Thursday, April 30, 2026

More Shorebirds Arriving ~ April 30, 2026

The Tatamy Exit retention pond held a Greater Yellowlegs and a Killdeer with 3 fledglings.


The Martins Creek Environmental Preserve produced 2 Double-crested Cormorants, a Northern Yellow Warbler, and a Common Yellowthroat; and the nearby Martins Creek PPL boat launch area held a Northern Flicker, 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 2 Gray Catbirds, and a Northern Yellow Warbler.

Up at Lake Minsi, I found 2 Wood Ducks, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Common Loon, 10 Double-crested Cormorants, 4 Ospreys, 31 Tree Swallows and 9 Barn Swallows, 19 Purple Martins, 2 Eastern Bluebirds, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler.


I made my first-ever visit to Twin Lakes County Park. It was pretty quiet birdwise, but I did find a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a Gray Catbird, and a Louisiana Waterthrush
The Totts Gap Conservation Area held 2 Ospreys, an American Kestrel, 6 Barn Swallows, and an Eastern Meadowlark, but apparently no Bobolinks had arrived yet.

A check of East Bangor Dam produced 2 Canada Geese with 6 goslings in tow, 6 Chimney Swifts, a Double-crested Cormorant, an Osprey, a Cooper's Hawk, 2 Barn Swallows, a Northern Yellow Warbler, and a Virginia Rail that called once while I was there.

The good number of shorebirds at the Christian Springs Road pond included one Killdeer, 25 Lesser Yellowlegs, one Greater Yellowlegs, and my first Least Sandpiper of the year.

The flooded area by the Route 191 and Hollo Road intersection held 11 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, and a Solitary Sandpiper.
Green Pond produced the following: 40 continuing Snow Geese, one Spotted and one Solitary Sandpiper, a Green Heron, a Cooper's Hawk, around 35 Barn, 30 Tree, and 10 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, a Northern House Wren, and 3 White-throated Sparrows.

Another Spotted Sandpiper was seen at the Newburg Road retention pond.

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Both Yellowlegs at a Local Pond ~ April 29, 2026

After a morning appointment, I headed out to check some local ponds. Adam Miller had reported 13 Lesser Yellowlegs at the Christian Sprins Road pond earlier in the day, so I stopped there and found that more birds had dropped in afterwards. I counted 18 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, and a Killdeer.


Over at the Trio Farms Boulevard retention ponds, two Double-crested Cormorants, a Great Blue Heron, and a Belted Kingfisher were present. The one Double-crested Cormorant was apparently molting its lighter immature plumage, causing it to look mottled.

Two Killdeer chicks were running around while the parents kept watch over them at the Newburg Park pond.

My stop at Green Pond produced the lingering 40 Snow Geese, numbers of Tree, Barn, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and a Merlin that zipped by heading north.

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Jacobsburg State Park and Some Local Ponds ~ April 28, 2026

I once again walked Jacobsburg State Park this morning. There was very little activity. Even so, I managed to find a few Baltimore Orioles, a Blue-winged Warbler, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, 4 Louisiana Waterthrushes, and a pair of adult Bald Eagles.




Two Baltimore Orioles were apparently sparring over territory.

Also among the 43 species were 4 Common Mergansers, a Great Blue Heron, a Red-shouldered Hawk, an American Kestrel, 4 Eastern Phoebes, a Red-eyed Vireo, 39 Blue Jays, a Common Raven, 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 2 Northern House Wrens, 4 Gray Catbirds, a Brown Thrasher, 2 Eastern Bluebirds, 12 American Goldfinches, a Field Sparrow, 5 White-throated Sparrows, 6 Eastern Towhees, and a Common Yellowthroat.

On the way back home, I stopped at the Hollo Road retention pond, which held 2 Greater Yellowlegs, a Spotted Sandpiper, and a Killdeer.
The Newburg Road retention pond also had a Greater Yellowlegs.

Green Pond produced the continuing 40 Snow Geese, a Killdeer, a Green Heron, a Great Blue Heron, and 3 Chimney Swifts among a good number of Tree, Barn, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

My last stop was at the St. Luke's Anderson Campus where I wanted to check out their Purple Martin houses. Unfortunately, there were no Purple Martins there and 6 House Sparrows were sitting by the gourd openings.

Monday, April 27, 2026

Jacobsburg State Park, Newburg Pond, and Green Pond ~ April 27, 2026

This morning's walk at Jacobsburg State Park was pretty dead as far as migrants went. Of the 33 species, the only new year bird was a Black-and-white Warbler.

A pair of Common Mergansers were in the creek, and a Broad-winged Hawk circled with an Osprey over the visitor center.


Other notables included Wild Turkey, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern House Wren, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch, Field Sparrow, and Eastern Towhee.

I made two stops on the way back home. The Newburg Road retention pond held a Greater Yellowlegs.
Green Pond produced the continuing 39 Snow Geese, a Killdeer, Tree, Barn, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and a Northern House Wren.