New 'Year' Birding Rocks!

Well the birds start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Doesn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow

It is accepted that many ( most?) people look forward to spring migration. On the other hand I have discovered that new year’s birding can be just as if not more challenging and exciting!

Now some of you out there are not to keen on chasing, but I insist that its all a matter of degree, and is influenced by available free time, finances, and access to co-conspirators willing to be enablers.

This year has started off with some really special birds, and the result has been it has sucked me back into the game of year birding.

This time of the year is the best time to see owls and rare waterfowl, and it has not disappointed. The second week of January delivered Saw-whet Owl, Barrows Goldeneye ( a few scattered in the Kingbird Region 10 area! ) Black-headed Gull, Iceland Gull, Eurasian Wigeon, Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose and by sneaking out on a work day getting Common Murre.

Razorbill

Common Murre

The third week began with White Pelican and Barnacle Goose, then a mid-week trip upstate yielded Trumpeter and Tundra Swans, Common Redpoll and Pine Siskin. We dipped on the Tufted Duck (or is it "Tuff"  Duck), but had a fantastic day nonetheless.  

Am. White Pelican

The week ended with no less than Varied Thrush, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Bittern on Satan Island. $17 toll! WTF!  No wonder so few outsiders want to bird there.  As hoped, there were numerous other birders assembled looking for these birds, and being able to spread out proved a successful method for birds that has been hard to connect with.

The fourth week I was able to get a decent look at a Black-legged Kittiwake out at Montauk Point; a bird I try very hard for every time I go there but for whom I have had disappointing results over many many years. Anthony Collared-dove said in response to my lament echoed my suspicion that there may be a degree of uncertainty in the credibility of more numerous reports. Who knows... For me, finally another sighting!

Week five began an unusual trend: dipping on targets but getting impromptu birds. My first stop was local, to pick up Monk Parakeet in a location I had not been aware they were present. I dipped, but saw a nice accumulation of birds in the local parks nevertheless.

Next I went further afield to try for Glaucous Gull. Again, a dip, and despite a valiant attempt at the location and others nearby, I remained un-gullible. Fortune looked up for more birds when a report came in that Clay-colored and Field Sparrows reported the previous day had stuck, and it was nearby!I had not given much thought to them as I thought they more probably would move on.

I made my way there and due to the location car birded so as to present as little threat to the birds as possible. I checked numerous locations nearby and then returned, and staked out the location from across the street. After some time another birder showed up and asked if I was there looking for these birds. Shortly thereafter, he spotted the birds sitting in some vines hanging from a tree. I had to pull my car up to see them, but they were sitting essentially right in front of me, though obscured at my chosen location. Doh! But I got them and that was a nice cap to the day.

Field Sparrow (L. Top)           Clay-colored Sparrow (R. Bottom)

The week ended and began a new month too. I made another attempt for Monk Parakeet and birded the south shore. While approaching an area where they had been reported previously, I spotted their large nests on some poles, embarrassingly close to where I had searched before. Doh! ...and I’m the one who usually admonishes others to look everywhere and bird every bird.

February’s first full week started off rather nicely. It was Superb Owl Sunday, so why not catch up on a cooperative Barred Owl in Da Bronx? In previous years, the Barred Owl present there had been exceedingly wary and easy to disturb, often flying out of a roost was the way it was spotted so stealth walking and no talking was they way to go.This year there have been many of them around.

The current resident is more amenable to people and has thus delighted many. I arrived with my posse, Dunlin and Avian, and we got this bird straight away.  The day was delightful so we enjoyed doing the Hunter’s Island loop and birding it. Another year score was Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Pleased with our success, we made tracks for Dutchess County. As I noted to them, Route 22 is a great place to see Red-shouldered Hawk along the road. That still holds true as I spotted one in Pawling while driving and stopped to let the others get a look too.

Dover Plains has a mountain ridge and farm fields that Golden Eagle has wintered in for some years. There are plenty of Bald Eagles there too, as well as numerous Red-tailed Hawks, Harriers, Sharp-shinned, and Cooper’s Hawks. We heard ravens and crows calling, but while enjoying the unseasonably warm and calm weather, we saw few eagles of any sort, and there are usually plenty flying about.There were a LOT of Ring-necked Pheasants though...

I inspected one and then another location I have had success at in the past, then settled on a location which gave a wide vantage. Zip-o. This place was along a field marked as private property for the hunting club, but the members and workers are very friendly and helpful. They are welcoming to birders, but it is my understanding that in the past some thoughtless birders may have trespassed and garnered the ire of the club and other birders. It bears repeating DON’T TRESPASS!  

For what its worth, there is the ability to get great looks from many places, so there is NO need to trespass at all. The hunters also all are carrying guns, so how stupid would that be...

We had lunch, then returned to try some more. We conversed with a worker there who kindly offered info on trees that the Golden liked to perch in, but it wasn’t happening. It was at this point that we learned that a Pacific Loon had been located back on Long Island and giving great looks!  This after earlier admonishing Avian that he’d better make sure that the one in NJ was present on his NJ trip.

What to do, what to do... I told the others that we were not leaving until we had the eagle. I left this area and cruised a bit, and we saw lots of other nice birds like Bluebirds. I then decided to try my first spot again. We were not there too long when I saw a dark large raptor cruising the ridge and headed our way. I got a scope on it and YES! We got great looks and Dunlin and I took many photos.

Golden Eagle

Sated, I instructed the others to strap in as I was hell bent on making it back to the Island to get to see the Loon. Traffic cooperated, and we got there with a cooperatively close bird on flat calm water and with enough remaining light to get some photos. Yes! 

Pacific Loon

In addition to the loon report, Ross’ Geese had been reported out at Montauk that same day. When Tuesday came, Captain Bob inquired if I was doing any birding, and while my though had been to possibly try for those geese, additional reports came in about some birds that were on my radar.

These birds were Blue-winged Teal and Vesper Sparrow. We unsuccessfully tried for the teal, an then moved on to the sparrow location. A short time after we left Bob Prothonotary called to say that he found the teal, but it was hard to see at times going in and out of covering vegetation. 

Having found the sparrows, I waited for Bob P. to get there and though there had been a report of 3, we had at least 5 and thought there might even be more. Captain Bob has difficulty walking, so we  spent more time there in an effort to get him the sparrows too, and then headed back to the nearby teal location. We found the other Bob there who had the duck queued up in his cope. I got a nice look, and then passed the scope to Bob who couldn’t find it!  The little bugger was frustratingly good at hiding at times, but we eventually all saw it.

Happy with our success, we headed out to Montauk. The ranch had some geese but they were all Canada's as expected, and other locations checked seemed to be pretty un-birdy. South Lake Drive once again had a collection of gulls on the near shore, and amongst the Bonaparte’s was a Black-headed Gull! I ran back for my camera and got one shot showing it’s red bill. Chimping to make sure the photos were adequate, I was relieved to see one was.

Black-headed Gull

Our next stop was the west jetty which had an immature Iceland Gull, but not much else. With remaining light becoming an issue, we made an unsuccessful stop at Hook Pond for Tundra Swan, then a quick stop at Shinnecock for Snowy Owl for Bob.  We located it partly due to others looking at it, and were disturbed to find two people on the dune encroaching on the owl. Ah, never underestimate the ability of people to disappoint you.

And that sums up how birding has gone so far this year, with 137 species to date. Fun fun fun!