Orange County – Orange Birding

Sunday Shots 12/01/24

Regular readers of the blog may remember that I am a big fan of winter birding. While this weekend didn’t offer up anything too exciting, there were plenty of birds around to enjoy. My favorite moments included a decent sized flock of Snow Buntings in the black dirt on Friday afternoon (approximately 65 birds or so). On Saturday afternoon I enjoyed watching and photographing one of the tightest packed large flock of mixed blackbirds that I’ve ever seen. It was so much fun to see, and I find the photos fascinating to examine. As far as I can tell, three different species were present (mostly Red-winged Blackbirds, with some Brown-headed Cowbirds and European Starlings sprinkled throughout), and the images vary wildly depending on species present, orientation of the birds, and the light (among other variables). And finally, I had a brief but productive experience with an American Kestrel; usually a skittish species, this male was super focused on hunting something in the vegetation roadside, which allowed for some good photo ops.

~American Kestrel in the black dirt, 12/01/24.~

~Snow Buntings in the black dirt, 11/29/24.~

~More Snow Buntings. Black Dirt Region 11/30/24.~

~Living up to their name, Red-winged Blackbirds predominate this image. Blackbird flock in the black dirt, 11/30/24.~

~Now that’s a lot of blackbirds! Mixed flock in the black dirt, 11/30/24.~

~Blackbird flock in action, Black Dirt Region 11/30/24.~

~Mixed flock of blackbirds in the black dirt, 11/30/24.~

~I love this shot. It was a mostly gloomy afternoon, but the sun did poke out from time to time. Blackbirds in the black dirt 11/30/24.~

~American Kestrel hunting roadside in the Black Dirt Region, 12/01/24.~

~In hover mode – AMKE in the BDR 12/01/24.~

Good Birding at Wickham Lake, 11/23/24

I started my morning of birding at Wickham Lake, where just after my arrival I found a pair of Long-tailed Ducks. Kyle Knapp joined me shortly after my arrival and we enjoyed some good birding. Kyle saw a gull in flight across the lake; I got on it with my scope and was happy to report it was a Bonaparte’s Gull! The bird moved through without stopping, and we would eventually have a second Bonie do the same thing. We found another Long-tailed Duck in the west section of the lake – we both agreed that the plumage on this bird was different than the first two.

~One of three Long-tailed Ducks at Wickham Lake, 11/23/24.~

Other good birds included an adult Bald Eagle, a Common Goldeneye, and a distant scaup that was too distant to properly identify, but I would venture to guess it was a Greater. A nice sized flock of Green-winged Teal did a couple of fly-bys which was fun to photograph.

~One of two Bonaparte’s Gulls at Wickham Lake, 11/23/24.~

~Green-winged Teals in flight at Wickham Lake, 11/23/24.~

I hit the black dirt afterwards and the winter usuals made a good showing. The Three Amigos (Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, & Lapland Longspur) were all present; there are loads of larks, I had a handful of buntings, and at least 6 longspurs. I still had about a dozen American Pipits. The Cackling Goose at Breeze Hill Pond continues. And finally, I had a single Rough-legged Hawk high over the Camel Farm.

~Lapland Longspur with a couple of Horned Larks; Black Dirt Region 11/23/24.~

Orange County Ross’s Goose, 11/19/24

QUICK POST: Yesterday morning, Silas Warham found a ROSS’S GOOSE in a field in the black dirt. The bird flew, but was later relocated at a small pond on Breeze Hill Road. I was unable to run for it yesterday, but today I went out during my lunch break and was able to relocate the bird at the Breeze Hill Road pond. It’s not very often I run for a bird during the work day, so I was pretty happy the bird stuck around. Thanks to Silas and Linda Scrima for keeping me posted of the bird’s whereabouts.

~ROSS’S GOOSE, Breeze Hill Road, 11/19/24.~

~One more shot of the ROGO at Breeze Hill Road, 11/19/24.~

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.

~An acrobatic White-breasted Nuthatch at Reservoir 3, 11/16/24.~

~One of three Hairy Woodpeckers I saw at Res 3 on Saturday morning, 11/16/24.~

~There is a wonderful network of trails around Reservoir 3, just outside of Port Jervis. That’s Reservoir 2 in the upper right corner.~

Sunday Shots, 11/10/24

I had a family commitment first thing this morning, so I didn’t get out until later in the morning. I was able to relocate a couple of the Lapland Longspurs from yesterday, but once again, photos were not in the cards. The birds were associating with a large flock of Horned Larks and they were just too distant and too flighty. I also located a couple of decent sized flocks of American Pipits; one was located just off the road and I was able to get some nice shots of one of my favorite birds. Aside from that, there was not much going on in the black dirt – after all the Canada Geese skeins I saw yesterday from Mt. Peter, I was hoping for some flocks of geese to sift through but I only found a couple of smaller flocks.

~American Pipit on the move in the Black Dirt Region, 11/10/24.~

~American Pipit in the black dirt, 11/10/24.~

Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 11/09/24

I made a brief visit to the Black Dirt Region this morning before heading up to hawkwatch. I was lucky enough to find my target bird – Lapland Longspur. I found a sizable flock of Horned Larks; among them was at least 3 longspurs, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more like 5 or 6, as I was hearing them quite a bit. Photos didn’t happen; that’ll be something to work towards.

