Harlequin Duck in Northampton County ~ December 29, 2010

I made another trek up to see the male Harlequin Duck this afternoon. I met Billy Weber at the parking lot, who told me that the bird was much farther up the river, closer to Belvidere. So I, along with a few other birders, drove up to the Lower Mount Bethel Recreation Fields, parked there, and walked over to the river. This puts you at the head of the rapids that are found between there and the point where the Blue Trail meets the river. The bird was there with several Buffleheads, spending almost all of its time on the New Jersey side of the river although it did eventually cross the imaginary border into PA. Later, the group lifted off and flew down the middle of the river past the rapids, which most likely put them back at the area that the bird was seen yesterday.

I managed to get another fairly good photo of the bird given the distance. This bird represents the 1st documented record for Northampton County!

Harlequin Duck on the Delaware River near Riverton, Northampton County.

For those interested in visiting the area where the bird spent most of the day, continue past the Tekening parking lot and turn into the Lower Mount Bethel Township Recreation Fields parking lot, which is just before the Belvidere Bridge. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk across the soccer fields towards the river. The bird was most often near a boat launch on the New Jersey side, which is downriver from a distinctive aqua-colored house with bright pink shutters.

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Harlequin Duck in Northampton County ~ December 28, 2010

While birding with Kathy Sieminski, Stephen Kloiber found a male Harlequin Duck along the Delaware River at the Martins Creek Environmental Preserve in Northampton County. After calling several birders and giving directions to others, I headed up to the spot. The bird seemed content, swimming and diving with a group of Buffleheads and Common Goldeneyes. I took some long-distance photos of the bird for documentation purposes. This bird represents the 1st documented record for Northampton County!

Harlequin Duck on the Delaware River at the Martins Creek Environmental Preserve, Northampton County.

All of the birders that were there left happy. A few of us drove over to the New Jersey side of the river to see if we could get closer looks, but when we got there, the ducks were gone. The adult Bald Eagle perched in a nearby tree was most likely responsible for that.

Bald Eagle on the Delaware River at the Martins Creek Environmental Preserve, Northampton County.

For those interested in visiting this spot, the bird was present on the river approximately where the first 'R' in the word "River" is on this map.

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Prairie Falcon near Newburg, Cumberland County ~ November 28, 2010

Jason Horn, Stephen Kloiber, and I made a very successful run Sunday for some noteworthy birds. We headed for Cumberland County and were lucky enough to drive up and find the Prairie Falcon in one of the large trees just northwest of the intersection of Duncan and Mud Level Roads. I managed to get this horrible, long-distance photo of the falcon.

Prairie Falcon near Newburg, Cumberland County. You can barely make out the whisker mark and dark sides on this pale brown bird.

It was perched there from 8:50 to about 9:05 AM when it winged east along Mud Level Road until it was out of sight over the little substation area. If accepted, this would be the first record for Pennsylvania.

At the substation, we found a Merlin ripping apart an unfortunate Horned Lark on a nearby pole and a good number of White-crowned Sparrows directly across from there on the north side of the road.

Merlin near Newburg, Cumberland County with an unlucky Horned Lark in its talons.

After about an hour of being unable to refind the Prairie, we headed for Shartlesville to get another look, and maybe some photos, of the Anna's Hummingbird, another first for Pennsylvania! There, after a short wait, the Anna's buzzed into a crabapple tree across from trailer M-69 and then eventually over to the feeder there. To get the background story on the Anna's and see the photos I was lucky enough to get of it, continue on to the next entry.

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Anna's Hummingbird in Shartlesville, Berks County ~ November 28, 2010

Back around late October, Renee Gery noticed a hummingbird visiting her feeder. Eventually, she contacted Jack Holcomb who contacted bander Scott Weidensaul. On November 21st, Scott caught and banded the bird and verified that it was an adult female Anna's Hummingbird, the first record for Pennsylvania! I saw the bird the next morning but never got a chance to get a photo of it. On the 28th, I managed to get these three photos of it.

Anna's Hummingbird near Shartlesville, Berks County. Note the chunky appearance and the stippled gorget.

Anna's Hummingbird near Shartlesville, Berks County. Note the fairly straight bill and the grayish underparts.

Anna's Hummingbird near Shartlesville, Berks County. Again, note the chunky appearance and the fairly straight bill.

