Orange County – Page 37 – Orange Birding

Orange County CLIFF SWALLOWS, 07/13/19

QUICK POST: My birding time was limited this morning, but I made the best of it by following up on an eBird report by Scott Barnes from earlier in the week. He reported 40 Cliff Swallows at Silver Mine Lake in Harriman State Park; the birds were still present today and my best count was 37. It was certainly the highlight of my morning, I hiked around the lake to some extent (just under 3 miles), and had a total of 36 species (all the usual suspects). It’s actually a nice area to hike and it was quite birdy, but be aware that parking in that lot right now costs $6.00.

~Cliff Swallow at Silver Mine Lake, Harriman State Park 07/13/19.~

~Cliff Swallows at Silver Mine Lake, 07/13/19.~

~Cliff Swallow at Silver Mine Lake, 07/13/19.~

~I have this as a young Common Yellowthroat, but I’m not sure. Silver Mine Lake, 07/13/19.~

~This is a young flycatcher, I’m not sure which species. Silver Mine Lake, 07/13/19.~

~I couldn’t resist the nice lighting on this chipmunk, Silver Mine Lake, 07/13/19.~

~Red-winged Blackbird at Silver Mine Lake, 07/13/19.~

~If anyone can identify this, please comment! Silver Mine Lake, 07/13/19.~

Sunday Shots – From the Archives

Since this weekend was pretty much a bust as far as photos go, I decided to take the opportunity to go back to some photographs that I previously hadn’t posted. This spring and early summer, several Sandhill Cranes were being seen in the area of the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. I was lucky enough to get flight shots on two occasions; it was quite a treat to see these big beautiful birds in flight.

~Sandhill Crane at Wallkill River NWR, 5/31/19.~

SACR in flight, Wallkill River NWR 05/26/19.~

Schunemunk Mountain, 07/06/19

I got up early again this morning to try and beat the heat again. Last night I was looking through my trail maps and I came across a map of Schunemunk Mountain State Park. So, I decided to give it a try this morning. I parked at the trailhead on Clove Road. Looking on the map, it was a pretty substantial ascent for the first mile or so (for me, as a birder rather than a hard core hiker); I went up approximately 900 feet in just over one mile of hiking. This may be no big deal for true hikers, but for me it was more than enough.

~Black Ratsnake at Schunemunk Mountain State Park, 07/06/19.~

The birding was just okay – the trail was probably one of the least birdy trails I’ve walked this year. That being said, in addition to the usuals, I had some pretty good birds. I was surprised to hear a Hooded Warbler calling just about a half mile up the trail. I got my best looks of the year at Worm-eating Warblers; I had at least a half dozen and got very good looks at three birds. I got a good look at a very young bird in a bush – at first I wasn’t sure what it was but as I thought about it, it came to me – it was a recently fledged Cedar Waxwing. I also got great looks at three young Black-and-white Warblers; they were so close but I didn’t have any luck getting photos. It was actually a tough day for photos with birds being backlit, obscured, etcetera. I covered 4.5 miles during my hike, and I ended up with a modest 35 species for the morning. You can see my eBird report here.

~A tattered and worn Red-spotted Purple butterfly. Thanks to Maria Loukeris and Denise Farrel for their ID help.~

~You know it was a tough day for photos when I’m posting selfies. Schunemunk Mountain SP, 07/06/19.~

~Here’s my eBird tracking. Just over 4.5 miles when it was all said and done. Schunemunk Mountain, 07/06/19.~

Harriman State Park, 07/04/19

I got out early this morning to try and beat the heat and headed out to Harriman State Park for a hike. I parked at the parking area between Lake Askoti and Lake Skanatati and hiked a loop that ended up being just under 7 miles long. I’ve included a screenshot of my eBird track at the bottom of this post. As always, I was hoping to come across something super exciting on the trail. Unfortunately that was not the case, but it was a really nice hike with absolutely loads of the expected birds and I totalled 52 species of birds.

