Orange Birding

Sunday Shots, 08/16/26

Well, another weekend has come and gone, and we still have not had any shorebird presence to speak of in the Black Dirt Region. I was out both mornings, but essentially came up empty. Outside of Killdeer, the only other birds I was able to locate were a couple of Least Sandpipers, a Solitary Sandpiper, and a Lesser Yellowlegs. Jeanne Cimorelli was out this morning also, and she had a couple of Semipalmated Plovers. I also tried 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. Shorebird conditions have improved ever so slightly there, and I had about a dozen Least Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, and 3 Lesser Yellowlegs.

The bird of the weekend, however, was Laughing Gull. Bruce Nott reported one at the Newburgh Waterfront on Saturday morning. When I arrived, it had been joined by another, so I had two juvenile Laughing Gulls. I thought they were pretty sharp looking birds; the lighting was terrible when I was there, but that didn’t stop me from taking a bunch of photos. On Sunday morning, Travis Rubio reported unfortunately that one of the LAGUs had been taken by a Peregrine Falcon.

~Laughing Gull in flight at the Newburgh Waterfront, 08/15/26.~

~LAGU at the Newburgh Waterfront, 08/15/26.~

~Laughing Gull on the docks at the Newburgh Waterfront, 08/15/26.~

~LAGU with a snack. Newburgh Waterfront 08/15/26.~

~I like this image. Mourning Doves in the black dirt, 08/16/26.~

~Cooper’s hawk on a footbridge in the black dirt, 08/16/26.~

~I believe this is an Eastern Wood-Pewee. Black Dirt Region on 08/11/26.~

Sunday Shots, 08/09/26

Well the big excitement for the weekend took place in Lafayette Township New Jersey on Saturday morning, when I caught up with the SWALLOW-TAILED KITE that had been reported there. I’m including a couple additional photos of that bird at the bottom of this post.

My focus for the weekend, however, was shorebirds. I checked the black dirt both mornings and also 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary on Sunday morning. Unfortunately I came up mostly empty, finding only Killdeer (many), a single Solitary Sandpiper, and a couple of Semipalmated Plovers. In the black dirt I did enjoy spending some time with a family of Horned Larks – readers of the blog know that I love Horned Larks, especially the young birds. At 6 1/2 Station Road, birds of note included an Osprey, a Great Egret, and a couple of Green Herons (and, notably, not a single shorebird – conditions are not good for them).

~Young Horned Lark in the Black Dirt Region, 08/08/26.~

~Handsome little devil. HOLA in the black dirt, 08/08/26.~

~Green Heron at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 08/09/26.~

~Osprey flying overhead at 6 1/2 Station Road, 08/09/26.~

~Swallow-tailed Kite eating on the wing, Lafayette Township NJ, 08/08/26.~

~STKI flying directly overhead in Lafayette Township, NJ 08/08/26.~

Sussex County Swallow-tailed Kite, 08/08/26

QUICK POST: This morning I finally had some birding excitement for the first time in a good while. I ran for the SWALLOW-TAILED KITE that had been reported on Decker Road in Lafayette Township, New Jersey. I was pretty excited to hopefully see this bird, as it had been over 10 years since I’ve seen one (in Florida), and to see one in our area would be quite remarkable. I had some really good timing; the bird was present and flying not too far out when I arrived. After a little while, it flew in pretty close, basically directly overhead. After that, it worked its way further from the road, tangled with a couple of Peregrine Falcons and then was out of view for a while. Right before I left, it had been relocated by Silas Wareham, but the bird was quite distant at that point.

~Swallow-tailed Kite in Lafayette Township, Sussex County, NJ on 08/08/26.~

Sunday Shots, 07/26/26

Well, there is still not very much going on in the local birding scene. New post-breeding birds for me included a couple of Great Egrets (6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary and Middletown Reservoir Trails) and a single Solitary Sandpiper (also at 6 1/2). I did have a couple of interesting observations, however. I stopped by Knapp’s View on Saturday morning, just to see if anything was going on. As soon as I arrived, I heard and saw several Purple Martins. I feel like I might have known at some point that Purple Martin houses had been installed there, but I’d totally forgotten, so it was a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t had any PUMAs in the county yet this year, so I was able to add them to my 2026 Orange County list (#188).

