Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Ruddy Duck at Green Pond ~ June 8, 2021
Since I had to drop off some papers in Bethlehem Township, I decided to make a run over to Green Pond to see if the surrounding thunderstorms might have 'grounded' some shorebirds. When I checked the retention pond that's closest to Farmersville Road, I was surprised to find a male Ruddy Duck on it. In past years, Ruddy Ducks have been seen in June on the pond itself, but this bird was at the retention pond instead. I grabbed a couple long-distant photos to document it.
Thursday, June 3, 2021
Snow Goose and Bank Swallow along Hollo Road ~ June 3, 2021
I made a quick late afternoon run to check some of the local retention ponds for shorebirds. West Gremar Road held an Eastern Kingbird but no shorebirds. As I headed south on Route 191, I noticed a white bird just south of the Hollo Road intersection. It turned out to be an apparently healthy Snow Goose feeding in the grass along the cornfield. I wondered if this was the same bird that I saw at the Nazareth Quarry on May 25th and why it didn't head north with the others in early Spring.
At the Hollo Road retention pond, the only shorebird I saw was one of the resident Spotted Sandpipers, but there was a Bank Swallow among 8 Northern Rough-wingeds, a Barn, and a Tree Swallow. I tried to get a documentation photo of it, but it was too tough to track and too far away to get anything worthwhile.
At the Hollo Road retention pond, the only shorebird I saw was one of the resident Spotted Sandpipers, but there was a Bank Swallow among 8 Northern Rough-wingeds, a Barn, and a Tree Swallow. I tried to get a documentation photo of it, but it was too tough to track and too far away to get anything worthwhile.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Delaware State Forest in the Poconos ~ June 2, 2021
I got up pretty early and drove about an hour north to a portion of the Delaware State Forest in the Poconos, arriving soon after sunrise. I walked a road where logging had been done in recent years, hoping to get to see and possibly photograph a bird I hadn't been lucky enough to come across in many years----the Golden-winged Warbler. I walked about two miles out the road without seeing or even hearing one. Birds found on the way out included Red-shouldered Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, Veery, Wood Thrush, Indigo Bunting, Cedar Waxwings, several Field Sparrows, numbers of Eastern Towhees, Ovenbirds, and Common Yellowthroats, a pair of Scarlet Tanagers, a few Black-and-white Warblers, several Prairie Warblers, and numerous American Redstarts.
About halfway back to the car, I heard and spotted a Black-and-white Warbler and then noticed another bird near it, which turned out to be a Golden-winged! It was completely silent during the time I tried to get photos of it.
In the area of the Golden-winged were a Chestnut-sided Warbler and the Black-and-white Warbler that initially led me to the Golden-winged.
A little closer to the car, I stopped in my tracks when I heard another Golden-winged singing close by. This bird was not singing on the way out earlier in the morning, but I was glad that it was now because it was much easier to find, even with my poor directional hearing. The bird preened itself between its periods of song, allowing me to get many more photos.
While photographing the Golden-winged, I was surprised to hear a Cerulean Warbler singing there, too. It was very high up in one of the larger trees, but I could never get a good look at it, let alone a photo. Still, there was no way I could complain considering the way things worked out.
I took Route 191 on the way back home and stopped at Lake Minsi. There, I found a female Wood Duck with seven ducklings, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue and Green Heron, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Purple Martins using the gourds at both parking lots. At the eastern parking lot, a pair of Northern Watersnakes and one young one were among the cattails by the boat launch. I was too close to get a photo of any of them with my telephoto lens, so I backed up just far enough until I could get a shot of one of the adults on a log.
About halfway back to the car, I heard and spotted a Black-and-white Warbler and then noticed another bird near it, which turned out to be a Golden-winged! It was completely silent during the time I tried to get photos of it.
In the area of the Golden-winged were a Chestnut-sided Warbler and the Black-and-white Warbler that initially led me to the Golden-winged.
A little closer to the car, I stopped in my tracks when I heard another Golden-winged singing close by. This bird was not singing on the way out earlier in the morning, but I was glad that it was now because it was much easier to find, even with my poor directional hearing. The bird preened itself between its periods of song, allowing me to get many more photos.
While photographing the Golden-winged, I was surprised to hear a Cerulean Warbler singing there, too. It was very high up in one of the larger trees, but I could never get a good look at it, let alone a photo. Still, there was no way I could complain considering the way things worked out.
I took Route 191 on the way back home and stopped at Lake Minsi. There, I found a female Wood Duck with seven ducklings, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue and Green Heron, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Purple Martins using the gourds at both parking lots. At the eastern parking lot, a pair of Northern Watersnakes and one young one were among the cattails by the boat launch. I was too close to get a photo of any of them with my telephoto lens, so I backed up just far enough until I could get a shot of one of the adults on a log.
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Green Pond ~ June 1, 2021
With the landbird migration now ground to a halt, I decided to check out Green Pond to see if any of the small amounts of rain over the last few days might have filled some of the dried-up areas there. Although there was very little change in that regard, I did get to see Chimney Swifts, a Killdeer, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, one each of Great Blue and Green Heron, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, and Baltimore Oriole.
Cedar Waxwings
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