Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 12/29/24

It was a relatively uneventful weekend of birding for me. Friday was my best day and the only day that I got any photos; I started at Greenwood Lake, where I had a Common Loon and an American Coot as my best birds. Then I went to the black dirt, where everything was frozen and covered with ice crystals, which made for some decent photo ops. On Saturday I birded the Reservoir 3 area near Port Jervis but had only the usuals. On Sunday I hiked at Black Rock Forest in the rain, and it was more of the usuals. Afterwards, I stopped at the Newburgh Waterfront, where Bruce Nott and I had 2 Iceland Gulls.

~Savannah Sparrow in the black dirt, 12/27/24.~

~Song Sparrow in the Black Dirt Region, 12/27/24.~

~American Coot at Greenwood Lake, 12/27/24.~

~Common Loon at Greenwood Lake, 12/27/24.~

~I was just starting to go through this flock of Canada Geese, when a car came by and flushed them. Black Dirt Region, 12/27/24.~

Good Gulling, 12/26/24

I joined birding bud Bruce Nott at the Beacon Waterfront this afternoon, and had my first productive gulling of the season. Before I arrived, Bruce had already located 3 Iceland Gulls and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Fortunately, we were able to relocated all five individuals. The LBBGs consisted of one adult and one immature. Unfortunately both birds were a bit distant, so photos were less than ideal. As for the Iceland Gulls, all three birds were gorgeous, but on bird was a remarkable looking adult, which we don’t get to see as often as the younger birds. Huge thanks to Bruce for all his help and the great company.

~Wow! Adult Iceland Gull behind a couple of American Herring Gulls at the Beacon Waterfront, 12/26/24.~

~Immature Iceland Gull at the Beacon Waterfront, 12/26/24,~

~Iceland Gull on the jetty, Beacon Waterfront 12/26/24.~

~American Herring Gull at the Beacon Waterfront, 12/26/24.~

~One more shot of the adult Iceland Gull, 12/26/24.~

Christmas Eve Birding 2024

I can’t remember if I’ve ever had the opportunity to bird on Christmas Eve since I started seriously birding over 12 years ago. But this year, circumstances were such that I was able to get out for a couple hours in the evening. I went out to the black dirt region and drove around. Slowly, an interesting and enjoyable evening of birding began to unfold. I was seeing a fair number of Red-tailed Hawks around, which is pretty normal. But then one flew over my car with what looked like a snake in its talons. I saw where the hawk perched and got closer to explore. Sure enough, the raptor had a live snake and was starting to consume it. Where does a Red-tailed Hawk find a snake in the dead of winter?

~Red-tailed Hawk enjoying a meal in the black dirt, 12/24/24.~

I started seeing more and more raptors; mostly Red-tails (~10) and Northern Harriers (~8), but I also had a Peregrine Falcon and 4 Adult Bald Eagles. The icing on the cake was finding 3 Short-eared Owls. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a shorty, so I really enjoyed it.

~Short-eared Owl in the Black Dirt Region, 12/24/24.~

I saw and heard many, many Horned Larks flying around, and I heard at least 2 Lapland Longspurs among them, but no Snow Buntings. As the sun was setting, many, many Canada Geese were flying in, looking for a place to roost for the night. I had a small flock of 7 Snow Geese with them. I had a brief moment t of excitement- in a distant field I spotted a lone swan. I figured for sure it would be either a Tundra or a Trumpeter, but unfortunately it turned out to be a Mute Swan! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Mute Swan sitting out in a field before. I guess you just never know what you will find if you get out and go birding.

~Mute Swan in a field!?! What the heck? Black dirt region, 12/24/24.~

Sunday Shots, 12/22/24

It was a cold but enjoyable weekend of birding. I mostly had the usual suspects, with a couple of exceptions. First thing Saturday morning, I went to Wickham Lake, where I found a Common Loon, always a favorite. Afterwards, I hit the Black Dirt Region; I enjoyed being out in the fresh snow, but found only the expected species. Then, on Sunday morning I headed back out to Highland Lakes State Park to try for the Ruffed Grouse again (I can’t help myself!). It was super cold out (9 degrees Fahrenheit), but I still managed to enjoy a nice walk around the park. Of course I had no luck with the grouse, but I did score with a beautiful puffed up Hermit Thrush; I believe this is only my second Hermit Thrush in Orange County this year. I also hit the Newburgh Waterfront on Sunday, but had just the usuals.