~Great Egret hunting at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 07/25/26.~

~Purple Martin flying overhead at Knapp’s View, 07/25/26.~

Then on Sunday, while I was driving on the exit ramp from the highway into Goshen, I saw two Osprey perched in a tree; one of them was eating a fish. The timing made me wonder if maybe they weren’t a local breeding pair. When they flew, the one bird I stayed on eventually flew southwest, in the direction of Goshen Reservoir, which is pretty close as the Osprey flies. I’m going to nose around there one day this week and see if I can’t find a nest.

~One of two Osprey in Goshen NY, 07/26/26.~

~Purple Martin fledgling, Knapp’s View 07/25/26.~

~American Goldfinch with a mouthful, Middletown Reservoir Trails, 07/26/26.~

Barn Swallows, 07/18/26

It’s been a slow couple of weeks, but I’m optimistic that things will start happening pretty soon. The only birds of note that I had in the past couple of weeks was (8) or so Least Sandpipers at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary on Sunday 07/19/26. The highlight of the birding weekend for me, however, was spending some time with a pair of young Barn Swallows at the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Liberty Loop platform. Linda Scrima joined me as we observed and photographed this captivating pair of young swallows.

~Young Barn Swallows at Liberty Marsh, 07/18/26.~

~An adult comes in and feeds one of the young on the fly. Barn Swallows at Liberty Marsh, 07/18/26.~

~Tell me these two aren’t excited? Barn Swallows at Liberty Marsh, 07/18/26.~

~More young Barn Swallow excitement. Liberty Marsh, 07/18/26.~

~Barn Swallows at Liberty Marsh, 07/18/26.~

Coyote Pup, 07/04/26

Early Saturday morning, on my way to Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, I came upon a super cute and very accommodating coyote pup. I’ve never seen a young coyote before, so it was pretty special for me. He/she was definitely aware of my presence, but did not get spooked and allowed me to take a bunch of photos before it made its way off the road and back towards the woods. I am really impressed with the size of its paws! It looks like it’s going to be a big beast some day. All photos were taken in Ulster County on 07/04/26.~

Regarding the birding at The Grasslands, it was enjoyable. I took a long walk and it was really birdy enough to keep me interested. All birds were the expected species, of note was what appeared to be (3) pairs of American Kestrels (it was hard to keep count, but that’s where I landed). Also of interest was the fact that I didn’t observe any Savannah Sparrows nor Grasshopper Sparrows. I’d be curious to know if any of the regulars there have been observing those two species this spring and summer.

On Sunday I went to Hickok Brook Multiple Use Area. My target was Ruffed Grouse, but unfortunately I didn’t have any luck. I was a birdy walk with most birds being heard and not seen – typical summer birding. I had a total of 29 species; birds of note included Blackburnian Warblers, Winter Wren, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. I really enjoyed hearing the Winter Wren song and also the song of the Hermit Thrush.

Sunday Shots, 06/28/26

On Saturday morning I hike the Sterling Lake Loop at Sterling Forest State Park. It’s an approximately four and a half mile easy hike which is typically pretty birdy. As expected, most birds were heard and not seen; highlights included a couple of Hooded Warblers, a single Acadian Flycatcher, and a couple of Worm-eating Warblers. My best sighting of the day, however, was not bird related. I found what I’m pretty sure was a Common Five-lined Skink; see photo below.

~I have this as a Common Five-lined Skink. Sterling Forest SP, 06/27/26.~

On Sunday I wasn’t able to find any inspiration, so I just took a cruise in the Black Dirt Region to see if anything was going on. There really wasn’t much going on, but I did get lucky and found a super cute Spotted Sandpiper chick. Probably the cutest thing about this sighting is that, even at this very young age, this little Spotted Sandpiper was bobbing its tail just like we see the adults do all the time.

