This morning I went up to Bethel, NY in Sullivan County for a chance at a life bird. Recently these birds have been reported as being seen daily. I got some detailed info from John Haas, a local birder in the area. His directions were spot on, and I arrived around 9:30. Within minutes I saw one in a tree. Success !After that sighting another 8-10 birds came into a feeder. I had terrific looks at these birds, as well as outstanding scope views. The birds left after 15 minutes. So I waited around for just about an hour when they made a return appearance. This time they were on a feeder even closer to me. Fantastic! I got to hear several of them calling, and watched them fly in and out of the feeder into the nearby trees, showing the brilliant flashes of black and white, along with the colorful yellows.
Other birds seen nearby were an immature Bald Eagle, several Red-Breasted Nuthatches along with the White-Breasted, Tree Sparrows, Hairy Woodpecker, and Wild Turkeys.
