A Very Early Horned Grebe(?) at the Regency Ponds ~ August 30, 2025

I was planning on going out to check the local ponds for shorebirds when I got a text from Ann Coote, one of the residents at the Regency Boulevard ponds. Her husband, Andy, spotted a grebe in the south pond that looked like the photos recently posted of the Western Grebe from Green Lane Reservoir. So, I headed over there to check it out. When I got there, it wasn't a Western, but I was surprised to see that it was a Horned Grebe, a very unusual find in the summer. They usually migrate through our area during October and November. I got some real nice photos of it showing off its red eye.

Horned Grebe

It was the first record for the Regency ponds and my 143rd species for the site. Other birds seen there included a Wood Duck, a Great Blue Heron, 2 Green Herons, and 2 Eastern Kingbirds.

Wood Duck

Two Eastern Kingbirds.

The Hollo Road retention pond held a Lesser Yellowlegs, a Least Sandpiper, a Killdeer, and 3 Tree Swallows among around 50 Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

The Tatamy Exit retention pond produced a Semipalmated Plover, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, 7 Least Sandpipers, 2 Killdeer, and 7 Lesser Yellowlegs that included the bird with the injured right leg that was at the Hollo Road pond two days ago.

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Sandpiper

A Lesser Yellowlegs with an injured right leg.

My last stop was the Newburg Road pond where the first two birds I saw were a Great Egret and a Double-crested Cormorant.

Double-crested Cormorant

The cormorant was my 113th species for that site. Also present were 4 Killdeer, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, a Solitary Sandpiper, a Great Blue Heron, 9 Least Sandpipers, and 2 Horned Larks.

Horned Lark

This photo has three species in it: The Double-crested Cormorant (left), the Great Blue Heron, and one of the Lesser Yellowlegs (right).

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