The continuing Solitary Sandpiper was found along the edge of the Green Pond Road pond today.
Monday, September 29, 2025
Green Pond ~ September 29, 2025
After going to my daughter's, I had a little time to stop and check out Green Pond on the way home. Two Great Egrets and a Great Blue Heron were at the pond. An Eastern Phoebe was found around the edge of the Farmersville Road pond. The surprise of the day was a Merlin that flew from the fence between the two ponds along the paved path.
The continuing Solitary Sandpiper was found along the edge of the Green Pond Road pond today.
The continuing Solitary Sandpiper was found along the edge of the Green Pond Road pond today.
Sunday, September 28, 2025
A Return to Jacobsburg and the Ponds ~ September 28, 2025
I returned to Jacobsburg State Park since Terry Master had told me yesterday that he was doing another walk there this morning. I met up with his field trip group and we headed off. It was immediately obvious that it was a lot less 'birdy' today than yesterday. It took a while before we ran into any warblers. The totals for the six species seen were 4 Magnolias, 3 Cape Mays, 2 Black-throated Greens, a Black-throated Blue, a Northern Parula, and a Common Yellowthroat.
Scanning the skies produced a swirl of 37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 3 Black Vultures, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, and 3 Bald Eagles.
A fairly late Broad-winged Hawk flew across the creek and disappeared into the woods. Other notables among the 33 total species included a Great Blue Heron, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a Hairy Woodpecker, 3 Eastern Phoebes, at least 75 Blue Jays, a Northern House Wren, a White-throated Sparrow, an Eastern Towhee, and an Indigo Bunting.
On the way down Route 33, I stopped at the Tatamy Exit retention pond. There were 5 Least Sandpipers and one Pectoral Sandpiper there.
My last stop was Green Pond. Three Great Egrets were still present there. The treeline along the paved path produced 4 American Goldfinches, 2 Chipping Sparrows, and my first three Yellow-rumped Warblers of the season.
The continuing Solitary Sandpiper and 2 Eastern Phoebes were found around the edge of the Farmersville Road pond.
Scanning the skies produced a swirl of 37 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 3 Black Vultures, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, and 3 Bald Eagles.
A fairly late Broad-winged Hawk flew across the creek and disappeared into the woods. Other notables among the 33 total species included a Great Blue Heron, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a Hairy Woodpecker, 3 Eastern Phoebes, at least 75 Blue Jays, a Northern House Wren, a White-throated Sparrow, an Eastern Towhee, and an Indigo Bunting.
On the way down Route 33, I stopped at the Tatamy Exit retention pond. There were 5 Least Sandpipers and one Pectoral Sandpiper there.
My last stop was Green Pond. Three Great Egrets were still present there. The treeline along the paved path produced 4 American Goldfinches, 2 Chipping Sparrows, and my first three Yellow-rumped Warblers of the season.
The continuing Solitary Sandpiper and 2 Eastern Phoebes were found around the edge of the Farmersville Road pond.
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Jacobsburg State Park and the Ponds ~ September 27, 2025
I went to Jacobsburg State Park at sunrise. Soon after, I ran into Terry Master and his field trip group from the Pennsylvania Ornithological Society, which was having its Birding Festival in Allentown this weekend. In the group was Ron Wagner, my friend who I used to go with to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary back in the 1970's. I was able to tag along with the group. We came across a few sizeable groups of warblers. I tallied eleven species of them----Cape May, Tennessee, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, Blackpoll, Black-and-white, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Northern Parula, and Common Yellowthroat.
Other notables included Chimney Swift, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Red-eyed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, White-throated and Lincoln's Sparrow, and Eastern Towhee. I got this poor photo of one of the 4 Purple Finches found, which were my first of the year.
I ended up seeing 47 species there. The entire group's list came to an impressive 63 species, a really good number for this time of year.
On the way home, I stopped at two ponds. The first was the Tatamy Exit retention pond, which still held 5 Least Sandpipers, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, and a Killdeer.
The other was the Newburg Road pond. There, I saw 11 Killdeer, 2 Great Egrets, and a Savannah Sparrow.
