I took this shot of a Brown Thrasher a week ago out at the Shawangunk Grasslands. I didn’t really have much to say about that day, it was just a short visit, but I like this photo and wanted to post it. I have been hoping for a decent thrasher photo for a little while now, so I was excited when I saw a family of Brown Thrashers just off the entry road at the grasslands. They stayed mostly hidden, I have several obscured photos, but I did manage the above shot which was a bit distant but I still like it.
Red-tailed Hawk hunting from a hay bale on Pulaski Highway on my way out to Wallkill River NWR, 7/14/13.
This morning I met Karen Miller out at Wallkill River NWR, where we walked the Liberty Loop. It was a relatively birdy morning and we had many species that I had not expected to see, including my personal highlight of the outing, a pair of adult Black-crowned Night Herons seen from the viewing platform:
One of two Black-crowned Night Herons at Wallkill River NWR, 7/14/13. This one was in a small pool just to the left of the viewing platform.This BCNH flew in just as Karen Miller arrived. These birds were FOS for me.
Another highlight was a nice collection of shorebirds located at the south end of the Liberty Loop. I’ll add my usual disclaimer that I am STILL struggling with shorebird identification, but I feel fairly confident that we had Spotted Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, and a Solitary Sandpiper.
A Killdeer along with a Spotted Sandpiper out at Wallkill River NWR 7/14/13.
I have this as a Pectoral Sandpiper. Please leave a comment if you know otherwise! Thanks.
There were plenty of Great Blue Herons about, we even had 5 fly over at once. GBHE at Wallkill River NWR 7/14/13.
It was a really nice morning of birding (if you ignore the mosquitos that plagued the west side of the loop!), where we had over 40 species of bird:
This might be the same bird as seen on the hay bale at the top of this post. I took this shot on my way home and it was just across the road from where I took the hay bale shot.
Canada Goose 55
Mallard 10
Great Blue Heron 15
Green Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture 3
Northern Harrier 1
Killdeer 6
Spotted Sandpiper 4
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 4
Pectoral Sandpiper 7
Mourning Dove 1
American Kestrel 2
Willow Flycatcher 3
Eastern Phoebe 4
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 2
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
House Wren 1
American Robin 6
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 3
Cedar Waxwing 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 5
Swamp Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 1
Indigo Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird 65
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Baltimore Oriole 2
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 1
Late edit: I forgot to include Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 to our species list.
One of Tricia’s favorite sayings is “When in doubt, head north“, which is exactly what we did last weekend. Actually, I got the idea from John Haas after a recent discussion with him about being in a “birding slump”. His advice was to take a trip and spice things up a bit; he suggested the trip up north to Saranac Lake and gave me great tips on where to do the best birding. If anyone is interested in doing some birding in the Adirondacks, leave a comment and I will pass along as much information as I can.
FRIDAY
Tricia and I headed up on Friday after getting out of work a little bit early. It was a pleasant drive that was highlighted by finding a female Common Merganser with her brood on the side of the road in Keene NY. I felt like this was a good omen for the weekend to come.
Common Mergansers in Keene NY, 7/5/13. The color of the rocks below the surface and the late afternoon sun created an unusual and not necessarily pleasing effect, giving this photo and overall orange look. I made some adjustments to try to save it, but ultimately I am somewhat disappointed with all my shots of these birds.
Friday evening we made a brief stop at Bloomingdale Bog Trail, near Bloomingdale Road. We were there for less than an hour when it started to rain pretty heavily, but before we ran for the car we managed to identify 14 species, including two life birds for me – a pair of Lincoln’s Sparrows and three Gray Jays.
Adult Gray Jay at Bloomingdale Bog, 7/5/13.Juvenile Gray Jay at Bloomingdale Bog, 7/5/13.Lincoln’s Sparrow at Bloomingdale Bog, 7/5/13.
SATURDAY
We knew that we were certainly going to do some paddling while we were up in the area – Tricia did a canoe trip some years ago with her brother at the St. Regis Canoe Area, which involved several days of paddling and camping out. We only had one day, so I referred to ‘Quiet Water New York’, a fantastic guide to paddling in New York state. We decided to do one of the Fish Creek Loops; it included five ponds, four carries and most importantly, it could be done in a day. Here is the route we took:
Our paddling route for the Fish Creek Loop.
