Iceland Gull with Herring Gulls, Newburgh Waterfront, 12/29/14.
I decided to head up to Newburgh, NY after work tonight to look for gulls. Ken McDermott had reported an Iceland Gull there a week or so ago, so I figured I would try my luck. I tried first from where the ferry goes out. I located a distant floating “white winged gull” almost immediately, but soon lost the bird among all the other gulls while trying to switch between scope and camera. Luckily, I was able to get the above shot from that location. The gulls were also floating steadily north on the Hudson River and out of my view. I jumped in my car and moved to the parking lot near what used to be Torches Restaurant. I relocated the bird from that position, but it was getting dark and the bird was even further out. I gave Ken McDermott a call and he walked me through the ID: a white winged gull that is smaller than a Herring Gull but larger than a Ring-billed. The nearly all black bill indicates that this is likely a first winter bird. Thanks Ken for your help, it is greatly appreciated!
Here’s a better look at an Iceland Gull. I photographed this bird in January of this year at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park in New Jersey.
Cackling Goose with Canada Geese at the Camel Farm in Orange County NY, 12/28/14.
I made the rounds in southern Orange County on this gray, drizzly, Sunday morning. I was a little cranky due to the poor weather and not sleeping well, so I was pretty happy to find a single Cackling Goose among approximately 500 Canada Geese at the Camel Farm in Orange County, NY. I put the word out, and luckily both Linda Scrima and Maria Loukeris were close by and ran for the bird. It was a lifer for both of them, so that was exciting. Another highlight was 8 Snow Buntings in with a large flock of Horned Larks in the Black Dirt Region. Aside from that, I had 34 species for the morning, all birds you would expect to see.
American Tree Sparrow off of Onion Avenue, 12/28/14. A female Common Merganser in the Wallkill River in Pine Island, NY. It was funny because, although not in this photo, the merganser was hanging out with a Wood Duck. They were the only birds that I saw in this location and they were never more than a few yards from one another.
I was eating my lunch, contemplating my next move, when I I received a text from Maria -She had located a Barred Owl in Vernon NJ! I hustled down and got super looks at the bird and some photos too (in spite of large number of branches in the way). I have no idea how she located this bird, the pics don’t do justice to how well it was hidden. Huge thanks to Maria for the heads up.
Awesome bird – Barred Owl. Appalachian Trail in Vernon NJ, 12/28/14.
-Short-eared Owl hunting at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14.
So, as I mentioned in my post yesterday, I had a full day of birding in before the Short-eared Owl extravaganza at the Shawangunk Grasslands. In the morning I did a tour of the Black Dirt Region, mostly hoping to find a Snowy Owl or perhaps an interesting goose. I failed to locate either, but instead had an interesting morning with a good number of passerines at various locations. I had nearly 30 species in the black dirt, and for me the hightlight was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker which was seen on Onion Avenue in Goshen.
A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker climbs the trunk of a tree, Black Dirt Region, Orange County NY 12/14/14.
BLACK DIRT REGION 12/14/14
I haven’t posted a shot of a goldfinch in a while. Black dirt, 12/14/14.
Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
-Ring-billed Gull, head on. Newburgh Waterfront, 12/14/14.
In the early afternoon I headed over the Newburgh Waterfront to try and pick up a couple of county birds that I needed – with the end of the year looming, I am trying to maximize my Orange County species list. I was looking for a Great Black-backed Gull and a Great Cormorant (both of which Bruce Nott had reported being there earlier in the week), and I was successful on both counts:
Great Cormorant at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/14/14.A Great Black-backed Gull flies over the Hudson River, Newburgh Waterfront 12/14/14.
After Newburgh, I headed over to the Shawangunk Grasslands as I wrote about in yesterday’s post. I stopped at Blue Chip Farms long enough to get this shot of a European Starling:
I’m still trying for a good European Starling photo. Blue Chip Farms, 12/14/14.
And finally, here are a few more shots of the Short-eared Owls at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, all on 12/14/14:
A Short-eared Owl and a Northern Harrier tangle, Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14.I believe this SEOW was trying to make itself seem bigger (and meaner!) because it was being buzzed repeatedly by a Northern Harrier. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/14/14.Head on Short-eared Owl, Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 13/14/14.
