Orange Birding

Sunday Shots 07/02/23

In some ways it’s hard to believe it’s July already, but with the birding doldrums kicking in, it sure feels like summer. On Saturday morning I headed to Sullivan County in an effort to spice things up a little bit. I birded Hickok Brook Multiple Use Area, hoping to get lucky with a Ruffed Grouse. I’ve had them there in the past, but on Saturday I didn’t have any good fortune. Still, I really enjoyed the morning and it was good to see and hear some species that I don’t see as often in Orange County, such as Magnolia Warblers, Blackburnian Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and Hermit Thrushes.

~I finally found a cooperative Common Yellowthroat. Hickok Brook MUA, 07/01/23.~

~I’ve never had this happen before – a male Scarlet Tanager landed on the trail directly in front of me. Hickok Brook MUA, 07/01/23.~

On Saturday evening, Tricia and I enjoyed a cocktail on the back deck. The birds were active, so I grabbed my camera and grabbed some shots of some the birds that are nesting in the yard.

On Sunday I stayed in Orange County – I found a very distant perched and singing Grasshopper Sparrow at the OC Airport. Aside from that, there wasn’t much to report on and the poor light did not lend itself to good photos. There are still many Killdeer and Killdeer chicks around, both at the airport and in the black dirt.

~House Finch in the crabapple tree in our backyard, 07/01/23.~

~Any thoughts on the species of this fledgling? I feel like I’m usually pretty good at identifying these very young birds, but this one has me stumped. I was thinking Hermit Thrush, someone suggested Ovenbird too. Hickok Brook Multiple Use Area, 07/01/23.~

Sunday Shots: Monday Edition, 06/26/23

Between the weather, the time of year, and some personal obligations, there wasn’t much going on for me birding-wise this past weekend. Still, I like to try to post at least once a week, and I did get a few images worth sharing.

Early Saturday morning, I walked in the rain out to the back pond at the Liberty Loop. I was hoping for Least Bitterns, Sora, or anything exciting. Instead, I got plenty of Red-winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows, lol. Birds were remarkably scarce, especially since there was almost no foot traffic on the trail due to the poor weather. Afterwards, I drove a little of the black dirt area, and then walked the trail at Goosepond Mountain where I had a notable bird – I flushed a trailside American Woodcock in a large field off of the main trail.

~Red-winged Blackbird in the rain. Liberty Loop 06/24/23.~

I had a funny thing happen at Owens Station Crossing after I left the loop. I drove in to OSC to see if anything was going on. There wasn’t much, but I did see this:

~Purple Martins at Owens Station Crossing, 06/24/23.~

I was perplexed as to why the middle PUMA was perched nearly completely upside down. I was very embarrassed when I texted the photo to Linda Scrima (who works with the PUMAs at Owens Station), and she informed me that it is actually a statue that they put there to lure in early scouters, but it had somehow turned upside down, lol. It reminded me of when I was first starting out birding around 2012 – a long-time Orange County birder told me about a location in the black dirt to try for Short-eared Owls. I went out one evening; I arrived a little late and it was getting dark quickly. Shortly after arriving, I spotted an owl perched on a post, a few hundred yards out. I took loads of photos, trying to capture it in the darkness and distance. It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the photos on the computer that I saw it was a plastic owl, lol. You gotta be able to laugh at yourself sometimes, ha ha.

~A Red-winged Blackbird with a mouthful. Liberty Loop, 06/24/23.~

~White-tailed Deer lounging in the rain at the Liberty Loop, 06/24/23.~

~Osprey on the nest at Bayard Cutting Arboretum, Suffolk County NY 06/25/23. On Sunday, Tricia and I stopped by the arboretum before going to my niece Kate’s graduation party (congratulations Kate!).

