Orange County – Page 32 – Orange Birding

Happy Mondays*

The timing of the weather was pretty good today. Just as I was finishing up work, the rain was stopping and the sun was coming out. I knew with the storm coming through and the timing, that it might be a good evening for sea ducks. I went to Glenmere Lake first; as I was setting up my scope Rob Stone called to let me know he had two BLACK SCOTERS at Wickham Lake. Figuring that I would come up empty, I told him I would quickly scan Glenmere and then head over.

~Icing on the cake: a trio of Rusty Blackbirds at Wickham Lake just before sunset, 03/13/20.~

Well, I figured wrong. First, I located a Common Loon in non-breeding plumage. Then, I found a pair of SURF SCOTERS! I was pretty excited to see these birds. Scope views were fabulous, photos were strictly documentary. Before I left, I found a second Common Loon, this one in breeding plumage.

~Yes! SURF SCOTERS at Glenmere Lake, 04/13/20. Note that the park is closed, so I was viewing from outside, looking over the fence.~

I headed over to Wickham to try for the Black Scoters – I passed Rob on my way (he was going for the Surf Scoters!). The BLSCs were still present, keeping company with a trio of Ruddy Ducks. Linda Scrima eventually arrived and we enjoyed decent scope views of these birds. Unfortunately they were just a bit too far out for any worthwhile photos. Before I left, I located 3 Rusty Blackbirds in a tree and was able to get some shots of one of them. Not bad for a Monday evening!

*I have no idea how many people may or may not get the reference in this post title. Happy Mondays was a band that I listened to back in the 80’s and early 90’s. I Googled them, and although they have been through several incarnations, they are still making music and playing concerts.

Easter 2020

To those of you celebrating, I wish you a Happy Easter. I got out in the morning and as luck would have it, I was able to take what I feel are some very appropriate photos. It was another pretty morning, cool and sunny just how I like it. I stayed local for the most part, and I spent some time in my NY Breeding Bird Atlas priority block; I watched a pair of Eastern Phoebe at Goosepond Mountain visiting a probable nest, so that was promising. I hope everyone is healthy and celebrating this strange version of the holiday in some fashion.

~Northern Mockingbird at Knapp’s View, 04/12/20.~

~Another shot of the NOMO at Knapp’s View. This bird was very accommodating!~

~Eastern Bluebird at Wickham Lake, 04/12/20. I watched this bird and its mate building a nest in the bluebird box near the lake.~

Saturday, 04/11/20

It was a beautiful morning to get out birding: cool, crisp, and sunny. I had an enjoyable and productive morning. I started out at Wickham Lake, where the light was nice and I enjoyed photographing the many Tree Swallows present, as well as a pair of Downy Woodpeckers. The lake was quiet with hardly any waterfowl present; my best bird was a single Ruddy Duck.

~Tree Swallow at Wickham Lake, 04/11/20.~

I also took a 4 mile hike, doing the entire loop at Doris Duke Trail. It was my first time there, it was a nice hike and pretty darn birdy. I added 4 year birds: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Palm Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Hermit Thrush. I made some stops at some of the southern Orange County lakes on my way home, but I guess it just wasn’t a good day for waterfowl, as I had nothing noteworthy. I have to say, this morning was some enjoyable birding, the best outing I’ve had in some time.

~This is a bird I always enjoy seeing – Lousiana Waterthrush at Doris Duke Trail, 04/11/20.~

~I enjoyed watching a photographing a pair of Downy Woodpeckers for a good while at Wickham Lake, 04/11/20.~

~One of my highlights of the morning – Hermit Thrush at Doris Duke Trail, 04/11/20.~

~Chipping Sparrow at Wickham Lake. This is from yesterday evening, 04/10/20.~

A Good Weekend, 04/05/20

It was an enjoyable weekend of birding for me; I got some good birds and some decent photos too. It was a slow start on Saturday morning, I checked several lakes in southern Orange County with the only notable birds being several Lesser Scaup at Round Lake. Things improved when I got a call from Bruce Nott: he was enjoying nice looks at some Wilson’s Snipe at Gardnertown Road Marsh. I headed up that way and enjoyed seeing (8) snipe in the marsh.

