January 2024 – Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 01/28/24

I enjoyed a pretty full weekend of birding. Saturday was definitely the more productive of the two days:

First thing, I went to Greenwood Lake and saw the Redheads which have been reported there recently. Redhead used to be a very good bird for Orange County – there was no guarantee that you would get one. In recent years, however, for some reason it’s been a little bit easier to observe in the county.
Later in the morning, I went to Winding Waters trail, where the Northern Shrike continues. The bird was distant, so I did not get any photos, but the bird was calling in the distance, which was really cool.
Also at Winding Waters – I observed my first Rough-legged Hawk of the season. This is far and away the latest I’ve ever gotten my first of season for this species.
I enjoyed my first multiple-owl day in a LONG time. I was in the black dirt in the morning when some American Crows kicked up and then mobbed a Short-eared Owl, my first of 2024. Then, around 10:30 on Saturday night, our cat Fern let me know there was a Great Horned Owl calling in the yard – she was growling, and growling, and growling, until I finally turned down the volume of my movie and heard a GHOW calling right outside. I went on the back porch and saw the bird fly out of the evergreens, across the street, where it perched for a short time in a deciduous tree.

Sunday was less productive and less fun. The weather was terrible; just cold and rainy for the whole day long. Often bad weather = good birds, but that was not the case for me on this day. I had very few birds in the black dirt (I was trying to relocate the Greater White-fronted Goose that Kyle Knapp found earlier in the week). Then I went to the Newburgh Waterfront and had only the expected (3) species of gull. I tried for the Glacucous-winged Gull both afternoons, with no luck., which wasn’t all that surprising since the bird had been relocated on Friday in Ulster County.

~It’s always good to see a Shorty. Short-eared Owl in the black dirt 01/27/24.~

~One of many Red-tailed Hawks observed in the black dirt over the weekend.~

~Herring Gull up close and personal. Newburgh Waterfront, 01/27/24.~

~Cooper’s hawk in the black dirt, 01/27/24.~

More Catch-up, 01/25/24

With all the GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL excitement from last Sunday, I did not have time to do my usual end-0f-weekend post.

On Saturday morning, Karen Miller and I left Goshen before Sunrise and headed to Rye, New York. We birded the Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary as well as the Rye Town Park. It was bitterly cold out, with a strong cold wind which made it even worse, but still we had an enjoyable morning. I felt good about our total of 37 species for the morning. Highlights included a giant flock of Long-tailed Ducks way out in the LI Sound – perhaps 65 birds or even more. Other highlights included a single Horned Lark and a couple of Purple Sandpipers.

~White-throated Sparrow at Read Wildlife Sanctuary, 01/20/24.~

On Sunday morning, I knew it was too early to try for gulls, so I made the rounds in the black dirt. I found only the usuals, but I had some really good photo ops, and the light was really nice. It was another cold morning of birding, even though I was in the car for the most part.

~One of 2 young Bald Eagles sharing a tree in the black dirt, 01/21/24.!

~Horned Lark in the black dirt, 01/21/24.~

~Gray Ghost on the prowl in the black dirt at sunrise, 01/21/24.~

~The second young Bald Eagle, sharing a tree in the BDR on 01/21/24.~

~Look at the toes and claws on this Horned Lark! Wow. Black dirt 01/21/24.~

~A Peregrine Falcon enjoys breakfast just after sunrise in the black dirt, 01/21/24.~

Glaucous-winged Gull, 01/21/24

Yesterday afternoon, birding bud Bruce Nott contacted me to let me know he had a gull at the Newburgh Waterfront that he believed was a GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. Unfortunately, I was unable to run for the bird yesterday, but I was able to catch up with the bird today. I headed over towards the river in the early afternoon – I knew it was likely too early for the birds to be in Newburgh, so I went directly to the Beacon Waterfront. Luck was on my side, as that was exactly where this rare gull had decided to spend the afternoon. There were many happy birders that came out to try for the bird, whose normal range is on the West Coast. There has been some chatter online, some from from gull experts, about the possibility of the bird being a hybrid – I will be curious to see if we get any additional information or clarity. Most reports from today seem to indicate that the bird looks good for GWGU, and yesterday’s eBird reports were confirmed. I will post a follow up if any more information is forthcoming. Huge thanks and congratulations to Bruce on yet another great find.

~Glaucous-winged Gull on the ice at the Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~

~I thought this was a sharp looking bird, especially in flight. Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~

~We also had 2 Iceland Gulls while I was in Beacon, one adult (above) and one 2nd year. Beacon Waterfront, 01/21/24.~

Sunday Shots, 01/14/24

Aside from the excitement of the Snow Geese during the OC Winter Waterfowl Survey, the rest of the weekend was pretty much the usuals for me.. Of note was two large flocks of gulls in the black dirt – one on Missionland Road and the other on Glenwood Road. The Missionland birds were quite distant, so I couldn’t really go through them. The gulls on Glenwood Road were mostly Ring-billed, with 10 or so Herring Gulls mixed in. Also noteworthy, the Snow Geese seemed to be a one-day-wonder (at least for the time being), as I didn’t see them or any reports of them on Sunday. And finally, after seeing John Haas’ post from Friday, I tried for winter finches in the Reservoir 3 area on Sunday morning. Unfortunately it was a bust for me; I will have to try again another day soon; my goal is to get photos of Red Crossbills which aren’t flyovers.. Anyways, here’s some photos from my birding over the past couple of days.

