Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 08/21/22

My focus this week has, unsurprisingly, been on shorebirds. The rest of the week paled in comparison to my amazing experience with the Red-necked Phalarope on Monday evening, but there are some decent shorebirds around and it’s been good to get out.

6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary has been decent for shorebirds. I birded from the Heritage trail twice this week and the place is loaded with Least Sandpipers and Killdeer. I also had a single Pectoral Sandpiper each visit. On Saturday afternoon I ventured out to Citgo Pond; a spot I haven’t been to in absolutely ages. The trail is totally overgrown, and getting to the pond was a bear. Once there, sweaty and bloody, I had a Semipalmated Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, and a single Semipalmated Plover.

~An extremely accommodating Pied-billed Grebe at Morningside Park, 08/2022.~

I was leaving the Heritage Trail one evening this week and I drove past the Goshen Park and Ride. I noticed that the water level was low, so I stopped and was happy to find good conditions and a decent number of shorebirds. I’ve stopped there several times this week and had the following birds: Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, and Killdeer. This place could get a good bird this fall, and parking is super easy and the viewing is not too bad either.

~Least Sandpiper at Morningside Park on Monday evening, 08/15/22.~

I also ventured back to Sullivan County to Morningside Park for a second time this week on Saturday morning. Unfortunately a Merlin seems to have taken over the place, and the only shorebirds I found were a Killdeer and a single Solitary Sandpiper. There was also a couple of Bald Eagles present, including one young bird which was crying the entire time I was there. Otherwise, it was pleasant to be out on the calm beautiful water just after sunrise, and I also had a nice experience with a Pied-billed Grebe which didn’t seem to mind my presence very much.

~Bald Eagle at Morningside Park 08/20/22.~

~Solitary Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 08/20/22.~

~Red-tailed Hawk in the Black Dirt last weekend, 08/14/22.~

~Rose-breasted Grosbeak at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/18/22.~

~Lesser Yellowlegs at Morningside Park on Monday 08/15/22.~

~Green Heron with prey at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/14/22.~

Sullivan County RED-NECKED PHALAROPE!

Today while I was working I received an alert on the Mearns Bird Club app; John Haas had a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE at Morningside Park. I immediately knew I would run for the bird after work if it stuck around. John reported the bird again in the mid afternoon, so things were looking good.

I tried to not speed too much on my way to Morningside Park, I’d already been delayed because I had to put air in one of my tires. I arrived, put my kayak in the water and headed out. I made the rounds of all the mud/stump islands in the lake, but didn’t have any luck. There was a good number of shorebirds present, I had: Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Killdeer, a Spotted Sandpiper, a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs, and (6) SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS. Normally this would be a banner day, but I was itchy about the phalarope and beginning to think it had moved on.

~Red-necked Phalarope at Morningside Park, 08/15/22.~

On my second go-round, I was happy to see the Red-necked Phalarope come in and land at the island where I was looking. I “parked” my kayak in the muddy shore and watched, photographed, and just enjoyed this incredible little bird. The bird was beautiful and extremely confiding, making its way closer and closer to me and never flushing. It was a very special birding experience, one that I won’t forget any time soon. What a bird.

~Beautiful bird. RNPH at Morningside Park, 08/15/22.~

John called as I was making my way back to shore. I told him how it went – he stopped me in my tracks when I mentioned the dowitchers. They hadn’t been there earlier, so John jumped in his car and joined me at the park to get them just before darkness fell. Huge thanks and congrats to John for finding and reporting a great bird. Check out his shore birding accounts from the day here.

~I had these as Short-billed Dowitchers in the field; I checked John Haas’ blog before posting and he had them as SBDO too. Morningside Park, 08/15/22.~

~Red-necked Phalarope, Morningside Park 08/15/22.~

Sunday Shots, 08/07/22 – Things are Happening

At least shorebirds are moving to some extent at this point. You probably saw that I had an UPLAND SANDPIPER on Friday evening. On Saturday no one appears to have relocated the Uppy, but Bruce Nott did find 3 Caspian Terns at Cornwall Bay, and later in the evening I tried for the Uppy again and was rewarded with a flyover of 4 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. I actually picked them up in a distant field, but they picked up an flew; as far as I know they didn’t return. It’s refreshing to see that fall migration is beginning; let’s hope for a good one.

~Least Bittern fledgling at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/06/22.~

~Young Cooper’s Hawk in my yard, 08/05/22. It looks like this bird is flying right at me, but actually I was hidden in my screened in porch and the bird flew directly over.~

~My first Black-bellied Plovers of the season. It seems early to me, but I was thrilled to see them on Saturday, 08/06/22.~

~One of nearly 20 Horned Lark fledglings I saw in the black dirt on Friday night, 08/05/22.~

~A couple of young Brown-headed Cowbirds in the black dirt, 08;05/22.~

Orange County Upland Sandpiper, 08/05/22

Tonight after work I headed out to the black dirt again, and I finally caught up with my target bird for this week: UPLAND SANDPIPER! I was having a pleasant evening – it was birdy enough to keep me interested, it was Friday night, life was good. Then, life became excellent when I spotted an Upland Sandpiper hanging out with a couple of Killdeer. Unfortunately the bird flew not long after I found it. Linda Scrima joined me in the search, and she was able to relocate the bird, but only briefly before it flew again. Try as we might, we were unable to relocate the bird again before it got too dark.