~Wilson’s Snipe at Gardnertown Road Swamp, 04/04/20.~

Since I was nearby, I stopped at Orange Lake, where I highlights included over 30 scaup species (the birds where just too distant to confidently ID), and a single Common Loon in beautiful breeding plumage.

In the evening I headed back out and went to the Hudson River. I was thrilled to find a RED-THROATED LOON in Cornwall Bay. The bird was distant, but I really enjoyed decent looks in my scope. I also relocated the Lesser Black-backed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront. I was hoping to relocate the Iceland Gull that Bruce had located earlier in the week, but no luck.

~If only the Lesser Black-backed would be so accommodating. Ring-billed gull at Newburgh Waterfront, 04/04/20.~

I started Sunday the same way as Saturday, by checking the local lakes. I was happy to find one Horned Grebe at Glenmere Lake (the park is closed, I was viewing from outside the fence). But, it paled in comparison to Bruce’s report of (8) RED-NECKED GREBES and (4) Horned Grebes. I ran for his birds and fortunately they stuck around. They were distant, but still nice to see. I checked Gardnertown Road for snipe, but was unable to locate any; maybe they’ve moved on. On my way home I made several stops; most were unproductive, but I was able to watch a pair of Eastern Phoebes building a nest and I saw something I’ve never seen before: a Common Raven sitting on a nest. It was pretty cool, I have to say.

~An Eastern Phoebe with nesting material in its bill, 04/05/20.~

~The Lesser Black-backed Gull continues at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/04/20.~

~It’s probably not even worth including this shot, but I love this bird. Red-throated Loon at Cornwall Bay, 04/04/20.~

Orange County LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, 03/31/20

Just a few months ago, I was gulling with Ken McDermott and I mentioned to him that an immature LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was one bird I would really like to see in Orange County. Well, thanks to Bruce Nott, I got my opportunity today. Bruce posted to the Mearns Bird Club app that he had one at the Newburgh Waterfront. At the end of the workday, I ran for the bird. When I arrived, there were plenty of gulls loafing on the docks just north of Billy Joe’s Ribworks, right where Bruce reported the bird.

~This is a really good bird for the county – immature LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at the Newburgh Waterfront, 03/31/20.~

Part of the reason I wanted to see this bird, is that I wanted to know if I would be able to identify it. The answer is yes and no. When I first went through the birds, I didn’t have any luck. I gave Bruce a call and we talked through the field marks, mostly things I knew from the books, but hearing from Bruce, on the spot, while I was looking, was extremely helpful. After hanging up with him, I located the bird in less than five minutes. The dark mantle and the size (smaller than Herring and larger than Ring-billed) were the initial giveaways. I also could see well in my scope that the bill and the bulge at the tip wasn’t as heavy as the neighboring Herring Gulls, and it also had that punched in the eye look (although if I’m honest, I feel like I can see that in some Herring Gulls too). This was an exciting bird for me, and I enjoyed viewing and photographing it. I have to wonder if I would have identified this bird on my own. It’s hard to say, but now having seen this one, it will help my chances in the future. Huge thanks to Bruce.

Strange Days

Lucky for us, birding is one of the few things that will not immediately be affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. I hope if at all possible, everyone is getting out, enjoying and appreciating doing what we love to do so much. For me, it’s actually been a bit of a mixed bag. I was hoping that birding would be a welcome escape from the realities of our new world. And it has been, but only to an extent. It’s been good to get out, but, I can’t escape this feeling of agita in the pit of my stomach.

~Mourning Dove in the early morning light at Wickham Lake, 03/22/20.~

Of course my primary concern is the health of everyone and particularly everyone in my world. I’m just hoping we can all get through this as unscathed as possible. And then, the economic impact is also weighing on me. The big picture, the impact nationwide and worldwide is terrifying. And again, for myself and those close to me, knowing there will be struggles, I’m just hoping for the best for everyone. It’s going to be tough. And, maybe the worst thing about it is not knowing how bad it will get and how long it will go on. It’s hard to wrap my head around it. I know folks didn’t visit the blog to read more about Coronavirus, and I won’t go on and on about it, but it’s what is dominating my thoughts these days, so I felt compelled to at least write little bit. That said, I’ll get to some birds.

