The Last Few Days…

I’ve been on a little bit of a roll, getting some pretty good birds the last few days. Thursday evening after work I went to Wickham Lake, where I found four distant Red-necked Grebes. I put the word out and a friend responded by saying they had an Eastern Screech-Owl in their yard and I should come over. I don’t mind if I do! It was a beautiful bird and I got some decent photos in spite of the low light conditions. It’s been a while since I’ve had either of those birds, so that was quite a night.

~Eastern Screech-Owl in Orange County, 03/24/22.~

On Friday I went into the office for work and decided to stop by the Newburgh Waterfront on my way home. I had a hunch about Bonaparte’s Gull – the timing is just about right – and I wasn’t disappointed. On a night where I had mostly Ring-billed and Herring Gulls and just a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls, the BOGU was a welcome find. The bird spent most of the time feeding on the water; I was enjoying the elegant manner in which it picked things off the surface of the water.

~Bonaparte’s Gull in flight at the Newburgh Waterfront, 03/25/22.~

This morning I headed to Cooley Bog in Sullivan County, to try for the Red Crossbills located there by John Haas last week. While I didn’t enjoy the great looks that folks had earlier in the week, I did get to hear one bird singing and I witnessed a couple calling flyovers. There were plenty of good birds around, but unfortunately not being very accommodating. Highlights included loads of Pine Siskins, several Red-breasted Nuthatches, a singing Winter Wren, a Red-shouldered Hawk, and a couple of Brown Creepers.

~On my way to the Beechwoods, I passed this Osprey in the snow at Swan Lake. It’s my first Osprey of the year. ~
~Red-necked Grebes at Wickham Lake, 03/24/22.~
~One more shot of the Bonaparte’s Gull, Newburgh Waterfront 03/25/22.~

From there I went to the area known as the Beechwoods Area. It’s located in the area between Jeffersonville and Hortonville New York, and it’s a good spot for some car birding, which was just what I was looking for since it was snowing and raining on and off. In his book A Birding Guide to Sullivan County NY, John Haas provides directions for a nice birding loop you can drive. My target bird was Eastern Meadowlark, which I found almost as soon as I arrived, on Reum Road. Otherwise it was an enjoyable drive with plenty of the usuals.

I added 3 Sullivan County life birds (Red Crossbill, Brown Creeper, and Eastern Meadowlark) for the day, moving me a little bit closer to my goal of breaking 200 birds in SC this year. My total is now at 197.

Yard Birds 2022: Holding steady at 33 – I didn’t add any new birds this week.

6 thoughts on “The Last Few Days…”

  1. Matt,
    Sounds like you’ve already had a great weekend. I hope we can get you over the top for 200 in Sullivan County this year. I wish you all the best with that! John

    1. I never expected to add 3 birds in a single day, John! That’s a good start for sure. Matt

  2. Great shots . Went out yesterday looking for the red necked grebe that was on Lake Parsippany third and Fri . No success. Also went to Garret Mtn . In the hope of getting winter wren and brown creeper. Again no success. You get these dry periods . Soon The spring migrants should be here. On Thursday someone posted a Pine Grosbeak in Bergen co. This was not confirmed and was only posted by one observer on a single day. I do need this for a Jersey bird. Thanks again for posting

    1. You got it Bruce. And I know what it feels like to go through those dry spells – hope yours passes sooner than later. Thanks for checking in. Matt

  3. Today was better than yesterday. Had my first blue winged teal for the year as well as a EyrSian Green winged teal T the Great swamp. On the way in had great photo opps with a fox. also had my first Hermit thrush for 2022.

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