I finally caught up with the Ulster County Gyrfalcon again this evening. I got really good looks at the bird as it perched in an evergreen briefly on Bates Lane before heading in the direction of Old Fort Road. This is just a super bird that I feel very fortunate to be able to see at all, nevertheless so close to home. The down side is that photos were a bit tough – by the time I saw the bird, the gorgeous afternoon light was gone. It had clouded over a bit as it was getting late, pushing 4:30. Regardless, my day was made!
On my way home, I went to Lippencott Road to look for waterfowl. During a brief visit, I saw: Common Goldeneye (8), American Black Duck (5), Common Merganser (6), Hooded Merganser (2), Canada Goose (45), and Mallard (10). I also had a Cooper’s Hawk on my way over and an adult Bald Eagle perched on the ice in the river.
As a side note, I was happy to see that the number of birders out for the Gyrfalcon appeared to be down a little bit this evening (which may have been simply because it was so late in the day). If you go for this bird, PLEASE be courteous and aware of the locals. I have gotten some feedback that indicates that Gyrfalcon Circus might be wearing thin for some folks, so I think it would be helpful if everyone put there best foot forward while enjoying this fabulous bird.
~The Ulster County Gyrfalcon on a nice perch on Bruyn Turnpike in Wallkill, NY, 2/10/15.
I received word from Denise Farrel that the Gyrfalcon had been relocated for the fourth straight day while I was at work today. It was a beautiful day out with nice light, so I headed up to Ulster County right after work to see if I could see the bird. I knew when I saw the first traffic jam ever on Bruyn Turnpike that I would indeed be able to see the bird. The bird was perched on a fence post way out in a field, where it stayed for some time but then eventually headed back north. Karen Miller had also come straight from work and finally caught up with the bird (third times a charm). We both went to the Grasslands to see what was going on there, but there was not much activity, just one distant Rough-legged Hawk. After Karen left, I sat with Ralph Tabor and we waited for the Short-eared Owls. It was a gorgeous night with a fabulous sky and although they got up a little late for photos, Ralph and I enjoyed watching 7 Short-eared Owls put on a nice show. What a great way to end the day.
~Perched Gyrfalcon in Ulster County, New York, 2/7/15.~
I had slow start to the day birding-wise. I joined Ken Witkowski and we headed up to the town of Hancock in Delaware County, NY. We were participating in a Golden Eagle Survey and due to the weather most likely (we had snow showers on and off), we had a very slow day with very few raptors and no Golden Eagles. It was still a great morning; Ken is very knowledgeable and super interesting to talk to.
I got back to Goshen just before 2:30 and immediately headed up to Ulster County to try for the Gyrfalcon that had been located by Karen Maloy Brady the day before (huge thanks Karen!). On the way I spoke with John Haas to see how the morning had gone – apparently there were plenty of birders out looking for the falcon, but the search had been unsuccessful. I wondered if it was worth the trip up there, but then I figured the worst thing that could happen would be that I didn’t locate the bird and then headed over to the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR to go for the Short-eared Owls. So, I decided to try for it and boy am I glad I did. There is a saying that it’s better to be lucky than good. Well, boy did I get lucky. As I was nearing Bates Lane (which is where the bird had been seen the day before), I noticed a perched bird in a tall evergreen tree. I stopped and took a quick look through my binoculars and nearly had a heart attack – it was the GYRFALCON! I took some quick photos and then put the word out; I was praying that the bird would stay put for others to see. The falcon had other ideas and after some time flew from its perch, heading north and over a little hill where I lost sight of the bird. Less than a minute later Curt McDermott showed up and I explained the situation. Curt relocated the bird inside of 5 minutes just north of where I was on Old Fort Road, and it was on a fresh kill! Many birders arrived (I would guess between 40 and 50) and got to see this beautiful creature. The falcon finished its meal, and then returned to its perch on the evergreen, then to a telephone pole on Old Fort Road where it stayed for a good while. Just after 5:00 the bird was flushed by a Red-tailed Hawk and headed north.
The Gyrfalcon was life bird #317 for me. What an exciting afternoon of birding, one I will never forget. And what a magnificent bird – really and truly remarkable.
~Gyrfalcon hunched over prey, Shawangunk NY, 2/7/15.~~It took a while for the bird to finish eating. Gyrfalcon in Ulster County NY, 2/7/15.~~Photos were tough as the light was not great. The bird was however, Gyrfalcon in Shawangunk NY 2/7/15.~~And one final shot of the Gyrfalcon with prey, Shawangunk NY 2/7/15.~~A distant flight shot as the Gyrfalcon returned to Old Fort Road, Shawangunk NY 2/7/15.~~Happy Birders~
I made out to the viewing platform at Wallkill River NWR Liberty Marsh this evening and it was COLD night! There were not many birds flying close, but I got lucky with the one bird that came close enough for photos – a male Northern Harrier or “Gray Ghost”. This was the only bird I took photos of tonight, but there were several hunting Northern Harriers, two distant Rough-legged Hawks, and at least one Red-tailed Hawk while I was there. It was not quite dark when I left, honestly I just was getting too cold to stay out, and the Short-eared Owls were not yet up.