Other notables included Chimney Swift, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Red-eyed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, White-throated and Lincoln's Sparrow, and Eastern Towhee. I got this poor photo of one of the 4 Purple Finches found, which were my first of the year.
I ended up seeing 47 species there. The entire group's list came to an impressive 63 species, a really good number for this time of year.
On the way home, I stopped at two ponds. The first was the Tatamy Exit retention pond, which still held 5 Least Sandpipers, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, and a Killdeer.
The other was the Newburg Road pond. There, I saw 11 Killdeer, 2 Great Egrets, and a Savannah Sparrow.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
The Ponds Before the Storm ~ September 25, 2025
I decided to do a run to the ponds before an approaching line of storms got here. The Newburg Road retention pond produced a Great Blue Heron, a Green Heron, and a Killdeer among 350 Canada Geese, plus a Savannah Sparrow.
The Hollo Road pond held 12 Green-winged Teal, 2 Greater and 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Least Sandpiper, and a Cooper's Hawk that scattered the whole group.
The Tatamy Exit retention pond held 2 Killdeer, 9 Least Sandpipers, and a Pectoral Sandpiper.
When I pulled up to the intersection at Green Pond, I could see 3 Great Egrets and a Great Blue Heron there. Birds seen along the paved path included 4 Eastern Phoebes, 3 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 8 Eastern Bluebirds, and 3 Chipping Sparrows. The retention pond along Green Pond Road held the continuing Solitary Sandpiper.
The Hollo Road pond held 12 Green-winged Teal, 2 Greater and 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Least Sandpiper, and a Cooper's Hawk that scattered the whole group.
The Tatamy Exit retention pond held 2 Killdeer, 9 Least Sandpipers, and a Pectoral Sandpiper.
When I pulled up to the intersection at Green Pond, I could see 3 Great Egrets and a Great Blue Heron there. Birds seen along the paved path included 4 Eastern Phoebes, 3 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 8 Eastern Bluebirds, and 3 Chipping Sparrows. The retention pond along Green Pond Road held the continuing Solitary Sandpiper.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Back to the Ponds ~ September 24, 2025
After an appointment, I checked three local ponds in the early afternoon. The Tatamy Exit retention pond held 11 Killdeer, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 7 Least Sandpipers, a Solitary Sandpiper, a Pectoral Sandpiper, and a Savannah Sparrow.
The Hollo Road pond held 13 Green-winged Teal, 3 Killdeer, a Greater Yellowlegs, and 2 Cedar Waxwings.
The Newburg Road retention pond produced a Green Heron, 5 Killdeer, and a Least Sandpiper among 100 Canada Geese.
The field across the street from the pond held 4 Savannah Sparrows, 3 Song Sparrows, and 2 Lincoln's Sparrows.
The Hollo Road pond held 13 Green-winged Teal, 3 Killdeer, a Greater Yellowlegs, and 2 Cedar Waxwings.
The Newburg Road retention pond produced a Green Heron, 5 Killdeer, and a Least Sandpiper among 100 Canada Geese.
The field across the street from the pond held 4 Savannah Sparrows, 3 Song Sparrows, and 2 Lincoln's Sparrows.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Melchor Tract Park ~ September 23, 2025
I drove over to the Melchor Tract Park to check out the sparrow situation. It's still a little early for their migration, so the fields were mostly empty, but I did manage to find 8 Song Sparrows, 6 Chipping Sparrows, 3 Swamp Sparrows, 2 Field Sparrows, and a Lincoln's Sparrow.
The area where the Lincoln's Sparrow was also held a an Eastern Wood-Pewee, a Red-eyed Vireo, 2 Common Yellowthroats, an American Redstart, and a Magnolia Warbler.
'Fly-by' birds included a Double-crested Cormorant, 4 Black Vultures, 21 American Robins, a large group of around 150 Red-winged Blackbirds, and a Rock Pigeon.
