November 2022 Bird Walk Stony Kill Farm Education Center

by Anthony Macchiarola

On November 19th our group visited the Stony Kill Farm Education Center in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County. The farm encompasses over 1000 acres of mixed habitat, including open grassland and woodland areas.

The biggest draw for birds this time of year tends to be the cooperative community farm area, as was the case with this visit. Numerous sparrows were feeding amongst the garden plot, highlighted by at least 6 White-crowned sparrows.

We had a mix of juveniles and adult birds, and even had a few that were singing! While overall bird density was pretty low on our walk, we did encounter small numbers of expected species for the habitat such as Eastern Bluebirds and Northern Mockingbirds, as well as some expected migrants. At the end of our walk we were treated to excellent views of a male American Kestrel perched near the parking lot.

Our full list with a few photos can be seen here: https://ebird.org/atlasny/checklist/S122717493

Photos: American Kestrel and White-Crowned Sparrow by Anthony Macchiarola