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

Pre-Irene Brigantine

Black-bellied plovers

     When we visited Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge last week, we had no idea what was lurking around the corner.  Our visit was on a warm, sunny, calm day where the worst inconvenience was the presence of green flies.  Even those little tyrants were a minimal nuisance as we worked our way around the wildlife drive.  The plan was to head out to the back side of the refuge as soon as we arrived to take advantage of the sun's eastern position in the morning sky.  Lighting is at a premium in the morning and you want to seize the moment when the soft light is at your back.  On the way out, however, we ran into some welcome  "roadblocks"....namely a fine Clapper rail running across a mudflat out in plain sight and three juvenile Yellow-crowned night herons out foraging the flats.  We carefully examined each heron in an attempt to determine whether or not these were indeed Yellow-crowns and not the much more common Black-crowned variety.  Careful examination through the scopes and later looks at the photographs proved our initial assessment that they were in fact the more prized Yellow-crowns.  The dark thick bills, the tiny spots along the wing edges and the large orange eyes.   A nice find....

Juvenile Yellow-crowned night heron

     Along the back side of the refuge, we found a good number of Black-bellied plovers many still in breeding plumage.  All in all, our total was 51 species for the day.  Several days later, the area was buried in a torrent of water as Hurricane Irene came ashore.  Mother Nature has a way of taking care of her own, however, and the recent reports are that the refuge survived quite nicely and is back in operation, less than 3 days after the deluge.  It seems that nature has a more resilient way of dealing with these natural disasters than do we humans!

Short-billed dowitcher

Semi-palmated plover video

Root/Ames, NY

      My birding friend Joe and  I took a day trip up north to the area of Root and Ames, NY in Montgomery County where the NY rarity the Mississippi kite has been a local resident for the past three years.  Reports of a Henslow's sparrow and a number of Upland sandpipers thrown into the mix made the temptation of traveling 3 hours north too good to pass up.  We were not disappointed in the least.  Maybe it was the fact that we were making the trip on lucky 7/11, but we scored quickly on all three targets.  The Henslow's was located as promised by Peter Schoenberger's posting on the NY list-serve.....immediately across from mailbox 221 on MacPhail Rd in Ames (Montgomery County).

Henslow's sparrow

       The bird was singing and was perched at first low down in a Queen Anne's Lace, but later few up into the top of a stand of wild parsnip at close range.  There he presented us with great looks at a bird which happened to be a "lifer" for both of us.

 From here, we moved down to West Ames Road, following a tip from fellow birding club member Greg Prelich.  At the end of the road are a series of horse paddocks and fields.  In one of the larger fields, we first noted what were looking for....an Upland sandpiper.  We were thrilled to then see another, and another, and....before we were done counting, we had 17 of the birds in clear sight!

Upland sandpiper

     Two down and one to go.  We still needed the Mississippi kite to round out the trifecta.  Sharon and I had seen the bird two years ago when it first appeared in Root.  I knew the general area and we headed over to the junction of Donato and Mapletown Roads.  As we turned onto Donato, we saw what we throught was the kite perched on a utility pole, but it quickly flew as we approached.  We parked the vehicle and begin to search in the skies above the field across from the car as we ate our lunch.  Within minutes, an adult male Mississippi kite flew into view.

Adult male Mississippi kite

     It was only a matter of time before a second kite, what we believe to be a first-summer juvenile, flew onto the scene and afforded us more good looks and photo ops.  We had three targets in mind when we left this morning on a three hour car ride to the farm fields of central New York State.  We nailed all three in quick succession....quite a day's birding for a hot 90 degree summer day.  How can this summer's birding get any better than this?

Ferd's Bog

     Nestled in the heart of the Adirondacks, just outside of Racquette Lake in the hamlet of Inlet, lies one of the pure gems of the mountains......Ferd's Bog.  Birders from all over the northeast make the bog their primary focus as they search the Dacks for boreal species.  We still need the Black-backed and Three-toed woodpeckers as well as the Boreal chickadee.  Today, I make the 2 hour journey from our friends' home in South Colton to visit the bog for the first time.....another check on the "bucket list".....in the hopes of getting some other checks on the "other" list.  It's a four mile drive along dirt roads into the trail head, but them only .3 miles down a rough washed-out trail to the "boardwalk" out onto the bog.  As I enter the trail, I meet up with a couple of birders from down home in Orange County.  They inform me that they have had the Boreal chickadee as well as the Black-backed woodpecker down at the bog.

      I quickly bid them adieu and scramble excitedly down the trail.  En route, I hear a Nashville warbler singing high in the canopy, but the woodpecker is still further along, so I'll try to photograph this fine songster after dealing with the Black-back.  Down on the boardwalk, I encounter another lone birder, and I hear the words that all birders chasing a lifer dread...."Gee, she was here all morning, but she left about 5 minutes ago and I haven't heard or seen her since".   Well, patience is a virtue and it pays off as the bird finally returns to a bare snag adjacent to the boardwalk.

