I checked out Green Pond and found 13 Solitary Sandpipers, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Wilson's Snipe, and 4 Killdeer in the flooded field area while 6 Chimney Swifts chittered overhead.
Friday, April 30, 2021
Jacobsburg and Green Pond ~ April 30, 2021
My route at Jacobsburg State Park provided looks at Broad-winged Hawk, House Wren, Gray Catbird, Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
I checked out Green Pond and found 13 Solitary Sandpipers, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Wilson's Snipe, and 4 Killdeer in the flooded field area while 6 Chimney Swifts chittered overhead.
Chimney Swift
I checked out Green Pond and found 13 Solitary Sandpipers, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Wilson's Snipe, and 4 Killdeer in the flooded field area while 6 Chimney Swifts chittered overhead.
While watching about a dozen vultures comprised of both Black and Turkey Vultures feeding on a carcass in the stubbled cornfield, I noticed a Bald Eagle glide in and chase the vultures off of it. After getting his fill, he took off and flew right by me.
Thursday, April 29, 2021
Hollo Road, Plainfield Rec Trail, and Green Pond ~ April 29, 2021
A quick early morning stop at Hollo Road retention pond yielded a Wilson's Snipe in addition to the two Dunlin from yesterday.
Next, I drove to the Knitters Hill Road parking lot and walked south on the Plainfield Township Recreational Trail where I found Northern Waterthrush and Least Flycatcher in addition to the expected Eastern Bluebird, and Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warbler.
I made my last stop of the day at Green Pond where this bright male Purple Finch nicely posed for a photo.
Next, I drove to the Knitters Hill Road parking lot and walked south on the Plainfield Township Recreational Trail where I found Northern Waterthrush and Least Flycatcher in addition to the expected Eastern Bluebird, and Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warbler.
I made my last stop of the day at Green Pond where this bright male Purple Finch nicely posed for a photo.
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Dunlin and others ~ April 28, 2021
I started the day walking my route at Jacobsburg State Park and saw Blue-winged Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, and Louisiana Waterthrush.
A stop at the Hollo Road retention pond produced two Dunlin and an Orchard Oriole while Green Pond held a Great Egret.
A stop at the Hollo Road retention pond produced two Dunlin and an Orchard Oriole while Green Pond held a Great Egret.
Saturday, April 24, 2021
Yellow-throated Warbler (finally) along the Lehigh River ~ April 24, 2021
I found a Northern Parula this morning below the Bethlehem Boat Club. A little while later, I came across a singing Yellow-throated Warbler along the Lehigh River near Wilson Avenue. It seems like many of the early-arriving birds are about a week behind schedule.
Friday, April 23, 2021
Wilson's Snipe and Green Heron at Green Pond ~ April 23, 2021
I checked out Green Pond late in the day and spotted a Green Heron, 4 Wilson's Snipe, and a pair of Wood Ducks.
Monday, April 19, 2021
"Early" Warblers at Green Pond ~ April 19, 2021
A late morning stop at Green Pond produced a good number of the "early" warblers, which included four Pine Warblers and two Palm Warblers among 22 Yellow-rumpeds. A few posed nicely.
Sunday, April 18, 2021
Common Gallinule in Northampton County ~ April 18, 2021
I stopped at the west side of Lake Minsi on Sunday afternoon, walked out the fishing jetty at the parking lot, and started to "scope" the northwest part of the lake. I didn't expect to see much since there was a kayaker paddling through that area. But as it turned out, that kayaker flushed a bird near the cattails, which turned out to be a Common Gallinule, a pretty unusual bird for the county! It was a couple hundred yards out, so I tried getting some documentation photos of it and then sent out a text to the local birders about it. As the kayaker moved on, it eventually swam back over to the cattails it was previously at and disappeared among them. You can barely make out the red forehead and bill and white flanks on the bird in these long-distance shots.
I drove over to the east side and found some cormorants, but there were several boats out on the water, so it was pretty much devoid of birds. I returned to the west side and saw Mike Schall scoping the area. He had refound the gallinule near the peninsula, but it was staying behind the brush most of the time. Adam Miller showed up soon after and we got him on the bird. I believe it's only the third time I've seen this bird in the county, so it was a nice surprise.
