Connecticut Warbler at the Koch Property ~ September 30, 2026

I got a voicemail in the morning from Arlene Koch stating that she had a Connecticut Warbler in her front yard. I had struck out several times trying to find one this season. I wasn't able to get over there until the afternoon, so there was a chance of seeing it, but not a very good one. The feeders in her front yard were full of House Finches and some House Sparrows with an occasional visit from White-breasted Nuthatches. I spotted a warbler in the brush behind the feeders, but it turned out to be a Tennessee, which allowed me to get some nice photos of it.

Tennessee Warbler

I was checking all of the birds hopping around in the brushy areas surrounding the feeders when, there it was! The Connecticut Warbler had popped up, giving a nice look! Unfortunately, by the time I looked it over and raised my camera, it dropped back down into the brush. I stuck around for another half-hour, hoping that it might show again, but all bird activity shut down when a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew in and perched in one of the nearby trees.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Other birds noted while there included Red-tailed Hawk, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Gray Catbird, and American Goldfinch. I thanked Arlene for letting me know and letting me come over to her home-made sanctuary.

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Little Gap and a Pond Run ~ September 29, 2026

It's getting late for a Connecticut Warbler, but I tried again this morning at Little Gap. It was still cool and cloudy as the nor'easter hadn't moved away far enough. I had no luck with the Connecticut, but I did see 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, an adult Bald Eagle, 2 Northern Flickers, an Eastern Phoebe, 2 Red-eyed Vireos and a Blue-headed Vireo, 3 Common Ravens, 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Brown Creeper, a Northern House Wren, 5 Ovenbirds, a Scarlet Tanager, and warblers that included 3 Northern Parulas, 3 Cape Mays, a Black-throated Blue, and a Black-throated Green Warbler.

Eastern Phoebe

Scarlet Tanager

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Heading back home, I checked out the Regency Boulevard retention ponds, which held 2 Green-winged Teal, a Wood Duck, a Pied-billed Grebe, around 25 Tree Swallows and 8 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and around 20 American Goldfinches.

Green-winged Teal

Wood Duck

Pied-billed Grebe

The Trio Farms Boulevard retention ponds held a Double-crested Cormorant, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a Great Blue Heron among the Canada Geese and Mallards.

Pied-billed Grebe

Over at Green Pond, I found a Great Blue Heron, 2 Northern Flickers, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a male and a female American Kestrel, an Eastern Phoebe, 11 Blue Jays, 21 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 2 Eastern Bluebirds, 9 Cedar Waxwings, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a Black-throated Green Warbler.

A male (left) and a female (right) American Kestrel.

A female American Kestrel.

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow-rumped Warbler

I also saw a Rock Pigeon that had a green band on its left leg.

A banded Rock Pigeon.

The last stop was at the Newburg Road retention pond where one Greater Yellowlegs remained along with 3 Tree Swallows.

Greater Yellowlegs

The grassy field between the pond and the hospital held 21 Killdeer and 16 Horned Larks.

Killdeer

Horned Larks

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Storm Birding ~ September 27, 2026

I checked out some areas to see if the "nor'easter" might have pushed some coastal birds into our area. The Newburg Road retention pond held a Greater Yellowlegs, a Great Blue Heron, 4 Killdeer, a Belted Kingfisher, 3 Eastern Bluebirds, 2 Palm Warblers, and a 'fly-by' Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Two Wood Ducks were present at Green Pond along with a Solitary Sandpiper.

Wood Ducks

Solitary Sandpiper

Between the two retention ponds along the paved path, I found a Northern Flicker, 3 Eastern Phoebes, an Indigo Bunting, and a nice count of 13 Eastern Bluebirds.

A Northern Flicker showing its yellow feather shafts.

Indigo Bunting

Eastern Bluebird

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The Ponds Route ~ September 25, 2026

After an eye doctor appointment, I drove up to the Regency Boulevard retention ponds. The south pond held 2 Green-winged Teal. I walked along the wooded edge along Steuben Road and found my first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Lincoln's Sparrow of the season, but was unable to get a photo of either one. Also found there were an Eastern Wood-Pewee, an Eastern Phoebe, a Northern House Wren, some Gray Catbirds and American Goldfinches, a Chipping Sparrow, a Red-winged Blackbird, a Blackburnian Warbler, and a few Indigo Buntings.

A female Indigo Bunting.

The Silver Crest Road pond had a Great Blue Heron and about 250 more Canadas.

The Trio Farms Boulevard retention ponds held 2 Double-crested Cormorants among around 250 Canada Geese.

Over at Green Pond, the 6 Snow Geese continued to survive by the pond. I counted 21 Northern Rough-winged Swallows zipping over it and landing on the nearby wires.

Northern Rough-winged Swallows

A male American Kestrel was perched on the far side of the retention pond along Farmersville Road.

A distant male American Kestrel.

Six Eastern Bluebirds were also perched along the fence.

The Newburg Road retention pond continued to hold 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Green Herons, a Great Blue Heron, and 5 Killdeer. The tiny wooded and brushy patch by the pond produced 3 Eastern Bluebirds and a Gray Catbird.

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