Orange Birding

More OC Gulls, 12/30/22

I didn’t work today, so I spent a nice long day of birding. It was an enjoyable day in spite of not really finding anything out of the ordinary. I birded the black dirt briefly in the early morning and then headed up to the Grasslands. I met up with Jodi Brodsky to try for the Loggerhead Shrike, but unfortunately, we had no luck. It was a good morning for raptors, however. Between the black dirt and the the Grasslands, I had a total of 8 raptor species: Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and American Kestrel. Somehow I still don’t have Rough-legged Hawk this season.

~Ring-billed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/30/22.~

In the afternoon, Jodi and I joined Bruce Nott at the Newburgh Waterfront to look for gulls. We had one first winter Iceland Gull waaaay out in the river, but besides that, we just had the 3 expected species. Later in the afternoon the light got really nice, so I took a bunch of photos; I always enjoy photographing these light colored gulls in the late day sun with the dark river as a background.

~Ring-billed Gull showing off it’s “bastard wings” or alula as they are called.~

~Herring Gull zipping by the boat launch, 12/30/22.~

~Ring-billed Gull, Newburgh Waterfront 12/30/22.~

~I have this as a first winter Great Black-backed Gull. Newburgh 12/30/22.~

~One more Ring-billed Gull, Newburgh NY 12/30/22.~

Christmas Gulling

Christmas Eve morning Kyle Knapp found a single Bonaparte’s Gull on Wickham Lake. I was birding in the black dirt, so I ran over to try for the bird. The bird was still present and was obliging enough to do a relatively close fly-by. There was a good number of gulls on the lake, maybe 3 dozen or so. Nearly a dozen were Herring Gulls, which is a lot for that location. There rest were the expected Ring-billed Gulls.

~Bonaparte’s Gull at Wickham Lake, Christmas Eve 2022.~

Today I arrived back in Orange County after spending the holidays on Long Island with my family. I went to Newburgh Waterfront – it was a beautiful night with great light and it wasn’t nearly as cold as it’s been recently. It was mostly the usual 3 species (Herring, Great Black-backed, and Ring-billed), but I also located a single Young Iceland Gull; always a favorite. I enjoyed a pleasant evening of gulling and it was disappointing when the sun started setting.

~Iceland Gull in flight over the Hudson River at Newburgh Waterfront, 12/26/22. Look at that beautiful wing!~

~Herring Gull coming right at me; Newburgh Waterfront 12/26/22.~

~All for one scrap of bread! Gull melee at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/26/22.~

~Herring Gull and Canada Goose at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/26/22.~

Sunday Shots, 12/18/22

Yesterday I arrived at Black Rock Forest just after sunrise. I slogged through the snow out to Tamarack Pond, in hopes of finding Red Crossbills or any other winter finches. Unfortunately, I was not rewarded for my efforts. There were actually very few birds in the area, and no winter finches at all. It was nice to be out in the forest on such a beautiful morning, but I was really disappointed in the lack of birds.

~Iceland Gull at the Beacon Waterfront, 12/17/22.~

Afterwards, I birded the Hudson River, both from Newburgh and Beacon. In Beacon I got lucky with a first winter ICELAND GULL, always a favorite of mine. I wasn’t feeling so great, so I headed home a little early and unfortunately missed out on an adult Iceland and an adult Lesser Black-backed; both located by birding bud Bruce Nott.

~Iceland Gull with a Herring Gull at the Beacon Waterfront 12/17/22.~

I ended up fighting a bout with gallstones Saturday evening into Sunday morning. I had no idea what was going on; I had severe abdominal pain all through the nigh and I barely slept a wink. I went to Urgent Care this morning and they told me it was gallstones. Fortunately, it was not severe enough to have to have anything done at this time, but I will have to shift over to a more low fat diet moving forward. This afternoon, I was feeling well enough to cruise the black dirt, but really it was a bit half-hearted and unproductive.

Black-capped Chickadee at Black Rock Forest, 12/17/22.~

~Backyard Dark-eyed Junco from this past Friday, 12/16/22.~

Wintery Birding, 12/11/22

I know winter doesn’t technically start for another 10 days, but today certainly had a wintery feel to it. What a difference a day makes – yesterday was crisp and full of light but today was dark, gray, and snowy. Interestingly, it felt just as refreshing to be out both days – there is something I really enjoy about cold weather birding. I tried for the Hammond’s Flycatcher again this morning for nearly 3 hours before heading to the black dirt, where it was quite birdy. I didn’t find anything as exciting as yesterday, but still I had some really good winter birds, including: Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, American Tree Sparrows, a Merlin, and a small flock of Snow Geese. Here is a collection of what I would consider typical winter birding images from the area.

