Parasitic Jaeger in PA! ~ September 20, 2017

I wasn't feeling well last weekend, so when news spread of a Parasitic Jaeger at Prince Gallitzin State Park, I was excited but bummed out because I wasn't able to try and go for it. This was the only jaeger that I hadn't seen in the state and going for it would require an 8-hour, 508 mile round trip. I was mostly recovered by Tuesday and was surprised that the bird was still there. Jaegers don't tend to stuck around in one place very long. So, I planned on heading out on Wednesday.

I called Jason Horn and he agreed to ride along. I picked him up at 2:45 AM and we got to the marina as it was starting to get light. We walked out onto the fishing pier at the western edge of the marina and set up our scopes. As the fog burned off and more and more of the lake became visible, there was no sign of the bird. We did see the Common Tern that was also reported from there.

Now after sunrise and with almost all of the lake exposed and still no bird, it was looking a little grim. Then, I looked to the left and there was the bird, coming in fast and close, almost right over us! Jason got some nice shots of it, but I concentrated on studying the bird and, by the time I grabbed my camera, the jaeger was past us. I lost sight of it in the background of trees and it was gone. I was thrilled that I had seen it, but I was a little upset that I had blown a good photo opportunity.

We walked over to the east side of the marina, thinking it might have landed somewhere nearby, but it hadn't. After at least a half hour, Jason spotted it sitting in the middle of the lake far out to the west.

At one point, an immature Bald Eagle flew past us and over towards where the jaeger was.

The jaeger lifted off and started flying around with the eagle making half-hearted attempts to pursue it. The jaeger sharply zigged and zagged causing the eagle to eventually give up and continue on.

Since it looked like it was much closer to the Range Road boat launch, we drove the short distance over there and set up again. It would fly around for a while and then drop back down onto the lake. Several other birders joined us and, at one point when it was on the far side of the lake, we lost it again. As happened the first time, Jason spotted the bird as it seemed to appear out of nowhere and was making another close pass. This time I was ready and got some nice photos of it.

It made a large loop of the area and came back for a second, close pass, allowing me to get some shots of the upper side of the bird.

All of my photos of it can be found in my Pennsylvania Notables Album.

Totally satisfied, we left around 10:30 and headed for home. Congrats to John Carter for a nice find! And thanks goes to the bird for sticking around until I could get out there.

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Promising Shorebird Habitat in Northampton County ~ September 18, 2017

One of the best shorebird habitats in Northampton County has essentially been erased. The flooded fields by Green Pond and the immediate area had produced an amazing total of 183 bird species over the years, which included 21 species of shorebirds. Some shorebirds and a few other species have not been recorded anywhere else in the county. This "flooded field" area is a natural depression that was periodically filled by an overflow of Green Pond itself after significant rainfall. The farming of the surrounding area kept any vegetation from taking over the area, maintaining an open area that attracted shorebirds, waders, and waterfowl. That all changed when the road surrounding Green Pond was raised, cutting off the majority of the field's water supply, ultimately producing a dried-up site. It is presently reduced to a cornfield.

The good news it that there is some hope for shorebirds looking for a place to stop and feed. There's a relatively new retention pond located by Koch Toyota in Lower Nazareth Township. The basin is located along Newburg Road, just east of Route 33. The site's GPS coordinates are: 40.702776,-75.286337. It presently appears to be one of the most promising areas of shorebird habitat in the county.

Recent unusual finds included a Stilt Sandpiper and a Baird's Sandpiper. I visited the site on Monday and saw the continuing Stilt Sandpiper.

Eleven Pectoral Sandpipers were also present.

Other birds noted included a Green-winged Teal, a Semipalmated Plover, both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and Spotted and Least Sandpipers among the numbers of Killdeer. This spot also got noticed the other day by a Peregrine Falcon, which was looking for lunch. Hopefully, this trend will continue at least through the rest of the shorebird migration period.

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