~Northern Harrier in flight at Wallkill River NWR’s Liberty Marsh, 01/13/24.~

~Horned Lark showing off its namesake in the black dirt, 01/13/24.~

~Snow Geese at the Camel Farm, 01/13/24.~

~NOHA at Liberty Marsh during the waterfowl survey, 01/13/24.~

~A young Northern Harrier protects its catch from a pesky American Crow in the black dirt, 01/13/24.~

Winter Waterfowl Count, 01/13/24

Today Linda Scrima and I participated in the Mearns Bird Club’s Orange County Winter Waterfowl Count. For the sixth straight year, the two of us covered the Black Dirt Region for the survey. This year was particularly interesting. Typically in mid January there isn’t much open water, but with this year’s recent warm temperatures, all bodies of water were open. Additionally, with all the rain we’ve had recently, the black dirt had much flooding, creating waterfowl habitat where typically there wouldn’t be (I had a pair of Northern Pintails and a Green-winged Teal in the middle of a flooded corn field!). And finally, a bit of luck is always helpful. Linda had a large group of Snow Geese fly over (2,500+ birds!), and then we both found a decent sized flock (approximately 700 birds), which had put down at the Camel Farm. The one disappointment was, that in spite of the large number of Canada and Snow Geese located, we were unable to locate any rare geese. Not even a Cackling Goose. Thanks to Linda for coordinating and for the good company. It was probably the most enjoyable Winter Waterfowl Survey I’ve done yet.

Snow Goose: 3,200
Canada Goose: 2,566
Mute Swan: 1
Mallard: 124
American Black Duck: 9
Green-winged Teal: 5
Northern Pintail: 4
American Wigeon: 3
Bufflehead: 2
Common Merganser: 4

~Three of approximately 700 Snow Geese at the Camel Farm, 01/13/24.~

~Snow Geese in flight over Route 1 in the Black Dirt Region, 01/13/24.~

A Little Catch-up, 01/11/24

Between my end of year post and the great birds I had over the past weekend, I’ve got some catching up to do as far as photos go. Here’s some additional shots from the past couple of weeks. I spent some time in the black dirt making sure I got Lapland Longspur for 2024 – I was able to photograph a couple of them this past Saturday morning. I’ve also been trying for gulls, but I’ve only been able to find the 3 expected species. That didn’t stop me from taking photos.

~Ring-billed Gulls during Sunday morning’s snowstorm. Newburgh Waterfront, 01/07/24.~

~Always a favorite of mine – Lapland Longspur in the black dirt, 01/06/24.~

~A Horned Lark enjoys a dust bath on a gravel road in the black dirt, 01/01/24.~

~Portrait of an interesting looking Ring-billed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 01/07/24.~

~Eastern Bluebird, Winding Waters Trail, 01/06/24.~

~Bald Eagle in the black dirt, 01/01/24.~

~Another Horned Lark taking a dust bath, BDR o1/01/24.~

~Good looking gull. Great Black-backed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 01/07/24.~

~Song Sparrow at the Newburgh Waterfront, 12/26/23.~

OC Yellow-throated Warbler, 01/07/24

As the snowstorm wound down today, I headed out to the Newburgh Waterfront to see what I could find. I was mostly thinking about gulls, but I also knew I had to check the Waterfront Trail for warblers. Well, the gulls were a bust (only the expected species), but I was thrilled to find a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER! I put the word out – at least I thought I did, but in my haste, I unfortunately sent it to the wrong What’s App thread. Bruce Nott and Peter Chernak arrived as I was departing (I’d contacted them directly), and they both got the bird as well. Hopefully it will stick for others. I also had a Palm Warbler and I was finally able to finally catch up with the Tennessee Warbler that’s been reported at the same location. It was quite an unexpectedly good afternoon of birding.

~Exciting bird! Yellow-throated Warbler at the Waterfront Trail in Newburgh, NY 01/07/24.~

~YTWA at the Waterfront Trail, 01/07/24.~

~Palm Warbler, Newburgh Waterfront Trail, 01/07/24.~

~Tennessee Warbler at Waterfront Trail in Newburgh, NY 01/07/24.~

Orange County Northern Shrike, 01/06/24

This morning, after a stop in the black dirt region to pick up Lapland Longspur for the new year (I found 2), I went to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail. I went for the NORTHERN SHRIKE that has been seen there for a few days (huge thanks to birding bud Maria Loukeris for the heads up). On my way out on the trail, I did not have any luck with my target bird. But, on the way back, I could see the shrike perched high in a tree in the distance. I made my way back towards the car (and closer to the bird), and I joined Linda Scrima. We enjoyed decent, if brief looks at the bird, and took some photos of course. I think Northern Shrike is a favorite of many birders, and you can certainly count me among them.