This morning, I joined forces with John Haas and we birded the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area by kayak. We had a very enjoyable paddle with a decent number of birds (32 species), but we had no luck finding our target bird, the Least Bittern. I’m not sure at what point a bird becomes a nemesis bird, but I … Continue reading “Fourth of July Birding”
*Click on links in orange to go to original blog post for each species.* The 2015 birding year was interesting for sure; filled with highs and lows. It was a year of extreme rarities in our area, such as the amazing and famous Gyrfalcon, observed in both Orange and Ulster County in February and also the one-eyed Crested … Continue reading “2015 – Year In Review”
It was a rainy, wet and cold day for starters. I woke up early with the plan to get out early before heading up to Mt. Peter for my Saturday hawkwatch. I wanted to go to Owens Station Crossing to try for the tern I saw last night and also to try for the Red-necked … Continue reading “Wow, What a Day!”
It feel like ages since I’ve last posted. There was not much going on birding-wise for me at the end of last week and then I went away for a long weekend to New Hope, Pennsylvania where Tricia had a booth for her pottery at the New Hope Craft Fair. This week I have gotten out birding briefly on a … Continue reading “Shorebird Report, 10/1/15”
I got out of work late today, but not too late to get up to Mount Peter Hawkwatch. I arrived just after 4:00 pm and joined official counter Ajit Antony, Judy Cinquina, Tom Millard, Denise Farrell, and Gerhard and Tracy Patsch on the viewing platform. Apparently, I had missed several large kettles of Broad-winged Hawks! I … Continue reading “Wow! A Fantastic Monday Night of Birding!”
POST UPDATE: Thanks to Ken McDermott’s report and Bruce Nott’s subsequent review of his photos, it has come to light that we actually had 3 Buff-breasted Sandpipers and a single Baird’s Sandpiper, rather than the 4 BBSAs I initially reported. Sorry for the missed ID, it’s not a great feeling, but I’m glad to be … Continue reading “Good Shorebirds Continue with Orange County BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS!”
*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)
*Click on photos to enlarge.* I love shorebirds. I really love shorebirds, but boy can they be difficult to identify. Especially when you are at a beach in another state a thousand miles away and you really haven’t done your homework. I got several recommendations to go to Bunche Beach while I was in Florida, … Continue reading “Florida 2015 – Bunche Beach”
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, … Continue reading “Blue-winged Teals and Northern Shovelers at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary”
After work today, I walked both the Heritage Trail alongside 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and also the trail off of Route 17M, which leads to the pond that is located to the south of the Heritage Trail. I did well with sparrows, seeing Song Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and my best … Continue reading “6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary”