April 2020 – Orange Birding

Newburgh Waterfront, 04/26/20

I got a little bit of a late start this morning, but looking at the tide table, I would be arriving in Newburgh right at low tide. Plum Point was my first stop, mostly to check for gulls in Cornwall Bay. I only had a handful of Ring-billed Gulls, but I eventually located a RED-THROATED LOON. The bird appeared to be much closer to Donahue Memorial Park on the other side of the bay, so I headed over for a better look. Of course, when I arrived it took me ages to relocate the bird and it was way out from there as well. I’ve fallen for that trick way too many times.

~Black-crowned Night-heron at Quassaick Creek, 04/26/20.~

Birding bud Bruce Nott had arrived at Plum Plum point shortly after I left. We communicated and after some searching he got on the loon. Afterwards, I met up with Bruce and I followed him to Quassaick Creek, where he had seen several Black-crowned Night-herons in recent days. When we arrive, there were 2 present and I was able to get a decent (if partially obstructed) shot of one of the birds.

~This adult Bald Eagle flew down very low and directly overhead! Newburgh Waterfront, 04/26/20.~

From there, we headed to the Newburgh Waterfront. There was a decent number of gulls present; the most interesting being two young Great Black-backed Gulls. We lingered, hoping something good would fly in, and we weren’t disappointed. I spotted a tern flying north over the river and got Bruce on it right away. We tracked the bird in our scopes as it crossed the river to the Beacon area, where it seemed like it might want to stay for a bit, but then it started to circle up, higher and higher until I was looking through my scope almost directly above us and I lost the bird. Our impression is that the bird was a FORSTER’S TERN; it was a lighter bird with no darkness at the upper wingtips. Photos seem to support this, but I’m just not comfortable enough with tern identification to be sure. Still, it was the most exciting ten minutes of the day!

~Tern species flying over the Hudson River, 04/26/20. I’ve included one more shot of this bird at the bottom of this post, if anyone has any thoughts on its ID, please comment.~

After the tern excitement, Bruce located a BONAPARTE’S GULL in beautiful plumage. Viewing this bird was also short-lived as an adult Bald Eagle flew in low and all the gulls scattered. I headed home after that; I checked on my Common Raven’s nest on the way home and they appear to have two young birds in the nest. It was a pleasant morning and early afternoon of birding, in spite of the cold temperatures and the intermittent rain.

~Bonaparte’ Gull at Newburgh Waterfront, 04/26/20.~

~Common Grackle at Newburgh Waterfront. This shot was taken earlier this week with much better light and weather. ~

~I guess this American Robin is making the most of each trip for nesting materials. Creamery Pond in Sugar Loaf, 04/25/20.~

~One more shot of the Tern sp. in Newburgh, 04/26/20.~

Sunday Shots, 04/19/20

What a difference a day makes. On Saturday morning, I photographed the Red-tailed Hawk below in less than ideal conditions; it was dark, rainy, and snowy. In order to get anything useful from it, I had to bump the ISO to 2000 and overexpose by 1 1/3 stops (actually, I should have overexposed more, as I still had to increase the exposure significantly in post processing). In spite of it being grainy and little too dark in places, I sort of like the results. I’m wondering if it may just be because it’s a little bit different and kind of cool; the bird is clearly wet from the rain and is grasping a squirrel in its left talon.

~Red-tailed Hawk at Creamery Pond in Sugarloaf, 04/18/20.~

By contrast, this morning I was lucky enough to find a Bald Eagle perched on the roadside in the beautiful light not long after sunrise. I shot this bird at ISO 800, but really I should have dropped it to 400 for better results. This shot doesn’t capture my imagination quite as much as the Red-tail. It’s a beautiful bird with nice light (at least on the head and chest), but other than it being a Bald Eagle, it’s not all that exciting to me, and it’s also messy with all the branches in the foreground and background. Tricia prefers it, so different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

~Roadside Bald Eagle, Goshen NY 04/19/20.~

Orange County Caspian Tern, 04/15/20

After work I went to the Newburgh Waterfront to chase the Iceland Gull that Bruce Nott reported earlier in the day. I had no luck with the ICGU, but as luck would have it, I found a CASPIAN TERN! I was super excited to see this bird and I put the word out immediately. Bruce Nott arrived just before all the gulls, and the tern picked up and flew. I tracked the tern as it headed south along the river and eventually out of view.

~Right on! CASPIAN TERN taking off at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/15/20.~

John Haas arrived shortly after the bird flew. The three of us tried to relocate the bird, searching areas to the south, but we weren’t having any luck. We reconvened at the waterfront, where the Lesser Black-backed Gull made another appearance. I decided to call it a night; I was just about to pull out when my phone rang – it was John – the Caspian Tern had returned! I was happy all three of us were able to get the bird.

~Excellent bird for the county! CASPIAN TERN at the Newburgh Waterfront, 04/15/20.~

~CATE in flight, Newburgh Waterfront 04/15/20.~

Happy Mondays*

The timing of the weather was pretty good today. Just as I was finishing up work, the rain was stopping and the sun was coming out. I knew with the storm coming through and the timing, that it might be a good evening for sea ducks. I went to Glenmere Lake first; as I was setting up my scope Rob Stone called to let me know he had two BLACK SCOTERS at Wickham Lake. Figuring that I would come up empty, I told him I would quickly scan Glenmere and then head over.

