I wish I was reporting on a fabulous bird today, but alas, it wasn’t in the cards this weekend. I birded both mornings, staying local, and trying mostly for shorebirds. Killdeer, Least Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpipers, and Spotted Sandpipers were all I could come up with. I heard (but did not see) the Blue Grosbeak in the black dirt on Saturday morning. Anyways, here are several shots from the weekend, a couple from the black dirt, couple from the backyard, and I’m even throwing a selfie in.
It was an uneventful weekend of birding for me; pretty much what you would expect in late July. My focus was looking for shorebirds in the county, but I was unable to turn up any new species. Good conditions continue at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, in spite of the recent rainfall, but I was only able to locate Killdeer, Least Sandpipers, and Spotted Sandpipers. Bullville Pond looks pretty good too; I only had a couple Killdeer and and single Least Sandpiper there. And in the black dirt, I was only finding Killdeer as far as shorebirds go.
If you missed it, the big excitement for me this weekend was the BLUE GROSBEAK that I found in the black dirt on Friday evening. Reports indicate that the bird continues today, but I did not try for it.
Instead, I woke up early and headed back to Ashokan Reservoir to see if I could get a better look and photos of the PACIFIC LOON. As luck (and patience) would have it, the Pacific Loon, along with 16 Common Loons, eventually made a relatively close pass on Dike Road . I had been joined Diane Bliss, and the two of us enjoyed fantastic looks at the birds; it was really something.
And as usual, I was taking pics throughout the weekend. I was hoping for some shorebirds, but I wasn’t able to find any new birds in county. I enjoyed spending some time with a pair of cooperative American Kestrels, as well as a Horned Lark that spent some quality time right next to my car on Friday evening. It’s been a good stretch of birding – much better than the summer doldrums I would have expected.
Yesterday evening after work I hit the black dirt, looking for shorebirds. I scanned a field containing about a half dozen Killdeer. Convinced that there weren’t any other shorebird species present, I packed up my scope and prepared to move on. I had turned on the Merlin app earlier – I don’t recall what made me put it on initially, but when I looked at it, it indicated that a BLUE GROSBEAK had been identified. As soon as I saw that, I heard the bird call again! I spent some time trying to get a look at the bird, but the bird was uncooperative and I only got a couple brief looks. I put the word out, and Jeanne Cimorelli joined me and got the bird as well – it was a county life bird for her.
I got word from Bruce Nott and Kyle Knapp this morning that the bird continued. I joined Linda Scrima, Kyle, and later Karen Van Dyke came as well and we all got the bird. The bird was still not cooperative for photos, but I did get to see it and to document it with some flight shots. Blue Grosbeak is a very good bird for the county and I haven’t had one for several years.
Believe it or not, I enjoyed a three-loon morning today. In Ulster County. In July. I can safely say I’ve never had a three-loon day anywhere in our area, at any time of the year.
A little background. Yesterday morning, Jeanne Cimorelli located a PACIFIC LOON in a raft of Common Loons at Ashokan Reservoir. To me this is a just a remarkable find. To begin with, finding nearly 20 Common Loons on a reservoir in Ulster County in July is something on its own. Add to that a rare Pacific Loon, which could have very easily been overlooked, and you have one very impressive observation.
I couldn’t run for the bird yesterday, so I was up and at ’em early this morning and luckily the birds stuck around. The icing on the cake was relocating the Red-throated Loon in breeding plumage at another area on the reservoir, giving a total of 3 loon species for the morning. This is not your typical summer birding, to say the least! Congrats to Jeanne on a great find.
SATURDAY SHOTS: I birded locally on Saturday, hoping that the storms that rolled through early in the morning. would have grounded some shorebirds. The black dirt yielded a couple of Least Sandpipers, several Spotted Sandpipers, and many Killdeer. At 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, I was able to relocate the Short-billed Dowitcher that I thought was long gone. That bird made my day – it’s always a good bird for the county, and its plumage was striking.
I was feeling uninspired this morning when I woke up, so I looked at my emails to see what the rare bird alerts in our area held. Peter Schoenberger reported a RED-THROATED LOON at Ashokan Reservoir. I clicked on the report, and although distant, the photo he included was amazing – the bird was in beautiful plumage. I knew right then what my plans for the morning were.
A couple of hours later, I was at the reservoir and had relocated the bird. It was distant, as I assumed it would be, but still, I got great scope views of something that who knows if we will ever see again in the area – a RTLO in breeding plumage. I’m half tempted to go again tomorrow morning in the hopes that the bird will be closer to the shore. What a treat!
Anyways, here are my photos – super duper heavy crop here! The bird was out there! Huge thanks to Peter for posting.
