Orange Birding

WARBLERS – WOW!

We plenty of very good looks at Ovenbirds today. Bashakill State WMA, 510/14. — Karen Miller and I had plenty of very good looks at Ovenbirds today. Bashakill State WMA, 5/10/14.

Some of you might know that warblers are not my favorite type of birding. I know this is sacrilege, everyone loves the warblers! The truth is I struggle with them, but once I get into it I find it very enjoyable. There was a lot of bird movement in the past two days and I got out looking mainly for warblers on both days. On Friday evening I made it out to Pochuk Mountain State Forest, a new spot for me – thanks to Rob Stone for the heads up. It was a gray, misty evening and between the poor light and the birds being up very high, I struggled. In the end I was pretty happy to have seen and identified 10 species of warbler, though most of my identifying came after the fact, looking through bird guides and my photos from the day.

Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)
Black-throated Green Warbler

A Magnolia Warbler overhead at the Nature Trail, Bashakill State WMA 5/10/14.

This Palm Warbler was extremely confiding and also nice enough to pose with a nice foreground. Bashakill State WMA, 5/10/14.

Then, early this morning I met Karen Miller out at the Bashakill State Wildlife Management Area. We knew that the Stop Sign Trail and the Orchard would be packed with birders (It was! When I passed by, I saw busloads of birders! No joke!). So, we decided to bird the Nature Trail and what a great decision that was – the place was LOADED with birds and we had it basically all to ourselves. We ran into 4 other birders while we were out there, all folks we knew. In addition to being extremely birdy, the nature trail lends itself to better photos because there seems to be more light available and fewer obstacles to shoot through. It was a tremendous morning of birding with birds at every turn, really it was incredible. The highlight for me was seeing 3 WILSON’S WARBLERS. Here’s my list of warblers from the morning:

One of three WILSON'S WARBLERS we had at the Bashakill State WMA, 5/8/14. — One of three WILSON’S WARBLERS we had at the Bashakill State WMA, 5/8/14.

Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler

Female Black-throated Blue Warbler at Bashakill State WMA, 5/10/14.

Male Black-throated Blue Warbler at the Bashakill State WMA, 5/10/14.

Canada Warbler on the Nature Trail at the Bashakill, 5/10/14.

I identified this Black-throated Green Warbler by ear before we located it. Bashakill State WMA, 5/10/14. — I identified this Black-throated Green Warbler by ear before we located it, which made me happy. Bashakill State WMA, 5/10/14.

Thursday 5/8/14

A Horned Lark shows off his namesake. Pine Island Turf Nursery, 5/8/14. — A Horned Lark shows off its namesake. Pine Island Turf Nursery, 5/8/14.

I got out after work today and checked few spots, mostly hoping for shorebirds. All the flooding at Pine Island Turf Nursery and along the right side of the Winding Waters Trail had subsided. At the turf nursery I did not stick around for long but did see the above Horned Lark. This is the first time I have shot this bird and gotten a really good look at the horns. At the Winding Waters Trail I again did not stay for long, but I did have one Solitary Sandpiper.

I decided to walk the Liberty Loop in hopes of getting perhaps some shorebirds and maybe even an interesting warbler. For shorebirds I had Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpipers, and a single Spotted Sandpiper. Warbler showing was weak, I only had Yellow Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, and American Redstarts. I did manage several personal FOS birds however: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, and Baltimore Oriole.

There were plenty of Yellow-rumped Warblers on the west side of the Liberty Loop, 5/8/14.

My FOS Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the Liberty Loop, 5/8/14.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

This Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is hopefully the last photo I will post using my 55-250mm lens for a long time – I got my 100-400mm lens back today. I took some test shots in the Canon parking lot and the lens seems to be working well, but I will know for sure once I take a look at the shots on the computer. This gnatcatcher was shot at Sterling Forest on Monday 5/5/14 in the afternoon. It was not very birdy out there at that time, but I am pretty sure you can do well for warblers there in the early morning.

Wallkill River NWR – Winding Waters Trail

I was running a little bit early to meet Karen Miller at the Winding Waters Trail, so I decided to make a quick stop at the Pine Island Turf Nursery. There was a good collection of shorebirds present, so I called Karen and she joined me there. We had three Bald Eagles, a Gadwall and did pretty well with the shorebirds, with 12 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 8 Lesser Yellowlegs, and a single Pectoral Sandpiper. Our intention was to go for warblers on this morning, so we did not linger and headed over to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge.

Yellow Warbler at Winding Waters Trail, 5/4/14.

Karen and I chased this House Wren around for a while, and I was finally able to get a shot that I like.