Other birds seen among the 34 species included 11 Northern Flickers, a Northern House Wren, 3 Gray Catbirds, a Brown Thrasher, 8 Eastern Bluebirds, 18 Cedar Waxwings, 2 American Goldfinches, 2 Brown-headed Cowbirds, and a Baltimore Oriole.
The area where the Lincoln's Sparrow was also held a an Eastern Wood-Pewee, a Red-eyed Vireo, 2 Common Yellowthroats, an American Redstart, and a Magnolia Warbler.
'Fly-by' birds included a Double-crested Cormorant, 4 Black Vultures, 21 American Robins, a large group of around 150 Red-winged Blackbirds, and a Rock Pigeon.
Other birds seen among the 34 species included 11 Northern Flickers, a Northern House Wren, 3 Gray Catbirds, a Brown Thrasher, 8 Eastern Bluebirds, 18 Cedar Waxwings, 2 American Goldfinches, 2 Brown-headed Cowbirds, and a Baltimore Oriole.
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Connecticut Warbler Tops a Great Day of Migrants~ September 20, 2025
I had planned to spend the whole morning up at Little Gap, hoping for a good flight of migrants. As it turned out, it would be one of the best Fall days I've ever witnessed. I got to the parking lot at just after sunrise and started the walk up the trail. Up near the top, where there are a group of red pines, I heard and then saw two Red-breasted Nuthatches. They were my first of the year.
Just above there, I checked the area around the banding station and found a Northern House Wren and a Wilson's Warbler. I got some badly backlit photos of the Wilson's before it dropped back into the brush.
Soon after, Adam Miller walked up and we found a Tennessee Warbler among 3 Red-eyed Vireos, a Northern Parula, and a couple Black-throated Green Warblers.
We walked past the hawkwatch and checked there for migrants. I saw an Ovenbird and then Adam spotted a Connecticut Warbler! He got me on it and I saw the plump warbler with its distinct bold eye ring on a brownish hooded head for about a second before it took off to the right. Connecticuts are notorious for giving you one quick look and then dropping out of sight, never to be seen again. I walked a little farther and surpisingly refound it about six feet up in a tree where I managed to get a few photos of it before it flew off to the left and disappeared for good.
The Connecticut Warbler has always been a troublesome bird for me. Despite lots of searching, I have rarely come across one. I thanked Adam for spotting this one. This was the first one I had seen in well over a decade, so I was on cloud nine, espcially when I was able to get a photo of it, too!
A little farther along, we found more Black-throated Green Warblers, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, a Northern Parula, and more Red-eyed Vireos.
We walked back to the hawkwatch where Broad-winged Hawks were beginning to lift off. We got real nice, close looks at them as they circled nearby.
Sharp-shinned Hawks were doing the same thing.
By noon, a few Ospreys and Bald Eagles and a Merlin were also spotted among the hundred-plus Broad-winged Hawks.
Just before 1:00 PM, I started walking back down to the parking lot. I took the Appalachian Trail back down, stopping at several spots to see what might be around, especially since the wind had died down considerably. At an open rocky area, I found Magnolia Warbler, and Blue-headed and Yellow-throated Vireo.
Each time I stopped, I was finding groups of migrants flitting through the trees. About halfway down the trail, I came across a nice group of birds that included Cape May, Black-throated Blue, and another Tennessee Warbler among more Red-eyed Vireos and several more Black-throated Greens.
That's when I noticed a Brown Creeper working the trunks of the nearby trees.
I continued down and stopped again before reaching the pipeline cut. There, I found even more Black-throated Greens and two more Red-eyed Vireos, plus a Bay-breasted Warbler that wouldn't sit still long enough for a good photo, so I ended up with these crappy ones.
I was surprised to find another Brown Creeper there, too. This one had a less clean supercilium, confirming it to be a second bird.
