~TUFTED DUCK at Lake Capri in West Islip, NY 12/26/15.~
Tricia and I had a great time on Christmas Eve and Christmas day in Suffolk County, Long Island, celebrating with our families. On our way out of town today, we stopped at Lake Capri in West Islip to try for the Tufted Duck that has been reported there. The earliest reports on eBird are from 12/13/15, and the most recent report was from Christmas Eve, so I was feeling confident that the bird would still be present. Shortly after arriving, we realized that viewing at Lake Capri is less than ideal. As far as we could tell, the only viewing area was along Montauk Highway at the south end of the lake. There is a chain link fence and much vegetation to look through, which made viewing and taking photos a little bit of a challenge. I did better capturing the bird with my iPhone through the spotting scope, but for them the photo quality is then pretty poor. Previous reports indicate that this is a young male TUDU; it is a beautiful bird and life bird #344 for me.
~Here’s an iPhone shot of the Tufted Duck, digiscoped through my spotting scope. This shot almost has the feel of a painting to me. TUDU Lake Capri in West Islip, NY 12/26/15.~
~It was a less than ideal morning for photos, this shot was taken at ISO 3200. Hermit Thrush at Goose Pond Mountain, 12/24/15.~
I took a nice walk at Goose Pond Mountain this Christmas Eve morning in the unseasonably warm weather. While there were plenty of birds on my walk, the variety was not great and I had a modest 17 species. The highlight for me was seeing this Hermit Thrush. Conditions were not great for photography, but I was still very happy to photograph this bird since it was only the second HETH I’ve had this year in Orange County and my first was just a brief look with no time for photos. It was a nice way to spend Christmas Eve morning; I’ll take this opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone who is celebrating.
Here’s my list for the morning:
Mallard
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Hermit Thrush
Cedar Waxwing
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
~Short-eared Owl hunting over the Shawangunk Grasslands, 12/20/15.~
Kyle Dudgeon and I spent the afternoon in one of the photo blinds at Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. Early on, it was very slow with only a few Northern Harriers being seen and none of them coming close to the blind. Several Red-tailed Hawks moved from perch to perch off in the distance. We had a Wilson’s Snipe do a flyover and then five Eastern Meadowlarks perched in tree. We didn’t have much excitement until later in the afternoon when the SHORT-EARED OWLS got up on the early side and put on quite a show. We had at least 4 owls and they were actively hunting and tangling with each other and a Northern Harrier as well. We spent over an hour watching and photographing the owls, which spent a lot of time around our blind but somehow never came in very close (all these images are pretty heavily cropped). I was happy to get lucky once again with these awesome birds.
~Five Eastern Meadowlarks perch in a tree. I believe that’s a Red-tailed Hawk perched in the distance beyond the meadowlarks. Shawangunk Grasslands, NWR 12/20/15.~~SEOW at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/20/15.~~Short-eared Owl heading straight for the photo blind at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/20/15.~~SEOW flyover at the grasslands, 12/20/15.~~A Short-eared Owl cruises over the tall grasses at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 12/20/15.~~A pair of SEOWs tangling at the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, 12/20/15.~
~I know I’ve posted a lot of Red-tailed Hawks in flight lately, but hopefully folks aren’t too sick of them. RTHA at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~
I was a little bit at a loss as to where to bird this weekend. I ran around to multiple locations on Saturday and did not have many birds at all. I ended the day with a stop at the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, where I ran into Karen Miller. It was a nice evening but not a good one for photos. We had 4 Short-eared Owls, 6 Northern Harriers, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, and my personal highlight – a Wilson’s Snipe.
This morning I walked the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop with Maria Loukeris. It was beautiful, warm morning and it was a birdy walk but all the birds we saw were expected species. I had a three target birds – Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow (I need both for my 2015 Orange County list), and Rough-legged Hawk (because typically I would seen many of them by now). I failed to locate any of my target birds, but we had a nice walk where we had 27 species. I’ve included the morning’s list of birds below.
~Lucky shot – Black-capped Chickadee in flight at the Liberty Loop, 12/13/15.~~I think these American Tree Sparrows are gorgeous. This is the first year that I am taking notice of this. ATSP at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~
Here’s my list for the morning:
~Downy Woodpecker at the Loop, 12/13/15.~
Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Coot
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Bluebird
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
~We enjoyed watching the Northern Harriers hunting over the marsh, Liberty Loop 12/13/15.~
~This shot is actually from last weekend – Northern Mockingbird at Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, NY 12/6/15.~~Also from Lower Wisner Road in Warwick, taken yesterday, 12/12/15.~
~One of four River Otters enjoys a fish breakfast, Orange County, NY 12/6/15.~
I got up early and went to try for the River Otters again this morning and I was joined by photographer Kevin Kreisher. We got nice close looks at four (!!!) River Otters that were very curious to check us out. Unfortunately it was before the sun had gotten over the trees, but the light made for some interesting photos of these fascinating creatures.
