Day 182: Long Pond Odonates

Sunny, hot and humid

       A good day to be in or near the water, and so we packed the cooler and drove over to our nearby swimming hole, Long Pond. 

       Today’s blog will be short on verbiage and include some shots of some beautiful creatures of which I simply don’t know enough about.  The Odonates, the dragonflies and damselflies, are so abundant at this time of year that I am truly remiss in now knowing 1 % of what I should know as an amateur naturalist living in New York.  And so, as soon as I finish writing this blog entry, I will get on-line and order by first field guide to the odonates of North America.  In the meantime, let me share some of the images of these beautiful insects that I captured today while at the pond.  If anyone out there reading my blog can help in the identification, drop me a line or post same on the Comments section so that I can update the captions ASAP.  Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for my field guide to be delivered at which time I’ll come back and edit this page.  Thanks for you patience!

Emerald dragonfly (?)

Dragonfly 1

Damselfly 1

Dragonfly 2

Dragonfly 3

Day 181: June 29th – In search of “Marsh Birds”

Sunny, 73 degrees and calm

       At 7:30 AM, the temperatures are pleasant and the sun is shining brightly.  The forecast, however, is for mid 90s and so it’s a good day to be out and about early in the morning. 

       I’m hoping for marsh birds this morning.    A couple of years ago, a marsh restoration project was undertaken at Iona Marsh in Harriman State Park, NY.  The invasive phragmites was chemically treated in the hopes that native vegetation would reclaim the area.  It was fairly successful, so far.  The hope is that some of the avian species associated with a healthy marsh will return to this wetland, and many of us are keeping tabs on what shows up and when.  And so, I’m looking for and hoping for Marsh wrens, perhaps and Sora, or a Virginia rail. 

       Yesterday, I recounted how my Grandson and I ventured out to see the Mississippi kites in Sterling Forest and had them in the scope within 5 minutes of our arrival.  Ah, if it were only that easy each time I went out with specific target birds in mind.

       Today, I got skunked with a capital S.  No wrens, no Sora, and no Virginia rail.  I tried calling each species in using the tape, but I got no response whatsoever.  It’s never a complete waste of time when you are in such an environment, however.  When I first arrived, for example, I was greeted by two Mute swans and a charming little cygnet.  The knob on the head of the adults will take about a year to appear as will the unfeathered area around the lores.  But for now, the pure white of the cygnet is quite attractive.

       Swallows were also an attraction with many birds primarily of three species….the most common being Northern rough-wings, along with Tree and Barn swallows.

       A few very attractive butterflies were also on hand, the prettiest being this Tiger swallowtail.

 

       Finally, one of my favorite summer wildflowers was present along the roadside, the chicory.  And so, in spite of there being none of my targets to view today, as is usually the case, if you look around, there is always plenty to hold your attention.  Mother Nature always has something for us to marvel at.

Day 180: June 28th – It’s all about babies

Beautiful sunny, warm (High 80s) breezy day

       I had a date with my oldest grandson to go work on cleaning up out motorboat today and worked in a little birding around that and my golf in the morning.  I went over to my favorite local haunt, the Outdoor Discovery Center in Cornwall with camera in hand to see what was up in the one hour I had in between.  “Babies” is the main theme I’m running into wherever I bird at this time of year.  Today, it was revisiting several broods I’ve seen and photographed before. 

       I checked to see if the young Barn swallows under the garage eaves which I blogged about last week had fledged yet.  The last time I saw them and photographed the nest, I had two little heads peeking up above the nests’ edge.  Today, there were actually four heads which belonged to four chicks which were obviously bigger and stronger than I saw last week.  Fledging cannot be that far away.

       On the pond, I once again ran into the Canada geese with their goslings in tow.  Again, a portrait of a caring family.

       The top sighting of the day, however, has to go to a family in the making.  After working on the boat and taking it out for a trial run, I asked my 14 year old grandson if he would mind if we made a quick detour on the way home to see if the Mississippi kites were around.  The nest site is only about 7 or 8 minutes off the regular route home and I assured him we would not spend too much time waiting for them.  He was more than happy to agree and off we went.

       When we arrived on the property, I was a little disappointed that the birds were not present.  I should not have expected so much inasmuch as we have waited for hours for them to appear in the past.  But, I told Ty to just hang on and showed him which tree to concentrate his observations upon.  In no more than three minutes, Ty said, “Pop Pop, is that the bird we are looking for?”  Sure enough, in came the female and landed on the exact tree I had t pointed out to Ty.  