This was an adventure for me; up until now, I have just paddled locally in a single body of water for a couple of hours at a time. In ‘Quiet Water New York’, they mention seeing a Common Loon diving, so I was hoping that we might see one as well. We parked the car at the south end of Follensby Clear Pond. It was only moments after getting out of the car that Tricia noticed two Common Loons swimming in the distance. We put our kayaks in ASAP hoping to get close enough for a photo or two. We put in, and I was just floating in my kayak, trying to get situated and get my camera out of my dry bag. Tricia started calling my name urgently – a Common Loon had surfaced less than five feet from my kayak!
This Common Loon Surfaced so close to me I had to wait to be able to take a photo! Follensby Clear Pond, 7/6/13.
I was thrilled to say the least. These loons are such beautiful birds, and to be able to see them this closely was quite a treat for me. We paddled to the north end of Follensby Clear Pond where we had more loons which were very active all around us, including this chick:
A very cute Common Loon chick in the north end of Follensby Clear Pond, 7/6/13.Common Loon at the north end of Follensby Clear Pond, 7/6/13.
The loons were very active all around me – I was panicking trying to take photos!I was hoping to get a good shot of a loon flapping like this!
I guess loons are a heavy bird, so they require a long running, flapping take-off.
Other birds seen on Follensby Clear Pond included: Common Merganser, Osprey, and Great Blue Heron. We found the carry to Polliwog Pond with the help of a local paddler who also happened to count Common Loons on the ponds for the Department of Environmental Conservation.
We paddled through Polliwog Pond and found the carry to Middle Pond. During the carry, we had two Hairy Woodpeckers, which we got very good looks at but no photos because the camera was packed in a dry bag. Middle Pond held a nice surprise:
These two chicks seem somehow conspiratorial. Common Loon with two chicks, Middle Pond 7/6/13.
We made the carry to Floodwood Pond where we had only distant looks at Common Loons as we ate our lunch in our kayaks. I had one raptor fly over in the distance the I could not positively identify other than it being a Buteo. We were also hearing many birds from the shore all day, but not getting any looks. From Flatwood Pond to Little Square Pond is an easy paddle; the current just takes you at a steady pace. Fish Creek was easy as well; it was a very relaxing float down the creek. We made our final carry back to Follensby Clear Pond where we found more accommodating loons:
This is one of my favorite shots of the day. Common Loon at Follensby Clear Pond, 7/6/13.
Common Loon splashing at Follensby Clear Pond, 7/6/13.
It took us over seven hours and we were both exhausted. The final paddle to the where we parked the car was tough, it felt like we were paddling in quicksand. What a fantastic day! I cannot wait to do it again!
SATURDAY EVENING
In the evening, Tricia and I were both sure we would fall asleep if we didn’t get out and do something, so we decided to head over to Bigelow Road to do some birding. It was not very birdy, we were hearing some birds but not seeing any. We ran into three birders from the Syracuse area who were very nice. They were telling us that they hadn’t seen much either when Tricia said “I see a bird”. We looked in a tall evergreen and found a BOREAL CHICKADEE! The bird was a bit distant but managed to get some photos which ended up better than I expected.
BOREAL CHICKADEE at Bigelow Road in Saranac Lake NY, 7/6/13.
SUNDAY
Sunday morning I went out birding alone for a couple of rainy, misty hours at Bloomingdale Bog. Although the weather was not cooperating, it was a really nice morning of birding. I identified 29 species and I had a couple of highlights. The first one was unexpected for me. I looked back down the trail at one point and I saw a Northern Harrier cruising the trail, tilting from side to side hunting. Later, I saw a second Northern Harrier flying in the distance with what appeared to be a snake in its grasp. My second and best highlight of the morning was seeing a couple of BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS. The light was terrible for photos, and the birds were distant. I did the best I could and I at least have this shot for documentation:
Black-backed Woodpecker at Bloomingdale Bog, 7/7/13.
What a great weekend it was! Even sitting in hours of traffic to get home didn’t dampen our spirits after a fun, adventurous weekend like that.
I love the pose this Red-winged Blackbird was taking – wings stretched out. Basha Kill WMA 7/4/13.
