Well, there is still not very much going on in the local birding scene. New post-breeding birds for me included a couple of Great Egrets (6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and Middletown Reservoir Trails) and a single Solitary Sandpiper (also at 6 1/2). I did have a couple of interesting observations, however. I stopped by Knapp’s View on Saturday morning, just to see if anything was going on. As soon as I arrived, I heard and saw several Purple Martins. I feel like I might have known at some point that Purple Martin houses had been installed there, but I’d totally forgotten, so it was a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t had any PUMAs in the county yet this year, so I was able to add them to my 2026 Orange County list (#188).
Then on Sunday, while I was driving on the exit ramp from the highway into Goshen, I saw two Osprey perched in a tree; one of them was eating a fish. The timing made me wonder if maybe they weren’t a local breeding pair. When they flew, the one bird I stayed on eventually flew southwest, in the direction of Goshen Reservoir, which is pretty close as the Osprey flies. I’m going to nose around there one day this week and see if I can’t find a nest.
Awesome Mate, Every Sunday I look forward to your Photos. Cheers