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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