Month: December 2017

2017 Year in Review

~This Common Loon shot didn’t make my top ten photos of the year, but I did feel like it deserved honorable mention. Scroll down to see my picks for the top 10 for this year…~ 

Well, another year of birding is officially in the books! The end of year post has always been one of my favorites to write; it’s fun for me to look back on the year of birding and remember all the highlights.

2017 MONTH-BY-MONTH HIGHLIGHTS

JANUARY: I went on my first Winter Pelagic and it did not disappoint. I got two life birds on the trip: Dovekie and Black-legged Kittiwake. Snow Geese represented well in the black dirt and provided plenty of photo ops. And, a ROSS’S GOOSE was an easy get at Monroe-Woodbury Middle School.

~One of several Black-legged Kittiwakes seen during the Brooklyn Winter Pelagic, January 2017.~ 

FEBRUARY: Snow Geese continued to linger in the Black Dirt and a trip to the Jersey Shore yielded two really good birds: RAZORBILL and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

MARCH: I got my lifer Long-eared and Northern Saw-Whet owls on a trip to Connecticut. There was a trio of Long-tailed Ducks at Glenmere Lake, and 4 Sandhill Cranes in Ulster County. I joined Kathy Ashman, Bruce Nott, and Linda Scrima out at Wickham Lake for one of the best waterfowl fallouts I’d seen in the OC; we had 17 species of waterfowl including 3 Horned Grebes and 17 Redheads (an OC life bird for me!).

~Three beautiful Sandhill Cranes in Ulster County, 03/26/17.~

APRIL: Early in the month, I went on a family vacation to Sargent, Texas, where I accumulated 12 life birds. A little later in the month I ran for a Trumpeter Swan at the Bashakill.

MAY: A lot went on in May. Good waterfowl sitings included a White-winged Scoter at Glenmere and 4 Red-necked Grebes at Wickham Lake. Linda Scrima located and documented very well a SUMMER TANAGER at Laurel Grove Cemetery.  I had a 5 swallow night at the Liberty Loop (Tree, Barn, N. Rough-winged, Bank, and Cliff). I participated in the Mearns Bird Club’s Break 100 on a team with John Haas, Karen Miller, and Jeff Goulding. We located one of the best birds of the day, a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. The following day, I got my Orange County lifer Yellow-breasted Chat, originally located during the Break by the team of Alan & Della Wells and Dave and Sharon Baker. At the Grasslands, I picked up 2 life birds in 2 minutes: DICKCISSEL and HENSLOW’S SPARROW. At the end of the month I had a super showing of shorebirds at the Camel Farm, including 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES and 6 White-rumped Sandpipers. Later in the evening, Rob Stone would add a WILSON’S PHALAROPE to the list.

~A singing Henslow’s Sparrow at the Grasslands, 05/23/17.~

JUNE: Things slowed down a bit in June; there was a Black Tern at the Liberty Loop that I missed out on. The highlight of the month for me was my yearly trip to Adirondacks; this year Kyle Dudgeon joined me and we overdosed on Common Loons (never a bad thing).

JULY:  Linda Scrima located a Forster’s Tern at the Liberty Loop; I ran and was able to get some great shots of that bird. Rob Stone relocated 5 WHITE IBIS at Wickham Lake and thanks to Curt McDermott and his kayak, I was able to get some good shots of those birds too. Following up on an eBird report, Linda Scrima and I relocated a SNOWY EGRET at Citgo Pond, which was an OC lifer for both of us. I had an amazing encounter with a LEAST BITTERN with Linda and Maria at Richard W. DeKorte Park – see more about this below.

~Forster’s Tern at the Liberty Loop, 07/01/17.~

AUGUST: There was a Glossy Ibis at Citgo Pond, originally located by Bill Fiero. I located a pair of UPLAND SANDPIPERS in the black dirt.

SEPTEMBER: Hawkwatch at Mt. Peter began; we counted over 6800 Broad-winged Hawks for the month, which is slightly below average. I had my best showing of Common Nighthawks since moving to OC, with nearly a dozen sitings. I located 5 SANDERLINGS, another OC lifer for me, in the Black Dirt.