Highlights included several Yellow-throated Vireos (always a personal fav), my first Blue-winged Warblers in a while, and a singing Hooded Warbler that I never got my eyes on. Probably the most entertaining moment was coming across a Northern Mockingbird, WAY out in the trail, and listening to it run through a very extensive and impressive repertoire of bird songs. My favorite was when it did the Eastern Whip-poor-will call almost perfectly.

~For all the Red-eyed Vireos I’ve heard and seen this year, I finally got a decent shot of one. Harriman S.P., 07/04/19.~

As an aside, Harriman State Park is a really great place to be from say 6:00 am until maybe 10:00 am at the latest. By then, the hoards of people have arrived. From the trail I could hear the roaring motorcycles and speed racers. At one point the police got involved and I could hear their sirens and then they were using some sort of megaphone; I couldn’t make out what they were saying. So, not exactly the peaceful respite I am typically going for. And with today being the 4th of July, by the time I left at noon the park was jammed full. I sat in traffic trying to get home. Lesson learned on that one – I’d say early in and early out if you plan on going.

~I have this as a young Great-crested Flycatcher. It was zipping around chasing what I assumed where its siblings. Harriman S.P. 07/04/19.~

~Good bird, crappy pic. Blue-winged Warbler at Harriman S.P., 07/04/19. This bird is very dark on the back to me – I’m not sure if it’s the light or if there is something else going there…~

An Interesting Discovery, 07/02/19

Yesterday on my way home, I saw an interesting raptor in flight over Route 6 west just before the Woodbury Commons outlets (I’m thinking Mississippi Kite is a definite possibility). There was nowhere to pull over, so I eventually ended up turning around and headed back east on Route 6, to try and get another look at the bird. Of course, I didn’t see the bird again as I passed. So, I then had to drive up the mountain to turn around and head west on Route 6 again to head home. When I did that, I remembered that there is a rest area lookout on my way back (see map below). I pulled into the rest area and scanned for the raptor, but again, no luck. But, I did find something else – an absolutely massive Great Blue Heron rookery! I don’t know if others know about this rookery already, but it was new to me. I scanned several times and my high count was 45 Great Blue Herons! I thought that was a pretty lucky find, and I will be getting back to the area this weekend in hopes that I’ll get a look at my mystery raptor.

~The birds are at quite a distance – I took this with my 1.4x extender and then cropped it. Great Blue Heron rookery in Harriman NY, 07/02/19.~

~I dropped a pin where I think the rookery is located, near the power cut to the northwest of the rest area lookout.~

Wallkill River NWR, 06/29/19

I enjoyed a really nice morning birding at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. I started at Owens Station Road, where I was surprised to find a SNOW GOOSE in the parking area as I pulled in. Well, I actually wasn’t surprised about there being a Snow Goose present, as there had been 6 reported there recently – it was more that it was in the front parking area and it proceeded to walk down Owens Station Road, apparently heading to New York on foot:

~SNOW GOOSE literally on Owens Station Road early this morning, 06/29/19.~

I hiked in from Owens Station Road and walked a portion of the Liberty Loop Trail in Sussex County. Afterwards, I drove around and parked on Oil City Road and birded part of the loop in Orange County. I had a total of 45 species seen or heard. Highlights included several LEAST BITTERNS; I had distant but nice looks at 3 birds and heard a fourth. Common Gallinules are plentiful in both counties. Mostly I just enjoyed being out early to beat the heat. The light was nice for photos too, so that never hurts. All in all, a very pleasant morning of birding.

~I’ve been hoping for a decent Red-winged Blackbird shot lately. Wallkill River NWR, 06/29/19.~

~One of my first birds of the morning, this Rose-breasted Grosbeak flew in and perched nicely right in front of me. Wallkill River NWR, 09/29/19.~

~Always a favorite – Common Gallinule at Wallkill River NWR, 06/29/19.~

~I haven’t posted an Indigo Bunting shot in ages I don’t think. Wallkill River NWR, 06/29/19.~

~I cruised the black dirt for a bit on my way home. Savannah Sparrow in the black dirt 06/29/19.~

