More Breeding Bird Atlas Birding ~ June 4, 2026

One of my Breeding Bird Atlas blocks includes the St. Luke's Anderson Campus area and the Route 33 Boat Launch area, so I spent the morning birding those two areas. I started at the St. Luke's Anderson pond and walking path where I tallied 39 species including a couple Willow Flycatchers.

Willow Flycatcher

There were at least seven Purple Martins at the Purple Martin tower. One of them was seen taking a leaf into one of the gourds to line the nest.

Purple Martin

One of the Cedar Waxwings present was also seen carrying nesting material.

Cedar Waxwing

There were several Chipping Sparrows in and among the evergreens along the path. One of them was this juvenile.

A juvenile Chipping Sparrow.

Also found there were Killdeer, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Warbling and Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Rough-winged, Tree, and Barn Swallow, Northern House Wren, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, American Goldfinch, Field Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, American Redstart, Northern Yellow Warbler, and Indigo Bunting.

I then crossed over Route 33 and birded down Hope Road where I found Great Crested and Willow Flycatcher, American Goldfinch, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Yellow Warbler, and Indigo Bunting.

Willow Flycatcher

The area around the boat launch produced Northern Flicker, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Warbling Vireo, Tree, Barn, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern House Wren, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, Baltimore Oriole, and American Redstart.

I went up to the Tatamy Exit retention pond. It is now almost all dried up, but it still held 3 Killdeer, and 4 Spotted Sandpipers, including the two little "puff ball" fledglings.

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Fledglings Make the Day ~ June 3, 2026

I took a run to the The Tatamy Exit retention pond and found two cute Spotted Sandpiper fledglings working the mud with a parent.

A Spotted Sandpiper fledgling.

It was interesting that, even at their young age, they were already bobbing up and down like their parent, which stayed close at all times.

A Spotted Sandpiper fledgling with its parent.

Over at Green Pond, the 18 Snow Geese were still lingering in the blocked-off road. In a bush next to the pond, I saw a Red-winged Blackbird that was freshly out of the nest.

A Red-winged Blackbird fledgling.

Other birds found there included 58 Canada Geese, a couple Killdeer, 4 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Green Herons, one Great Blue Heron, an Eastern Kingbird, 5 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 2 Barn Swallows, and a Gray Catbird.

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Breeding Bird Atlas Project Findings ~ June 2, 2026

With the migration now winding down, it's that time again when the Breeding Bird Atlas Project work takes center stage. After acquiring special permission to access a restricted area in my one breeding block near the Nazareth Quarry, I went there this morning and searched for breeding activity. I found 39 species, almost all of them probable breeders. The one interesting find that stood out among the others was a pair of Orchard Orioles finishing up a nest. Orchards are a little more unusual than the numerous Baltimore Orioles, so it's always nice to find them, but what was interesting was that the nest was hidden in a spruce branch rather than in a more expected deciduous tree. I got these photos of the male and female entering and leaving the opening to the nest.

A well-hidden nest of an Orchard Oriole pair in a spruce branch.

On the way back out to the car, I got these photos of one of several Northern Yellow Warblers found there.

A female Northern Yellow Warbler.

Other birds of note found there included Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested and Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, American Redstart, and Scarlet Tanager.

I stopped at the Osprey nest along the Nazareth-Tatamy road. One Osprey was sitting on the nest, but there was no sign of any young ones yet.

I continued on to the Tatamy Exit retention pond. Unfortunately, a landscape crew was mowing the banks of the impoundment, so the Semipalmated Plovers seen there yesterday were gone. The Semipalmated Plover present yesterday at the Hollo Road retention pond was also gone.

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Semipalmated Plovers Continue ~ June 1, 2026

I made a last-ditch effort to try and find Gray-cheeked Thrush and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, this time at Jacobsburg State Park. Instead, I found Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Rough-winged and Tree Swallow, Veery, Wood Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, Eastern Towhee, Baltimore Oriole, Brown-headed Cowbird, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Blue Jay, including one feeding a fledgling.

A recently-fledged Blue Jay.

I stopped at the The Tatamy Exit retention pond on the way back down Route 33 and found 2 Killdeer and 3 Semipalmated Plovers.