Snow Geese flyover in the Black Dirt Region tonight, 12/12/14.
QUICK POST: Rob Stone and I had two large groups of Snow Geese fly over the black dirt this evening just around sunset. I approximate the number of birds somewhere in the neighborhood of 700. Given the height that the birds were flying and the time of day, I am hoping that they put down somewhere in the area. I will certainly be out tomorrow morning to check it out…stay tuned.
UPDATE: No luck this morning relocating the Snow Geese. I was at the Camel Farm just after 8 and then I made the rounds without success.
Um hmmm they ARE Snow Geese! Terrible pic of super birds. Black Dirt Region 12/12/14.
One of a group of four Snow Buntings out in the black dirt today, 11/30/14.
QUICK POST: Today I finally got some of the good winter birds that we expect to see in the Black Dirt Region of Orange County. Highlights:
(2) Rough-legged Hawks (one light morph and one dark)
(4) Snow Buntings (3) LAPLAND LONGSPURS
(2) American Pipits
(many) Horned Larks
It was also a good day for raptors with many Northern Harriers and Red-tailed Hawks seen throughout the day. I also had a single American Kestrel and a single adult Bald Eagle. I had two large groups of Canada Geese but the only unusual bird that I could find among them looked to me like a domesticated goose.
Two Lapland Longspurs (far left) in a small flock of Horned Larks. Black Dirt Region, Orange County NY, 11/30/14. Snow Bunting in the black dirt, 11/30/14.I seem to get an awful lot of over-exposed adult Bald Eagle photos. This one was just barely salvageable, and ultimately I kind of like the way it looks. This Bald Eagle caught me by surprise, flying pretty low over the black dirt, Orange County NY, 11/30/14.Horned Larks coming in for a landing. Black Dirt in Orange County NY, 11/30/14. Dos MODOs in the black dirt, 11/30/14. Still love these guys.
I finally got a shot of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that was not in the shade. Laurel Grove Cemetery, Port Jervis NY, 11/23/14.
I’ve been feeling like I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately, so in an effort to mix it up a bit, Karen Miller and I birded Port Jervis, New York this morning. We birded three different locations: a reservoir northwest of Port Jervis, Laurel Grove Cemetery, and a small park in Port Jervis that borders the Delaware River. We identified 27 species for the morning. Before heading home, Karen wanted to show me the “Hawk’s Nest”, which is a beautiful scenic stretch of road just outside of Port Jervis. The road winds alongside the Delaware River, climbing all the time. There are areas where you can pull off and take it all in. We stopped at one of these, where we got our 28th species of the day; an adult Bald Eagle flew right over the car! I was not prepared for it, so my exposure is not great, but I did get some photos, here’s one:
An adult Bald Eagle flies over the “Hawk’s Nest”, Port Jervis NY, 11/23/14.Tufted Titmouse at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis, 11/23/14.Far and away the most plentiful bird of the day, I sort of like this shot of an American Crow, a bird that I find difficult to photograph. Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis NY, 11/23/14.
It was good to change things up and bird some new locations; thanks to Rob Stone who helped out with the spots. Here’s our list:
The “Hawk’s Nest” scenic drive in Port Jervis NY.
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
American Coot
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Bald Eagle
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch
I just love these Horned Larks and I I was trying to get some more interesting photos of them today. I was trying to anticipate when the birds would interact like this. Black Dirt Region, 11/22/14.
I birded in the black dirt this morning and didn’t have any out-of-the-ordinary sightings but the light was nice and I took a lot of photos, so I’m going with basically a photo post.
It’s the Northern Harrier time of year. I didn’t have any terrific opportunities but I did take some distant shots. Black Dirt Region, 11/22/14.I love the light and the shape of this bird the streetlight and a truck in the background….ugh. Northern Harrier in Pine Island, NY 11/22/14.I have this as a first winter White-crowned Sparrow, at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop Trail, 11/22/14.This not a bird that I get many photos of for some reason. Northern Cardinal at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop Trail, 11/22/14.