~A couple of Canada Geese in the snow at the Bashakill, 12/11/22.~

~Red-tailed Hawk perched on some farm equipment in the black dirt, 12/11/22.~

~Snow Geese in the black dirt, 12/11/22.~

~Horned Lark in the black dirt, 12/11/22.~

~There are actually 2 Lapland Longspurs in this photo -its head is out of focus and barely visible in the foreground. Black dirt 12/11/22.~

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

I chased some local rarities today. I headed out before sunrise, and headed up to Ulster County. My first stop was at Stone Ridge Pond in Stone Ridge, NY, to try for the ROSS’S GOOSE which has been seen there. This was a very easy get; the bird was present and sticking out like a sore thumb among a medium sized flock of Canada Geese. The bird was a little distant, but the light was decent and I kind of like these moody pics of this bird.

~Sweet looking bird. Ross’s Goose at Stone Ridge Pond, 12/10/22.~

My second stop was at Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge to try for the LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE which was photographed and reported in early December and reported again just the night before by Karen Maloy Brady. My timing was good for this bird – not long after I arrived Karen once again located and reported the bird. I got excellent looks at the bird in my scope and some documentary shots before the bird made itself scarce and I moved on. The bird was a NYS bird as well as an Ulster County bird for me.

~LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE at the Grasslands, 12/10/22.~

My final destination of the day didn’t work out quite as well. I headed to the Bashakill to try and catch up with the HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER that John Haas found and reported the day before (read about it HERE). The bird was being seen in the morning, but unfortunately I was unable to connect with it. I stayed for a couple of hours, left, and the bird was seen again. Sheesh. I headed back to the Bash to give it one more go, but after another 45 minutes I called it. Tomorrow is another day.

~Gadwall at Stone Ridge Pond, 12/10/22.~

Good Birding in Sullivan County, 12/04/22

My original plan this morning was foiled. I was going to hike at Black Rock Forest with winter finches on my mind, but when I arrived, the forest was closed due to hunting season. It’s closed until 12/11/22, so maybe I’ll try again in a couple of weeks.

I eventually decided to head up to Sullivan County. I wanted to add Snow Goose to my Sullivan County list; one had been reported at Phillipsport Marsh. Unfortunately, the bird was not present when I arrived. So I continued to Rondout Reservoir to try for the sea ducks John Haas wrote about on his blog yesterday.

~Bald Eagle in flight over Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

When I arrived, it was unclear to me where these birds might be – Rondout Reservoir is huge! I went to the Sullivan County portion of the reservoir (at the northernmost area). As I walked up, it was a Bald Eagle bonanza. There were two adults sitting on the shore with a fish between them, as well as two young birds flying in the vicinity. It made for some good photo ops – I haven’t had a good opportunity with any eagles in a while, so I enjoyed it as well as the results.

~Coming in hot! Bald Eagle at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

Just as the eagles settled down, Renee Davis pulled up and gave me the lowdown on the sea ducks. Not only that, she drove back to the spot and got me on the birds immediately: (1) SURF SCOTER and (2) LONG-TAILED DUCKS. Huge thanks to Renee for all the help. The birds were distant, but the light was perfect so I had excellent looks in my scope. Photos were a different story, as you can see below. The Surf Scoter was my 206th bird in Sullivan County. Hopefully the Snow Goose will stick around and I’ll get another shot at it.

~Long-tailed Ducks and a Surf Scoter at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22. There are three Common Goldeye in the background. ~

~A young Bald Eagle flies overhead at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

~Bald Eagle at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

~And finally finding a nice perch. Bald Eagle at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

Excellent Birding in the OC, 12/3/22

My first goal of the day was to try and track down the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE originally located by Ronnie DiLorenzo on Monday of this week. I went to Wickham Lake first thing; unfortunately all of the geese were already picking up and heading out. My consolation prize was seeing my first American Tree Sparrows of the season. I left the lake and headed to State School Road, where I found a small group of Canada Geese, but no GWFG.

~What a good looking bird. Greater White-fronted Goose on State School Road, 12/03/22.~

I checked some of the local lakes for any good birds, but did not find anything out of the ordinary. I went back to State School Road, and sure enough the GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was present, up front of the flock and looking beautiful. I put the word out and then snapped a bunch of photos. GWFG is always a favorite of mine, and on top of that it was an Orange County year bird.

~Wow! Orange-crowned Warbler at the Newburgh Waterfront Trail, 12/03/22.~

In the afternoon, I headed over to the Newburgh Waterfront. I had a couple of goals: one to follow up on Bruce Nott’s report of an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER from yesterday, and two, to try for some interesting gulls. I succeeded with the OCWA, finding a relatively cooperative bird on the trail near the large sign that faces towards the river. I was pretty excited because it was an Orange County life bird for me, as well as, of course, a year bird.

