Orange County – Page 2 – Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 07/20/25

I was able to get out early both mornings this weekend and things are starting to happen. Shorebirds are on the move. On Saturday morning, I had a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers at the Camel Farm. Then, this morning I had two fields in the black dirt that were loaded with Killdeer, and at the Camel Farm, I found 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Least Sandpipers, and 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers. And finally, at Beaver Pond (near Glenmere Lake), I had 2 Solitary Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, and a handful of Killdeer.

~A calling Killdeer in the black dirt, 07;20/25. I’m really looking forward to shorebird season – it should be interesting. ~

Shorebirds aside, my first stop, super early on Saturday morning, was at Mongaup Falls Reservoir, where I kayaked again. I was trying for Red Crossbills, but unfortunately I didn’t have any luck with that species. Still, it was an enjoyable paddle, birdy enough and even though it was sunny, it was still nice and cool at that hour. I didn’t track my species for that paddle, but I had mostly the same usuals as last weekend, give or take.

~Black-and-white Warbler at Mongaup Falls Reservoir, 07/19/25.~

~Black-and-white Warbler fledgling at Mongaup Falls Reservoir, 07/19/25.~

~I think this is a beautiful bird. Mourning Dove at Mongaup Falls Reservoir, 07/19/25.~

~Young Bald Eagle at Mongaup Reservoir, 0719/25.~

~Green Heron on the hunt at Mongaup Falls Reservoir, 07/19/25.~

~Green Heron at Mongaup Falls Reservoir, 07/19/25.~

Sunday Shots, 07/06/25

To me, the summer doldrums of birding are in full swing right now. It was great to have a three day weekend and I got out to do a little birding each morning. And while just I enjoyed being out, there isn’t all that much to report. In fact photos were even difficult for me this weekend. Regardless, here’s some notes from the weekend, as well as the shots was able to get. .

On Friday, I followed up on a report for Ruffed Grouse at Sterling Forest first thing. I, unsurprisingly, did not have any luck with grouse, but I did pretty well with raptors for a relatively short visit, with 4 species (Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and Bald Eagle.
Also on Friday morning, I checked on the Great Blue Heron rookery I discovered back in July of 2019 (off of route 6, just east of Woodbury Commons). Unfortunately, it looks like that rookery no longer exists.
On Saturday I walked the Liberty Loop again. Highlights include a pair of Least Sandpipers, a single Purple Martin, and a remarkable 31 Great Blue Herons in flight at one time.
On Sunday, I kayaked out at the Bashakill. My best bird was Least Bittern – I had a single bird fly across the channel in front of me, and another bird calling, deep in the vegetation. Other good birds included a Brown Thrasher flying across the Bash, and a Common Gallinule that I inadvertently flushed with my approach down the channel.
And finally, on a sad note, in spite of their best efforts, the Great Horned Owl owlet that I helped last weekend passed away at the Avian Wildlife Center. I know this is how it goes sometimes, but for some reason I was optimistic about that little dude.

~A young Red-winged Blackbird at the Bashakill, 07/06/25.~

~Swamp Sparrow at the Liberty Loop, 07/05/25.~

~Divebombing Song Sparrows at the Liberty Loop, 07/05/25.~

~Red-winged Blackbird at the Liberty Loop, 07/05/25.~

~One more young Red-winged Blackbird at the Bashakill, 07/06/25.~

Sunday Shots, 06/29/25

At my first stop this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find two young Barred Owls. They were being mobbed by Common Grackles, which is the only reason I found them.

For my second stop, I’d nearly forgotten about one of the best summer birding spots in Orange County: the Mongaup River Trail. It’s an easy hike that, as the name indicates, runs along the Mongaup River. I find that it’s not a great spot first thing in the morning because everything is still in dark shadows. I arrived around 9:00 am, and that seemed to be a good time to arrive. I was in some shade on the way out and mostly in sun on the way back. My first bird was a Pine Warbler, followed shortly by a high, calling Blackburnian Warbler. There were a good number Louisana Waterthrush, Ovenbirds, and Black-throated Green Warblers. I usually get Magnolia Warbler at this location, but did not today. I also had a single Northern Parula and an adult Bald Eagle.

On my way home, I took the long way and went through the Rio Dam area. I had a Red Fox cross the road in front of my car. They disappeared into the woods quicker than you can imagine! And, a little later I had a Winter Wren singing just off the road.

~Young Barred Owl in Orange County, NY 06/29/25.~

~A Louisiana Waterthrush with a mouthful of insects. Mongaup River Trail, 06/29/25.~

~Ovenbird at Mongaup River Trail, 06/29/25.~

~A Green Heron cuts a nice figure on a dead tree limb, 06/29/25.~

Owlet Rescue, 06/28/25

I walked Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop first thing this morning. It was mostly just the usuals, until I found an apparently distressed Great Horned Owl owlet perched on the ground, only about 20 feet off the trail. Last night Linda Scrima forwarded me a Facebook post where someone had found this same owlet the day before. So that meant the bird had been there for a full day already (the bird was not really on my radar – I figured it had been helped already). I let Linda know the bird was still there; she shared the contact information for The Avian Wildlife Center. I got in touch with Giselle (some readers may remember she helped me with Carson C. Waxwing back in 2020), and we made arrangements for her to come out and get the bird.

~Poor little dude. Great Horned Owl owlet at the Liberty Loop, 06/28/25.~

Linda joined me on the trail and we kept an eye on the bird until Giselle arrived. We made a quick plan to catch the bird, and it went pretty smoothly – Giselle really knows what she is doing. Upon initial examination, Giselle observed that the bird was underweight, but not emaciated. There were no obvious injuries, but Giselle did note that the bird’s eyes looked a little weird. We hustled back to Giselle’s car and she took the bird back to her place, where it will get the care that it needs. I will post an update on the bird when I hear something. For any readers who would like to donate to the Avian Wildlife Center, you can click here to do so. Thanks!

