Sullivan County – Page 8

Bashakill WMA, 2/2/14

It’s been ages since I’ve birded the Bashakill WMA, so I picked up Karen Miller early this morning and we headed over. The warm weather was still holding on, so I was looking forward to getting out of the car and doing a little hiking. Our first stop was the Deli Fields which were pretty active, with a nice flock of American Goldfinches and several Eastern Bluebirds being seen before we even got out of the car. We kept hearing a Pileated Woodpecker off in the distance and we finally got a good look in binoculars of the bird flying over the treetops in the distance.

I haven't seen any American Goldfinches in a while, so it was good to see a flock of 25 or so at the Deli Fields. Bashakill WMA 2/2/14. — I haven’t seen any American Goldfinches in a while, so it was good to see a flock of 25 or so at the Deli Fields. Bashakill WMA 2/2/14.

Next, we headed over to Haven Road. Karen showed me where the new Bald Eagle nest is located and we could also see an adult Bald Eagle perched in a tree in the distance. Some mallards flushed and we noticed that the adult as well as an immature Bald Eagle were both in flight. A small flock of Canada Geese came in for a landing in what I’m assuming is some recently opened water north of Haven Road. We also had a single Ring-billed Gull fly over the road.

If you've seen the winners from Audubon Magazine's Photography Awards, you know why I've been enjoying shooting birds on these stark backgrounds. I never really liked it much, but now it is appealing to me. Ring-billed Gull at Haven Road, Bashakill WMA, 2/2/14. — If you’ve seen the winners from Audubon Magazine’s Photography Awards, you know why I’ve been enjoying shooting birds on these stark backgrounds. Ring-billed Gull at Haven Road, Bashakill WMA, 2/2/14.

Our last stop was at the main boat launch, where we walked a good portion of the Birch Trail, in hopes of finding a Hermit Thrush. We didn’t have any luck with the thrush, but we did well with many of the expected songbirds: Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, and Song Sparrows. We also saw and certainly heard my best bird of the day – a Common Raven flying over the Bash, making a racket while it did so.

I had almost forgotten how beautiful the Bashakill can be in all seasons. If you have not been out there in a while, or if you have never been there, do yourself a favor and visit the Bash in the winter. It’s gorgeous.

Here’s my list for the day:

Canada Goose 25
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 30
Bald Eagle 2
Ring-billed Gull 1
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 15
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Robin 5
American Tree Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 50
Northern Cardinal 3
American Goldfinch 30

Sullivan Snowy!

Snowy Owl in Bethel, Sullivan County NY 12/1/13.

The Snow Owl invasion continues. It was just before 3:00 pm and I had just gotten home. I thought my birding for the day was done when I received a phone call from John Haas: He was looking at a Snowy Owl in Bethel, NY. Tricia and I jumped into the car in hopes of getting a look at the bird. When we arrived, the bird was still present, and what a beauty! The markings on this bird were darker than the two I had seen in Orange County and the effect was striking. Many birders were present or on their way to see the bird. I was particularly happy for all the Sullivan County birders to finally get a Snowy Owl for the county. Thanks once again to John Haas for the call. You can go to The Bashakill Birder to see John’s account of the events.

This bird was actively hunting while we were there, and seemed to have success at one point. SNOW in Bethel NY, 12/1/13.

Northern Shrike Update

I also did some birding in Orange County in the morning and I wanted to add that the Northern Shrike on Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, NY continues. I located the bird working the old fence line between Upper and Lower Wisner between 10:00 and 11:00 am. I’m still working on a good photo…

Northern Shrike at Lower Wisner Road, 12/1/13.

Morningside Park Photos 9/29/13

One my main goals for the morning was to shoot this Pectoral Sandpiper. Morningside Park, 9/29/13.

Every once in a while I just need to go do some birding in a location that is likely to provide plenty of photo opportunities. Morningside Park is perfect for this, as long as you are birding by kayak. I arrived at the park right after sunrise to take advantage of the beautiful early morning light; for me, you cannot beat early morning light for beautiful photos. There was a misty fog on the surface of the lake that I also find appealing but difficult to translate into photos. I was pleased with the results, there were plenty of birds to shoot and the fall colors were reflecting off the water wonderfully.

A pair of Ring-billed Gulls in the early morning mist. Morningside Park, 9/29/13.

