Orange County – Page 30 – Orange Birding

Beaver Pond Craziness, 08/15/20

I certainly had an interesting afternoon and evening at Beaver Pond on Pines Hills Road in Chester. I went to try for shorebirds of course, but when I arrived there was a bird on the wires that, as I pulled up I wasn’t sure what it was. I got out of my car, and the bird flew down and landed on my car door – it was a Cedar Waxwing fledging. It only stayed for a moment and then went and perched in a small tree.

~iPhone shot of Cedar Waxwing fledgling in hand at Beaver Pond, 08/15/20. All pics in this post were taken with my iPhone.~

So, I went about my business of searching for shorebirds, and it was fairly productive with 5 species of shorebird present: Lesser Yellowlegs (4), Solitary Sandpiper (3), Least Sandpiper (2), Semipalmated Sandpiper (1), and Killdeer (6). But then, the fledging Cedar Waxwing flew across the road and landed on my scope; I put my hand up and he hopped onto my hand. The bird was begging for food the entire time, mouth wide open, neck straining. I didn’t have any food, so I walked over to my car, CEWA in hand, and poured some water into my free hand. The bird drank from the water three times and then flew back to the tree across the road.

*~Cedar Waxwing fledgling perched on my scope at Beaver Pond, 08/15/20.~*

The next time the bird came down, it landed directly on my arm. I worked it to my hand and again gave it water to drink from my cupped hand. It drank, but clearly the bird wanted to eat, not drink, and it flew across the street again, this time perching in a lower bush.

I continued to scan for shorebirds, but I was preoccupied by the fledging calling and calling from across the street. I looked online quickly and it looked like the general consensus was to leave fledgling birds be, that their parents were likely nearby and it amounted to kidnapping rather than saving. But, I’d been at the pond for nearly 3 hours at that point, and there was no sign of any adult birds. I didn’t want to “kidnap” the bird, so I ran to the QuickCheck and bought what I’d just read was one of the foods you can feed young birds: wet cat food. I also grabbed a coffee stirrer to feed with.

*~Cedar Waxwing fledgling at Beaver Pond, 08/15/20.~*

When I returned, the fledging was still in the bush, calling, calling, calling. I walked across the road to the bush and the bird came out to me mouth wide open. At first it was unsure of the cat food, but eventually it ate 3 large mouthsful and then moved up and further into the bush. It was the first time since I’d arrived that the bird wasn’t calling.

I’m going to go back and check on the bird first thing in the morning. I’m not sure exactly what my plan is; I’m going to do some additional research this evening and see what my options might be. Hopefully the adult(s) will have returned and all is well, but we shall see.

OC Shorebird Update, 08/09/20

We’ve had some decent shorebirds in the county this week. It started with some post-tropical storm Isaiah puddling at Turtle Bay Road. Right after the storm, Linda Scrima was on the scene and located a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER as well as: 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 4 Least Sandpipers, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, a Spotted Sandpiper, and of course a bunch of Killdeer. Not a bad haul! A couple of days afterwards, I finally made it over, and fortunately the dowitcher had stuck around, as did the Semipalmated Plovers. Turtle Bay continues up to today as pretty much the only good shorebird spot that I know of in southern part of the county, and although the SB Dowitcher has moved on, I had as many as 8 Pectoral Sandpipers over the weekend. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts, as the spot is getting dryer by the day. Meanwhile, Beaver Pond and the Camel Farm appear to have water levels too high for optimum conditions. I haven’t been out to Citgo Pond, but I’m assuming the same holds true there. Let’s hope they dry up enough for good conditions soon.

~I tried Pine Island Turf Nursery on Saturday and had a grand total of one shorebird, this Solitary Sandpiper. PI Turf Nursery 08/08/20.~

~Short-billed Dowitcher at Turtle Bay Road, 08/06/20.~

~A typical Orange County look at shorebirds: two Pectoral Sandpipers WAY downtown. Location Turtle Bay Road, 08/09/20.~

Hurricane Birding on the Hudson, 08/04/20

QUICK POST: Today would have been a good day to get out of work early. As it was, I had a hellacious work day and ended up working pretty late. I did make it out the Newburgh Waterfront in time for one darn good bird late in the evening: a hatch year LAUGHING GULL. The bird was hanging out with a number of Ring-billed Gulls on the docks by Blue Pointe restaurant. Earlier in the evening, I missed some good birds. Rob Stone had two SOOTY TERNS fly south along the river, as well as another unidentified tern. Also, Bruce Nott, after putting in a lot of time at the river, went to Washington Lake and located a Common/Forster’s Tern there. And finally, while not not on the river, Linda Scrima had a Short-billed Dowitcher in the puddles at Turtle Bay. Once again, bad weather = good birds.

