Orange County – Page 6 – Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 02/18/24

Well, it was a quiet weekend of birding. I made the rounds, but mostly came up with the usual suspects or less. Saturday morning I tried Reservoir 3 and the surrounding area, hoping to get some looks at Red Crossbills. I only had one flyover. Afterwards, I went to the Bashakill WMA to try for the released Northern Bobwhites that Scotty Baldinger found earlier in the week. John Haas was there as well, and he helped me find the birds quite quickly (thanks John). I’d never seen a Bobwhite before, so it was pretty cool – I was shocked at how small they are (just 8-11 inches, according to the Audubon App). Later, in the afternoon I went to the Newburgh Waterfront for gulls, but found only the 3 expected species (Ring-billed, Herring, and Great Black-backed).

~Northern Bobwhite at the Bashakill, 02/17/24.~

Sunday morning I birded the black dirt without much excitement. I had a very large flock of blackbirds on Celery Avenue; I sorted through them for a long while but didn’t find anything out-of-the-ordinary. The flock was nearly all Common Grackles (approximately 95%), and nearly all the other birds were Red-winged Blackbirds (I did find one E. Starling and one Brown-headed Cowbird). Anyways, here are some shots from the weekend, I hope you enjoy them.

~Female Northern Bobwhite at the Bash, 02/17/24.~

~White-tailed Deer in the fresh snowfall at Reservoir 3 on Saturday morning, 02/17/24.~

~White-crowned Sparrow in the black dirt, 02/18/24.~

~I don’t know why it is, but I never tire of these Horned Larks. This was shot in the Black Dirt Region, just after sunrise this morning, 02/18/24.~

And one last shot of the male Northern Bobwhite, Bashakill, 02/17/24.~

12 Hour Pelagic, 02/10/24

This past Saturday, I left my house just before 3 am to board American Princess Cruise’s Special 12 Hour Pelagic Bird and Wildlife Trip at 5:30 am. It was a long and tiring day, but I felt like it was very successful. We did very well with our target Alcid species, Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill, Dovekie, and Common Murre, getting good numbers of each. I’ve included an Excel sheet below, reflective of all the species we had as recorded in (16) eBird reports compiled by the trip leaders. I think it is pretty cool, because it tells the story of the day numerically, showing the birds observed closer to shore as we left in the morning, then the species found further out, and finally the birds closer to shore again, as we returned in the evening.

As for gulls, we did pretty well, with (6) species observed, but noticeably absent was Black-legged Kittiwake, which unfortunately was probably the expected species I most wanted to see.

~This was an absolutely beautiful bird. ICELAND GULL during the American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

Two of the more exciting gull species, Iceland and Lesser Black-backed really put on a show an provided many photo ops. The Iceland was a beautiful first cycle bird, and it followed the boat for quite some time. We had (3) Lesser Black-backed Gulls – one 1st cycle, one 2nd cycle, and one non-adult that was more advanced than the 2nd cycle.

~Lesser Blackbacked Gull APC 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~It’s a BIG ocean. Bonaparte’s Gull, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~This sharp looking Herring Gull wasn’t going to be outdone by the more rare gulls. American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

As I’ve seen on other pelagic trips, we got fantastic looks and plenty of photo ops of Northern Gannets.

~Northern Gannet coming right at me. American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~Subadult Northern Gannet, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~Northern Gannet, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

The Alcids are super exciting to see, but they are far less photogenic. It’s hard to believe how small a Dovekie actually is; the Audubon app lists the bird at 8″, but seeing them out in the ocean they barely seem that big – they are tiny! Ironically, in regards to photos, I did best with them of all the alcids.

It was an excellent, if exhausting trip. They do a great job at American Princes Cruises and I am looking forward to the next one.