~Hermit Thrush at Highland Lakes SP, 12/22/24.~

~Common Loon at Wickham Lake, 12/21/24.~

~Red-tailed Hawk in the black dirt, 12/21/24.~

~White-throated Sparrow at Highland Lakes SP, 12/22/24.~

~American Tree Sparrow in the black dirt, 12/21/24.~

Ulster County Greater White-fronted Geese, 12/14/24

I birded all morning and into the early afternoon today. I started at Highland Lakes State Park, just after sunrise. I was following up on a report of a Ruffed Grouse by Joyce DePew. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, I did not have any luck with the grouse. Afterwards, I headed over to the Newburgh Waterfront to see if I could find any good birds to contribute to the Eastern Orange County Christmas Bird Count. I could not, lol, I just had the usuals. I ran into birding bud Bruce Nott, and he’d found a couple of good birds: Horned Grebe and Yellow Warbler. I tried for both but did not have any luck.

My luck changed for the better in the early afternoon, when I went to Popp Park in Wallkill, to try for the two Greater White-fronted Geese that Jeanne Cimorelli found there yesterday. I was able to easily relocate the birds just after my arrival. They were tucked in tight for a good while, but finally they made a move and I was able to get some decent shots. It was the highlight of my day to see these two beauties.

~One of two Greater White-fronted Geese on the Wallkill River at Popp Park in Ulster County, 12/14/24.~

~Here they are together; Greater White-fronted Geese at Popp Park, 12/14/24.~

~This dude did a flyby and landed just across the way. Great Blue Heron at Popp Park, 12/14/24.~

Sunday Shots, 12/08/24

My birding time was a little bit limited this weekend, so I spent most of it just birding the black dirt. For the most part it was just the usual cast of characters for this time of year, however one highlight was relocating the Ross’s Goose. It was associating with a flock of Canada Geese still; I found it swimming in a small pond off Little York Road. I also had a nice look at a handful of Snow Buntings in a small flock of Horned Larks. I’ve been hoping the arrival of some more exciting winter species; hopefully there will be a pleasant surprise in the coming week.

~Ross’s Goose off of Little York Road, on the edge of the black dirt region, 12/07/24.~

~White-crowned Sparrow in the black dirt, 12/07/24.~

~I saw more than a few Northern Harriers in the black dirt over the weekend, including several Gray Ghosts. But it was this beautiful female that came in close enough for a shot on Saturday 12/07/24.~

Sunday Shots 12/01/24

Regular readers of the blog may remember that I am a big fan of winter birding. While this weekend didn’t offer up anything too exciting, there were plenty of birds around to enjoy. My favorite moments included a decent sized flock of Snow Buntings in the black dirt on Friday afternoon (approximately 65 birds or so). On Saturday afternoon I enjoyed watching and photographing one of the tightest packed large flock of mixed blackbirds that I’ve ever seen. It was so much fun to see, and I find the photos fascinating to examine. As far as I can tell, three different species were present (mostly Red-winged Blackbirds, with some Brown-headed Cowbirds and European Starlings sprinkled throughout), and the images vary wildly depending on species present, orientation of the birds, and the light (among other variables). And finally, I had a brief but productive experience with an American Kestrel; usually a skittish species, this male was super focused on hunting something in the vegetation roadside, which allowed for some good photo ops.

