Raptors – Page 2 – Orange Birding

Good Birding in Sullivan County, 12/04/22

My original plan this morning was foiled. I was going to hike at Black Rock Forest with winter finches on my mind, but when I arrived, the forest was closed due to hunting season. It’s closed until 12/11/22, so maybe I’ll try again in a couple of weeks.

I eventually decided to head up to Sullivan County. I wanted to add Snow Goose to my Sullivan County list; one had been reported at Phillipsport Marsh. Unfortunately, the bird was not present when I arrived. So I continued to Rondout Reservoir to try for the sea ducks John Haas wrote about on his blog yesterday.

~Bald Eagle in flight over Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

When I arrived, it was unclear to me where these birds might be – Rondout Reservoir is huge! I went to the Sullivan County portion of the reservoir (at the northernmost area). As I walked up, it was a Bald Eagle bonanza. There were two adults sitting on the shore with a fish between them, as well as two young birds flying in the vicinity. It made for some good photo ops – I haven’t had a good opportunity with any eagles in a while, so I enjoyed it as well as the results.

~Coming in hot! Bald Eagle at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

Just as the eagles settled down, Renee Davis pulled up and gave me the lowdown on the sea ducks. Not only that, she drove back to the spot and got me on the birds immediately: (1) SURF SCOTER and (2) LONG-TAILED DUCKS. Huge thanks to Renee for all the help. The birds were distant, but the light was perfect so I had excellent looks in my scope. Photos were a different story, as you can see below. The Surf Scoter was my 206th bird in Sullivan County. Hopefully the Snow Goose will stick around and I’ll get another shot at it.

~Long-tailed Ducks and a Surf Scoter at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22. There are three Common Goldeye in the background. ~

~A young Bald Eagle flies overhead at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

~Bald Eagle at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

~And finally finding a nice perch. Bald Eagle at Rondout Reservoir, 12/04/22.~

Sunday Shots 10/30/22 – Catch Up

The highlight of my week was going to Wickham Lake on Thursday evening, where I had a total of 13 species of waterfowl, including one exciting bird, a SURF SCOTER. On Friday I joined Karen Miller at the lake again, where there were still loads of waterfowl. I increased my total waterfowl species for the two days to 15:

Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Am. Wigeon
Mallard
Am. Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
SURF SCOTER
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant

~Ring-necked Ducks in flight at Wickham Lake, 10/28/22.~

Kyle Knapp joined me on Thursday to get the Surf Scoter, a lifter for him (congrats!). We also saw (4) adult Bald Eagles across the lake, just after sunset. One was perched, but the other three were tangling in the skies just above the tree line.

~Bald Eagles mixing it up at Wickham Lake, 10/27/22.~

On Saturday I was the official counter at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch. I feel a little bit snake bit this season as I had another day of negligible winds and a cloudless blue sky of death. I counted a total of 29 migrating raptors in 6 1/2 hours; my Hawkcount report is at the bottom of this post. Afterwards, I went to the black dirt hoping for some new birds, maybe a Lapland Longspur or some Snow Buntings. No luck with either of those species, but Horned Lark numbers were up, if only slightly. American Pipits were still present in large numbers too.

~Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 10/29/22.~

~Am. Pipit in the black dirt last Saturday 10/22/22.~

~Horned Lark in the black dirt, 10/29/22.~

~One of two Pectoral Sandpipers in the black dirt on Monday, 10/24/22.~

~Mt. Peter Turkey Vulture flyover, 10/29/22.~

Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/22/22

Today I faced the blue sky of death for nearly 7 hours at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch. Fortunately there were some hawks flying early in the day; low enough to not get lost in the vast sea of blue. The afternoon was not as productive; I’ll never know if I just missed all the birds in the blue sky or if the flight slowed down. Regardless, I totaled 66 migrating raptors, just enough to keep me busy enough. Highlights included a half dozen Red-shouldered Hawks and an unexpected (to me) flight of nearly 40 Turkey Vultures. I’ve included my HawkCount report at the bottom of this post.

~One of six Red-shouldered Hawks counted today at Mt. Peter, 10/22/22.~

Shorebirds and Sharpies, 10/15/22

I woke up early this morning and birded the black dirt before heading to Mt. Peter, where I was scheduled to be the official counter. It was a gorgeous morning, and I was happy just to be out and about and not working. I didn’t have high expectations, so I was especially happy to find another nice collection of shorebirds. In one field I had loads of Killdeer, a Wilson’s Snipe, a Pectoral Sandpiper, and a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. The birds were close, the light was nice; it was a lovely start to my Saturday.

~Ahhhh, beautiful bird. Buff-breasted Sandpiper in the black dirt, 10/15/22.~

~Buff-breasted Sandpiper with a blurry Pectoral Sandpiper in the background. Black dir, 10/15/22.~

~Pectoral Sandpiper, this time in focus. Black dirt 10/15/22.~

~Wilson’s Snipe in the black dirt, 10/15/22.~

Afterwards, I headed up to Mt. Peter to spend the day counting hawks on the mountain. It was an interesting flight today; I don’t know if it was due to the a substantial south wind we had today, but nearly all the migrating raptors I counted today were low birds, just above the treetops. I had a modest 30 migrants today, 20 of which where Sharp-shinned Hawks. As usual, I’ve included my Hawkcount report below.

