A Barnacle Goose was reported at the Northampton Quarry. I spent three hours searching through around 8000 Snow Geese and 3000 Canada Geese without finding a Barnacle Goose, but I did find a Greater White-fronted Goose, so it wasn't a wasted trip. I got this horrible photo of it through the trees.
Monday, December 29, 2025
Sunday, December 28, 2025
Bethlehem - Easton - Hellertown Christmas Bird Count ~ December 28, 2025
The Bethlehem - Easton - Hellertown Christmas Bird Count was supposed to be on Saturday, the 27th, but an overnight storm of sleet and freezing rain caused it to be postponed until Sunday. So at 6:15 AM on Sunday, I met Jon Mularczyk, Mike & Corinne Schall, and Adam Miller at the Walmart parking lot. We drove to Hollo Road where we heard 2 Great Horned Owls calling back and forth. We couldn't get into the Nazareth Quarry because of the date change, so we went to the vantage point along Franklin Street and scoped from there. There were only about 3000 Snow Geese present when we arrived, but that number increased to 15,000 by the end of our 1-1/2 hour watch as birds flew in from the direction of Merrill Creek Reservoir. Our search of the rest of the quarry produced a thousand Canada Geese, 90 Ruddy Ducks, 9 Buffleheads, 3 American Black Ducks, 2 Ring-necked Ducks, a Green-winged Teal, 2 Common Mergansers, 17 American Coots, 2 Common Ravens, and 2 Bald Eagles that stirred up the geese as they flew overhead. Avian flu was again obvious as we noted around 75 dead birds floating along the edge of the quarry.
We left the quarry and walked the nearby Hollo Road pines area, where we were allowed access by the cement company. We made out really well there. There was a partially-unfrozen pond in there that held 7 Cackling Geese among around 200 Canadas, plus 3 Ring-necked Ducks and a male Redhead.
In the wooded and open areas, we compiled a nice list of birds that included a few Ring-billed, Lesser Black-backed, and American Herring Gulls, a female Northern Harrier, 2 Bald Eagles, a Red-tailed Hawk, 4 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 3 Red-bellied and 6 Downy Woodpeckers, one Hairy Woodpecker, a Northern Flicker, a Common Raven, 7 chickadees, 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 4 White-breasted and 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Winter Wren, 3 Carolina Wrens, 3 Eastern Bluebirds, 6 Hermit Thrushes, 30 American Robins, 19 Cedar Waxwings, 7 House Finches, 50 Dark-eyed Juncos, 26 White-throated Sparrows, 6 Song Sparrows, 2 Swamp Sparrows, and 9 Northern Cardinals. Ten Rock Pigeons were flying around the cement company structures while a Peregrine Falcon perched on an adjacent smokestack.
A walk along the Shoeneck Creek by the Hollo Road pond revealed 6 Mallards, a Northern Mockingbird, an American Goldfinch, 4 White-crowned Sparrows, and 7 White-throated Sparrows.
We stopped to get something to eat and then headed towards the St. Luke's Anderson Campus, finding 2 Black Vultures along the way. There, in the big field at St. Luke's, we saw a flock of around 250 Horned Larks that also included a Lapland Longspur! I got some photos of it when it landed nearby.
An estimated 1000 American Crows and 20 Fish Crows were also there along with a Cooper's Hawk.
Next, we hiked from Riverview Park to the Chain Dam. The ice above the dam had melted, so there weren't any gulls there, but we did find a group of 10 Common Mergansers. Along the paths on the way out and back, we picked out 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Turkey Vulture, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Back at the parking lot, not one, but 2 Merlins were spotted. One was on a powerline tower and another was perched right above us at the river overlook platform.
Down at the "Forks of the Delaware", we found 29 Buffleheads, 22 Ring-billed Gulls, and a Peregrine Falcon that was perched atop a flag pole in the downtown area.
We circled back for one last check of the Nazareth Quarry, and it was a good thing we did. I found a Ross's Goose among the Snows, and a Cackling Goose was in with them, too.
