Last night, Tricia and I were fortunate enough to be present for the release of not one, but three EASTERN SCREECH-OWLS. The owls were all injured in the Warwick area and rehabilitated by Missy Runyan at the Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center. Our friend Carol Linguanti, who is also a wildlife rehabber, was given the wonderful task of releasing the birds and invited me along to witness and take some photos. This, of course made me nervous about getting good shots, but I was thrilled to have the opportunity. Our first stop was at Homestead Village, where one of the birds was found on the lawn of a resident. Since the bird was brought in for rehabilitation a short time ago, it was released in the same spot where it was picked up. Here are some shots from the release:
An Eastern Screech-owl seems to be waiting for its eyes to adjust to the light before being released. Warwick, NY 7/18/14.The EASO was out of the box before I knew it, but I did manage one silhouetted flight shot.Tricia faired much better from the other side, getting this shot.The owl perched on a nearby branch for probably less than a minute and then seemed to get its bearings and took off.
The second and third owls apparently had been in rehab for a longer period of time, during which, they bonded. They were to be released together on a large tract of land that Carol owns in Warwick. This release was made even more exciting with the sighting of TWO BEARS! How good can it get? Here are the photos from that release:
Getting ready to be free again, one rufous and one gray Eastern Screech-owl. Photo by Carol Linguanti, Warwick, NY 7/18/14.This EASO behaved similarly to the first release, perching nearby for a short period of time before taking off into the woods.The first bear we saw was relatively small, presumably a young bear.The second bear was huge and Carol’s husband Bobby was very excited when we watched the bear use the bridge that Bobby had built to get over a stream.
I really cannot thank Carol enough for inviting me to be part of this. It was so exciting to get to see these owls up close and fulfilling to know that they had been successfully rehabbed and now were back where they belonged.
A young Northern Rough-winged Swallow waits to be fed, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14.
I only got out for an hour this morning – I met Karen Miller and Maria Loukeris at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. The highlight of this short outing was definitely watching a group of young Northern Rough-winged Swallows being fed by a couple of adults. Thanks to Karen who located the birds – this is the second NRWS photo opportunity this year that I have her to thank for!
NRWS at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14.Not the greatest shot, but a food exchange between two NRWS, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14.One more shot of a young Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 7/6/14.
Skunk Kit on the Liberty Loop, Wallkill River NWR, 7/4/14.
I woke up early on this rainy Independence Day and walked the Liberty Loop at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. It rained on and off as I walked the loop, but it was quite birdy with high numbers of many of the expected species. The highlight of the morning, however, was not bird related. I was walking the east side of the loop and I saw a skunk up ahead on the trail. It was very white and I believe it is likely the same skunk that I photographed at the same location back in March. I hustled to try to catch up to the skunk and at some point I realized that the skunk was actually heading towards me, rather than away, and that it had something in its mouth – a young skunk! I stepped off the trail and waited. The pair of skunks got pretty close before the adult (mother?) went off trail with her kit still in her grasp. I moved ahead quickly, thinking that she wanted to continue down the trail but didn’t because of my presence, but she never reemerged. I continued along the east side of the trail and saw two more skunk kits on the trail in the distance. In my binoculars I could see no movement; I thought something had happened and they were both dead. Once I reached them, I realized that I was mistaken, they were both fine. I snapped a few pictures of the kits and I was checking behind me to see if the mother was coming back for them. I moved past the kits to a safe distance and the mother eventually did come back. I watched as the she collected one of them and then headed back the way she came. I did not stay to watch her pick up the third kit, but I was thinking that I was happy it was a rainy morning and that she would not likely be disturbed again this morning as she relocated her kits.
Adult skunk transporting a kit down the trail. Wallkill River NWR, 7/4/14.
As far as the birding went, I had a nice morning seeing the expected birds and I totaled 29 species for the day. My best bird for the day was a young Red-bellied Woodpecker, a bird that I’ve never seen before:
I have this as a young Red-bellied Woodpecker. This shot is a little soft, but it was low light all morning with the rainy conditions. Wallkill River NWR, 7/4/14.I was just saying recently that I never get shots of Northern Cardinals in the field. NOCA in the swamp, Wallkill River NWR, 7/4/14.This Downy Woodpecker was in the same tree as the young Red-bellied. Wallkill River NWR, 7/4/14.I feel like I am getting very few opportunities to shoot Great Blue Herons this year. Wallkill River NWR, 7/4/14.
