Orange County – Page 58 – Orange Birding

Pochuck Mountain State Forest, 4/23/16

I met Linda Scrima out at Pochuck Mountain State Forest early on this cloudy morning. In the beginning of the trail, it was not very birdy, but we continued further up the mountain until we got to a small pond and that’s where things got interesting. Our first good bird was my FOY BLUE-HEADED VIREO. Shortly afterwards, we located another personal FOY, a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. As we worked our way around the pond, I heard a call that sort of sounded familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Linda, however knew it immediately – it was a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH. We followed the call, located the bird, and got fabulous looks and pretty decent photos, especially considering the poor lighting. We ended up having a good morning at Pochuck; we hiked probably about 4 miles and had 28 species.

Afterwards, we walked the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop. Highlights included our second Louisiana Waterthrush of the day, which was located by Linda on the west side of the loop, just off the trail. We also did pretty well with shorebirds with several Killdeer, 2 Greater Yellowlegs (FOY), 1 Lesser Yellowlegs (FOY), and a pair of Wilson’s Snipe. All in all, a good day with some good year birds for both of us.

~This was exciting to me… Black-and-white Warbler at Pochuck Mountain SF, 4/23/16.~

~My personal FOY Blue-headed Vireo, Pochuck Mountain SF, 4/23/16.~

~Another shot of the Louisiana Waterthrush, Pochuck Mountain SF, 4/23/16.~

~This was Linda’s first good look at an Eastern Towhee this year, Pochuck Mountain SF, 4/23/16.~

Orange County Weekend

~I love this pose! A super cute Pied-billed Grebe at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 4/15/16.~

I birded in Orange County all weekend, starting at the Winding Waters Trail at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge on Friday afternoon. I met Linda Scrima out there, we were following up on a tip from Rob Stone; he’d had Vesper Sparrows there earlier in the day. VESP is a nemesis bird for Linda. Or should I say WAS a nemesis bird for her. We relocated at least two, with a possible third Vesper Sparrow present and got great looks at the birds. Congratulations to Linda on the lifer, and what a super looking bird.

~Vesper Sparrow at Winding Waters Trail, Wallkill River NWR, 4/15/16.~

Saturday morning I walked out at Goosepond Mountain State Park. I had never walked the entire trail before, so that’s what I did. I started at Laroe Road and walked to route 17M and then back. It was a nice walk which was very birdy. I had 35 species on the day, which included 6 personal first of the year birds: Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, HERMIT THRUSH, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Broad-winged Hawk, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Sunday morning I decided to try something a little bit different and go on a hike that would not necessarily be loaded with birds. I walked the loop at Storm King State Park. It was probably not a difficult or strenuous hike by most people’s standards, but I quickly learned how out of shape I am these days! I started at the trailhead on route 9W north, and I huffed and puffed my way up to the summit of Storm King. The views were pretty great and there were some raptors flying as well (Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vultures, Sharp-shinned Hawk). I had more birds than I would have expected, tallying 17 species, the most interesting to me being a Hermit Thrush I saw about 100 yards into the trail. Thankfully, the back end of the loop was a little bit easier going. Afterwards, I made a quick stop by Kenridge Farm where I saw many of the usuals and also picked up my FOY Barn Swallow.

~At the top of Storm King, I ran into a small group of birds: Mourning Doves, a Northern Flicker, a couple of Chipping Sparrows, and a couple of Black-capped Chickadees.~

~My FOY Hermit Thrush at Goosepond Mountain SP, 4/16/16.~

~A Chipping Sparrow singing in the spotlight at Storm King State Park, 4/17/16.~

~A nice look at an American Coot, Wallkill River NWR, 4/15/16.~

The view from the highest point of Butter Hill at Storm King State Park, 4/17/16.~ — The view of the Hudson River from the highest point of Butter Hill at Storm King State Park, 4/17/16.~

4/14/16 – Orange County Caspian Tern!