~High ISO (8000) Red Fox in the black dirt, 08/05/22.~

Beautiful Night in the Black Dirt, 08/01/22

Work has been super stressful for me lately, and as we all know so well, Mondays are the absolute worst. Usually birding is my respite from any worries in my life, and it’s normally particularly effective when it’s work related. But lately, even on good birding days, I haven’t been able to completely shake it and it’s taken some of the joy out of my birding. Tonight, however was different. It was a beautiful evening to get out, and as I entered the black dirt I could feel the tension leaving my body.

~Horned Lark in the black dirt, 08/01/22.~

It was pleasantly birdy in the black dirt, and then I had a really nice experience with one of my favorites – a Horned Lark. Horned Larks breed in the county, but really, I don’t see them all that often in the summer. So I was pretty happy to come across one this evening. To make it better, instead of the usual distant look, the bird was relatively close and slowly worked its way toward me, allowing for excellent looks and a chance to get some photos. It’s strange how things coalesce sometimes; the right bird at the right time, on a beautiful night in the black dirt.

~Red-tailed Hawk with prey, black dirt 08/01/22.~

~Mourning Dove in the black dirt, 08/01/22.~

~Savannah Sparrow in the black dirt, 08/01/22.~

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.

Orange County Little Blue Heron, 07/26/22

On my third attempt, I finally caught up with the LITTLE BLUE HERON that has been hanging around the small pond at Algonquin Park recently. The bird was originally located by Ken McDermott last Friday, and I have to thank Ken for posting that the bird was present this evening. His timing was impeccable; I was just wrapping up work. The bird hung in for me this time, and I enjoyed some fantastic looks. I was particularly impressed when the bird caught and ate 2 large frogs, one right after the other. Ken had returned for another look, and Joe Chernek showed up as well, so it was really good to see both of them as well. It felt good to have an exciting evening of birding – it’s been a while.

~Little Blue Heron at Algonquin Park, Newburgh NY 07/26/22.~

~It was cool to watch the bird take short flights around the pond. LBHE at Algonquin Park, 07/26/22.~

~Little Blue Heron at Algonquin Park, 07/26/22.~

~The bird hunted and ate 2 frogs this big right in a row. And it continued hunting! LBHE at Algonquin Park, 07/26/22.~

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.

~Great Blue Heron at Bullville Pond, 07/24/22.~

~Killdeer at the south pond of the Liberty Loop, 07/23/22.~

~Solitary Sandpiper in the muck at the Liberty Loop, 07/23/22.~

~One of three young Cooper’s Hawks at Black Rock Forest last Sunday, 7/17/22. I took an 8.5 mile hike on Sunday but it wasn’t overly noteworthy in terms of birds so I didn’t post.~

~That’s it for this week. Hopefully things will start to pick up soon.~

Liberty Loop 07/16/22

I arrived at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop just after sunrise this morning, with hopes to catch up with the American Bittern Ronnie DiLorenzo reported on Thursday. Shortly after my arrival, Kyle Knapp joined me with the same target bird. As he was preparing to hike the loop, I spotted an AMERICAN BITTERN flying across the marsh. I couldn’t see where it put down, but Kyle did and we walked the trail to the approximate area.

After a good while of searching, I finally found the bird, feeding in a little wet area behind some dense vegetation. We enjoyed spectacular views in my scope, and tried to find any angle where we could get photos. As I was watching the bittern, a SORA walked into my view, feeding just in front of the bittern. I got Kyle on the Sora, and in his bins he saw that there were actually 2 Soras present. It was fantastic to get pretty good looks at such a secretive bird.

Afterwards, we headed to the back pond of the Liberty Loop. We were hoping for shorebirds and Least Bitterns. We totally dipped on the Least Bitterns, but we did have a smattering of shorebirds – 3 Least Sandpipers, 3 or 4 Solitary Sandpipers, several Killdeer, and a couple of Spotted Sandpipers. The highlight, however, was finding the 2 local Sandhill Cranes feeding just 20 or so feet off the trail. We snapped some photos as we passed, shocked to be so close to them, and left them feeding in the same spot as we continued on our way.

~American Bittern shot through the grasses. Liberty Loop, 07/16/22.~

~This is what approximately 20 feet at 500mm looks like. Sandhill Crane at the Liberty Loop, 07/16/22.~

Black Rock Forest, 07/10/22

I took advantage of the relatively cool weather this morning and took an 8 mile hike at Black Rock Forest. It was a pleasant and relatively birdy hike, especially the first half of it, which provided a variety of habitats and most of the nearly 50 bird species I identified for the morning. Bird highlights included two Broad-winged Hawks (2 separate encounters), recently fledged Worm-eating Warblers, and recently fledged Prairie Warblers, neither of which I’d ever seen before. Non-avian highlights included a cooperative family of Beavers at Upper Reservoir.

I’ve included my full list of birds species as well as a screenshot of my All Trails tracking information at the bottom of this post.

~One of 3 beavers at Black Rock Forest, 07/10/22.~

~A recently fledged Prairie Warbler at Black Rock Forest, 07/10/22.~

I did get out locally yesterday evening and on Thursday night as well. Both days I went to the Camel Farm to check on shorebird progress, and it’s not bad at all with a decent species list: Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, and Least Sandpiper. I also made it out to the Liberty Loop on Thursday and finally caught up with a Least Bittern in Orange County.