Orange County – Orange Birding

Lapland Longspurs, 04/26/26

It’s not necessarily very easy to see a Lapland Longspur in breeding plumage. You can travel during the breeding season to the arctic tundra across North America, Europe, and Asia – areas such as Alaska, northern Canada, northern Scandinavia, Russia, or coastal Greenland. See the pink highlights on the range map below.

Or you can stay local and head out to the black dirt in mid to late April and try to get really lucky. Readers of the blog know that Lapland Longspur is among my very favorite species; I search for them all winter long and in April I try to see them in their fabulous breeding plumage. And I’ve had some success over the years, and this weekend I got lucky again and found a handful of Lapland Longspurs associating with a flock of Horned Larks. Two of the birds were in beautiful breeding plumage, but unfortunately, in spite of my efforts on both days, I never had the birds close enough for quality photos. Here’s my best effort.

~Lapland Longspur in the Black Dirt Region, 04/26/26.~

It was back in April of 2023 when I got super lucky and finally got a decent shot. I was was very excited at the time; it was a great day for me. Here’s another look at that bird:

~A look back to 2023: Lapland Longspur in the Black Dirt Region on 04/23/23.~

On a separate note, I wanted to give a shout out to birding bud Silas Wareham. Silas is an excellent Orange County birder and photographer. He has an online photography newsletter, Raw Nature, that I encourage everyone to visit and subscribe if you like what you see (you will). Here is lovely shot that I pulled from Silas’ site.

~American Robin photo by Silas Wareham… see more good stuff like this here. ~

Excellent Sunday Birding, 04/29/26

When I looked at today’s forecast last night, I was hopeful that we might get some good birds. It called for rain starting before sunrise and continuing through the morning until the early afternoon. When I arrived at Wickham Lake this morning, it was a steady rain. I was initially viewing from under the pavilion, but then I saw some interesting ducks, so I had to venture out into the rain for a closer look from the shore. I was pretty excited when I got a better look – it was (4) SURF SCOTERS and (1) BLACK SCOTER, which was super exciting for me. Also of note was (4) Bonaparte’s Gulls, associating with about a half dozen Ring-billed Gulls. I checked a few more lakes in the area, and when I got to Walton Lake, I found (2) more Surf Scoters. The rain had stopped, and the birds were closer, so I was at least able to get a halfway decent photo of the birds.

~Surf Scoters at Walton Lake on 04/19/26. Why are they always on the other side of the lake?~

I checked a few more local lakes without anything noteworthy and then headed to the Hudson River. I’d seen on social media that route 218 (Storm King Highway) had finally reopened after being closed for I think over three years, so I wanted to drive that for the first time in ages. Unfortunately it was raining pretty good again when I went through, so the views weren’t so great, but I’m excited that it’s open again. I birded Cornwall Bay with hardly any birds. I went to the mouth of the Quassaic Creek, and I was happy to find that the Black-crowned Night Heron had returned! I snapped a few shots and sorted through some cormorants, hoping for the Neotropic Cormorant that had been reported this week, but no luck.

~Black-crowned Night Heron at the mouth of the Quassaic Creek, 04/19/26.~

I made my way up to the Newburgh Waterfront, where at first I didn’t have much. Then, to my surprise, while I was sorting through the gulls on the floating docks, a couple of LAUGHING GULLS flew in. They spent some time close to the shore for a while, but then eventually settled down way out on the river with a small flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls. I’d put the word out, and Silas, Bruce and Jeanne joined me with the birds. Later in the day, Ronnie reported that they had relocated to the parking lot at the boat launch; Bill Fiero was able to catch up with them there.

~One of two Laughing Gulls at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/19/26.~

~Laughing in the rain, just laughing in the rain… sorry I couldn’t help myself. LAGU at Newburgh Waterfront, 04/19/26.~

~Laughing Gull in flight over the Hudson River at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/19/26.~

~It was a wet day out there. Common Grackle, soaking wet at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/19/26.~

~Eastern Meadowlark in the black dirt on Saturday, 04/18/26.~

~Savannah Sparrow in the black dirt, 04/18/26.~

Sunday Shots, 04/12/26

I checked some local lakes and then birded the Newburgh Waterfront on Saturday morning; my best birds were a couple of distant Horned Grebes on Wickham Lake. This morning I took a hike at the Middletown Reservoir Trails. I find it a very enjoyable place to bird, it has some decent habitat and the trails are very easy to walk. It was a birdy walk this morning; I got fantastic looks at a Red-breasted Nuthatch, and I had over 30 species on my list. I also added couple of new birds to my OC year list – Eastern Towhee and Pine Warbler, which is always nice.