We tallied almost 20,000 birds comprised of 64 species. The list follows.
1) Snow Geese
2) Ross's Goose
3) Cackling Goose
4) Canada Goose
5) Mallard
6) American Black Duck
7) Green-winged Teal
8) Redhead
9) Ring-necked Duck
10) Bufflehead
11) Common Merganser
12) Ruddy Duck
13) Pied-billed Grebe
14) Turkey Vulture
15) Black Vulture
16) Bald Eagle
17) Northern Harrier
18) Sharp-shinned Hawk
19) Cooper's Hawk
20) Red-tailed Hawk
21) Merlin
22) Peregrine Falcon
23) American Coot
24) Ring-billed Gull
25) American Herring Gull
26) Lesser Black-backed Gull
27) Rock Pigeon
28) Mourning Dove
29) Great Horned Owl
30) Belted Kingfisher
31) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
32) Red-bellied Woodpecker
33) Northern Flicker
34) Downy Woodpecker
35) Hairy Woodpecker
36) Blue Jay
37) American Crow
38) Fish Crow
39) Common Raven
40) Horned Lark
41) Carolina/Black-capped Chickadee
42) Tufted Titmouse
43) Red-breasted Nuthatch
44) White-breasted Nuthatch
45) Winter Wren
46) Carolina Wren
47) Golden-crowned Kinglet
48) Northern Mockingbird
49) European Starling
50) Eastern Bluebird
51) American Robin
52) Hermit Thrush
53) Cedar Waxwing
54) Yellow-rumped Warbler
55) Song Sparrow
56) Swamp Sparrow
57) White-throated Sparrow
58) White-crowned Sparrow
59) Dark-eyed Junco
60) Lapland Longspur
61) Northern Cardinal
62) Brown-headed Cowbird
63) House Finch
64) American Goldfinch
We left the quarry and walked the nearby Hollo Road pines area, where we were allowed access by the cement company. We made out really well there. There was a partially-unfrozen pond in there that held 7 Cackling Geese among around 200 Canadas, plus 3 Ring-necked Ducks and a male Redhead.
In the wooded and open areas, we compiled a nice list of birds that included a few Ring-billed, Lesser Black-backed, and American Herring Gulls, a female Northern Harrier, 2 Bald Eagles, a Red-tailed Hawk, 4 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 3 Red-bellied and 6 Downy Woodpeckers, one Hairy Woodpecker, a Northern Flicker, a Common Raven, 7 chickadees, 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 4 White-breasted and 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Winter Wren, 3 Carolina Wrens, 3 Eastern Bluebirds, 6 Hermit Thrushes, 30 American Robins, 19 Cedar Waxwings, 7 House Finches, 50 Dark-eyed Juncos, 26 White-throated Sparrows, 6 Song Sparrows, 2 Swamp Sparrows, and 9 Northern Cardinals. Ten Rock Pigeons were flying around the cement company structures while a Peregrine Falcon perched on an adjacent smokestack.
A walk along the Shoeneck Creek by the Hollo Road pond revealed 6 Mallards, a Northern Mockingbird, an American Goldfinch, 4 White-crowned Sparrows, and 7 White-throated Sparrows.
We stopped to get something to eat and then headed towards the St. Luke's Anderson Campus, finding 2 Black Vultures along the way. There, in the big field at St. Luke's, we saw a flock of around 250 Horned Larks that also included a Lapland Longspur! I got some photos of it when it landed nearby.
An estimated 1000 American Crows and 20 Fish Crows were also there along with a Cooper's Hawk.
Next, we hiked from Riverview Park to the Chain Dam. The ice above the dam had melted, so there weren't any gulls there, but we did find a group of 10 Common Mergansers. Along the paths on the way out and back, we picked out 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Turkey Vulture, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Back at the parking lot, not one, but 2 Merlins were spotted. One was on a powerline tower and another was perched right above us at the river overlook platform.
