I missed posting last week because Tricia and I went to the Jersey Shore on a mini-vacation. I fit some birding in while I was there, and I’m working on that post. Meanwhile, I got out early this morning and headed to the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. Kathy Ashman was already there when I arrived; we joined forces and had an amazing morning of birding. It was one of those lucky mornings where the light was beautiful and the birds were plentiful and didn’t mind our presence in the least.
My main goal was, of course, shorebirds – I’ll get to them in a minute. Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets are still present at the refuge in good numbers, and this morning they were joined by several very accommodating Green Herons, as well as a brief but amazing look at a pair of Sandhill Cranes. Swallows were also present in good numbers. I had mostly Tree Swallows, with a handful of Barn Swallows and a couple of Bank Swallows. Kathy had Northern Rough-winged before I arrived. Also of note, we had my first Northern Harrier in a good while.
As for shorebirds, we had a respectable nine species:
- Semipalmated Plover (3)
- Killdeer (8+)
- Least Sandpiper (35+)
- Semipalmated Sandpiper (2)
- Wilson’s Snipe (1)
- Spotted Sandpiper (3)
- Solitary Sandpiper (2)
- Greater Yellowlegs (1)
- Lesser Yellowlegs (4)
I did pretty well with photos, as the birds seemed to be coming closer and closer rather than the opposite. Which was nice for a change. It was an enjoyable morning of birding; it was great to see Kathy who I hadn’t seen in ages and the birds were numerous and cooperative. Hard to beat that. Stay tuned, Jersey Shore post to come later this weekend…
Your photos never disappoint Matt! Those Cranes are awesome! Looks like you and Kathleen had a great morning!
Scotty
Thanks so much Scotty! It was a fabulous morning – it way exceeded expectations, especially after being at the shore where you can’t throw a rock without hitting a shorebird. Matt