Jason Horn, and Adam and Owen Smith met me at Graver's Arboretum at 7:00 AM for this year's Wild Creek - Little Gap Christmas Bird Count. They had already heard Eastern Screech-Owl, and 2 Great Horned Owls were still calling when I arrived. Periods of rain continued on and off to around 10:00 AM. We slowly drove down Schlegel Road. Another Great Horned Owl, 2 Wild Turkeys, and a Pileated Woodpecker were calling. A small group of around 20 Horned Larks contained one Snow Bunting! Over at Graver's Hill, 23 more Horned Larks were seen. Two Savannah Sparrows were also found there along with a hunting Northern Harrier and a lone Snow Goose.
Several pockets of birds were seen along the section of South Oaks Road east of N. Hokendauqua Drive. Notables included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Field Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow. A stop along E. Walker Road produced our only White-crowned Sparrow of the day.
The Church Road marsh and fields held a lot of birds. We conservatively counted 75 Dark-eyed Juncos and 30 White-throated Sparrows there. In among them were a Winter Wren, 2 Carolina Wrens, a Northern Mockingbird, 2 American Tree Sparrows, and a Swamp Sparrow. Over at E. Best Road near Copella Road, we found a Cooper's Hawk, a leucistic American Crow, a Field Sparrow, and an American Tree Sparrow.
We did another slow run down Schlegel Road. This time we found around 60 Horned Larks with the Snow Bunting, plus 3 American Pipits! A nice adult Red-shouldered Hawk was seen along N. Summit Road right after we turned off of Schlegel.
A Great Blue Heron and 2 Common Ravens were spotted along Route 946 just west of Point Phillips Road. Along Lilly Hill Road, there were another 18 Horned Larks, 2 Eastern Bluebirds, and a Field Sparrow. At the State Game Lands along Mountain Road, we saw 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 3 Hermit Thrushes, and 2 American Goldfinches. Four Red-winged Blackbirds were present along Bushkill Drive.
We finished the day with 53 species. The list follows.
1) Snow Geese
2) Canada Goose
3) Mallard
4) Wild Turkey
5) Great Blue Heron
6) Black Vulture
7) Northern Harrier
8) Cooper's Hawk
9) Red-shouldered Hawk
10) Red-tailed Hawk
11) Killdeer
12) Rock Pigeon
13) Mourning Dove
14) Great Horned Owl
15) Eastern Screech-Owl
16) Red-bellied Woodpecker
17) Northern Flicker
18) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
19) Downy Woodpecker
20) Hairy Woodpecker
21) Pileated Woodpecker
22) Blue Jay
23) American Crow
24) Common Raven
25) Horned Lark
26) Tufted Titmouse
27) Black-capped Chickadee
28) White-breasted Nuthatch
29) Winter Wren
30) Carolina Wren
31) Golden-crowned Kinglet
32) Eastern Bluebird
33) Hermit Thrush
34) American Robin
35) Northern Mockingbird
36) European Starling
37) American Pipit
38) American Tree Sparrow
39) Field Sparrow
40) Fox Sparrow
41) Savannah Sparrow
42) Song Sparrow
43) Swamp Sparrow
44) White-throated Sparrow
45) White-crowned Sparrow
46) Dark-eyed Junco
47) Snow Bunting
48) Northern Cardinal
49) Red-winged Blackbird
50) Common Grackle
51) House Finch
52) American Goldfinch
53) House Sparrow
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Bethlehem - Easton - Hellertown C.B.C. Highlights ~ December 28, 2024
At 6:00 AM, Jason Horn and Stephen Kloiber joined me for the Bethlehem Christmas Bird Count. At the Lehigh Cement Company, we met its environmental manager, Luis Rodriguez, who has been great at allowing us access to the Nazareth Quarry for three years now. Like last year, in fog and drizzle, we walked to the edge of the quarry and found only about 3000 Snow Geese present. It's very possible that the hard freeze two weeks before pushed a good portion of them farther south. A Snow x Ross's Goose hybrid was picked out among the Snows, but no pure Ross's could be found. There were at least a dozen dead Snow Geese floating around the edges of the quarry that likely had been victims of the bird flu.
Scanning the rest of the quarry, Jason picked out a male Long-tailed Duck and, later, a Common Loon! I got some distant documentation photos of them through the mist and fog.
Other good birds seen in the quarry included 87 Ruddy Ducks, 22 Buffleheads, 16 American Coots, 16 American Black Ducks, 7 Common Mergansers, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, and 2 Lesser Scaup. A Peregrine Falcon was seen perched on one of the cement company structures and an American Herring Gull flew by.
