Walkill NWR May 8th

 Leader Adelia Harrison

Bobolink photod by Amy Weintraub

Adelia Honeywood	May 10, 2022, 6:27 PM (3 days ago)
to me

Hi Peter,

There were 13 of us on our BBC trip for Mother's Day, May 8 2022 to Wallkill NWR and the Black Dirt Region. The day was sunny but windy and a bit chilly. Most of the warblers and migrating passerines hadn't arrived yet, but we still had some wonderful sights. In honor of Mother's Day, our trip highlights were two Great-Horned Owlets in and around an abandoned eagle's nest and a Sandhill Crane on her or his nest. Apparently both sexes incubate during the day so we don't know if we saw Mom or Dad. Both of these sightings were at Liberty Loop.

Walking the 2.5 Liberty Marsh Loop trail was the beginning of our day. Along with the above-mentioned sightings we had three different Bald Eagles, an adult and two juveniles. A Northern Harrier scared up a passel of ducks on the far side of the marsh. One Northern Shoveler was prominent but I assumed the rest were a flock of Mallard. A photo by Amy Weintraub revealed a "coil", "dopping", "knob", "paddling", or "spring" (depending on what collective noun you choose) of Green-winged Teal. There were at least a few dozen. Amy's camera also captured a Wilson's Snipe in flight. Sadly we never located where this group of ducks and shorebirds landed so we could get better views. Although we did get a single Ring-necked Duck.

We then visited Winding Waters Trail, a peaceful meander along the Wallkill River which added Baltimore and Orchard Orioles to our list, along with Belted Kingfisher and very close views of Eastern Bluebirds.

Purple Martin photod Charles Tang

We had lunch at Owens Station Crossing where the Common Grackle had returned to her nest over the picnic tables in the same spot as last year. While we were eating Bob O'Neill spotted a White-crowned Sparrow. At the Wallkill NWR headquarters only a few Purple Martins had returned to the complex of gourds set up for them, but a few were enough, providing lifers for some participants. Tree Swallows were already sticking their heads out of nest boxes and a pair of Eastern Bluebirds were scouting the boxes. A pair of Baltimore Orioles were busy weaving a new nest in the very top of an ash tree as captured by Carol Page.

The last stop was Knapp's View, a wonderful steep hill of grassland where Bobolinks and Meadowlarks breed. The bobolinks have not all arrived but those that were there were doing their odd display flight where they hold their head up above their body and their wings down below it, flying around and singing their R2-D2 song. We didn't get any Meadowlarks this time. The grass had been recently mown. Later in the month it may be more prolific. We did get a Field Sparrow although we were hoping for Grasshopper or Clay-colored. They might have been there, lots of sparrows were popping up and then flying down but not many were giving themselves away by singing. We ended the day feasting on cherry pie.

Sandhill Crane nesting photod Charles Tang

Here's the list

American Coot (Fulica americana)

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)

Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)

Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)

Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)

Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

fledgling Great Horned Owl by Charles Tang

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)

Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)

Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)

Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)

Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)

Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)

Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)

Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 

Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)