~Dovekie cuteness, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~Common Murre catching a wave, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~It’s always good to see an Atlantic Puffin. American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~Cool guys. Razorbills were numerous, but I didn’t do very well with photos, mostly due to the timing – too early, too late, so not much light. American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~ICGU closeup, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~Lesser Black-backed Gull, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~Iceland Gull out in front of a couple of Herring Gulls, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~LBBG, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~I believe these are mostly Black Scoters. American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~ICGU, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~NOGA, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~The only mammals we saw all day – one of two Gray Seals, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~Calling NOGA, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~It’s not very often you get to see an ICELAND GULL this closely. American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

~I know, it’s ICGU overkill, but when will I get an opportunity like this again? Iceland Gull, American Princess Cruise 12-HR Pelagic, 02/10/24.~

Sunday Shots, 02/04/24

I love winter birding. For some reason, I just really enjoy the assortment of birds that are in the range of possiblity. This weekend I enjoyed catching up with the following excellent species:

Iceland Gull (Newburgh Waterfront)
Red Crossbills (Reservoir 3, Port Jervis area)
Pine Siskins (Near Reservoir 3)
Red-Breasted Mergansers (1 Liberty Marsh, 2 Newburgh Waterfront)
Lapland Longspurs (Black Dirt Region)
Snow Geese (several flocks over BDR)
Common Goldeneyes (Greenwood Lake)

Of course, I missed some good birds too. Bruce Nott had an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull earlier in the week that I did not catch up with. I dipped on the Wilson’s Warbler at the Newburgh Waterfront Trail for the fourth time! I also missed the Canvasbacks at Greenwood Lake on Saturday, only to find out from Kyle Knapp that there were 2 there on Sunday. Kyle also had a large flock of Snow Buntings in the black dirt that I never located. But, as you know, this is part of the fun and challenge of birding. You never know what you are going to get on any particular day – some days you hit it out of the park, while on others you may strike out.

~A couple of Pine Siskins gritting on the road, Sparrow Bush NY, 02/04/24.~

~The Iceland Gull was too far out for photos, so I had to settle for shooting the more common gull species. Ring-billed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 02/03/24.~

~I was happy to catch up with this Red-breasted Merganser first thing Saturday morning. Liberty Marsh 02/03/24.~

~I’ve been seeing loads of Eastern Bluebirds lately. This one was in Sparrow Bush, NY 02/04/24.~

~Snow Geese flying over the Liberty Marsh, 02/03/24.~

~One more Pine Siskin shot, Sparrow Bush NY, 02/04/24~

~Savannah Sparrow just before sunset in the black dirt, 02/04/24.~

~Early morning birding at Reservoir 3, 02/04/24.~

Sunday Shots, 01/28/24

I enjoyed a pretty full weekend of birding. Saturday was definitely the more productive of the two days:

First thing, I went to Greenwood Lake and saw the Redheads which have been reported there recently. Redhead used to be a very good bird for Orange County – there was no guarantee that you would get one. In recent years, however, for some reason it’s been a little bit easier to observe in the county.
Later in the morning, I went to Winding Waters trail, where the Northern Shrike continues. The bird was distant, so I did not get any photos, but the bird was calling in the distance, which was really cool.
Also at Winding Waters – I observed my first Rough-legged Hawk of the season. This is far and away the latest I’ve ever gotten my first of season for this species.
I enjoyed my first multiple-owl day in a LONG time. I was in the black dirt in the morning when some American Crows kicked up and then mobbed a Short-eared Owl, my first of 2024. Then, around 10:30 on Saturday night, our cat Fern let me know there was a Great Horned Owl calling in the yard – she was growling, and growling, and growling, until I finally turned down the volume of my movie and heard a GHOW calling right outside. I went on the back porch and saw the bird fly out of the evergreens, across the street, where it perched for a short time in a deciduous tree.