Semipalmated Plovers

Probably the same Semipalmated Plover seen yesterday at the Hollo Road retention pond was present again today along with a Killdeer, a Spotted Sandpiper, 7 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and a Common Grackle feeding one of its fledglings.

Semipalmated Plover

A Common Grackle feeding one of its young.

Eighteen lingering Snow Geese were still at Green Pond along with 2 Killdeer, 4 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Great Blue and 2 Green Herons, an Eastern Kingbird, and 6 Northern Rough-winged and 2 Tree Swallows.

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Upper Mount Bethel Township and Semipalmated Plovers ~ May 31, 2026

I made another effort to find a Gray-cheeked Thrush or a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in Upper Mount Bethel Township. I started at Bear Swamp where I found Red-shouldered Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, Veery, Chipping Sparrow, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Scarlet Tanager.

I then went down National Park Drive, which produced Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, and Scarlet Tanager.

The Arrow Island Overlook section held Eastern Wood-Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo, Veery, Wood Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Hooded Warbler, American Redstart, and Indigo Bunting, but there was still no luck with the target birds.

I left the township and drove down to the The Tatamy Exit retention pond. There, I found 4 Killdeer, a nice total of 5 Semipalmated Plovers, and 2 Least Sandpipers.

Semipalmated Plovers

There was another Semipalmated Plover over at the Hollo Road retention pond along with 2 Spotted Sandpipers, a Tree and 3 Barn Swallows among a dozen Northern Rough-winged Swallows, plus a 'fly-by' Osprey that was probably heading to the nest along the Nazareth-Tatamy Road.

Semipalmated Plover

Green Pond held 18 lingering Snow Geese, a Chimney Swift, 4 Killdeer, 5 Spotted Sandpipers, 3 Great Blue and 2 Green Herons, and Northern Rough-winged and Tree Swallows, plus one European Starling in its light brown juvenal plumage.

A European Starling in juvenal plumage.

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Checking the Local Ponds for 'Fallout' Birds ~ May 24, 2026

I thought the rain might cause some shorebirds to drop into some of the local ponds. I stopped at the Newburg Park pond and found 5 Least Sandpipers, a Killdeer, and an Eastern Kingbird.

I continued over to Bicentennial Park. An Eastern Kingbird was perched on a fence post at the parking lot.

Eastern Kingbird

The two areas of water were a little larger from the rain but apparently still not big enough to be productive.

I was disappointed when I checked the Tatamy Exit retention pond and only found 2 Spotted Sandpipers there.

My last stop was the Green Pond area. I only saw 13 Snow Geese there. The number keeps getting smaller and smaller. I'm not sure if some are leaving or they are getting taken by predators. Other birds seen there included one Spotted Sandpiper, 3 Green Herons, a Great Blue Heron, 2 Northern Flickers, an Eastern Kingbird, 8 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 5 Barn Swallows, a Brown Thrasher, 2 Eastern Bluebirds, and a Baltimore Oriole.

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Bicentennial Park, Arrowhead Road, and Tatamy ~ May 22, 2026

I went back to Bicentennial Park for three reasons: to see if the Alder Flycatcher was still there, to record all of the birds there since the park is in one of my Breeding Bird Atlas blocks, and to join a bird walk that was going to be held there a little later in the morning. I checked the area where the Alder Flycatcher was the night before but didn't see or hear it, so it likely moved on.

I walked northeast on the Nor-Bath Trail to where a good-sized section of woods adjoined the trail. Along the way, I had Red-bellied Woodpecker, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Warbling Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tree and Barn Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern House Wren, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, American Robin, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Yellow Warbler, Northern Cardinal, and Indigo Bunting.

On the walk along the trail with around ten others, we added Killdeer, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Northern Flicker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, and Orchard Oriole.

Red-winged Blackbirds and a pair of Spotted Sandpipers were found along the wetlands section of the park.

Spotted Sandpiper

I left there and stopped along Arrowhead Road where I found a Horned Lark while scanning the fields. I took these long-distance photos of it in the harsh sunlight.

Horned Lark

A check of the Tatamy Exit retention pond revealed 3 Killdeer, 5 Spotted Sandpipers, 10 Least Sandpipers, and 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

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