~Red-tailed Hawk in flight, Black Dirt Region 06/29/19.~

Back At It, 06/22/19

It’s been a little bit of a rough late spring for me – I’ve been going through a serious family issue and I am having some health problems. Between the two, my birding and blogging have been limited to the greatest extent since I started the blog in 2012. But, this morning I was finally able to get out. I made a long overdue trip to Black Rock Forrest in search of Ruffed Grouse. The good news is that I didn’t see any bears, and I also didn’t wipe out on the trail. The bad news is that I had no luck with my target species. It was still a nice hike; birdy with over 30 species seen or heard. The birds of the day was for sure the Ovenbird, with many being seen and heard throughout my hike. Highlights for me included catching a glimpse of a Barred Owl as I inadvertently flushed it as I walked the trail, getting my first Acadian Flycatcher of the year, and getting a nice photo op with a pair of Field Sparrows. It’s nice to be back at it.

~Field Sparrow at Black Rock Forrest, 06/22/19.~

~Ahhhh! It was really great to hear first and then see this Prairie Warbler at Black Rock Forrest, 06/22/19.~

~Here’s something you don’t see every day. This groundhog scrambled partially up a tree as I made my way up the trail past it. This was taken pretty early this morning, so there wasn’t much light, ISO = 16000! Black Rock Forrest, 06/22/19.~

~Ovenbird with a bill-full. I was a little disappointed – I had several opportunities to photograph Ovenbirds today but most came out blurry for some reason. Black Rock Forrest, 06/22/19.~

Break 100, 05/18/19

I was a little too busy to officially participate in this year’s Mearns Bird Club‘s Break 100, but I was able to join up with my previous team for a few hours this morning. I met up with John Haas, Karen Miller, and Lisa O’Gorman at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis just after 8 am. I know it’s stating the obvious, right now is really good time of year to look for birds. I think with how busy I”ve been with work and in my personal life lately, lost track of that to some extent. It came back to me when I arrived at the cemetery and the team was having a great morning, with several CAPE MAY WARBLERS, Blackpoll Warblers, and at least a couple BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS. One male Cape May was very obliging for photos:

~CAPE MAY WARBLER at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/18/19.~

~CAPE MAY WARBLER with a snack. Laurel Grove Cemetery, 05/18/19.~

Our next stop was at Elks Brox Memorial Park, where the team added several birds to their tally. I don’t want to say exactly where they stood, but suffice to say they had a good Friday Evening and early Saturday morning and were well on their way to breaking 100. Highlights at Elks Brox included Prairie Warblers, Great Crested Flycatchers, good looks at another couple of Bay-breasted Warblers, and a nice photo op with a male Scarlet Tanager.

~I’m not sure why, but I sort of like this shot. I feel like this bird has some personality. Scarlet Tanager at Elks Brox Park, 05/18/19.~

From there we headed to Hawk’s Nest; the team added Peregrine Falcon, White-throated Sparrow, and Bald Eagle to their list. The traffic and the loud cars and motorcycles at that place make me absolutely crazy, so I was happy to head up to Reservoir 3 where the only new bird for the team was Brown Creeper. That’s where the team and I parted ways. They were headed to Sterling Forest, I went back to Laurel Grove where I located a CANADA WARBLER before heading home for the day. It was a great morning, and I’ll be curious to see how many species the team finishes with. I’ll update this post when I find out.

*Update: Our team ended the break with a total of 116 species – pretty darn good in my opinion!

~Great-Crested Flycatcher hawking bugs from a high perch at Elks Brox Park, 05/18/19.~

~This is a bird I don’t think I’ve ever taken a good photo of . Prairie Warbler at Elks Brox Park, 05/18/19.~

Fantastic Friday Night, 05/17/19

~What a shot by Kyle! Virginia Rail at Wallkill River NWR, 05/17/19. Photo by Kyle Dudgeon.~

Some evenings are better than others. Tonight was one of the better ones; and it was made even more so because I went out with little or no real expectations. I met up with Kyle Dudgeon at Wallkill River National Wildlife refuge; we were trying to get together one last time before he headed 0ut west for the summer. As we pulled into the lot, the evening started off pretty well as the rain subsided and a huge double rainbow appeared.