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White-tailed Kite in Connecticut ~ August 7, 2010

Last Sunday, news broke of an amazing sighting of a White-tailed Kite in Stratford, Connecticut! Far from its normal range, this striking raptor seemed very content with the area and stayed there throughout the week. Since it had been many years since I had seen my last one (in Texas) and the weather was supposed to be nice, I decided to head up there.

Within minutes of arriving at Stratford Point, the bird was spotted 'kiting', eventually nabbing a meal and devouring it atop a telephone pole. Next, it made a direct flight to nearby Short Beach Park where it perched about a hundred yards away in a snag for about an hour, allowing many happy birders all the looks and photos that they could ask for. From what I've read, this bird represents only the 2nd record for the Northeast; the first one was from Martha's Vineyard on May 30, 1910!

White-tailed Kite at South Beach in Stratford, Connecticut. Note the white tail and black markings on the shoulder of the wing.

White-tailed Kite at South Beach in Stratford, Connecticut. Here the bird is stretching a wing.

White-tailed Kite at South Beach in Stratford, Connecticut. Note the black shoulder patch for which this bird was previously named and the white tail, which generated the newer name.

While at Stratford Point, a Peregrine Falcon zipped by.

Peregrine Falcon at Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut.

Other birds noted there included Merlin, Semipalmated Plover, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Spotted and Semipalmated Sandpiper, Common and Forster's Tern, Eastern Kingbird, Fish Crow, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow Warbler, and Orchard Oriole.

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Eurasian Collared-Dove in Northampton County ~ August 3, 2010

It was just a matter of time before one of these were found in the Lehigh Valley. Yesterday, Billy Weber happened to hear a Eurasian Collared-Dove while driving down Freemansburg Avenue in Bethlehem Township. He turned around and found two birds on the wires near the intersection with Wagner Drive.

This morning, I went down there and found one of the two birds at almost the same exact spot.

Eurasian Collared-Dove in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County. Note the squared-off tail compared to that of a Mourning Dove's pointed tail.

The bird's chest puffed out while it was calling.

Eurasian Collared-Dove in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County. Note the dark line on the collar and the dark primaries contrasting with the rest of the wing.

Eventually, it flew up and circled around a few times, unlike the fast, direct flight of the Mourning Doves, which were also present in good numbers.

Eurasian Collared-Dove in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County. Note the gray undertail coverts and the white band on the outer tail feathers.

Eurasian Collared-Dove in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County. This was the only flight photo I got of the top of the bird. Although blurry, I included it to show the contrasting primaries, which are much darker than the rest of the wing.

This sighting represents the 1st record for Northampton County!

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Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush ~ July 22, 2010

On Tuesday, I got a call from Jason Horn asking me if I was interested in going along with him and Dick Colyer to see the Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush that was present in South Dakota. After checking flight availability and prices, I pulled the trigger and the chase was on.

At 2:30 AM, I drove over to Jason's house and we took his car to Harrisburg. There, we picked up Dick and headed to the Harrisburg Airport. We flew to Denver by way of Atlanta, picked up our rental car, and began the six-hour drive to Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota. Birds seen at the Glendo Reservoir along I-25 in Wyoming included American White Pelican, Great Egret, Trumpeter Swan, and Ring-billed Gull. Other birds seen along the way included Swainson's Hawk, Common Nighthawk, Western Kingbird, Lark Bunting, Western Meadowlark, and Brewer's Blackbird.

On the way up Highway 85 near Redbird, we headed into the worst thunderstorm that I had ever driven in. I was happily surprised and totally amazed that the golf-ball-sized hail didn't take out the windshield.

Luckily, by the time we reached South Dakota, a new state for me, the weather cleared. We parked the car in the lot beside Iron Creek and soon heard the bird calling. Two other birders were already on the bird and they pointed it out to us. It was singing away in one of the trees along the creek. In the failing light, I managed to get two poor, yet identifiable photos of it.

Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush near Savoy in Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota.

Cliff Swallow and American Redstart were also noted at the site. We drove down to Spearfish, ate at the Shoot The Bull Steakhouse, and spent the night at a motel near the canyon entrance.

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Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush ~ July 23-24, 2010

Friday, July 23rd

We headed back to the spot to get more looks at the Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush and hopefully get better photos. The bird showed itself several times but didn't stay very long during each sighting, so I was never able to improve on the previous night's photos.

Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush site near Savoy in Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota.

Other birds noted while there included Cordilleran Flycatcher, Violet-green Swallow, Red-eyed Vireo, Canyon Wren, Swainson's Thrush, and American Restart.

We left there and headed up nearby Forest Road 222 where we found Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Townsend's Solitaire, MacGillivray's Warbler, Pine Siskin, and my first-ever looks at "White-winged" Juncos. These birds are noticeably bigger than our "Slate-colored" version and the white underneath the tail appears to block out all of the darker central tail feathers.

Happy with the looks that we had of the Nightingale-Thrush, we left Spearfish Canyon and headed for Mount Rushmore. We stopped there and at Crazy Horse Mountain long enough to take some photos and then continued down Highway 385.

Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota.

Crazy Horse Mountain near Custer, South Dakota.

Just south of Wind Cave National Park, we came upon a herd of Bison. While taking photos of them, we also noticed a few Prairie Dogs and several Burrowing Owls feeding young.

A herd of Bison along Highway 385 near Wind Cave National Park.

Bison along Highway 385 near Wind Cave National Park.

Burrowing Owl along Highway 385 near Wind Cave National Park.

Burrowing Owl along Highway 385 near Wind Cave National Park.

Burrowing Owl dropping in to feed its young along Highway 385 near Wind Cave National Park on July 23, 2010.

Burrowing Owl with its young along Highway 385 near Wind Cave National Park on July 23, 2010.

A small pond farther along the road held Northern Shovelers, a Blue-winged Teal, a Solitary Sandpiper, and several Wilson's Phalaropes.

We followed '385' into Nebraska, another new state for me, and turned east onto Highway 20. Near the town of Harrison, Jason spotted several Mountain Bluebirds at a small corral beside the highway.

Mountain Bluebird near Harrison, Nebraska.

While there, a pair of Red Crossbills briefly landed on the side of the highway and then took off to the north. Other Nebraska birds included Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Horned Lark, Lark Bunting, and Chestnut-collared Longspur.

The Wyoming section of Highway 20 produced Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Upland Sandpiper, Horned Lark, and Lark Sparrow.
Practically every fair-sized town that we passed through in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming held noticeable numbers of Eurasian Collared-Doves.

Finally back in Denver, we spent a short night at a Motel 6 near the Denver Airport.

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Saturday, July 24th

We headed to the airport, turned in the rental car with an extra 930 miles on it, and flew back to Harrisburg by way of Atlanta. Among the 59 species were my 'life' Nightingale-Thrush and my 'life' "White-winged" Juncos.

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Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Trip ~ July 22-24, 2010

1) American White Pelican----(WY)
2) Great Blue Heron----(WY)
3) Great Egret----(WY)
4) Trumpeter Swan----(WY)
5) Canada Goose----(WY)
6) Mallard----(SD)(NB)
7) Blue-winged Teal----(SD)
8) Northern Shoveler----(SD)
9) Turkey Vulture----(WY)(SD)(NB)
10) Northern Harrier----(WY)
11) Swainson's Hawk----(CO)(WY)
12) Red-tailed Hawk----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
13) American Kestrel----(WY)
14) Killdeer----(CO)(WY)(SD)
15) Solitary Sandpiper----(SD)
16) Upland Sandpiper----(WY)(NB)
17) Wilson's Phalarope----(SD)
18) Ring-billed Gull----(WY)
19) Rock Dove----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
20) Mourning Dove----(WY)(SD)(NB)
21) Eurasian Collared-Dove----(WY)(SD)(NB)
22) Burrowing Owl----(SD)
23) Common Nighthawk----(WY)(SD)(NB)
24) Cordilleran Flycatcher----(SD)
25) Western Kingbird----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
26) Eastern Kingbird----(SD)(NB)
27) Horned Lark----(WY)(SD)(NB)
28) Violet-green Swallow----(SD)
29) Cliff Swallow----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
30) Barn Swallow----(NB)
31) Blue Jay----(SD)
32) Common Raven----(SD)
33) Black-capped Chickadee----(SD)
34) Canyon Wren----(SD)
35) Mountain Bluebird----(SD)(NB)
36) Townsend's Solitaire----(SD)
37) Swainson's Thrush----(SD)
38) American Robin----(WY)(SD)(NB)
39) Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush*----(SD)
40) Cedar Waxwing----(SD)
41) European Starling----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
42) Red-eyed Vireo----(SD)
43) American Redstart----(SD)
44) MacGillivray's Warbler----(SD)
45) Spotted Towhee----(SD)
46) Chipping Sparrow----(SD)
47) Lark Sparrow----(WY)
48) Lark Bunting----(WY)(SD)(NB)
49) Song Sparrow----(SD)
50) Dark-eyed "White-winged" Junco----(SD) 'Life' Subspecies
51) Chestnut-collared Longspur----(NB)
52) Red-winged Blackbird----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
53) Western Meadowlark----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
54) Brewer's Blackbird----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
55) Common Grackle----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)
56) Cassin's Finch----(SD)
57) Red Crossbill----(NB)
58) Pine Siskin----(SD)
59) House Sparrow----(CO)(WY)(SD)(NB)

