Hi Folks,
Today I had a 2:30pm doctors appointment in New Windsor, Orange County, which brought me into the vicinity of the City of Newburgh. Because I was early I decided to check out a few spots before getting to the doctors' office. At the small parking area on the north side of TORCHE'S closed off area I scanned the river and was extremely pleased to find a RED-THROATED LOON in the air on our side of the river flying south. At first he was elevated, perhaps it had flown OVER the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, but in a while it lowered its path and it continued down the river, it's bill tipped pointing to the water below. I was hoping that it would land but I never saw it do that. As Curt remembers it is very timely because it was Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 1977 when "Beezer"(the late Benton Seguin) called us to report one at Cornwall Bay. We left the turkey cooking, piled into the car and sped off to see our life bird. We enjoyed the turkey later!
Arriving at the doctors with time to spare and only there for minor issues I was out the door quickly and off for more of the river. At Kowawese, "Plum Point" to us oldtimers, I drove into the split and took the left hand lane into the smal park that New Windsor claims for itself. There I was looking for Sparrows, Thrushes, waterfowl and maybe a perched Eagle as in the past I have had all those from there. I very slowly drove in scanned and started to slowly exit but the vociferous mobbing of American Crows made me halt in my tracks. As it was I was under THE tree where they were mobbing so I had to back up. Not seeing the object of their aggravation I eased forward scanning the tall trees but seeing nothing. One crow made it a point to swoop at a specific spot and veer away. I slowly backed up to get a better view and I saw it. There parched at the top of the tree and not IN the tree was the source of their discomfort a SNOWY OWL!!! This one like several that I had seen this week was a hatch year bird with very heavy and dark markings. Just think of it....... a week ago today with 40+ years of active birding I had NEVER seen a Snowy Owl in Orange County and this made THREE in this county plus one yesterday In Bethel which was my and many others first ever in Sullivan Co. All this and we know that Caren Pooth and a few others saw a different Snowy from my first two the day before yesterday. Photos that she took clearly make it three Snowys in the black dirt area and that very day Curt found one definite Snowy on top of pallets at DeBuck's Farm on Missionland Rd with the unconfirmed possibility of their being yet another there but at a great distance. This a.m. in talking to emplyees at the Orange County airport in Montgomery he was told that they had a Snowy there on Nov. 26th, the day some of us were enjoying what we thought was Snowy Owl #1 at Warren Sod Farms.
I'd like to think it was the harassing of the Crows and not my unintentional closeness to the bird that made it pitch off and fly erratically right across the Hudson. It landed but I could not find it from this side though I tried to scan from multiple places for it had clearly landed in Dutchess County, south of Beacon and not too far north of Bannerman's Island. In a short time I headed to Cornwall Landing and scanned Bannerman's in the hope that the owl settled in there but I never found him again. What I DID find on the channel marker were 5 GREAT CORMORANTS, one immature and the others adults!
When I first started birding the Hudson River was often observed from many places and by many of the oldtime Mearns Bird Club members, many of which are sadly not with us any longer, some have simply moved away. Al & Barb Merritt, Joe & Diane Bradley, Paul Jeheber, "Beezer" Seguin, Bud Lorch, Ed Treacy and the like were stopping there daily and we would all hear about the rewards of those stops. Today there are less access points and many of us live further inland and we don't get to check out what is going on there. Todays stop for me was a step back in time and a walk with those old friends to a place that has rewarded us well. If you are in the area do check it out and if you are not, find a reason to stop by and see what rewards await you.
Best wishes and GREAT birding,
Ken McDermott
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