Down at the "Forks of the Delaware", we found 29 Buffleheads, 22 Ring-billed Gulls, and a Peregrine Falcon that was perched atop a flag pole in the downtown area.
We circled back for one last check of the Nazareth Quarry, and it was a good thing we did. I found a Ross's Goose among the Snows, and a Cackling Goose was in with them, too.
We tallied almost 20,000 birds comprised of 64 species. The list follows.
1) Snow Geese
2) Ross's Goose
3) Cackling Goose
4) Canada Goose
5) Mallard
6) American Black Duck
7) Green-winged Teal
8) Redhead
9) Ring-necked Duck
10) Bufflehead
11) Common Merganser
12) Ruddy Duck
13) Pied-billed Grebe
14) Turkey Vulture
15) Black Vulture
16) Bald Eagle
17) Northern Harrier
18) Sharp-shinned Hawk
19) Cooper's Hawk
20) Red-tailed Hawk
21) Merlin
22) Peregrine Falcon
23) American Coot
24) Ring-billed Gull
25) American Herring Gull
26) Lesser Black-backed Gull
27) Rock Pigeon
28) Mourning Dove
29) Great Horned Owl
30) Belted Kingfisher
31) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
32) Red-bellied Woodpecker
33) Northern Flicker
34) Downy Woodpecker
35) Hairy Woodpecker
36) Blue Jay
37) American Crow
38) Fish Crow
39) Common Raven
40) Horned Lark
41) Carolina/Black-capped Chickadee
42) Tufted Titmouse
43) Red-breasted Nuthatch
44) White-breasted Nuthatch
45) Winter Wren
46) Carolina Wren
47) Golden-crowned Kinglet
48) Northern Mockingbird
49) European Starling
50) Eastern Bluebird
51) American Robin
52) Hermit Thrush
53) Cedar Waxwing
54) Yellow-rumped Warbler
55) Song Sparrow
56) Swamp Sparrow
57) White-throated Sparrow
58) White-crowned Sparrow
59) Dark-eyed Junco
60) Lapland Longspur
61) Northern Cardinal
62) Brown-headed Cowbird
63) House Finch
64) American Goldfinch
Monday, December 22, 2025
A False Alarm and Lots of Snows ~ December 22, 2025
A possible Trumpeter Swan was reported near Portland, but once the observer got closer and got a better photo, it was determined to be a Mute Swan. On the way back from there, I stopped at the Nazareth Quarry, which held thousands of Snow Geese.
Sunday, December 21, 2025
Wild Creek/Little Gap Christmas Bird Count ~ December 21, 2025
I met Jon Mularczyk at the Graver Arboretum parking lot at 5:00 AM. Adam and Owen Smith were already there and had an Eastern Screech-Owl lit up when we joined them. They started a little earlier in the morning and had also found a Northern Saw-whet Owl! We headed out to other spots in our count area to see what other owls could be found. Over the next hour-and-a-half, we heard 7 Great Horned Owls, a second Northern Saw-whet Owl, and another Eastern Screech-Owl, but the owl highlight was a Barred Owl found in the State Game Lands that perched long enough for me to get a photo of it! It was the first Barred Owl I'd ever had in my section on this count.
As dawn approached, we checked Schlegel Road and Graver's Hill for field birds, only coming up with 17 Horned Larks. That's when we began to notice endless skeins of Snow Geese flying west along the mountain. Numbers were estimated at over 17,000. In one of the skeins, Jon picked out a Cackling Goose.
A couple Swamp Sparrows were present along E. Walker Road. Along Church Road, we saw a group of 30 Red-winged Blackbirds and 9 Brown-headed Cowbirds, plus a Bald Eagle on one of the high-tension towers. Later along E. Best Road, we spotted Black Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, and Hermit Thrush. Adam and Owen picked out 2 Field Sparrows and an American Tree Sparrow while Jon and I found a Winter Wren.
Farther along E. Best Road, we saw a Red-headed Woodpecker, one of the more colorful birds of the day.
A Red-shouldered Hawk was seen perched along Mountain Road.