OCTOBER: Linda Scrima struck again and located a NELSON’S SPARROW at the Liberty Loop. I was lucky enough to get that bird one evening after work. Maria Loukeris made her mark, locating a SAY’S PHOEBE, also at Liberty Marsh. Unfortunately that bird did not stick around for anyone else to see it, but it was documented with a beautiful shot by Maria. I had an amazing 36 Pectoral Sandpipers later in the month, again at Liberty Marsh, as well as a very early Rough-legged Hawk in the Black Dirt.

A flock of Pectoral Sandpipers in flight at Wallkill River NWR, 10/22/17.

NOVEMBER: At Mt. Peter, early in the month, I had my first GOLDEN EAGLE of the season. I also had my first Snow Buntings and LAPLAND LONGSPURS of the season. Later in the month, thanks to a lead from John Haas, I got my first (of many) Cackling Goose of the season.

DECEMBER: I located a Red-headed Woodpecker at Glenmere Lake and then Kathy Ashman located 2 ROSS’S GEESE, also at Glenmere. I also had a pair of ICELAND GULLS at the Newburgh Waterfront, a week later Curt McDermott had 4 ICGU and a single Lesser Black-backed Gull at the same location.

BY THE NUMBERS

I almost left this section out this year because most of my numbers aren’t very pretty, but I enjoy looking at the numbers and I think they can be  I had decided last year not to concentrate so much on birding in Orange County, but then I turned around and birded OC nearly exclusively, at the expense of the neighboring counties?!?  I’m not sure what it is, but I guess I just enjoy getting birds in my home county more than anywhere else. Here’s my species numbers for the year:

MORE NUMBERS: I added 17 birds to my life list in 2017, putting my total at 388. I also added 12 species to my New York State life list bumping that up to 290, and I add 10 birds to my OC life list, giving me a total of 246.  This is my 92nd post of the year, down 7 from last year, which I don’t think is too bad based on my birding time being limited these days.

MOST EXCITING BIRDING EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR: LEAST BITTERN AT RICHARD W. DEKORTE PARK. 

On July 30th Linda Scrima, Maria Loukeris, and I took a trip down to Richard W. DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, New Jersey to break up the summer doldrums a bit. We left at the end of the day having had an experience that not many will have. We had an amazing encounter with a Least Bittern that was feeding right next to one of the blinds. The bird was super focused on its prey and never really reacted to us at all. To me, Least Bitterns are among the most secretive birds in our area, so I never dreamed that we could get such a close-up extended look and unbelievable photos ops. I can’t imagine that it will ever happen again for me.

TOP TEN PHOTOS OF 2017

So it’s always difficult for me to pick my top photos of the year – there are so many different criteria I could use I suppose, but basically it just comes down to the shots that I like the best and have held up in my mind over the year.

#1: Common Loon preening in the Adirondacks, June 2017.
#2: Northern Harrier hunting over the snow at Skinner’s Lane, December 2017.
#3: My lifer Long-eared Owl, Connecticut in March 2017.
#4: Golden-winged Warbler at Sterling Forest State Park, May 2017.
#5: Northern Harrier at the Grasslands, January 2017. 
#6: The famous Dickcissel from the Grasslands, May 2017.
#7: Solitary Sandpiper at Morningside Park, August 2017. 
#8: European Starling and mixed blackbirds, Citgo Pond, October 2017.
#9: Orange County Barred Owl with snow piling up, February 2017. 
#10: Willet at the beach in Sargent, Texas in April 2017. 

I’d like to thank everyone who reads the blog and especially those who comment – the comments really keep me going. And, as usual, I’d like to thank all my birding friends out there for yet another excellent year of birding, with special thanks to Rob Stone, Linda Scrima, Maria Loukeris, Kyle Dudgeon, John Haas, Karen Miller, Ken McDermott, and Judy Cinquina. Happy New Year to everyone out there, here’s to an extremely birdy 2018!

