Orange Birding

Ulster County PACIFIC LOON, 07/07/24

Believe it or not, I enjoyed a three-loon morning today. In Ulster County. In July. I can safely say I’ve never had a three-loon day anywhere in our area, at any time of the year.

A little background. Yesterday morning, Jeanne Cimorelli located a PACIFIC LOON in a raft of Common Loons at Ashokan Reservoir. To me this is a just a remarkable find. To begin with, finding nearly 20 Common Loons on a reservoir in Ulster County in July is something on its own. Add to that a rare Pacific Loon, which could have very easily been overlooked, and you have one very impressive observation.

I couldn’t run for the bird yesterday, so I was up and at ’em early this morning and luckily the birds stuck around. The icing on the cake was relocating the Red-throated Loon in breeding plumage at another area on the reservoir, giving a total of 3 loon species for the morning. This is not your typical summer birding, to say the least! Congrats to Jeanne on a great find.

~Pacific Loon with Common Loons at Ashokan Reservoir, 07/07/24. The Pacific is the bird on the far right.~

~Fourth bird from the right: PACIFIC LOON at Ashokan Reservoir, 07/07/24.

SATURDAY SHOTS: I birded locally on Saturday, hoping that the storms that rolled through early in the morning. would have grounded some shorebirds. The black dirt yielded a couple of Least Sandpipers, several Spotted Sandpipers, and many Killdeer. At 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, I was able to relocate the Short-billed Dowitcher that I thought was long gone. That bird made my day – it’s always a good bird for the county, and its plumage was striking.

~Short-billed Dowitcher at 6 1/2 Station Rd. Sanctuary, 07/06/24.~

~Killdeer chick in the black dirt region, 07/06/24.~

~Killdeer in the onions. Black Dirt Region 07/06/24.~

~Eastern Meadowlark in the black dirt, 07/06/24.~

~Pacific Loon among Common Loons, Ashokan Reservoir, 07/07/24.~

Ulster County Red-throated Loon in July?!?!

I was feeling uninspired this morning when I woke up, so I looked at my emails to see what the rare bird alerts in our area held. Peter Schoenberger reported a RED-THROATED LOON at Ashokan Reservoir. I clicked on the report, and although distant, the photo he included was amazing – the bird was in beautiful plumage. I knew right then what my plans for the morning were.

A couple of hours later, I was at the reservoir and had relocated the bird. It was distant, as I assumed it would be, but still, I got great scope views of something that who knows if we will ever see again in the area – a RTLO in breeding plumage. I’m half tempted to go again tomorrow morning in the hopes that the bird will be closer to the shore. What a treat!

Anyways, here are my photos – super duper heavy crop here! The bird was out there! Huge thanks to Peter for posting.

Wow! Orange County AMERICAN AVOCET, 06/30/24

I woke up this morning with shorebirds on my mind. My early stops (Camel Farm, Liberty Loop, & and Beaver Pond) didn’t yield any, with the exception of Killdeer. My final stop, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, however, had a doozy in store for me – an AMERICAN AVOCET. After scanning for a while and only finding more Killdeer, I was shocked to see an American Avocet in my scope view. I put the word out, and several birders came and enjoyed the bird. Additionally, after I left, Jeanne Cimorelli located a Short-billed Dowitcher, another excellent bird for the county.

~Exciting stuff! American Avocet at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 06/30/24.~

~Another look at today’s bird of the day -American Avocet at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 06/30/24.~

In other news, on Saturday morning, I went to Hickok Brook Multiple Use Area to try for Ruffed Grouse. Historically a good spot for grouse, I did not have any luck yesterday. I enjoyed a pleasant 5.25 mile walk, which was birdy and I enjoyed seeing my first porcupine of the year.

~Porcupine chowing on a leaf at Hickok Brook MUA, 06/29/23.

~I heard MANY Black-throated Green Warblers at Hickok Brook on Saturday, 06/29/24, but only a few were actually seen. The lighting was terrible all morning so super high ISO for these photos.~

~A young American Robin at Beaver Pond, 06/30/24.~

~Great Blue Heron in flight at Liberty Loop, 06/30/24.~

Sunday Shots, 06/23/24

We are in the summer doldrums of birding. Especially with the heat wave that we are currently experiencing. That said, it didn’t stop Bruce Nott from finding two exciting birds this week at the Newburgh Waterfront: a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a LAUGHING GULL. I ran for the birds Saturday morning and while I was successful with the Lesser Black-backed, I dipped on the Laughing.