In spite of the windy conditions, Winding Waters Trail was full of birds. The area to the right of the trail, for the first 500 yards or so, is flooded and there are some Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs as well as Solitary Sandpipers there. As we walked the trail, we had plenty of birds to look at, and since I haven’t really gone for warblers year, I got several first of the season birds (FOS). Karen was very sharp all day and was finding many of the birds we saw. Karen headed home after we got back to the cars, and I went back to look at the shorebirds with my scope, and then went over to the viewing platform by the Liberty Loop and I walked out Liberty Lane, where the fields were flooded and I was hoping for more shorebirds. It was only somewhat productive; I had 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 3 Spotted Sandpipers. I ended the day with 45 species and 10 FOS birds. Here’s my list:

A female American Kestrel takes flight, Liberty Lane 5/4/14.

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
American Black Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs (FOS)
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird (FOS)
Warbling Vireo (FOS)
American Crow
Common Raven

Palm Warbler at Winding Waters Trail, 5/4/14.

Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
House Wren (FOS)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird (FOS)
European Starling
Louisiana Waterthrush (FOS)
Common Yellowthroat (FOS)
American Redstart (FOS)
Yellow Warbler (FOS)
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee (FOS)
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Tree Swallow on the Winding Waters Trail, 5/4/14.

Solitary Sandpiper 5/1/14

Solitary Sandpiper, my FOS, Pine Island NY 5/1/14.

So, I did not have a very productive week of birding; my ankle was in pretty rough shape up until Thursday, I had to run down to Jamesburg NJ on Monday after work to drop off my camera lens with Canon, and work was crazy, causing me to work late on three days. Thursday looked to be promising, so I did get out to a few spots. The best stop of the afternoon was at the Pine Island Turf Nursery, which had some substantial flooding. I had a single very distant BONAPARTE’S GULL, many Killdeer, a couple of Greater Yellowlegs, and the Solitary Sandpiper in the photo above. Keep in mind that birding at the turf nursery is by permission only – ask at the office if it’s okay.

This was taken on Sunday, the ankle is looking a feeling WAY better now.

Ankle/lens Update: The ankle is doing much better, it has been only a week and I can get around pretty well already. The swelling is mostly down and the bruising has for the most part cleared up. As for the lens, it was pretty good news. I called Canon on Friday and they let me know that it can be repaired and it’s not going to be too costly. Unfortunately, they had to order in a couple of parts so it will not be ready until later this week at the earliest.

Saturday 4/26/14

Long-tailed Duck at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, 4/26/14.

I was hoping that the birding would be good this morning because of the rain that had come through last night. I got out to the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge just before eight, and as I got out of the car, I saw one of the best birds of the day – a LONG TAILED DUCK. It took me a moment to figure it out because I was not expecting it. I took some pictures and put the word out. Linda Scrima came out for the bird and Karen Miller was already on her way to the refuge. The bird was located in the pool right in front of the viewing platform and was close enough for decent photos. Maria Loukeris also made it out for the bird and then joined up with the three of us as we walked the Liberty Loop.

It was a great morning of birding with many good birds. We did alright with waterfowl, with some migrants still hanging in: Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal (many!), and a handful of Ring-necked Ducks. As far as shorebirds go, we had a Spotted Sandpiper (my First Of Season) and 2 Greater Yellowlegs. About half way down the west side of the loop, we had a very cooperative group of Yellow-rumped Warblers .

Yellow-rumped Warbler at Wallkill River NWR, 4/26/14.

In that same spot we also had three types of swallows: Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Karen Miller spotted this beautiful NRWS perched on a tree just off the trail – it was awesome!

Northern Rough-winged Swallow at Wallkill River NWR, 4/26/14.

Shortly after that, when we were at the southern end of the trail (the furthest point from the parking area!), the lowlight of the day occurred. I don’t usually include the low points in my posts because really there aren’t too many – if I’m out birding its usually all good. Well, this

was not good, I stepped into hole in the trail and sprained my ankle. I went down hard; everything crashing to the ground, scope, camera, camera hood flying off. I knew I had injured my ankle, but what I didn’t know at the time was that I had also damaged my camera lens. I didn’t find out until I got home because the camera seemed to operating properly. When I looked at all my photos taken after the fall, every one of them is slightly blurry. I will be taking the lens in on Monday, hopefully they can fix it and it’s not too expensive.

We finished the loop, seeing an Osprey fishing and a female Northern Harrier patrolling the swamp. The Long-tailed Duck was still present and while we took more photos, I received a call from Rob Stone – he had three BONAPARTE’S GULLS as well as another Long-tailed Duck, Bank Swallows, and a Horned Grebe over at Owens Station Road. We hustled over and got the BOGU, HOGR, and LTDU for sure. I was pretty sure that I got a look at one Bank Swallow, but it was a brief look and no one else got a good enough look at the bird.