       I grabbed the scope and trained it upon the female.  Within the minute, the male joined the female side by side.  I grabbed the camera and started shooting.  It was just a matter of time before the male and female were copulating and putting on quite a show.  I hadn’t planned on quite such a graphic first look at the kites for my grandson, but it certainly was a great first look at these magnificient visitors from the south for this 14 year old.  Birding is great, but sharing moments like this with your family is the best.

Day 179: June 27th – New Paltz

Sunny, breezy and pleasant low 80s

       A trek north is in order today, and Sharon and I drive up to New Paltz to see one new birding venue and visit a second old favorite.

       First, we travelled to the Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary on Huguenot Street in the village of New Paltz, NY.  Composed of 56 acres bordering an old oxbow of what used to be the course of the Wallkill River.

Trail head to the Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary

       I walked the loop throughout the sanctuary which winds through the hardwood forest and out to a rare flood plain forest bordering the oxbow.  While birding today was not outstanding, the area is quite promising for spring and fall birding.  The site check list is made up of over 140 species.  Today’s finds of note were a Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Wood ducks, and several Common yellowthroats singing.   The best photo op was a lone Gray catbird.

       After spending about one and a half hours at the preserve, we decided to visit the swamp located at the intersection of two lovely country roads, Plutarch and Weston.  

   

  We have visited this site on a number of occasions to see the reliable Red-headed woodpeckers.  We find them at all times of the year here and this site is one of the few locations in the mid-Hudson Valley where these woodpeckers are found.  Today was a special treat as we found them nesting in a cavity in one of the dead snags standing in the swamp.  Both parents were observed flying in and out of the nest hole and a young Red-headed woodpecker was seen sticking its head out of the hole as it awaited the return of the parents.  What a great sight to see not only this mid-Hudson rarity, but to see it with young was really special.  

Day 178: June 26th – Friendlier hummers

Partly sunny, cool (low 60s) and breezy

       I replenished the hummingbird feeders around the house this morning and the feast was well received.  At least two hummingbirds have decided to call our place home for a while and have made repeated trips back and forth to the feeders.  I broke out the longer lens and positioned myself inside the open door leading out to the deck where one of the feeders is located.  The hummers seemed much more comfortable with me at a distance and allowed me to get some decent shots.

      At first, I simply concentrated on getting a clear shot of the perched bird. 

      Once I was satisfied with the results from that group of shots, I tried for a closer shot of just the head.  Once again, a few shots returned a pretty nice portrait.

       Finally, I boosted the speed of the sensor and moved the shutter speed up to 1/1250 second and managed to freeze the little guy in mid-flight.  Patience has its rewards.

       We rounded out the day with a short trip over to Sterling Forest to see if the Mississippi kite I photographed several weeks ago was still on the scene.  We were happy to see the bird make several passes by the parking area where he has been seen in the past.  He chose not to land in his favorite tree, however, so we were resigned to getting our mind’s eye image and not one with the camera.  All in all a very pleasant and successful day just the same.

Day 177: June 25th – The Butterfly Garden

Mild in the 70s, calm winds, spotty showers

    

    Spent about 20 minutes scanning the butterfly garden I put in about 5 years ago and was pleased to see that we had our first Ruby-throated hummingbird show up at the garden feeder.  It was tough to get a shot in as the little gal was still a bit skittish and wasn’t too fond of me being too close.  As the summer wears on, I’m sure that the hummers will get more comfortable with human presence and make photographing them less of an ordeal.

       The butterflies have been slow to show up as well, but today we did have a nice monarch as well as a Cabbage white and a somewhat worn American lady. 

       On the ground, beneath the sunflower feeder along the side yard, another diminutive visitor appeared….the Chipping sparrow.  As worn as the American lady butterfly was, this little gem was apparently in new plumage as his russet cap shone brilliantly in the afternoon sun.

       The “yard birds” have been coming around in decent numbers lately with the House finch being the prime member of the cast in term of numbers.  We’ll continue to keep the sunflower feeders and the hummingbird feeders filled for the summer and see what else happens to pop up.

Day 176: June 24th - Barn swallow babies

Warm (low 80s), sunny and calm

       A beautiful day with warm temps brings us beautiful summer flowers with a smattering of summer birds.  Our most notable sighting was of the Barn swallows that have nested here for years in the past.  We were thrilled to see that this year is no different.  There are several nests very close to the main offices of the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum’s Outdoor Discovery Center.  The one most easily viewed and photographed is located under the eaves of the service garage at the end of the upper visitors’ parking area. 