~I was pleased to hear and see several Pine Warblers at Middletown Reservoir Trails this morning. It’s a start!~

~Carolina Wren is a bird that is absolutely everywhere, but somehow I never seem to get any photos. I got this one on Saturday 04/11/26 at the Newburgh Waterfront Trail.~

~A young Red-tailed Hawk at the Newburgh Waterfront Trail, 04/11/26.~

~Tree Swallow at Wickham Lake, 04/11/26.~

~Female Common Merganser at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/11/26.~

Sunday Shots 04/05/26

Last weekend was a birding bust for me (hence no post), but things started to pick up on Thursday when I found a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER at Wickham Lake. Other notable birds that evening included a Common Loon and a Horned Grebe. We hosted family for Easter, so although I got out both days for a little while, my birding time was a little bit limited this weekend. Common Loon was definitely the bird of the weekend for me – I had two early Saturday morning and then today, I had a total of (13) on four different lakes – Wickham (6x), Greenwood (5x), Walton (1x), and Round (1x). Also of note this morning was a Horned Grebe, a trio of Lesser Scaup, my first Northern Shovelers of the year, and a single Bonaparte’s Gull, all at Wickham Lake.

~Bonaparte’s Gull at Wickham Lake on 04/05/26.~

~Common Loons at Wickham Lake, 04/05/26.~

~American Crow in the black dirt last weekend, 03/28/26.~

~Tree Swallow on Wisner Road, 03/28/26.~

Sunday Shots, 03/22/26

Things are starting to happen. We have open water throughout the county. On Wednesday, Karen VanDyk found a Red-necked Grebe at Lockenhurst Pond; I ran for the bird on Thursday evening after work, and fortunately it was still present – I’ve included a photo of the bird at the bottom of this post. I enjoyed distant but nice looks at the bird, as well as the male Red-breasted Merganser that Karen had reported there as well.

On Saturday I took a 7 mile hike out at Black Rock Forest. It was a pleasant walk; birdy enough to keep me interested, and the weather was pleasant. I added a few birds to my Orange County year list – I finally got a couple of Fox Sparrows, and I had my first Eastern Phoebes and Wood Ducks of the year. I stopped by the Newburgh Waterfront afterwards and got lucky with a Great Cormorant – thanks to Bruce Nott for that.

~Eastern Phoebe giving me the side eye at Black Rock Forest on 03/21/26.~

Then on Sunday, I birded several of the local lakes; I had plenty of waterfowl at many of the lakes, but the only new bird for the year was a Pied-billed Grebe. I also had a close but all too brief encounter with a River Otter – so brief I didn’t get any photos, but still it’s always exciting to see an otter.

~Ring-necked Duck at Orange-Rockland Lake, 03/22/26.~

~My first Pied-billed Grebe of the year – Wickham Lake, 03/22/26.~

~Rooftop Turkey Vulture in Goshen, NY on 03/22/26.~

~Great Cormorant at the Newburgh Waterfront, 03/21/26.~

~I love these dudes. Rooftop TUVUs in Goshen, 03/22/26.~

~Distant shot of the Red-necked Grebe at Lockenhurst Pond, 03/19/26.~

Sunday Shots, 03/15/26

It was a pretty quiet weekend of local birding for me. Wickham Lake and Greenwood Lake both finally had some small areas of open water but nothing too exciting going on, just some Common Mergansers and Buffleheads. There was not much going on in the black dirt, with the exception of the Tundra Swans that have been hanging out at the Liberty Loop.

This morning I took a couple of short hikes; I was hoping for Red Crossbills, but I came up empty at both locations. First, I walked two miles at Reservoir 3, where the Pine Siskins continue to be the best bird. Then I headed to the Middletown Reservoir Trails for the first time ever; thanks to Ronnie DiLorenzo for the tip. I enjoyed walking a nice three mile loop; my best bird was Red-breasted Nuthatch, and I was able to get a few shots of an accommodating Brown Creeper.

~Brown Creeper at Middletown Reservoir Trails, 03/15/26.~

~BRCR at Middletown Reservoir Trails, 03/15/26.~

~One more shot of the Brown Creeper at Middletown Resevoir Trails, 03/15/26.~

~American Red Squirrel at Middletown Reservoir Trails, 03/15/26.~

Sunday Shots 03/07/26 – More Shorties

I’m feeling pretty under the weather today, so, in spite of reports of some very good birds, I’ve stayed home all day to rest and recuperate. Reported birds included: 11 Tundra Swans at the Liberty Loop, 4 Tundra Swans at the Bashakill, Snow Geese and Tundra Swans near Winding Hills Park, and a Greater White-fronted Goose at the Camel Farm. It’s good to see some things are happening.

Luckily, I still have some photos to post this evening. Yesterday afternoon I was driving in the black dirt when I inadvertently flushed a pair of Short-eared Owls. They were roosting in the taller roadside grasses, and they flushed as I approached in my car. One bird didn’t go very far when it flushed; it was the best look I’ve gotten of a Short-eared Owl in quite some time.

