Orange Birding

Sunday Shots/Weekend Wrap-up, 08/01/21

I felt the summer doldrums lifting a little bit this weekend, which was nice. On Saturday morning I met Rob Stone out at Wisner Road in Warwick with the goal of trying to get an accurate count of the Sedge Wrens. We spent over an hour listening and walking the road and in the end we felt that there are a minimum of 7 birds, with possibly as many as 10. Which is pretty amazing. Afterwards, I birded 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, which was birdy but with usuals and no real photo ops. In the evening I went to the Camel Farm to check for shorebirds. I was pleasantly surprised to find good shorebird conditions and approximately a dozen shorebirds (Least Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, and Killdeer). I’m optimistic that we’ll see some good birds out there sometime soon.

~Common Yellowthroat near our vacation house in Prattsville, New York in the Catskills, 07/20/21.~

Today I checked the Camel Farm again; there seemed to be more birds and the same species with the addition of a Spotted Sandpiper. I also went out to Skinners Lane where there was a good number of swallows present (mostly Trees, with also a good number of Barns, and at least one Bank). I also got a nice scope view of a beautiful, dark Red-tailed Hawk which I believe was the subspecies Abieticola, with a dark chin with dribble marks and an extremely dark belly band. It was too distant for photos, but hopefully they will be in the cards in future visits.

~Barn Swallow at Skinners Lane, 08/01/21.~

~Song Sparrow in Prattsville, NY 07/20/21.~

~A recently fledged Common Yellowthroat in Prattsville, NY 07/20/21.~

~A messy muscat at 6 1/2 Station Road, 07/31/21.~

~Bald Eagle at Mine Kill State Park in the Catskills, 07/21/21.~

~It hasn’t been easy for me to confirm breeding for this species – American Goldfinch with nesting material at Winding Waters Trail, 07/31/21.~

Orange County Sedge Wrens, 07/27/21

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a life bird (over a year), but that’s what happened today. It was a bonus that the location was in Orange County and less than a 1/2 hour away. So, after work tonight I headed over to Lower Wisner Road, where up to 4 SEDGE WRENS have been reported in the last couple of days. As soon as I got out of the car, I could hear a SEWR calling from the north side of the road. As I got closer, I could hear a second bird, closer, calling from the south side of the road. I stayed still, listened and scanned, and eventually I located the bird, just about 30 yards out. I was pretty excited, it’s not every Tuesday evening you can get a lifer that easily; it was my 424th life bird.

IMPORTANT: *Please do not use tapes to try and get these birds closer for views or photos. They are pretty cooperative and patience will pay off. Use of tapes will likely disturb their attempts at breeding and ruin this great situation.* Thanks to John Haas for the above advice put forth on his blog Bashakill Birder.

Siblings

I was on vacation last week; we rented a large house up in the Catskills with members of Tricia’s family. I took the opportunity to mostly relax poolside and while I didn’t actually do all that much birding, I did get out a couple of times. I’ll go through my pics and put together a post in the next day or so. Meanwhile, here are some shots of Green Heron siblings in the pond near my house from before I left. I’ve been in the area for 10 years now, and I think this is the second time that Green Herons have bred in that little pond.

Sunday Shots, 07/11/21

It was a mostly uneventful weekend of birding for me. On Saturday I birded in my NYS Breeding Bird Atlas priority block and was able to confirm three additional species: Northern Mockingbird, Red-tailed Hawk, and House Sparrow. On Sunday I decided to change it up a little and I headed to Sullivan County, where I birded Hickok Brook Multiple Use Area. I was hoping for the outside chance at seeing/hearing Ruffed Grouse, but had to settle for seeing and hearing some species I don’t see very often in Orange County: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, Black-throated Blue Warble, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Magnolia Warbler.

~Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Hickok Brook MUA, 07/11/21.~

~Although most were heard, it’s always good to see a Hermit Thrush. Hickok Brook MUA, 07/11/21.~ .

~A recently fledged Red-tailed Hawk waits for a parent to bring a meal, Sugarloaf NY 07/10/21.~

~I initially thought this was a new species confirmed, but it turns out that Chipping Sparrow had already been confirmed in my priority block. Sugarloaf NY, 07/10/21.~

More Atlasing and a Photogenic Gray Catbird

I birded along the railroad tracks north of Sugarloaf again this morning – it’s turning out to be a very productive spot in my NYS Breeding Bird Atlas Priority Block (Warwick_CE). I confirmed (8) species this morning, (3) of which were new confirmations: Song Sparrow, House Finch, and Downy Woodpecker. Other highlights included watching a family of Barn Swallows during feeding time, and a rather charismatic Gray Catbird. I’ve actually always thought they were quite a photogenic species, I even included a shot of one in my top ten photos of the year back in 2016.

