RBA
* Pennsylvania
* Philadelphia
* January 27, 2006
* PAPH0127.06
* Birds mentioned:
Red-necked Grebe (in both north & south NJ)
Great Cormorant
Trumpeter Swan (pa) (tagged)
Mute Swan (pa)
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (a few places; but at 1 as many as 9 at once)
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Brant (de)
Snow Goose
Ross' Goose (de & md)
Barnacle Goose comment
EURASIAN WIGEON (nj)
Redhead (nj & pa)
Greater Scaup
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (nj)
Common Goldeneye
Common Eider (a hundred)
Harlequin Duck
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser (pa)
Northern Goshawk
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Harrier
Peregrine Falcon
Purple Sandpiper
Red Knot
Glaucous Gull (pa)
Iceland Gull (pa)
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Razorbill
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Short-eared Owl
Tree Swallow
House Sparrow (had trouble getting myself to type this one!, but it's noted)
LARK SPARROW (pa)
White-crowned Sparrow
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (or hybrid) (pa)
Conococheaque Creek
Conodoguinet Creek
Philadelphia Birdline
Date: January 27, 2006
Number: 215/567-BIRD
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Armas Hill
Coverage: Delaware Valley, and southern New Jersey
Transcriber: Risė Hill
For Friday, January 27th, this is the
Philadelphia Birdline - from the Academy of
Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and supported
by a number of bird clubs and individuals. I'm
Armas Hill, glad to be back again with you, with
a summary of recent bird news mostly in the Delaware Valley.
Let's start with GEESE:
At Peace Valley, in Bucks County PA, as many as 9
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were seen on Sunday, January 22nd.
There actually seem to be 10 in the area, as
apparently another individual continued to be
seen the previous day. There were reports of that bird on January 17th & 21st.
A few SNOW GEESE have been in the Peace Valley
area. 1 "BLUE" until at least January 17th. 7
white SNOW GEESE on January 21st.
As many as 4 CACKLING GEESE have been in noted in
the Peace Valley area, on January 21st. Three were together.
North of Bucks County, a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GOOSE was at Green Pond in Northampton County, on January 26th.
To the south, in Delaware and Maryland, GEESE of
various species have been seen lately. The
following few reports are from this week's
Birdline Delaware, elsewhere on the internet, and
on the phone at: 302-658-2747.
During mid-January, 6 species of GEESE were observed in Delaware.
There were 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, on
Friday, January 13th, along the road to Fowler
Beach, just beyond the sign advising that beyond
which there are no outlets. Those 4 birds that
day were not with any other geese.
Along Route 24, in a large flock of SNOW GEESE, a
single CACKLING GOOSE was seen.
A fine photo of a single CACKLING GOOSE with SNOW
GEESE can be seen in the Birdline Photo Gallery,
2006. Scroll down the left side of the home page
in the website: www.focusonnature.com
Well, that's 3 species of GEESE. Among flocks of
SNOW GEESE, at times a ROSS' GOOSE can be found.
One was on Sunday, January 8th at the Woodland Beach Refuge.
Number 5, BRANT have been seen along the Delaware
Seacoast, and of course, number 6, CANADA GEESE
can be seen almost anywhere you look.
In nearby Maryland, on Sunday, January 22nd, west
of Chestertown, at Chesapeake Farms, a single
ROSS' GOOSE was found among about 1500 SNOW
GEESE, 8 of which were "BLUE". These GEESE were
at the pond opposite the office.
Here's an interesting note regarding GEESE, or at least as to a GOOSE:
A BARNACLE GOOSE that was shot during the fall of
2005 in eastern Ontario was found to have been
banded in Scotland, at a place called Islay on
November 9, 2004. The find in Canada of the bird
with the band may well be the first such recovery
in Canada, or anywhere in North America.
Back in Pennsylvania, the ORIOLE that's been in
Bethlehem has continued to be seen as of
yesterday, January 26th. Some have said the bird
to be a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE; others a
BULLOCK'S-BALTIMORE HYBRID. There's a website
with as many as 47 photographs (take by a few
different people), if you want to look and see
what you think. In that many photos, the bird can be from a number of angles.