We then hiked the area that used to be known as the "Hollo Road pines". Over the years, the stand of pines have been continuing to die off, causing more and more undergrowth to take over. While walking the area, we found Cooper's Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Carolina and Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and American Robin among numbers of White-throated Sparrows.
We thanked Luis once again for our opportunity to bird the company's property and headed for the Hollo Road retention pond. There was nothing notable on the pond, but the nearby area along the Shoeneck Creek produced a Great Blue Heron, an American Kestrel, 2 Northern Mockingbirds, 4 White-crowned Sparrows, and a Swamp Sparrow.
We stopped to get something to eat at the Wendy's near Tatamy. When we came out, Jason pointed out a Bald Eagle, which flew in and chased a Merlin off of a nearby powerline tower. The Merlin flew over and landed on a nearby telephone pole where I got these photos. It then flew off back to the west.
We made a quick stop at the duck-feeding area near Bushkill Park where we spotted one Wood Duck and a 'fly-by' Belted Kingfisher. There wasn't much of note at the Newburg Road retention ponds area, so we continued down to the Forks of the Delaware. There, we found one Lesser Black-backed Gull among about 300 Ring-billed Gulls, 3 Common Mergansers, and 2 Buffleheads. On the way back, a nice adult Red-shouldered Hawk was found perched in the treeline right by the entrance to the Lidl market.
We ended up with a total of 55 species, which was pretty good for a foggy, drizzly day. The list follows.
1) Snow Geese
2) Canada Goose
3) Wood Duck
4) Mallard
5) American Black Duck
6) Ring-necked Duck
7) Lesser Scaup
8) Long-tailed Duck
9) Bufflehead
10) Common Merganser
11) Ruddy Duck
12) Common Loon
13) Great Blue Heron
14) Bald Eagle
15) Cooper's Hawk
16) Red-shouldered Hawk
17) Red-tailed Hawk
18) American Kestrel
19) Merlin
20) Peregrine Falcon
21) American Coot
22) Ring-billed Gull
23) American Herring Gull
24) Lesser Black-backed Gull
25) Rock Pigeon
26) Mourning Dove
27) Belted Kingfisher
28) Red-bellied Woodpecker
29) Northern Flicker
30) Downy Woodpecker
31) Hairy Woodpecker
32) Blue Jay
33) American Crow
34) Horned Lark
35) Tufted Titmouse
36) Carolina/Black-capped Chickadee
37) Brown Creeper
38) Winter Wren
39) Carolina Wren
40) Ruby-crowned Kinglet
41) Hermit Thrush
42) American Robin
43) Northern Mockingbird
44) European Starling
45) American Pipit
46) Yellow-rumped Warbler
47) Song Sparrow
48) Swamp Sparrow
49) White-throated Sparrow
50) White-crowned Sparrow
51) Dark-eyed Junco
52) Northern Cardinal
53) House Finch
54) American Goldfinch
55) House Sparrow
Scanning the rest of the quarry, Jason picked out a male Long-tailed Duck and, later, a Common Loon! I got some distant documentation photos of them through the mist and fog.
Other good birds seen in the quarry included 87 Ruddy Ducks, 22 Buffleheads, 16 American Coots, 16 American Black Ducks, 7 Common Mergansers, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, and 2 Lesser Scaup. A Peregrine Falcon was seen perched on one of the cement company structures and an American Herring Gull flew by.
We then hiked the area that used to be known as the "Hollo Road pines". Over the years, the stand of pines have been continuing to die off, causing more and more undergrowth to take over. While walking the area, we found Cooper's Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Carolina and Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and American Robin among numbers of White-throated Sparrows.
We thanked Luis once again for our opportunity to bird the company's property and headed for the Hollo Road retention pond. There was nothing notable on the pond, but the nearby area along the Shoeneck Creek produced a Great Blue Heron, an American Kestrel, 2 Northern Mockingbirds, 4 White-crowned Sparrows, and a Swamp Sparrow.
We stopped to get something to eat at the Wendy's near Tatamy. When we came out, Jason pointed out a Bald Eagle, which flew in and chased a Merlin off of a nearby powerline tower. The Merlin flew over and landed on a nearby telephone pole where I got these photos. It then flew off back to the west.
We made a quick stop at the duck-feeding area near Bushkill Park where we spotted one Wood Duck and a 'fly-by' Belted Kingfisher. There wasn't much of note at the Newburg Road retention ponds area, so we continued down to the Forks of the Delaware. There, we found one Lesser Black-backed Gull among about 300 Ring-billed Gulls, 3 Common Mergansers, and 2 Buffleheads. On the way back, a nice adult Red-shouldered Hawk was found perched in the treeline right by the entrance to the Lidl market.
