At my first stop this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find two young Barred Owls. They were being mobbed by Common Grackles, which is the only reason I found them.
For my second stop, I’d nearly forgotten about one of the best summer birding spots in Orange County: the Mongaup River Trail. It’s an easy hike that, as the name indicates, runs along the Mongaup River. I find that it’s not a great spot first thing in the morning because everything is still in dark shadows. I arrived around 9:00 am, and that seemed to be a good time to arrive. I was in some shade on the way out and mostly in sun on the way back. My first bird was a Pine Warbler, followed shortly by a high, calling Blackburnian Warbler. There were a good number Louisana Waterthrush, Ovenbirds, and Black-throated Green Warblers. I usually get Magnolia Warbler at this location, but did not today. I also had a single Northern Parula and an adult Bald Eagle.
On my way home, I took the long way and went through the Rio Dam area. I had a Red Fox cross the road in front of my car. They disappeared into the woods quicker than you can imagine! And, a little later I had a Winter Wren singing just off the road.
~Young Barred Owl in Orange County, NY 06/29/25.~~A Louisiana Waterthrush with a mouthful of insects. Mongaup River Trail, 06/29/25.~~Ovenbird at Mongaup River Trail, 06/29/25.~~Young Barred Owl in Orange County NY, 06/29/25.~~A Green Heron cuts a nice figure on a dead tree limb, 06/29/25.~
I walked Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop first thing this morning. It was mostly just the usuals, until I found an apparently distressed Great Horned Owl owlet perched on the ground, only about 20 feet off the trail. Last night Linda Scrima forwarded me a Facebook post where someone had found this same owlet the day before. So that meant the bird had been there for a full day already (the bird was not really on my radar – I figured it had been helped already). I let Linda know the bird was still there; she shared the contact information for The Avian Wildlife Center. I got in touch with Giselle (some readers may remember she helped me with Carson C. Waxwing back in 2020), and we made arrangements for her to come out and get the bird.
~Poor little dude. Great Horned Owl owlet at the Liberty Loop, 06/28/25.~
Linda joined me on the trail and we kept an eye on the bird until Giselle arrived. We made a quick plan to catch the bird, and it went pretty smoothly – Giselle really knows what she is doing. Upon initial examination, Giselle observed that the bird was underweight, but not emaciated. There were no obvious injuries, but Giselle did note that the bird’s eyes looked a little weird. We hustled back to Giselle’s car and she took the bird back to her place, where it will get the care that it needs. I will post an update on the bird when I hear something. For any readers who would like to donate to the Avian Wildlife Center, you can click here to do so. Thanks!
~Giselle begins her initial examination of the owlet. Liberty Loop, 06/28/25.~
So that was the excitement for the day! Otherwise, the loop was birdy and I observed over 50 species. The most interesting to me was over a dozen Great Blue Herons (it seems early for them to be congregating there already), a single Great Egret, and a single Greater Yellowlegs. Here’s a few photos from the morning. I’m also including a complete list of birds observed – I haven’t done that in a while.
~I was just telling some friends last night that sometime you can catch a glimpse of the Gray Catbird’s rufous under tail. Liberty Loop 06/28/25.~~Young Tree Swallow perched at the Liberty Loop, 06/28/25.~~Red-winged Blackbird striking a pose at the Liberty Loop, 06/28/25.~
I took my yearly hike out to Jupiter’s Boulder in Black Rock Forest to try for Ruffed Grouse. As with the last 6 years, I did not have any success with my target species . But, it was still a birdy and enjoyable hike. I hit the trail just after sunrise and covered around 5 miles. I observed a total of 35 species; all were expected species. Highlights included a low flyover of a Broad-winged Hawk while I relaxed on Jupiter’s Boulder, eating my Cliff Bar breakfast, and getting fantastic looks at an Acadian Flycatcher which was vocalizing nonstop with with its excellent call of “peeet-SAH!”.
~Looking up at an Acadian Flycatcher at Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25.~~Common Yellowthroat at Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25.~~Here I am at the waterfall near the beginning of the trail to Jupiter’s Boulder, Black Rock Forest, 06/21/25.~
This weekend I hiked out at Reservoir #3 in Port Jervis both mornings. My target bird was Ruffed Grouse, which I know is a total longshot, but I had to try. Yesterday I cut my hike short when I was just soaked through and had had enough. So I gave it another go this morning in the dry weather. Both mornings were quite birdy; I had 22 species yesterday in the rain, and 34 species this morning. Species were all expected; highlights for me included Blackburnian Warblers and an Acadian Flycatcher.
~Ovenbird at Reservoir #3, 06/08/25.~
I also spent some time at the Liberty Loop platform on Saturday. My best bird was a calling Least Bittern. I also enjoyed a couple of Green Herons which were spending some time around the platform, providing some photo ops.
~Green Heron coming right at me. Liberty Loop, 06/07/25.~~GRHE at Liberty Loop, 06/07/25.~~One more Green Heron shot from the Liberty Loop platform, 06/07/25.~~Black-and-white Warbler at Reservoir #3, 06/08/25.~
We’ve enjoyed some good and exciting birding in the area recently; my recent posts have reflected that. So this afternoon I’m just doing a little clean up and posting some of the shots which were also taken during that time. Migration is winding down now, and the exciting birding will probably be on hold for a little while; meanwhile we can change our focus to breeding birds, hiking, and just enjoying being out.
~American Goldfinch in the black dirt, o5/25/25.~~Grasshopper Sparrow in the black dirt, 05/25/25.~~Coyote in the black dirt, 06/01/25.~ ~Barn Swallow in the Black Dirt Region, 05/31/25.~~Cedar Waxwing at Port Orange Road, 05/25/25.~