It was an enjoyable morning for me, I have been busy lately so I haven’t gotten out as much. I am finding that I appreciate getting out much more at times like this. Here is my list for the morning:
In the past week, I made it out to Sterling Forest State Park FIVE times in hopes of seeing one of the Yellow-breasted Chats that has been reported out there. Last Saturday, Maria Loukeris and I walked several of the trails at the park, after seeing several reports on eBird the week before. We came up empty-handed. Our best bird of the day was a Prairie Warbler located on the trail at the end of Ironwood Drive.
Prairie Warbler singing at Ironwood Drive in Sterling Forest SP, 5/31/14.
On Monday I received a text from Rob Stone; he had located a YBCH on the road that leads into Laurel Meadow Ponds in Sterling Forest SP. After work, as I raced over to the park, John Haas phoned to let me know he had located the bird as well. When I arrived, I immediately heard what I believed was the bird. Try as I might, I never located the bird. At one point, I identified the tree that the bird was in. I was catching glimpses of movement but never got a good look at the bird. Eventually, I wasn’t hearing the bird anymore and even later still, I started to doubt if I had heard it in the first place! On Tuesday, it was more of the same, I heard the bird early on and never located it, then the doubts crept in again. I tried again on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, but on both days I never even heard the bird. The highlight of Thursday’s outing was having two pairs of Blue-winged Warblers giving chase all around me on the trail at high speed. They were completely oblivious to my presence, whipping right by my head many times and perching (very briefly!) very close by. I managed to get a couple decent shots:
Blue-winged Warbler, Sterling Forest SP, 6/5/14.One of four Blue-winged Warblers that made my day. Sterling Forest SP, 6/5/14.
Of course, I took photos all week as I was going for the Yellow-breasted Chat, but really it was sort of an uneventful week of birding. Here are some shots from the week:
Yellow-billed Cuckoos are plentiful out at Sterling Park SP. This one was seen on 6/2/14.Another bird that I saw in high numbers this week – Cedar Waxwing at Sterling Forest SP, 5/31/14.I feel like I took more photos of mammals than birds in the past week. Beaver at Laurel Meadow Ponds, 6/5/14.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Liberty Loop, 5/29/14.
After work today, I made it out to the Liberty Loop. I wanted to follow up on an eBird report from last night that included a King Rail and (5) Sora. When I arrived, Linda Scrima was already there having just walked out Liberty Lane. I heard what I believed was a Sora from far out into the marsh as soon as I got out of my car. I have never heard or seen a Sora before, so I was listening to the call on my phone app to be sure. We walked the east side of the loop out and back, and Sora intermittently called as we walked. The calls could still be heard as we pulled out of the parking lot just after 7:00 pm. From what I could tell, there were at least two Sora present. Out on the trail, I tried clacking rocks together to see if the King Rail would respond – the first time I did it both Linda and I thought we heard a response. It was distant and faint and we only heard it the one time, and again, this is a bird that I have no experience with, so I am hoping to get another opportunity to see or hear this bird and hopefully get a good ID on it.
The highlight of the evening was seeing my first Green Heron of the season. That’s right, my FOS Green Heron. I feel like I have been out quite a lot this spring, but somehow I have not seen a GRHE until today. Unfortunately, no good photos of the bird. Another highlight was seeing and getting photos of a beautiful Yellow-billed Cuckoo, my current favorite bird. The lowlight was definitely the lack of shorebirds, with only a couple Killdeer and a single Spotted Sandpiper being seen.
A very cooperative Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop Trail, 5/26/14.
I went out this morning with the main goal of trying to get some cuckoo photos. I think both cuckoos that we get in the area (Yellow-billed and Black-billed) are fascinating birds; such large beautiful birds with exotic calls that I somehow never saw or heard my whole life until the last few years. My first stop was at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge Winding Waters Trail, where Linda Scrima had located a Yellow-billed Cuckoo the night before. On my way out on the trail I heard a YBCU but did not see it. On my way back I located the bird easily when it called from a stand of bare trees. Huge thanks to Linda for the heads up, here is a shot of that bird:
Yellow-billed Cuckoo on the Winding Waters Trail at Wallkill River NWR, 5/26/14.
