Wild Creek/Little Gap Christmas Bird Count ~ December 26, 2021

Following are some of the highlights from the Wild Creek/Little Gap Christmas Bird Count that I was able to get photos of. I was joined by Jason Horn and Adam and Owen Smith. We ended up finding 56 species on what turned out to be a pretty nice day.

In mid-morning, I took this long-distant documentation photo of two adult Bald Eagles that were perched on one of the tall powerline towers near Church Road.

Two Bald Eagles

Along nearby Rabbit Road, an adult Peregrine Falcon was perched on another tower and had an unlucky bird in its talons.

Peregrine Falcon

A stop along S. Oaks Road on Graver's Hill produced a small group of 18 Horned Larks.

Horned Lark

In the afternoon, along West End Road, four more Bald Eagles were seen flying around and feeding on something in the corn-stubbled field.

Bald Eagles

In State Game Lands 168, a lingering Gray Catbird was spotted through the thick brush.

Gray Catbird

An adult Sharp-shinned Hawk perched in a tree directly over Kern Road, allowing us to slowly drive underneath it.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Also on Kern Road, the good-sized pond held a Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron

Along S. Summit Road, a Winter Wren put on a show, providing some of the best looks I've had of this species in a while.

Winter Wren

Along Trach Road, a male American Kestrel posed as I took his photo through the sunroof.

American Kestrel

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TWO Ross's Geese at Seiple's farm pond! ~ December 17, 2021

In the mid-afternoon, I checked out the Silver Crest Road retention pond to see if the Greater White-fronted Goose had returned. I didn't find it, but I did see a Cackling Goose that posed for me right in front of two Canada Geese. The smaller size, silvery coloration, shorter neck, block-shaped head, steep forehead, and stubbier bill is real obvious when compared with the other two.

A Cackling Goose in front of two Canada Geese.

From there, I drove over to Seiple's farm pond in East Allen Township. Bill Etter was there when I arrived and had just found a Ross's Goose among the many Snow Geese. We were scanning over the other birds when I refound the Ross's Goose and realized that there was another one right next to it! I got Bill on them and we watched as both of them swam around the pond together. It was the first time I had ever had the opportunity to photograph two Ross's Geese in one frame in our area. Note the much smaller size, much shorter neck, and stubby bill with no 'grin patch' compared to the surrounding Snow Geese.

Two Ross's Geese!

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An afternoon with Northern Shrike and Greater White-fronted Goose ~ December 15, 2021

I stopped at Ballas Park in the early afternoon and, surprisingly within a half-hour, spotted the Northern Shrike, which continued in the brushy area on the east side of the trail loop.

Northern Shrike

Later in the afternoon, I checked out the Silver Crest Road retention pond. As I walked up to the fence, I noticed a smaller goose among the many Canadas. The silvery coloration, short neck, steep forehead, and fairly stubby bill confirmed it to be a Cackling Goose.

Cackling Goose

While continuing to search through the Canadas, I then found a Greater White-fronted Goose where I got much better photos than I previously had of this species.

Greater White-fronted Goose

Also present there among the group were a Great Blue Heron and a single Snow Goose.

Great Blue Heron

Snow Goose

As dusk approached, a couple thousand Snow Geese appeared in the eastern sky and flew overhead. I assumed that these birds were coming from the Nazareth Quarry where tens of thousands have been almost filling it.

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Five Iceland Gulls at the Nazareth Quarry! ~ December 1, 2021

Once again, I made a late afternoon stop at the Nazareth Quarry. As I got there, a large group of gulls started circling down into the quarry among the thousands of Snow Geese. I had just picked out one adult Iceland Gull among good numbers of Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls when Adam Miller showed up. Between the two of us, we were able to find a total of FIVE Iceland Gulls! The adult that I found showed dark gray bars on the primaries and the adult Adam found had very faint (almost non-existent) markings there. There were also THREE first-winter birds found in the same general grouping. I was only able to get a documentation photo of one of the two adults through the trees and brush.

Adult Iceland Gull

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Iceland Gull and Snow Geese returning to the Nazareth Quarry ~ November 28, 2021

A late afternoon stop at the Nazareth Quarry produced an adult Iceland Gull and quickly increasing numbers of Snow Geese. I managed to get some long-distance documentation photos of the Iceland Gull, which appeared to be the same bird that I saw two times before this past week.

Adult Iceland Gull

The numbers of Snow Geese at the quarry have increased over the last week from a few hundred to several thousand. These photos were taken as many circled the quarry.

Snow Geese

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Iceland Gulls again at the Nazareth Quarry ~ November 24, 2021

Like back on the 21st, I stopped at the Nazareth Quarry in the late afternoon and, once again, found two Iceland Gulls among numbers of Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls. Again, due to the long distance and the failing light, I was only able to get documentation photos of the two, but these appear to be the same two birds seen the other day if you compare these photos with the ones taken on Sunday.

Adult Iceland Gull at center.

Two Iceland Gulls (first-winter at center left; adult at center right).

First-winter Iceland Gull at center.

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Greater Yellowlegs and Iceland Gulls in Northampton County ~ November 21, 2021

An extremely late Greater Yellowlegs was spotted by Scott Singer and Jessica McNally at the Meyer Lane pond in Bethlehem Township. I went over, saw the bird, and got some nice photos of it. I stood as still as I could as the bird fed, bathed, preened, and eventually walked within ten feet of me!

Greater Yellowlegs

Later in the day, I stopped at the Nazareth Quarry. There, I found two Iceland Gulls in a raft of gulls made up of mostly Lesser Black-backeds and several Herring Gulls. Due to the long distance and the failing light, I was only able to get documentation photos of the two.

Two Iceland Gulls (first-winter at center on left; adult at center on right).

First-winter Iceland Gull at center.

Just inside the fence, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet perched for a whole second or two.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

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