Great Blue Heron at Morningside Park, 9/29/13.

This Common Yellowthroat could not have been more cooperative, Morningside Park, 9/29/13. I am loving the background on this shot.

Least Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 9/29/13.

Here's one more of the Pectoral Sandpiper, Morningside Park, 9/29/13. — Here’s one more of the Pectoral Sandpiper, Morningside Park, 9/29/13.

I don't love the light on this Green Heron, but I love all the colors reflecting in the water. Morningside Park, 9/29/13. — I don’t love the light on this Green Heron, but I love all the colors reflecting in the water. Morningside Park, 9/29/13.

Summitville Hawk Watch

This is a couple of days late, but on Sunday I filled in for John Haas at the Summitville Hawk Watch. It was a slow day which I will attribute to a SSW wind for most of the day. Ideal winds would come from the NW. Here’s my report for the day as it appears at hawkcount.org:

2013-09-15 Observation Start Time: 08:00 End Time: 16:00 Observer Hours: 8

Day’s Raptor Counts	TV	BE	OS	NH	SS	CH	NG	RS	BW	RT	RL	GE	AK	ML	PG	UA	UB	UF	UE	UR	Day’s Total
Day’s Raptor Counts	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	51	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	56

Official Counter	Matt Zeitler
Observers
Weather	cool and cloudy

A Foggy Morning at the Basha Kill

A pair of Wood Ducks through the fog. Basha Kill WMA, 8/25//13.

I birded the Basha Kill WMA by kayak this foggy morning. The highlight of the outing was this Blue-winged Teal:

Blue-winged Teal in the channel at the Basha Kill, 8/25/13.

The sun finally broke through in time to get a few raptor photos:

Adult Bald Eagle, Basha Kill WMA 8/25/13.

Osprey in flight. Basha Kill WMA, 8/25/13.

Here’s my list for the day:

Canada Goose 5
Wood Duck X
Blue-winged Teal 1
Great Blue Heron 5
Osprey 2
Northern Harrier 1
Bald Eagle 1
Common Gallinule 6
Mourning Dove 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird 5
Belted Kingfisher 2
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Eastern Kingbird 2
Yellow-throated Vireo 2
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 6
Tree Swallow 30
Barn Swallow 2
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-br. Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Veery 1 heard
Gray Catbird 10
Cedar Waxwing 28
Common Yellowthroat 1
Song Sparrow 8
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
American Goldfinch 1

Morningside Park

I love this shot - the reflections are nice and I like having three different species in the shot. Left to right, Baird's Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper. Morningside Park, 8/17/13. — I love this shot – the reflections are nice and I like having three different species in the shot. Front to back, Baird’s Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper. Morningside Park, 8/17/13.

I took my kayak out to have a paddle out at Morningside Park this morning. John Haas reported a Baird’s Sandpiper there yesterday in his blog, and I was hoping it would still be around. It was a really great morning of birding for a few reasons. First of all, I got to see some really great shorebirds:

Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer 8
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 16
BAIRD’S SANDPIPER 1 *Life bird for me*

The second reason it was such a terrific morning of birding is how close you can get to the birds there. By moving slowly and smoothly in the kayak, you can get REALLY close to these birds. In fact, it kind of messed with me at first – I never get this close so my sense of size and scale was out of sync. I got fantastic looks at all the above species, and this also was a big help with getting some photos.

The third reason is that after I was there for about 40 minutes, John showed up in his kayak. It is always enjoyable to bird with John and I learned a great deal by both talking with him and by watching him as he systematically went through all the islands to make sure he did not miss a bird. His thoroughness and his dedication are inspiring to me.

All these shots are from Morningside Park on 8/17/13.

BAIRD'S SANDPIPER — **BAIRD’S SANDPIPER**

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER — **SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, BAIRD’S SANDPIPER**

High Waters at the Basha Kill

I love the pose this Red-winged Blackbird was taking - wings stretched out. Basha Kill WMA 7/4/13. — I love the pose this Red-winged Blackbird was taking – wings stretched out. Basha Kill WMA 7/4/13.

