The Green Pond area produced American Black Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and a large group of 68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
If interested, more photos from the day can be found in my 2021 Notables photo album.
Monday, October 18, 2021
The season's a-changing ~ October 18, 2021
The drop in temperature from the 80's on Saturday to the 40's on Monday morning has changed the birding scene. Several skeins of geese, no Killdeer, and some arriving waterfowl and gulls signified a turnover, although the Pectoral Sandpiper continued at the Newburg Road retention pond. A couple Yellow-rumped Warblers worked the nearby trees there.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
The Green Pond area produced American Black Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and a large group of 68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
If interested, more photos from the day can be found in my 2021 Notables photo album.
The Green Pond area produced American Black Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and a large group of 68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
If interested, more photos from the day can be found in my 2021 Notables photo album.
Friday, October 15, 2021
Finds from a few stops in Northampton County ~ October 15, 2021
I recorded 40 species in the morning at the Woodland Hills Preserve. Highlights included two Pileated Woodpeckers, an American Kestrel, two Blue-headed Vireos, a Common Raven, several kinglets, Cedar Waxwings, Palm, Blackpoll, and Black-throated Blue Warblers, and this Belted Kingfisher.
A stop at the Newburg Road retention pond produced a Pectoral Sandpiper and several Horned Larks in the large field between the pond and the hospital.
If interested, more photos from the day can be found in my 2021 Notables photo album.
A stop at the Newburg Road retention pond produced a Pectoral Sandpiper and several Horned Larks in the large field between the pond and the hospital.
If interested, more photos from the day can be found in my 2021 Notables photo album.
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Woodland Hills Preserve ~ October 12, 2021
Although it was another dreary morning at the Woodland Hills Preserve, I found 40 species that included a group of 18 Chimney Swifts, an immature Bald Eagle, a Pileated Woodpecker, two American Kestrels, a Common Raven, both kinglets, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Swamp Sparrow and a few Field Sparrows, a Dark-eyed Junco, several Eastern Towhees, two Common Yellowthroats, Palm, Blackpoll, Black-throated Blue, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a Blue-headed Vireo, a bird that I've had very good photographic luck with this year.
If interested, more photos from the day can be found on my eBird checklist.
If interested, more photos from the day can be found on my eBird checklist.
Friday, October 8, 2021
American Golden-Plover in Northampton County ~ October 8, 2021
My morning walk at the Woodland Hills Preserve produced 45 species that included this eye-level Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Later that morning, I got a text from Adam Miller that he had found an American Golden-Plover at the West Gremar Road retention pond. The bird was still there when I got there and allowed me to get some nice photos of it. When you see the spangling on the head and upperparts, you can understand why they call it a Golden-Plover.
As if the day wasn't already exciting enough, I stopped at Green Pond to see what might be there. I parked in the gravel parking lot along Farmersville Road and checked the retention pond, which held a Great Blue Heron. Then, I noticed a few birds flitting around in the treeline along the golf course. Those few birds turned into a group of warblers and several other species the more I looked. That small area produced a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, an Eastern Phoebe, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a House Wren, a White-crowned Sparrow, 4 Blackpoll and 3 Tennessee Warblers, 3 Northern Parulas, and a Common Yellowthroat. One of the kinglets showed off its rarely seen ruby crown.
There must have been an abundance of food because the warblers stayed in the same area for close to an hour, allowing me many photo opportunities.
The 18 Wood Ducks in the flooded field on the north side of Green Pond Road put the cherry on top at the end of the day.
Later that morning, I got a text from Adam Miller that he had found an American Golden-Plover at the West Gremar Road retention pond. The bird was still there when I got there and allowed me to get some nice photos of it. When you see the spangling on the head and upperparts, you can understand why they call it a Golden-Plover.
As if the day wasn't already exciting enough, I stopped at Green Pond to see what might be there. I parked in the gravel parking lot along Farmersville Road and checked the retention pond, which held a Great Blue Heron. Then, I noticed a few birds flitting around in the treeline along the golf course. Those few birds turned into a group of warblers and several other species the more I looked. That small area produced a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, an Eastern Phoebe, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a House Wren, a White-crowned Sparrow, 4 Blackpoll and 3 Tennessee Warblers, 3 Northern Parulas, and a Common Yellowthroat. One of the kinglets showed off its rarely seen ruby crown.
There must have been an abundance of food because the warblers stayed in the same area for close to an hour, allowing me many photo opportunities.
The 18 Wood Ducks in the flooded field on the north side of Green Pond Road put the cherry on top at the end of the day.
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
A Dreary Day Turns Out Bright After All ~ October 6, 2021
I spent the overcast and dreary morning at the Woodland Hills Preserve and found 37 species that included a Chimney Swift, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a Blue-headed Vireo, two Common Ravens, both kinglets, two Cape May Warblers, a Black-throated Green Warbler, two Common Yellowthroats, Eastern Towhee, and sparrows that included three Lincoln's and my first White-crowned of the season.
In the early afternoon, I stopped at the West Gremar Road retention pond and saw a large flock of about 80 American Pipits drop into a field near the pond. These camouflaged specialists were tough to get photos of, but I managed to get a few good ones and some mediocre flight shots.
On the way back home, I stopped at the Newburg Road retention pond and spotted four Ring-billed Gulls, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, two Northern Harriers, and an adult Bald Eagle that was perched on one of the powerline towers. Unfortunately, the cloudy day caused the Harrier photos to become silhouetted. One of two Savannah Sparrows posed in much better lighting for a photo on the fence by the pond.
In the early afternoon, I stopped at the West Gremar Road retention pond and saw a large flock of about 80 American Pipits drop into a field near the pond. These camouflaged specialists were tough to get photos of, but I managed to get a few good ones and some mediocre flight shots.
On the way back home, I stopped at the Newburg Road retention pond and spotted four Ring-billed Gulls, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, two Northern Harriers, and an adult Bald Eagle that was perched on one of the powerline towers. Unfortunately, the cloudy day caused the Harrier photos to become silhouetted. One of two Savannah Sparrows posed in much better lighting for a photo on the fence by the pond.
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