Orange County – Page 5 – Orange Birding

Interesting Weekend, 11/03/24

I was up at Mount Peter at my usual time on Saturday morning, but I left early. It’s too bad too, because the birds were flying and I feel like the afternoon had some potential. I had 14 migrating raptors during the 2 1/2 hours I counted. I cut the count short for a good reason, however. Tricia and I were heading up north to SUNY Oneonta to see Orange County’s own Kyle Dudgeon give a talk and then show his latest short film To See The Sky. To say that the film is moving is an understatement. Between ornithologist Lorenzo Sympson’s remarkable life story and Kyle’s incredible images, I was really quite moved and feeling borderline weepy by the end. I’m not sure at this point when and where it can be seen next, but when I hear something I will post a follow up.

~Always a good bird to see. American Bittern at the Liberty Loop, 11/03/24.~

On Sunday, I did some local birding in the afternoon, after our drive back from Oneonta. I checked a couple of local lakes and found nothing noteworthy, so I decided to go to Liberty Marsh to see if I could find the American Bittern that’s been reported there recently. I spent some time at the viewing platform, and eventually I was rewarded with some very nice looks at the bittern. On my way back I checked 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary to check for shorebirds. I had no luck with shorebirds, but there was a young Snow Goose present, up close and in some nice late afternoon light.

~A nice up close look at a Snow Goose at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 11/03/24.

~One more shot of the American Bittern at Liberty Marsh, 11/03/24.~

~Kyle Dudgeon at SUNY Oneonta for the showing of his latest short film To See The Sky, 11/02/24.~

~iPhone snap of one of the posters on the SUNY Oneonta Campus.~

~A young Bald Eagle mixing it up with a Red-tailed Hawk at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 11/02/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/27/24

I birded Wickham Lake both mornings this weekend. It was birdy both mornings, but on Sunday morning there was a nice collection of mostly new waterfowl present. The highlight was a single Red-necked Grebe (too far out for photos unfortunately); that’s a bird I alway enjoy seeing. Other waterfowl species included: Canada Geese, Mallards, Northern Pintails, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, American Coots, and Double-crested Cormorants. Both mornings were beautiful, and really I didn’t do as well with photos as maybe I should have, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Wickham Lake, 10/26/24.~

~Double-crested Cormorant in flight at Wickham Lake, 10/27/24.~

~This Belted Kingfisher was chased across the lake by a Northern Harrier, of all things. I’ve never seen anything like that before. BEKI at Wickham Lake, 10/27/24.~

A Good Day at Mt. Pete

I enjoyed a really good flight today at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, with 143 migrating raptors counted. Winds were strong and from the northwest, there was a nice mix of sun and clouds, and temperatures were nice and cool – perfect hawk watching conditions. I had a lot of help up there today too, with veteran counters Judy Cinquina, Tom Millard, and Ken Witkowski all joining me for a good long while. When you have really good help like that, I can’t help but wonder what the count would have been if I was up there on my own. The highlights of the day included a flight of (14) Red-shouldered Hawks and (40) Red-tailed Hawks; I believe that is our high day count for both species so far this year. As a bonus, today’s count pushed our year count over the 3,000 bird mark. See my full Hawkcount report at the bottom of this post.

~Red-tailed Hawk at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/26/24.~

~And the obligatory Turkey Vulture shot, Mt. Pete 10/26/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/20/24

I woke up this morning and I was feeling terrible. I had a bad sore throat, you know the kind where it feels like you are swallowing glass? I thought about just getting back into bed, but then I figured since I was up I would try to get out for a little bit. I decided to forego any birding on foot and instead birded the black dirt from the comfort of my car. My decision paid off before I even left the village; I found a Red Fox in the cemetery and was able to get some photos. The black dirt was birdy, but with what I would consider the usuals. American Pipits are around in good numbers; I enjoyed seeing and photographing them. On my way home, I took the long way and it paid off; I found another Red Fox who did not seem too disturbed by my presence.

~American Pipit in the black dirt region, 10/20/24.~

~Heat shimmer was tough for this fox. Red Fox in the black dirt, 10/20/24.~

~This cutie kept dozing off in the sun, which made me smile. Red Fox in the black dirt, 10/20/24.~

~It’s always nice to catch a Sandhill Crane flyover. Missionland Road 10/20/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/13/24

I walked the Heritage Trail at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary first thing this morning. I had 34 species; of note was a pair of Blue-winged Teals and several Rusty Blackbirds. I was hoping for shorebirds, but unfortunately conditions are still not great for them and I had only one Killdeer.

Afterwards I birded the black dirt for a while. It was birdy, with lots of sparrows around (Savannah, Song, Chipping, & White-throated mainly). The surprise of the day was a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO feeding in some low roadside brush. For shorebirds, I had a number Killdeer and 2 distant American Golden Plovers. American Pipits were around, but would not cooperate for photos.