Three Bonaparte's Gulls at Owen Station Road, 4/26/14. Photo by Linda Scrima. — One of my highlights of the day – three distant Bonaparte’s Gulls at Owen Station Road, 4/26/14. Photo by Linda Scrima.

The camera/ankle disaster aside, it really was one of the better mornings of birding this spring!

Greater Yellowlegs – Wallkill River NWR, 4/25/14

Quick Post: I had my first significant shorebird sighting of the year: 9 Greater Yellowlegs tonight at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. Thanks to Linda Scrima and Maria Constantelos Loukeris, who originally located the birds and gave me the heads up. When I saw the birds, they were located on the north side of Oil City Road, in the pool that is furthest to the west (towards Winding Waters Trail).

The birds were too distant for good photos - one of 9 Greater Yellowlegs at Wallkill River NWR, 4/25/14. — The birds were too distant for good photos – one of 9 Greater Yellowlegs at Wallkill River NWR, 4/25/14.

Bashakill WMA, 4/24/14

I went out to the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area today after work. There has not been much bird movement, so I figured I would head out there in hopes of relocating the Little Blue Heron that was seen there yesterday. I figured my chances were pretty slim of finding that bird – John Haas had scoured the Bash the day before and today as well without any luck. On Haven Road, I ran into John along with Lance Vanderame and we shot the breeze for a little while. There was not much going on there, though I did watch a young Bald Eagle fly in and perch on a muskrat hill. After that I went over to the boat launch off of Route 209 where I was pleasantly surprised by a lingering pair of Blue-winged Teals. I also was able to get some photos of a couple of Wood Ducks:

A pair of Wood Ducks at the Bashakill WMA, 4/24/14.

I, of course, struck out with the Little Blue Heron, but it was still a nice evening at the Bash.

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge 4/19/14

Six of the 25 Caspian Terns we had at Montezuma NWR, 4/19/14. — Five of the 25 Caspian Terns we had at Montezuma NWR, 4/19/14.

If you get the chance to go to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, by all means go. I have never been disappointed at this refuge. This past Saturday morning, Bill Martocci and I left Baldwinsville (where Tricia’s mom lives), and arrived at Montezuma just before noon. The timing could not have been more perfect for me because most of the waterfowl had recently moved out of Orange County, and to be honest, I just hadn’t gotten enough of them. At Montezuma, there was still a super showing of waterfowl, and if you include all swimming water birds, we totaled 17 species, including nearly a dozen CANVASBACK, which was a life bird for me:

I always seem to be shooting Blue-winged Teal through the grasses. Montezuma NWR, 4/19/14.

Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
CANVASBACK (life bird)
Redhead (FOS)
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American Coot

I like this shot of an American Coot, which is not a very photogenic bird in my experience. Montezuma NWR, 4/19/14.

Northern Shoveler at Montezuma NWR, 4/19/14.

It also seems to be the year of the Caspian Tern – we had 25 at the refuge, 22 of which were located perched just outside the visitor center. For the weekend, I would guess that I had close to 35 Caspian Terns in the area!

A Caspian Tern (with blown highlights) in flight. Baldwinsville, NY 4/20/14.

The highlight of the day for me, however, was locating an AMERICAN BITTERN. At the visitor center, we talked to a local birder who made us aware that he had had a bittern earlier that day. That helped, because I was certainly on the lookout. We had stopped to look at a large flock of Tree Swallows when I located the bird of the day. I really struggled taking photos; I think the camera has a difficult time focusing on this bird because of how well it is camouflaged. While looking at and shooting this bird, each time I looked down I would lose track of where the bird was.

AMERICAN BITTERN at Montezuma NWR, 4/19/14.

I love this pose. AMBI at Montezuma NWR, 4/19/14.

Highlights for Bill included seeing a handful of Bald Eagles, a Belted Kingfisher, and a very brief glimpse of a female American Kestrel. We missed out on at least a couple of birds I was hoping for, including Sandhill Crane, Trumpeter Swan (both of which were reported at the refuge that day!), and Tundra Swan which have likely moved through at this point. It was a great day of birding where we totaled over 40 species.

I had to throw this photo into this post. This was taken at a small pond in Tricia's mom's neighborhood, typically a pond that has few birds. 4/20/14. — I had to throw this photo into this post. This was taken at a small pond in Tricia’s mom’s neighborhood, typically a pond that has few birds. 4/20/14.

Montezuma NWR, 4/20/14 – Preview

American Bittern, my FOS at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, 4/20/14.

Tricia I spent the holiday weekend up in Syracuse visiting her family, so my future brother-in-law Bill and I got out to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday afternoon. I’m in late on Sunday, so I don’t have time to complete the post, but suffice to say it was one of the better birding days I’ve had recently with plenty of photo opportunities – complete post to follow tomorrow.