December 2015 – Orange Birding

2015 – Year In Review

~The Ulster County Gyrfalcon on a nice perch on Bruyn Turnpike in Wallkill, NY, 2/10/15.~ — ~Spoiler Alert: Bird of the Year, the Gyrfalcon finds a nice perch in a field off of Bruyn Turnpike in Wallkill, NY, 2/10/15.~

*Click on links in orange to go to original blog post for each species.*

The 2015 birding year was interesting for sure; filled with highs and lows. It was a year of extreme rarities in our area, such as the amazing and famous Gyrfalcon, observed in both Orange and Ulster County in February and also the one-eyed Crested Caracara, which was seen in the Montgomery area in April.

Winter provided outstanding birding this year, with plenty of raptors (including the Gyrfalcon), a good showing from Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs, and Snow Buntings, some notable gulls (Iceland Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull, both at Newburgh Waterfront), and some late January Snow Geese.

Spring and summer went as one would expect, with plenty of good birding especially in the spring. Autumn, however was strange and unproductive. Actually, early fall was good; shorebirds were being seen regularly including several notable birds (Stilt Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, and White-rumped Sandpiper). But, the seasonably warm weather seemed to affect the fall raptor migration here in Orange County; at Mount Peter Hawkwatch nearly all migrating raptors were down in numbers. Broad-winged Hawks provided a glaring exception and a welcome highlight of the season: a record breaking 11,256 Broadies were counted at Mt. Pete this season. It was difficult to find many migrating waterfowl this fall, especially in southern Orange County where I spend most of my birding time. I only had two notable sightings in the county: a Common Goldeneye at Wickham Lake and a White-winged Scoter at Indian Kill Reservoir.

BY THE NUMBERS

Here are my species totals for the year, with previous years’ totals for comparison:

I really ended up focusing my birding here in Orange County in 2015. At some point in the fall, I realized that 200 species was a possibility, so that became my goal. But, I struggled coming down the stretch and finished the year with 197. I missed a few birds that figured I would get (Fox Sparrow, Purple Finch, and Pine Siskin), but really I think if I had done better with warblers this year I would have reached 200 no problem.

I added 29 life birds this year; 2 fewer than last year. Eighteen of them were added while we vacationed in Florida in the spring. I am now up to 344 life birds. My New York State Life List stands at 256 species; I added 14 birds to it this year.

This is my 128th post of the year. I was surprised when I totaled it up because I would have thought that I had posted more than last year, but in fact this is 25 fewer posts than I did last year.

And finally, according to Google Analytics, the blog had 21,228 visits by 9,913 individuals. I am happy to report that visits have more than doubled in the last year and the blog has reached over 2 1/2 times as many individuals this year.

BIRD OF THE YEAR AND MOST EXCITING BIRDING EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR: GYRFALCON!

~Gyrfalcon perched in a spruce tree off of Hoagerburgh Road in Ulster County, 2/7/15.~ — ~Gyrfalcon perched off of Hoagerburgh Road in Ulster County, 2/7/15.~

The Gyrfalcon was originally located by Karen Maloy near Blue Chip Farms on February 6th in the afternoon. When I relocated the Gyrfalcon the following day, it was definitely my most exciting birding experience of the year, maybe of my life. I nearly had a heart attack when I pulled up my binoculars to check out a raptor that had just landed in an evergreen, and it was the Gyrfalcon! This is not a bird you can mistake, but I felt like I had to keep checking – I just couldn’t believe it! What an incredible looking bird, just gorgeous. And then, it became famous. Birders and photographers came from all over to see it. It caused traffic jams wherever it decided to perch. For me it was and easy decision, the Gyrfalcon = Bird of the Year AND Most Exciting Birding Experience rolled into one.

