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.

Prairie Warbler

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.

Golden-winged Warbler

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.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

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.

Golden-winged Warbler

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.

Northern Watersnake

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