On Sunday I birded the black dirt, including Liberty Marsh, where I first heard, and then saw my first Least Bittern of the year. It sounded like the bird was pretty deep in the marsh, but when I eventually found it, while it was a little bit out there, it was in plain sight and scope views were excellent. Photos not so much, but that’s how it goes sometimes (I’ve included a doc-shot at the bottom of this post). Regardless, I was out and about and taking photos as usual this weekend, so I hope you enjoy this week’s Sunday Shots.

~Nice find by Bruce Nott – Lesser Black-backed Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 06/22/24.~

~Lesser Black-backed Gull in flight, Newburgh Waterfront 06/22/24.~

~I believe this is a young Orchard Oriole at Winding Waters Trail last weekend, 06/16/24.

~It’s that time of year again. Killdeer chick in the black dirt, 06/23/24.

~Killdeer close-up. Black dirt 06/23/24.~

~This was a first for me – a Grasshopper Sparrow singing on a perch on the ground. Black dirt region, o6/23/24.~

~Green Heron at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 06/16/24.~

~Least Bittern at Liberty Marsh, 06/23/24.~

Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24

Stewart State Forest is a spot in Orange County that, for no real reason, I don’t bird very often. After the enjoyable morning I had today, I think it will be a little bit more on my radar. I walked a 6 mile loop; the terrain was very flat, which made for easy walking and birding. Several of the trails were overgrown and very wet – which conversely made for some uncomfortable hiking and birding, as my hikers and pants were absolutely soaked through. One of my goals was to walk through the Great Swamp Boardwalk and Trail; it was nice out there because it opens up a bit and the gentle breeze kept the insects at bay for at least a little while.

I had a few noteworthy sightings – the first was running into a family of Barred Owls on the trail. I inadvertently flushed the birds, but one young bird was kind enough to stick around for a couple of minutes so I could get a photo. Another birding highlight was my first Alder Flycatcher of the year – this was very unexpected to me; this is a species that I don’t get every year. I first heard it calling and then located the bird up in the treetops and snapped a documentary shot.

~Not a great photo, but I was pretty happy to add this Alder Flycatcher to my 2024 Orange County list. Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24.~

Non-avian highlights include an Eastern Box Turtle, and a first for me – a crayfish walking across the trail! It was interesting, because it was quite aware of my presence and as I approached it immediately and quickly backed up off the trail. It was pretty cool. I did some Googling and watched a YouTube video, and I learned just enough to know I can’t identify the exact species. If anyone knows crayfish, please post in the comments of you know the species.

~Crayfish backing off the trail at Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24.~

I’ll mention one last observation from the morning: I SAW more birds today than I do on most hikes through the woods. As always, most birds were heard and not seen, but today I definitely got looks at way more birds than I would expect on a hike like this. I finished the day with a respectable 46 bird species.

~Field Sparrow at Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24.~

~A nice looking Yellow Warbler at Stewart State Forest, 06/15/24.~

Black Rock Forest, 06/08/24

Early June of 2018, I found my first (and only!) Ruffed Grouse in Orange County at Black Rock Forest, not far from Jupiter’s Boulder. Ever since then, I have gone back to that location at this time of the year in hopes of seeing another. Unfortunately, today’s hike did not produce any grouse, but I did have a excellent morning. It was cool and comfortable walk with plenty of birds. Highlights included my FOY (first of year) Acadian Flycatcher and Black-throated Blue Warblers. I watched a Red-tailed Hawk and a Broad-winged Hawk get into a tangle over Sutherland Pond. Ovenbird was the bird of the day – they seemed to be everywhere. My best observation, however, was not bird related. I got a fantastic look at beautiful Black Bear through some thick vegetation (which prevented photos). It was some really enjoyable summer-type birding and by the time I got back to my car, I had tallied 37 bird species.