The highlight of the day was being able to spend some time with some Horned Larks in several locations in the black dirt. These two shots preceded the photo at the top of this post:
I love the dirt flying in this photo! Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 11/22/14.Gorgeous individual here, in my opinion. Horned Lark in the Black Dirt, 11/22/14.Sweetness. Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 11/22/14.This is a more typical look; Horned Lark in the Black Dirt, 11/22/14.
Can you locate the two blue morph Snow Geese in this photo? Black Dirt Region, Orange County NY, 11/18/14.
It’s that time of year again, when my evening birding time is severely reduced by the shortened days and Canada Geese gather in numbers in Orange County. Tonight I made it out to the Black Dirt Region and located a flock of approximately 1,700 Canada Geese with 3 blue morph Snow Geese among them. It was a distant look, but still nice to sift through the geese and find some gems. Oh, and it is also that time of year when it is COLD! Windy and low temps made for some uncomfortable birding. Here are some shots of the Canadas:
A flying, calling Canada Goose comes in for a landing right at sunset. Black Dirt Region, 11/18/14.I love these guys. Canada Geese in the black dirt, 11/18/14.
A single Brant, among a flock of Canada Geese, Black Dirt Region, 11/16/14.
QUICK POST: I took a driving tour of the Black Dirt Region this morning to see what was going on. It was an uneventful morning; I had relatively few species (25 in the black dirt), and most were expected. American Pipits are still present in decent numbers, I saw several smaller flocks in various locations. I had many Horned Larks for the day, but never got any good looks at some of the larger groups to sift through them for longspurs. I did have a couple of interesting birds – there was a single Snow Goose way out in a field with about a dozen Canada Geese on Celery Avenue. The highlight of the morning for me was locating a BRANT among a group of approximately 100 Canada Geese on Missionland Road. From what I read in the Crossley Guide, this is a juvenile because of the white fringes to the coverts and the lack of a white necklace, which will grow in through the fall. The light did not lend itself to good photography, but here are some shots from the morning:
I enjoy seeing a Great Blue Heron in the black dirt. This one is peering over an embankment. Missionland Road, 11/16/14.Crows were numerous and seemed to be at every turn this morning. Black Dirt Region, 11/16/14.Here’s one more of the Brant. Missionland Road, 11/16/14.Downy Woodpecker on Celery Avenue, 11/16/14.
One final Turkey Vulture photo, Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 11/15/14.
Today was my final day of the season at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, and it ended up being a really good one. It was a sunny, cool, and crisp day with very few clouds in the sky (which makes it difficult to locate birds). I had one major goal for the day: to surpass 9,000 birds for the season at the watch. We started the day needing 60 migrating raptors to reach this goal. We were successful, thanks to the help of fellow counters Ken Witkowski, Ajit Antony, Denise Ferrel, and Judy Cinquina and once again the young eyes of Kyle Dudgeon. By the end of the day, we had counted 71 birds moving through, which put our total for the season at 9,012 migrating raptors. I was, of course, also hoping for a Golden Eagle or a Northern Goshawk, but both eluded me for this season. It was a tough day for photos, but here is a distant shot of one the adult Bald Eagles that we saw today.
A distant look at an Adult Bald Eagle in a cloudless sky. This bird headed north and was not counted, Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 11/15/14.
Total: 71 889 9012
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Start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter Matt Zeitler
Observers: Ajit I. Antony, Denise Farrell, Judith C. Cinquina, Ken Witkowski
Visitors:
Kyle Dudgeon, Bobby Kerr, and Liza Antony.
Weather:
Sunny and cold with very few clouds. Winds out of the NW at 10-15 km/hour. Temperatures ranged from -2 to 2 degrees Celsius.
Raptor Observations:
Two migrating Bald Eagles, one adult and one immature. An additional adult was observed heading NNE.
Non-raptor Observations:
Other Species: Common Loon (7), American Goldfinch (25), Black-capped Chickadees (4), American Robin (37), Ring-billed Gull (12), Canada Goose (22), Pine Siskin (60), American Crow (22), Eastern Bluebird (6), Common Raven (3), and Cedar Waxwing (15).
