Olive-sided Flycatcher, Dunlin, and Black-crowned Night-Heron ~ May 8, 2026

I again spent the morning at National Park Drive. There was very little activity along the road except for a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that was calling at the old powerline cut. I parked and walked the trail back to the Slateford Historical Farm. It continued to be fairly quiet. When I reached the brushy, overgrown field, I scanned the trees and found an Olive-sided Flycatcher perched on a snag at the same place I had one last year! I got some fairly good photos of it before a Northern Flicker flew in and landed on the same snag, chasing it off.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Adam Smith just happened to arrive a few minutes too late. We walked farther along the edge of the field and ran into Mike Schall coming from the other direction. I told him about the flycatcher and pointed out the snag that I had it in. He looked through his binoculars at the area and said, "There it is!" Luckily, it was visible from that corner of the field but not from where Adam and I were, so both of them got to see it, too. An Indigo Bunting and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird were also perched on nearby snags.

Indigo Bunting

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Mike told us that he had just had a group of warblers that included Canada, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, and Northern Parula a little while back, so we all three went back to that area. We saw everything there but the Canada.

Other notables included Broad-winged Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch, White-throated and Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Baltimore and Orchard Oriole, Ovenbird, Hooded, Worm-eating, and Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, and Scarlet Tanager. I ended up with 43 species there.

A stop at the Tatamy Exit retention pond produced a Semipalmated Plover plus one Greater and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 3 Spotted, 6 Least, and a Pectoral Sandpiper.

Semipalmated Plover

The Christian Springs Road pond held 5 Solitary Sandpipers and 4 Least Sandpipers.

At home, I sat out on the patio checking the surrounding trees and found a Cape May Warbler in the neighbor's spruce trees. That's when I got a text from Adam Miller that a Dunlin was at the back middle pond by Green Pond. It was about a half-hour before sunset, so I quickly headed over there. Adam was still there and walked back with me to the pond holding the Dunlin along with 5 Spotted Sandpipers and a Solitary Sandpiper.

Dunlin

Back out at Green Pond, I went around to get a count of the continuing Snow Geese, which was 28, while Adam checked out Green Pond from the other side. It was now dusk and I was watching an Eastern Kingbird when my phone rang. It was Adam saying he was looking at a Black-crowned Night-Heron! I went over to his side of the pond and he showed me where the bird was. I took some long-distance photos of it and then worked my way over closer where I found a hole where the bird was visible through the brush. That's where I got these photos. It was a great way to end the day.

An adult Black-crowned Night-Heron.

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A Wilson's Warbler Saves the Morning ~ May 7, 2026

I walked Jacobsburg State Park, hoping for more migrants today, but the activity was practically nonexistent. The only birds around were the residents. The highlight for the first part of the route was one tree that contained 3 Baltimore Orioles and a pair of Scarlet Tanagers.

Scarlet Tanager

The very slow morning turned out a lot better when I found a Wilson's Warbler in a brushy area a little off the main trail through the open fields.

Wilson's Warbler

Despite the dearth of migrants, I managed to find 52 species, which included 2 Broad-winged Hawks diving on an adult Bald Eagle. An sub-adult Bald Eagle was also seen.

Bald Eagle

Adam Miller had reported a Semipalmated Plover at the Christian Springs Road pond, so I headed there and found it feeding with 5 Solitary Sandpipers, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, and a couple Least Sandpipers.

Semipalmated Plover

Over at Green Pond, I saw 2 Eastern Warbling Vireos at the same area they nested in previous years.

Eastern Warbling Vireo

In the wooded pond were two adult Canada Geese with their goslings in tow.

Canada Geese and their young.

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Martins Creek Nature Trail and Grassland Birding ~ May 5, 2026

I walked the Martins Creek Nature Trail, formerly called the Tekening Trail and now called the John M. Mauser Nature Education Trail System, which to me is a ridiculous mouthful. The overgrown field areas held numbers of Gray Catbirds, American Goldfinches, Common Yellowthroats, Northern Yellow Warblers, plus several Blue-winged Warblers and 2 White-eyed Vireos.

White-eyed Vireo

Farther down the trail, I found Chimney Swift, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, White-throated and Swamp Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Ovenbird, more Northern Yellow Warblers, Baltimore Orioles, and Black-and-white Warbler.

Northern Yellow Warbler

Baltimore Oriole

The section of the trail along the river produced 2 Wood Ducks, a Double-crested Cormorant, 2 Great Blue Herons, plus Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided and Black-throated Green Warbler, a 'western' Palm Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

American Redstarts

Palm Warbler

Scarlet Tanager

Back at the parking lot, I watched an Eastern Kingbird diving on a Fish Crow. I tried getting photos of it, but they were zig-zagging back and forth too much. Eventually, the kingbird continued flycatching from a perch.

Eastern Kingbird

I drove the short distance over to Miller Road where I found a very cooperative Grasshopper Sparrow.

Grasshopper Sparrow

I then headed for Moore Township and found Vesper Sparrow and Horned Lark along Schlegel Road.

Vesper Sparrow

Horned Lark

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