~Juvenile Laughing Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 08/0420.~

*~One more shot of the Laughing Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 08/0420.~*

Sunday Shots, 07/12/20

The weekend wasn’t very exciting compared to Friday. I went to the Hudson River early on Saturday morning and met up with Bruce Nott and then Karen Miller joined us a little later. Bruce and I had 3 distant Caspian Terns and the three of us had another unidentifiable distant tern after that. This morning I went to Goosepond Mountain SP to do some atlasing. I did well and confirmed 4 additional species (Baltimore Oriole, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and one that really made my day – Blue-winged Warbler). I have had rotten luck with photos at that place. I was close to having several opportunities with Blue-winged Warbler and Worm-eating Warbler, but the birds, while close, just never showed well. Anyways, here are some shots from the week.

~Mallard Duckling at the Newburgh Waterfront, 07/11/20.~

~I FINALLY caught up with one of the YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS in Middletown. I believe this was my 6th attempt at these birds, 07/09/20.~

~American Redstart at Goosepond Mountain, 07/12/20.~

~We have had 3 fawns and 3 does frequenting our yard recently. Two of the three fawns, Goshen NY 07/11/20.~

~I am a fan of photos where somehow the camera gets the subject in focus through whatever is in the foreground. Indigo Bunting female at Goosepond Mountain, 07/12/20.~

Excellent Night at the Hudson, 07/10/20 (Updated 7/11)

I have to thank birding bud Maria Loukeris. This morning she forwarded a Birdcast email about Tropical Storm Fay. At that point, the storm wasn’t even on my radar, but I soon learned that Fay was forecasted to pass right through our area this afternoon and into the night. With that in mind, I headed over to the Hudson River after work, hoping the storm would bring in some interesting birds.

~Yes! FRANKLIN’S GULL in flight over the Hudson River, Plum Point, 07/10/20.~

My first stop was at Plum Point, where I used the pavilion to stay dry and still be able to scan the river. After about forty minutes or so, I had an interesting gull fly by. UPDATE 07/11/20: The ID of the interesting gull in question has been corrected; the bird is not a Laughing Gull but rather a FRANKLIN’S GULL! I was up early and out at the Hudson River when John Haas gave me a call. He was looking at the photos on the blog (rather than an iPhone shot of the back of my camera), and he was having his doubts about the bird being a Laughing, and that he was leaning towards it more likely being a Franklin’s. He wasn’t very familiar with the bird in this plumage, but he mentioned the white tips on the primaries, as well as the more extensive white on the nape. A little later, Richard Guthrie reported on the Mearns app that the bird was in fact a Franklin’s Gull. I’m going to go back now and look at my photos vs the books and see what I can learn. The good news for me is that the FRGU is a life bird for me, number 422 worldwide!

~Caspian Tern overhead at the Newburgh Waterfront, 07/10/20.~

My plan was to just bird from Plum Point, and then head home. But, I got some more help, this time from Rob Stone. He said I should definitely head over to the Newburgh Waterfront before heading home. There was a break in the weather, so I decided to do just that. Before I left , though, I also had an Osprey, which I thought was interesting.

At the riverfront, shortly after my arrival I located a tern flying high overhead. I actually wasn’t sure what kind of tern it was, I guess I was kind of freaking out and I was taking photos in an effort to document. The bird stayed at a pretty good height and eventually disappeared from view, heading south along the river. Looking at photos afterwards, it became clear that it was a CASPIAN TERN. I’m surprised I didn’t get the ID right away, but that’s how it goes sometimes. What a night! And, with the storm continuing through tonight, I’ll be back at the river at first light, hoping for more goodies.