~This European Starling spent time messing around with the cavity just below him. Then, he perched on top and began calling and chattering/clicking his bill. It was pretty cool to witness. Wickham Lake, 03/22/20.~

It was a weekend of waterfowl. I couldn’t even keep up with the eBird reports and the Mearns Bird Club app reports (mostly from Bruce Nott – thanks Bruce!). I birded the lakes of southern Orange County (among other spots) on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Highlights included:

(1) CANVASBACK, (2) Long-tailed Ducks, (3) Greater Scaup, and (2) Horned Grebe at Wickham Lake, 03/20/20.
(2) Lesser Scaup and (9) Horned Grebe, Wickham Lake, 03/21/20.
(2) Blue-winged Teal at Beaver Pond, 03/21/20.
(3) Ruddy Duck at Wickham Lake, 03/22/20.

Other good birds included an Eastern Meadowlark at Lower Wisner Road, Rusty Blackbirds at Wickham Lake on Friday and Sunday, and (10) Wilson’s Snipe at Wisner Road Wetlands. The meadowlark was my first in OC in over a year, so that was a good one for me. Photo ops were few and far between, so I took advantage of seeing some more common birds in good light at Wickham Lake on Sunday morning.

As I mentioned in beginning of this post, I hope everyone is able to get out and enjoying some birding if they can. Keep the faith.

~Common Grackle performing what I believe is courtship behavior; there was a second bird just to the left of this bird, out of frame. Wickham Lake, 03/22/20.~

A Good Couple of Days/Eurasian Wigeon at the Bash!

I rocketed out of work last night and took the long way home, winding slowly through Harriman State Park and eventually entering the area of Sterling Forest State Park. I made a quick stop Indian Kill Reservoir where I didn’t have anything out of the ordinary, but there was a young Bald Eagle trying to terrorize a small raft of Common Mergansers, but they seemed unfazed. From there, I headed to Wickham Lake to follow up on a tip that there were Lesser and Greater Scaup, as well as American Woodcock.

~ A pair of Hooded Mergansers in the marsh across from Fireman’s Park in White Sulphur Springs, NY, 03/14/20.~

BREAKING NEWS: As I was typing this post, I received a call from John Haas; he let me know that Gail Benson and Tom Burke had located a EURASIAN WIGEON at the Bashakill main boat launch. I ran for the bird and it was still present. Distant, but still present (I tried for documentary photos without great success, see the bottom of this post). Many birders ran for the bird; it was strange to see a line of birders with scopes with approximately 6′ between them, practicing social distancing during this uncertain time of the Corona Virus.

Back to Friday evening. At Wickham Lake there was a decent sized raft of birds, consisting of mostly Ring-necked Ducks and approximately 20 scaup. I thought I had maybe 6 Greater and the rest Lesser, but I just couldn’t be sure so I reported them all as Lesser/Greater. The highlight of the night, however, was when the American Woodcocks started peenting and displaying. It was quite dark at this point, so photos were not an option, but I had several woodcocks land as close as 35 feet away, which was a fabulous look in my binoculars.

~Great Blue Heron in flight at Fireman’s Park, 03/14/20.~

On Saturday morning, I headed to Sullivan County to try for the very early PECTORAL SANDPIPER at Fireman’s Park on Shore Road in White Sulphur Springs that was found by Renee Davis a few days earlier. I didn’t have any luck with the Pec, even with Renee stopping by and giving me the lay of the land. But, the morning was a good one. The marsh was active with plenty of birds and I was able to get some decent photos. The highlight for me was a nice looking Red-shouldered Hawk that made its way over the marsh. I also went to Swan Lake, where I had mostly the usuals plus 2 Lesser Scaup.

~Red-shouldered Hawk at Fireman’s Park, 03/14/20.~

My final stop (before heading out again for the EURASIAN WIGEON), was at the duck blind at the Bashakill. John Haas texted me to let me know there was Pied-billed Grebe and Blue-winged Teal present. I immediately found one, and then two Pied-billed Grebes. John joined me, and eventually, after searching for a little while, we located first the drake, and then both the male and female when a Bald Eagle flushed all the ducks. Huge thanks to John for all the intel today, it makes a difference in a day of birding.