Afterwards, I headed over to the Liberty Loop to meet up with Maria Loukeris. We walked the loop; I was hoping for some shorebirds somewhere along the way. Shorebirds were not in abundance (Semipalmated Plover-2, Greater Yellowlegs-2, Spotted Sandpiper-1, Solitary Sandpiper-1, and Maria saw what were likely the Semipalmated Sandpipers that I had out there the other night- maybe 20 of them?). The poor showing of shorebirds was more than made up for by a pair of cooperative Yellow-billed Cuckoos in the southwest corner of the loop, right in the area of the eagle’s nest. I believe this was the first time Maria had seen YBCU, and we both took many photos. My best effort is at the top of this post.
Black-billed Cuckoo at Goose Pond Mountain State Park, 5/24/14.
GOOSE POND MOUNTAIN STATE PARK
I met Linda Scrima and Maria Loukeris at Goose Pond Mountain State Park early this morning in an effort to beat the rain that was forecasted. It was a gray morning with more birds being heard than seen for most of the trip out on the trail. The way back was another story, however, and we ended up getting some good looks at many of the birds we only heard on the way out. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the pair of BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS that showed up right on the trail. I was struggling terribly with the camera all morning for some reason, so I only got so-so shots. It was a life bird for both Linda and Maria, so that was exciting. What started out as a slow morning ended up pretty good, and counting the Northern Mockingbird I saw before Linda and Maria arrived, we totaled 40 species for the day. Here’s my list for the day – Linda and Maria, let me know if I’ve missed anything!
Eastern Towhee, Goose Pond Mountain State Park, 5/24/14.
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-billed Cuckoo at Goose Pond Mountain State Park, 5/24/14.
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Blue-winged Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
Another highlight of the day was getting great looks at this Chestnut-sided Warbler, located by Maria. Goose Pond Mountain State Park, 5/24/14. Photo by Linda Scrima.
WALLKILL RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Last year I could not get a photo of a Great-crested Flycatcher, this year it’s a different story. Wallkill River NWR, 5/24/14.
In the evening, I went back out, this time to the Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop Trail – mostly in search of shorebirds. I did just alright for shorebirds, locating (3) Semipalmated Plovers, (4) Killdeer, (1) Greater Yellowlegs, (5) Spotted Sandpipers, and (20) smaller shorebirds that I only saw from a distance in flight and I’m not going to venture a guess for:
Any thoughts on the ID of these shorebirds? Liberty Loop, 5/24/14.American Goldfinch showing off at Wallkill River NWR, 5/24/14.
As I walked the loop, I saw many of the expected species, including a pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoos in the woods by the back pond. The best moment of the evening, however, was not bird related at all. I had a black bear ran parallel to the trail on the east side of the loop. It was awesome to see and I was lucky enough to get some shots:
I got some incredible looks at several Blue-winged Warblers out at Goosepond Mountain State Park on Sunday 5/18/14. Update: As M Grant pointed out to me (thanks!), this bird is likely a hybrid between Blue-winged Warbler and a Golden-winged Warbler known as Brewster’s Warbler. Read more about it here.
FRIDAY 5/16 – WARWICK AND LIBERTY LOOP
After work on Friday I dodged the raindrops and managed to do a little birding. My first stop was at the Red-tailed Hawk nest in Warwick NY. I shot a few photos in the rain and managed to get one that shows a young RTHA chick in the nest:
RTHA nest in Warwick, NY 5/16/14.
I then headed over to the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge and walked down Liberty Land and the west side of the Liberty Loop, hoping for shorebirds. It was a pretty quiet evening bird-wise and for shorebirds I only located 2 Greater Yellowlegs and 2 Killdeer. My best bird of the night was my FOS Willow Flycatcher, which I somehow did not manage to get a photograph of. I also had a pair of Great-crested Flycatchers and they were more accommodating.
One of two Great-crested Flycatchers on the Liberty Loop Friday night, 5/16/14.
SATURDAY 5/17 – BASHAKILL STATE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA
While birding the Orchard, this Veery was kind enough to land in the middle of the road. Bashakill WMA, 5/17/14.