We ended up with a total of 55 species, which was pretty good for a foggy, drizzly day. The list follows.
1) Snow Geese
2) Canada Goose
3) Wood Duck
4) Mallard
5) American Black Duck
6) Ring-necked Duck
7) Lesser Scaup
8) Long-tailed Duck
9) Bufflehead
10) Common Merganser
11) Ruddy Duck
12) Common Loon
13) Great Blue Heron
14) Bald Eagle
15) Cooper's Hawk
16) Red-shouldered Hawk
17) Red-tailed Hawk
18) American Kestrel
19) Merlin
20) Peregrine Falcon
21) American Coot
22) Ring-billed Gull
23) American Herring Gull
24) Lesser Black-backed Gull
25) Rock Pigeon
26) Mourning Dove
27) Belted Kingfisher
28) Red-bellied Woodpecker
29) Northern Flicker
30) Downy Woodpecker
31) Hairy Woodpecker
32) Blue Jay
33) American Crow
34) Horned Lark
35) Tufted Titmouse
36) Carolina/Black-capped Chickadee
37) Brown Creeper
38) Winter Wren
39) Carolina Wren
40) Ruby-crowned Kinglet
41) Hermit Thrush
42) American Robin
43) Northern Mockingbird
44) European Starling
45) American Pipit
46) Yellow-rumped Warbler
47) Song Sparrow
48) Swamp Sparrow
49) White-throated Sparrow
50) White-crowned Sparrow
51) Dark-eyed Junco
52) Northern Cardinal
53) House Finch
54) American Goldfinch
55) House Sparrow
Friday, December 27, 2024
Grand Central Landfill and Forks of the Delaware ~ December 27, 2025
I decided to give it one last try for a Glaucous Gull in 2024. I knew it was a long shot as the weather up north wasn't favorable for pushing the white-winged gulls down into our area. As it turned out, there were very few gulls at all there, probably because I didn't get there until the afternoon. There were at least 2 Bald Eagles soaring over the landfill, as there usually are.
I also took a few photos of the Turkey Vultures as they banked in the nice lighting.
I headed down to the Forks of the Delaware to see what gulls might be down there. I counted 42 Lesser Black-backed and 10 American Herring Gulls among the roughly 400 Ring-billed Gulls.
There were also 6 Buffleheads and 2 Common Mergansers present, plus a 'fly-by' Sharp-shinned Hawk.
I also took a few photos of the Turkey Vultures as they banked in the nice lighting.
I headed down to the Forks of the Delaware to see what gulls might be down there. I counted 42 Lesser Black-backed and 10 American Herring Gulls among the roughly 400 Ring-billed Gulls.
There were also 6 Buffleheads and 2 Common Mergansers present, plus a 'fly-by' Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Florida Trip for Yellow-headed Caracara ~ December 10, 2024
Since at least November of 2023, a Yellow-headed Caracara, a South American bird, has been seen fairly regularly in the area of North Miami Beach. The bird flies back and forth between the Biscayne Bay campus of the Florida International University, Oleta River State Park, and Haulover Park. These three areas are separated by water, so it takes a long time to get from one to the other if you aren't seeing it at the spot you're at. And by the time you drive to one of the other spots, it might have flown to the spot you just left. I read several comments where birders had spent hours looking for it with no luck, yet it hadn't left the area. I was hoping for another 'lifer' to show up so I'd have a chance for two, but that wasn't happening since there are very few rare Florida birds that I haven't seen.
When a Bananaquit showed up in late October at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center near Boca Raton, it gave me that little push that I needed to commit to a trip down there. I had seen a Bananaquit down there in 2017, but it was a fairly quick look at it, so I never got a photograph of it. The bird was being seen daily there, so it looked like a really good chance to see one better. On top of that, a Fork-tailed Flycatcher was being seen on the west side of the state near St. Petersburg, which was another bird I had seen but never got a photograph of. So, early on December 10th, I drove to the Newark Airport and boarded a non-stop flight to Fort Lauderdale.
I got my rental car pretty quickly and drove to Oleta River State Park, arriving there around 2:00 PM. I drove to 'Parking Lot 3', which is the one that has a line of green dumpsters along its edge. The bird was most often seen here scavenging around them, but it was not present at the time. I drove over to 'Lot 5' and walked out to the Panther Pavilion, which was another area that it had often been reported at. Again, there was no sign of it. I checked the beach area and spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull there among the Laughing Gulls. I remember all the excitment when a Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen in Pennsylvania back in 1986. They have since spread to all parts of the country.