* Denotes "Life Bird".

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Young Spotted Sandpipers at Green Pond ~ July 4, 2010

On my way home from my daughters', I made a stop at Green Pond's flooded fields. The area is quickly drying up. Only the area to the east of "the island" still has water. As it neared sunset, I spotted five little 'fluffballs' that turned out to be young Spotted Sandpipers. I watched them as one of the parents closely followed them around. At one point, the adult called and all five young sought protection underneath the parent bird. As it turns out, it's the male (not the female) who does the incubating and parenting as in the phalaropes. I was unaware of this until Augie Mirabella wrote and informed me about it. I was amazed that all five could just about disappear underneath 'his' partly-spread wings.

Adult Spotted Sandpiper with young at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County. The last two birds are scrambling for cover underneath the parent bird.

Also seen there were the male Blue-winged Teal, 35 Killdeer, 15 Spotted Sandpipers, a Solitary Sandpiper, and 2 Least Sandpipers.

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Many Killdeer and Waxwings at Green Pond ~ June 28, 2010

As some of you know, my other hobby besides birding is ice hockey. Well, last night, I got another 'lifer' when our team won the Geezer Hockey League championship! Photos of that can be found at my Ice Hockey Adventures Album.
I continued last night's celebration by taking the day off. I made a mid-day stop at Green Pond. The main flooded field's water level is dropping. The half to the west of the island is now mostly a mudflat, but the eastern half still has a good amount of water in it. As I scanned across the area, I made as accurate a count as I could and came up with 73 Killdeer! It's the highest number I've ever seen there, but I would imagine it's not unprecedented. As has been the case for about a week now, about 20 Cedar Waxwings were taking off from the eastern shoreline, 'flycatching', and returning to the muddy shore.

Cedar Waxwings at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County. Eight of the waxwings are visible in this photo.

Cedar Waxwing at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County.

Cedar Waxwing 'flycatching' at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County. Note the red, 'waxy' tips at the trailing edge of the secondaries.

The injured male Blue-winged Teal continues to hang in there.

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Black-bellied Plovers at Green Pond ~ May 22, 2010

This afternoon's stop at the flooded fields by Green Pond at around 1:45 produced four Black-bellied Plovers. Two were in breeding plumage, one was near breeding plumage, and the other was still in the drab non-breeding garb. At around 2:30, they flew off to the south. I was able to get some long-distance 'documentation photos' of them.

Black-bellied Plovers at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County. This long-distance photo shows the four that were present.

Black-bellied Plovers at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County. This long-distance photo shows three of the four that were present.

Black-bellied Plovers at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County. This long-distance photo also shows the male Blue-winged Teal with an apparently-injured left wing.

Other birds seen there included 4 Semipalmated Plovers, 6 Spotted Sandpipers, a Solitary Sandpiper, 13 Least Sandpipers, and one Blackpoll Warbler that was singing near the pond.

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Bar-tailed Godwit at Brigantine N.W.R.! ~ May 17, 2010

Since I already had the day off, I made a late morning decision to head to Brigantine (Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge) in search of the Bar-tailed Godwit that had been there since Thursday. As luck would have it, I drove to the area of the dike where it had most often been seen and found another birder already on the bird. It was a long way out in the Danzenbaker Pool. After about 30 minutes, it started taking short flights, moving closer to us each time.

Bar-tailed Godwit at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey.

Bar-tailed Godwit at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey. This photo shows the conspicuous white rump, dark wrists, and lack of any wing stripe.

