May 25 - Lord Stirling & Great Swamp

At Lord Stirling we had a Prothonotary Warbler and a very cooperative Mourning Warbler. We heard Alder Flycatcher and another Mourning Warbler

At Great Swamp Overlook we had another Alder Fly, and a flyby Sandhill Crane

May 24 - Doodletown

Out with the regular group for a half-day so we chose Doodletown, NY which is just south of the Bear Mountain Bridge.  Today we saw 4 Kentucky Warblers, so it seems as though there are two separate breeding pairs !  It's not often that you mention a warbler before the beautiful Cerulean Warbler, however the Kentucky is rarer, as evidenced by the almost dozen Ceruleans we saw, including one female bringing food to it's nest !

May 16 - Swainson's Warbler !!

Finally, after waiting to see this bird for more than 12 years I got to see one at my local spot of Garret Mountain.
I received the Rare Bird Alert at work and immediately left to go the 15+ miles to the location.  Fortunately the bird remained there for me to enjoy for over an hour.

Credit: Jim Kuehlke

Photo: Larry Scacchetti

May 12 - Cuckoos & Nighthawk

A brief visit for one hour before work today yielded a pair of Yellow-Billed Cuckoos & a single Black-Billed Cuckoo.  A flyover Common Nighthawk eventually landed and showed quite well on it's perch.

May 11 - Garretus Borealis

Today was another fine day, topped off with the boreal birds of Bay-Breasted, Blackpoll, Cape May, and Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher.

Today's slightly different mix of 24 warblers were: Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-Winged, Black-and-White, Tennessee, Orange-Crowned, Nashville, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Bay-Breasted, Cape May, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Yellow, Chestnut-Sided, Blackpoll, Black-Throated Blue, Pine, Yellow-Rumped, Prairie, Black-Throated Green, Canada, and Wilson's all being seen.

May 10 - Garret Mountain hot streak continues...

The foggy conditions persisted throughout the overnight and most of this day.  The continuing Least Bittern was spotted by Jennifer and we all got some of our best looks as this bird.

The best bird of the day was the Golden-Winged Warbler that was found by Bill Elrick just past 8 o'clock this morning.  Fortunately for me the bird remained in the area for a long time and I got to see it for the first time within this park

The amazing Wood-Warbler show continued with 24 species of Ovenbird, Worm-Eating, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-Winged, the Golden-Winged, Black-and-White, Nashville, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Cape May, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Yellow, Chestnut-
Sided, Blackpoll, Black-Throated Blue, Palm, Pine, Yellow-Rumped, Prairie, Black-Throated Green, Canada, and Wilson's all being seen well & with several of each.  We heard Cerulean but did not see it.

We also had a very strong candidate for Bicknell's Thrush, however the bird did not sing.

At last, I was able to see Pileated Woodpecker in this park after birding here since 2000.
So I added two Park birds today !

May 9 - Foggy Morning at Garret Mountain

After the rains I intended to go straight into Work today but when I got outside I heard many birds actively calling, so I made a detour to Garret and spent about 2.5 hours here although I wish I had stayed even longer!

The 18 warbler species today were:
Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-Winged, Black-and-White, Nashville, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Cape May, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Yellow, Chestnut-Sided, Black-Throated Blue, Yellow-Rumped, Black-Throated Green, Canada, and Wilson's.

The Least Bittern was seen again today! And my first Lincoln's Sparrow of the year.

May 8 - Doty Road Cliff Swallows

I made a brief check here on my way home from work and found that the resident Cliff Swallows had returned in strong numbers with 16 being seen

May 7 - Halifax Road

After work today I stopped at Halifax Road in Mahwah.  Here an Orange-Crowned Warbler had been reported and after a short while I was able to get a quick view of the bird.  Also seen today was a cooperative Wilson's Warbler and a pair of Solitary Sandpipers.

May 4 - Garret Mountain

A good early spring day on the Mountain today.  The following 16 Wood Warblers were seen:
Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-Winged, Black-and-White, Nashville, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Chestnut-Sided, Black-Throated Blue, Palm, Pine, Yellow-Rumped, and Black-Throated Green.

Other highlights were the continuing Least Bittern, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow-Throated Vireo, Blue-Headed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, House Wren, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

May 3 - Twenty Warbler Day at Garret Mountain

Highlight was the Least Bittern !   This is a very rare bird for this park, and I have never seen it here before.  The morning was quite good with the following 20 Wood Warblers seen:
Ovenbird, Worm-Eating, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-Winged, Black-and-White, Nashville, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded, American Redstart, Cape May, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Chestnut-Sided, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Pine, Yellow-rumped, Prairie, and Black-Throated Green.

Other good birds today were American Woodcock, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-Throated Vireo, Veery, Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Orchard Oriole & Baltimore Oriole.