Although it was another slow start to the birding day, in the end it was quite successful with a nice 6 species of gull observed in Orange County. It makes me happy because at this time of the year I am only birding on the weekend, so it’s very rewarding to have a good day. This morning I had a BONAPARTE’S GULL (species #1) at Wickham Lake, and a good number of Ring-billed Gulls (species #2) in the fields nearby. In the afternoon, joined up with gulling buddy Bruce Nott at the Newburgh Waterfront. Bruce was on fire today; not long after my arrival, he spotted and got me on a distant adult ICELAND GULL (species #3). That bird eventually relocated to the roof of Gully’s, where in spite of the very low light we were able to get some shots of the bird. Bruce also located a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (species #4) in the mess of birds on Gully’s roof. Add to the mix approximately 150 Herring Gulls (species #5) and about a dozen Great Black-backed Gull (species #6), and you have a great day of gulling in the county.
~A Ring-billed Gull comes in for a landing at Bellvale Farm near Wickham Lake, 12/11/21.~ ~Adult ICELAND GULL (behind Ring-billed Gull on the roof), showing off its pale primaries. This is a sharp looking bird, it’s a shame we didn’t have any better light for photos.~~Terrible photo, but adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on the roof of Gully’s at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/11/21.~ ~One more shot of the adult ICELAND GULL on the roof of Gully’s at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/11/21.~
Although it had a slow start, yesterday was quite a day for me. I went to the Grasslands for sunrise and walked out to one of the blinds. Unfortunately neither the light nor the birds cooperated. I saw several Northern Harriers early on, but after rising, they seemed to be leaving the refuge to hunt; I saw at least 5 birds fly over the southern tree line and head out to the farm fields. Three hours in the blind with only one close encounter, and the light wasn’t very good.
~Snowy Owl in Newburgh NY, 12/04/21.~
Things improved when I went to the Wallkill River in Wallkill and located a good looking GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. I was able to find a pull off on the road and get a decent shot of the bird.
~Beautiful goose. Greater White-fronted Goose in Wallkill, Ulster County, yesterday 12/04/21.~
I went home and had some lunch and did a few things around the house. In the afternoon I headed to the Newburgh Waterfront where I ran into birding bud Bruce Nott. He immediately got me on an adult Iceland Gull in his scope. The bird was nearly on the other side of the river, but the light was perfect and we enjoyed pretty darn good views of this super sharp looking bird.
BUT! The real excitement started shortly after that. I was scanning for gulls in my binoculars. On top of the ferry, I thought I saw something that looked like a SNOWY OWL. I whipped my scope around and got on it and said to Bruce “unless this is a fake, I’m looking at a SNOWY OWL!!!” We were, of course, freaking out; it was so exciting. Many other birders got to see the owl, which was really cool. I sat and waited as it got dark, figuring the bird would eventually pick up to go hunt. It was getting pretty dark, but sure enough the bird eventually left its perch on the ferry. I did okay with the flight photos, especially considering I had to shoot at ISO 16000. It’s the first time I’ve seen a Snowy in flight since 2014, so that was a thrill. From what I can tell, this bird looks like a one hit wonder, as it was not relocated today.
~A Snowy Owl on a boat, who’d of thought?~ ~SNOW leaving its perch, 12/04/21.~ ~Snowy Owl in flight over the Hudson River, 12/04/21.~ ~This was my best shot at the Grasslands yesterday morning, 12/4/21.~ ~Perched NOHA in the black dirt this morning, 12/05/21.~
I did a good amount of birding during the long holiday weekend, but of course nothing was nearly as exciting as the Snowy Owl. Other than the owl, my timing seems to be a bit off these days and any good birds I’m getting are birds reported by other birders. I finally made it to the Newburgh Waterfront on Wednesday evening to see the Long-tailed Duck that’s been a around for a while. I also ran for the Lesser Black-backed Gull which was originally found by Jeanne Cimorelli on Friday and then relocated and reported by Bill Fierro yesterday afternoon. That gull stuck around for me, but was absolutely miles out, so no pics. Other than those two birds, it was the usual suspects (often less than that), but it was still an enjoyable long weekend with some interesting shots to share.