~Short-eared Owl in the Black Dirt Region, 03/07/26.~

~Shorty in the black dirt on Saturday 03/07/26.~

~One final Shorty shot, black dirt, 03/07/26.~

Orange County Snow Geese, 03/07/26

Right on cue, our first Snow Geese descended on the county yesterday morning when Matthew VanDyk reported approximately 40 birds on Skinners Lane. Shortly afterwards, Linda Scrima located a Ross’s Goose in the flock. By evening, Travis Rubio reported the flock had grown to over 500 birds. When I arrived this morning, I had an estimated 1,200+ birds. The birds were distant and very active, so I did not really have a chance to search for the Ross’s, but it’s always a good day of birding when you have a nice big flock of Snow Geese.

~Snow Geese flying over horizon in the Black Dirt Region on 03/07/26.~

~Snow Goose in the black dirt, 03/07/26.~

~Snow Geese in the black dirt, 03/07/26.~

Sunday Shots, 03/01/26

There’s not very much going on in the area these days. On Saturday morning I went to Reservoir #3 in Port Jervis to try for Red Crossbills again, but didnt’ have any luck. My consolation prize was a nice and somewhat accommodating flock of Pine Siskins. That’s a species that I don’t get too many photos of, so I enjoyed that. Also of note on Saturday morning, I went to the Liberty Loop where I had at least (6) Rough-legged Hawks. It’s been a while since we’ve seen those types of numbers in our area.

~Pine Siskin at Reservoir #3, 02/28/26.~

~One of six Rough-legged Hawks at the Liberty Loop, 02/28/26.~

I put a lot of miles on my car on Sunday morning, but it was mostly unproductive. The only notable observation I had was seeing that the Tundra Swan was still around – I found it on the banks of the Wallkill River on Celery Avenue.

~Ring-billed Gull at Donahue Memorial Park, 03/01/26.~

~White-breasted Nuthatch at Reservoir #3, 02/28/26.~

~One more shot of one of the Rough-legged Hawks at the Liberty Loop on 02/28/26.~

Sunday Shots, 02/08/26

My goodness, it was a COLD weekend! Saturday, with the strong winds, may have been the coldest conditions I’ve ever birded in. Which is why I spent nearly every minute in the car, only getting out on a few occasions. Sunday started off pretty cold too, but did not have the same winds that we had on Saturday and was eventually borderline comfortable, as long as you were in the sun. I spent all morning Saturday in the black dirt and I got mostly the usuals. The best thing about the substantial snow cover is that it brought some of my favorite birds (Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs) into more accessible areas.

~Lapland Longspur in the black dirt on 02/07/26.~

On Sunday I started out in the black dirt again; I made my way out to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail. I walked out to the fork and back – it was brutally cold, but it felt good to get out of the car and take a walk. Then I headed to the Newburgh Waterfront area. I made a quick stop at Kendridge Farm, where I enjoyed the company of a large flock of American Robins, probably north of a hundred individuals. At the waterfront, it was too early in the day for much gull action, but I was luck enough to find 17 Common Goldeneyes in the only open water I could find, straight out from Blu Pointe restaurant. They were eventually flushed by a US Coast Guard boat breaking through the ice and I watched as they flew down river.

~Common Goldeneyes in flight over the Hudson River at the Newburgh Waterfront, 02/08/26.~

On my way home I started thinking about the TUNDRA SWAN that has been observed in the area in recent days. I’d tried for that bird on the Wallkill River on Celery Avenue four times already over the weekend, but something made me think I should try one more time. At the Celery Avenue location, I was unable to locate the bird, but I did meet Rick and MaryAnn Ronzoni. They had had similar poor luck with this bird; we commiserated and went our separate ways. I was headed home when my phone rang – it was the Ronzonis – they had found the bird in a field on Onion Avenue! I turned around and the bird was still there when I arrived – and what a beauty it was. Huge thanks to the Ronzonis, who went out of their way to make sure I got that bird.

~Tundra Swan siting in a snowy field in the black dirt region, 02/08/26.~

02/09/26 Update: I woke up in the middle of the night last night and remembered that I’d wanted to mention the impact that bird flu is having on our local birds. I generally try to keep the blog upbeat and mostly positive, but I would be remiss if I didn’t bring it up here. I’d seen reports on eBird and on the Mearns Birding App of larger numbers of Canada Geese that have died from the Avian Virus. But, personally, I’d only seen a small number of birds in my travels up until this weekend. The scene at the Wallkill River on Celery Avenue is downright shocking. The mostly frozen river is absolutely littered with dead geese – when I first saw them on Saturday morning it really had an effect on me. I didn’t do any counting, but just based on what I saw, I would estimate that there was at least 75-100 birds that had succumbed to the virus. According to reports on the Mearns App, the birds have been reported to the DEC. It’s very sad, but unfortunately that’s just the state of things right now. If I hear any additional information, I’ll try to post it in a timely manner.