We ended the day 18,434 birds of 51 species. Here's the list.
1) Snow Goose
2) Canada Goose
3) Cackling Goose
4) Mallard
5) Turkey Vulture
6) Black Vulture
7) Bald Eagle
8) Sharp-shinned Hawk
9) Cooper's Hawk
10) Red-tailed Hawk
11) Red-shouldered Hawk
12) American Kestrel
13) Rock Pigeon
14) Mourning Dove
15) Great Horned Owl
16) Barred Owl
17) Eastern Screech-Owl
18) Northern Saw-whet Owl
19) Red-headed Woodpecker
20) Red-bellied Woodpecker
21) Northern Flicker
22) Downy Woodpecker
23) Hairy Woodpecker
24) Pileated Woodpecker
25) Blue Jay
26) American Crow
27) Fish Crow
28) Horned Lark
29) Tufted Titmouse
30) Black-capped Chickadee
31) White-breasted Nuthatch
32) Red-breasted Nuthatch
33) Winter Wren
34) Carolina Wren
35) Eastern Bluebird
36) Hermit Thrush
37) American Robin
38) Northern Mockingbird
39) European Starling
40) American Tree Sparrow
41) Field Sparrow
42) Song Sparrow
43) Swamp Sparrow
44) White-throated Sparrow
45) Dark-eyed Junco
46) Northern Cardinal
47) Red-winged Blackbird
48) Brown-headed Cowbird
49) House Finch
50) American Goldfinch
51) House Sparrow
As dawn approached, we checked Schlegel Road and Graver's Hill for field birds, only coming up with 17 Horned Larks. That's when we began to notice endless skeins of Snow Geese flying west along the mountain. Numbers were estimated at over 17,000. In one of the skeins, Jon picked out a Cackling Goose.
A couple Swamp Sparrows were present along E. Walker Road. Along Church Road, we saw a group of 30 Red-winged Blackbirds and 9 Brown-headed Cowbirds, plus a Bald Eagle on one of the high-tension towers. Later along E. Best Road, we spotted Black Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, and Hermit Thrush. Adam and Owen picked out 2 Field Sparrows and an American Tree Sparrow while Jon and I found a Winter Wren.
Farther along E. Best Road, we saw a Red-headed Woodpecker, one of the more colorful birds of the day.
A Red-shouldered Hawk was seen perched along Mountain Road.
We ended the day 18,434 birds of 51 species. Here's the list.
1) Snow Goose
2) Canada Goose
3) Cackling Goose
4) Mallard
5) Turkey Vulture
6) Black Vulture
7) Bald Eagle
8) Sharp-shinned Hawk
9) Cooper's Hawk
10) Red-tailed Hawk
11) Red-shouldered Hawk
12) American Kestrel
13) Rock Pigeon
14) Mourning Dove
15) Great Horned Owl
16) Barred Owl
17) Eastern Screech-Owl
18) Northern Saw-whet Owl
19) Red-headed Woodpecker
20) Red-bellied Woodpecker
21) Northern Flicker
22) Downy Woodpecker
23) Hairy Woodpecker
24) Pileated Woodpecker
25) Blue Jay
26) American Crow
27) Fish Crow
28) Horned Lark
29) Tufted Titmouse
30) Black-capped Chickadee
31) White-breasted Nuthatch
32) Red-breasted Nuthatch
33) Winter Wren
34) Carolina Wren
35) Eastern Bluebird
36) Hermit Thrush
37) American Robin
38) Northern Mockingbird
39) European Starling
40) American Tree Sparrow
41) Field Sparrow
42) Song Sparrow
43) Swamp Sparrow
44) White-throated Sparrow
45) Dark-eyed Junco
46) Northern Cardinal
47) Red-winged Blackbird
48) Brown-headed Cowbird
49) House Finch
50) American Goldfinch
51) House Sparrow
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Wild Creek/Little Gap C.B.C. Scouting ~ December 20, 2025
I drove up to Moore Township to scout out my area for tomorrow's Wild Creek/Little Gap Christmas Bird Count. I birded along E. Best Road, found a Red-headed Woodpecker, and got some pretty good photos of it.
