Red-necked Phalarope at Newburg Park! ~ September 29, 2024

I spent all day out birding. My first effort was a long loop at Jacobsburg State Park where I tallied 44 species. The impressive list included 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a Pileated Woodpecker, 15 Northern Flickers, 3 Eastern Wood-Pewees, 3 Eastern Phoebes, 15 Red-eyed and 3 Blue-headed Vireos, 5 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 3 Carolina Wrens, 15 Gray Catbirds, 2 Eastern Bluebirds, 17 American Robins, 51 Cedar Waxwings, 7 American Goldfinches, 19 White-throated Sparrows, a Field Sparrow, 2 Eastern Towhees, and a Scarlet Tanager, plus ten warbler species comprised of 7 Black-throated Greens, 5 Magnolias, 4 Black-and-whites, 2 Black-throated Blues, a Tennessee, a Yellow-rumped, a Chestnut-sided, 10 Northern Parulas, 10 Common Yellowthroats, and 7 American Redstarts.

Carolina Wren

The next stop was at the Hollo Road retention pond, which held 18 Green-winged Teal, a Blue-winged Teal, a Northern Shoveler, and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs.

Northern Shoveler

The nearby Shoeneck Creek bridge area held a nice group of birds that included an Eastern Phoebe, a Blue-headed Vireo, 12 Cedar Waxwings, 3 White-throated Sparrows, a Common Yellowthroat, one each of Palm, Blackpoll, and Black-throated Green Warbler, and an Indigo Bunting.

Eastern Phoebe

Blue-headed Vireo

Cedar Waxwing

Palm Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Indigo Bunting

From there, I drove over to the Newburg Road retention pond and walked the trail along the east side of the hospital property. Even though it was now mid-afternoon, I saw an American Kestrel, 2 Eastern Wood-Pewees, 7 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 8 Gray Catbirds, 8 Cedar Waxwings, and five warbler species that included 3 Magnolias, a Blackpoll, a Black-and-white, 5 Common Yellowthroats, and an American Redstart.

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Magnolia Warbler

I left there and headed over to see what might be in the Newburg Park pond. Just before I got there, I got a text from Mike Schall that a Red-necked Phalarope was there! I arrived around five minutes later and saw the bird actively feeding in the small pool of water daily shrinking from the lack of rain.

Red-necked Phalarope

My last stop was at Green Pond. Found there were a Great Egret and a Double-crested Cormorant among 63 Mallards.

Great Egret

---