 

       We watched for some time as the parent would fly off leaving at least two hungry mouths gaping into the empty air.  She would return and all would be well…..at least for the moment.  After several minutes, the bird would leave once again in search of nutrition for her hungry brood and the mouths were again open wide and reaching to the sky.

       The other sign that summer is surely here was the presence of Monarchs feeding on the nectar of the Milkweed blossoms.  We mentioned the dependency of the monarchs on this singular plant in recent blog entries and said we’d keep you informed as to the progress the monarchs were making.  First the blossoms, then the Monarchs feeding and next, we’ll be looking for the not yet seen larval caterpillars to appear, feeding on the leaves.  

Day 175: June 23rd – Brooks Lake

Sunny, calm and mid 70s

       Well, the heat wave has finally broken and this morning was a delightful time to be up and out on the trail in search of whatever Mother Nature had to offer.  I decided to hike around Brooks Lake in Fort Montgomery, NY.  Several years ago, I worked with a group who had decided to reopen this old trail after years of neglect.  With the efforts of the NY/NJ Trail Conference, funding from some local groups and the state, and volunteers from a local action group called VISION and the O’Neill High School Environmental Club, the trail was cleared and reopened and is now used regularly by many of the locals.

       My welcoming committee consisted of a good many Canada geese including many youngsters.  The young have matured to the stage where they are beginning to have the color patterns of the adults.  Gone is the fluffly yellow down, being replaced by the feathers of the adult birds.  The pond is fairly shallow and between the duck weed and the fertilization provided by the plethora of geese, the pond is not looking quite as pristine as it did earlier in the spring.

       Walking around the trail, bird song was constant if not varied.  Red-eyed vireos were singing their monotonous refrain, an occasional trill of a Chipping sparrow was heard, and the resident Red-bellied woodpecker was heard both singing and drumming.

       More visible were the dragonflies and butterflies which are beginning to show up in good numbers.  This Northern pearly-eye found a nice warm spot in a shaft of light penetrating the dense canopy.

       As I rounded the bend about two-thirds the way around the lake, I spotted a Great blue heron along the shore.  As I approached, the bird grew wary of my presence and flew out onto a small rock outcrop in the middle of the lake.  As I followed the heron, I was pleased to see a mother Wood duck and one young one swimming out on the pond.  Only one….that concerned me.  I wondered how many were in the original brood and if this was the lone survivor. 

       I rounded the corner and came out at the trail’s end.  What a pleasure it was to have walked around the entire lake and have only an occasional deer fly to agitate me.  The weather is so dry and pleasant today, it almost makes you forget about the oppressive heat of the last few days.  The forecast for the upcoming week is just as good, so we’ll have to get out to some of your favorite summer birding haunts once again in the next few days.

Day 174: June 22nd – More color on Mine Road

Still hot (90), sunny and calm

       It’s still hot and the humidity is way up there as well.  With virtually no breeze blowing, the weather is downright uncomfortable.  Later this afternoon, the front is supposed to move through and the heat spell will finally be broken, or so we can only hope.

       I took a drive down one of my favorite birding venues, Mine Road.  With the summer here and the troops and new cadets arriving at West Point, this road which runs through the areas of the Military Academy used for training will be closed for a couple of months in the very near future.  So, it was an opportune time to take one last ride for a while down this pretty birdy stretch.

        As soon as I came onto the road, I began to hear the familiar calls of Scarlet tanagers.  I pulled into a shady dirt road and parked, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of these richly hued beauties.  The bird was indeed not far from the roadway and offered a few looks before heading into the woods and away from my lens.

        With the bird now far off, I took to the road once again, and heard quite a few more tanagers along the way.  Indigo buntings were also calling and were perched as they so often are along the utility lines.

       The Tiger lilies have bloomed once again and also offer some great splashes along the road.  In some areas, these wildflowers are known as “Ditch lilies” since they are so often found in roadside ditches.  These gorgeous flowers did not seem to mind the oppressive heat, in fact looking as if they were flourishing in it. 