~Icing on the cake: a trio of Rusty Blackbirds at Wickham Lake just before sunset, 03/13/20.~

Well, I figured wrong. First, I located a Common Loon in non-breeding plumage. Then, I found a pair of SURF SCOTERS! I was pretty excited to see these birds. Scope views were fabulous, photos were strictly documentary. Before I left, I found a second Common Loon, this one in breeding plumage.

~Yes! SURF SCOTERS at Glenmere Lake, 04/13/20. Note that the park is closed, so I was viewing from outside, looking over the fence.~

I headed over to Wickham to try for the Black Scoters – I passed Rob on my way (he was going for the Surf Scoters!). The BLSCs were still present, keeping company with a trio of Ruddy Ducks. Linda Scrima eventually arrived and we enjoyed decent scope views of these birds. Unfortunately they were just a bit too far out for any worthwhile photos. Before I left, I located 3 Rusty Blackbirds in a tree and was able to get some shots of one of them. Not bad for a Monday evening!

*I have no idea how many people may or may not get the reference in this post title. Happy Mondays was a band that I listened to back in the 80’s and early 90’s. I Googled them, and although they have been through several incarnations, they are still making music and playing concerts.

Easter 2020

To those of you celebrating, I wish you a Happy Easter. I got out in the morning and as luck would have it, I was able to take what I feel are some very appropriate photos. It was another pretty morning, cool and sunny just how I like it. I stayed local for the most part, and I spent some time in my NY Breeding Bird Atlas priority block; I watched a pair of Eastern Phoebe at Goosepond Mountain visiting a probable nest, so that was promising. I hope everyone is healthy and celebrating this strange version of the holiday in some fashion.

~Northern Mockingbird at Knapp’s View, 04/12/20.~

~Another shot of the NOMO at Knapp’s View. This bird was very accommodating!~

~Eastern Bluebird at Wickham Lake, 04/12/20. I watched this bird and its mate building a nest in the bluebird box near the lake.~

Saturday, 04/11/20

It was a beautiful morning to get out birding: cool, crisp, and sunny. I had an enjoyable and productive morning. I started out at Wickham Lake, where the light was nice and I enjoyed photographing the many Tree Swallows present, as well as a pair of Downy Woodpeckers. The lake was quiet with hardly any waterfowl present; my best bird was a single Ruddy Duck.

~Tree Swallow at Wickham Lake, 04/11/20.~

I also took a 4 mile hike, doing the entire loop at Doris Duke Trail. It was my first time there, it was a nice hike and pretty darn birdy. I added 4 year birds: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Palm Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Hermit Thrush. I made some stops at some of the southern Orange County lakes on my way home, but I guess it just wasn’t a good day for waterfowl, as I had nothing noteworthy. I have to say, this morning was some enjoyable birding, the best outing I’ve had in some time.

~This is a bird I always enjoy seeing – Lousiana Waterthrush at Doris Duke Trail, 04/11/20.~

~I enjoyed watching a photographing a pair of Downy Woodpeckers for a good while at Wickham Lake, 04/11/20.~

~One of my highlights of the morning – Hermit Thrush at Doris Duke Trail, 04/11/20.~

~Chipping Sparrow at Wickham Lake. This is from yesterday evening, 04/10/20.~

A Good Weekend, 04/05/20

It was an enjoyable weekend of birding for me; I got some good birds and some decent photos too. It was a slow start on Saturday morning, I checked several lakes in southern Orange County with the only notable birds being several Lesser Scaup at Round Lake. Things improved when I got a call from Bruce Nott: he was enjoying nice looks at some Wilson’s Snipe at Gardnertown Road Marsh. I headed up that way and enjoyed seeing (8) snipe in the marsh.

~Wilson’s Snipe at Gardnertown Road Swamp, 04/04/20.~

Since I was nearby, I stopped at Orange Lake, where I highlights included over 30 scaup species (the birds where just too distant to confidently ID), and a single Common Loon in beautiful breeding plumage.

In the evening I headed back out and went to the Hudson River. I was thrilled to find a RED-THROATED LOON in Cornwall Bay. The bird was distant, but I really enjoyed decent looks in my scope. I also relocated the Lesser Black-backed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront. I was hoping to relocate the Iceland Gull that Bruce had located earlier in the week, but no luck.

~If only the Lesser Black-backed would be so accommodating. Ring-billed gull at Newburgh Waterfront, 04/04/20.~

I started Sunday the same way as Saturday, by checking the local lakes. I was happy to find one Horned Grebe at Glenmere Lake (the park is closed, I was viewing from outside the fence). But, it paled in comparison to Bruce’s report of (8) RED-NECKED GREBES and (4) Horned Grebes. I ran for his birds and fortunately they stuck around. They were distant, but still nice to see. I checked Gardnertown Road for snipe, but was unable to locate any; maybe they’ve moved on. On my way home I made several stops; most were unproductive, but I was able to watch a pair of Eastern Phoebes building a nest and I saw something I’ve never seen before: a Common Raven sitting on a nest. It was pretty cool, I have to say.