Every once in a while, you get to see an amazing show in the Celery Farm -- you just never know what the show is going to be until you are there.
    I happened upon this guy the other morning, and he was fairly easy to find because a red-shouldered hawk was screaming furiously at him -- along with assorted jays and dickie birds.
   Although this Great Horned Owl looks pretty close, I caught him with a long lens. He was near the treetop.   
    He did not pay much attention to me, what with all the birds screaming at him.
    More on Great Horned owls here.

 Ace hawk-watcher Judy Cinquina reports:

    Mount Peter had another good day yesterday, Thursday Sept. 18. I don't  yet have the official report, but Broadwing numbers were approaching  1,000 when I left the mountain. We had our first Golden Eagle yesterday, an immature, and a couple of Bald Eagles.

     Click "Continue reading..." for more information about tomorrow, as well as directions.

One of the great hawk watches in these parts is Mount Peter, located on Bellvale Mountain between Greenwood Lake and Warwick, N.Y. on Route 17A.
  There's some excellent opportunities for raptor watching, and the view of the Warwick Valley is excellent.  It was started by Stiles Thomas and has been ably run for years and years by Judy Cinquina.
   This is the watch's 51st autumn in operation, and the Fyke Nature Association has all-day field trip (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) this Saturday, during prime migrating time for broad-winged hawks.

   If you have never been, the place is definitely worth a trip! If you've been already, then you know for sure.

Rob reports:
   This evening I found a Dickcissel at the Celery Farm near the Greenway entrance.
   I first saw the bird fly from right to left where it landed in the hedgerow for some nice looks. I lost it for a while but it was relocated about 20 minutes later (by several observers) this time on the right.
    The bird looked just like the adult female pictured in Sibley with a nice amount of yellow on the breast and face along w/ the reddish wing patch.
    This is my first ever sighting for the CF!--and is one of only a handful of records overall. I know of only one other definite "on the ground" record.
  (More on Dickcissels here.)
      Sept. 18 has been a special day at the CF before.       Previous birds on 9/18 were:
      2001-- CF's first Red-necked Phalarope (which lingered for 3 days)
      2002--CF's first and only Western Kingbird, along w/ my first CF Connecticut Warbler.
     Earlier in the evening I watched a PEREGRINE FALCON soaring low over Phair's Pond/Greenway--my first of the year at CF and only about my 4th or 5th sighting for CF.

Good Fall Birding!
-Rob

My first LINCOLN'S SPARROW of the fall today.
  Ended yesterday with 57 species.

Additional highlights were:
-Spotted Sand--latest record for CF
-RC Kinglet--possibly earliest fall arrival for CF
-Am. Kestrel--perched male
-Magnolia Warbler

   Click "Continue reading ... "  below for Thursday's list.