Sunday was less productive and less fun. The weather was terrible; just cold and rainy for the whole day long. Often bad weather = good birds, but that was not the case for me on this day. I had very few birds in the black dirt (I was trying to relocate the Greater White-fronted Goose that Kyle Knapp found earlier in the week). Then I went to the Newburgh Waterfront and had only the expected (3) species of gull. I tried for the Glacucous-winged Gull both afternoons, with no luck., which wasn’t all that surprising since the bird had been relocated on Friday in Ulster County.

~It’s always good to see a Shorty. Short-eared Owl in the black dirt 01/27/24.~

~One of many Red-tailed Hawks observed in the black dirt over the weekend.~

~Herring Gull up close and personal. Newburgh Waterfront, 01/27/24.~

~Cooper’s hawk in the black dirt, 01/27/24.~

More Catch-up, 01/25/24

With all the GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL excitement from last Sunday, I did not have time to do my usual end-0f-weekend post.

On Saturday morning, Karen Miller and I left Goshen before Sunrise and headed to Rye, New York. We birded the Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary as well as the Rye Town Park. It was bitterly cold out, with a strong cold wind which made it even worse, but still we had an enjoyable morning. I felt good about our total of 37 species for the morning. Highlights included a giant flock of Long-tailed Ducks way out in the LI Sound – perhaps 65 birds or even more. Other highlights included a single Horned Lark and a couple of Purple Sandpipers.

~White-throated Sparrow at Read Wildlife Sanctuary, 01/20/24.~

On Sunday morning, I knew it was too early to try for gulls, so I made the rounds in the black dirt. I found only the usuals, but I had some really good photo ops, and the light was really nice. It was another cold morning of birding, even though I was in the car for the most part.

~One of 2 young Bald Eagles sharing a tree in the black dirt, 01/21/24.!

~Horned Lark in the black dirt, 01/21/24.~

~Gray Ghost on the prowl in the black dirt at sunrise, 01/21/24.~

~The second young Bald Eagle, sharing a tree in the BDR on 01/21/24.~

~Look at the toes and claws on this Horned Lark! Wow. Black dirt 01/21/24.~

~A Peregrine Falcon enjoys breakfast just after sunrise in the black dirt, 01/21/24.~

Glaucous-winged Gull, 01/21/24

Yesterday afternoon, birding bud Bruce Nott contacted me to let me know he had a gull at the Newburgh Waterfront that he believed was a GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. Unfortunately, I was unable to run for the bird yesterday, but I was able to catch up with the bird today. I headed over towards the river in the early afternoon – I knew it was likely too early for the birds to be in Newburgh, so I went directly to the Beacon Waterfront. Luck was on my side, as that was exactly where this rare gull had decided to spend the afternoon. There were many happy birders that came out to try for the bird, whose normal range is on the West Coast. There has been some chatter online, some from from gull experts, about the possibility of the bird being a hybrid – I will be curious to see if we get any additional information or clarity. Most reports from today seem to indicate that the bird looks good for GWGU, and yesterday’s eBird reports were confirmed. I will post a follow up if any more information is forthcoming. Huge thanks and congratulations to Bruce on yet another great find.

~Glaucous-winged Gull on the ice at the Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~

~I thought this was a sharp looking bird, especially in flight. Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~

~We also had 2 Iceland Gulls while I was in Beacon, one adult (above) and one 2nd year. Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~

Sunday Shots, 01/14/24

Aside from the excitement of the Snow Geese during the OC Winter Waterfowl Survey, the rest of the weekend was pretty much the usuals for me.. Of note was two large flocks of gulls in the black dirt – one on Missionland Road and the other on Glenwood Road. The Missionland birds were quite distant, so I couldn’t really go through them. The gulls on Glenwood Road were mostly Ring-billed, with 10 or so Herring Gulls mixed in. Also noteworthy, the Snow Geese seemed to be a one-day-wonder (at least for the time being), as I didn’t see them or any reports of them on Sunday. And finally, after seeing John Haas’ post from Friday, I tried for winter finches in the Reservoir 3 area on Sunday morning. Unfortunately it was a bust for me; I will have to try again another day soon; my goal is to get photos of Red Crossbills which aren’t flyovers.. Anyways, here’s some photos from my birding over the past couple of days.