I finally made it to the parking lot, over two hours from when I left the hawkwatch. I ended up seeing 40 species that included the Connecticut Warbler and the Wilson's Warbler among thirteen species of warblers! Warbler numbers were 4 Northern Parulas, 3 Magnolias, 2 Tennessees, 2 Bay-breasteds, 2 Blackpolls, and one each of Cape May, Blackburnian, and Ovenbird among at least 14 Black-throated Greens, 8 Black-throated Blues, and 6 Black-and-whites. Other notables included 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Yellow-throated and Blue-headed Vireo among 8 Red-eyeds, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 6 Chimney Swifts, an Eastern Phoebe, 2 Common Ravens, 2 Brown Creepers, and Cedar Waxwing. It definitely ranked as one of the best Fall days I had ever had birding locally.
On the way home, I stopped at the Tatamy Exit retention pond, which continued to hold 2 Pectoral Sandpipers among 8 Least Sandpipers and a dozen Killdeer.
Just above there, I checked the area around the banding station and found a Northern House Wren and a Wilson's Warbler. I got some badly backlit photos of the Wilson's before it dropped back into the brush.
Soon after, Adam Miller walked up and we found a Tennessee Warbler among 3 Red-eyed Vireos, a Northern Parula, and a couple Black-throated Green Warblers.
We walked past the hawkwatch and checked there for migrants. I saw an Ovenbird and then Adam spotted a Connecticut Warbler! He got me on it and I saw the plump warbler with its distinct bold eye ring on a brownish hooded head for about a second before it took off to the right. Connecticuts are notorious for giving you one quick look and then dropping out of sight, never to be seen again. I walked a little farther and surpisingly refound it about six feet up in a tree where I managed to get a few photos of it before it flew off to the left and disappeared for good.
The Connecticut Warbler has always been a troublesome bird for me. Despite lots of searching, I have rarely come across one. I thanked Adam for spotting this one. This was the first one I had seen in well over a decade, so I was on cloud nine, espcially when I was able to get a photo of it, too!
A little farther along, we found more Black-throated Green Warblers, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, a Northern Parula, and more Red-eyed Vireos.
We walked back to the hawkwatch where Broad-winged Hawks were beginning to lift off. We got real nice, close looks at them as they circled nearby.
Sharp-shinned Hawks were doing the same thing.
By noon, a few Ospreys and Bald Eagles and a Merlin were also spotted among the hundred-plus Broad-winged Hawks.
Just before 1:00 PM, I started walking back down to the parking lot. I took the Appalachian Trail back down, stopping at several spots to see what might be around, especially since the wind had died down considerably. At an open rocky area, I found Magnolia Warbler, and Blue-headed and Yellow-throated Vireo.
Each time I stopped, I was finding groups of migrants flitting through the trees. About halfway down the trail, I came across a nice group of birds that included Cape May, Black-throated Blue, and another Tennessee Warbler among more Red-eyed Vireos and several more Black-throated Greens.
That's when I noticed a Brown Creeper working the trunks of the nearby trees.
I continued down and stopped again before reaching the pipeline cut. There, I found even more Black-throated Greens and two more Red-eyed Vireos, plus a Bay-breasted Warbler that wouldn't sit still long enough for a good photo, so I ended up with these crappy ones.
I was surprised to find another Brown Creeper there, too. This one had a less clean supercilium, confirming it to be a second bird.
I finally made it to the parking lot, over two hours from when I left the hawkwatch. I ended up seeing 40 species that included the Connecticut Warbler and the Wilson's Warbler among thirteen species of warblers! Warbler numbers were 4 Northern Parulas, 3 Magnolias, 2 Tennessees, 2 Bay-breasteds, 2 Blackpolls, and one each of Cape May, Blackburnian, and Ovenbird among at least 14 Black-throated Greens, 8 Black-throated Blues, and 6 Black-and-whites. Other notables included 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Yellow-throated and Blue-headed Vireo among 8 Red-eyeds, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 6 Chimney Swifts, an Eastern Phoebe, 2 Common Ravens, 2 Brown Creepers, and Cedar Waxwing. It definitely ranked as one of the best Fall days I had ever had birding locally.
On the way home, I stopped at the Tatamy Exit retention pond, which continued to hold 2 Pectoral Sandpipers among 8 Least Sandpipers and a dozen Killdeer.
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