Hurricane Irene August 2011

     This is probably old news by now, but for those of you who have not seen the video footage of Hurricane Irene I took and especially for those of you who are from or are at least familiar with the Highland Falls area, this one's for you.  It has been several weeks now since Irene paid us an visit and we certainly felt her wrath.  The county is still reeling from the "shock and awe" and areas like the black dirt farms of Orange County will be feeling the financial repercussions for some time to come.  We just aren't accustomed to weather phenomena like this in SE New York.  So....that being said, take a look at Irene's fury here in Highland Falls earlier this month.

Hawks over Bear Mountain

     The fall is a season of rejuvenation for birders.  After the doldrums of summer, the migrants begin their trek south and the birders dust off their binoculars and scopes and head back into the field.  The warblers come through in large numbers but are obscured by the foliage still clinging to the trees and by their suits of camouflage, trading in their brightly colored plumages of the breeding season for a much more discreet and safe drab wardrobe.  So you really have to work hard to get the warblers.

Red-tailed hawk

 Hawks on the other hand are easy and spectacular pickings at this time of year.  Moving through the Hudson Valley in massive droves, they are a sight to be held by birders and non-birders alike.  We often find ourselves up on the top of Bear Mountain, joining a small group of dedicated "counters" who man their posts each day to count, identify and report the movement of these wonderful raptors through the valley.  The show starts slowly in the beginning of September with a few Sharp-shinned hawks, some ospreys, a Bald eagle or two and some vultures moving through.  Soon, however, in mid-September and as if on cue, the big show begins....the migration of the Broadwings.  For us on Bear Mt., the winds of choice are from the southeast, and such winds were the prevailing forces yesterday.  As we watched and counted the occasional Bald eagle, osprey, and Red-tail, a stray Broadwing would fly overhead....a sign of things to come.  Suddenly, one of our number called out "Here comes a Broadwing....there's another, another!"

Boadwing hawk

Broadwing kettle

     Suddenly, the sky was darkened by the thick could of Broadwings directly overhead. The "kettles", formed a swirling mass as they caught the updrafts of warm air rising over the mountain.  It's a sight you don't see every day, but in mid-September, it's a sight you can be reasonably sure will pop up if you are just ever so patient.  And it is a sight well worth the wait!  And so, today, it's back up to the mountain to see what this day will bring.

The Black Dirt Farms

Golden plovers

     The onion fields and sod farms of the Pine Island area of Orange County are always an interesting and productive area to bird, regardless of season.  But this past month was a real bonanza for birders and a real bust for the farmers.  Hurricane Irene delivered a knockout punch to the owners of the Black-dirt farms as the waters of the Wallkill rose and spilled over its banks, flooding some of the fields with up to 12 feet of water.  The waters of the Wallkill are the lifeline for the farmers, but the river gives and the river takes away.  In the midst of all the heartbreak for the area, we were blessed with an incredible influx of shorebirds which came in to feast on the worms which were forced to the top of the soil by the saturating rains and floodwaters.  Baird's sandpipers,
      White-rumped sandpipers, Sanderlings, Buff-breasted sandpipers, Golden plovers, Semi-palmated plovers and Killdeer by the hundreds made an appearance.  The show lasted for about a week and then as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone.  The waters of the Wallkill finally receded and the devastation of the crops was made evident.  Onions were strewn across the roads, pumpkins lay rotting on the soggy soil, and what were green fields of gorgeous sod were brown with the silt deposited by the flooding river.  No water, no worms, no birds.

White-rumped sandpiper

Lesser yellowlegs

      In a matter of a day or so, the show for us birders came to a close.  We reveled in the incredible display of migrating shorebirds, but for sure, we would give it all up in a heartbeat to have saved the farms.  Nature can be kind, but she can be a tyrant.

Pumpkins lost to the flood

Croton Train Station Wheatear

Northern wheatear

     This story begins over 2 years ago when my wife Sharon and I drove out to CT in search of a reported Northern wheatear, normally a Eurasian bird.  After traveling for more than 2 hours, we arrived on-site and met another "chaser" who had seen the bird earlier.  We waited patiently for over 3 hours with no luck.  The wheatear is generally a bird of barren lands and likes to be around gravel piles.  Well, the gravel pile here in CT was huge and I imagine extremely inviting if you were a wheatear.  In my infinite wisdom, I decided to move away from where the bird had been sighted in the past and walked to the back side of the pile.  There, I waited expectantly for about 15 minutes with no luck.  When I returned to the vehicle, Sharon informed me that the bird had just been there in plain sight, but flew as I rounded the pile en route back to the car.  In short, no wheatear for me on that day.

       Fast forward 2 years and for whatever reason another wheatear decides to visit NYS.  This time, the bird is only 20 minutes away at Croton Train Station.  I got the call on Tuesday evening, but it was too late to get down there by then.  So, on Wednesday, we sped on down and almost immediately were put on the bird by folks who had arrived earlier.  Good things come to those who wait.  Several other Mearns Bird Club people arrived and we all enjoyed seeing this NY rarity.  While relishing the wheatear, we also got nice views of an immature bald eagle, a Common tern, and a merlin....not birds we see every day on the Hudson.  The weather was overcast and misty, but we hardly noticed.  Just another great day in the field and "just another" North American life-bird

Merlin