~European Starling at the Jersey Shore on Thanksgiving day, 2021.~ ~Ring-billed Gulls in the first snowfall of the season at the Beacon Waterfront, 11/28/21.~ ~Sandhill Crane flyover at Wallkill River NWR, 11/26/21.~ ~Always a favorite of mine – Long-tailed Duck at the Newburgh Waterfront, 11/24/21.~ ~Bald Eagle at the Beacon Waterfront, 11/28/21.~ ~Herring Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 11/24/21.~
Today was my final day of counting at Mount Peter Hawkwatch for the year. Tomorrow is the last day of the season; it always seems to go by so quickly. The season ended with a dud for me, as I had (8) countable birds in six hours. Of note, I had a Common Loon fly nearly directly over the viewing platform and my penultimate bird of the season was a young Bald Eagle with tail plumage that made my heart race for a split second. It was a good season for me; I enjoyed it much more than last season and it’s got me excited to do it all over next year. I’ve included today’s report summary at the bottom of this post; I will also do a future post which will include Judy Cinquina’s end of season report.
~This is one mean looking Rusty Blackbird! Wickham Lake, 11/06/21.~ ~Canada Geese on a foggy morning at Wickham Lake, 11/06/21.~~I love this bird! Purple Finch at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch this morning, 11/14/21.~ ~I posted a different photo of this same bird last week, but I just love the markings and I thought this shot was pretty cool too. Northern Harrier at Beaver Pond, 11/06/21.~ ~Check out this Bald Eagle! Mt. Peter Hawkwatch 11/14/21.~~American Pipit in the black dirt, 11/07/21.~
What a morning! My first stop was Wickham Lake, which I thought was going to be a total bust because the lake was completely obscured by fog. But, I located a Greater Yellowlegs feeding in the puddles along the shore. The light was beautiful and the bird was very accommodating. I also had a Great Blue Heron in some interesting light, so I got some photos of that bird as well. From there, I was heading up to Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, where I was to be the official counter for the day. On my way there, I had a lovely, close encounter with a beautiful coyote. This was the first coyote I’ve ever seen that showed some curiosity towards me as I pulled my car to the side of the road. It’s been a good while since I’ve seen a coyote, and to get one this confiding was a thrill.
~Coyote on the frosty grass, Orange County NY 11/06/21.~
Once I was at Mt. Pete, I was getting the feeling it might be a slow day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and although the wind was from the northwest, it was just the slightest breeze. I had no raptors at all for nearly 2 hours. Then, I picked up a bird to the northeast of the platform – I immediately recognized it as a young GOLDEN EAGLE! I was so happy, the bird circled up and eventually migrated directly over the platform.
~GOLDEN EAGLE! Mt. Peter Hawkwatch 11/06/21.~
After the excitement of the Golden, my prediction came true and it was an incredibly slow flight. I had a total of only (8) migrating raptors in 6.75 hours of counting. I did have one other highlight though, I found a Purple Finch, which was a new 2021 county bird for me, bringing my total to 203 species this year in Orange County.
~Greater Yellowlegs at Wickham Lake, 11/06/21. This bird had a bum foot, but seemed to be feeding very well. I feel like I see a lot of shorebirds hopping around on one foot, but it doesn’t seem to hold them back too much.~~Beautiful beast. Coyote in OC, 11/06/21.~ ~Coyote in OC, 11/06/21.~ ~Coyote in the OC, 11/06/21.~~This was actually on my way home this evening; I stopped at Beaver Pond to look for ducks. The markings on this Northern Harrier are just gorgeous to me.~ ~An unexpected surprise at Wickham Lake this morning, Greater Yellowlegs 11/06/21.~ ~Great Blue Heron first thing this morning at Wickham Lake, 11/06/21.~ ~The Golden Eagle streams out over the platform at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 11/06/21.~ ~Purple Finch at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 11/06/21.~
The highlight of my weekend was running for the Sullivan County Lapland Longspur yesterday afternoon. But I did get out both mornings as well. American Pipits continue in high numbers in the black dirt, so I took advantage and tried for photos both mornings: Saturday in the rain and puddles and Sunday in the nice light. Late shorebirds in the heavy puddling in the black dirt were my main focus both mornings, but unfortunately they were relatively scarce. I had a nice sized flock of Killdeer Saturday morning (35+ birds), and then on Sunday I found 3 Lesser Yellowlegs at the Camel Farm on Sunday.
~A very accommodating Bald Eagle in the black dirt, just after sunrise on Sunday morning 10/31/21.~
Bruce Nott let me know he had a Black Scoter at the Newburgh Waterfront on Saturday; I got there a little late in the morning but the bird was still present. Photos were tough, but scope views were fantastic and the bird was my 202nd bird in Orange County this year.