       With the skies beginning to cloud up and rumbles of thunder in the distance, I decided to head on home and wait for the much anticipated and hoped for storms.  Perhaps the break in the heat will mean a bit more activity from the birds and mammals in the upcoming days.  Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Day 173: June 21st – Hues of the hot fields

Hot, hot and hotter

       The temperatures have escalated since yesterday when they were merely in the low 90s.  Today, the high will reach 98 with a heat index making it feel more like 110 degrees.  A few birds were active at the farm today, but they had enough sense to remain in the dense cover of vegetation where the shade offered some degree of relief. 

       The flowers of the meadows seem to thrive in this heat, however, and the colors of the blossoms were enough to match the most brilliant of landscape paintings.  Yellows, orange, purples, white, blue and green all sprinkled throughout the grasslands and some cases so dense as to appear like the artist had simply doused the canvas in oils.

       You can’t always tell a book by its cover, however.  One of the most deeply hued botanicals is the Spotted knapweed.  It’s deep pink to purple flowers don’t convey the damage these wildflowers or more appropriately weeds can do to native species.  The roots of the knapweed go deep and suck up moisture so quickly that they deprive the surrounding native plants of the much needed water.  These flowers do not apparently taste anywhere near as good as they look, and browsers are more prone to feed on the native species and leave the knapweed alone.  As if all this were not enough, the plant roots release a toxin which stunts the growth of the neighboring plants, all but assuring the knapweed a position of “top dog” in this plant community.

       Another strong contender for the most beautiful flower in the field is the Yellow toadflax, more commonly known as “Butter and eggs” (right).  It is also a weed, thriving in disturbed areas where there is good drainage.  A field edge and roadside such as we find at Kenridge Farm is ideal for the success of this plant.

       Another smaller but no less colorful wildflower found in similar habitat is the Birds foot trefoil.  Once these beautiful yellow flowers go to seed, the pods are held out on narrow stalks, the entire cluster resembling a bird’s foot.

       Last on today’s list of richly hued wildflowers is the Crown vetch, a light purple and blue flower which grows in a crown-shaped cluster.  As is the case with the knapweed, as pretty as this flower is, it is aggressive and spreads with abandon to choke out neighboring native plants. 

        So, as hot as it is today, and as quiet as the birds remain in this heat, the colors of the fields and meadows make getting out and perspiring a little all worth while.  Everything good comes at a price, and when you can see and appreciate these wildflowers in nature, the price of a little discomfort is well worth the rewards.

Day 172: June 20th – Eastern kingbird

Sunny, calm and HOT (mid 90s)

       Spring is making its exit right and summer is coming in with a bang.  We’ve had a very wet and cool spring and we’ve postulated that we probably would plunge headlong into summer with high humidity and temperatures.  Well, here it is.

Eastern kingbird 

       I drove around Kenridge Farm which is now the Outdoor Discovery Center of the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum.   The fields were alive with the color of newly blooming wildflowers, but the birds were for the most part taking it easy in this stifling heat.  One bird which didn’t seem to mind the oppressive temperatures, however, was the Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus).  He was in constant flight over the newest retention pond along the entrance road into the property. Pausing only long enough for me to get in a quick shot or two, he was quickly back on the wing, alternately flying over the open fields and back to the pond’s edge where he would pause and perch for a moment.

       The kingbird feeds almost exclusively on insects during the summer, feasting on a diet of grasshoppers, beetles, bees, flies, and leaf hoppers.  The high temperatures has many of these critters on the move, I am sure, and the kingbird saw fit to take advantage of the bounty provided for him on this all-too-warm day.

       Summer officially begins at 7:09 PM and tomorrow, the first full day of summer, is expected to be even warmer than today.  We’ll see if any of our fine feathered friends are out and about or whether or not the photo of the day could be one of the brilliant wildflowers of the fields at Kenridge.  Till then….stay cool!

Day 171: June 19th – Summer flora

Overcast and warm (80) with a light breeze

       Well, summer is rapidly approaching and the forest wildflowers are coming into full bloom.  We’ve had a weird weather year here in the Hudson Valley with a winter all but devoid of snow and very mild and a cool and wet spring.  What will summer bring?  Forecasts for tomorrow, the first day of summer, call for temperatures in the mid 90’s! 

