I only have time for a quick post. I met Karen Miller over at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge yesterday evening where, to me, it was really beginning to feel like fall (in spite of the warm temperatures). We had some good ducks – many Mallards, some Green-winged Teals, and a single northern Shoveler. There were still some shorebirds present, including Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, and three Wilson’s Snipes. Green Herons are plentiful at the refuge right now for sure. Last week, we had eight (!) perched in one small tree! Here are some photos from the day, click on them to enlarge:
This looks like a first winter Northern Shoveler to me, as shown on page 58 of The Crossley Guide.
Green-winged Teal at Wallkill River NWR 9/10/13.
These Mallards were just packed onto this little island.
One of several Green Herons out at the refuge, 9/10/13.
This photo did not turn out well, but I thought it was worth showing – eight! Green Herons in one small tree. Wallkill River NWR 8/31/13.
I have also made it out to the Mt. Peter Hawk Watch after work each night this week. It has been a slow week for me, in three visits I have a total of 4 migrating raptors (2 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 2 Osprey). Here’s a shot of one of the Turkey Vultures that hang out on the cell tower near the watch:
Turkey Vulture NOT migrating. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/10/13.
I took this shot a couple of weeks ago while looking for shorebirds at the Pine Island Turf Nursery. Seeing this Peregrine Falcon definitely got me pumped for the start of Hawk Watch.
Hawk Watch Season officially began for me today; I made my first visit out to Mt. Peter Hawk Watch. Judy Cinquina was the official counter for the day, and while we did not have much action while I was there, she did count 135 migrating raptors for the day – mostly Broad-winged Hawks. To see details of today’s count, or to look up data from past years’ counts, go to Hawkcount.org. This site is a great resource; data from 275 hawk watches in North America can be found there. For daily counts and more raptor posts you can also check out and become a member of the Mt. Peter Facebook Group.
When the bird broke horizon, I got my best shot. A distant and heavily cropped Black Tern at the Camel Farm, 9/2/13.
I spent the weekend with my family in the Poconos and did not do any birding to speak of. This morning, however, as Tricia and I were getting ready to head home, I received a text from Rob Stone – Black Tern at the Camel Farm. Luckily the bird was still present when we arrived in the early afternoon. We joined Ken McDermott and fellow Mearnser Lisa and got good looks in both the binoculars and in the scope. I snapped some distant photos – there was no way I was doing a third consecutive post with no photos! Thanks again to Rob Stone for the heads up on this one.
If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you can make out the dark ear spot. Black Tern at the Camel Farm, 9/2/13. I wanted to include this photo because you can see the gray upper parts of the bird.
American Golden-Plovers continue onTurtle Bay Road in the Black Dirt Region. John Haas had 4 there early in the day yesterday, Rob Stone and Curt McDermott had 15 late in the evening, and I made a quick stop there this afternoon at around 4:30 to find 10 American Golden-Plovers still present. Also present were approximately 25 Killdeer and 1 Spotted Sandpiper.
Again the birds were just too far out for any kind of photos, so that’s two posts in a row with no pics! Good Birds – No Photos.
Tonight at Skinner Lane I had two UPLAND SANDPIPERS. Unfortunately, the birds were out too far for photos, so you can click here for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology page on Upland Sandpipers or here for Google images of the bird.
I went out birding on this rainy day in search of the Willet that Rob Stone had found the day before at Wallkill River NWR. I actually ran into Rob at the refuge where we walked the loop but had no luck with the Willet. From there I headed over to Skinner Lane. There was not much going on in the field that has recently had the pools of rain water, just some Killdeer and what I’m thinking were Least Sandpipers. A few fields later on the left side I saw a couple of interesting looking birds. When I got my scope on one, it appeared to be an Upland Sandpiper, with its long neck, shortish bill, and small head. It was walking in the short grass along the edge of longer grasses, ducking into the longer grasses from time to time. Rob Stone showed up after a while and enjoyed good looks at the bird and then and located a second Upland Sandpiper. Awesome night for me – life bird!
A Lesser Yellowlegs shifts position out at Wallkill River NWR, 8/22/13.
On Thursday after work I made a quick stop at Skinner Lane and found no shorebirds, so I headed over to Wallkill River NWR. It had rained just a little on Wednesday night, so I was hoping that maybe some new birds had moved in. Judy Cinquina had also reported a good number of shorebirds at the reserve to the Mearns Bird Club. I found a sizable number of shorebirds present that largely reflected what Judy had seen a day earlier. Most shorebirds where found on the West and South sides of the Liberty Loop:
A pair of Lesser Yellowlegs at Wallkill River NWR, 8/22/13.I could have taken a ton of photos of the Lesser Yellowlegs as they shifted positions in the water not far off the trail. Two distant Wilson’s Snipe in the grass. Heavy crop here, but a really nice bird to see. I love the pattern on the back.