Sunday Shots 06/18/23: Swallows

This morning I followed up on a report on the Mearns Bird Club app. The other John, aka The Lobsta, found a Bank Swallow colony in Slate Hill. The site did not disappoint – there were many Bank Swallows present and very active. I parked my car and used it as a blind and enjoyed the show. Afterwards, I decided to make it a swallow day, and I headed to a known nesting area for Cliff Swallows. Unfortunately the light was terrible there, making for terrible photos (I’ve posted one nonetheless). And finally, I headed over to Lower Wisner Road and spent some time with the nesting Tree Swallows at that location.

~Bank Swallow taking off. Slate Hill NY 06/18/23.~

~An adult Bank Swallow leaves the nest, Slate Hill 06/18/23.~

~Bank Swallow, Slate Hill, Orange County NY 06/18/23.~

~One more Bank Swallow shot, Slate Hill 06/18/23.~

~Tree Swallow at Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, NY 06/18/23.~

~One more Tree Swallow at Wisner, 06/18/23.~

~Terrible shot, but I wanted to include at least one Cliff Swallow shot. Warwick, NY 06/18/23.~

Sunday Shots 06/11/23: Killdeer of All Ages

Aside from my hike at Black Rock Forest, I seemed to find Killdeer everywhere I birded this weekend. Many are working on their second clutch of the season. Meanwhile, the young Killdeer from the first clutch now have the appearance of clumsy teenagers; not quite adult size with a very pathetic looking tail, lol. Here’s a few shots from the weekend, with Killdeer ages ranging from eggs in the nest to the adult watching over.

~Ulster County Killdeer chick, 06/10/23.~

~Another puffball in Ulster County, 06/10/23.~

~Adult Killdeer with eggs on the nest. I took this shot through a fence, using my car as a blind. Orange County 06/11/23.~

~A young Killdeer in Orange County, 06/11/23. To me, at this age they look like awkward teenagers.~

Black Rock Forest, 06/10/23

It was five years ago today that I finally got my first Ruffed Grouse in Orange County. The location was at Jupiter’s Boulder in Black Rock Forest, so I headed there first thing this morning, hoping to finally get lucky again. Unfortunately, I had no luck with the grouse, but it was a beautiful and birdy hike. I enjoyed a couple of my favorite summer birds – Acadian Flycatcher and Yellow-throated Vireo. Another highlight was a low flyover of a Broad-winged Hawk while I ate my snack and drank some water right beside Jupiter’s Boulder. I completed my hike with 28 species observed, which I was pretty happy with.

~Broad-winged Hawk at Black Rock Forest, 06/10/23.~

~One more of the ACFL at Black Rock Forest, 06/10/23.~

Sunday Shots – Life Bird Edition, 06/04/23

This morning I headed out to the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area to try for the PROTHONATORY WARBLER which had been present for 6 days. Well, make it 7 days, as the bird was still present and with some patience I got some fabulous looks and some decent photos. Huge thanks to John Haas, who got me on the bird initially, and Scotty Baldinger, who got me on it for my photos. It was great to see them, as well as some of my other favorite birders, Mary B, PJ Singh, Jeff and Liz Zahn, and Karen Miller. The PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was a life bird for me (#443), and of course, a Sullivan County bird (#208).

~PROTHONOTARY WARBLER at the Bashakill, 06/04/23.~

~One more look at the PRWA, Bashakill WMA, 06/04/23.~

IRELAND 2023

Tricia and I just returned Tuesday evening, after spending 10 days in Ireland. It was my third trip to the Emerald Isle since I got heavily into birding back around 2011. As we have in years past, we spent our time on the west coast, visiting with Tricia’s family and spending time sightseeing and birding in the Clifden area initially, and then Galway after that. I observed a total of 57 species during the trip; 14 were new species for me in Ireland, and 12 of those were life birds.

~My best bird of the trip – WHITE-THROATED DIPPER near Ballynahinch Castle, Roundstone Ireland 05/25/23.~

Here’s a list of my new species in Ireland. Species in all caps were life birds for me.