~
And finally, later on Sunday morning into the early afternoon I joined official counter Ken Witkowski at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch. I expected a decent flight, but unfortunately it was on the slow side. We did have some pretty good looks at several migrating Red-shouldered Hawks, but otherwise it wasn’t noteworthy.
~I know I’m a little pipit-obsessed, but I want to enjoy them while they are here. American Pipit in the black dirt, 10/31/21.~ ~Very possibly the last Blackpoll Warbler of the season for me. This bird is pretty late. Mt. Peter Hawkwatch 010/31/21.~~I watched the American Pipits in the black dirt feeding in the rain and puddles on Saturday morning. I was impressed by how efficient they were and how well they seemed to be eating. This insect seemed to be the main fare, but they were also pulling up smaller rice-shaped insects from time to time. AMPI in the BDR, 10/30/21.~
I went out to the black dirt first thing this morning with American Pipits on my mind. I wasn’t disappointed; I saw many (hundreds) and I was able to get some decent photos in the early morning light. Sparrows were also abundant with Savannah and Song Sparrows being most abundant. I did see a couple of White-crowned Sparrow and caught a brief glimpse of a Vesper as well. In the afternoon I went back to Mt. Peter Hawkwatch and counted with official counter Will Test. It was pretty good flight while I was there with a decent flow of birds and good variety (Sharp-shinned, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Cooper’s, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, and Osprey). Interestingly, Turkey Vultures continued to move through; we counted 120+ while I was there.
~American Pipit in flight, black dirt 10/24/21.~
Earlier in the week I spent some time in my yard – it’s been pretty birdy recently. I added Blue-headed Vireo to my 2021 yard list and the vultures are roosting in large numbers, probably 50-60 birds, mostly Turkey but with a handful of Black Vultures too.
~American Pipit on the road in the Black Dirt Region, 10/24/21.~ ~White-crowned Sparrow in the black dirt, 10/24/21.~ ~Savannah Sparrow on a nice perch in the black dirt, 10/24/21.~ ~I’ve never seen an American Pipit perch on vegetation before, but today I saw several doing this. BDR, 10/24/21.~~Ruby-crowned Kinglet in the backyard, 10/21/21.~ ~Turkey Vulture coming in to roost in our backyard, 10/21/21.~ ~A more typical look at an American Pipit in the black dirt, 10/24/21.~ ~Blackpoll Warblers are still sticking around. This one was in the black dirt this morning, 10/24/21.~ ~Savannah Sparrow in the BDR 10/24/21.~
While I was out birding this morning, I got a call from John Haas – he had a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER at Morningside Park in Sullivan County. At first I was hesitant about running for the bird; I would first have to go home for my kayak and then head to the the park, it would be close to an hour and a half of travel time to get there. But then I thought about it and there were too many good reasons for me to go for it. At this time of the year how likely is it for me to see any more shorebirds in our area? Plus, Long-billed Dowitcher is a great bird that I don’t get to see very often, especially not locally. And, I would get great views of the bird in the kayak. AND, it would be a new species for me in Sullivan County (my 191st).
~Beautiful bird. Long-billed Dowitcher at Morningside Park, 10/17/21.~
So I ran for the bird, and I’m sure glad I did because I had an awesome time. It was great to see John, and as I paddled up to him he informed me that the dowitcher was still present, and had in fact been joined by a Pectoral Sandpiper. It was very windy on the lake, so I wedged my kayak against some branches in the water not too far from he island the birds were on and sat tight. They weren’t very close at first, but I stayed put and they both moved a little closer and I was able to get some great looks and photos before backing my kayak away and heading back in. On my way back I stopped to enjoy a couple of Ring-billed Gulls on a couple other islands; you know I always enjoys seeing and photographing gulls. Huge thanks to John for heads up, he made my day.