~American Tree Sparrow at Wickham Lake, 12/03/22.~

Gulling was less exciting, as I only found the three expected species for our area (Ring-billed, Herring, and Great Black-backed). My day was capped off as I drove home on Route 84 through the Stewart Forest area. I was driving into the sunset and the skies were filled with absolutely massive flocks of mixed blackbirds. It was quite a sight, too bad I was driving on the highway and couldn’t document it.

~Greater White-fronted Goose at State School Road in Warwick, NY 12/03/22.~

~OCWA on the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/03/22.~

Gulls at Sandy Hook, 11/25/22

I spent the morning after Thanksgiving birding at Sandy Hook. While I was a little disappointed with my waterfowl count (I only identified 9 species: Canada goose, Brant, Mallard, American Black Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Black Scoter, and Common Loon), I was really impressed with the number of gulls present. I’ve birded a lot of beaches (and some dumps) over the years, and I’m pretty sure it’s the most gulls I’ve ever seen at a location.

~While many of the gulls were eating on the wing, this Ring-billed Gull took his prize to the shore to enjoy it. Sandy Hook Beach, New Jersey 11/25/22.~

I started out just scanning the ocean. There was a steady stream of gulls flying – I’m talking nonstop. I’m sure there were some good birds out there that I wasn’t able to identify, but I did see several Bonaparte’s Gulls (the only ones I would see all morning), and of course it was easy to pick out the Northern Gannets. I located a large group of loafing gulls further north on the beach. I relocated and was able to get good looks and go through the birds. Meanwhile, to my right, just at the shore break, there were loads of gulls feeding on small fish – there must have been absolutely loads of fish because the gulls were experiencing an excellent success rate – it was unusual to see a bird come up without prey. I spent a good amount of time going through the gulls, and I was disappointed to only find the expect species: Herring, Great Black-backed, Laughing, and Ring-billed. Add my earlier Bonaparte’s and that’s a 5 gull day. I’d be happy with that number of species in Newburgh; at Sandy Hook I was sort of hoping for more. Especially considering the number of individuals present.

~I thought that this Herring Gull was quite striking, especially lording over this gang of Laughing Gulls. Sandy Hook Beach, 11/25/22.~

~Feeding frenzy at the shore break. Three species are captured here – Ring-billed, Laughing, and Herring. Sandy Hook 11/25/22.~

~Laughing Gull eating on the wing, Sandy Hook NJ 11/25/22.~

~Herring Gull with prey, Sandy Hook 11/25/22.~

~Laughing Gulls in flight, Sandy Hook, 11/25/22.~

Rockland County Red-throated Loon, 11/26/22

I got off the beaten path a little bit today, spending time in Rockland County, Westchester County, and of course, Orange County. The highlight of the day was finding a RED-THROATED LOON at Piermont Pier. It was funny because I ran into Jody Brodsky while I was out there. We were commenting on how quiet it was, and Jody mentioned that she was hoping that there might be a Red-throated Loon… Well, we parted ways, and on my way off of the pier, sure enough, I saw a RTLO. I got word to Jody, and she came and enjoyed the bird as well. I thought that maybe the loon was a new county bird for me, but looking back at my records, I had one in Stony Point back in 2018.

~Now this is a beautiful bird. Red-throated Loon at Piermont Pier, 11/26/22.~

~And one more shot of the bird of the day. RTLO at Piermont Pier, 11/26/22.~

Orange County YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, 11/19/22

First thing this morning I went to the Courtyard Marriott Middletown/Goshen to follow up on a confirmed eBird report of a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER. After just over an hour with no sign of the bird, I departed to go try my luck in the black dirt. Just after 9:00 am, Jeanne Cimorrelli reported the bird was present on the Mearns Bird Club App. I ran for it, but the bird had moved on before I arrived.

~Yellow-throated Warbler in Orange County, 11/19/22.~

I joined a good number of birders, and we waited for the bird to return. Which it did, about an hour after it was last seen. It flitted around the ‘Courtyard’ sign on the side of the hotel for only about a minute before it flew off. As far as I know, the bird has not been seen since. I was pretty happy to have gotten lucky enough to see the bird, it was a life bird, and of course a county and state bird for me. It was also good to see some of the birders I haven’t seen in a while.

~I thought for a while that I might have to settle for a Yellow-bellied bird today. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at the Courtyard Marriott Middletown/Goshen, 11/19/22.~

Afterwards, I spend some more time in the black dirt. Highlights included many Horned Larks with a handful of Snow Buntings, a flyover of (5) Sandhill Cranes (a first for me to see that many in OC), and I enjoyed sifting through a large flock of mixed blackbirds. I was hoping to maybe find a Yellow-headed Blackbird, but of course, no such luck.