*Click on photos to enlarge.*
QUICK POST: Wow, it was a REALLY great afternoon for shorebirds at the 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary Citgo Pond. Here’s my list:
Short-billed Dowitcher (55!!!)
Dunlin (2)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (2)
Least Sandpiper (2)
Killdeer (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (2)
It was a beautiful weekend to get outside and do some birding. On Saturday morning I got up early and headed over to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, where I had my first Green Heron of the year which was distant and in flight, so no photo. From there I made my way to the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area; I was scheduled to volunteer alongside Karen Miller at the Bashakill Area Association’s Nature Watch Program. This is my fourth year participating in the Nature Watch. Most years the program revolves around the Bald Eagles that nest within viewing distance from the main boat launch. Unfortunately, this year the eagles lost their eggs; it is believed that the extended spell of cold weather may have taken its toll. So this year will be a little bit different. We kept at least one scope on the Osprey Nest across the Bash from the main boat launch. The Osprey are in the process of building the nest and it is still on the small side. We saw both perched on or near the nest at different times during our shift. We kept track of all species seen and heard from the boat launch during our 3 hour shift: we had 17 species total. We also kept track of the number of visitors (37) and the number of boats that go out (12). The birding highlight for me was getting my FOY (first of the year) Eastern Kingbird at Haven Road on my way to the main boat launch. The Nature Watch Program runs on weekends (10am – 4pm) from now until the last weekend in June, so stop by if you would like to check out the Osprey nest or anything else seen from the boat launch through the program’s spotting scopes.
On Sunday I went to Glenmere Lake first thing but had no luck. From there I went to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge to walk the Liberty Loop. I walked the west side of the loop first, and about halfway up that side another birder caught up with me. We started talking and made introductions; his name was Dick Champion. We walked the remainder of the loop together, Dick has a good eye and the birding was good but the conversation was better. The highlight of the walk for me was when Dick located 5 Greater Yellowlegs at the southern end of the loop, they were my first of the year. I ended the walk with a total of 33 species.
I made a couple more stops after the loop, I walked a little bit at Pochuck Mountain State Forest but it was pretty quiet there. I also made a quick stop at the Camel Farm and although quiet, I picked up a single Greater Yellowlegs for my Orange County list.
I made a quick stop by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary this afternoon. I am happy to report almost all the ice has finally melted and there was some waterfowl present, including the highlight of the day, a pair of COMMON GOLDENEYES. Here is my list for the afternoon:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
American Black Duck
Northern Pintail
Ring-necked Duck
Common Goldeneye
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
I made it out to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary a couple of times over the weekend – Friday after work and then again on Sunday evening. My visits continue to be very enjoyable; I’m not finding many new birds, but there are many birds present. I did not do a list on Friday, but tonight in a short visit, I had 35 species. The light has been nice and I have just been enjoying being out and taking some photos. Both visits I spent some time with the very accessible Yellow-rumped Warblers that are present. Tonight it really paid off, as a Blue-headed Vireo suddenly appeared and I was able to get a shot.
And of course, the Yellow-rumps gave me plenty of opportunities. I was enjoying trying to get shots of them through all the branches and leaves. Here’s some shots that I liked:
Both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets were present over the weekend. I had ample opportunity with a Ruby-crowned tonight but I did not get any good photos. I did a little better with a Golden-crowned on Friday:
Here’s my species list for tonight (10/19//14):
Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Ring-billed Gull
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
American Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
I had an appointment cancelled, so I got to do some unexpected birding after work this afternoon. I had forgotten my binoculars at home, so I stopped by to pick them up and headed to the closest spot – 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. I was thinking about sparrows as I took the Citgo Trail, but the wind had picked up pretty good and sparrows were scarce. I had a few pleasant surprises when I got to the pond – a nice sized collection of shorebirds: 22 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, and 1 Solitary Sandpiper. The highlight, however, was seeing my first Northern Shovelers (4) and Blue-winged Teal (3) of the fall. A Northern Harrier cruised through at one point and picked up many of the waterfowl and shorebirds. I think it was about 3 years ago that I would get a harrier at this location regularly, but this is the first one I have seen there in a while. It was a gorgeous night and I had some decent birds, which made me happy. Here’s some more photos and my list for the night:
Canada Goose 65
Mute Swan 4
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 16
Blue-winged Teal 3
Northern Shoveler 4
Green-winged Teal 25
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 8
Northern Harrier 1
Killdeer 9
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 22
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 8
Tree Swallow 18
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 85
Common Yellowthroat 1
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 12
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Common Grackle 20
House Sparrow 25
**One Year Ago at Orangebirding.com: Long-billed Dowitchers at 6 1/2 Station Road and Black Scoters in Orange County. **
I only had time for a quick stop by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary on this Sunday evening. The place was loaded with birds, mostly American Robins, Blue Jays, European Starlings, and, to a lesser degree, Northern Flickers. It would be hard to put a number on the robins, starlings, and jays, but definitely close to 100 for the robins and starlings and over 50 for the jays. I had a much more modest number of flickers, but to me, 6 is still a decent number for Northern Flickers. All the birds were quite active, moving around a lot, feeding and a large group of starlings were bathing just off the trail. The flickers were jumpy at first, but then seemed to get used to my presence and I got a few shots.
