Sunday Shots, 05/26/24

With songbird migration winding down, and no real weather moving through, my expectations for this weekend were relatively low. And maybe because of that, I really enjoyed the past couple of days. In addition to several songbird locations, I tried for shorebirds in the county – in primarily three locations:

  • 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary: Conditions are quite good at this location right now, but unfortunately I haven’t had much variety. Shorebirds included Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, and Spotted Sandpiper.
  • Camel Farm: Conditions are not great (water is a little high), but I was thinking it might still be good for phalarope species. I had no luck with phalaropes, in fact on Saturday I had no shorebirds at all. On Sunday I faired a tiny bit better and had Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Sandpiper (my first of the year).
  • Hudson River Near Newburgh: I arrived at Plum Point right at low tide on Sunday morning and scanned the sandbar. I came up empty at first, but then the highlight of my weekend, a pair of CASPIAN TERNS flew in and landed. I joined up with birding bud Bruce Nott and we checked the sandbar at the mouth of the Quassaick Creek, where we found a single Killdeer and a Least Sandpiper. Afterwards, Bruce relocated the NEOTROPIC CORMORANT near the ferry, so I went over and enjoyed excellent looks but battled a backlit situation for photos.
~Neotropic Cormorant continues at the Newburgh Waterfront, 05/26/24.~

As we’ve come to expect, good photos for shorebirds in Orange County are tough to come by. But, I did take a lot of other photos, and I’m also playing a little catch up with some photos that I never got to last weekend.

~Belted Kingfisher at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 05/18/24.~
~American Redstart at Pochuck Mountain. I haven’t birded this location much in recent years, so I decided to spend some time there on Saturday morning. It was birdy enough to keep me interested, but really there was not much too exciting. Four Yellow-billed Cuckoos was a highlight.
~Ruby-throated Hummingbird, our yard, 05/18/24.~
~This pair is kind of cracking me up. I keep seeing them way out in the same field in the black dirt region. I took this shot on 05/18/24.~
~Great Blue Heron at Beaver Pond on 05/21/24. I was trying for the Tricolored Heron, but I had no luck.
~A pair of Snapping Turtles (yes there is another one under the water), presumably mating at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 0/26/24.~
~Gray Squirrel with a nut in our yard earlier this week.~