I woke up early and took my kayak out to the Basha Kill for a paddle. Due to the heavy rains from earlier this week, the water level was really high, causing Haven Road to become flooded. The high water made an impact on my birding in a few ways. The first is that it made for a very easy paddle with no vegetation to slow me down in the channels. It also allowed me to explore the Bash outside the channels, where vegetation was present but it was still a relatively effortless paddle. Another effect of the high water level was also helpful. One of my target birds for the day was the Common Gallinule, which has been, for me, one of the tougher birds to get a good look at. Today I got several good looks and actually managed to get some decent photos. I believe that with the water up, there was less vegetation to hide these birds. Conversely, the final effect was not helpful at all. Great Blue Herons were out in numbers today, I saw probably 15 or so, but I never got close enough for a photo! Not one! I think that the GBHs were more easily aware of my presence without the vegetation to hide my approach.

I heard this bird long before I saw it. I am thrilled to finally get a decent shot of a Common Gallinule. Basha Kill 7/4/13.

Adult Bald Eagle at Basha Kill WMA, 7/4/13. I had a close encounter with one of the adults bringing in food to the two fledges but I did not manage to get any photos as they flew right over me in my kayak.

One more shot of the many Red-winged Blackbirds out at the Basha Kill, 74/13.

I'm trying to branch out a bit, taking photos of things other than birds. Basha Kill, 7/4/13. — I’m trying to branch out a bit, taking photos of things other than birds. Basha Kill, 7/4/13.

Basha Kill by Kayak 6/23/13

It’s still nice to get a good shot of one of our more common birds. Red-winged Blackbird at Basha Kill WMA 6/23/13.

I was feeling a bit uninspired when trying to figure out where to bird this morning. With migration long over and the summer kicking in, I was looking to do something a little bit different. It was right about this time last year that I started birding by kayak out at the Basha Kill, so I figured I would give it a shot. I put my kayak in the water at the route 209 boat launch just before 7 am. I paddled to Haven Road without seeing very much at all – a huge difference from last year when I had Wood Ducks and duckling at just about every turn, Pied-billed Grebes, and no shortage of Great Blue Herons. I was hearing plenty of birds on the perimeter of the kill, and I also was enjoying watching the Tree Swallows hunt and then perform an apparent mid-air food exchange. I tried to get a photo of this behavior, but I was unsuccessful.

At Haven Road I could see an adult Bald Eagle perched on the other side of the bridge. The water level is still very high, so I had to walk my kayak over Haven Road to continue. I moved very slowly and eventually got in good position to take some photos. This was clearly the highlight of my outing, I snapped away until the Red-winged Blackbirds and Eastern Kingbirds became too bothersome for the eagle and it flew.

Bald Eagle perched near Haven Road, as seen from my kayak 6/23/13.

Here the eagle is starting to get bothered by the small birds buzzing around…

I believe that is a female Red-winged Black bird right behind the eagle as it took off.

An here, it appears that an Eastern Kingbird is hitching a ride! It always amazes me that these small birds are willing to tangle with an adult Bald Eagle.

I took a quick cruise over to the Nature Trail when I finished my paddle, and picked up my best bird of the day by far: a pair of NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES. This was a life bird for me, giving me two life birds this weekend – not too bad! They were splashing around in a puddle in the parking lot when I arrived, pumping their tails repeatedly. I tried to move closer for a photo and flushed them; I never did see them again. I had a nice photo opportunity at the end of the trail, where I stumbled upon about 10 Wood Duck ducklings. I think they are so sweet.

Pure sweetness – a Wood Duck duckling at Basha Kill WMA 6/23/13.

It ended up being a great morning for birding and for bird photography. Here’s my species list for the day:

Canada Goose 10
Wood Duck 25
Mallard 6
Great Blue Heron 5
Turkey Vulture 1
Bald Eagle 1
Virginia Rail 1
Common Gallinule 2
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Eastern Phoebe 2
Eastern Kingbird 10
Yellow-throated Vireo 4
Warbling Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Tree Swallow 25
Barn Swallow 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Veery 2
Wood Thrush 3
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Ovenbird 2
Northern Waterthrush 2
Common Yellowthroat 2
American Redstart 6
Yellow Warbler 10
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle 8

The Generosity of Birders

I ran into John Haas and Scotty Baldinger out at the Basha Kill this morning. They were on the trail of a suspected King Rail, which turned out to be this very accommodating Virginia Rail. I'm sure John and Scotty were disappointed but I sure wasn't - it was a life bird for both myself and Joyce D. who had joined us along with Mary B. in the search. — I ran into John Haas and Scotty Baldinger out at the Basha Kill this morning. I joined them in search of a suspected King Rail. We were joined shortly after by fellow Mearns Bird Club members Joyce D and Mary B. The King Rail turned out to be this very accommodating Virginia Rail. I’m sure John and Scotty were disappointed but I sure wasn’t – it was a life bird for both myself and Joyce D.