~Wow! Caspian Tern at Washington Lake this afternoon, 4/14/16.~

I figured it might be some good birding news when I saw that John Haas was calling me this afternoon on the way home. I was right, Ken McDermott had located a CASPIAN TERN at Washington Lake! A quick change of plans and I was on my way. When I arrived the bird was along the shore with 28 Ring-billed Gulls (which were pestering the tern from time to time). I got good looks at the bird in Ken and Bruce Nott’s scopes, and then took some photos. At one point, all the birds took flight for a short spin as a Bald Eagle flew over, but then they settled down again. It wasn’t until a fisherman walked right by the birds that they flushed and did not return to the shore. We kept our eye on the bird for a good while as it flew around the lake; the gulls kept it on the run, and then right before 6 0’clock, the bird headed northeast and did not return that we saw. I think the bird was at the lake for just under 3 hours, but many birders ran for it and were able to get a good look. Other notable birds present included: Bonaparte’s Gull, Red-breasted Merganser, and a Broad-winged Hawk that Scott Baldinger had but that I never picked up because I was trying to stay on the tern.

~Caspian Tern in flight, Washington Lake 4/14/16.~

~A young Ring-billed Gull nips at the wing of the Caspian Tern, Washington Lake 4/14/16.~

~Later on, in the black dirt, a Northern Harrier caught my eye.~

Orange County Birding

~Rusty Blackbird at White Oak Swamp, 4/9/16.~

Since I’ve been out of the loop for a little while, I figured it would be a good idea to do a post of notable Orange County sightings that I know of from the past week:

SUNDAY 4/3/16 – It was a waterfowl fallout of sorts in OC. Rob Stone reported 20+ Long-tailed Ducks at Wickham Lake, along with 1 Greater Scaup, 1 Common Loon, and 1 Horned Grebe. Meanwhile, Kathy Ashman reported to Mearns Bird Club that she had 7 Horned Grebes at Glenmere Lake, with some in breeding plumage.

MONDAY 4/4/16 – Rob Stone had a Vesper Sparrow at Lower Wisner Road.

THURSDAY 4/7/16 – I had 1 Greater Scaup, 1 Common Loon (my FOY), and 2 Horned Grebes at Greenwood Lake. Kathy Ashman reported a Green Heron at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary.

FRIDAY 4/8/16 – I had 1 Common Loon at Sterling Lake and at Greenwood Lake I had 1 Horned Grebe, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, and 2 Common Loons.

SATURDAY 4/9/16 – I had my FOY Louisiana Waterthrush and Swamp Sparrow on the Sterling Lake Loop Trail. At White Oak Swamp, I finally got my FOY Rusty Blackbird and I also had my FOY Palm Warbler.

SUNDAY 4/10/16 – Maria Loukeris had a Common Loon at Glenmere Lake. I went for the bird later in the day and 4 Greater Scaup and 1 Lesser Scaup (FOY) had moved in as well. Earlier in the day, I had my FOY Osprey at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary (but missed out on the Green Heron).

~Common Loon at Glenmere Lake, 4/10/16. Thanks to Maria Loukeris for the heads up on this bird.~

~Ruby-crowned Kinglet at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 4/10/16.~

~Crappy photo of a good bird. Louisiana Waterthrush on the Sterling Lake Loop Trail, 4/9/16.~

~Palm Warbler on the Sterling Lake Loop Trail, 4/9/16.~

3/29/16 – Early Uppy!

~UPLAND SANDPIPER in the Black Dirt Region, 2/39/16.~

I was cruising through the Black Dirt Region this afternoon, really just sort of doing some half-hearted birding but mostly hoping for Lapland Longspurs, when I heard an Eastern Meadowlark call. I stopped the car and located one and then another meadowlark… only the second bird was not a meadowlark but an UPLAND SANDPIPER! I put the word out and I was eventually joined by Karen Miller, Maria Loukeris, Linda Scrima, and Bruce Nott, who all got good scope views of the bird. Meanwhile, the more I watched the bird, the less sure I was becoming of my initial ID, mostly because the bird was bobbing its tail often, a behavior that I didn’t know Upland Sandpipers exhibited. I spoke with Rob Stone and he found a video online showing bobbing behavior. When Karen got home, she referenced her National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, which read: “It often bobs the rear portion of its body…”. I’ve included a video of the bird at the bottom of this post. According to eBird bar charts, we are not likely to see UPSAs in Orange County until May, so this is really an early bird.