I returned to 'Lot 3' and watched some more from there. Luckily around 2:45, I noticed a bird perched at least a hundred yards away in one of the taller, leafless trees at the west edge of the park. It was the Yellow-headed Caracara!
As I started walking towards it, it took off and flew right past me! I got some fairly good photos of it considering it was overcast.
I watched it fly towards the White Ibis Pavilion, so I headed over there. That's when I noticed it getting harassed by a Laughing Gull as it flew across the water and landed at Haulover Park. I thought about driving over there, but the beach traffic made me decide to stay where I was, hoping that it would return to the dumpsters late in the day like it had many times before. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
Near sunset, I headed for my motel room near Deerfield Beach. It took a long time to get there because of the rush hour traffic. Driving bumper-to-bumper on the five or six lanes wide of I-95 in south Florida is an experience that rivals the gridlock in Los Angeles. I stayed in a very nice motel right on the ocean for all three nights that I was there.
When a Bananaquit showed up in late October at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center near Boca Raton, it gave me that little push that I needed to commit to a trip down there. I had seen a Bananaquit down there in 2017, but it was a fairly quick look at it, so I never got a photograph of it. The bird was being seen daily there, so it looked like a really good chance to see one better. On top of that, a Fork-tailed Flycatcher was being seen on the west side of the state near St. Petersburg, which was another bird I had seen but never got a photograph of. So, early on December 10th, I drove to the Newark Airport and boarded a non-stop flight to Fort Lauderdale.
I got my rental car pretty quickly and drove to Oleta River State Park, arriving there around 2:00 PM. I drove to 'Parking Lot 3', which is the one that has a line of green dumpsters along its edge. The bird was most often seen here scavenging around them, but it was not present at the time. I drove over to 'Lot 5' and walked out to the Panther Pavilion, which was another area that it had often been reported at. Again, there was no sign of it. I checked the beach area and spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull there among the Laughing Gulls. I remember all the excitment when a Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen in Pennsylvania back in 1986. They have since spread to all parts of the country.
I returned to 'Lot 3' and watched some more from there. Luckily around 2:45, I noticed a bird perched at least a hundred yards away in one of the taller, leafless trees at the west edge of the park. It was the Yellow-headed Caracara!
As I started walking towards it, it took off and flew right past me! I got some fairly good photos of it considering it was overcast.
I watched it fly towards the White Ibis Pavilion, so I headed over there. That's when I noticed it getting harassed by a Laughing Gull as it flew across the water and landed at Haulover Park. I thought about driving over there, but the beach traffic made me decide to stay where I was, hoping that it would return to the dumpsters late in the day like it had many times before. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
Near sunset, I headed for my motel room near Deerfield Beach. It took a long time to get there because of the rush hour traffic. Driving bumper-to-bumper on the five or six lanes wide of I-95 in south Florida is an experience that rivals the gridlock in Los Angeles. I stayed in a very nice motel right on the ocean for all three nights that I was there.
Florida Trip for Yellow-headed Caracara ~ December 11, 2024
At sunrise, I took this photo from my motel room before taking my gear down to the car.
Since I nailed some decent photos of the Caracara, I decided to make the very short drive up to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and look for the Bananaquit. The bird preferred the flowers of the Firespike plants in the Butterfly Garden. Roughly half the blooms had died off, but there still seemed to be plenty of blooms there to keep it happy. During the morning, a warbler flock worked its way through the area. It was comprised of 3 Yellow-rumpeds, 2 Northern Parulas, a Yellow-throated, a "Western" Palm, and a Prairie, plus 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and a Blue-headed Vireo.
There was no sign of the Bananaquit. The only thing coming to the flowers was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I was there from sunrise to sunset, only taking a 5-minute bathroom break, and there was no sign of the bird. I assumed it must have found a better food source at another location.
There were some interesting butterflies flying around. I took a few photos of some of them. Hopefully, I identified them correctly. Bird identification is challenging enough; butterflies are beyond my pay grade.
I understand that the Atalas were once thought to be extinct but are making a big comeback. There were a fair number of them flying around while I was there.
At sunset, I drove back to my motel room near Deerfield Beach, contemplating my plan for tomorrow. Since the Bananaquit appeared to be gone, I decided to leave at 4:00 AM and drive the four hours across the state to try for the Fork-tailed Flycatcher.
Since I nailed some decent photos of the Caracara, I decided to make the very short drive up to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and look for the Bananaquit. The bird preferred the flowers of the Firespike plants in the Butterfly Garden. Roughly half the blooms had died off, but there still seemed to be plenty of blooms there to keep it happy. During the morning, a warbler flock worked its way through the area. It was comprised of 3 Yellow-rumpeds, 2 Northern Parulas, a Yellow-throated, a "Western" Palm, and a Prairie, plus 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and a Blue-headed Vireo.
