Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Jacobsburg State Park and Several Ponds ~ April 30, 2024

In the morning, I returned to Jacobsburg State Park to once again check for migrants. The list of warblers seen totaled seven, which were Ovenbird, Yellow-rumped, Black-and-white, Black-throated Blue, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, and Louisiana Waterthrush.
Other birds found there included Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Towhee, and Baltimore Oriole.

A Tree Swallow perched on a sign near the visitor center.

At the Hollo Road retention pond, I saw 4 Least and 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Lesser and one Greater Yellowlegs, a Killdeer, and a singing Yellow Warbler.

At the nearby Van Buren Road retention ponds, I saw a Snow Goose with some Canadas.
The Newburg Road retention pond held a Greater Yellowlegs and a Spotted Sandpiper.

The flooded field at Green Pond produced an impressive number of shorebirds. I didn't have the time to count them all, so I just marked the species seen on my checklist. The American Golden-Plover had moved on, but 4 Pectoral Sandpipers and a Wilson's Snipe were still there in addition to Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Spotted, Solitary, and Least Sandpipers. The small, marshy wood patch held Warbling Vireo, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Northern Waterthrush, which I got a crappy photo of as it snuck through the wet vegetation.
Green Pond itself held Great Blue and Green Heron and an Eastern Kingbird.
Over at the Regency Boulevard retention ponds, I found 2 Hooded Mergansers, 2 Ruddy Ducks, and a Ring-necked Duck.
A Cooper's Hawk flew by low and made the 4 Spotted Sandpipers, 3 Solitary Sandpipers, and 2 Killdeer nervous.

Also overhead was an Osprey and an immature Bald Eagle.
Over at the woods, 4 Northern Flickers and 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen along with a Red-tailed Hawk on its nest.
At the nearby Silver Crest retention pond, there was one each of Green-winged Teal, Great Blue Heron, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, and Killdeer. I got a comparison photo of all four shorebird species together.

Monday, April 29, 2024

Nazareth Quarry, Jacobsburg, and Green Pond ~ April 29, 2024

I made a quick stop at the Nazareth Quarry to see if the fog might have caused some birds to drop in there, but only 4 Double-crested Cormorants and a Great Blue Heron were seen.

I took a walk along the Sober's Run section of Jacobsburg State Park. Again, it was mostly uneventful with the exception of some birds. These included Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, Eastern Towhee, Baltimore Oriole, Ovenbird, Yellow Warbler, and Black-and-white Warbler.

My last and best stop of the day was at Green Pond. The American Golden-Plover continued for the third day.

The two Wilson's Snipe also continued there.
Seven American Pipits were also present along the muddy edges of the flooded area.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler posed for a photo in the wood patch by the intersection.
Other notables included 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 17 Solitary Sandpipers, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 6 Least Sandpipers, 3 Lesser and one Greater Yellowlegs, and a Warbling Vireo.

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Jacobsburg State Park and Green Pond ~ April 28, 2024

In the morning, I went to Jacobsburg State Park to check for migrants. There were very few, but I did find singles of Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, Baltimore Oriole, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, and American Redstart.

Other notables included Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, House Wren, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, and several Yellow-rumped Warblers.

I stopped at Green Pond to see if the American Golden-Plover discovered yesterday was still there. It was. I got some better photos of it, including some while in flight.

There were seven other species of shorebirds there comprised of 23 Solitary Sandpipers, 9 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 5 Least Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Wilson's Snipe, and 5 Killdeer.

Two American Pipits were feeding along the shoreline.
Seven Yellow-rumped Warblers, 2 Yellow Warblers, and a Palm Warbler were in the small wood patch by the intersection.