady and visibility was an issue, so I called it. I’ve included my report at the bottom of this post.

~One of many Cedar Waxwings at Mount Peter today, 09/28/24.~

Before going up to the mountain, I toured the black dirt, starting just after sunrise. It was mostly uneventful, but at my last stop -the fields just north of Scenic Farms Golf Course, I was lucky enough to located (3) American Golden-plovers. It’s been an absolutely dismal shorebird season in the black dirt, so I was happy to see these birds.

~American Golden-plover in the black dirt, 09/28/24.~

~Cedar Waxwing getting tricky with a snack. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/28/24.~

~Yellow-rumped Warbler at Mt. Peter 09/28/24.~

~One more Cedar Waxwing shot. Mount Peter 09/28/24.~

Sunday Shots, 09/01/24

Sunday Shots: Overnight pelagic teaser edition. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I enjoyed some really excellent birding on Brookline Bird Club’s overnight pelagic out of Hyannis, Massachusetts. We found all of my target birds for the trip, and I added an incredible five birds to my life list. I have loads of photos to get through still, but I will be publishing a full post with details and tons of photos, as soon as I can.

Meanwhile, back in Orange County, the excitement for me this weekend was finding a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER in the black dirt on Saturday morning. BBSA is definitely one of the coolest birds that we can expect in our area each fall, so it was great to catch up with one.

~Corey’s Shearwater, BBC Overnight Pelagic 08/26/24.~

~Not a great shot, but it’s always great to see a Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Black Dirt Region 08/31/24.~

Sunday Shots, 08/18/24

On Friday evening, Jeanne Cimorelli found a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER in the black dirt. Early Saturday morning, I joined forces with birding bud Bruce Nott, and we relocated the bird. In fact, we were able to find (2) BASAs. Unfortunately, the birds did not cooperate for photos, but, on Saturday I had one come closer to the road and I was able to finally get some halfway decent shots of this beautiful bird. It was my 200th species in Orange County this year. I was happy to reach that milestone, after not doing so last year.

~Baird’s Sandpiper in the black dirt, 08/18/24

I spent the weekend looking for shorebirds, but did not add any new species besides the Baird’s. My observations were limited to: Killdeer, Semipalmated Plovers, a single Pectoral Sandpiper, and Least Sandpipers. Bruce did have a Black-bellied Plover on Saturday morning, but I was unable to catch up with that bird.

I tried my luck one more time at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, but conditions remain poor for shorebirds, and in fact I did not have many waders either (3 Great Blue Herons and a single Great Egret).