~One more shot of the Great Blue Heron, perched way high up at Fireman’s Park, 03/14/20.~

~I have NEVER cropped a photo this much before. Can you see the Eurasian Wigeon? Bashakill, 03/14/20.~

Good Birds, 02/23/20

I birded locally, and I got some good birds this weekend. On Saturday I added a few birds to my year list: I had a pair of Wood Ducks at Wickham Lake and I really scored with two excellent birds at Lockenhurst (284) Pond – a dozen REDHEADS and a VESPER SPARROW. On Sunday, I located a large flock of Snow Geese (approximately 3,000 birds) on Turtle Bay Road. They eventually moved to the pond on Breeze Hill Road, where they were terrorized by the subadult GOLDEN EAGLE that has been in the area. At one point, in the air just over the pond, the eagle had a Snow Goose in it’s clutches but was unable to hold on. About twenty minutes later I watched in the distance as the Golden Eagle, high in the air, in a steep dive, isolated a single Snow Goose and disappeared behind some trees. I assume that the GOEA was successful, because after pestering the geese all morning, it didn’t return after that.

~I still can’t believe we are getting repeated excellent looks at this GOLDEN EAGLE in the Black Dirt Region, 02/23/20.~

~VESPER SPARROW near the 284 Pond in Westown NY, 02/23/20.~

~I’m sparing everyone the mass Snow Goose photos this week. Here’s a blue morph instead, 02/23/20.~

~Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 02/23/20.~

~One more of the GOLDEN EAGLE, Breeze Hill Road 02/23/20.~

Weekend Wrap-up, 02/16/20

I had a pleasant, if uneventful weekend of birding. I spent time at the Hudson River, the Black Dirt, and in between, finding mostly the expected species. Highlights included the continuation of several thousand Snow Geese as well as three Rough-legged Hawks in the black dirt on Sunday. It’s been a slow winter for RLHAs, so that made me pretty happy. On Sunday afternoon I attended workshop on the 2020 New York State Breeding Bird Atlas, which I plan on participating in. I will write more about that in an upcoming post.

~Bald Eagle in flight at Wallkill River NWR, Winding Waters Trail 02/16/20.~

~I’m still obsessed with Gulls, so I spent Saturday afternoon at the Newburgh Waterfront. I had the three expected species: Herring, Great Black-backed, and Ring-billed (like this individual, stealing bread from a Mallard).~

~This shot is representative of how this winter has gone in regards to Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, and Lapland Longspurs – few and far between.

~Is everyone tired of Snow Goose pics? I’m not tired of seeing these birds, it’s always quite a scene. Black dirt 02/16/20.~

~Ring-billed Gulls loafing at the Newburgh Waterfront, 02/116/20.~

Heckuva Day, 02/08/20

As I was heading out this morning, I drove along 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, and I saw in the distance a pair of Red-tailed Hawks perched in a tree. They were about 15 feet apart, and in the perfect early morning light the difference between the larger female and the smaller male was quite obvious. It was a beautiful image, and for some reason I took this as an omen that it was going to be a good day.

~ *It’s still hard for me to believe that we are getting to see a GOLDEN EAGLE on a somewhat regular basis right now. GOEA in the black dirt, 02/08/20.~*

Every once in a while you have a day where things fall into place. It started with a GREAT-HORNED OWL on a nice perch, sunning itself. Add to that several flocks of Snow Geese moving around the black dirt. The icing on the cake was a relatively low flyover by the GOLDEN EAGLE that has been in the area. Getting a better look and photos of this bird was my main goal today, so that was awesome. As the morning ended and crept into the afternoon, things slowed down, but still, I was happy to find a cooperative Red-tailed Hawk on a wire, a bunch of vultures on a deer carcass (not for everyone, but I love those birds and find them very photogenic), and a couple thousand Common Mergansers at Greenwood Lake. Heckuva day for sure.