Mottled Duck in Pennsylvania! ~ May 25, 2023

Jason Horn called me on Tuesday to let me know about an amazing find of a Mottled Duck at Canonsburg Lake in western Pennsylvania. I told him that, due to commitments, I wouldn't be able to try for it until Thursday. The bird was seen back on May 13th and entered into eBird as an American Black Duck. Geoff Malosh happened to see the attached photo on the 23rd and realized that it was actually a Mottled Duck! The bird was refound at the same location that morning and birders from all over the state began the trek to Canonsburg. Jason drove out and saw the bird that day.

I called Rick Wiltraut to see if he wanted to go along with me on Thursday. At 2:00 AM, we started the 5-hour drive to Canonsburg Lake. We got there around 7:15 AM and started the short walk along the lake shore to the area where the bird was most often seen. It wasn't long after we reached the spot that Rick found 'the duck' feeding along the far shore with a few Mallards. We took some long distance photos and waited, hoping for it to possibly come closer.

Male Mottled Duck

When a Bald Eagle landed in a tree above it, the Mottled Duck flew over to the near side of the lake.

Bald Eagle

Male Mottled Duck

That allowed me to get some closer, more detailed photos showing the dark spot near the base of the unmarked olive-colored bill.

Male Mottled Duck

Right at the same spot, there was a Bald Eagle nest. We saw both adults coming and going to the nest that held three young eaglets.

Bald Eagle nest with young

Other birds noted at the lake included Wood Duck, Chimney Swift, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Great Blue and Green Heron, Cooper's Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Warbling Vireo, Tree, Barn, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, Baltimore Oriole, and Yellow and Blackpoll Warbler. We left around 10:00, stopped for a nice lunch, and got back home around 5:00 PM. If accepted by the Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee, this bird will represent the first Mottled Duck record for Pennsylvania.

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Brown Thrashers With Young in the Yard ~ May 24, 2023

I looked out the window in the late afternoon and saw a pair of Brown Thrashers drinking and bathing at my little waterfall. I got some photos of one of them spreading its wings.

Brown Thrasher

Soon after, I was surprised to find one of the thrashers feeding a young one! I slowly opened the window and got these photos of the young one and its feeding.

A young Brown Thrasher

A young Brown Thrasher getting fed by the adult.

There was also a Common Yellowthroat that showed up to bathe in the early evening.

Common Yellowthroat

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Jacobsburg State Park and an Interesting Shorebird ~ May 22, 2023

I took another morning walk through Jacobsburg State Park. A Pileated Woodpecker was spotted across from the main parking lot.

Pileated Woodpecker

A Swainson's Thrush was feeding along the trail near the footbridge at the Boulton end of the park.

Swainson's Thrush

An adult Bald Eagle flew by along the creek. A Canada Warbler sang next to the footbridge but, as usual, never showed itself for a photo. On the other hand, a Common Yellowthroat posed nicely in the same general area.

Common Yellowthroat

Birds seen atop the hill included Indigo Bunting, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Northern Parula, American Redstart, and Eastern Towhee.

Female Eastern Towhee

The area up behind the Environmental Center held Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Baltimore Oriole, Blue-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Field Sparrow.

Field Sparrow

The area beyond the buildings across the road from the Environmental Center produced Veery, Eastern Bluebird, and Brown Thrasher.

Eastern Bluebird

Brown Thrasher

Adam Miller let me know about a possible Western Sandpiper that he had found at the West Gremar Road retention pond, so I headed over there. I found the bird he was talking about with two Semipalmated Sandpipers. It was very rufous compared to the other two but had the same short, thick, stubby bill of a Semipalmated. Since I had very little experience with Western Sandpiper, I took a bunch of photos and sent the link to some experts from the West Coast. They all agreed that the bird was a very bright, rufous Semipalmated Sandpiper that could be easily confused with a Western.

A very rufous Semipalmated Sandpiper

There were also two Semipalmated Plovers, 8 Least Sandpipers, a Spotted Sandpiper, and 2 Killdeer there.