~American Kestrel in the black dirt, 12/01/24.~

~Snow Buntings in the black dirt, 11/29/24.~

~More Snow Buntings. Black Dirt Region 11/30/24.~

~Living up to their name, Red-winged Blackbirds predominate this image. Blackbird flock in the black dirt, 11/30/24.~

~Now that’s a lot of blackbirds! Mixed flock in the black dirt, 11/30/24.~

~Blackbird flock in action, Black Dirt Region 11/30/24.~

~Mixed flock of blackbirds in the black dirt, 11/30/24.~

~I love this shot. It was a mostly gloomy afternoon, but the sun did poke out from time to time. Blackbirds in the black dirt 11/30/24.~

~American Kestrel hunting roadside in the Black Dirt Region, 12/01/24.~

~In hover mode – AMKE in the BDR 12/01/24.~

Good Birding at Wickham Lake, 11/23/24

I started my morning of birding at Wickham Lake, where just after my arrival I found a pair of Long-tailed Ducks. Kyle Knapp joined me shortly after my arrival and we enjoyed some good birding. Kyle saw a gull in flight across the lake; I got on it with my scope and was happy to report it was a Bonaparte’s Gull! The bird moved through without stopping, and we would eventually have a second Bonie do the same thing. We found another Long-tailed Duck in the west section of the lake – we both agreed that the plumage on this bird was different than the first two.

~One of three Long-tailed Ducks at Wickham Lake, 11/23/24.~

Other good birds included an adult Bald Eagle, a Common Goldeneye, and a distant scaup that was too distant to properly identify, but I would venture to guess it was a Greater. A nice sized flock of Green-winged Teal did a couple of fly-bys which was fun to photograph.

~One of two Bonaparte’s Gulls at Wickham Lake, 11/23/24.~

~Green-winged Teals in flight at Wickham Lake, 11/23/24.~

I hit the black dirt afterwards and the winter usuals made a good showing. The Three Amigos (Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, & Lapland Longspur) were all present; there are loads of larks, I had a handful of buntings, and at least 6 longspurs. I still had about a dozen American Pipits. The Cackling Goose at Breeze Hill Pond continues. And finally, I had a single Rough-legged Hawk high over the Camel Farm.

~Lapland Longspur with a couple of Horned Larks; Black Dirt Region 11/23/24.~

Orange County Ross’s Goose, 11/19/24

QUICK POST: Yesterday morning, Silas Warham found a ROSS’S GOOSE in a field in the black dirt. The bird flew, but was later relocated at a small pond on Breeze Hill Road. I was unable to run for it yesterday, but today I went out during my lunch break and was able to relocate the bird at the Breeze Hill Road pond. It’s not very often I run for a bird during the work day, so I was pretty happy the bird stuck around. Thanks to Silas and Linda Scrima for keeping me posted of the bird’s whereabouts.

~ROSS’S GOOSE, Breeze Hill Road, 11/19/24.~

~One more shot of the ROGO at Breeze Hill Road, 11/19/24.~

Good Birding in the Black Dirt, 11/17/24

This weekend I enjoyed some really good “winter” birding in the Black Dirt Region. Horned Larks are currently present in good numbers; among them, at a couple different locations, I was able to locate a total of at least (5) Lapland Longspurs and (8) Snow Buntings. There are very likely more than that, as the birds were quite active and I was hearing both species calling in flight quite a bit. American Pipits are still around, but I heard and saw fewer birds this weekend than last weekend. I also saw my first Rough-legged Hawk of the season, as well as my first Cackling Goose of the year.

~I don’t know what it is about this species, but I just love finding them, seeing them, and photographing them. Lapland Longspur in the black dirt 11/17/24.~

~Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 11/17/24.~

~This is a sharp looking individual, in my opinion. Horned Lark in the black dirt, 11/17/24.~

~American Pipit in the black dirt, 11/16/24.~

~I’ve come to expect to see hot air balloons over the black dirt on calmer days. These Canada Geese were probably not enjoying it quite as much as the passengers. BDR 11/17/24.~

~This bird has not been confirmed on eBird just yet, but I think it’s good for Cackling Goose. Breeze Hill Road, New Hampton 11/17/24.~

First thing Saturday morning, I really felt like I needed a break from everything, so I took a 5 mile hike around Reservoir 3. It was windy and cold, and I really enjoyed my walk. The birding was what you would expect, with just the usuals being seen and heard. My best birds were Brown Creeper and my final bird of the day, an adult Bald Eagle circling over the reservoir as I neared my car in the parking area.