My original plan this morning was foiled. I was going to hike at Black Rock Forest with winter finches on my mind, but when I arrived, the forest was closed due to hunting season. It’s closed until 12/11/22, so maybe I’ll try again in a couple of weeks.
I eventually decided to head up to Sullivan County. I wanted to add Snow Goose to my Sullivan County list; one had been reported at Phillipsport Marsh. Unfortunately, the bird was not present when I arrived. So I continued to Rondout Reservoir to try for the sea ducks John Haas wrote about on his blog yesterday.
When I arrived, it was unclear to me where these birds might be – Rondout Reservoir is huge! I went to the Sullivan County portion of the reservoir (at the northernmost area). As I walked up, it was a Bald Eagle bonanza. There were two adults sitting on the shore with a fish between them, as well as two young birds flying in the vicinity. It made for some good photo ops – I haven’t had a good opportunity with any eagles in a while, so I enjoyed it as well as the results.
Just as the eagles settled down, Renee Davis pulled up and gave me the lowdown on the sea ducks. Not only that, she drove back to the spot and got me on the birds immediately: (1) SURF SCOTER and (2) LONG-TAILED DUCKS. Huge thanks to Renee for all the help. The birds were distant, but the light was perfect so I had excellent looks in my scope. Photos were a different story, as you can see below. The Surf Scoter was my 206th bird in Sullivan County. Hopefully the Snow Goose will stick around and I’ll get another shot at it.
Glad you had such a good day in Sullivan! I’ll keep you posted on the Snow Goose.
Ooops, by the way, fabulous eagle shots!
Ha ha, thanks John. And thanks for the inspiration for a good day. Matt
OUTSTANDING shots of the Bald Eagles, Matt. I’m glad that your plan was altered!
I guess I am too, Ken! Thanks so much, good to hear from you. Matt
Love the Bald Eagle photos Matt! The Rondout Reservoir is really is one of our only good water spots during the late fall and once the winter months set in the only spot as all the lakes and the Neversink Reservoir get completely frozen. Without a doubt these are some of the best eagle photos I’ve seen from this location. Glad you got the scoter. John told me this is the first ever December record for Surf Scoter for Sullivan County.
Best,
Scotty
I usually don’t go to Rondout until everything is frozen over. I was impressed and a little overwhelmed with how massive it is when it’s all open water. I was happy to find out the ducks were still at the same location, ie the north end of the reservoir that typically doesn’t freeze over, and pretty easily viewed. Thanks for the kind words, I’m pretty happy with the eagle pics. Matt
Wonderful eagle photos! Thanks to your earlier post with the photos of the Greater White-fronted Goose, I found the goose today by the Belleville Farm around 3:30 today. Thank you.
Thanks Amy! So glad you got the goose – beautiful bird, right? Matt