~Male NOHA at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 2/5/15.~~Northern Harrier in flight. Wallkill River NWR, 2/5/15.~
~A Northern Harrier shot through the grasses out at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 1/31/15.~
I spent an enjoyable morning birding in the black dirt; I spent just over three hours hitting many of the usual spots. Notable observations included fewer Canada Geese than I have had in recent days, I’m not sure where all the geese were hiding out. Also, on Missionland Road, where there were hundreds of Horned Larks earlier this week, I did not have one lark. I did manage to relocate 4 Lapland Longspurs in small flock of mixed sparrows. And, on Onion Avenue in New Hampton I had my first American Robins of the year:
~One of a group of 8 American Robins on Onion Avenue, 2/1/15.~
It was a good morning with a total of 32 species identified:
~American Goldfinch on Missionland Road, 1/31/15.~
Canada Goose
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Short-eared Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Merlin
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Lapland Longspur
American Tree Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
~An American Tree Sparrow leaves its perch, Missionland Road, 1/31/15.~~I had 8! Eastern Bluebirds in my yard as I left in the morning – not a bird I see in our yard very often. Goshen NY, 2/1/15.~
~Gray Ghost at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 2/1/15.~~I had heard about the Merlin that was hanging around Liberty Marsh at Wallkill River NWR, I finally saw it today, 2/1/15. You had to see this bird fly, absolutely incredible, so fast!
~This dark morph Rough-legged Hawk took this low line across the grasslands several times. It was nice to get a RLHA flight shot with a decent background. Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, 1/25/15.~
While the Eastern Meadowlarks were the highlight for me this past Sunday morning, I also did relatively well with raptors. Especially since I was out for only two and a half hours. One interesting observation I made was that since it was a windy morning with the wind coming from the west, most of my shots ended up being at least partially backlit. It seems to me that, at least when it comes to Northern Harriers, these birds tend to hunt while flying into the wind. With a west wind, that means most of the time when I had a bird flying towards the blind it had the sun at its back.
Here is a list of raptors that I had for the morning, and I should mention that when I got back to my car, Ralph let me know that about a dozen Short-eared Owls got up for about twenty minutes – not too far from the parking area. I never saw them since I have my back to the parking area when I’m in the north blind.
Black Vulture 7
Northern Harrier 5
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Rough-legged Hawk 4
American Kestrel 1
~This Northern Harrier must have heard the camera and shot a look back as it passed the blind. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/25/15.~~NOHA at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/15/15.~~This bird flew straight at the blind and got quite close. Northern Harrier at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/25/15.~~This Rough-legged Hawk with a damaged primary feather was near my blind for most of the time I was there. I took this shot from directly below the bird as I walked back to the car. Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, 1/25/15.~
~Cooper’s Hawk at the Newburgh Waterfront, 1/24/15.~
I got out a little late on this Saturday morning because I was waiting for the roads to clear from the fresh snow which had fallen overnight and continued to fall into the morning. I spent a little time in the New Hampton area of the black dirt. From Celery Avenue I could see many Canada Geese over the river in the fields that run along Onion Avenue. I stopped to scan them and from there I could see that there were approximately 20 SNOW GEESE among them. The Snow Geese were difficult to make out – there was plenty on the ground and it was still falling. I hustled around to Onion Avenue and spent some time scanning a large group of geese; I estimate over 1200 Canada Geese and maybe 100 Snow Geese. I did not find any other types of geese in with them. I birded my way up to Turtle Bay Road before turning back (I wanted to get to the Newburgh Waterfront for late afternoon to try for gulls again). Along the way I came across what is likely the same Merlin I have had before, as it was perched in the same spot on a wire along the road. I saw a couple of distant flocks of Horned Larks and then a small group landed briefly on the road. Among them was a single LAPLAND LONGSPUR, which was awesome to see.
I tried for gulls from the old Torches parking lot on the Newburgh Waterfront. There were many present, mostly riding the ice floes up the Hudson River. Herring Gulls seemed most numerous, followed by Ring-billed Gulls and then Great Black-backed Gulls (which I had nearly 30 of). I had one distant first winter Iceland Gull, but no sign of the bird I had yesterday and believed was a Lesser Black-backed Gull. I guess a better, confirmed look at that bird will have to wait until another day. When I have seen a bird that I am not very sure of, I really like to have a photo, because as time passes, doubts start to creep into my mind. I had a couple of raptor highlights while I was there as well. Out on the ice I had 8 Bald Eagles. In the parking lot, a woman stopped her car to tell me there was a hawk perched on a post. It ended up being a Cooper’s Hawk that posed nicely for me. For a day where I wasn’t sure if I would even get out, it was a really good day.
~A Red-tailed Hawk leaves a snowy perch on a snowy morning in New Hampton, NY 1/24/15. ~This certainly seems to be a favorite perch for this Merlin. I have seen it there before, and if you look to the left of the bird there appears to be some remains of prey stuck to the wire. I waited for ages for this bird to fly but after 20 minutes I had to move on. I passed the same spot on my way back, nearly 45 minutes later and the bird was still there! Merlin in New Hampton, NY 1/14./15.~~Snow Geese in the snow. Onion Avenue, 1/24/15.