I woke up early and took my kayak out to the Basha Kill for a paddle. Due to the heavy rains from earlier this week, the water level was really high, causing Haven Road to become flooded. The high water made an impact on my birding in a few ways. The first is that it made for a very easy paddle with no vegetation to slow me down in the channels. It also allowed me to explore the Bash outside the channels, where vegetation was present but it was still a relatively effortless paddle. Another effect of the high water level was also helpful. One of my target birds for the day was the Common Gallinule, which has been, for me, one of the tougher birds to get a good look at. Today I got several good looks and actually managed to get some decent photos. I believe that with the water up, there was less vegetation to hide these birds. Conversely, the final effect was not helpful at all. Great Blue Herons were out in numbers today, I saw probably 15 or so, but I never got close enough for a photo! Not one! I think that the GBHs were more easily aware of my presence without the vegetation to hide my approach.
I heard this bird long before I saw it. I am thrilled to finally get a decent shot of a Common Gallinule. Basha Kill 7/4/13. Adult Bald Eagle at Basha Kill WMA, 7/4/13. I had a close encounter with one of the adults bringing in food to the two fledges but I did not manage to get any photos as they flew right over me in my kayak.One more shot of the many Red-winged Blackbirds out at the Basha Kill, 74/13.I’m trying to branch out a bit, taking photos of things other than birds. Basha Kill, 7/4/13.
It’s still nice to get a good shot of one of our more common birds. Red-winged Blackbird at Basha Kill WMA 6/23/13.
I was feeling a bit uninspired when trying to figure out where to bird this morning. With migration long over and the summer kicking in, I was looking to do something a little bit different. It was right about this time last year that I started birding by kayak out at the Basha Kill, so I figured I would give it a shot. I put my kayak in the water at the route 209 boat launch just before 7 am. I paddled to Haven Road without seeing very much at all – a huge difference from last year when I had Wood Ducks and duckling at just about every turn, Pied-billed Grebes, and no shortage of Great Blue Herons. I was hearing plenty of birds on the perimeter of the kill, and I also was enjoying watching the Tree Swallows hunt and then perform an apparent mid-air food exchange. I tried to get a photo of this behavior, but I was unsuccessful.
At Haven Road I could see an adult Bald Eagle perched on the other side of the bridge. The water level is still very high, so I had to walk my kayak over Haven Road to continue. I moved very slowly and eventually got in good position to take some photos. This was clearly the highlight of my outing, I snapped away until the Red-winged Blackbirds and Eastern Kingbirds became too bothersome for the eagle and it flew.
Bald Eagle perched near Haven Road, as seen from my kayak 6/23/13.
Here the eagle is starting to get bothered by the small birds buzzing around…I believe that is a female Red-winged Black bird right behind the eagle as it took off. An here, it appears that an Eastern Kingbird is hitching a ride! It always amazes me that these small birds are willing to tangle with an adult Bald Eagle.
I took a quick cruise over to the Nature Trail when I finished my paddle, and picked up my best bird of the day by far: a pair of NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES. This was a life bird for me, giving me two life birds this weekend – not too bad! They were splashing around in a puddle in the parking lot when I arrived, pumping their tails repeatedly. I tried to move closer for a photo and flushed them; I never did see them again. I had a nice photo opportunity at the end of the trail, where I stumbled upon about 10 Wood Duck ducklings. I think they are so sweet.
Pure sweetness – a Wood Duck duckling at Basha Kill WMA 6/23/13.Here’s a couple more…
It ended up being a great morning for birding and for bird photography. Here’s my species list for the day:
Canada Goose 10
Wood Duck 25
Mallard 6
Great Blue Heron 5
Turkey Vulture 1
Bald Eagle 1
Virginia Rail 1
Common Gallinule 2
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Eastern Phoebe 2
Eastern Kingbird 10
Yellow-throated Vireo 4
Warbling Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Tree Swallow 25
Barn Swallow 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Veery 2
Wood Thrush 3
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Ovenbird 2
Northern Waterthrush 2
Common Yellowthroat 2
American Redstart 6
Yellow Warbler 10
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle 8
I ran into John Haas and Scotty Baldinger out at the Basha Kill this morning. I joined them in search of a suspected King Rail. We were joined shortly after by fellow Mearns Bird Club members Joyce D and Mary B. The King Rail turned out to be this very accommodating Virginia Rail. I’m sure John and Scotty were disappointed but I sure wasn’t – it was a life bird for both myself and Joyce D.Here’s one more of the Virginia Rail, Basha Kill 6/22/13.