BIRDING LOCATION OF THE YEAR: MOUNT PETER HAWKWATCH

~GOLDEN EAGLE directly over the viewing platform at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/17/15.~

It was difficult for me to come up with any location that stood out this year, but as I started to think back over the year I realized that doing the hawkwatch is definitely one of my favorite types of birding, if not my favorite. I really enjoy the challenge of identifying raptors in flight, and it helps that I felt more confident than ever this year. I also enjoy the camaraderie at the hawkwatch. Judy Cinquina has really assemble a great crew of dedicated volunteers. The record number of Broad-winged Hawks was fun and exciting, but my personal highlight was seeing my first Golden Eagle at Mt. Pete. It was great to finally get one up there; it was a juvenile that was very accommodating as it flew directly over the viewing platform which allowed me to get some decent shots of the bird.

TOP TEN PHOTOS OF THE YEAR

Last year I changed this section from “Photo of the Year” to “Top Five Photos of the Year”. After looking back at my photos from 2015, I’ve decided to increase it once again, this time to ten photos. While I did not have a single shot that stood out as the “best”, I did feel like I had a good number of good photos and it was difficult to pare them down to ten. And, photographs have always been an important part of this blog, so I figured why not. Due to a strange update to the blog, you need to click on the photos once, and then a second time to see large versions.

~Short-eared Owl in the black dirt, 2/22/15.~

~Male Northern Harrier, the “Gray Ghost” at Missionland Road, 3/21/15.~

~Anhinga fishing at Naples Botanical Garden, 5/6/15.~

~Cooper’s Hawk at Newburgh Waterfront, 1/24/15.~

~Common Loon at Follensby Clear Pond, 6/13/15.~

~Upland Sandpiper at Blue Chip Farms, 6/9/15.~

~Burrowing Owl in Cape Coral, Florida 5/5/15.~

~Roseate Spoonbill at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 5/3/15.~

~Double-crested Cormorant at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 5/3/15.~

~Northern Harrier at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/17/15.~

Once again, I’d like to thank all the birders in our area. Special thanks to Rob Stone, John Haas, Judy Cinquina, Karen Miller, Linda Scrima, Maria Loukeris and Kyle Dudgeon for all their help and good company this year. Happy New Year to everyone, I’m looking forward to the birds of 2016!

Icy Black Dirt Birding, 12/29/15

~A Red-tailed Hawk takes flight off of an icy perch, Black Dirt Region, 12/2915.~

With the overnight frozen mix that continued with a steady rain in the morning, I did not think I would get much birding in today, and I certainly was not optimistic about taking photos. Fortunately the roads were fine for driving, so I did a tour of the black dirt in my car. I ran into some good birds close enough to the road for pics, and the icy conditions made for what I think are some interesting photos. I had a total of 33 species for the day; I covered a large territory and I’ve included two species I picked up during a quick stop at Tomahawk Lake at the end of the outing (Common Merganser and N. Mockingbird). I’ve included my species list at the bottom of this post.

~Coopers Hawk, Black Dirt Region, 12/29/15.~ — ~Cooper’s Hawk, Black Dirt Region, 12/29/15.~

~My latest favorite - American Tree Sparrow framed in icy branches. Black Dirt Region, 12/29/15.~ — ~My latest favorite – American Tree Sparrow framed in icy branches. Black Dirt Region, 12/29/15.~

~Red-tailed Hawk on an icy perch, Black Dirt Region 12/29/15.~

Black Dirt Region and Tomahawk Lake, December 29, 2015:

Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Mallard
Common Merganser
Black Vulture
Northern Harrier
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-headed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Blackbird sp.
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Catch Up Hodge-podge, 12/28/15

~I am totally loving the Tree Sparrows this year, I just think they are a super looking sparrow. Walked River National Wildlife Refuge, 12/28/15.~

Although the birding has been less than outstanding, I have gotten out and birded Orange County several times in the past week or so. Of note, I finally got a Brown Creeper for the county yesterday (#197 on my county list) just outside of Port Jervis. And then today I finally got my first ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK of the season in Pine Island. Not much else has been noteworthy, but it has still been good to get out. I’ve included several photos from the past week or so.