~LBDO at Morningside Park, 10/17/21.~ ~Pectoral Sandpiper shaking it off. Morningside Park, 10/17/21.~ ~LBDO at Morningside Park 10/17/21.~ ~Morningside PESA, 10/17/21.~ ~LBDO at Morningside Park, 10/17/21.~ ~Long-billed Dowitcher, Sullivan County NY 10/17/21.~ ~Subadult Ring-billed Gull, Morningside Park, 10/17/21.~~RBGU at Morningside Park 10/17/21.~
I was the official counter at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch today. It was a relatively slow day, with a total of only 19 migrating raptors. But, it was an absolutely gorgeous day to be outside and there was just enough raptor activity and non-raptor activity to keep me entertained nearly the entire time. Jeanne Cimorelli joined me for a couple of hours and helped assure we didn’t miss any birds shooting through the “gap” between the trees on the east side of the lookout. There was a pretty good southeast wind blowing, and I think that kept the birds down, giving us some pretty good views of the few birds that passed through. My Hawkcount.org report is included below.
~Cooper’s Hawk in flight over Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/16/21.~ ~Terrible photo, but check out the full crop on this Peregrine Falcon! My goodness. Mt. Pete 10/16/21.~
On Saturday morning, my phone let me know that it was eBird’s October Big Day. I certainly wasn’t doing a bid day, but it did make me curious to know how many birds I would get on a normal day out in early October. So, I eBirded more locations than I normally would, and I kept track of the birds that I saw en route to get a total for the day. I spent the early morning in the black dirt, where my highlight was a sizable flock of American Pipits, always a favorite of mine. From there I went to Wallkill River National Wildlife refuge. I walked Winding Waters Trail for about a mile or so, and then I spent some time at the viewing platform at the Liberty Loop. I didn’t have any exciting birds, but it was busy enough to add a good number of birds to my tally.
~Black-throated Green Warbler at Mount Peter Hawkwatch on Saturday 10/09/21.~
My next stop was Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, where I joined Tom Millard and Judy Cinquina for about an hour and a half. The flight was slow but steady, and with a good variety of migrants. My raptor highlight was a Peregrine Falcon which flew, very high, directly over the platform. For non-raptors, we had a migrating Common Loon fly close enough for a photo, a first for me at Mt. Pete. My final stop was Wickham Lake, where my best bird was a Greater Scaup. I finished the day with 57 species; I’ve included a complete list at the bottom of this post.
~Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Mount Peter on Sunday, 10/10/21.~
On Sunday I was the official counter at Mount Peter. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, with a combination of clouds, fog, and light rain making the flight practically non-existent. I had a total of 4 migrating raptors, 2 Cooper’s Hawks and 2 Northern Harriers, before I called it at 1:30 when the fog had really rolled in and the rain was starting up again.
~Yellow-rumped Warbler with a snack at Wickham Lake, 10/09/21.~ ~Blackpoll Warbler at Mt. Peter 10/10/21.~~Black-throated Green Warbler at Mt. Peter 10/09/21.~~This got me really pumped – Common Loon flying over Mount Peter, 10/09/21.~~A subadult Bald Eagle flushes some Mallards at Wallkill River NWR’s Liberty Loop, 10/09/21.~~Love these dudes! Cedar Waxwings at Mt. Pete, 10/10/21.~
Canada Goose (Wallkill River NWR, Mount Peter, Black Dirt, Wickham Lake)
Mute Swan (Glenmere Lake, Wickham Lake)
American Wigeon (WR NWR)
American Black Duck (WR NWR)
Mallard (WR NWR)
Greater Scaup (Wickham Lake)
Common Loon (Mt. Peter)
Double-crested Cormorant (Wickham Lake)
Ring-necked Pheasant (Black Dirt)
Great Blue Heron (WR NWR)
Great Egret (WR NWR)
Black Vulture (Mt. Peter)
Turkey Vulture (Mt. Peter, WR NWR)
Bald Eagle (Black Dirt, WR NWR)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (WR NWR, Mt. Peter)
Northern Harrier (WR NWR, Mt. Peter)
Cooper’s Hawk (Mt. Peter)
Red-shouldered Hawk (WR NWR, Mt. Peter)
Red-tailed Hawk (Black Dirt, Mt. Peter)
American Kestrel (Black Dirt, Mt. Peter)
Peregrine Falcon (Black Dirt)
Common Gallinule (WR NWR)
Killdeer (CVS Goshen)
Ring-billed Gull (Wickham Lake)
Rock Pigeon (Wickham Lake)
Chimney Swift (Mt. Peter)
Belted Kingfisher (Beaver Pond)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (WR NWR)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Wickham Lake)
Downy Woodpecker (Wickham Lake)
Northern Flicker (WR NWR)
Eastern Phoebe (Black Dirt, WR NWR)
Blue Jay (Mt Peter, WR NWR, Black Dirt, Wickham Lake)