Orange County Ross’s Geese, 12/30/17

~Two very cute Ross’s Geese at Glenmere Lake just after sunrise this morning, 12/30/17.~

First thing this morning I followed up on Kathy Ashman’s report of two ROSS’S GEESE at Glenmere Lake from yesterday morning. It was a dark, cold, and snowy morning; I arrived at the lake before sunrise and immediately located the 2 Ross’s among approximately 300 Canada Geese. I put the word out and John Haas was able to join me. With the snow fall and the heavy cloud cover, it never got light enough for good photos, but we both did our best. Ross’s are always exciting, and in spite of the poor light, the birds were relatively close and we got pretty good looks. Around 9 am, the birds picked up and John and I headed our separate ways. Huge thanks to Kathy for finding and reporting the birds.

~This is a beautiful bird! Look at those gorgeous white wings! It was very exciting to get great looks and photo ops with this Iceland Gull, Newburgh Waterfront 12/30/17.~

My goal for the day was to make a last ditch effort to find some new birds for my Orange County 2017 year list. I scoured the Hudson River, starting at the Bear Bridge and eventually ending up at the Newburgh Waterfront. I was hoping for Canvasback (I’d had 75 near my work in Rockland County the day before!) or for Great Cormorant. It was a fun day exploring new spots and hoping for the best, but ultimately I did not add any birds to my list. The highlight at the Hudson came at my final stop, where I ran into John Haas once again. He had just located an Iceland Gull. The bird was super cooperative and I got some decent shots. John had put the word out, but unfortunately, before anyone else had arrived the bird picked up and flew all the way to Beacon. Curt McDermott and Rick Hansen missed the bird by moments and Curt chased it over to Beacon (he said that it would guarantee that the bird would come back to Newburgh). Kathy Ashman showed up shortly after his departure and Curt was right, the bird did come back and Kathy and Rick both got their lifer Iceland Gulls! That was a pretty exciting way to end the day. I didn’t add any birds to my OC year list, but any day with 2 Ross’s Geese and an Iceland Gull is a good day of birding.

~One more of the ICGU, Newburgh Waterfront 12/30/17.~ 

OC Red-headed Woodpecker, 12/26/17

~What a thrill to get such a good look at this immature Red-headed Woodpecker at Glenmere Lake, 12/26/17.~

A couple weeks ago, I incorrectly reported a couple of Red-headed Woodpeckers in an eBird checklist for Glenmere Lake. It was a data entry error on my part – I had intended on reporting the 2 Red-BELLIED Woodpeckers I’d seen there that day, but clicked on the wrong box. My error was pointed out to me by birding buds Rob Stone and Linda Scrima; they had seen the report online and followed up with me about it.

As coincidence would have it, this afternoon I was at Glenmere Lake and I was pleasantly surprised to see a young RED-HEADED WOODPECKER as I was getting back to my car. The bird was very accomadating and I was fortunate enough to get some decent photos. This is my third straight year seeing this bird in Orange County; in 2015 there was a pair at Elks Brox Park in Port Jervis, last year there were a couple birds at Fancher Davidge Park in Middletown, and earlier this year I had two young birds at Hamptonburgh Preserve just north of Goshen.

Orange County Iceland Gulls, 12/23/17

~Beautiful bird. ICELAND GULL at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/23/17.~

I headed back to the Newburgh Waterfront this morning – I was mostly hoping for a Great Cormorant to add to my OC year list, but really I was just hoping for some good birds. The waterfront was a little more productive than last weekend. I never had any luck with cormorants, but  from the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry parking lot, I had my first RED-BREASTED MERGANSER of the season, a male that was with a raft of 40 or so Common Mergansers. Then, from the Blu Pointe Restaurant parking lot, I located two very beautiful ICELAND GULLS. It was raining pretty good all morning, so I wasn’t carrying my camera. I ran back to my car for it, and the birds had stayed pretty close to the shore, allowing for some decent shots in  spite of the lack of light. I was thrilled, the birds were just awesome to see and I enjoyed a prolonged look at them.