~One of the 20 Sharp-shinned Hawks counted today at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/15/22.~

Maine 2022 Teaser & Hawkwatch 10/01/22

Tricia and I returned on Friday night from a week’s vacation in Maine. We spent 4 days on Monhegan Island and the rest of the week in the Rockland area. Monhegan Island is a birding experience unlike any other; I look forward to getting through my nearly 1,900 photos and putting together a post. For now, here’s a photo of arguably of the most numerous songbirds I observed on the island: Red-breasted Nuthatch.

~Red-breasted Nuthatch on Monhegan Island, 0/25/22.~

Meanwhile, I was the official counter at Mount Peter Hawkwatch today. It was raining when I headed out, and when I arrived at the mountain, it was totally fogged in. I did some local birding and enjoyed a flock of 70 or so American Pipits in the black dirt. I went back to Mt. Peter just before noon a it was still socked in. I birded Wickham Lake, and then went back to finally start the watch at 1:30.

The flight wasn’t substantial, but I was happy to get some good variety, with 8 species of migrating raptors. I’ve included my HawkCount report below.

Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 09/17/22

We had a respectable flight at Mount Peter Hawkwatch today, with a total of 470 migrating raptors. It’s the time of year when Broad-winged Hawks are moving in huge numbers, so while I enjoyed my biggest day of counting in years, Mt. Pete still needs a couple of big days before the Broad-winged Hawk migration is over.

I was lucky enough to have some help up on the mountian today. Fellow counter Tom Millard, Kyle Knapp, Bruce Christiansen, and Bob & Linda Pasak all spent considerable time at the watch, lending the extra eyes. Highlights included 421 Broad-winged Hawks, 7 Bald Eagles, and 3 Ospreys. We enjoyed one triple digit kettle of BWHAs, with a total of 103 birds. See my report at the bottom of this post for more details on the day.

~A local Red-tailed Hawk flying by the platform, Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 09/17/22.~

~A small kettle of Broad-winged Hawks with an adult Bald Eagle crashing the party. Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 09/17/22.~

Sunday Shots, 09/11/22

My first bird of the weekend was a new yard bird for me – Common Raven. It was just after sunrise on Saturday morning and the bird landed on one of the evergreens in the backyard and was calling repeatedly. I grabbed my camera and the sun was just barely over the trees and casting the bird in warm light as I snapped some shots. The bird was species number 55 in my yard for 2022; I thought that was a nice way to start the weekend’s birding.

I was the official counter at Mount Peter Hawkwatch on Saturday. I got out early and birded the black dirt for a little while before heading up to the mountain. I was rewarded with a couple of BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS. There were also hundreds (thousands?) of Tree Swallows around. When I saw them, in a few separate fields, they were on the ground and periodically picking up and taking flight. It was the most Tree Swallows I’ve ever seen.

~A favorite of mine and so many other birders, Buff-breasted Sandpiper in the Black Dirt on Sunday 09/11/22.~

~Tree Swallows in the black dirt on 9/10/22.~

Tree Swallows would prove to be the theme of the day; when I got to Mount Peter there were just loads of them migrating through. Again, I witness hundreds and hundreds of Tree Swallows as I searched the skies for migrating raptors.

The raptor flight was weak, and I only had 14 migrating birds for the day. I did count another Osprey (always cool to see in migration), and I counted my first migrating Bald Eagle of the year. For more details, see my report for the day at the bottom of this post.

~American Kestrel in the black dirt, 09/10/22.~

This morning I birded the Black Dirt Region again – I was able to locate three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, but no other shorebirds (other than the expected loads of Killdeer). I’m coming across loads of American Kestrels in the black dirt recently; I saw ten just this morning.

~BBSA striking a pose in the black dirt, 09/11/22.~

~And one final shot of a BBSA in the black dirt, 09/11/22.~

Monday Catch Up, 09/05/22

It’s hard to believe it’s Labor Day already; this summer flew by for me. But, that means that Hawkwatch Season is upon us. I spent Saturday morning up at Mount Peter helping the Mt. Pete crew clean up the area. We cleaned up trash, cleared up some of the trails, and cut back any small saplings which would grow up to eventually block our view. Word has it that the DEC has finally agreed to remove some trees to help provide better viewing, but we won’t enjoy that until the 2023 season. On Sunday I was the official counter. As we should expect this early in the season, it was slow. I had a total of 14 migrating raptors, you can see my report below.