~Giselle begins her initial examination of the owlet. Liberty Loop, 06/28/25.~

So that was the excitement for the day! Otherwise, the loop was birdy and I observed over 50 species. The most interesting to me was over a dozen Great Blue Herons (it seems early for them to be congregating there already), a single Great Egret, and a single Greater Yellowlegs. Here’s a few photos from the morning. I’m also including a complete list of birds observed – I haven’t done that in a while.

~I was just telling some friends last night that sometime you can catch a glimpse of the Gray Catbird’s rufous under tail. Liberty Loop 06/28/25.~

~Young Tree Swallow perched at the Liberty Loop, 06/28/25.~

~Red-winged Blackbird striking a pose at the Liberty Loop, 06/28/25.~

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Common Gallinule
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Great Horned Owl
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Blackbird
Common Grackle
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Roe-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25

I took my yearly hike out to Jupiter’s Boulder in Black Rock Forest to try for Ruffed Grouse. As with the last 6 years, I did not have any success with my target species . But, it was still a birdy and enjoyable hike. I hit the trail just after sunrise and covered around 5 miles. I observed a total of 35 species; all were expected species. Highlights included a low flyover of a Broad-winged Hawk while I relaxed on Jupiter’s Boulder, eating my Cliff Bar breakfast, and getting fantastic looks at an Acadian Flycatcher which was vocalizing nonstop with with its excellent call of “peeet-SAH!”.

~Common Yellowthroat at Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25.~

~Here I am at the waterfall near the beginning of the trail to Jupiter’s Boulder, Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25.~

Sunday Shots, 06/08/25

This weekend I hiked out at Reservoir #3 in Port Jervis both mornings. My target bird was Ruffed Grouse, which I know is a total longshot, but I had to try. Yesterday I cut my hike short when I was just soaked through and had had enough. So I gave it another go this morning in the dry weather. Both mornings were quite birdy; I had 22 species yesterday in the rain, and 34 species this morning. Species were all expected; highlights for me included Blackburnian Warblers and an Acadian Flycatcher.

I also spent some time at the Liberty Loop platform on Saturday. My best bird was a calling Least Bittern. I also enjoyed a couple of Green Herons which were spending some time around the platform, providing some photo ops.

~Green Heron coming right at me. Liberty Loop, 06/07/25.~

~One more Green Heron shot from the Liberty Loop platform, 06/07/25.~

~Black-and-white Warbler at Reservoir #3, 06/08/25.~

Sunday Shots, 06/01/25

We’ve enjoyed some good and exciting birding in the area recently; my recent posts have reflected that. So this afternoon I’m just doing a little clean up and posting some of the shots which were also taken during that time. Migration is winding down now, and the exciting birding will probably be on hold for a little while; meanwhile we can change our focus to breeding birds, hiking, and just enjoying being out.

~American Goldfinch in the black dirt, o5/25/25.~

~Grasshopper Sparrow in the black dirt, 05/25/25.~

~Barn Swallow in the Black Dirt Region, 05/31/25.~

~Cedar Waxwing at Port Orange Road, 05/25/25.~

Sunday Shots…a day late, 05/19/25

Tricia and I went away for the weekend, but I was able to get out and do some local birding on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. I hit the black dirt on Sunday, hoping for the White-rumped Sandpiper that had been reported earlier in the week. I dipped on my target, but I was able to add Semipalmated Plover to my year list and get a handful of shots of a Grasshopper Sparrow. This morning I birded Ironwood Drive at Sterling Forest State Park. It was birdy as can be, and I had several new year birds. Most notable for me, was Alder Flycatcher, as that’s not a species I get every year. I had some frustrating likely misses, as the Merlin app was hearing birds that I wasn’t able to hear nor locate. The trees are full of leaves now, and that made it challenging as well. Here’s some shots from the last couple of days.

~These guys are generally pretty accommodating. Male Bobolink in the black dirt, 05/18/25.~

~I rarely take backlit photos – I’ve seen others have some great images with backlighting, but usually I don’t see it. This case was an exception – backlit Prairie Warbler singing at Sterling Forest State Park, 05/19/25.~

~For a bird that I see and hear daily, I rarely get any photos of Baltimore Orioles. This one was at Sterling Forest, 05/19/25.~

~I was pleased to find this GRASSHOPPER SPARROW perched near the road as I made my way home from the black dirt on Sunday afternoon, 05/18/25.

Sunday Shots, 05/11/25

After a couple of days of focusing on shorebirds, I figured I better get out and try for some songbirds this morning before they all pass me by. I spent some time early at Elks Brox Memorial Park, and it was fairly productive. I added several species to my OC 2025 list: Blue-headed Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler. Afterwards, I went to Port Orange Road and enjoyed trying for photos of a couple of Cerulean Warblers that were present.

~Cerulean Warbler at Port Orange Road, 05/11/25.~

~Magnolia Warbler hiding in the shadows at Elks Brox Memorial Park, 05/11/25.~

~Prairie Warbler at Elks Brox, 05/11/25.~

~Eastern Phoebe at Port Orange Road, 05/11/25.~

OC Shorebirds, 05/10/25

Yesterday evening, and then again first thing this morning, I was out in the Black Dirt Region, looking for shorebirds in the all the puddling from the recent heavy rains. Between the two days, at a couple different locations, I had a total of 8 shorebird species:

Wilson’s Snipe (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (4)
Solitary Sandpiper (9)
Lesser Yellowlegs (14)
Greater Yellowlegs (3)
DUNLIN (3)
Least Sandpiper (84)
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (3)