As for hawkwatch, today was my last day of the season at Mount Peter. I can hardly believe how quickly time is going by these days. I had an enjoyable 2024 season; I feel like I got more than my share of good days during a season that did not seem to produce all that many good days. My ultimate highlight, of course, was the Golden Eagle that migrated through on 10/19/24, but I also enjoyed counting nearly a thousand Broad-winged Hawks on 09/21/24. While the official counting season will end this coming Friday, I feel like I might want to try it for a couple hours next Saturday, since it will be prime time for Goldens.

~Turkey Vulture at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch 11/09/24. TUVUs were the big mover today, with 53 migrants counted.~

I went out on a decent note, counting 76 migrating raptors today. It was a tough go, since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and than makes finding the birds quite difficult. And, while the official counting season will end this coming Friday, I feel like I might want to try it for a couple hours next Saturday, since it will be prime time for Goldens. As always, I’ve included my Hawcount.org report at the bottom of this post.

~Red-tailed Hawks came in 2nd place with 15 migrating birds counted. This bird was not moving through and was not counted. Mt Peter Hawkwatch 11/09/24.~

Interesting Weekend, 11/03/24

I was up at Mount Peter at my usual time on Saturday morning, but I left early. It’s too bad too, because the birds were flying and I feel like the afternoon had some potential. I had 14 migrating raptors during the 2 1/2 hours I counted. I cut the count short for a good reason, however. Tricia and I were heading up north to SUNY Oneonta to see Orange County’s own Kyle Dudgeon give a talk and then show his latest short film To See The Sky. To say that the film is moving is an understatement. Between ornithologist Lorenzo Sympson’s remarkable life story and Kyle’s incredible images, I was really quite moved and feeling borderline weepy by the end. I’m not sure at this point when and where it can be seen next, but when I hear something I will post a follow up.

~Always a good bird to see. American Bittern at the Liberty Loop, 11/03/24.~

On Sunday, I did some local birding in the afternoon, after our drive back from Oneonta. I checked a couple of local lakes and found nothing noteworthy, so I decided to go to Liberty Marsh to see if I could find the American Bittern that’s been reported there recently. I spent some time at the viewing platform, and eventually I was rewarded with some very nice looks at the bittern. On my way back I checked 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary to check for shorebirds. I had no luck with shorebirds, but there was a young Snow Goose present, up close and in some nice late afternoon light.

~A nice up close look at a Snow Goose at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 11/03/24.

~One more shot of the American Bittern at Liberty Marsh, 11/03/24.~

~Kyle Dudgeon at SUNY Oneonta for the showing of his latest short film To See The Sky, 11/02/24.~

~iPhone snap of one of the posters on the SUNY Oneonta Campus.~

~A young Bald Eagle mixing it up with a Red-tailed Hawk at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 11/02/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/27/24

I birded Wickham Lake both mornings this weekend. It was birdy both mornings, but on Sunday morning there was a nice collection of mostly new waterfowl present. The highlight was a single Red-necked Grebe (too far out for photos unfortunately); that’s a bird I alway enjoy seeing. Other waterfowl species included: Canada Geese, Mallards, Northern Pintails, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, American Coots, and Double-crested Cormorants. Both mornings were beautiful, and really I didn’t do as well with photos as maybe I should have, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Wickham Lake, 10/26/24.~

~Double-crested Cormorant in flight at Wickham Lake, 10/27/24.~

~This Belted Kingfisher was chased across the lake by a Northern Harrier, of all things. I’ve never seen anything like that before. BEKI at Wickham Lake, 10/27/24.~

A Good Day at Mt. Pete

I enjoyed a really good flight today at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, with 143 migrating raptors counted. Winds were strong and from the northwest, there was a nice mix of sun and clouds, and temperatures were nice and cool – perfect hawk watching conditions. I had a lot of help up there today too, with veteran counters Judy Cinquina, Tom Millard, and Ken Witkowski all joining me for a good long while. When you have really good help like that, I can’t help but wonder what the count would have been if I was up there on my own. The highlights of the day included a flight of (14) Red-shouldered Hawks and (40) Red-tailed Hawks; I believe that is our high day count for both species so far this year. As a bonus, today’s count pushed our year count over the 3,000 bird mark. See my full Hawkcount report at the bottom of this post.

~Red-tailed Hawk at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/26/24.~

~And the obligatory Turkey Vulture shot, Mt. Pete 10/26/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/20/24

I woke up this morning and I was feeling terrible. I had a bad sore throat, you know the kind where it feels like you are swallowing glass? I thought about just getting back into bed, but then I figured since I was up I would try to get out for a little bit. I decided to forego any birding on foot and instead birded the black dirt from the comfort of my car. My decision paid off before I even left the village; I found a Red Fox in the cemetery and was able to get some photos. The black dirt was birdy, but with what I would consider the usuals. American Pipits are around in good numbers; I enjoyed seeing and photographing them. On my way home, I took the long way and it paid off; I found another Red Fox who did not seem too disturbed by my presence.