~Eventually the birds swam close enough together for a shot of both birds. Iceland Gulls at Newburgh Waterfront, 12/23/17.~ 

Weekend Wrap Up, 12/17/17

~A beautiful juvenile Herring Gull relaxes at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/17/17.~

I have to say that not birding during the week is making me feel like I don’t have a really good handle on the birding in Orange County right now. I’m missing getting out just about every day and getting a real feel for what’s going on. Linda Scrima, Maria Loukeris, and Rob Stone have been updating me on a regular basis, and John Haas has spent a good amount of time recently in OC, so I’ve been checking in on his blog frequently. On Friday he reported some Snow Goose movement into the area, and he also had 5 TUNDRA SWANS. On Saturday morning I made the rounds in the black dirt, I was hoping to relocated the swans in my travels, but unfortunately that wasn’t to be. Highlights of the morning included several large flocks of Horned Larks, one which had many Snow Buntings (75+) and a single LAPLAND LONGSPUR. I also had a single CACKLING GOOSE and around 30 Snow Geese among a large group of Canada Geese on the river in Pine Island. At the end of the day I checked Glenmere Lake, which was vacated with the exception of 4 Ring-billed Gulls and a Merlin, and also Wickham Lake, which despite having some open water, had almost no waterfowl present (only 5 Mute Swans and a single Green-winged Teal). I wonder if the two Bald Eagles patrolling the lake had anything to do with that…

~A young Bald Eagle made sure I wasn’t going to get any ducks on Saturday. Wickham Lake, 12/16/17.~

On Sunday I decided to switch it up a bit and I went to the Newburgh Waterfront. My best stop by far  was Plum Point (Kowawese Unique Area). I had a decent assortment of songbirds, with the highlight being a Golden-crowned Kinglet that was cooperative for photos, in spite of the horrible lighting.

~Golden-crowned Kinglet at Plum Point Park, 12/17/17.~

I scanned the river for waterfowl and had some distant Common Mergansers and my best bird at the waterfront, a LONG-TAILED DUCK. I took a few photos and I was going to put the word out, but was distracted by a bird calling in the woods. I went to check it out (it was a Northern Mockingbird), and when I got back the LTDU was nowhere to be seen! I tried like heck to relocate it, but never did. A dog walker had a arrived with a barking dog, I can only guess that the bird took flight.

~A LONG-TAILED DUCK, close enough to the shore for a decent pic! Hard to believe. Plum Point Park, 12/17/17.~

I also spent some time at Cornwall Landing, where I tried like heck to turn a couple of Double-crested Cormorants into Greats, and then I went to the Newburgh Water front  where there were many gulls being fed bread; I had approximately 75 Ring-billed Gulls and 6 Herring Gulls. I was surprised to not find any Great Black-backed Gulls and I was also suprised that I did  not see any Bald Eagles at the waterfront. Counting the vultures I had as I left Newburgh, I had a total of 25 species for the morning at the waterfront.

~I love the plumage on this first winter Ring-billed Gull. Newburgh Waterfront 12/17/17.~

On my way back home, I received an alert that John had a NORTHERN GOSHAWK in the black dirt. I raced to join him; Maria was already there when I arrived. Apparently the bird perched briefly and then dove for prey in a distant ditch. And was never relocated. Anyone who knows me knows how desperate I am for a Gos, especially in Orange County, so this was a tough one. I lingered in the area for quite a while, but unfortunately it was to no avail. Who knows, with any luck maybe that bird will stick around… fingers crossed. John got a photo of the bird, which I’m sure he’ll be posting to his blog sometime this evening.

~Rock Pigeon close up. Newburgh Waterfront 12/17/17.~

Excellent Birding in the OC, 12/10/17

 

 

 

~This Northern Harrier took me by surprise – I was checking out a distant flock of larks when I caught her out of the corner of my eye; Black Dirt Region 12/10/17.~

After yesterday’s snow, I knew I wanted to check out the black dirt today. One of my main goals was to try for Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs among the large flocks of Horned Larks. I was hoping the snow cover would push the birds closer to the roadsides, this only happened to a small extent, but I was able to get a single LAPLAND LONGSPUR out at Skinner’s Lane. The bird was only about 40 yards off the road, but I was a little slow on the draw and missed getting a shot. I did a little bit better shooting raptors; I got my first decent shot of a Norther Harrier for the season. I also watched a Merlin enjoy a snack on a telephone pole, and miraculously, when it had finished, it took off in my direction, allowing for a decent shot.

~

After the black dirt, I checked out Wickham Lake, where I happy to find 12 species of waterfowl! They were pretty much the usuals, but it was excellent birding. The following species were present: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Am. Black Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, and Am. Coot.