~A Northern Harrier was keeping the shorebirds at the Liberty Loop on their toes, 09/04/22.~

Shorebirds remain my main focus, however. Early in the week there was a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER located at Skinner’s Lane (apologies, I can’t remember the original locator). I caught up with that bird a couple of times; unfortunately it was waaaay out there and photos weren’t even an option. I also had a couple more American Golden-plover sitings in the black dirt this week. Conditions at the Goshen Park and Ride continue to be good, and there has been a small but diverse group of birds present (Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, both Yellowlegs, and Solitary Sandpiper). The most exciting bird this weekend was a STILT SANDPIPER found by Kyle Knapp on Sunday. I was able to catch up with that bird after hawkwatch, I had good scope views, but photos were tough.

~Glossy Ibis at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 09/05/22.~

This morning Kathy Ashman found a Glossy Ibis at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. I ran for the bird; it’s always cool to see a GLIB, but I was also hoping to find some interesting shorebirds. Unfortunately, that was not the case and I was only able to locate Least Sandpipers and Killdeer.

~Common Nighthawk over my park on 08/28/22.~

And finally, my yard list is starting to pick up. I added three birds this week – A Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Pileated Woodpecker, and I had several Common Nighthawks flyover last Sunday evening. My yard list total is now up to 53 species.

~I’m torn about showing photos like this. As you can see, this Coyote is suffering with some sort of skin condition; I don’t know much about what health issues Coyotes are likely to have to deal with and how serious this might be. This one seemed to be doing well in spite of it, and was working a field in the black dirt, absolutely going to town chowing on insects it was finding in the grass. Black Dirt, 09/03/22.~

Sunday Shots – Yard Raptors Edition, 07/31/22

Well I finally added a new yard bird to my 2022 list this week. Early in the week I was hearing a Broad-winged Hawk calling somewhere in the vicinity. On Friday while I was working, I heard it again and it was loud. I went out my side door and the bird was perched in the large maple tree in the corner of our yard. I clicked a few photos before the bird flew, but my settings weren’t great and my shutter speed was very slow – 1/125th of a second. I didn’t think I had a prayer of getting anything sharp, especially because I was hand-holding my super heavy 500 mm lens. Lucky for me, I managed a couple of acceptable shots.

~Broad-winged Hawk in my yard, 07/30/22.~

Meanwhile, the Cooper’s Hawks which nested in my neighbor’s yard had at least three chicks successfully fledge. They have been making a racket all week, and this afternoon, after several blown opportunities, I was able to get a good shot of one of them in the same maple as the BWHA. It was funny because I was “watching the golf” (ie napping on the sofa), when Tricia woke me up to tell me the bird was in our yard.

~Young Cooper’s Hawk in my yard, 07/31/22.~

I didn’t get out at all on Saturday, but this morning I got out for a few hours. I checked 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, following up on some shorebirds that Karen Miller told me about. Conditions are good, but the only shorebirds I was able to locate were about a dozen Killdeer and and a single Solitary Sandpiper. The sanctuary is loaded with Green Herons right now – I had at least 8 while I was there this morning. And as you would expect, there were also many Wood Ducks around; I was happy to capture this one just off the trail.

~Wood Duck in the muck at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 07/31/22.~

~One of several Green Herons at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary this morning, 07/31/22.~

I also tried Beaver Pond for shorebirds – I found several Least Sandpipers and 10 or so Killdeer. Conditions are good – I’m prediction at least one good bird there this fall.

My last stop was the Liberty Loop. I birded from the platform and was able to locate a single, distant American Bittern. I checked the west side of the loop for shorebirds but only found a couple of Killdeer. Hopefully it’s just a matter of time before we start seeing some more good shorebirds in our area.

~Cedar Waxwing at Beaver Pond, 07/31/22.~

Yard Birds 2022: (50). I FINALLY got a new bird (the Broad-winged Hawk), my first since May 17th.

Sunday Shots, 07/24/22

So it’s still feeling like the summer doldrums to me. That said, there was a little excitement in the local birding scene. On Wednesday, an ANHINGA was reported at Lake Tappan in Rockland County. I went for the bird after work on Thursday and was lucky enough to see it. The bird was distant and my photos were barely good enough for documentary purposes, but I enjoyed watching the bird in my scope, waiting it out until it finally left its perch and fished a little. It was excellent to see such a cool bird and to add it to my New York State list.

On Friday, Ken McDermott found a LITTLE BLUE HERON at Algonquin Park. It was reported on Saturday as well, but I tried to relocate it on Sunday and had no luck. Also, John Haas had a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at the Newburgh Waterfront on Saturday. I tried for that bird this morning, but didn’t have any luck.

~I have this as a young Red-shouldered Hawk. Bullville Pond, 07/24/22.~

Not very shockingly, shorebirds were my main targets this week. I visited Beaver Pond near Glenmere Lake on Friday and had Least, Solitary, and Spotted Sandpipers along with a good number of Killdeer. At the south pond of the Liberty Loop on Saturday morning, I had the same list of shorebird species (although Kyle Knapp had a Pectoral Sandpiper there on Sunday morning). The Camel Farm it totally dry and I didn’t even stop by. This morning I went to Bullville Pond, where there were a couple Solitaries and a couple Spotteds. Hopefully we will begin to get some more diversity soon.