COAL TIT
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
GREAT TIT
WILLOW WARBLER
EURASIAN BLACKCAP
COMMON CHAFFINCH
LONG-TAILED TIT
LESSER REDPOLL
Ring-necked Pheasant
Lesser Black-backed Gull
WHITE-THROATED DIPPER
COMMON CHIFFCHAFF
LITTLE EGRET
GRAY WAGTAIL

~One more look at the White-throated Dipper, Roundstone Ireland 05/25/23.~

~This was a brief but amazing moment. A crew of several recently fledged Long-tailed Tits moved through and I luckily managed to get one decent shot. Beach Road in Clifden, Ireland 05/24/23.~

~Long-tailed Tit adult with prey, Beach Road Clifden 05/24/23.~

~Eurasian Linnet taking a short flight at Nimmo’s Pier in Galway, 05/29/23.~

~European Robin in Clifden, Ireland 05/25/23.~

~I had a total of 5 species of gull during the trip: Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, and Common Gull (above at Dog’s Bay near the hamlet of Eararna, 05/26/23.~

~First Summer Common Gull at Omey Island, Cleggan Ireland 05/24/23.~

~Hooded Crow in the backyard of the place were were staying in Clifden, 05/24/23.~

~Look at the bill on this beast! I love it. Rook in Galway, 05/29/23.~

~Also in our yard in Clifden, Eurasian Magpie 05/24/23.~

~Singing Meadow Pipit, Cleggan Ireland 05/22/23.~

~Rock Pipit at Beach Road, Clifden 05/23/23.~

~Female Stonechat at Nimmo’s Pier 05/28/23.~

~Male Stonechat a day later at Nimmo’s Pier, 05/29/23.~

~Cool looking bird – European Greenfinch on Beach Road, Clifden 05/24/23.~

~Bluetit cuteness at Brigit’s Garden & Cafe outside of Galway, 05/26/23.~

~Not a great shot, but I loved this bird. Long-tailed Tit on Beach Road, 5/24/23.~

Sunday Shots, 05/14/23

I was up early both morning this weekend, focused on catching up on some of the songbirds that have moved into our area. I didn’t find nearly as many warblers as I’d hoped, but with some decent yard birding, I added a total of 15 species to my Orange County 2023 list this week. On Saturday morning I birded Cedar Hill Cemetery (just north of Newburgh), and then went to Kendridge Farm. On Sunday I went to Port Jervis and birded Laurel Grove Cemetery and Elks Brox Memorial park.

~Baltimore Oriole at Kendridge Farm, 05/13/23. I’ve seen and heard more BAORs this year than I can ever remember before.

Here’s a list of the birds I added to my OC list this week:

Baltimore Oriole, 05/08/23, my yard
Great Crested Flycatcher, 05/09/23, my yard
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 05/12/23, my yard
Red-eyed Vireo, 05/13/23, Cedar Hill Cemetery
Eastern Wood-Pewee, 05/13/23, Cedar Hill Cemetery
Magnolia Warbler, 05/13/23, Kendridge Farm
Blue-winged Warbler, 05/13/23, Kendridge Farm
Green Heron, 05/13/23, Kendridge Farm
Common Nighthawk, 05/13/23, my yard
Pine Warbler, 05/14/23, Laurel Grove Cemetery
Scarlett Tanager, 05/14/23, Elks Brox Park
Prairie Warbler, 05/14/23, Elks Brox Park
Blackpoll Warbler, 05/14/23, Elks Brox Park
Northern Parula, 05/14/23, Elks Brox Park
Common Gallinule, 05/14/23, Liberty Loop

~Northern Mockingbird at Cedar Hill Cemetery, 05/13/23.~

Tricia and I are heading to Ireland for vacation at the end of this coming week, so unless something really interesting happens this week, this will be my last post for a couple of weeks. I look forward to sharing my experiences in Ireland when I get back; this time I am planning to get back to the Cliffs of Moher, so that will be exciting.