Bar-tailed Godwit at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey. This photo shows the conspicuous white rump, dark wrists, and lack of any wing stripe.

At 3:00, it flew across the south dike and out into the bay, landing in the direction of the Atlantic City casinos. It was a new 'Lower 48' bird for me, bringing back great memories of the ones I saw near Nome during my 2007 trip to Alaska.

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Black Tern at Green Pond ~ May 14, 2010

I made one of my afternoon stops at the flooded fields by Green Pond at around 1:00 and was surprised to find a Black Tern flying back and forth behind 'the island'. I called a few friends, watched it for about a half-hour, and then had to head home. A little after 3:00, I was able to return with my camera. The bird was still there, occasionally diving to feed. I managed to get some long-distance 'documentation photos' of it.

Black Tern at the flooded fields by Green Pond, Northampton County.

It was only my second sighting of Black Tern for the county. Also present there were 7 Dunlin.

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Willets in PA! ~ April 27, 2010

I finally got to put my binoculars on Willet in the state today! A group of 15 that were reported earlier in the day were still present when I arrived at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area at about 4:30. And, they were still there when I left at 6:00. The birds were a couple hundred yards away but were in good light, meaning it wasn't raining. It was one of those state birds that had eluded me for years, until today.

Willets at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, Lancaster County. Note the bold, white wing stripe on the extended wing.

Willets at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, Lancaster County.

Thanks to Jim Binder for finding this group and Randy Miller, Dave Wilton, and Jason Horn for letting me know about them.

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TX - FL Trip ~ February 1, 2010

I had been reading reports about the Amazon Kingfisher and Roadside Hawk in Texas and the Masked Duck, La Sagra's Flycatcher, and Red-footed Booby in Florida. That made it tough trying to decide which state to visit for my once-a-year out-of-state trip. Thanks to a tip from a birding friend, I found out that I could go to both states for less than it would cost me for the gas to drive there. So, after happily recording a 'shutout' at my 10:30 hockey game late Sunday night, I drove home, showered, threw my bags in the car, and headed for Philadelphia International. I arrived in plenty of time for my 5:35 AM flight to Laredo, Texas, with a plane switch in Houston.

I landed in Laredo, got my Hertz rental car, which turned out to be a Toyota Prius, and headed for the spot where the Amazon Kingfisher was being seen, arriving a little after 11:00 AM. The bird was visiting the area where the Zacate Creek spills into the Rio Grande River. It had been most reliably seen in the early morning and late afternoon, apparently spending much of the day out of sight somewhere along the Rio Grande. Along with up to twenty other birders that included Wes Biggs, I watched for hours, waiting for the bird to show itself. Afternoon sightings from there included Gadwall, Pied-billed Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Double-crested and Neotropic Cormorants, Snowy and Cattle Egrets, Green Heron, American Coots, Black-necked Stilts, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted and Least Sandpipers, Osprey, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawk, White-winged Dove, Ringed Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Great Kiskadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

It was now after 5:00 with still no sign of the bird. As the sun got lower and lower, a number of birders 'packed it in' for the day. At 5:45, a bird flapped its way in towards the creek and I realized it was 'the' bird. It eventually worked its way up the creek where I managed to get very satisfying views of my 'life' Amazon Kingfisher, a 1st record for the U.S.!

This Ringed Kingfisher also hunted along the creek.

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TX - FL Trip ~ February 2, 2010

I went back to the kingfisher spot early the next morning and got some more looks at the bird hunting along the creek. I also managed to get some better photos of it---not the best, but not bad either considering the heavily overcast conditions. This was one of those.

From there, I headed for the lower Rio Grande Valley where a Roadside Hawk had been sporadically seen at Frontera Audubon Sanctuary in Weslaco. Along Routes 359 and 285, I spotted many Crested Caracaras.

American Kestrels, Eastern Meadowlarks, a few Loggerhead Shrikes, and a group of Lark Buntings were also seen there along with one of my favorite raptors, a White-tailed Hawk. Unfortunately, the gray skies and light rain made getting any decent photos a real challenge.

I drove into Frontera Audubon's parking lot and discovered that I had missed the Roadside Hawk by less than five minutes! It was upsetting to hear, "It just flew." I spent the rest of the day there hoping for it to return, but ended up driving back to Laredo empty-handed in the 'lifer' department.

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