February 2022 Bird Walk Shawangunk Grasslands
By Sean Camillieri
On 2/26, we held our rescheduled “3rd Saturday” walk at the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. The original date for the walk was canceled due to high winds which makes viewing birds and especially our target bird, the Short-eared Owl nearly impossible.
Everyone arrived at the refuge around 3pm and shortly after we were greeted with far, but with a scope, very nice looks at a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk! This hawk spends its winter in the lower 48 then migrates to the northern reaches of the continent to breed. On their wintering grounds they prefer large grassland type habitats where they can soar and hunt for voles. One unique feature of this species is that it will kite over an area if it suspects there is a prey item below it. Similar to an American Kestrel.
Another highlight was 24 Eastern Meadowlarks which usually winter at Shawangunk in small numbers but given the mild winter we’ve been having I guess more decided they’d save the miles and spend the winter up north! In a fairly colorless landscape, the flashes of yellow flying over the grassland was a welcome site. At one point 20 meadowlarks landed in a tree close to where we were standing and we all were able to hear some of them sing. This species is a regular breeder at this site during the warm months.
Last but certainly not least, as the sun was going down some of our guests packed it in and headed home for the evening. The determined few who stuck around were greeted with not one, not two, but FOUR Short-eared Owls!! This species is the highlight for anyone traveling to the grasslands in the winter months and one of the few owl species that you can see in the daylight. In the northeast Short-eared Owl is a migratory species with only one confirmed breeding record currently logged into New York State’s Breeding Bird Atlas. Otherwise this species can be found in any open expanses throughout Maine, Canada, Alaska, and the northern states out west. These owls have a less than graceful wingbeat which makes it all the more entertaining watching them fly over the grassland. Some of them were even vocalizing which consists more of a “bark” than a “hoot”. This species is always a treat!
Other species we observed were several Northern Harriers, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, and some Horned Larks. See the full trip report with photos and video here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S103787272
Our next walk will be on 3/19 at Croton Point Park, Register Here
Photos By: Sean Camillieri