~One more shot of the UPSA, Black Dirt Region 3/29/16.~

Red-headed Woodpeckers in Orange County, 3/24/16

~An adult Red-headed Woodpecker at Fancher Davidge Park, 3/24/16.~

I received a text from Karen Miller while I was at work today; she and Bruce Nott had relocated two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS (one adult and one juvenile) at Fancher Davidge Park in Middletown, New York. The birds were originally located by Gef Chumard, who birds the park on a regular basis. I talked to Karen on my way home and she provided details, which helped me find the park and the spot pretty easily. I parked and headed down the Nature Observation Trail, which leads to a rather large and beautiful swamp. I was there for about twenty minutes, I hadn’t had any luck, when Gef showed up. He showed me a tree where he had seen one of the birds on a couple of occasions, and while we were talking I located the juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker on a distant dead tree. Gef had someplace to be, so he left me to it. I eventually located the adult as well, and managed to get some ID photos of both birds. It was great fun to bird in a new spot, and the place was loaded with birds (I had 29 species for the afternoon).

Huge thanks to Karen for the heads up, and congratulations to Gef on a great find!

~A juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker at Fancher Davidge Park, 3/24/16. According to the Crossley ID Guide, the juvenile “molts through the winter so that by spring it is similar to adult, but often slightly duller…” ~

~Another highlight of the afternoon – a Brown Creeper which avoided having its photo taken as much as it could. Fancher Davidge Park, 2/24/16~

Orange County Bonaparte’s Gull, 3/15/16

~A single Bonaparte’s Gull with 4 Ring-billed Gulls in the foreground at Wickham Lake, 3/15/16.~

QUICK POST: Huge thanks to Bruce Nott who texted me to let me know he had located a BONAPARTE’S GULL at Wickham Lake earlier today while I was at work. I ran for the bird after I got out and luckily it was still around, floating in the distance among a large group of Ring-billed Gulls.

~While I was trying to photograph the BOGU, I heard a call that I hadn’t heard before. I looked around and saw that it was from a female Bufflehead. I had photographed her with a male a little bit earlier, but when she called the male was nowhere to be seen. Moments later the male flew in and settled right next to the female. Wickham Lake, 3/15/16.~

Orange County Peregrine Falcons, 3/13/16

~A male Peregrine Falcon shoots by at a rapid pace, Orange County NY, 3/13/16.~

I met up with Kyle Dudgeon this morning to try to photograph Peregrine Falcons. The lighting was tough, so with the exception of a few photos such as the one at the top of this post, we ended up having more success shooting video with the iPhone through my spotting scope. We ended up with what I think is some remarkable footage; I’ve included three short clips in this post. The first one shows the birds mating, which was incredible to see live and Kyle and I were flipping out:

The male left the area for a short while, successfully hunted, and then came back with prey. In this video he eats a portion of the prey and then takes off to share the remainder with the female:

and finally, here is a very short clip of the female finishing up preening and taking flight, flying out of view and then cutting right in front of the scope again.

Wow! Seven Orange County Greater White-fronted Geese!!!

~Two of seven Greater White-fronted Geese at Pierce Circle in the Black Dirt Region, 3/6/16.~

One of my first stops this morning was certainly the best of the day. I stopped to check out a group of approximately 500 Canada Geese located on Pierce Circle. I was not optimistic that I would find anything good among the Canadas, first of all because there were not very many birds, and second because the birds were close enough to sort through with binoculars (no scope needed!). I perked up when I located one, then two, then four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE! Then another – make it five! I put the word out, continued looking and found a sixth GWFG. Maria Loukeris must have been in the area because she joined me pretty quickly. Shortly after her arrival, I located the SEVENTH GWFG! Scanning left to right, a group of four, then a pair, and then a single Greater White-fronted Goose sitting in the field on its own. Also present was a single Cackling Goose, close enough for some decent, if backlit photos. It was very exciting, and I particularly enjoyed when the group of four flew into the next field calling the whole time. After a few minutes, they rejoined the flock. It was hard to tear myself away from such great birds, but eventually I did.