~This is from a couple of weeks ago, but I forgot I’d taken it. Female Scarlet Tanager in our yard on 10/03/24.~

~Yellow-billed Cuckoo on Onion Avenue, 10/13/24.~

~Friday evening 10/11/24 in my backyard. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. ~

~These dudes seem to be everywhere right now. Cedar Waxwing in the black dirt, 10/13/24.~

Sunday Shots, 10/06/24

As I did last Sunday, early this morning I walked Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail. It was a chilly, foggy start, but then it got beautifully cool and sunny. I have to say, that trail is extremely birdy right now. I walked the entire loop; I had a total of 41 species and who-knows-how-many individuals. There were birds present nearly every step of my walk today. Sparrows were far and away the most numerous, especially White-throated Sparrows. Additional sparrow species included Song, Swamp, Lincoln’s, and Dark-eyed Juncos. My best birds of the day included a couple of Tennessee Warblers and a single Nashville Warbler.

~Nashville Warbler at Winding Waters Trail, 10/06/24.~

~Tennessee Warbler at Winding Waters, 10/06/24.~

~Yellow-rumped Warbler at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/05/24.~

~A male Northern Cardinal at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/05/24.~

~Lincoln’s Sparrow at Winding Waters Trail, 10/06/24.~

Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/05/24

I was optimistic going into today’s Hawkwatch; not many hawks seemed to have moved through this week, and winds were forecasted out of the north, so I was hoping for a good flight. I was feeling good after the first two hours of the watch – I had tallied 25 migrating raptors already. Unfortunately, over the next four hours I was only able to add 18 additional birds for a total of 43 migrants for the day. Not the day I’d hoped for, but still, not too bad. As always, I’ve included my Hawkcount.org report at the bottom of this post.

~Cooper’s Hawk coming in hot! Mount Peter Hawkwatch 10/05/24.~

~And when it’s possible, I alway like to include the obligatory Turkey Vulture shot, Mt. Pete 10/05/24.~

~The first bird of the day, an Osprey shot through some low cloud cover. Mount Peter Hawkwatch 10/05/24.~

Winding Waters Trail, 09/29/24

I arrived at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail this morning just after sunrise. It was a gray misty morning, but I’m happy to report that no substantial rain fell while I was on the trail. I walked the full loop and enjoyed logging nearly 40 species observed. I was happy to add a couple of birds to my Orange County 2024 list (Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Lincoln’s Sparrow). I was hoping for maybe a Connecticut Warbler or a Mourning Warbler, but that wasn’t in the cards for me today. I was using the Merlin app to identify bird sounds; at one point it indicated that it had heard a Connecticut, but in spite of my efforts, I never heard the bird, nor did I see it. The trail is absolutely loaded with birds right now, so it made for a very pleasant and birdy walk.

~Northern Flickers must be on the move right now – my yard has been full of them all week, and then I saw several on my walk this morning. NOFL at Wallkill River NWR, Winding Waters Trail 09/29/24.~

~You hear them before you see them. Four of five Sandhill Cranes that flew through while I was on the trail. The fifth bird was trailing and didn’t fit into my field of view . SACRs at Winding Waters, 09/29/24.~

Saturday 09/28/24

I spent most of the day up at Mount Peter counting migrating raptors. It was a modest flight of only 21 migrating hawks counted, but I enjoyed my time up on the mountain. There are certain raptors that I really enjoy seeing migrate, Northern Harrier and Osprey among them, and I enjoyed seeing two of each fly over the viewing platform today. There was also a very large flock of Cedar Waxwings hanging around; it was fun to see them and to get some photos. It was drizzling intermittently for most of the watch, and finally, during the 6th hour, the drizzle became pretty steady and visibility was an issue, so I called it. I’ve included my report at the bottom of this post.

~One of many Cedar Waxwings at Mount Peter today, 09/28/24.~

Before going up to the mountain, I toured the black dirt, starting just after sunrise. It was mostly uneventful, but at my last stop -the fields just north of Scenic Farms Golf Course, I was lucky enough to located (3) American Golden-plovers. It’s been an absolutely dismal shorebird season in the black dirt, so I was happy to see these birds.

~American Golden-plover in the black dirt, 09/28/24.~

~Cedar Waxwing getting tricky with a snack. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/28/24.~

~Yellow-rumped Warbler at Mt. Peter 09/28/24.~

~One more Cedar Waxwing shot. Mount Peter 09/28/24.~

Excellent Day at Mt. Pete Hawkwatch

We finally got some Broad-winged Hawks at Mount Peter Hawkwatch! I tallied a total of 961 BWHAs today, which is more than twice as many as we’ve had all season to this point. Linda Scrima and Marty Hayes were there for the first 10 birds, but unfortunately they each had to leave, so I was mostly on my own trying to get a good count as high numbers of Broad-wings streamed by (nearly no kettling, just streaming, streaming, streaming!). I also had some variety, with seven additional species counted: Bald Eagle, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and American Kestrel.

~Interesting bird at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch today, 09/21/24. I’m trying to find out if this might be a Peale’s Peregrine Falcon, which originates in the Pacific Northwest.~

The Peregrine Falcon was my first bird of the day, and it is an interesting looking bird. Looking at the Crossley Raptor Guide, to me it looks very much like a Peale’s PEFA, which originates in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve put some feelers out to see if I can get it confirmed (or confuted).