This post includes three birds that I enjoyed watching an photographing this week. They are also birds that I would not have been nearly as likely to find without the generosity of my fellow birders. I have wanted to write a post about this for a while now, when I think back on all the posts I have made over the last year or so, how often am I thanking another birder? Very often! I am continually impressed by how kind and giving birders are; my experiences with other birders here in Orange County and the surrounding areas have been overwhelmingly positive. I have yet to come across a birder that is secretive or keeping any sort of “birding hotspot” to themselves. Rather, it is much more common to run into other birders out in the field, where they will give me the most detailed directions to get a good look or photograph of the latest bird that I am seeking.
Additionally, birders will take the time and energy to share their observations by texting, emailing or posting online. Again, this usually includes accurate and very detailed descriptions of where and when the bird had been seen.
The birding community is an extremely nice group of people, one that I feel I have slowly become a part of over the past couple of years. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the generous birders out there – I hope I can repay you all at one time or another.
Karen Miller and I ran into Curt McDermott out at Stewart Forest on Wednesday evening. On Thursday evening I was taking photos of Bank Swallows in Wallkill thanks to a hot tip and perfect directions from Curt. Btw, this is a difficult bird to photograph. I realize this is not a great photo but it was the best I could do! I plan give it another go sometime soon…Earlier this week, I received an email from Ken McDermott and Ajit Antony posted on the Mearns Bird Club that there were Purple Martins out at the Shawangunk Grasslands. I got out there this morning and managed to get some flight photos.
Well, it took five outings, but I finally got a few decent shots of a Grasshopper Sparrow. I spent about an hour out to the Appalachian Trail near Route 94 in Vernon NJ after work this afternoon and finally got a little lucky.
I finally managed to get some decent Killdeer flight photos this morning. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR 6/16/13.
This morning at the Shawangunk Grasslands, I saw one Grasshopper Sparrow, but had no luck with photos. I took a nice long walk, saw many birds, and took a lot of photos. The trails at the grasslands are really starting to take shape. They were, of course, a little muddy and wet with all the rain we have had lately, but they are MUCH improved from when they were first developed. The mud doesn’t stick in your boots and the walk is much more even and smooth. Thanks Ralph for all the work you do out there – it was nice to see you and catch up a little this morning.
The grasslands have grown in pretty well, so there are many kinds of vegetation and wild flowers which really create a nice backgrounds for taking photos. I did not have any out of the ordinary birds this morning; all birds you would expect for this time of the year. My highlight would have to be the large number of Bobolinks present, which allowed for many photo opportunities.
Bobolinks are certainly messy eaters. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR 6/16/13.I was hoping to get a good shot of the beautiful markings on the back of the male Bobolink. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR 6/16/13.
I like the blurred flowers in the background of this one. Bobolink at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR 6/16/13.
A fluffed up male Bobolink, Shawangunk Grasslands NWR 6/16/13.
This Killdeer made several passes, allowing me to get a few good shots.Pretty shot of a Killdeer in flight. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR 6/16/13.There were many Eastern Meadowlarks present but I never got very close. I focused more of my attention on the more dramatic looking male Bobolinks, but here is a nice look at a female.
Right before the rain on Friday evening, a Cedar Waxwing posed nicely. Appalachian Trail near Route 94, Vernon NJ.
After a long week of rainy weather and being sick, I woke up early this morning raring to go. My main objective was to get a good photo of a Grasshopper Sparrow.I did not achieve this objective because I never saw any! I went back to the Appalachian Trail near Route 94 in Vernon, NJ where we had a least four last weekend, but I had no luck. I heard one Grasshopper Sparrow, but I never did locate it. I had also tried yesterday evening – I heard and saw at least two Grasshopper Sparrows but the light was not very good with the rain coming in. This morning, the light was much better for photos, so I went to work on my second objective which was to bring home some decent photos. I feel like I haven’t done well lately with the camera, so I wanted to work on it. While I was at it, I ended up with 22 species of bird:
A singing Field Sparrow out at the AT, 6/15/13.
Mallard 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Mourning Dove 6
Northern Flicker 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
American Crow 4
Common Raven 2
Barn Swallow 6
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 10
Cedar Waxwing 5
Yellow Warbler 1
Field Sparrow 4
Grasshopper Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Indigo Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird 8
Common Grackle 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
A Great Crested Flycatcher as I was leaving the Appalachian Trail near Route 94, 6/15/13.