~Northern Harrier in flight at Wallkill River NWR’s Liberty Marsh, 01/13/24.~

~Horned Lark showing off its namesake in the black dirt, 01/13/24.~

~Snow Geese at the Camel Farm, 01/13/24.~

~NOHA at Liberty Marsh during the waterfowl survey, 01/13/24.~

~A young Northern Harrier protects its catch from a pesky American Crow in the black dirt, 01/13/24.~

Winter Waterfowl Count, 01/13/24

Today Linda Scrima and I participated in the Mearns Bird Club’s Orange County Winter Waterfowl Count. For the sixth straight year, the two of us covered the Black Dirt Region for the survey. This year was particularly interesting. Typically in mid January there isn’t much open water, but with this year’s recent warm temperatures, all bodies of water were open. Additionally, with all the rain we’ve had recently, the black dirt had much flooding, creating waterfowl habitat where typically there wouldn’t be (I had a pair of Northern Pintails and a Green-winged Teal in the middle of a flooded corn field!). And finally, a bit of luck is always helpful. Linda had a large group of Snow Geese fly over (2,500+ birds!), and then we both found a decent sized flock (approximately 700 birds), which had put down at the Camel Farm. The one disappointment was, that in spite of the large number of Canada and Snow Geese located, we were unable to locate any rare geese. Not even a Cackling Goose. Thanks to Linda for coordinating and for the good company. It was probably the most enjoyable Winter Waterfowl Survey I’ve done yet.

Snow Goose: 3,200
Canada Goose: 2,566
Mute Swan: 1
Mallard: 124
American Black Duck: 9
Green-winged Teal: 5
Northern Pintail: 4
American Wigeon: 3
Bufflehead: 2
Common Merganser: 4

~Three of approximately 700 Snow Geese at the Camel Farm, 01/13/24.~

~Snow Geese in flight over Route 1 in the Black Dirt Region, 01/13/24.~

A Little Catch-up, 01/11/24

Between my end of year post and the great birds I had over the past weekend, I’ve got some catching up to do as far as photos go. Here’s some additional shots from the past couple of weeks. I spent some time in the black dirt making sure I got Lapland Longspur for 2024 – I was able to photograph a couple of them this past Saturday morning. I’ve also been trying for gulls, but I’ve only been able to find the 3 expected species. That didn’t stop me from taking photos.

~Ring-billed Gulls during Sunday morning’s snowstorm. Newburgh Waterfront, 01/07/24.~

~Always a favorite of mine – Lapland Longspur in the black dirt, 01/06/24.~

~A Horned Lark enjoys a dust bath on a gravel road in the black dirt, 01/01/24.~

~Portrait of an interesting looking Ring-billed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 01/07/24.~

~Eastern Bluebird, Winding Waters Trail, 01/06/24.~

~Bald Eagle in the black dirt, 01/01/24.~

~Another Horned Lark taking a dust bath, BDR o1/01/24.~

~Good looking gull. Great Black-backed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 01/07/24.~

~Song Sparrow at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/26/23.~

OC Yellow-throated Warbler, 01/07/24

As the snowstorm wound down today, I headed out to the Newburgh Waterfront to see what I could find. I was mostly thinking about gulls, but I also knew I had to check the Waterfront Trail for warblers. Well, the gulls were a bust (only the expected species), but I was thrilled to find a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER! I put the word out – at least I thought I did, but in my haste, I unfortunately sent it to the wrong What’s App thread. Bruce Nott and Peter Chernak arrived as I was departing (I’d contacted them directly), and they both got the bird as well. Hopefully it will stick for others. I also had a Palm Warbler and I was finally able to finally catch up with the Tennessee Warbler that’s been reported at the same location. It was quite an unexpectedly good afternoon of birding.