       This morning, I took a ride up to the top of one of our more prominent mountains in the Highlands, Bear Mountain.  My plan was to photograph some of the most spectacular displays of late spring flora in the valley, the Mountain laurel.  Each year, I look for these gorgeous blossoms to appear sometime around Father’s Day.  But this year, everything has been ahead of schedule due in part to the strange weather patterns.  Compound this by the fact that we were in Montana for the past two weeks, and as far as seeing these beautiful blooms, we came up empty.  Not a single solitary bloom was visible today as the laurel has already flowered and the work of the pollinators is a done deal.  The withering flowers are now being replaced by seed pods.

       As is the normal succession of things, however, once the laurel blossoms disappear, it’s time to start looking for the splendid pink flowers of the milkweed.  Bear Mountain’s milkweed is common milkweed, or Asclepias syriaca. 

       Common milkweed is the most important plant in the life of the Monarch butterfly.  The larval stage (caterpillars) feeds exclusively on milkweed.  Without milkweed plants, we would have no monarch butterflies…..plain and simple.  As the caterpillars eat this plant, the acidic milky latex which is mildly poisonous to many animals is absorbed into the body of the monarch and remains with it thoughout its life.  Most predators have learned one way or another to stay away from the monarch because of the dangers inherent in consuming an insect loaded with toxins.

       The second most visible plant on the mountain today was the honeysuckle.  There are many species of this plant, but the kind that appears to be prevalent on the mountain is the Japanese variety.  While very beautiful, this plant is an invasive and tends to outcompete native species.  It is a semi-evergreen plant, meaning its leaves hang on longer than other native plants, adding to its advantage to outgrow and take over stands of other vegetation.  It’s hard, however,  to hold a grudge against this flower as one drives over the mountain top and smells the sweet and familiar fragrance of the honeysuckle.

Day 170: June 18th – Back in the Highlands

A mostly sunny, warm (mid 70s) and calm day

       Well, there are no grizzlies, no moose, not a wolf to be found.  We are back in the Hudson Highlands where we were greeted by pleasant dry weather conditions.  Trying to catch up on all that has not been tended to over the past two weeks leaves me little time to get out and about today.  Thank God my grandson Ty was around to take care of my yard for me and make sure that it did not look like the grasslands of Montana when I returned home. 

       I did manage to take a short walk over to the lily pond where I used to bring my Environmental Science classes back in the day.  For such a little parcel, it always amazes me as to what is going on in this microhabitat.  The season is just right for the blooming of the lilies and their brilliant white flowers contrasting against some of the deepest shades of green foliage you’ll find anywhere in nature looks surreal. 

       It’s when you get past the pretty picture that you really begin to appreciate what is happening here.  As I scanned the lilies, green frogs perched upon the pads sat perfectly still, waiting to seize a passing insect or to dive into the protection of the heavy cover should some predator happen by.

       Painted turtles were visable, but only when you really looked to find them.   The heads of adults peered just above the water line, tucked in amongst the cover of the leaves while young ones basked out in the open on the “sundeck” provided by the pads.  Dragonflies and darners flitted about in a prelude to their full assault later this summer.

     

       No, it is not Big Sky country, but it certainly has an allure of its own, and I would never leave this place called home for other than visits to other far off lands.  Coming home is often what makes traveling so enjoyable.

Day 169: June 17th – Homeward Bound

Rainy, low 60’s, but calm

       Well, we can’t complain about the weather we had for our almost two week stay here in Montana.  With only a couple of exceptions, the weather has been picture perfect.  When we did have precipitation, it was occasionally snow flurries which only added to the ethereal mystique of the Montana experience.  Seeing bison roaming the prairies, wolves stalking their prey, moose cows carefully guarding their young as they grazed, or the Pronghorns leaping through the air, the bright sky, the rain, the snow, the towering cumulous clouds all simply garnished an already breath-taking scene.

        Bird-wise, it was all we could ask for and more.  Sharon and I had a total of 175 birds for the trip (others had more, and a few had less), with a fantastic count of 31 new “Life birds”.  We totaled 67 new avian species for the year, and we can’t ignore the 26 species of North American mammals we encountered.  What a fantastic journey through one of our country’s most amazing regions.  We look forward to our return journey.  We have good friends in the area who have been kind enough to ask us to join the for a return visit…..an offer too good to turn down.  We’ll be back!

       But for now, it’s back to the beauty of the Hudson Highlands and the warmth of our family and friends back home.  Wherever we go, we always appreciate the good fortune and the blessings that we have been so lucky to receive on the road and back on our native soil. 

       Next up, the Adirondacks of the New York State followed by a trip to our neighbors to the north, Canada.  Follow along as we continue this year’s journey.

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