From there I went to Glenmere Lake and found the birds of the day: a single BLACK SCOTER and 2 LONG-TAILED DUCKS. I haven’t had any sea ducks this fall, so I was pretty happy to see these birds. All in all, it made for a really great day of birding, one that I needed. It’s rare that I post twice in a single day – click here or on the link below to see my post from this morning with the Mount Peter 2017 end of season report by Judy Cinquina.

~A Black Scoter and one of two Long-tailed Ducks out at Glenmere Lake this afternoon, 12/10/17.~

Mount Peter 2017 Season Report

~It wasn’t the best season for pics up at Mt. Peter – here’s one of my better shots, Cooper’s Hawk at Mt. Pete, 2017.~ 

Sadly, another season of hawk watching has come and gone. Judy Cinquina, leader of Mount Peter Hawkwatch, was kind enough to let me share the season ending report here on the blog. Judy does a really great job and it’s an interesting read for sure, with some numbers that will certainly concern many birders. Huge thanks to Judy for sharing.

Mount Peter 2017 – By Judy Cinquina

2017 was the 60th anniversary of the Mount Peter Hawk Watch. Since 1958, every fall season has added more data to our knowledge of raptor numbers, migration and behavior. Leaders celebrated by breaking Red-shouldered Hawk and Peregrine Falcon daily records and toppling the old 1990 Peregrine fall count. The euphoria didn’t last long, even with four Golden Eagles and a Goshawk spicing up the final score of 8,996. Our 74-day count, from September 1 through November 15, failed to show any improvement in Harrier or Kestrel numbers, and the Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks seemed happy to either delay or reject migration altogether.

A slightly below average 6,874 Broad-winged Hawks were counted this season, most moving south between September 10 and 22. Leaders Rick Hansen and Ajit Antony garnered the only 1,000+ days. Rick recorded 1,140 on light SW winds, September 17, in spite of fog socking in the lookout for most of that morning. Ajit’s 1,764 Broad-wings on the 21st kettled up in light, northwest winds, but their migration stopped when clouds moved in for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Both leaders wondered if Broad-wings migrated unseen in the fog or clouds on their respective days. Usually a late October migrant, the majority of Red-shoulders turned up instead between November 4 and 11, producing our second best tally of 122: 69 adult, 11 immature, and 42 unknown. Matt Zeitler grabbed the best day, November 4, counting a record 27 on light north winds and destroying Ken Witkowski’s old record of 24 from October 27, 2013. Hopefully it’s a good sign that most of our three-digit counts of this species have occurred in the last six years. Once again Red-tails failed to move in large numbers before our watch ended on November 15. The 232 recorded was 93% below our 10-year average. Rough-legged Hawks were a no-show for the seventh consecutive fall.

~A local Red-tailed Hawk cruises by the viewing platform, Mt. Peter Hawkwatch 2017.~ 

Since 1978 when the watch was extended daily through October and into November, we were rewarded with four-digit tallies of Sharp-shinned Hawks, but not this fall. The 841 counted was 48% below our 10-year average. Our biggest day was 69 on October 20. Compare that to back to back records of 317 and 337 made in late September 1986. Meanwhile, numbers for their larger cousin, the Cooper’s Hawk, have been on the rise since 1990. They reached an above average 121, this fall. After a two-year absence, one Goshawk finally turned up, October 18. Ajit wrote that this large-headed accipiter sailed due south, never beating its wings.

The American Kestrel had a mini-rebound from last year’s abysmal 52, with 83 counted: 11 male, 23 female, 49 unknown. However, their numbers have been woefully low this entire decade. The 18 Merlin was rather average, but the larger Peregrine Falcon brightened our 60th with two records. On October 11, Ajit recorded 6, nudging out John Tramontano’s daily record of 5, counted October 17, 1992. Although we don’t get their falcon numbers, we mirrored Montclair’s and Hook Mountain’s record Peregrine numbers this season, counting 26 and surpassed the 21 counted in 1990.That is excellent news since DDT almost eliminated this species from our landscape by the 1960’s.