~One more shot of the Franklin’s Gull, Plum Point 07/10/20.~

~Ring-billed Gull giving me the stinkeye. Newburgh Waterfront, 07/10/20.~

Sunday Shots, 07/05/20

I did a lot of hiking this holiday weekend; I walked a total of around 15 miles in the three mornings. I love hiking this time of year, it’s fun to cover a lot of ground as you never know what you will come across. Highlights included Acadian Flycatcher at two locations in Sterling Forest State Park: the Appalachian Trail near Little Dam Lake, and on the Sterling Loop trail. Also on Sterling Valley Loop trail, I saw my second ever Five-lined Skink this morning. It was a little too quick for me to get a photo, but click here to see the one I had at Silver Mine Lake last year.

~I have this as a young female Baltimore Oriole. I took this shot out my back door, into the crabapple tree we have there. I love the late evening light. I don’t know if this is just a good year in my yard, or if I’m just more in tune with the birds in the area because I’m home much more often (since I’m working from home). BAOR in my yard, 07/04/20.

The AT near Little Dam Lake was a nice surprise, it’s a beautiful hike with nice views of the lake, and it’s quite birdy. I had a close encounter with a Red-shouldered Hawk there – I was looking out over the lake and the bird flew past my right shoulder, very close, I don’t think it knows about social distancing. And just beyond the lake, there is a rise in elevation, and I had a singing Hermit Thrush there, which was nice.

~Also in the crabapple tree in my yard, House Wren on 07/02/20. I hear and see these birds constantly, but they never seem to pose for pics. Until now.~

The only thing I don’t like about hiking – it’s not very productive for photos. Most of the trails I was on are through relatively dense woods, so the light is terrible (see Acadian Flycatcher, below). Plus, the birds aren’t numerous, nor are they close to the trail very often. Still, a bad day on the trail beats any day in the office.

~Common Yellowthroat at Sterling Forest SP, 07/04/20.~

~Always a favorite of mine – Acadian Flycatcher on the Sterling Loop Trail, 07/05/20. I think I missed the boat when I did my cool birds post; this bird should have been included. Any bird that screams “PIZZA” in the dark woods is okay by me. This photo was taken at ISO 5000, so some creative noise reduction was necessary.~

~I love this shot, it’s dreamy, mysterious, and maybe even a little sinister. Baltimore Oriole in my yard on the Fourth of July, 2020.~

~I believe this is a Canada Lily, Tricia looked it up and came up with that ID for me. Ironwood Drive power cut, which I took up to join the Sterling Loop Trail, 07/05/20.~

Mongaup River Trail, 07/03/20

I inadvertently made a really good choice of places to bird this morning.I was tired from the week, and a little uninspired, so I ended up sleeping in a little late for me (7:30), especially for a hot summer day when it’s good to bird early to beat the heat. I dragged my self out of bed and and made a coffee. Then I decided to head over to the Mongaup River Trail just outside of Port Jervis. I hadn’t been there in a while, and I remembered that it was a pretty good spot for summer birding.

~I think this little dude is going places, I’m sensing some attitude in that pose. Four of the five young Common Mergansers at Mongaup River Trail, 07/03/20.~

What I didn’t remember is that it’s also a very cool (temperature-wise) place to bird. The sun doesn’t get up over the ridge to the east of the trail until a little later, plus it’s just nice and cool walking along the river. The trail winds alongside the Mongaup River for just over a mile and a quarter, ending at a small cemetery in the woods.

~These two were inseparable. While the other four young birds were doing their own thing, this one stuck close to mom. Common Merganser at Mongaup River Trail, 07/03/20.

It was a nice cool walk, not exceptionally birdy, but still enough birds to keep me interested. I’d forgotten how loud the river can be, especially at the beginning of the trail, making pretty difficult to hear the birds. I had a modest total of 26 species for the morning. There were a couple of birds I was surprised to have missed: Louisiana Waterthrush and Northern Parula. I don’t think I’ve ever been there in the summer and not gotten both species.

