I spent the morning birding the northeastern section of the county. My first stop was the nature center area of the Grand Central landfill in Plainfield Township. There, I found and got to photograph four species of "blue" birds: Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Bluebird, and Blue Jay.
Other interesting birds found there included Eastern Kingbird, Brown Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Field Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Eastern Towhee, a singing Prairie Warbler, and a pair of American Kestrels. I got a few decent photos of the male's colorful dorsal pattern.
I went over to the nearby Evergreen Cemetery and saw four immature Bald Eagles there.
A group of Fish Crows were harassing the eagles as they perched in the trees. Then, I noticed one of the eagles plucking one of the Fish Crows. Apparently, that one got a little too close.
Soaring around overhead were two Peregrine Falcons, an adult and an immature.
The immature occasionally dove on one of the Turkey Vultures.
Bear Swamp Park was pretty quiet, so I continued on over to Lake Minsi. There, I tallied 4 Double-crested Cormorants, 3 Great Blue and 2 Green Herons, a 'fly-by' Broad-winged Hawk and Osprey, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Common Raven, one Bank Swallow among the Tree and Barn Swallows, and Purple Martins that were at the gourds at both the west and the east parking lot.
From there, I drove over to the Martins Creek Environmental Preserve and saw another Double-crested Cormorant, a Belted Kingfisher, 5 Cedar Waxwings, 3 Yellow Warblers, 2 Common Yellowthroats, and 3 Willow Flycatchers.
A pair of American Kestrels were near one of the nest boxes. The female had a wing tag on its right wing and the male had a siver band on its right leg.
I swung back south and made a quick stop at the Hollo Road retention pond, which held a Great Egret.
The Regency Boulevard ponds were way too full for shorebirds. A Green Heron was walking through the vegetation.
The Killdeer and her two recently-hatched young had left the nest by the parking lot. They were likely hiding in the weeds along the shoreline. That's where the seven young Wood Ducks were hiding while the female swam in front of the area.
Eastern Kingbird and Cedar Waxwing were also noted there.
The last stop was Green Pond, which produced around 50 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Chimney Swift, the continuing Snow Goose, 3 Great Blue Herons, and 3 Green Herons.
Monday, July 17, 2023
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Regency Ponds, Green Pond, and Newburg Road Ponds ~ July 11, 2023
I decided to do a check of the area ponds in the afternoon. The first stop was at the Regency Boulevard retention ponds. Because of the heavy rains on Sunday, the water level in the ponds was high enough that no muddy shoreline existed, thereby ruling out the chance to find any shorebirds. In the north pond, a Great Blue Heron flew by.
A female Wood Duck was guarding seven young in the south pond.
The Killdeer continued to sit on her nest with two eggs underneath her.
I headed for Green Pond. As I was driving along Steuben Road, three Osprey were circling over the field.
The retention ponds in the area of Green Pond produced seven Great Blue Herons, a Green Heron, and the continuing Snow Goose.
My next stop was the Newburg Road retention ponds. As I parked next to the east retention pond behind the hospital, the Great Egret that was occasionally visiting there flew out and headed for the west pond.
The west retention pond by Koch Toyota is usually a dry, grassy bowl, but half of it was full of water from the heavy rains. The egret was in there feeding on worms.
While watching the egret, I noticed another bird near it that turned out to be a Solitary Sandpiper.
Then, I was surprised to hear a Savannah Sparrow singing from one of the nearby trees.
Four young Eastern Bluebirds were also perched near the base of one of the high-tension towers.
A female Wood Duck was guarding seven young in the south pond.
The Killdeer continued to sit on her nest with two eggs underneath her.
I headed for Green Pond. As I was driving along Steuben Road, three Osprey were circling over the field.
The retention ponds in the area of Green Pond produced seven Great Blue Herons, a Green Heron, and the continuing Snow Goose.
My next stop was the Newburg Road retention ponds. As I parked next to the east retention pond behind the hospital, the Great Egret that was occasionally visiting there flew out and headed for the west pond.
The west retention pond by Koch Toyota is usually a dry, grassy bowl, but half of it was full of water from the heavy rains. The egret was in there feeding on worms.
While watching the egret, I noticed another bird near it that turned out to be a Solitary Sandpiper.
Then, I was surprised to hear a Savannah Sparrow singing from one of the nearby trees.
Four young Eastern Bluebirds were also perched near the base of one of the high-tension towers.
Saturday, July 8, 2023
Limpkin in Pennsylvania! ~ July 8, 2023
Around 2:30 AM, Ted Nichols II discovered a Facebook post containing photos of a Limpkin that were taken by Ricardo Linan at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area near Kleinfeltersville on Friday, the 7th. He immediately sent out a message with the copied photos and information. It was bad timing for me because our dog had an upset stomach and both of us were up with her most of the night until she finally felt better and fell asleep sometime around 4:30 AM. Obviously, at least one of us was going to have to stay with her. Since my wife already had plans at noon, I wasn't sure if I was going to have enough time to do the 3-hour round-trip drive and still have a fair amount of time to find the bird. After contemplating whether I should go or not with almost no sleep, I decided to quickly grab something to eat and head out there. I left around 5:45 AM and when I got there, there were about fifteen birders already there with it in their scopes. I took a quick peek through Jason's scope and then tried my best at getting photos of it, which was tough considering that the bird was badly backlit by the early morning sun. I got what I got and was just glad to be able to get to see this first Pennsylvania record of a Limpkin.
Friday, July 7, 2023
Newburg Road Retention Pond ~ July 7, 2023
On the way to my mom's, I stopped at the Newburg Road retention pond to see if the Great Egret that had been spotted there on the 3rd and the 6th might have returned. As I slowed down to park the car, I saw a slender white bird along the edge of the pond. It was the Great Egret.
After taking a few photos, I checked the rest of the area in and around the pond. A Spotted Sandpiper was standing on one of the fenceposts surrounding the pond.
Other birds noted there included Great Blue Heron, Eastern Kingbird, and Barn Swallow.
After taking a few photos, I checked the rest of the area in and around the pond. A Spotted Sandpiper was standing on one of the fenceposts surrounding the pond.
Other birds noted there included Great Blue Heron, Eastern Kingbird, and Barn Swallow.
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