Other noteworthy observations: The only shorebirds present were several Killdeer and what looked like one Least Sandpiper. Great Egrets are still present in numbers, with approximately 15 present tonight.
I had a nice collection of shorebirds at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary tonight. The birds have seemingly totally abandoned the pond at the end of the Citgo Trail and can now be seen easily in the mud flats of the marsh from the Heritage Trail. Here’s my list:
Greater Yellowlegs (1)
Lesser Yellowlegs (2)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (4)
Least Sandpiper (8)
Pectoral Sandpiper (12)
**One year ago this week at www.orangbirding.com: On September 29, 2013, I also had a Pectoral Sandpiper – this time at Morningside Park in Sullivan County. See that post here. **
**Two years ago this week at www.orangebirding.com: I had American Kestrels and Sparrows at Wallkill River NWR. Check it out here. **
I had some things to take care of at the house this morning before getting out, so I got a little bit of a late start. Because of this, I decided to go to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary again, since it is only a few minutes from the house. I was not disappointed. The highlight was getting great looks at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, one of my favorites to see and photograph. Other good birds for me included this Blue-headed Vireo, a bird that I have not had much luck photographing:
I also got what I think is sort of an unusual life bird for me at this point in my birding (#314). While walking the Heritage Trail, I had a pair of PURPLE FINCHES. This is a bird that for some reason, I have never gotten a good enough look at over the past few years to report with confidence. I got a great look today and I also managed a couple of photos:
Other notable observations include an apparently growing number of Green-winged Teals in the small pond at the end of the Citgo Trail. Shorebirds have abandoned the small pond and today I located several Killdeer and a likely, but too distant to be sure, Least Sandpiper on the far side of the large marsh (looking from the Heritage Trail). I will keep my eye on this area for sure. I ended the morning with 37 species which is not too bad. You can see my list at the bottom of this post. Here’s one more shot of the cuckoo:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
American Black Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Cooper’s Hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Red-winged Blackbird
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
I stopped by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary after work today. It started out slowly, particularly because I was hoping for shorebirds and found NONE. But, in the end, it was a relatively productive day with 25 species being identified. Here’s my list for the day and some more photos:
Six and a Half Station Rd. Sanctuary, Orange, US-NY
Sep 18, 2014 4:45 PM – 6:05 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
25 species
Canada Goose 35
Mute Swan 4
Wood Duck 10
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 8
Green-winged Teal 15
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 13
Turkey Vulture 1
Common Nighthawk 3
Downy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 3
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 2
European Starling 12
Common Yellowthroat 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Scarlet Tanager 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Bobolink X Heard
American Goldfinch 5
And now to catch up a bit. On Sunday evening I got this shot of a juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron at Wallkill River NWR:
Then, on Monday of this week, I stopped by Mount Peter Hawk Watch and got some decent birds including an adult Bald Eagle and a juvenile Northern Harrier. On my way out, Linda Scrima alerted me to the fact that there were some shorebirds at the Wallkill River NWR:
On Tuesday I stopped by Mount Peter again and got very lucky. Tom Millard and I had a total of 278 Broad-winged Hawks and 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks from 4:00 to 5:00. Then on Wednesday I had some business in Wappingers Falls NY, so I stopped by Denning’s Point on my way back. It was not very birdy, but I did get a shot of this young buck:
This evening I stopped by the small pond at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and was treated to a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs doing who knows what for nearly five minutes. It involved a lot of hopping around and chasing one another. I really enjoyed seeing this; the photos are distant and heavily cropped, but I really like them. Any thoughts on this behavior are certainly welcome…