At nearby Schiavone Park, a gray morph Eastern Screech-Owl was sunning itself in a nest box.
As I approached Schlegel Road, a mass of about 5000 Snow Geese took off and headed south. Also seen there were 19 Horned Larks.
I couldn't find anything of note at Graver's Hill, so I headed down through Bath and stopped at the Regency Boulevard retention ponds. I didn't find anything notable there either.
As I drove along Hollo Road near Route 191, I spotted an adult male Northern Harrier hunting the large fields.
At nearby Schiavone Park, a gray morph Eastern Screech-Owl was sunning itself in a nest box.
As I approached Schlegel Road, a mass of about 5000 Snow Geese took off and headed south. Also seen there were 19 Horned Larks.
I couldn't find anything of note at Graver's Hill, so I headed down through Bath and stopped at the Regency Boulevard retention ponds. I didn't find anything notable there either.
As I drove along Hollo Road near Route 191, I spotted an adult male Northern Harrier hunting the large fields.
Sunday, December 14, 2025
Snow Buntings, a Lapland Longspur, and Greater White-fronted Geese ~ December 14, 2025
Because of last night's snowfall, I decided to check out some of the open areas for field birds. I went to Graver's Hill and found about 75 Horned Larks in the wind-blown snow.
In the field along S. Delps Road, I noticed 7 Snow Buntings. I got some flight photos of them as they flew over and joined the Horned Larks.
They then fed along the edge of the standing corn where the Horned Larks were.
When some of the Horned Larks landed on the road, one of the Snow Buntings briefly joined them.
They eventually flew back across S. Delps Road and landed in the same field that I found them in. That's when a guy on a loud ATV came up the road and flushed them. As they took off and I tried to get more flight photos, I very briefly noticed one smaller bird with them, which made me think it might be a Lapland Longspur. I tried following it in my camera but unfortunately lost track of it in some similar-colored background. I spent a while searching for it but never refound that bird. When I got home and put the photos on my computer screen, I realized that I actually had gotten some photos of it among the Snow Buntings. Despite being blurry, there was no question that it was a Lapland Longspur!
I made a couple stops on the way back home. The first was the Regency Boulevard retention ponds. Both were mostly frozen and devoid of birds. The only notable bird there was an American Kestrel perched on a wire at Steuben Road.
With Green Pond frozen, I continued to the Church Road pond to see if the 8 Greater White-fronted Geese that I found there yesterday were still there. I did find five of them among the 250 Canada Geese and 26 Mallards.
I sent out a text about the White-fronteds and went home to warm up.
In the field along S. Delps Road, I noticed 7 Snow Buntings. I got some flight photos of them as they flew over and joined the Horned Larks.
They then fed along the edge of the standing corn where the Horned Larks were.
When some of the Horned Larks landed on the road, one of the Snow Buntings briefly joined them.
They eventually flew back across S. Delps Road and landed in the same field that I found them in. That's when a guy on a loud ATV came up the road and flushed them. As they took off and I tried to get more flight photos, I very briefly noticed one smaller bird with them, which made me think it might be a Lapland Longspur. I tried following it in my camera but unfortunately lost track of it in some similar-colored background. I spent a while searching for it but never refound that bird. When I got home and put the photos on my computer screen, I realized that I actually had gotten some photos of it among the Snow Buntings. Despite being blurry, there was no question that it was a Lapland Longspur!
I made a couple stops on the way back home. The first was the Regency Boulevard retention ponds. Both were mostly frozen and devoid of birds. The only notable bird there was an American Kestrel perched on a wire at Steuben Road.
With Green Pond frozen, I continued to the Church Road pond to see if the 8 Greater White-fronted Geese that I found there yesterday were still there. I did find five of them among the 250 Canada Geese and 26 Mallards.
I sent out a text about the White-fronteds and went home to warm up.
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