Liberty Loop, 11/22/15

~
~A Red-tailed Hawk flies overhead at the Wallkill River NWR Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~

I’ve had a busy weekend, but I did get manage to get out and do some birding early Saturday morning. I met Maria Loukeris over at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, and we walked the Liberty Loop trail. It was a gorgeous morning, crisp with nice light and just a little bit of a breeze. We found plenty of birds to make the walk interesting, but I did not manage to see any of my target birds – Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow, and Rusty Blackbird, all three of which I need for Orange County for this year. The highlight of the morning for me was seeing hundreds of waterfowl (Canada Geese, American Black Ducks, Mallards, Northern Pintails, and Green-winged Teals) pick up, circle around the refuge and then put back down again. We did alright with raptors with a Turkey Vulture, several Northern Harriers, an adult Bald Eagle, and 3 Red-tailed Hawks. My list for the day includes 26 species; nothing amazing, but it still made for a nice morning of birding that I was grateful to have.

~
~My first American Tree Sparrow shot of the season, Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~
~
~Red-tailed Hawk at the Liberty Loop, 11/21/15.~

Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Winter Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch
European Starling

 

IMG_3450
Ninety-one Green-winged Teal take a lap around the refuge, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~
~On the southern leg of the loop, we saw this tree that had been worked on pretty heavily by a beaver. Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~
~On the southern leg of the loop, we saw this tree that had been worked on pretty heavily by a beaver. Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~

2 thoughts on “Liberty Loop, 11/22/15”

Comments are closed.