Jacobsburg State Park and the Newburg Pond ~ September 23, 2026

I was hoping to go up to Little Gap this morning, but the strong winds made me change my mind and head to Jacobsburg State Park instead. After getting out of the car at the Henry's Wood parking lot, I immediately found a bunch of warblers right behind the car and ended up spending the next twenty minutes only able to identify about half the birds that were passing through. The identified ones included one Ruby-crowned Kinglet plus 3 American Redstarts, 5 Northern Parulas, 4 Black-and-white Warblers, 2 Magnolia Warblers, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, and a Black-throated Green Warbler.

Along the creek beyond the historical buildings, I found a Great Blue Heron, a Cooper's Hawk, a Hairy Woodpecker, 3 Northern Flickers, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, one Brown Creeper, 3 Gray Catbirds, 3 Eastern Bluebirds, and 3 American Goldfinches.

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Birds seen flying by included 13 Turkey Vultures, 34 Blue Jays, 2 Common Ravens, and 11 Cedar Waxwings.

I drove over to the Boulton section of the park where I found two more groups of birds that contained a Northern Flicker, 2 Eastern Wood-Pewees, 4 Gray Catbirds, an American Goldfinch, one Red-eyed Vireo, and nine species of warblers that included 3 Black-throated Blues, 3 Chestnut-sideds, a Blackburnian Warbler, 4 Northern Parulas, 3 American Redstarts, 3 Black-and-white Warblers, 3 Black-throated Greens, a Bay-breasted, and a Magnolia Warbler.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warblers

Blackburnian Warbler

Northern Parula

A Cooper's Hawk eventually flew in and ended any chance for more sightings.

Cooper's Hawk

I stopped at the Newburg Road retention pond, which held 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Green Herons, and 3 Killdeer. An American Kestrel also flew by while I was there.

American Kestrel

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Several Checks of the Newburg Road Retention Pond ~ September 18-22, 2026

Friday, September 18, 2026

The low level of the Newburg Road retention has recently produced a good-sized area of shorebird habitat. Friday's check of the pond produced 6 Killdeer, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, and a Green Heron.

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Saturday, September 19, 2026

Saturday's stop at the pond produced the continuing 4 Lesser Yellowlegs and 2 Greater Yellowlegs, plus 3 Green Herons, a Great Blue Heron, and a Belted Kingfisher.

Belted Kingfisher

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Sunday, September 20, 2026

Sunday's visit to the pond yielded 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, a Green Heron, and a Bald Eagle on a nearby powerline tower, plus the Coyote was present again behind the hospital.

Coyote

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Tuesday, September 22, 2026

On Tuesday, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, a Green Heron, and a Killdeer were found there.

Greater Yellowlegs

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Little Gap and Several Ponds ~ September 17, 2026

I took another shot at trying to find some wanted birds at Little Gap. Adam Miller, and Mike & Corinne Schall joined me as we walked up the mountain. Found along the way up to and beyond the hawkwatch was another great count of 6 Philadelphia Vireos among at least 18 Red-eyed Vireos.

Philadelphia Vireos

A Philadelphia Vireo with a caterpillar.

Other birds seen included 4 Northern Flickers, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, 6 Blue Jays, a Common Raven, 2 chickadees, 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Northern House Wren, an American Robin, around 40 Cedar Waxwings, and warblers that included 5 Black-and-whites, a Cape May, 3 Magnolias, a Blackburnian, 2 Chestnut-sideds, a Blackpoll, 3 Black-throated Greens, 2 Ovenbirds, 2 American Redstarts, and 5 Northern Parulas.

Cape May Warbler

With showers moving into the area, it wasn't a good raptor day. In the hour or so I was there, I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 13 Turkey Vultures, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, a Bald Eagle, and 2 Broad-winged Hawks.

I hit a few ponds on the way back home. The Regency Boulevard retention ponds produced a Wood Duck, a Green Heron, a Cooper's Hawk, 3 American Goldfinches, and a flock of around 50 Red-winged Blackbirds.

The Trio Farms Boulevard retention ponds held 4 Double-crested Cormorants among around 150 Canad Geese.

Three of the four Double-crested Cormorants.

The Hollo Road retention pond 2 Wood Ducks, 7 Green-winged Teal, 3 Killdeer, one Solitary and one Pectoral Sandpiper, a Lesser Yellowlegs, one Green and one Great Blue Heron, and an Osprey that was "kiting" over the pond.

Osprey

My last stop was at the Newburg Road retention pond. There was a fairly good selection of birds there that included 22 Killdeer, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, one Least Sandpiper, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Green Herons, a 'fly-by' Bald Eagle, and a Savannah Sparrow.

A Green Heron (left), a Greater Yellowlegs, and a Pectoral Sandpiper (right).

I got some nice comparison photos of a Lesser and a Greater Yellowlegs showing the difference in overall size and bill size.

A Lesser Yellowlegs (left), and a Greater Yellowlegs (right).

The two Pectoral Sandpipers and the Green Herons got a little nervous when a Bald Eagle flew by.

Green Heron

Pectoral Sandpipers

Bald Eagle

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Little Gap and the Newburg Road Retention Pond ~ September 15, 2026

I again walked Little Gap, still hoping to find a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher or a Connecticut Warbler. I ran into Adam Miller and we both birded our way up to the top of the mountain. Two Red-breasted Nuthatches were found during the several stops.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Behind the lookout, we found 4 Philadelphia Vireos among 19 Red-eyed Vireos, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and 12 species of warblers that included a Tennessee, 3 Cape Mays, 3 Magnolias, 2 Bay-breasteds, a Blackburnian, 2 Chestnut-sideds, 3 Blackpolls, a Black-throated Blue, a Black-throated Green, 3 Ovenbirds, 2 American Redstarts, and a Northern Parula.

Philadelphia Vireos

Birds seen during the morning at the hawkwatch included a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 2 Ospreys, 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 293 Broad-winged Hawks, an Eastern Phoebe, and 2 Common Ravens.

Broad-winged Hawk

I stopped to check the Newburg Road retention pond and found 4 Killdeer, a Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Least Sandpipers, a Green Heron, a Great Blue Heron, and an immature Red-tailed Hawk that tried unsuccessfully to grab a Mourning Dove and later settled for a caterpillar.

A young Red-tailed Hawk with a caterpillar.

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A Loop of Ponds ~ September 13, 2026

The Newburg Road retention pond produced a Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Green Herons, a Great Blue Heron, a Cooper's Hawk, and a Belted Kingfisher.

A Greater Yellowlegs with a fish.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Belted Kingfisher

Green Pond held 6 continuing Snow Geese, a Solitary Sandpiper, a Double-crested Cormorant, a Great Blue Heron, a Northern Flicker, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, 3 Bank Swallows and a Barn Swallow among at least 100 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 2 White-breasted Nuthatches, a Carolina Wren, 4 Eastern Bluebirds, and 2 American Goldfinches.

Bank Swallows

Barn Swallow

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