I headed out this morning looking for waterfowl in Orange County. Well, it was pretty much a bust. I went to eight different locations and nearly all were disappointing, with few or no ducks present. My only waterfowl highlights included 3 Lesser Scaup at Wickham Lake and approximately 100 Common Mergansers at Tomahawk Lake. The real highlight of the day, however, was finding a pair of RIVER OTTERS at one location (I have heard that trappers will go for otters, so I am not giving details of their location. If you know me and are interested in going for them, shoot me an email). I have been dying to see River Otters, I’ve seen and heard of others seeing them several times this year, but I seemed to keep missing out. They were actively feeding – catching fish and just chomping them down. What a treat for me to witness this. What could make it better you ask? Oh yeah, the arrival of an adult Bald Eagle. I was floored, it was definitely the best outing I’ve had in quite a while!
~A happy looking River Otter, Orange County, NY 12/5/15.~~River Otter in Orange County, NY 12/5/15.~ ~Chomping down on a fish! River Otter in Orange County NY, 12/5/15.~~I only got a couple of shots of the two of them together. River Otters in Orange County, NY 12/5/15.~~And then a Bald Eagle arrived! A little icing on the cake.~~Orange County Bald Eagle coming in for a landing, 12/5/15.~~I hit the Black Dirt later in the day and shot this Northern Harrier, 12/5/15.~~One final otter shot, Orange County, NY 12/5/15.~
~I was very excited this afternoon to see this White-winged Scoter in the distance at Indian Kill Reservoir, 12/1/15.~
For the past couple of weeks I have been sort of playing a hunch and stopping by Indian Kill Reservoir on my way home from work. Today it paid off when I located a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER in the distance. The bird was distant and it was rainy and gray, but I was able to get some decent documentary shots of the bird, which made me happy. For those who don’t know, Indian Kill Reservoir is located at the intersection of Route 17A and Long Meadow Road (which is the road that leads to the Sterling Forest State Park Visitor’s Center). The best viewing is from the various pull offs on Long Meadow Road. White-winged Scoter is my 196th bird in Orange County this year… creeping towards 200 with less than a month left in the year.
It’s also worth mentioning that Wickham Lake has been decent lately as well – I had a Common Loon there last night, and a Common Goldeneye there on 11/25/15.
~American Coot at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Liberty Loop 11/29/15.~
This afternoon, upon my arrival home after a fun but busy Thanksgiving weekend up in Syracuse, I headed out to do some birding and enjoy the beautiful weather. I was undecided on where to go, but excited to get out locally. I tooled around the black dirt to see what I could find; it was a birdy ride, and I hit many of my usual spots and I eventually made my way out to the Camel Farm, where I ran into Karen Miller. We caught up, trading Thanksgiving stories and we sorted through the nearly 1200 Canada Geese that were present. A Red-tailed Hawk flew right over us, calling the whole time. We did not locate anything different among the Canada Geese, and I kept moving eventually making brief stops at the Wallkill River NWR’s Winding Waters Trail and Liberty Loop. I was happy to find over a dozen American Coots in front of the viewing platform at the Liberty Loop, in very nice light so I took some photos. For the afternoon I had a total of 29 species, I’ll include my list below.
