Registrar: Nick Dawson
Participants: 8
Weather: Sunny, low to mid 60s
Bird Species: 69
On a pleasant Sunday morning in late May, a small group of Linnaean Society birders journeyed up from New York City to walk the Liberty Loop trail, starting in New Jersey, moving into New York state, and then back to NJ. From the parking lot, we saw our first Sandhill Crane, a breeding bird at this spot that had evaded a group on the same trip the previous May. Later on, we were treated to more, including a female on her nest and a number of males competing for territory. The mixture of habitats—marsh surrounded by woodland and farm fields—offered up a nice variety of shorebirds, raptors, ducks, herons, woodpeckers, flycatchers, and migrant passerines. Other highlights of the morning, included a singing Marsh Wren, a Pileated Woodpecker, some Yellow-throated Vireos, and a Philadelphia Vireo—which, sadly, only some were able to get eyes on.
At the nearby Winding Waters Trail, also part of Wallkill River NWR, we were treated to nesting Eastern Bluebirds and Baltimore Orioles, plus Orchard Orioles on territory. Following a quick post-lunch stop at Owens Station Crossing and Wallkill River NWR’s headquarters, the birders who had stuck it out until mid-afternoon enjoyed a memorable final at Knapp’s View, where throngs of breeding Bobolinks can reliably be found mixed in with Red-winged Blackbirds and a few Eastern Meadowlarks.
Species Lists
Birds
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Sandhill Crane
Semipalmated Plover
Least Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tufted Titmouse
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Bobolink
Eastern Meadowlark
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