The address for that website, of Dave DeReamus,
is: www.users.fast.net/~becard/index10.html.
One of the oriole photos, by Howard Eskin, is
also in the Birdline Photo Gallery, 2006, noted
above in relation to the geese.
In southern Bucks County PA, GULLS seen on Saturday, January 21st, included:
8 to 9 ICELAND GULLS (2 of them adults, 1
second-year bird, and 5 or 6 first-year birds)
1 GLAUCOUS GULL (a first-year bird)
and some LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.
Nearby, some GREAT CORMORANTS were seen along the
Delaware River. Along the river, as well, a flock
of COMMON MERGANSERS and a PEREGRINE FALCON were at the PA/NJ Turnpike bridge.
In New Jersey, these birds have been seen lately:
At Sandy Hook, at the north end of the Jersey
Shore, a female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE has continued
among a flock of COMMON GOLDENEYE.
Also at Sandy Hook, up to 20 REDHEADS have been
among hundreds of GREATER SCAUP.
Other Sandy Hook species this week have included:
RED-NECKED GREBES (2 of them, each at a different
spot), RAZORBILLS (4 of them), and a RED KNOT (1 on January 21st).
Also along the North Jersey Shore:
A drake EURASIAN WIGEON has been at Little Silver Lake in Point Pleasant Beach.
2 adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have been at Wreck Pond in Spring Lake.
2 RAZORBILLS were seen in Elberson on January 22nd, off Pullman Avenue.
Further south along the Jersey Shore:
At the Barnegat Light State Park, there was a
report on January 22nd of as many as 100 COMMON
EIDERS (wow!), of over 25 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, and about 80 PURPLE SANDPIPERS.
Barnegat Light is at the north end of Long Beach Island.
North of Route 72, west of Long Beach Island, at
the Manahawkin Wildlife Management Area, 2
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were seen on January 22nd.
Also, 6 REDHEADS were at Lake Manahawkin.
Further south yet in New Jersey, at the
Brigantine (or Forsythe) National Wildlife Refuge
on January 23rd, 2 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and a
juvenile GOSHAWK were noted. Also, TREE SWALLOW.
At Stone Harbor, along the South Jersey Shore, a
RED-NECKED GREBE was seen today, January 27th, at
the bayside marina off 80th Street.
Back in Pennsylvania, in south-central PA:
A LARK SPARROW has been in Franklin County, north
of Chambersburg. It was seen as recently as yesterday, January 26th.
Here are directions: On the north side of
Chambersburg, from Route 11 going south, turn
right onto Siloam Road. Go beyond railroad tracks
to the Conococheaque Creek. At a Y, go right onto
Airport Road three-fourths of a mile. Then turn
left onto Shatzer Road a third of mile to where
the road starts uphill. The LARK SPARROW has been
in that area with WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS (and
you'll notice HOUSE SPARROWS too).
Now, let's go from the Conococheaque Creek to the
Conodoguinet Creek. The latter empties into the
Susquehanna River, at the West Fairview Community
Park, near Harrisburg. A TRUMPETER SWAN (with tag
#698) was seen there on January 22nd. Two other SWANS there were MUTE.
Not mute was a BARRED OWL calling in the
afternoon (at 2:30) in the area of the Octoraro
Reservoir on January 22nd. It was on the Chester
County side of the East Branch of the Octararo Creek.
As that afternoon went on toward dusk, as many as
6 GREAT HORNED OWLS were heard calling, at once
time 4 in a serenade. They were on the Chester County side of the lake.
On the Octararo Lake (or Reservoir), among other
ducks there were a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGASNERS (a male & female).
A bit west of Octararo, in Lancaster County,
another species of OWL was seen the next day,
January 23rd. 3 SHORT-EARED OWLS, and 2 HARRIERS
were by Swift and Blackbear Roads. By Swift Road,
near Route 222, there was a sub-adult BALD EAGLE.
Also that day in Lancaster County, a REDHEAD was
seen on a farm pond along Pumping Station Road, near Bartville Road.
And with that, we end for now our summary of
recent bird reports. More, next time.