Semipalmated Plover

From there, I birded the Regency Boulevard ponds. Baltimore Oriole, Yellow Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat were found along the woods edge. The ponds held 9 Killdeer, 12 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Least Sandpipers, and a Lesser Yellowlegs that was missing its right foot.

Lesser Yellowlegs missing its right foot

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Bear Swamp, Lake Minsi, and East Bangor Dam ~ May 16, 2023

I spent the morning in Upper Mount Bethel Township, starting at Bear Swamp. Soon after I left the parking lot, I spotted an olive-backed thrush with a plain face. There was no obvious eye ring or pale lores, which ruled out Swainson's. It was a Gray-cheeked Thrush! As I raised my camera, it flew off and went deeper into the woods. I tried to relocate it for about a half-hour with no luck. Later, I heard and then saw an Acadian Flycatcher, which was much more cooperative for photos.

Acadian Flycatcher

Other birds found there included Great Blue Heron, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Ovenbird, American Redstart, Northern Parula, and Black-throated Green Warbler.

I checked Lake Minsi for the Common Gallinules but couldn't find them. Birds that I did see included Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Fish Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow Warbler, and around 20 Purple Martins.

I stopped at East Bangor Dam where I saw a Mute Swan, a Bald Eagle, Yellow Warbler, and American Redstart, but the best sighting there was a Mink that was alongside the railroad tracks.

Mink

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Jacobsburg State Park and the Regency Ponds ~ May 15, 2023

I went to Jacobsburg State Park in the morning to see how active the migration was. It turned out to be a little less productive with some exceptions. I found Ovenbird, Yellow, Blue-winged, Black-and-white, Blackburnian, Northern Parula, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Louisiana Waterthrush, and the much more uncommon Hooded Warbler. A Magnolia Warbler did its best to hide in the thick leaves.

Magnolia Warbler

Two Ovenbirds and a Wood Thrush were found near the small overlook.

Ovenbird

Wood Thrush

A Common Loon made wide circles overhead. Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Veery, White-throated and Field Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, and Indigo Bunting were some of the other birds seen there.

In the late afternoon, I headed over to the Regency Boulevard retention ponds. Wood Thrush, American Goldfinch, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and Orchard Oriole were present along the woods.

A first-year male Orchard Oriole

A nice number of shorebirds rimmed the north pond. They were comprised of 5 Killdeer, 34 Least Sandpipers, 11 Spotted Sandpipers, 6 Solitary Sandpipers, and 20 Lesser Yellowlegs. For those of you that are trying to learn shorebird identification, I have added some identification points to each of these common species.

Least Sandpiper is one of the smallest sandpipers in a group also known as 'peeps'. Look for its dull yellow legs, small thin dark bill, and overall brownish coloration with a rufous tinge on the back.

Least Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper is a medium-sized sandpiper with a spotted breast and underparts, an orange bill, and a light brown back.

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper is a little larger than the Spotted Sandpiper with greenish-yellow legs, a bold white eye ring, a longer, thinner bill with a lighter base, and a pretty dark back speckled with white.

Solitary Sandpiper

Here's a photo showing the size comparison between a Solitary Sandpiper and a Least Sandpiper (left).

A Solitary Sandpiper with a Least Sandpiper (left).

Lesser Yellowlegs have long yellow legs, a fairly long neck, a dark thin bill, and longish wings.

Lesser Yellowlegs

A pair of Tree Swallows perched on the fence along the street.

A Baltimore Oriole landed on the shore to take a bath.

Baltimore Oriole

Here's a photo showing the Baltimore Oriole with a Spotted Sandpiper, a Solitary Sandpiper, and a Lesser Yellowlegs. Note the size comparisons of the three shorebirds.

A Baltimore Oriole with a Spotted Sandpiper (left), a Solitary Sandpiper (center), and a Lesser Yellowlegs (right).

There was no sign of any of the White-rumped Sandpipers at the nearby Monocacy Creek crossing at Steuben Road.

The single Snow Goose continued at the Green Pond Road retention pond.

Snow Goose

Other birds found in the Green Pond area included Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, and Baltimore Oriole.

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