I was scheduled to volunteer at the Nature Watch on Saturday afternoon, so I decided to bird the Bash beforehand. By the way, for those of you who do not know about Nature Watch, it is a program run by the Basha Kill Area Association where every weekend in the spring from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, they set up scopes at the main boat launch to view the resident Bald Eagles on the nest. There are volunteers present to help inform about the eagles and the Bashakill and to help folks use the scopes. This year the eagles have one eaglet that seems to be doing quite well. There is also an Osprey nest that can be viewed from the scopes as well. So, I wanted to bird the Bash before my shift. What I didn’t think about is that the Mearns Bird Club was having its annual “Break 100” contest, where teams try to locate over 100 bird species in a 24 hour period. Which meant that the Bashakill was crawling with birders. I birded the Orchard and the Stop Sign Trail (briefly) and did alright, with my best bird being a Worm-eating Warbler that I found only because John Haas let me know about it. My next stop was the Nature Trail, my personal favorite spot at the Bash. Karen Miller met me there and we birded for a couple of hours before heading to the Deli for some lunch. The highlight of the day was definitely when Karen located a Common Gallinule in one of the channels and we got really good looks in our binoculars, but unfortunately no photos for me. We also got a brief look at a Swainson’s Thrush, but again no photos. Common Yellowthroats were everywhere, so I managed to take a few shots. Here’s a female:
One of many Common Yellowthroats at the Bashakill WMA on 5/17/14.
Karen and I both volunteered at the Nature Watch in the afternoon, where it was not very birdy, with even the Bald Eagles and the Osprey being relatively low key. We did have some great visitors that enjoyed good looks at the birds in the scopes.
SUNDAY 5/18 – GOOSEPOND MOUNTAIN STATE PARK
Far and away the best bird of the day, my FOS Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Goosepond Mtn. State Park, 5/18/14.
Sunday morning I headed out to Goosepond Mountain State Park, a place where I have never birded before. I have wanted to, but for some reason I could not figure out exactly where to go. Karen and I ran into some fellow Mearns Bird Club members on Saturday and they helped me out. If you are interested, the trailhead is located on Laroe Road in Chester NY. As you are leaving Chester, the trailhead is on the left hand side; it does not look like much and is easy to pass by (like I did). I really enjoyed birding on this trail – it was extremely peaceful on a Sunday morning, the only other person I saw was a single mountain bike rider. One thing I really enjoyed was how quiet the trail was, it made it very easy to listen to and for the birds. I should also say that it is a long trail – I was out for four hours today and I did not walk the entire trail. Basically you can plan to walk out and then back to your car.
One of MANY Indigo Buntings at Goosepond Mtn. State Park, 5/18/14.
The birding was good and I totaled 36 species for the morning. Blue-winged Warblers were numerous and accessible, providing many photo ops. As were Indigo Buntings. The best bird of the day, however, was certainly the YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. I heard them early on but it took a lot of patience to finally get to see them and get some distant photos.
Another distant shot of one of two Yellow-billed Cuckoos at Goosepond Mtn. State Park, 5/18/14.Blue-winged Warbler (Update: Brewster’s Warbler) at Goosepond Mtn. State Park, 5/18/14.
Here is my list for the day:
Eastern Kingbird in flight, Goosepond Mountain State Park, 5/18/14.
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Ovenbird
Blue-winged Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
One of two Semipalmated Plover at Wallkill River NWR, 5/15/14. They were located in the compound just north of Oil City Road, to the west of Liberty Lane.
I had a small collection of shorebirds at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge this evening:
All the birds, save one Greater Yellowlegs, were located in the compound just north of Oil City Road and on your left as you walk up Liberty Lane. Two of the Greater Yellowlegs flew and eventually put down on the west side of the Liberty Loop, so that might be another good location for shorebirds.
Semipalmated Plover at Wallkill River NWR, 5/15/14.
Also, yesterday evening I met Karen Miller at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, where it was quite birdy with a couple of Blackpoll Warblers being the highlight for me. I had ample opportunity to get shots of these birds, but wow were they moving quickly and in the shadows. Here’s my best effort:
One of two Blackpoll Warblers at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 5/14/14.Warbling Vireo at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 5/14/14.