There was no sign of the Bananaquit. The only thing coming to the flowers was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I was there from sunrise to sunset, only taking a 5-minute bathroom break, and there was no sign of the bird. I assumed it must have found a better food source at another location.
There were some interesting butterflies flying around. I took a few photos of some of them. Hopefully, I identified them correctly. Bird identification is challenging enough; butterflies are beyond my pay grade.
I understand that the Atalas were once thought to be extinct but are making a big comeback. There were a fair number of them flying around while I was there.
At sunset, I drove back to my motel room near Deerfield Beach, contemplating my plan for tomorrow. Since the Bananaquit appeared to be gone, I decided to leave at 4:00 AM and drive the four hours across the state to try for the Fork-tailed Flycatcher.
Florida Trip for Yellow-headed Caracara ~ December 12, 2024
I left the motel at 4:00 AM and made the 4-hour drive to the Bahia Beach Nature Preserve near the town of Ruskin. I was the only one there when I arrived around 8:00 AM. A strong cold front had moved through the night before. It was 41 degrees with a 10-20 mph wind. I was very glad that I had my coat and gloves with me. Lots of Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers were low in the grasses chipping while searching for insects. I searched the area where the flycatcher was most often seen and kept coming up empty. One lady showed up, spent an hour looking, and then left.
I walked out along both the west and east sides of the impoundment, which held a bunch of birds. Four Caspian Terns were flying over the water.
American White Pelicans were present along with Great Egrets and White Ibis.
Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, and Snowy Egrets fed in the pond along with American Coots.
Several Wood Storks flew by while I watched an Anhinga in an adjacent pond with a Common Gallinule.
Other birds seen at the preserve included Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Killdeer, Willet, Wilson's Snipe, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Boat-tailed Grackle. A Loggerhead Shrike and a Common Ground Dove were found perched in separate bushes along the east side of the preserve.
There was still no sign of the flycatcher. It looked like the cold front might have pushed the bird out and I was going to be making a long, depressing drive back to the motel. A little after 10:00, two birders from the Jacksonville area arrived. I walked around the south and west edge of the impoundment with them. I looked back towards the southwestern corner of the impoundment and spotted a Belted Kingfisher perched low on a stalk over the water. That's when I noticed a flash of white pass by the kingfisher. Further study eventually confirmed that it was the Fork-tailed Flycatcher! We walked all the way back to the other side and got some photos of it flycatching over its preferred area.
Amazingly, the bird eventually flew over to some brush right next to the parking lot and preened itself, unconcerned about us taking numerous photos of it.
I happily got back in my car and started the long drive back to the east coast. New trip birds seen along the highway included Western Cattle Egret and Sandhill Crane. At one point, I was stopped at a construction site behind a flatbed truck and laughed when I saw that there was a toy truck strapped to the back of it.
I got back to the motel a little after dark and went out to eat at a nearby Cracker Barrel.
I walked out along both the west and east sides of the impoundment, which held a bunch of birds. Four Caspian Terns were flying over the water.
American White Pelicans were present along with Great Egrets and White Ibis.
Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, and Snowy Egrets fed in the pond along with American Coots.
Several Wood Storks flew by while I watched an Anhinga in an adjacent pond with a Common Gallinule.
Other birds seen at the preserve included Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Killdeer, Willet, Wilson's Snipe, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Boat-tailed Grackle. A Loggerhead Shrike and a Common Ground Dove were found perched in separate bushes along the east side of the preserve.
There was still no sign of the flycatcher. It looked like the cold front might have pushed the bird out and I was going to be making a long, depressing drive back to the motel. A little after 10:00, two birders from the Jacksonville area arrived. I walked around the south and west edge of the impoundment with them. I looked back towards the southwestern corner of the impoundment and spotted a Belted Kingfisher perched low on a stalk over the water. That's when I noticed a flash of white pass by the kingfisher. Further study eventually confirmed that it was the Fork-tailed Flycatcher! We walked all the way back to the other side and got some photos of it flycatching over its preferred area.
Amazingly, the bird eventually flew over to some brush right next to the parking lot and preened itself, unconcerned about us taking numerous photos of it.
I happily got back in my car and started the long drive back to the east coast. New trip birds seen along the highway included Western Cattle Egret and Sandhill Crane. At one point, I was stopped at a construction site behind a flatbed truck and laughed when I saw that there was a toy truck strapped to the back of it.
I got back to the motel a little after dark and went out to eat at a nearby Cracker Barrel.
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