Weekend Wrap Up, 01/14/18

~Red-shouldered Hawk Route 207, Goshen NY 01/13/18.~

I got out both days this weekend, but the birding was relatively uneventful with a lot of the usuals being seen. Highlights for me included seeing a nice-sized mixed flock (maybe 200 birds) of Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, and at least a single LAPLAND LONGSPUR in the black dirt. Saturday evening the nice light had me headed to the Shawangunk Grasslands; on my way there a Red-shouldered Hawk flew across the road and perched on the roadside. At the grasslands, I had a single young Bald Eagle, 7 Northern Harriers (including 4 Gray Ghosts!), and although they got up too late for photos, 5 Short-eared Owls made a nice end to the day.

~I was surprised that this pic turned halfway decent – this bird was DISTANT! To get a brown bird on a brown background relatively in focus at that distance made me happy. Probably my best bird of the weekend – LAPLAND LONGSPUR in the black dirt, 01/13/18.~
~A backlit Gray Ghost, (adult male Northern Harrier) at Shawangunks Grasslands NWR, 01/13/18.~

Sunday morning I headed to Port Jervis and walked the trails at Reservoir #1. It was a nice, cold, walk and it was birdy, but with just the usuals. I headed to Laurel Grove Cemetery afterwards, where I had my first Hooded Mergansers of 2018 and my best bird of the day, a young COMMON GOLDENEYE. I photographed Eastern Bluebirds on the tombstones, by coincidence my second day in a row getting EABLs on tombstones (I had them at a small cemetery in Florida, NY on Saturday). It was a pretty good, if not exciting, weekend of local birding. Next weekend might be a little more exciting as I am going on a pelagic trip out of Brooklyn on Saturday; something to look forward to!

~A male Eastern Bluebird at Laurel Grove Cemetery, 01/14/18…~ 
~And a female Eastern Bluebird at a small Cemetery in Florida, NY 01/13/18.~
~There were plenty of crows in the black dirt on Saturday. Here’s 3 of them picking some bones clean,  01/13/18.~

8 thoughts on “Weekend Wrap Up, 01/14/18”

    1. Thanks John. I’ll be posting next week as long as the trip goes off without a hitch. Matt

  2. Great photos, Matt. I especially love seeing the Red-shouldered Hawk. Can’t wait to see your photos and read about your pelagic trip.

    1. Thanks Kathy, the RSHA was a nice surprise as it’s not a bird I see or photograph that often. I hope the pelagic is a good one. Matt

  3. Beautiful image of the Red-shouldered Hawk, Matt! Good luck with the Pelagic, one of these days I might make one 🙂

    1. Thanks Dana. It depended entirely on the wind. It was pretty cold, but in some spots it was fine because there wasn’t much wind and the sun was shining. Matt

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