~Spotted Sandpiper chick in the black dirt, 06/28/26.~

~An adult Spotted Sandpiper was nearby, keeping a close eye on the chick. Black Dirt Region, 06/28/26.~

~Barn Swallow fledglings at Silver Mine Lake on 06/24/26. Look at that hairdo!~

~Barn Swallow fledglings at Silver Mine Lake, 06/24/26.~

~Quick stop at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary on Saturday morning after my hike yielded a young Brown Thrasher, 06/27/26.~

Cliff Swallows, 06/24/26

After work on Wednesday evening, I went to Silver Mine Lake in Harriman State Park. I was following up on an eBird report of Cliff Swallows being observed there. It was quite an evening – I located the Cliff Swallows almost immediately, and I was able to observe and photograph behavior that I’d never seen before – they were nest building. I estimate there were (6) individuals, and they were all collecting mud from the bank of Bockey Swamp Brook and taking it to the underside of the footbridge right near the parking area. I was able to stand on the bridge and watch as they went to work; going to the bank of the brook an returning to the underside of the bridge repeatedly. It was a cool experience, and I am really pleased with the photos I got – they definitely exceeded my expectations. It was species #187 for me in Orange County for 2026.

All images are Cliff Swallows taken at Silver Mine Lake, 06/24/26. I used my Canon 7d Mark II with the EF 100-400mm IS II lens.

Sunday Shots, 06/21/26

Summer birding is in full swing, so there is not really all that much happening. On Saturday morning I spent some time in the Black Dirt Region, and then enjoyed a nice walk at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge’s Winding Waters Trail. I got my first look for the year at a Grasshopper Sparrow in the black dirt; otherwise it was just the usuals. At Winding Waters it was more of the usuals, but with loads of bugs – little tiny flying insects that were seemingly everywhere but somehow were not bothersome at all.

~American Goldfinch in the Black Dirt Region on Saturday morning, 06/20/26.~

On Sunday, I walked the Mongaup River Trail, which has always been a good summer birding location. Highlights included: a couple pairs of Louisiana Waterthrushes, a glimpse of a single Magnolia Warbler, and a frustrating experience with a calling Blackburnian Warbler – the bird called, and called, and called, but I was never able to locate it. Still, it was a pleasant walk on a cool morning along the river.

~Flying insects at Winding Waters Trail, 06/20/26.~

~My attempt at a close up – bugs at Winding Waters Trail, 06/20/26.~

~Singing Grasshopper Sparrow in the black dirt, 06/20/21.~

~Red-winged Blackbird in the BDR, 06/20/26.~

~Young Killdeer in the black dirt, 06/20/26.~

Sunday Shots, 06/14/26

I was busy last weekend and didn’t get out very much – just for a little while on Sunday morning. This weekend I got out both days, but with spring migration complete, there wasn’t all that much going on. This morning was definitely my favorite outing of the past couple of weeks – I took my yearly hike up to Jupiter’s Boulder in Black Rock Forest. It was waaaay back in June of 2018 that I finally observed Ruffed Grouse in Orange County. I’ve gone back every year since, hoping to get lucky again.

As expected, I dipped on the Ruffed Grouse, but it was still an excellent morning as I always find that hike enjoyable. I also added (3) species to my 2026 OC list – which is a little unexpected in mid-June. The first was a small flock of Wild Turkeys. I’ve had them in the county this year already, but never when I was doing an eBird report. The second was expected – Acadian Flycatcher. They are very reliable at that location. And the third was unexpected – Winter Wren – I’ve never had one at that location before. Photos were tough; I had very few opportunities, plus it was a bit overcast and very dark on most of the trail. I photographed a fledgling Louisiana Waterthrush, but due to the conditions, I shot it at ISO 4000 and the photos were terribly grainy. You can see my best effort to save it in post processing at the bottom of this post.