~Double rainbow all the way! Cell phone panoramic shot.~

The evening that followed was just flat out fun. We had a close encounter with a VIRGINIA RAIL (my FOY). Kyle got an incredible shot of the bird; it’s hard to express how good this guy is, the bird was visible for probably less than 5 seconds, Kyle was hand-holding a 500mm lens with and extender, and he gets the killer shot at the top of this post. Honestly it blew me away. An American Bittern was calling on an off all evening, as were several Sora. I sifted through a collection of shorebirds, finding Killdeer, Solitary Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Greater Yellowlegs. A Black-crowned Night-Heron flew across the marsh in the distance (another FOY). We could see that there were many COMMON NIGHTHAWKS feeding at the pool in front of the platform, so we headed back there and enjoyed what I can only guess was 30+ Common Nighthawks and countless swallows feeding on insects over the marsh. At times we had nighthawks flying just feet away from our heads – it was incredible. We heard a SANDHILL CRANE calling and then watched as 3 cranes flew over the marsh, putting down in the south side of the loop. A young Bald Eagle cruised down the west side of the loop, also heading south. What a night!

~A super noisy shot of a Common Nighthawk, but what can you expect at 16,000 ISO?!? Wallkill River NWR, 05/17/19.~

~Common Nighthawk at Wallkill River NWR, 05/17/19.~

~Two of the 3 Sandhill Cranes at Wallkill River NWR tonight, 05/17/19.~

What a Day!

Today was the best day of birding I’ve had in a while. We all know that BAD WEATHER = GOOD BIRDS, so with that in mind I headed out into the rain today. My first stop was at Glenmere Lake, and thankfully it was not an indication of how the day would turn out as it was quiet on the lake. My second stop was at Wickham Lake – from the parking area I immediately saw a Common Loon on the lake. I went to the shore to scan for more waterfowl and I was pleasantly surprised to find 2 Bonaparte’s Gulls perched on the boat dock. I took some photos and moved on to my next stop – Greenwood Lake, where I had 6 very distant Common Loons.

~Wow! One of 4 COMMON TERNS at Long Dock Park, Beacon NY 05/05/19.~

I wasn’t sure what my next move would be, part of me wanted to look for more songbirds at Sterling Forest SP, but a bigger part of me said to check the Hudson River. I, of course, decided to head to the river. My route took me past a couple more lakes – I came up empty at Round Lake, but got lucky at Walton Lake with a raft of 11 LONG-TAILED DUCKS! It was hard to pull myself away because those ducks are so cute and watching them in the scope was super entertaining. As I continued towards the Newburgh area, I spoke with birding bud Bruce Nott on the phone – he’d had 33 Bonaparte’s at Cornwall Bay and I wanted to find out where he was viewing them from – it was Kowawese Unique Area at Plum Point.

~Bonaparte’s Gull in flight over the Hudson River, 05/05/19.~

When I arrived at Kowawese, I could only locate 7 Bonaparte’s Gulls. They were heading north towards the Newburgh Waterfront, so I relocated and was eventually able to find all 33 of his gulls! They were on the water, just drifting northward until they started picking up and headed south back towards Kowawese. THEN, just when I was making one last pass with my scope, I saw a tern flying and actively fishing on the far side of the river! I was trying to ID the bird, but between the rain and the distance, it was just too far. My best guess was either Common or Forster’s Tern. Then I saw a second and a third bird. Bruce joined me and after viewing for a little while, we decided to take the drive over to Beacon’s Long Dock Park to try and identify the birds. I figured they would be long gone by the time we arrived, but Bruce was way more optimistic. And, sure enough, he was right and the birds stuck around for us – including Carena Pooth who had met us over there. Between the three of us and sending pics to Rob Stone and Linda Scrima, we determined that the birds were COMMON TERNS (it’s tough – we don’t get enough practice identifying terns in our area!). Not only that, we also found a fourth bird while we were there as well. This is my favorite kind of birding – it was so exciting and the terns was just beautiful to watch as they fished. The icing on the cake came when we were just about ready to leave – the terns crossed over the river and into the Orange County side! They headed south along the west bank; I was thinking they may end up at Kowawese/Cornwall Bay.*Bruce followed up on this but did not find the terns. BUT, he did find 7 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. What a day!