~Adult Bald Eagle in Pine Island, 12/19/15.~

Always a favorite and usually not in such good light - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 12/19/15.~ — Always a favorite and usually not in such good light – Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 12/19/15.~

An American Kestrel fans its tail in an effort to keep its balance on a windy day. Pine Island, 12/27/15.~

I am pushing the limits of cropping an image here. Rough-legged Hawk, my first of the season, moments before successfully hunting prey. Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 12/28/15.~

~There are still approximately 20 American Coots right near the viewing platform at the Liberty Loop, Wallkill River NWR, 12/28/15.~

~Red-tailed Hawk at Wallkill River NWR, 12/28/15.~

Suffolk County TUFTED DUCK, 12/26/15

~TUFTED DUCK at Lake Capri in West Islip, NY 12/26/15.~

Tricia and I had a great time on Christmas Eve and Christmas day in Suffolk County, Long Island, celebrating with our families. On our way out of town today, we stopped at Lake Capri in West Islip to try for the Tufted Duck that has been reported there. The earliest reports on eBird are from 12/13/15, and the most recent report was from Christmas Eve, so I was feeling confident that the bird would still be present. Shortly after arriving, we realized that viewing at Lake Capri is less than ideal. As far as we could tell, the only viewing area was along Montauk Highway at the south end of the lake. There is a chain link fence and much vegetation to look through, which made viewing and taking photos a little bit of a challenge. I did better capturing the bird with my iPhone through the spotting scope, but for them the photo quality is then pretty poor. Previous reports indicate that this is a young male TUDU; it is a beautiful bird and life bird #344 for me.

~Here’s an iPhone shot of the Tufted Duck, digiscoped through my spotting scope. This shot almost has the feel of a painting to me. TUDU Lake Capri in West Islip, NY 12/26/15.~

Christmas Eve Hermit Thrush

~It was a less than ideal morning for photos, this shot was taken at ISO 3200. Hermit Thrush at Goose Pond Mountain, 12/24/15.~

I took a nice walk at Goose Pond Mountain this Christmas Eve morning in the unseasonably warm weather. While there were plenty of birds on my walk, the variety was not great and I had a modest 17 species. The highlight for me was seeing this Hermit Thrush. Conditions were not great for photography, but I was still very happy to photograph this bird since it was only the second HETH I’ve had this year in Orange County and my first was just a brief look with no time for photos. It was a nice way to spend Christmas Eve morning; I’ll take this opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone who is celebrating.

Here’s my list for the morning:

Mallard
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Hermit Thrush
Cedar Waxwing
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow

Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/20/15

~Short-eared Owl hunting over the Shawangunk Grasslands, 12/20/15.~

Kyle Dudgeon and I spent the afternoon in one of the photo blinds at Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. Early on, it was very slow with only a few Northern Harriers being seen and none of them coming close to the blind. Several Red-tailed Hawks moved from perch to perch off in the distance. We had a Wilson’s Snipe do a flyover and then five Eastern Meadowlarks perched in tree. We didn’t have much excitement until later in the afternoon when the SHORT-EARED OWLS got up on the early side and put on quite a show. We had at least 4 owls and they were actively hunting and tangling with each other and a Northern Harrier as well. We spent over an hour watching and photographing the owls, which spent a lot of time around our blind but somehow never came in very close (all these images are pretty heavily cropped). I was happy to get lucky once again with these awesome birds.

~Five Eastern Meadowlarks perch in a tree. I believe that's a Red-tailed Hawk perched in the distance beyond the meadowlarks. Shawangunk Grasslands, NWR 12/20/15.~ — ~Five Eastern Meadowlarks perch in a tree. I believe that’s a Red-tailed Hawk perched in the distance beyond the meadowlarks. Shawangunk Grasslands, NWR 12/20/15.~

~SEOW at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/20/15.~

~Short-eared Owl heading straight for the photo blind at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/20/15.~

~SEOW flyover at the grasslands, 12/20/15.~

~A Short-eared Owl cruises over the tall grasses at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/20/15.~

~A pair of SEOWs tangling at the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, 12/20/15.~

Liberty Loop, 12/13/15 – The Usuals

~I know I’ve posted a lot of Red-tailed Hawks in flight lately, but hopefully folks aren’t too sick of them. RTHA at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~

I was a little bit at a loss as to where to bird this weekend. I ran around to multiple locations on Saturday and did not have many birds at all. I ended the day with a stop at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, where I ran into Karen Miller. It was a nice evening but not a good one for photos. We had 4 Short-eared Owls, 6 Northern Harriers, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, and my personal highlight – a Wilson’s Snipe.