~A Red-tailed Hawk flyover at the Camel Farm, 11/29/15.~ ~I like the look on the the face of this Northern Cardinal, she does not seem entirely pleased. Black Dirt Region, 11/29/15.~
Black Dirt Region 11/29/15:
~Downy Woodpecker at Wallkill River NWR, Winding Waters Trail, 11/29/15.~
Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
House Sparrow
~Two more cute coots at Wallkill River NWR, Liberty Loop, 11/29/15.~
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, my brother-in-law Bill and I went out to one of my favorite birding spots – Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. It was a terrible day for photos and tough for viewing distant birds as it was very gray and dark all day long. The refuge was loaded with waterfowl and we had 17 different types of water birds: Canada Geese, Tundra Swan, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Pied-billed Grebe, and American Coot! We did not get a large number of raptor species, but we had plenty of individuals, with several Northern Harriers and over a half a dozen of both Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks. As I mentioned, it was a tough day for photos, but here are a few shots from the morning:
~Red-tailed Hawk at Montezuma NWR, 11/28/15.~~It was exciting to get close up looks at this young Bald Eagle, unfortunately it was tough light to photograph. Montezuma NWR, 11/28/15.~~A nice look at a Northern Shoveler at Montezuma NWR, 11/28/15.~
~A Red-tailed Hawk flies overhead at the Wallkill River NWR Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~
I’ve had a busy weekend, but I did get manage to get out and do some birding early Saturday morning. I met Maria Loukeris over at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, and we walked the Liberty Loop trail. It was a gorgeous morning, crisp with nice light and just a little bit of a breeze. We found plenty of birds to make the walk interesting, but I did not manage to see any of my target birds – Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow, and Rusty Blackbird, all three of which I need for Orange County for this year. The highlight of the morning for me was seeing hundreds of waterfowl (Canada Geese, American Black Ducks, Mallards, Northern Pintails, and Green-winged Teals) pick up, circle around the refuge and then put back down again. We did alright with raptors with a Turkey Vulture, several Northern Harriers, an adult Bald Eagle, and 3 Red-tailed Hawks. My list for the day includes 26 species; nothing amazing, but it still made for a nice morning of birding that I was grateful to have.
~My first American Tree Sparrow shot of the season, Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~~Red-tailed Hawk at the Liberty Loop, 11/21/15.~
Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Winter Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch
European Starling
Ninety-one Green-winged Teal take a lap around the refuge, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~~On the southern leg of the loop, we saw this tree that had been worked on pretty heavily by a beaver. Liberty Loop Trail, 11/21/15.~
~This made my morning; Snow Bunting in the Black Dirt, 11/15/15.~
Between the time change and just being very busy lately, today was the first time in a while that I’ve spent any amount of time birding in Orange County. I started out in the black dirt just after sunrise this morning, looking for the Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, and Lapland Longspurs. I found a flock of probably over 100 birds; they were mostly Horned Larks with over 20 Snow Buntings and I was happy to see a handful of American Pipits. I had no luck with longspurs. Two Northern Harriers, a male and a female were keeping the birds on their toes and moving around pretty good. I spent some time with the birds and eventually some landed close enough for some decent photos which made me happy. When falconer showed up and started to fly a Gyrfalcon in the next field, I figured it was a good time to move on.
~One of many Horned Larks in a mixed flock in the Black Dirt, 11/15/15.~~American Pipit in the Black Dirt, I first noticed this bird because it was pumping its tail up and down, 11/15/15.~
I was also hoping for some waterfowl today. I went to Glenmere Lake and struck out. There were a good number of boats out on the lake, so I figured that was the reason. I also stopped by Wickham Lake two times, which a little more productive:
Mallard (2)
American Black Duck (3)
Bufflehead (17)
Lesser Scaup (1)
Ruddy Duck (7)
~Seventeen Buffleheads at Wickham Lake, 11/15/15.~
Between the two Wickham Lake stops, I spent a couple of hours at Mount Peter helping official counter for the day, Tom Millard. It was the final day of the hawkwatch season, and although it was slow day for migrating hawks, I did manage to get some decent photos. Just after I arrived, a Sharp-shinned Hawk appeared just over the trees and continued directly over the viewing platform. Not long after that, a Cooper’s Hawk shot in front of the platform and disappeared into the woods. I wasn’t quick enough on the draw to get photos of the Coop, but when a young Red-Shouldered Hawk took the same line a little while later I was able to get a few shots. I should mention that Saturday’s count was super (of course it was, I was supposed to count but had to work!). They had a total of 160 migrating raptors, including 130 Red-tailed Hawks and an immature GOLDEN EAGLE, the final bird of the day.
On my way home, I made one final stop at the Citgo Pond. I had a hunch there might be some interesting waterfowl present, but my hunch did not come to fruition, as I only found: Mallard (9), Northern Shoveler (4), and Green-winged Teal (18). It felt good to back in action here in Orange County!
~A migrating Sharp-shinned Hawk flies directly over the view platform at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 11/15/15.~~An immature Red-shouldered Hawk found something interesting in the woods in front of the platform, and darted in! Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 11/15/15.~~And one final Turkey Vulture shot from the hawkwatch, Mount Peter 11/15/15.~~Nine Snow Buntings and one Horned Lark in flight, Black Dirt Region, 11/15/15.~