This morning I received a text from Rob Stone – American Golden Ploverat the Pine Island Turf Nursery. Tricia and I headed over and thank goodness John Haas was there and on the birds because I don’t think I would have ever found them. Out in the distance in one of the fields, there were 4 birds present; two were adults in breeding plumage. The views were quite distant, but the light was good and the black undertail coverts on these two birds could be seen easily enough. They were harvesting onions while we were out there and the farm machinery finally moved close enough to flush the birds and I got one single photo of the birds in flight. This another distant photo, I think it is worth it click on it to enlarge it so you can a little bit of a look at these birds:
Two of the four American Golden Plovers (with 3 Killdeer) after being flushed by farm machinery. Pine Island Turf Nursery, 8/24/13.
A final note: I had a few minutes in the early afternoon, so I cruised by Skinner Lane and again struck out. I also went to the Camel Farm where I had a single Greater Yellowlegs. My final stop was at the viewing platform at Wallkill River NWR, where I did not see any shorebirds but had 7 Great Egrets and 2 Green Herons in my very brief visit.
Osprey in flight over Winding Hills Park, 8/11/13.
Last Sunday, Tricia and I went for a paddle in the kayaks to Winding Hills Park in Montgomery NY. We like to go there for a relaxing paddle; it is very beautiful and the sunsets can be amazing. For birding, it is usually not that great – there is usually at least one Great Blue Heron Present and we have had Spotted Sandpipers there from time to time. Eastern Wood Peewees can be heard and sometimes seen, and Tufted Titmice and a number of other song birds can usually be counted on. On this day, as soon as I got out of the car the first thing I noticed was an Osprey fishing on the lake. I had never seen one there before and I am thinking that this bird was making a stopover during its migration. I took a bunch of photos while the light was good and then afterwards, Tricia and I just relaxed, floating around the lake in our kayaks and enjoying the sunset.
*Click on photos to enlarge*
OSPREY, WINDING HILLS PARK – 8/11/13
This was the Osprey’s favorite perch, it kept returning to it……then it would take off again in search of a meal.This Osprey did not catch a single fish while we were there, but none of the people fishing from the shore caught anything either, so maybe it wasn’t the bird’s fault.
In this shot the Osprey is flying away from me, but I still like it – the water exploding off the bird and the talon all balled up.I’ve cropped all these images pretty heavily. While the bird was not very far away, as I looked at the photos I really wanted to convey what an up-close and intimate experience it was watching this bird .
Yellow-crowned Night-heron, found by Bruce Nott at Masterson Memorial Park, 8/21/13.
I just barely made it. I received a couple phone calls during the day, one from John Haas and then another from Curt McDermott, letting me know that Bruce Nott had found a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON at Masterson Memorial Park in New Windsor NY. I was told that this is only the second recorded observation of this bird in Orange County! I arrived at the park a couple minutes before 4:00 and as I pulled in a park employee informed me that the park was closing. I jumped out of my car without really saying proper hellos to John, Bruce and Ken McDermott who were all there observing the bird. Bruce got me on the bird in my scope and I was happy that I didn’t miss it. Bruce then chatted with the park employee long enough for me to click a few photos. On my way out I noticed that you could still see the bird from the road. Not only that, it was definitely closer than where we were before. I parked my car up the street, walked back and took a bunch photos from the roadside. I am not thrilled with the results, but I did manage few decent shots. The bird was still quite distant, so all of these photos are heavily cropped. Huge thanks to John, Curt, and, of course Bruce – what a bird!
Sweet looking Barn Swallow out at Benedict Farm, 8/16/13.
I met Karen Miller out at Benedict Farm today after work to do some birding. It was not overly “birdy” there tonight, but I was pleasantly surprised to find some pools of water near the entrance with about 25 shorebirds. Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpipers, and Least Sandpipers were all present. It was nice because the birds were not very far out, which allowed for some close-up observation and, of course, some photo opportunties. I didn’t do all that well, but here are a couple I thought were worth sharing:
I’ve seen this pose before by other bird photographers and always thought it looked sweet. Two Lesser Yellowlegs at Benedict Farm, 8/16/13.
A Lesser Yellowlegs shakes it off. Benedict Farm 8/16/13.
We had another pleasant surprise when I started photographing a fawn in the bushes: Instead of fleeing like most fawns, this one decided to walk out onto the trail and come right up to me! It was like a pet dog, licking me and letting me pet it all over. As Karen and I birded, the little fawn followed us around, right at our feet. It was an incredible and unique experience but it was also a bit concerning to me. This fawn seemed to be alone in the world and I wondered how it would make out. As we headed out, the little fawn followed us until we got a bit closer to our cars and it turned back.
This is when we first met – let the licking begin! Great photo by Karen Miller.
I now believe this bird is likely to be a Black-bellied Plover. Skinner Lane, 8/14/13.
I spent the day thinking about my ID of this bird, so I made it back out to Skinner Lane tonight to try and get a second look. Luckily, the bird was present. I watched the bird in my scope for a long while when finally all the shorebirds lifted up. This gave me a chance to bird in flight – revealing black armpits. This leads me to believe the proper ID of this bird is likely a Black-bellied Plover. I feel very fortunate that this bird stuck around so I could get another look and hopefully get it right. This has been yet another learning experience on the road to hopefully becoming the birder I aspire to be.
