Missed chase…
Black scoter - Rockport - 2009
I’m off to Piermont Pier with birding bud Joe in search of a reported Black scoter. Black scoters are normally found along the coasts in winter but during the summer season should be on their breeding grounds in Alaska, Labrador, and Newfoundland. The bird has been tagged as “continuing”, so it must be a lost soul which has decided to spend the summer season here on the Hudson River in SE New York State. The image above is from several years ago during the winter months off the coast of New Jersey, so getting a decent photo of this relatively rare bird would be great fodder for the blog. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be today. We met a couple of our fellow bird club members (both excellent birders BTW) and after a couple of hours scouring the waters on both sides of the entire length of the pier, we could not find the scoter.
Bald eagle - Piermont Pier - 6/2/26
Perhaps one reason for the scoter’s absence was the presence of this beautiful Bald Eagle perched on an outcropping of rock parallel to the pier. This magnificent bird remained on-site the entire time we were surveying the waters in search of of the scoter. Eagles won’t think twice about taking a scoter as a nice morning snack, so the scoter may well have had second thoughts about hanging around the area today. We’ll keep track of reports on eBird to see if the scoter reappears in the next week to afford us another chance at capturing an image of this vagrant.
Song sparrow - Piermont Pier - 6/2/26
At the very end of the pier which stretches out into the Hudson a distance of 4000 feet, we find a singing Song sparrow. While not exactly a rarity, it was nicely framed and presented itself as a nice image to capture in lieu of our missed quarry. Song sparrows are in fact very common out here on the pier along with a number of other song birds. During low tide, the waters next to the rock structure can provide good views of shore birds and waders which are not always accessible to those of us living in “upstate” New York. It really is enjoyable to ride and walk along this structure keeping in mind that it was constructed in the 1800s by hand and served as the terminus of the Erie Railroad for folks heading to New York City by boat.
Tappan Zee Bridge as seen from the end of Piermont Pier
Tre swallow - Piermont Pier - 6/2/26
As we were making our way off the pier, we were bid adieu by a Tree swallow which perched on a bare branch along the pier’s east edge. At low tide, the shoreline along the pier is an expanse of otherwise submerged beach of sand and pebbles. Insects take advantage of these conditions and the swallows follow to make the area their own feeding ground. The Pier is a beautiful place to visit and offers great views and often excellent and unique birding opportunities.