Earlier in the day, I stopped at Green Pond and found a Blue-headed Vireo and got a nice photo of one of the eight Palm Warblers that were there.
I drove over to the east side and found some cormorants, but there were several boats out on the water, so it was pretty much devoid of birds. I returned to the west side and saw Mike Schall scoping the area. He had refound the gallinule near the peninsula, but it was staying behind the brush most of the time. Adam Miller showed up soon after and we got him on the bird. I believe it's only the third time I've seen this bird in the county, so it was a nice surprise.
Earlier in the day, I stopped at Green Pond and found a Blue-headed Vireo and got a nice photo of one of the eight Palm Warblers that were there.
Sunday, April 11, 2021
Neotropic Cormorant in Pennsylvania! ~ April 11, 2021
Brett Matlock was birding the area of the Williamsport Dam when he noticed a smaller cormorant with the expected Double-crested Cormorants. Upon noticing the white border around the throat patch and the long tail, it confirmed the bird as a Neotropic Cormorant, a bird that's rarely found north of Texas! I got to the spot around 2:30 and saw the bird in the middle of the river among a couple dozen Double-cresteds. Soon after, the bird flew a short distance downstream and started diving to feed in the turbulent water just below the dam. Using the concrete dam wall as a blind, I managed to get a few half-decent photos of it in the persisting rain.
Eventually, it flew back up above the dam to rejoin the other cormorants. The smaller size was very noticeable. It was nice to get to see the comparison between it and the larger, immature Double-crested Cormorant that it was near.
If accepted, this bird represents the first record for Pennsylvania! More photos of the bird can be found in my Pennsylvania Notables Album.
Eventually, it flew back up above the dam to rejoin the other cormorants. The smaller size was very noticeable. It was nice to get to see the comparison between it and the larger, immature Double-crested Cormorant that it was near.
If accepted, this bird represents the first record for Pennsylvania! More photos of the bird can be found in my Pennsylvania Notables Album.
Monday, April 5, 2021
Probable Gray-breasted Martin in New York ~ April 4, 2021
It was no April Fool's joke when, on the 1st, professional tour guide Doug Gochfeld noticed a martin flying around Prospect Lake in Prospect Park, located in Brooklyn, New York that didn't match the expected Purple Martin. After further study and many photos, the bird was narrowed down to three very similar-looking species----Gray-breasted Martin, Carribean Martin, and Cuban Martin.
Early on the 4th, a birding friend and I drove to Brooklyn, hoping that the bird was still there. Thankfully, the bird was already flying around by itself at the point of the peninsula when we arrived. It eventually landed near the top of a tree in the small northeast cove of the lake. After that, it was periodically flying around to feed and then returning to perch near the top of the trees on the peninsula where it spent a lot of time preening. It later left the northeast cove and worked the area around the tip of the peninsula. At one point, it landed in a tree with Tree Swallows, allowing for a nice size comparison. The cloudy morning made getting photos that weren't silhouetted difficult since the bird was often flying well above eye level. I was lucky to get a few worthwhile photos of it.
A consensus by "the experts" seems to point to the bird being a Gray-breasted Martin, a bird normally found in Mexico, and Central and South America. If so, it would be only the 3rd record for the United States, the first two being specimens found in Texas way back in the 1880's! More photos of it can be found in my New York Photo Album.
Early on the 4th, a birding friend and I drove to Brooklyn, hoping that the bird was still there. Thankfully, the bird was already flying around by itself at the point of the peninsula when we arrived. It eventually landed near the top of a tree in the small northeast cove of the lake. After that, it was periodically flying around to feed and then returning to perch near the top of the trees on the peninsula where it spent a lot of time preening. It later left the northeast cove and worked the area around the tip of the peninsula. At one point, it landed in a tree with Tree Swallows, allowing for a nice size comparison. The cloudy morning made getting photos that weren't silhouetted difficult since the bird was often flying well above eye level. I was lucky to get a few worthwhile photos of it.
A consensus by "the experts" seems to point to the bird being a Gray-breasted Martin, a bird normally found in Mexico, and Central and South America. If so, it would be only the 3rd record for the United States, the first two being specimens found in Texas way back in the 1880's! More photos of it can be found in my New York Photo Album.
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