Black-backed woodpecker

      I quickly snap off a few shots, but the bird is in no hurry to leave and I can photograph her at my leisure.  She continues to drum loudly on the dead tree and eventually we think we know why.  A male (her mate?) flies in overhead and past us, landing in a stand of conifers on the far side of the bog.  We're hoping that her tapping will bring the male back to the same tree to give us an opportunity to photograph him, but as luck would have it, it is she who flies off for the rendezvous.  The female does in fact return later, but the male was not seen again.  But, I have a new life-bird and even if the lighting is a bit overcast, the view is fairly close and clear.

Black-capped chickadee

     A chickadee flies into the tree right next to the location of the woodpecker, but I can easily see that this the "wrong" chickadee, a Black-capped.  I neither hear nor see the Boreal I was hoping for.  Lincoln's and Swamp sparrows are in abundance as are White-throats.  I grab a few shots of the Swamp sparrow and move back into the forest to see if the Nashville is still present.  He is and although he stays up high in the trees, the open forest at the edge of the bog affords me a clear view of the warbler.  Another "Year bird" for that list.
  

Nashville warbler

       The skies begin to clear and the warmth of the sun is most appreciated.  Unfortunately, I have a long drive back to our lodgings up closer to the Canadian border and must begin my trek back up to the parking area.  As I approach the lot,  a call of "Quick-three beers" resonates through the forest....a first-of-the-year Olive-sided flycatcher.  Even if there were no new birds for any list, this trip would have been more than worth-while.  The Adirondacks are a magical place and Ferd's Bog is truly the epitome of why we come to the mountains.

Ferd's Bog

Bloomingdale Bog in the Adirondacks

Bloomingdale Bog

     My last posting dealt with the birds of Massawepie Mire.  At that time I mentioned that we still had a couple of days to search for the elusive boreal species....specifically the Boreal chickadee, the Black-backed woodpecker and the Gray jay.  Although the Three-toed woodpecker is also technically on my "wish-list" as we head into the Dacks, I'm realistic enough to know that this bird is the toughest to find and I don't have high expectations regarding this species.  None-the-less, we head out to Bloomingdale Bog on a day that is overcast and with showers in the forecast.  In route, we encounter several heavy downpours and we are wondering if we will even have a chance to get out of the RAV4 when we arrive at our destination.  As luck would have it, however, the storms have abated (at least for the moment) and we head down the old railroad bed in search of our quarry.  Our first encounter is with chickadees!  We listen, we watch and eventually we come up short with nothing more than the common Black-capped chickadee.  We know that the Boreal species of this bird often associates with the BC, but we don't see any such behavior today.  We move on.  Further down the trail, we have marsh wetlands on both sides......perfect habitat for the Lincoln's sparrow.  It is only a short time before we have two Lincoln's flitting back and forth along the trail.  We have great looks, but the birds refuse to come out from within their cover of thick conifers.  With the limited lighting due to the cloudy skies, a photo is all but impossible.

Gray jay

      As I continued to stalk the Lincoln's, refusing to just give up on the image, one of our companions motions to me to come along down the trail.  He has something I might be interested in.  And so it is! A life-bird...the Gray jay. Not just one, but four of them, and these birds are not shy.  They fly back and forth, feeding in the pines and coming in close to see if we have any better fare.  Apparently, folks around here feed these birds and they have become quite tame.  No excuses for not getting a few decent shots here!  With the threat of rain, I have only carried the "Point and Shoot" camera which I can easily keep under cover, but the birds are close enough so that I really don't need the "big guns".  The rains do in fact return return and we continue down the trail hoping for one quick look at the Black-backed, but the rains intensify and we head back with at least one life bird checked off on the list.  Tuesday, I'll head down to Ferd's Bog in one last attempt to capture an image or two of the "missing" boreals.

Gray jay

Massawepie Mire

       We have journeyed north up into God's Country....the Adirondack Mountains......for a week of birding with our friends in South Colton, NY.  My roots are in the "Dacks" as my Dad was born and raised in the north country and many a fond memory was made as we vacationed up here during my childhood.

Cedar waxwing

      Yesterday, we took our first birding venture out to Massawepie Mire, the largest mire in the Adirondack preserve.  Our targets are the boreal species....Boreal chickadee, Gray jay, Three-toed and Black-backed woodpecker, and Lincoln's sparrow.  On the road into the "back country", we encountered many a warbler.....Black and white, Black-throated blue, Common yellowthroat, Yellow, Blue-winged, and more.  Great sightings of Cedar waxwings and Ovenbirds afforded me fine opportunities for photos.

