Little Gap, Graver's Arboretum, and the Nazareth Quarry ~ November 19, 2024

I again spent the morning at Little Gap. I knew it wasn't going to be a good day for raptors, but I was again hoping for a Pine Siskin or a crossbill to pass by. And again, unfortunately that didn't happen. The only birds of note were a Pileated Woodpecker, a Northern Flicker, 46 American Robins, and 41 Dark-eyed Juncos.

My next stop was Graver's Arboretum, again hoping for a siskin or a crossbill. I wasn't seeing any small bird activity at all. I realized why when I saw a Merlin perched nearby in a tall tree. Closer inspection of the Merlin revealed an extremely pale, grayish individual, the most pale Merlin I had ever seen. There were almost no brownish tones to this bird. The upperparts and top of the head were gray. Even the underside markings were more grayish than brownish, and the vent and undertail coverts were whitish instead of the usual buffy or rusty coloration. I was able to get several photos of it, which show this pale pattern.

An extremely pale, grayish Merlin.

The last stop was at the Nazareth Quarry, which produced 106 Snow Geese among about 2000 Canada Geese, 40 Ruddy Ducks, 5 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Buffleheads, 4 American Coots, and 2 Herring Gulls with 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

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