After about an hour, I headed over to Wallkill River NWR to walk the Liberty Loop. It was quite birdy as I walked the loop and I ended up with 36 species and I took a LOT of photos. The results were mixed, but here is my species list as well as some of my better shots.
Red-winged Blackbird at Wallkill River NWR 6/15/13.
Canada Goose 15
Mallard 14
Great Blue Heron 8
Turkey Vulture 4
Rock Pigeon 1
Chimney Swift 1
Willow Flycatcher 3
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 4
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 1
American Crow 4
Tree Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 1
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Eastern Bluebird 3
Wood Thrush 2
American Robin 12
Gray Catbird 6
Brown Thrasher 3
Cedar Waxwing 6
Common Yellowthroat 2
Yellow Warbler 6
Song Sparrow 16
Swamp Sparrow 10
Northern Cardinal 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 2
Bobolink 3
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle 8
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Orchard Oriole 1
Baltimore Oriole 2
American Goldfinch 3
Easily the highlight of my morning, one of three Brown Thrashers out at Wallkill River NWR 6/15/13.My favorite photo of the day – Willow Flycatcher at Wallkill River NWR 6/15/13.This Rose-breasted Grosbeak was really enjoying some mulberries. Wallkill River NWR 6/15/13.Indigo Bunting at Wallkill River NWR 6/15/13.I was at first glance confused by this young Eastern Bluebird. Wallkill River NWR 6/15/13.
Tomorrow morning I will head out to the Shawangunk Grasslands. I am following a hot tip from Scotty Baldinger who reported to the Mearns Bird Club that he had FIVE Grasshopper Sparrows out there this morning…
A Marsh Wren builds its nest at the Appalachian Trail Pochuck Creek Section, 6/9/13.
I was out of town for work this week, so I did not have the opportunity to do much birding (actually the hotel we stayed at had a nice swampy area surrounding it and I walked the perimeter a number of times). I made up for it by doing quite a bit of birding this weekend, hittting five spots in two days.
Saturday Morning – Sterling Forest State Park, Sterling Lake Loop.
Highlights: Although I had 31 species for the walk, I did not see anything extraordinary. I was lucky enough to get a decent photo of my first of season Red-eyed Vireo:
I spent some time with this bird, waiting for it to get into some sunlight. Red-eyed Vireo at Sterling Forest SP 6/8/13.
Saturday Afternoon: Basha Kill WMA
Highlights: My latest favorite bird, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo made an appearance at the Nature Trail again. I also had a brief but good look at a male Scarlett Tanager there as well.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Basha Kill WMA, 6/8/13.I had to include this shot of an Eastern Kingbird snagging a dragonfly from its perch. Deli Fields at Basha Kill WMA 6/8/13.
Sunday Early Morning: Appalachian Trail near Route 94 in Sussex County NJ
Highlights: I was fortunate enough to be invited to join Judy Cinquina, Tom Millard, B.A. McGrath and Gene for a day of birding. It was certainly good company and I felt like I learned quite a bit. My best bird for the morning (for the whole day really) was the GRASSHOPPER SPARROW! This was a life bird for me, and although we got several very good looks, I was not satisfied with any of my photos. The light was on the harsh side for some reason and most of my photos where overexposed. Here is my best effort:
Grasshopper Sparrow at the Appalachian Trail near Route 94, 6/9/13.
Sunday Late Morning: Appalachian Trail Pochuck Creek Section
Highlights: Watching a Marsh Wren build its nest was amazing I was really happy to get the photo at the top of this post. I also really enjoyed the Swamp Sparrows perching on cattails and singing.
Swamp Sparrow at the Appalachian Trail Pochuk Creek Section, 6/9/13.Willow Flycatcher at the Appalachian Trail Pochuck Creek Section, 6/9/13.
Sunday Afternoon: Wallkill River NWR
Highlights: For the heat of the day, we saw many birds while we walked the east side of the Liberty Loop. I really enjoyed the distant but good looks at four male Bobolinks, and I managed to get a photo of a male Orchard Oriole that I like:
Orchard Oriole at Wallkill River NWR 6/9/13.Cedar Waxwing at Wallkill River NWR, 6/9/13.I finally got a shot of a Common Yellowthroat – for some reason I have not gotten good looks this year. Wallkill River NWR, 6/9/13.