Ovenbird

      But the sighting of the day was a mammal rather than a  bird. We spotted two Fishers, an adult and a youngster, walking down the wood-road and heading directly towards us.  The adult, noting our presence, veered off the trail and into the woods, leaving the young fisher to its own resources.  The little fellow looked lost as it wandered back and forth, into and out of the woods apparently looking for Mom.  We watched for 10 minutes or more before we started to continue down the path.  Eventually, the young fisher headed back into the wooded edge of the road.  We can only assume that he found Mom impatiently waiting for her offspring to rejoin her.

Fisher

     We still have several more days of opportunities to find our target species, and the sighting of the martens more than made up for our "misses".  The Adirondacks are indeed a place which borders on the spiritual and we are blessed to be able to spend time up here with our good friends.  This morning (Friday), its back into the mountains in search of whatever the "dacks" will yield and once again, the mountains treat us to a fine display as an American bittern is hiding in a wet grassy area right next to Route 68 in Pierrepont.  As cars sped by, the bittern would raise his head allowing him to check out his surroundings while remaining all but invisible to the passers-by.  Were it not for our "eagle-eyed" host, Rosie, we undoubtedly would have passed by with the rest of the travelers.  Got to love the mountains "inside the blue line".

American bittern

Bear Mountain

Looking south from Bear Mountain

     People often ask me if I would ever consider leaving the Hudson Valley and move permanently to our second home in Florida.  Well, we do have some pretty severe conditions up here with the snow and all, but we don't get an awful lot of hurricanes or tornadoes either.  We do have the fall which means I have to rake up all those bushels of leaves that fall to the ground. But they do look beautiful while they remain on the trees.  And yes, I do miss looking out the front windows and looking out onto the wonderful sea, but on the other hand, we are not exactly hurting for inspirational vistas here in the Highlands.  Take today for example.  Sharon and I travelled up to the top of Bear Mountain, a 1400' granite block which overlooks the Hudson and offers some great birding and some great views.  At this time of year, the canvas is painted in an extraordinary array of green, white and pink as the mountain laurel has just reached peak blooms.

      It is unbelievable to drive up the mountain along Perkins Memorial Drive and witness one of nature's premier works of art.  There are few gardens in the world that can match the mountains literally covered with the glossy leaves and white and pink clusters of flowers.

    
  Add to this the birds that like to call the mountain peak home and you've got all it takes to make for a wonderful day of birding or just sitting on the mountain and taking in the sights and sounds.

Eastern towhee

     Our best birds of the day tried to rival the flora with the Great Crested flycatcher's lemon yellow breast and the Scarlet tanager's brilliant red coat serving to accentuate the floral arrangement of the peak. The songs of the oriole, the warbling vireos, the Eastern towhee and the Chipping sparrow added a third element to the mix, just to round out an overall breathtaking experience.

Scarlet tanager

Great crested flycatcher

So, will I ever leave the valley for the Sunshine State (which I also love!)?  Not in this lifetime........

Brigantine NWR

Ruddy turnstone   

      In southern New Jersey lie two of the premier birding locations on the east coast.....Cape May and the Brigantine unit of the Forsythe National Wildlife Reserve in Galloway Twp.  While it's a bit of a trip for those of us in the Hudson Valley, it is well worth the effort and time to travel down to these gems.  This past weekend, 10 members of the Mearns Bird Club made the trek to "Brig" as it is affectionately know to local birders in search of shore birds.  At this time of year, the birds are all adorned with their finest plumage as the breeding season is now well under way.  Birds which can appear dull and drab during the dull and drab days of winter now are alive with bright hues.  Seeing birds joined as pairs is another plus for us during the rites of Spring, and Brigantine produced as promised.

Herring gulls

      Rails are always a major bonus for birders as the birds may be present, but they are not always prominent.  You may hear an occasional Clapper rail at the Brig during other times of the year, but during May, they seem to be all around us and their distinctive tapping call was heard throughout the journey around the impoundments.  Not only were they heard, but they were easily seen as well and made for great subjects for those of us with our cameras ready.

Clapper rail

     Next is the numbers of birds present during spring.  Without a doubt, there were hundreds of Semi-palmated sandpipers on every available mudflat....literally thousands when all were taken into account.  Black-bellied plovers in breeding plumage are a sight to behold and when you see one, you feel that you've seen something quite special.  So you can imagine how I felt when I sighted a sand bar with 296 of these handsome birds standing "shoulder to shoulder".  When we returned the next day to the same spot, the tide had changed and the huge numbers of plovers were no longer present.  Another case if being in the right place at the right time.  

