Looking For a Rarity and the Nazareth Quarry ~ December 2, 2025

I planned on running up to the Nazareth Quarry to look for storm birds, but before leaving, I found out that there was a brief, one-time sighting of a male Pine Grosbeak at the feeder of a reliable birder in Forks Township as the early snowstorm changed over to all rain. This sighting would be a potential first Northampton County record. I was able to go over to her house, hoping to refind it. I walked around her yard with her and searched the trees in the area for about an hour or so, but it had apparently moved on.

On the way to the quarry, the Hollo Road retention pond held 2 Green-winged Teal and an American Black Duck.

I then went to the Nazareth Quarry and scoped it. I counted 35 Snow Geese among the roughly 2000 Canada Geese when I got there, but as sunset approached, the numbers grew to about 4000 Snow Geese and 5000 Canadas. I took a few cell phone photos of the Snows.

Snow Geese

Other birds seen there included 64 Ring-necked Ducks, 33 Ruddy Ducks, 9 Buffleheads, 8 American Black Ducks, 6 Mallards, 4 Common Mergansers, 11 American Coots, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Belted Kingfisher, and gulls comprised of 100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 11 American Herring Gulls, 3 Ring-billed Gulls, and a first-winter Iceland Gull.

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Rechecking the Ponds and the Nazareth Quarry ~ December 1, 2025

In the mid-afternoon, I started at the Green Pond area. At Green Pond, a Great Blue Heron was working on swallowing the fish that it caught.

A Great Blue Heron with a fish.

I walked the paved path and found the continuing male Bufflehead in the back middle pond along with 82 Canada Geese and a couple Mallards. In the treeline next to the golf course, I found 2 Eastern Bluebirds plus a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker pecking away on a trunk.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

I checked the retention pond along Green Pond Road and found the lingering Killdeer there.

Killdeer

Over at the Newburg Road retention pond, I picked out 3 Cackling Geese among the 250 Canada Geese. Note the small overall size (close to that of a Mallard), gray or silver back, short neck, small, flat head, and stubby bill. Also note the thin white line separating the dark neck from the creamy breast that some Cackling Geese show prominently.

Cackling Geese

Here are two photos of a Cackling Goose in front of the larger, darker Canada Goose. Again, note the thin white line on the neck that some Cackling Geese show.

A Cackling Goose in front of a Canada Goose.

Here's two more comparison photos of the two species showing the smaller size, shorter neck, smaller, flatter head, and stubbier bill.

A Cackling Goose (left) facing a Canada Goose.

A Cackling Goose (left) with several Canada Geese.

I then headed up to the Nazareth Quarry. Waterfowl there included 31 Ruddy Ducks, 18 Ring-necked Ducks, 7 Buffleheads, 6 American Coots, and 400 Snow Geese among at least 3000 Canada Geese. As has been occurring over the past week, a large group of gulls flew in as sunset approached and landed near the center of the quarry. I found 3 Iceland Gulls among 400 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 14 American Herring Gulls, and 5 Ring-billed Gulls.

An immature Iceland Gull at center.

Immature Iceland Gulls at top left and bottom right.

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