I spent the rest of my morning and early afternoon in southern Orange County, but I did not have any additional notable sightings. I will mention that there is a huge group of Common Mergansers at Wickham Lake – I estimate 900 birds. The forecast for the afternoon and evening was clear skies, so I decided to try my luck at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR…

~This photo shows six of the seven Greater White-fronted Geese, can you find them? Pierce Circle, 3/6/16.~

~Cackling Goose at Pierce Circle, 3/6/16.~

…and I got lucky! The Short-eared Owls got up early (around 5:00), the light was fantastic, and the birds flew close enough for some decent photos. I’ve said it many times before, but you cannot beat photographing SEOWs from the photo blinds out at the Grasslands. I got there early and waited a good while with very few birds. There were several Northern Harriers foraging the throughout the reserve and once in a while they would get close enough for photos, but there were large chunks of time with no birds at all. It was all totally worth it, of course, when the owls got up and put on their show. I counted a total of 5 Short-eared Owls, 7 Northern Harriers, and 2 Red-tailed Hawks. And I also saw my first Eastern Meadowlarks of the year. What a great day of birding!

~Short-eared Owl in flight at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 3/6/16.~

~A nice look at a Northern Harrier, Shawangunk Grasslands NWR 3/6/16.~

~A SEOW shoots through the grasses at the reserve. Shawangunk Grasslands, 3/6/16.~

~I love getting a good look at the top side of these birds. Short-eared Owl at Shawangunk Grasslands, 3/6/16.~

~SEOW in flight, Shawangunk Grasslands, NWR 3/6/16.~

~NOHA giving a look in my direction, Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 3/6/16.~

Good Birding in Orange County, 2/21/16

~I enjoyed seeing this Red-tailed Hawk; I pulled over to listen for songbirds and then saw it sitting low in the woods. Port Jervis, NY 2/21/16.~

After a disappointing Saturday of birding, I did much better on Sunday. I started the day in Port Jervis, hitting several spots. I added four birds to my Orange County year list, including two birds that I feel are pretty good birds for the county: GREATER SCAUP and COMMON GOLDENEYE. The other two birds were a Peregrine Falcon and a small flock of Cedar Waxwings. The highlight of the morning, however, was first hearing and then seeing a skein of approximately 75 SNOW GEESE fly overhead as I walked down a trail. This got me thinking about the possibility of finding some Snow Geese in the black dirt, which would be my next stop.

~One of my first birds of the day – Greater Scaup at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis, NY 2/21/16.~

~An adult Bald Eagle flies over the Delaware River, Port Jervis NY, 2/21/16.~

~Nice bird to see, a single Common Goldeneye, Laurel Grove Cemetery 2/21/16.~

~SNOW GEESE! Nice flyover of a skein of SNGOs in Port Jervis, NY 2/21/16.~

~Peregrine Falcon perched high over the Delaware River, Port Jervis NY, 2/21/16.~

I made my way out to the Black Dirt Region, where I met up with Bruce Nott and Linda Scrima. We sifted through a nice sized group of Canada Geese and found some gems: 6 Snow Geese, 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, and I was finally able catch up with a CACKLING GOOSE (there have been many reports in the region). Afterwards, Bruce and I continued to the Pine Island Turf Nursery, in search of pipits. We didn’t have any luck with the pipits, but we had a good sized flock of Horned Larks and a good collection of songbirds that provided some photo ops. It was a really good day of birding for me, something that I certainly needed.

~Cackling Goose in the black dirt 2/21/16. I like this for a Cackling because of the smaller size, small bill, shorter neck, and blocky head.

~Terrible photo here, but I included it because I think it shows the size of this bird better than the photo above. Cackling Goose, 2/21/16.~

~A Red-bellied Woodpecker shows off its namesake (and it’s tongue!). Pine Island Turf Nursery, 2/21/16.~

~That’s a blue Eastern Bluebird! Pine Island Turf Nursery, 2/21/16.~