This morning I walked the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop with Maria Loukeris. It was beautiful, warm morning and it was a birdy walk but all the birds we saw were expected species. I had a three target birds – Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow (I need both for my 2015 Orange County list), and Rough-legged Hawk (because typically I would seen many of them by now). I failed to locate any of my target birds, but we had a nice walk where we had 27 species. I’ve included the morning’s list of birds below.

~Lucky shot – Black-capped Chickadee in flight at the Liberty Loop, 12/13/15.~

~I think these American Tree Sparrows are gorgeous. This is the first year that I am taking notice of this. ATSP at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~

Here’s my list for the morning:

~Downy Woodpecker at the Loop, 12/13/15.~

Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Coot
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Bluebird
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch

~We enjoyed watching the Northern Harriers hunting over the marsh, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~

~This shot is actually from last weekend – Northern Mockingbird at Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, NY 12/6/15.~

~Also from Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, taken yesterday, 12/12/15.~

More River Otters, 12/6/15

~One of four River Otters enjoys a fish, Orange County, NY 12/6/15.~ — ~One of four River Otters enjoys a fish breakfast, Orange County, NY 12/6/15.~

I got up early and went to try for the River Otters again this morning and I was joined by photographer Kevin Kreisher. We got nice close looks at four (!!!) River Otters that were very curious to check us out. Unfortunately it was before the sun had gotten over the trees, but the light made for some interesting photos of these fascinating creatures.

Orange County RIVER OTTERS!

~River Otter in Orange County, NY 12/5/15.~

I headed out this morning looking for waterfowl in Orange County. Well, it was pretty much a bust. I went to eight different locations and nearly all were disappointing, with few or no ducks present. My only waterfowl highlights included 3 Lesser Scaup at Wickham Lake and approximately 100 Common Mergansers at Tomahawk Lake. The real highlight of the day, however, was finding a pair of RIVER OTTERS at one location (I have heard that trappers will go for otters, so I am not giving details of their location. If you know me and are interested in going for them, shoot me an email). I have been dying to see River Otters, I’ve seen and heard of others seeing them several times this year, but I seemed to keep missing out. They were actively feeding – catching fish and just chomping them down. What a treat for me to witness this. What could make it better you ask? Oh yeah, the arrival of an adult Bald Eagle. I was floored, it was definitely the best outing I’ve had in quite a while!

~A happy looking River Otter, Orange County, NY 12/5/15.~

~Chomping down on a fish! River Otter in Orange County NY, 12/5/15.~

~I only got a couple of shots of the two of them together. River Otters in Orange County, NY 12/5/15.~

~And then a Bald Eagle arrived! A little icing on the cake.~

~Orange County Bald Eagle coming in for a landing, 12/5/15.~

~I hit the Black Dirt later in the day and shot this Northern Harrier, 12/5/15.~

~One final otter shot, Orange County, NY 12/5/15.~

Orange County White-winged Scoter, 12/1/15

~I was very excited this afternoon to see this White-winged Scoter in the distance at Indian Kill Reservoir, 12/1/15.~ — ~I was very excited this afternoon to see this **White-winged Scoter** in the distance at Indian Kill Reservoir, 12/1/15.~

For the past couple of weeks I have been sort of playing a hunch and stopping by Indian Kill Reservoir on my way home from work. Today it paid off when I located a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER in the distance. The bird was distant and it was rainy and gray, but I was able to get some decent documentary shots of the bird, which made me happy. For those who don’t know, Indian Kill Reservoir is located at the intersection of Route 17A and Long Meadow Road (which is the road that leads to the Sterling Forest State Park Visitor’s Center). The best viewing is from the various pull offs on Long Meadow Road. White-winged Scoter is my 196th bird in Orange County this year… creeping towards 200 with less than a month left in the year.

It’s also worth mentioning that Wickham Lake has been decent lately as well – I had a Common Loon there last night, and a Common Goldeneye there on 11/25/15.