~A Northern Harrier cruises by my blind, Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, 1/17/15.~
The big news this week was the eBird report of a Snowy Owl at the Liberty Marsh in Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday 1/14/15. I, of course, spent Thursday and Friday evenings after work going for the bird, but with no luck. I left the house this morning with the Snowy Owl being the most important bird on my mind. I did some running around in the Black Dirt and even followed a lead that took me to Chester, NY but had no luck with the Snowy. The Chester bird was likely a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk; I saw photos from the couple that had given me the lead, and I got a very distant look at the bird through my scope. I would like to get back there to get a better look one of these days.
In the afternoon I decide to just try for some photos, so I headed to the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR. The north blind that is furthest out was free, so I spent the afternoon shooting raptors. I love spending time in the blinds out there; you can get such great looks at the birds.
~This one made me happy. Rough-legged Hawk in the Black Dirt, 1/17/15.~~Adult Bald Eagle in the Black Dirt, 1/17/15.~~I was sitting in the blind thinking that it would be nice if a Red-tailed Hawk would fly towards me rather than away. Moments later this bird flew in. Red-tailed Hawk at Shawankgunk Grasslands NWR, 1/17/15.~~The harriers were pretty active today at the grasslands. Northern Harrier at the Shawangunk Grasslands, 1/17/15~~Northern Harrier at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/17/15.~~I was happy with how this photo turned out. Northern Harrier just before sunset at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/17/15.~~The Short-eared Owls got up pretty early today, just after 4:00 pm. None came close enough to my blind for photos while the light was still good. I took this one just as I was preparing to head back to the car. Short-eared Owl at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/17/15.~~A deer checks things out at the Shawangunk Grasslands, 1/17/15.~
QUICK POST: I made the rounds in southern Orange County this afternoon but I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary to report. It was a cold and gray one, but I still did my best to get some photos; here are a couple of shots from the day.
A Northern Harrier takes a turn in the early morning sunlight. Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, 1/10/15.
I started my day off this morning heading out to the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. I was meeting Wayne Hall out there, he wanted to talk to me about a column he is putting together about myself, birding, and bird photography. It was a very cold morning, but Wayne and I walked the trails a bit and talked. We took refuge from the wind in the south blind for a little while, continued our conversation and had a couple of nearby Northern Harriers. Back in the parking lot, I spotted, in the distance, our first Rough-legged Hawk of the day. Shortly after I first noticed the RLHA, it swooped down and flushed 10 Short-eared Owls. The owls did not stay up for long, but it was good to see them. Wayne and I sat in my car for a while and, as we talked, I had an adult Bald Eagle fly over in the distance. It was a pleasure to meet Wayne, and I will be curious to see how his column comes out. It was also nice that we did so well for birds while we were there. I should also mention that on my way out to the grasslands I made a quick stop by Lippincott where I was happy to find what I was looking for: Eleven Common Goldeneyes.
This Rough-legged Hawk stirred up 10 Short-eared Owls before coming in close enough for photos. RLHA at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/10/15.I shot this Northern Harrier from the south blind at the Shawwangunk Grasslands NWR, 1/10/15.
In the afternoon, I did a quick driving tour of parts of the Black Dirt Region. My main goal was to hopefully located a large group of geese to sort through, which I did on Onion Avenue in New Hampton, NY. Unfortunately, just as I started to look through them, in a large and loud wave, every last Canada Goose picked up. I estimate that there were approximately 2000 birds present. Most of the geese seemed to relocate to the Wallkill River, right along Celery Avenue; I did not follow them over there, I will try my luck with them again tomorrow.
I really like these types of photos – Canada Geese taking flight at Onion Ave, 1/10/15.
I ended up with 23 species in the black dirt, all expected species, and I took photos along the way. I was particularly happy to run into this young Cooper’s Hawk:
-Cooper’s Hawk on Breeze Hill Road, 1/10/15. -MODO on Lynch Avenue, 1/10/15.
My final stop of the night was the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. I met up with Linda Scrima and Maria Loukeris by the Liberty Loop platform where we enjoyed the White-crowned Sparrows that have been hanging out there. Maria headed home, Linda and I walked out on Liberty Lane. We had a super surprise when we came upon a large flock of American Tree Sparrows; I estimate that there were close to 60 birds present. They would perch on the trees and bushes along Liberty Lane, then fly off into the refuge and disappear into the grasses. Then they would all return and perch briefly before heading back out to the refuge. They did this at least a half a dozen times before we headed back to the parking lot.
A sunset shot of an American Tree Sparrow at Wallkill River NWR, 1/10/15.
It was 4:40 and the light was getting low when the Short-eared Owls got up. There was just enough light to get some grainy photos; it was a great way to end a super day of birding from one National Wildlife Refuge to another.
A super grainy Short-eared Owl shot, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 1/10/15.