Black-bellied plovers (Click on the image to enlarge)

      Finally, there are the "rarities".  As often as I bird, I can count on one hand the number of times that I've had good looks at the Gull-billed tern.  Every time that I have seen it, it has been here at Brig.  Today was not going to break my string of good fortune.  Our first stop gave us great views of a Gull-bill flying in close proximity with ample chances for good photos.
     And so it goes.....we travel around the state, the country and this entire world and there will always be a few special locations where it is almost magical.  Brigantine is surely on my list of those sites.

Gull-billed tern

Spring

      One reason we leave Florida and head back to our home in New York is that we like to follow the birds as they migrate north.  May in NY is magical with so many of the most beautiful (and handsome) birds, the wood warblers among others, working their way through the state.  The combination of brilliant "definitive" plumage, vibrant song, and sparse foliage on the trees make May the premier birding season in this state.  So far, we have not been disappointed.

Rose-breasted grosbeak

     Even the birds at our feeders prove to something special in spring.  When the Kentucky Derby weekend approaches, we can always count on the radiant Rose-breasted grosbeak (photo above) to be a guest at our fruit and nut feeder.  Like clockwork, three days before the derby, there they were.....a fine pair of grosbeaks.  We watch and appreciate the sight while we can, for they will only linger for a few days before moving on. As I write this, the grosbeaks are no longer to be found here.

Chestnut-sided warbler

     Moving into the forest, the warblers are obviously the main attraction.  Listen for their songs and chip notes, watch for the movement of the leaves in the trees and train the bins on some of the most spectacular avian art you could ever imagine.  The bright yellows, blues, greens, and black and white hues are some of Mother Nature's finest work.  In trying to attract a mate or stake out some top real estate for a nest, the warblers make a spectacle of themselves.

Prairie warbler

      Look and listen closely now, however, for within the month, many of these birds will have moved on to their nesting grounds in the north.  Those which have remained behind will no longer be singing and will try to stay out of sight as they sit on their nests and try to keep their whereabouts and the location of their nests difficult for would-be predators to ascertain.

     But for now, we will seize the moment and spend each day watching and listening for this truly entertaining annual display.  And, don't forget....it's not all about warblers.  Many of the other birds will also be more vocal and more conspicuous as they enter into the rites of spring.  Normally, the Virginia rail is fairly reclusive....a tough bird to see, let alone photograph.  But several day ago, while out on the Bashakill Marsh, this fine little specimen paraded right past me as if daring me to take its picture, but more likely searching for a mate.  Spring is indeed a magical time here in the Empire State.

Virginia rail

Heading North

     Our time in Florida for the winter of 2011 has drawn to a close and it's time we begin our own migration north.  Leaving the sunshine state at the end of April assures us of a wonderful seasonal journey....two springs each year.  We have watched as the first waves of warblers....Yellow-rumps, Black-throated blues, Yellows, Parulas, and others....have pushed through the south and now we will catch up to them and see the rest of the songsters as they arrive in the north.  On our way back to our New York home, we made two side-trips to a couple of our favorite birding locales on the east coast....Santee NWR in South Carolina and then Bombay Hook in Delaware.  The first day was a day of playing cat and mouse with some severe storms moving up the coast.  We tried to move slowly enough to just stay behind what turned out to be some of the most damaging tornadoes in US history.  Our plan worked well as we arrived in Santee just in time for the skies to start clearing and the birds to start singing.

Blue grosbeak

Orchard oriole - First summer male

     We added a couple of "year-birds", the Blue grosbeak and the Orchard oriole, to our list as we totaled over 40 species in several hours.  Believing that we had given the storms plenty of time to get far ahead of us, we then made our way further north up to Fayetteville where we stayed for the evening.  The next day we headed up to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel so that we could stop and visit the Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR.  Had our first Chipping sparrows of the year as we ate our lunch on the grounds.  From there, it was up to Bombay Hook where we were able to spend a couple of hours of twilight getting great views of such elusive reed dwellers as the Clapper rail and Marsh wren.  As we left in the waning hours of daylight, we were treated to a brief spotting of a Red fox peering out from a field to our left.  After seeing us, however, he darted back into the grass and I could not get a shot off from the Nikon.  In the morning, we returned to see what he early daylight would conjure up for us.  It was a chorus of birdsong awaiting us as we checked off Purple martins, White-crowned sparrows, another Blue grosbeak, Yellow warblers, and splendidly hued Goldfinches before ever getting out of the parking lot of the Visitors Center.

     The rest of the morning was equally productive, but the sighting of the day was not avian, but rather another beautiful Red fox which had come out behind our vehicle to watch us drive down the dirt road.  Had I not glanced into the rear view mirror, I'd never had seen him.  As I exited the vehicle, he paid me little mind and allowed me to watch and photograph for several minutes before he trotted off across the field.

  Bombay is well know for its fox population as well as its birds and today we were not disappointed.  We are home now and preparing for what the rest of the spring migration may bring.  We are most assuredly looking forward to our "second spring" of 2011.