Osprey numbers bounced back a bit but still came in 38% below their 10-year average at 111. In the 2016 edition of the Northeast Hawk Watch Report, Drew Panko points out that while Osprey breeding has increased, “numbers counted in migration has been decreasing for the last 30 years…” The cause remains a mystery. Why the N. Harrier numbers are reaching rock bottom is not so mysterious, with their habitat of wetlands and fields disappearing at an alarming rate. The 26 logged this fall is pathetic and well below the record 101 logged in 1980. Bald Eagles are on an amazing rebound, especially in the last 10 years. The 85 noted this season (44 adults, 38 immature, and 3 unknown) was above average. Always uncommon in the northeast, the Golden Eagle came in at an average 4: 3 adult, 1 immature.

We did not begin counting Turkey Vultures until the 1980’s, and differentiating locals from migrants has always been a challenge. The 320 counted this fall was above average, and so were the 96 Black Vultures. 1985 produced the first Black Vulture ever seen over our lookout, and now they’re quite common. Local C. Ravens were with us almost daily with up to 5 counted. 681 Monarch Butterflies surpassed last year’s 131, the majority moving between October 3 and 11.Ruby-throated Hummingbirds barely made an appearance with a mere 15 recorded. Denise Farrell noted 3,515 Canada Geese, September 28, as part of our final 10,365 counted between September 28 and November 11. The high Brant count was 95 on November 4, with 146 tallied by season’s end, and only 10 Snow Geese showed up, with a single Snow hanging on to the end of a skein of Canadas, November 7. Between October 31 and November 10, 19 C. Loons were observed heading east towards Greenwood Lake. Other birds of interest included:

SEPTEMBER

1 Pine Warbler
2 1st C. Nighthawk (5 more, 9/3 – 9/13), 1st Black-throated Green & Red-eyed Vireo
6 1st Prairie (another 3 on 9/10) & Magnolia Warblers, 1st Scarlet Tanager
7 Cape May Warbler
11 Tennessee Warbler & 2 Am. Redstarts
12 1st DC Cormorant (1 on 9/21 & 14 on 9/28)
18 1st C. Loon
22 59 DC Cormorants (235 on 11/4)
23 1st Yellow-bellied Sapsucker seen through 11/14 (male & immature 11/14)
24 Brown Creeper
27 E. Towhee (another 9/21)
39 Blackpoll, E. Phoebe

OCTOBER

1 Ovenbird, 1st Ruby-crowned Kinglet
8 14 Chipping Sparrows
16 Great Blue Heron (another 11/4)
17 Nashville Warbler, Field Sparrow, 2 Song Sparrows
21 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 3 Dark-eyed Juncos
25 6 Mute Swans (4 adult, 2 immature)
28 Hermit Thrush

NOVEMBER

2 25 E. Bluebirds
4 3 White-crowned Sparrows
5 Red-headed Woodpecker
15 Great Horned Owl heard

What better way to celebrate our 60th consecutive watch then with an official hat, designed and donated by Denise Farrell. Our hats on to Denise! A big thank you to all our friends and visitors who helped with the count, especially Bill Connolly, Rob Stone and Carol Linguanti. Sadly, Carol passed away at the end of October. Carol was the creator of our Facebook page and a dedicated leader. Her enthusiasm and spirit will be missed. A big thank you to our clean-up crew: Denise, Rick Hansen, Rochana Muenthongchin, Beverly Robertson, Gene Tappan, Will Test, and especially Tom Millard who installed our box on the platform. Our deep appreciation to Evan Masten and George Profus, NYDEC Region 3 Foresters who cut some of the larger trees blocking our views before the watch began, and to Mike Limatola and Kurt Muenz and the Fyke Nature Association for providing the insurance required for our Clean-Up day. We are also indebted to Fyke for their continued support, especially for sponsoring our Mount Peter site on Hawkcount.org. We continue as the oldest, continually run, all-volunteer fall watch in the country.

Bird(s) on a Wire

When it comes to photographing birds, one of the least desirable perches to me is on a wire. It’s always disappointing to find a good, confiding bird that happens to be perched on a wire – I would, of course prefer a more natural setting. But sometimes that’s just what you get, and looking back over recent years I’ve had number of pretty decent shots in spite of the wire perch; here are some of my favorites.