~Nap time. Common Mergansers at Mongaup River Trail, 07/03/20.~

The highlight of the day was having a Common Merganser family swim up to where I was birding on the shore. I was hoping to see Common Mergansers, but every other time I’ve been there, the birds were very aware and kept their distance. Maybe it was because I was standing still for a good while, so they weren’t aware of my presence. They swam up river, feeding as they went. Then they stopped and climbed on some rocks and began preening and then eventually took a little snooze. I sat on the shore, trying to stay motionless other than taking photos, while they did their thing less than 45 feet away, seemingly oblivious to me.

~Young Common Merganser swimming and feeding on the Mongaup River, 07/03/20.~

On the way back, I found a secondary trail that I’d never noticed before. It doubled back the way I had come, at first climbing up and then flattening out and continuing parallel to the lower trail and the river. I added a few species to my list, and it was just nice to explore a new trail.

Checking In, 06/28/20

I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks – it’s not that I haven’t gotten out, it’s just that time of year where the birds are basically all expected breeding species, doing their thing, so there’s not as much excitement (at least not locally). Still, I’ve enjoyed getting out, taken some hikes, and continued atlasing in my priority block. I struggled last week to get many post-worthy photos, but I did a little bit better this week.

~Red-winged Blackbird coming in for a landing. Knapp’s View, 06/25/20.~

~Common Gallinule peeking out of the vegetation, Wallkill River NWR, 06/26/20.~

~This is a bird that I haven’t gotten a good look at nor a photo of in ages. Marsh Wren at Wallkill River NWR, 06/26/20.~

~I was messing around with my 1.4x extender on this night – it’s a lot harder to get on a flying Least Bittern, I can tell you that! This one’s a little soft, but I still like it. LEBI at Wallkill River NWR, 06/26/20.~

~Puffed up and calling Common Gallinule at Wallkill River NWR, 06/16/20.~

~Song Sparrow with a bill-full at Wallkill River NWR, 06/26/20. This one was also taken with the 1.4x extender.~

~Female Bobolink at Knapp’s View, 06/25/20.~

~It’s not very often that you’ll see a snapping turtle with a pile of rocks balanced on its head. Goosepond Mountain S.P., 06/21/20.~

Sunday, 06/07/20

I enjoyed getting out early on both mornings this weekend. On Saturday I spent some time in my NYS Breeding Bird Atlas priority block (Warwick_CE), and I was able to confirm two additional species (Mute Swan and Red-winged Blackbird), bringing my block total to 9 confirmed species. That number pales in comparison to other blocks I’ve looked at in Orange County, but little by slow I’m confirming birds.

~*Field Sparrow with a bill-full. Hamptonburgh Preserve, 06/07/20.~*

This morning I had my plans foiled. I wanted to hike out to Jupiter’s Boulder in Black Rock Forest, hoping for Ruffed Grouse (like last year at this time). I woke up early and drove to the trail head only to find that the trail has been closed due to the pandemic. It’s a popular trail, and I can imagine it was getting many visitors since everything has shut down. So, I headed to the Orange County Airport, where I was able to get my first GRASSHOPPER SPARROW of the year. From there I went to Hamptonburgh Preserve. I’ve never walked the whole trail there – it’s a really nice walk through tree-lined fields. It continues all the way to the Wallkill River, where I enjoyed watching a pair of Northern Rough-winged Swallows feeding over the river. It was a pleasant, if not exciting, weekend of birding.

~Female Red-winged Blackbird at Citgo Pond on Friday night, 06/05/20. The trail is already very overgrown, but fortunately I did not see any ticks.~

~Gray Catbird at Goosepond Mountain, 06/06/20.~

Orange County Wilson’s Phalarope, 06/04/20

This morning I got a call from Rob Stone. I figured it had to be something good for him to call me while I’m working, and it was. He had located a WILSON’S PHALAROPE at the Camel Farm. I was able to run for the bird at lunch time and thankfully it hung in there for me. Gail Benson and Tom were on the bird when I arrived, which made it a very easy get. They said that they believed the bird to be a transitioning female, but wanted to check additional resources to be sure. It wasn’t the most colorful bird, but beautiful to see nonetheless. I tried to document, but between the distance, the harsh sun, and heat shimmer, the results were less than stellar. The bird was my 260th Orange County life bird.