Here's one more of the Virginia Rail, Basha Kill 6/22/13. — Here’s one more of the Virginia Rail, Basha Kill 6/22/13.

This post includes three birds that I enjoyed watching an photographing this week. They are also birds that I would not have been nearly as likely to find without the generosity of my fellow birders. I have wanted to write a post about this for a while now, when I think back on all the posts I have made over the last year or so, how often am I thanking another birder? Very often! I am continually impressed by how kind and giving birders are; my experiences with other birders here in Orange County and the surrounding areas have been overwhelmingly positive. I have yet to come across a birder that is secretive or keeping any sort of “birding hotspot” to themselves. Rather, it is much more common to run into other birders out in the field, where they will give me the most detailed directions to get a good look or photograph of the latest bird that I am seeking.

Additionally, birders will take the time and energy to share their observations by texting, emailing or posting online. Again, this usually includes accurate and very detailed descriptions of where and when the bird had been seen.

The birding community is an extremely nice group of people, one that I feel I have slowly become a part of over the past couple of years. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the generous birders out there – I hope I can repay you all at one time or another.

Karen Miller and I ran into Curt McDermott out at Stewart Forest on Wednesday evening. On Thursday evening I was taking photos of Bank Swallow in Wallkill thanks to a hot tip and perfect directions from Curt. — Karen Miller and I ran into Curt McDermott out at Stewart Forest on Wednesday evening. On Thursday evening I was taking photos of Bank Swallows in Wallkill thanks to a hot tip and perfect directions from Curt. Btw, this is a difficult bird to photograph. I realize this is not a great photo but it was the best I could do! I plan give it another go sometime soon…

Ken McDermott and Ajit both posted on the Mearns Bird Club that there were Purple Martins out at the Shawangunk Grasslands. I got out there this morning and managed to get some flight photos. — Earlier this week, I received an email from Ken McDermott and Ajit Antony posted on the Mearns Bird Club that there were Purple Martins out at the Shawangunk Grasslands. I got out there this morning and managed to get some flight photos.

Basha Kill WMA 5/26/13

Karen Miller and I went out to the Basha Kill WMA this morning and spent five and a half hours enjoying some fabulous birding. We started at Haven Road where we heard but did not see the American Bittern. We could hear a lot of bird activity at the Stop Sign Trail, so we headed there next. Right off the bat we got a good look at a Great Crested Flycatcher, which we had been hearing from the bridge on Haven Road. After that we got a good look at a Yellow-throated Vireo, a bird that I hear all the time but almost never get a look at. Moments later we had a Chestnut-sided Warbler, a beautiful little bird and a life bird for Karen. We walked all the way out to Moosehead Cove where we saw an Osprey cruising for prey. We heard and saw many birds along the way, with the highlight being this cooperative Veery:

Veery at the Stop Sign Trail, Basha Kill WMA 5/26/13.. — Veery at the Stop Sign Trail, Basha Kill WMA 5/26/13. Conditions were really low light for this photo, so it is a bit noisy and soft but I still felt it was worth posting.

Our next stop was the Main Boat Launch to see how the Nature Watch folks were doing. It was really windy there, but we enjoyed some good conversation with Maura and Bob Muller who were volunteering for the morning shift and saw one adult Bald Eagle and we watched the young Bald Eagles on the nest jumping and flapping their wings like mad, getting in as much practice as possible for that first flight that should happen in about a month or so.

Our final destination of the day was the Nature Trail, where we saw plenty of Warbling Vireos, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Baltimore Orioles.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the Nature Trail, 5/27/13.

We also got very good looks at a Cerulean Warbler and a mediocre photo too:

A singing Cerulean Warbler at the Nature Trail, 5/26/13.

The highlight of the day for me, though, was certainly the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. This was the bird I went out looking for today, and to actually see it AND be able to get a photo was amazing.

At the end of the day we had identified 40 species. What an awesome day of birding, honestly, it brings me great joy!