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.
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| 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.
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