Saturday-Sunday, 12 & 13 May, 2012
I took off for the highest peak in the Catskill range on Saturday and
also hiked through the (lower but rugged) trail across the two peaks
immediately northeast - out of Phoenicia, Ulster Co. - this is the
well-trodden Wittenberg, Cornell, and Slide Mountain[s] ridge, with a
highest elevation on Slide Mt. well over 4,000 ft. and more
importantly to one particular localized breeding bird, a place of good
spruce-fir thickets and forest, mainly in the elevations over 3,500,
and especially above 3,800 ft. above sea-level. In my hike, arriving
at Slide Mt.'s summit area at about 7:15 p.m. Saturday (5/12), I
glimpsed one & heard that plus another Bicknell's Thrush. Having
camped nearby at nearly 3,500 ft., on Sunday morning from 5 to about
6:30 a.m., I saw & heard at least 6 additional Bicknell's Thrush, with
one seen almost as well as I usually do at this location on May visits
- the birds were all calling more than singing this time, and I
venture the theory (perhaps mistakenly) that a lot of these may have
arrived even as recently as Sat. night, or in just the past few days
and are not fully-voiced just yet... as well perhaps only males are on
the territory now with females soon to be - it was not likely the
weather was inhibiting song, as it was quite nice (almost balmy
overnight, and just slightly hazy first thing Sunday, with very little
breeze), but in any case this was both my earliest look for this
species on spring nesting grounds, and also among my quietest
experience of them. The calling Bicknell's however were certainly
heard well, as anyone knows who's been in close proximity on breeding
grounds knows they can be startlingly loud, in a sometimes fairly
quiet habitat. The Bicknell's were not heard and certainly not seen
after about 7 a.m. on Sunday, nor before about 7 p.m. Saturday eve.
(As the season goes along however these birds will get a lot more
vocal in the courtship period and again when young ones are fledged
and learning their vocalizations.) A single Swainson's Thrush was
singing from an open perch near the spruce-fir habitat, but that was
an anomaly in that in my visits to most Bicknell's habitat areas, all
other thrushes are more likely to remain below the elevations that the
Bicknell's prefer. As I watched the Swainson's Thrush, it eventually
gave up its song perch and flew down to any areas where it might be
more at home (a rather "richer" woods than the spruce-fir forests..) A
good variety of early-spring wildflowers were still in full bloom,
indeed some not yet really out, at the high (over-3,200 ft.) elevations.
Many other breeding birds were heard & seen thru the 2-day hike,
although a majority were in elevations well below that of the
Bicknell's Thrushes.
The full list, Sat.-Sun. May 12th & 13th;
Common Loon (1, heard calling as it flew by going northwest, obs. from
the higher ground)
Double-crested Cormorant (a few flying north from near Kingston)
Great Blue Heron (several)
Black Vulture (2, near New Paltz)
Turkey Vulture (fairly common)
Canada Goose (along the way)
Mallard ('ditto')
Osprey (one)
Bald Eagle (several near Ashokan reservoir)
Cooper's Hawk (one)
Broad-winged Hawk (6 or more, perched & in flight)
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon (nice sight at the highest ground, seen from above
4,000 ft. a.s.l.)
Wild Turkey (several)
Ring-billed Gull (few)
Herring Gull (several)
Rock Pigeon (towns)
Mourning Dove (up to 3,300+ ft.)
Barred Owl (calling overnight from lower elevation)
Whip-poor-will (remarkably, heard calling insistently from somewhere
northwest of Slide Mt. on the night of 5/12; presumably far below in a
nice valley or flat)
Chimney Swift (multiple, from lower in the towns)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (one whizzed by at about 2,900 ft. along
Woodland Valley, near Phoenicia)
Belted Kingfisher (Espous Creek)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (near New Paltz)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (multiple heard, one seen)
Downy Woodpecker (few noted)
Hairy Woodpecker (several seen or heard)
Northern [Yellow-shafted] Flicker (few)
Least Flycatcher (several seen singing)
Eastern Phoebe (several)
Great Crested Flycatcher (several heard)
Eastern Kingbird (lower elevations only)
Blue-headed Vireo (very common, even up at Slide Mt. summit area)
Yellow-throated Vireo (one singing near Phoenicia)
Warbling Vireo (several on Esopus Creek)
Red-eyed Vireo (fairly common in the broad-leaved woods)
Blue Jay (including some migrating north early a.m. of 5/13)
Common Raven (several on the higher ground)
American Crow
Fish Crow (seeming to be this species, right in Phoenicia, by both
calls of 4 individuals together and by small size and bill-shape - but
known to be here?)