~Gray Catbird in Sugarloaf NY, 07/04/21.~

~A young Barn Swallow anticipating being fed by a parent…

~…and the parent doesn’t disappoint. Barn Swallow in Sugarloaf NY, 07/04/21.~

~A different Gray Catbird – this one is a newly fledged bird. Sugarloaf NY, 07/04/21.~

6 1/2 Station Road, 07/03/21

Just after sunrise this morning I was hitting the trail at Black Rock Forest. I was, of course, trying for Ruffed Grouse again; it was a total bust. The rain was relentless, the hike was difficult with slippery rocks, and there were hardly any birds – and no grouse.

Afterwards, I went home, dried off, got changed and went back out. This time to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary to try for Least Bittern. The rain had finally subsided, it was a cool, pleasant walk on level ground, and yes, I got a Least Bittern. It was actually a pretty productive visit; I had nearly 40 species. I got a decent look at the bittern, as well as a low flying Virginia Rail. I was also able to confirm breeding status for (4) species: Song Sparrow, Common Grackle, Wood Duck, and Common Gallinule.

~*Green Heron at 6 1/2 Station Road, 07/03/21.~*

~MODO at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 07/03/21.~

~Adult female Wood Duck with some sleepy ducklings. ^ 1/2 Station Road, 07/03/21.~

~Can you see the Least Bittern? It may have been distant, but it was still great to see. This bird was my 177th species in Orange County this year – I haven’t been really going for a big county list this year, and it shows – I’m 15 birds behind last year’s pace. LEBI at 6 1/2 Station Road, 07/03/21.~

Sunday Shots, 06/27/21

I did most of my birding this weekend in my NYS Breeding Bird Atlas priority block, Warwick_CE. I was able to confirm several species, but unfortunately only one new species for the block: Yellow Warbler. Yesterday was pretty much a dud of a morning, but today was much better. I made a quick stop by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary to try for the Least Bitterns which have been reported there (I still need them for OC this year). I had no luck with the bitterns, but I did find a cooperative Swamp Sparrow, which was a nice treat.

~A singing Marsh Wren at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 06/27/21.~

Afterwards, I birded a new spot in my priority block. I walked along the train tracks in Sugarloaf, heading north. The block continues for nearly a mile along the tracks; the birding was pretty much non-stop and I had a total of 37 species in a one mile span, which I didn’t think was too bad at all. It was at this location that I confirmed Yellow Warbler, and I feel like it will be a good spot to confirm other species in the future.

~A young Yellow Warbler at the Sugarloaf RR Tracks, 06/27/21.~

~I had a pair of Killdeer at Knapp’s View on Saturday morning. I thought they might have young nearby but no such luck. I’ll be going back to keep an eye on these birds.~

~Garter Snake along the Sugarloaf RR Tracks, 06/27/21.~

~Wood Duck duckling at Wallkill River NWR, on Tuesday 06/22/21.~

~Today on my way home I spotted this Green Heron in the pond around the corner from my house~

Dove Update, 06/26/21

I got a call this morning from John Haas – he let me know that the dove from my last blog post is an African Collared Dove rather than a Eurasian Collared Dove. While it’s still a striking bird, African Collared Doves, also referred to as Ringed Turtle-Doves, are very rarely seen in North America as a wild bird and so this bird is almost undoubtedly an escapee and therefore uncountable.

~African Collared-Dove in Newburgh, NY 06/24/21.~

Orange County EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, 06/24/21

This evening I went to Newburgh to try again for the Eurasian Collared-Dove that has been reported there (I tried last Saturday with no luck). The bird has been reported at the tennis courts on Lilly Street, and when I arrived there was another birder there – I’m drawing a blank, but I believe his name was Paul. He had seen the bird already, but was lingering for another look at it. And I’m glad he did because he was able to relocate the bird about a block away. He actually came and got me on it – huge thanks. It’s a beautiful bird and a New York State bird for me; I’m glad I was able to catch up with it this time.

~Eurasian Collared-Dove, Newburgh NY 06/24/21.~

Sunday Shots, 06/20/21

Early Saturday morning I went to Black Rock Forest and hiked up to Jupiter’s Boulder. I was trying for Ruffed Grouse, but unfortunately I had no luck. I did pick up my first Acadian Flycatchers of the year; it’s always nice to see and hear that bird. Afterwards, I went to Newburgh to follow up on an eBird report of a pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves, but again I had no luck. On my way home a played a hunch and went to the OC Airport to see if the Killdeer there had a second brood. They did, there was one young bird with two adults; the bird was so small it kept tipping over, lol.

*~A young Killdeer seemingly mimicking its parent, OC Airport 06/19/21.~*

This morning I went to the south end of the Liberty Loop. I’ve been meaning to get out there to try for Least Bitterns, so I finally did today and they did not disappoint. Once again, the southernmost compound at the loop is loaded with good birds during the summer. Least Bitterns were the big draw, but I also enjoyed seeing a young Pied-billed Grebe, many Common Gallinules, Killdeer, and loads of Wood Ducks.