~There were absolutely loads of Ovenbirds at Black Rock Forest this morning, 06/08/24.~

~One more Louisiana Waterthrush shot, Black Rock Forest 06/08/24.~

Sunday Shots, 06/02/24

The most exciting bird of the weekend was definitely yesterday’s KENTUCKY WARBLER. Aside from that, it was just the usuals as we start slipping into summer birding mode. Fortunately the mornings were still cool which made for very enjoyable birding conditions. I had one exciting sighting which was not bird related – I witnessed a Gray Fox run across the road as I was driving on Route 50 in New Hampton. It was the first time I’ve ever seen one. Here’s a handful of shots from the weekend.

~One of many Bank Swallows at Hoops Road in Middletown, NY 06/02/24.~

~Goldfinches appear to everywhere right now. This one was in the black dirt, 06/01/24.~

~Horned Lark just after sunrise in the Black Dirt Region, 06/02/24.~

~A young European Starling on a pile of onions in the black dirt, 0601/24. I love all the flying insects in this shot!~

~One more Bank Swallow shot. Hoops Road 06/02/24.~

Orange County Kentucky Warbler, 06/01/24

While I was at work on Wednesday afternoon, birding bud Bruce Nott called me to let me know he had a KENTUCKY WARBLER at Mine Road. I was unable to make it out to try for the bird until this morning, but fortunately the bird hung in there and was still present. This was far and away the best experience I’ve ever had with this species – I’ve only ever had poor/distant looks previously, with no photos. The bird mostly stayed in the shadows while I was there, which made it a little bit difficult for photos – here are my results. Congrats to Bruce for yet another great find.

~Wow! Kentucky Warbler at Mine Road, 06/01/24.~

Excellent Morning, 05/27/24

I woke up late and with low birding exceptions. Things started out pretty well when I ran into Kyle Knapp in the black dirt and we enjoyed photographing one of the most confiding Grasshopper Sparrows I’ve ever come across (see photos below). But, it wasn’t until I went to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary afterwards, that things got really good. I arrived and almost immediately found an adult LITTLE BLUE HERON. I was really surprised by this, as we have only had an adult in Orange County one other time that I know of. I took some quick photos, and put the word out. At some point, when I was looking at my phone or camera, the bird had just disappeared…

Enter Dave Hultgren. We had never met before today, but I saw him further up the trail, so I went to him to see if he saw the bird fly. He did not just then, but he informed me that earlier, he had TWO adult Little Blue Herons! I walked further up the trail trying to relocate the birds, and sure enough, when I found one, I found two! It was pretty cool. Several other birders came to see the herons; Bruce Nott found a couple of Semipalmated Sandpipers, and a Least Sandpiper. Then, John Haas found a slightly larger sandpiper – it was a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER! What a great morning!

~Little Blue Heron at 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 05/27/24.~

~Make that TWO Little Blue Herons! 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 05/27/24.~

~Grasshopper Sparrow in the Black Dirt, belting it out! 05/27/24.

~Grasshopper Sparrow in the Black Dirt Region, 05/27/24.~

Sunday Shots, 05/26/24

With songbird migration winding down, and no real weather moving through, my expectations for this weekend were relatively low. And maybe because of that, I really enjoyed the past couple of days. In addition to several songbird locations, I tried for shorebirds in the county – in primarily three locations:

6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary: Conditions are quite good at this location right now, but unfortunately I haven’t had much variety. Shorebirds included Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, and Spotted Sandpiper.
Camel Farm: Conditions are not great (water is a little high), but I was thinking it might still be good for phalarope species. I had no luck with phalaropes, in fact on Saturday I had no shorebirds at all. On Sunday I faired a tiny bit better and had Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Sandpiper (my first of the year).
Hudson River Near Newburgh: I arrived at Plum Point right at low tide on Sunday morning and scanned the sandbar. I came up empty at first, but then the highlight of my weekend, a pair of CASPIAN TERNS flew in and landed. I joined up with birding bud Bruce Nott and we checked the sandbar at the mouth of the Quassaick Creek, where we found a single Killdeer and a Least Sandpiper. Afterwards, Bruce relocated the NEOTROPIC CORMORANT near the ferry, so I went over and enjoyed excellent looks but battled a backlit situation for photos.

~Neotropic Cormorant continues at the Newburgh Waterfront, 05/26/24.~

As we’ve come to expect, good photos for shorebirds in Orange County are tough to come by. But, I did take a lot of other photos, and I’m also playing a little catch up with some photos that I never got to last weekend.