Purple Martin (several flying high)
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow (modest no's. flying around Phoenicia, not seen coming
to a particular nest-site)
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse (a few)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper (woods neat trailhead, Woodland Valley)
House Wren (towns)
Winter Wren (wonderful song at dusk & dawn especially, all the way to
over 4,000 ft. a.s.l.)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (a few noted on the long plateau of Slide Mt.,
and above 4,000 ft.)
Eastern Bluebird (few noted)
Veery (mainly heard)
Bicknell's Thrush (at least 8 encounters, perhaps 6 or 7 on the most
conservative possible count, mainly for 5/13, all were above 3,900 and
most encountered were closer to 4,000+ ft.- I do not find the actual
summit area at Slide to be the best place - although some are usually
near there - but rather the lengthy stretch of trail that is all in
good habitat southwest of the peak, and also the side trail (blue-
blazed) a short way on the "East Branch - Phoenica" which is a ways
down from the summit of Slide (slightly towards the Rt. 47 trail. All
birds counted were calling, with two also singing a bit... more
typically & further into May, more will be singing at 4-6 a.m. & also
6-9 p.m. depending on the weather a bit)
Swainson's Thrush (just one heard singing, a few others seen - the
songster was uncommonly high at over 4,000 ft.)
Hermit Thrush (many heard, in elevations up to about 3,300+ ft., but
mainly a bit lower; a few seen)
Wood Thrush (heard near Phoenicia, Rt. 28)
American Robin
Gray Catbird (not in higher elev.)
Northern Mockingbird (in towns)
European Starling (towns)
Cedar Waxwing (several)
Nashville Warbler (2 heard, one of them seen, around 3,400 ft.)
Northern Parula (1 only, seen singing in mixed woods on the trail)
Yellow Warbler (many in creek-side areas)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (multiple; & mainly lower)
Magnolia Warbler (multiple, up to highest ground)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (relatively few still in this higher
terrain)
Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler (many, & on territory in the highest
terrain)
Black-throated Green Warbler (extremely common - 30+++ heard & seen)
Blackburnian Warbler (multiple, almost all in or near hemlock stands)
Pine Warbler (one seen singing, lower on Woodland Valley, in White
Pines)
Blackpoll Warbler (a few already on territory over 3,900 ft. in the
spruce-fir)
Black-and-white Warbler (multiple in lower areas)
American Redstart (fairly common in many areas)
Ovenbird (common, & heard singing up to about 3,600 ft. in some
sections)
Northern Waterthrush (seen singing in one place along Woodland Valley)
Louisiana Waterthrush (several heard singing, on their territories)
Common Yellowthroat (multiple at lower elev.)
Canada Warbler (one, lower along Rt. 28 near Woodland Valley)
Scarlet Tanager (a few heard, including a male in Phoenicia village
center)
Chipping Sparrow (common, including at fairly high elev. to about
3,300 ft.)
Field Sparrow (2 in a field along Rt. 28)
Song Sparrow (multiple in various towns and fields)
White-throated Sparrow (common on the highest terrain, singing on
territory)
Salte-colored Junco (very common on high terrain, singing, and nesting
now)
Northern Cardinal (at least several along lower ground, & in towns)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (multiple, singing in rich broad-leaved forest
areas)
Indigo Bunting (one heard north of New Paltz)
Bobolink (heard & glimpsed north of New Paltz)
Red-winged Blackbird (few noted)
Common Grackle (few)
Brown-headed Cowbird (including a few intruding into nicer woods)
Baltimore Oriole (singing up to about 2,900+ ft. on Woodland Valley)
Purple Finch (nice flocks in the higher terrain and as low as 3,200 ft.)
House Finch (small no's noted in towns)
American Goldfinch (uncommonly seen or heard)
House Sparrow (towns)
Good birding,
Tom Fiore,
Manhattan
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