~A Red-tailed Hawk peers down from one of the buildings at Kendridge Farm, 05/13/23.~

~I had to include at least one warbler photo, even if it’s not a great shot. Blue-winged Warbler at Kendridge Farm, 05/13/23.~

~Female Red-winged Blackbird in the black dirt, 05/13/23.~

Sunday Shots, Shorebirds and Babies, 05/07/23

It’s the time of year when A LOT is happening. Birds are on the move and seemingly everywhere. While I think most birders were out looking for wood warblers, I kind of did my own thing since warblers are not high priority for me. That said, I added 27 species to my Orange County year list in the past couple of days. I added over half of those birds on a 7.5 mile hike at Black Rock Forest on Saturday morning. It was a birdy hike with 44 species observed.

~Killdeer chick in the Black Dirt Region, 05/07/23.~

Saturday afternoon I went over to Walkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail. Birding bud Kyle Knapp let me know that he’d had shorebirds there in the flooded fields. I was able to relocate the Dunlin that he’d had there earlier, as well as: Killdeer (2), Least Sandpipers (9), Greater Yellowlegs (many), Lesser Yellowlegs (even more), and Solitary Sandpipers (15+). The birds were distant, and the heat shimmer was terrible, which made for poor viewing.

~Lesser Yellowlegs at Winding Waters Trail, 05/07/23.~

I went back to Winding Waters this morning to follow up on the Black-bellied Plover that Jeanne Cimorelli located after I’d left on Saturday. As luck would have it, I was joined by fellow hawk watcher and all around good guy, Tom Millard. We scanned the shorebirds from many locations on the trail and totaled 9 species of shorebirds (we added Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover and Spotted Sandpiper to the birds listed above). The number of shorebirds at that location right now is really something – it’s hard to put a number on it, but I’m guesstimating over 200 shorebirds present.

~Earlier in the week, I went for the red fox kits again. Cuteness overload. Orange County 05/01/23.~

~Solitary Sandpiper at Winding Waters Trail, 05/07/23.~

~For some reason, it seems hard to get a catchlight on the eye of a young Killdeer. I took many photos of these chicks, and the top photo of this post was the only one with a catchlight. Killdeer chick in the black dirt, 05/07/23.~

~Lesser Yellowlegs with a worm for a snack. Winding Waters, 05/07/23.~

~This little dude was having a blast playing with this stick….

~….but she/he tired quickly and was fast asleep when I left. Orange County red fox 05/01/23.~

~Bald Eagle flyover at Winding Waters Trail, 05/07/23.~

~American Goldfinch in the black dirt, 05/07/23.~

What a Day!

I spent yesterday on Long Island visiting with my family; it had been a while, so it was really great to make up for lost time. But, that meant no birding. So, I woke up early this morning, hoping that the weather would bring in some good birds. I was at the Newburgh Waterfront just after sunrise, but unfortunately there was nothing going on. It was hight tide, as I knew it would be, so that may have had something to do with it.

~Three red fox kits, Orange County NY 03/30/23.~

I also checked a couple of lakes in the Newburgh area and came up empty. Then John Haas put out an alert that he had several CASPIAN TERNS at the Bashakill. It took me what seemed like ages to get there, but the birds stuck around. There ended up being a total of (7) Caspian Terns in all, and they did offer a few decent photos ops as they flew back and forth over Haven Road. It was very enjoyable birding, and CATE was my 207th species in Sullivan County, so that is exciting.

~Caspian Tern in flight at the Bashakill, 04/30/23.~

After leaving the Bash, I just cruised around southern Orange County to see what I could find. The birding was just the usuals (American Pipits in the black dirt was the highlight), but by a stroke of luck I found a litter of Red Fox kits. They were just awesome – inquisitive to a certain extent, but mostly just very cautious and of course, cute as can be. As much as I enjoyed the terns, these little beasts made my day.