* Pennsylvania
* Philadelphia
* January 27, 2006
* PAPH0127.06
* Birds mentioned:
Red-necked Grebe (in both north & south NJ)
Great Cormorant
Trumpeter Swan (pa) (tagged)
Mute Swan (pa)
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (a few places; but at 1 as many as 9 at once)
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Brant (de)
Snow Goose
Ross' Goose (de & md)
Barnacle Goose comment
EURASIAN WIGEON (nj)
Redhead (nj & pa)
Greater Scaup
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (nj)
Common Goldeneye
Common Eider (a hundred)
Harlequin Duck
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser (pa)
Northern Goshawk
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Harrier
Peregrine Falcon
Purple Sandpiper
Red Knot
Glaucous Gull (pa)
Iceland Gull (pa)
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Razorbill
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Short-eared Owl
Tree Swallow
House Sparrow (had trouble getting myself to type this one!, but it's noted)
LARK SPARROW (pa)
White-crowned Sparrow
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (or hybrid) (pa)
Conococheaque Creek
Conodoguinet Creek
Philadelphia Birdline
Date: January 27, 2006
Number: 215/567-BIRD
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Armas Hill
Coverage: Delaware Valley, and southern New Jersey
Transcriber: Risė Hill
For Friday, January 27th, this is the
Philadelphia Birdline - from the Academy of
Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and supported
by a number of bird clubs and individuals. I'm
Armas Hill, glad to be back again with you, with
a summary of recent bird news mostly in the Delaware Valley.
Let's start with GEESE:
At Peace Valley, in Bucks County PA, as many as 9
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were seen on Sunday, January 22nd.
There actually seem to be 10 in the area, as
apparently another individual continued to be
seen the previous day. There were reports of that bird on January 17th & 21st.
A few SNOW GEESE have been in the Peace Valley
area. 1 "BLUE" until at least January 17th. 7
white SNOW GEESE on January 21st.
As many as 4 CACKLING GEESE have been in noted in
the Peace Valley area, on January 21st. Three were together.
North of Bucks County, a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GOOSE was at Green Pond in Northampton County, on January 26th.
To the south, in Delaware and Maryland, GEESE of
various species have been seen lately. The
following few reports are from this week's
Birdline Delaware, elsewhere on the internet, and
on the phone at: 302-658-2747.
During mid-January, 6 species of GEESE were observed in Delaware.
There were 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, on
Friday, January 13th, along the road to Fowler
Beach, just beyond the sign advising that beyond
which there are no outlets. Those 4 birds that
day were not with any other geese.
Along Route 24, in a large flock of SNOW GEESE, a
single CACKLING GOOSE was seen.
A fine photo of a single CACKLING GOOSE with SNOW
GEESE can be seen in the Birdline Photo Gallery,
2006. Scroll down the left side of the home page
in the website: www.focusonnature.com
Well, that's 3 species of GEESE. Among flocks of
SNOW GEESE, at times a ROSS' GOOSE can be found.
One was on Sunday, January 8th at the Woodland Beach Refuge.
Number 5, BRANT have been seen along the Delaware
Seacoast, and of course, number 6, CANADA GEESE
can be seen almost anywhere you look.
In nearby Maryland, on Sunday, January 22nd, west
of Chestertown, at Chesapeake Farms, a single
ROSS' GOOSE was found among about 1500 SNOW
GEESE, 8 of which were "BLUE". These GEESE were
at the pond opposite the office.
Here's an interesting note regarding GEESE, or at least as to a GOOSE:
A BARNACLE GOOSE that was shot during the fall of
2005 in eastern Ontario was found to have been
banded in Scotland, at a place called Islay on
November 9, 2004. The find in Canada of the bird
with the band may well be the first such recovery
in Canada, or anywhere in North America.
Back in Pennsylvania, the ORIOLE that's been in
Bethlehem has continued to be seen as of
yesterday, January 26th. Some have said the bird
to be a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE; others a
BULLOCK'S-BALTIMORE HYBRID. There's a website
with as many as 47 photographs (take by a few
different people), if you want to look and see
what you think. In that many photos, the bird can be from a number of angles.
The address for that website, of Dave DeReamus,
is: www.users.fast.net/~becard/index10.html.
One of the oriole photos, by Howard Eskin, is
also in the Birdline Photo Gallery, 2006, noted
above in relation to the geese.
In southern Bucks County PA, GULLS seen on Saturday, January 21st, included:
8 to 9 ICELAND GULLS (2 of them adults, 1
second-year bird, and 5 or 6 first-year birds)
1 GLAUCOUS GULL (a first-year bird)
and some LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.
Nearby, some GREAT CORMORANTS were seen along the
Delaware River. Along the river, as well, a flock
of COMMON MERGANSERS and a PEREGRINE FALCON were at the PA/NJ Turnpike bridge.
In New Jersey, these birds have been seen lately:
At Sandy Hook, at the north end of the Jersey
Shore, a female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE has continued
among a flock of COMMON GOLDENEYE.
Also at Sandy Hook, up to 20 REDHEADS have been
among hundreds of GREATER SCAUP.
Other Sandy Hook species this week have included:
RED-NECKED GREBES (2 of them, each at a different
spot), RAZORBILLS (4 of them), and a RED KNOT (1 on January 21st).
Also along the North Jersey Shore:
A drake EURASIAN WIGEON has been at Little Silver Lake in Point Pleasant Beach.
2 adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have been at Wreck Pond in Spring Lake.
2 RAZORBILLS were seen in Elberson on January 22nd, off Pullman Avenue.
Further south along the Jersey Shore:
At the Barnegat Light State Park, there was a
report on January 22nd of as many as 100 COMMON
EIDERS (wow!), of over 25 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, and about 80 PURPLE SANDPIPERS.
Barnegat Light is at the north end of Long Beach Island.
North of Route 72, west of Long Beach Island, at
the Manahawkin Wildlife Management Area, 2
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were seen on January 22nd.
Also, 6 REDHEADS were at Lake Manahawkin.
Further south yet in New Jersey, at the
Brigantine (or Forsythe) National Wildlife Refuge
on January 23rd, 2 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and a
juvenile GOSHAWK were noted. Also, TREE SWALLOW.
At Stone Harbor, along the South Jersey Shore, a
RED-NECKED GREBE was seen today, January 27th, at
the bayside marina off 80th Street.
Back in Pennsylvania, in south-central PA:
A LARK SPARROW has been in Franklin County, north
of Chambersburg. It was seen as recently as yesterday, January 26th.
Here are directions: On the north side of
Chambersburg, from Route 11 going south, turn
right onto Siloam Road. Go beyond railroad tracks
to the Conococheaque Creek. At a Y, go right onto
Airport Road three-fourths of a mile. Then turn
left onto Shatzer Road a third of mile to where
the road starts uphill. The LARK SPARROW has been
in that area with WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS (and
you'll notice HOUSE SPARROWS too).
Now, let's go from the Conococheaque Creek to the
Conodoguinet Creek. The latter empties into the
Susquehanna River, at the West Fairview Community
Park, near Harrisburg. A TRUMPETER SWAN (with tag
#698) was seen there on January 22nd. Two other SWANS there were MUTE.
Not mute was a BARRED OWL calling in the
afternoon (at 2:30) in the area of the Octoraro
Reservoir on January 22nd. It was on the Chester
County side of the East Branch of the Octararo Creek.
As that afternoon went on toward dusk, as many as
6 GREAT HORNED OWLS were heard calling, at once
time 4 in a serenade. They were on the Chester County side of the lake.
On the Octararo Lake (or Reservoir), among other
ducks there were a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGASNERS (a male & female).
A bit west of Octararo, in Lancaster County,
another species of OWL was seen the next day,
January 23rd. 3 SHORT-EARED OWLS, and 2 HARRIERS
were by Swift and Blackbear Roads. By Swift Road,
near Route 222, there was a sub-adult BALD EAGLE.
Also that day in Lancaster County, a REDHEAD was
seen on a farm pond along Pumping Station Road, near Bartville Road.
And with that, we end for now our summary of
recent bird reports. More, next time.