* Pennsylvania
* Philadelphia
* PAPH0509.23
* September 23, 2005
- Birds mentioned
Cory's Shearwater
Audubon's Shearwater
King Eider
Black Scoter
Surf Scoter
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Glossy Ibis
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Broad-Winged Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Golden Plover
Black-bellied Plover
American Avocet
Hudsonian Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Western Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-Breasted Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Short-billed Dowitcher
Parasitic Jaeger
Little Gull
Laughing Gull
Caspian Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black Tern
Black Skimmer
Eurasian Collared Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Least Flycatcher
Blue-headed Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
American Pipit
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Palm Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Bobolink
Purple Finch
Transcript
Hotline: Philadelphia Birdline
Date: September 23, 2005
Number: 215-567-BIRD (2473)
To Report: Armas Hill, 302-529-1876 (VOICE)
302-529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap@wittnet.com)
Coverage: Delaware Valley, Delmarva Peninsula, Southern New Jersey
Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap@wittnet.com)
For Friday, September 23rd, this is the Philadelphia Birdline. The birdline
is sponsored by several bird clubs from the Delaware Valley and comes to you
from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. I'm Andy Ednie,
substituting for Armas Hill, who is away this week in Spain.
A HUDSONIAN GODWIT was seen on Thursday at the John Heinz NEEC at Tinicum.
The refuge is bone dry right now, concentrating food sources and providing
good habitat for shorebirds. A RUDDY TURNSTONE was also seen, along with
good numbers of PECTORAL and STILT SANDPIPER, both YELLOWLEGS and both
LONG-BILLED and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS.
About a hundred DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, 75 GREAT EGRETS, CASPIAN TERN,
and BALD EAGLE are enjoying the easy pickings. A PEREGRINE FALCON was also
seen chasing the shorebirds. Saturday is the Cradle of Birding Festival at
the Heinz refuge.
A EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE was found this week in Lancaster Co. at Peach
Bottom Village. Another exotic, a MANDARIN DUCK was seen at Chambers Lake,
near Coatsville in Chester Co.
The Conejohelia Flats in Lancaster Co. near Washington Boro continues to
harbor lots of shorebirds. 14 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS, 5 BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVERS, SANDERLING and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, along with CASPIAN TERN,
LAUGHING GULL, and 4 American Pipits were reported on Tuesday.
On Tuesday at Lake Ontelantee near Reading, there were 4 AMERICAN GOLDEN
PLOVERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, 30 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SOLITARY SPOTTED,
SEMIPALMATED, WESTERN and PECTORAL SANDPIPER.
In Delaware Co, 3 PURPLE FINCHES mixed in with ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS were
seen along the Bridle Trail at Ridley Creek State Park, near Gradyville.
The best BROAD-WINGED HAWK flight of the season occurred this week. At Rose
Tree Hawk Watch in Media, Delaware Co on Wednesday, 690 BROAD-WINGS, with 25
SHARP-SHINS, 12 KESTRELS, and 6 BALD EAGLES were reported. Hawk Mountain in
Berks co had 455 BROAD-WINGS on Thursday. Almost 200 BROAD-WINGS a day have
been coming down past the mountain all week.
The first WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and DARK-EYED JUNCO of the season were
reported this week in Northampton co. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was also seen
this week just across the river in New Jersey, in Burlington co.
In Burlington Co., at Palmyra, there was an excellent passerine flight on
Wednesday, including 6 species of Vireo (with PHILADELPHIA and BLUE-HEADED,
only missed WHITE-EYE!). Highlights at Palmyra this week were 2 CONNECTICUT
WARBLERS, a MOURNING WARBLER, LEAST FLYCATCHER, both BLACK-BILLED and
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, and lots of ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS. WARBLERS
included: NASHVILLE, YELLOW, MAGNOLIA, CAPE MAY, CHESTNUT-SIDED,
BLACK-THROATED BLUE, BLACK-THROATED GREEN, BLACKPOLL, BLACKBURNIAN, PALM,
AMERICAN REDSTART, and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH.
The year of the BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER continues. This marks the third week
in a row that BUFF-BREASTED has been highlighted on the birdline. Double
figures were seen at the Johnson Sod farm off Rt 77, Cumberland Co. this
week. Lesser numbers were seen at the Delea sod Farm off Rt 40 in Salem Co.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS continue to be seen at the Forsytle NWR at
Brigantine, along WITH AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, and 2 AMERICAN AVOCETS.
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN also continues at the refuge.
St Mary's at Cape May Point has been hot lately. Seen last week there were
LITTLE GULL and BLACK TERN on Saturday, PARASITIC JAEGER, SANDWICH TERN, and
BLACK SKIMMER. KING EIDER and both BLACK and SURF SCOTER have been seen
along the rock jetty.
The first RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS of the season are starting to arrive at
Higbee Beach. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES are seen almost daily. Good numbers of
tanagers moved through last week, along with PARULA, PALM, and
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.
At Bivalve in Cumberland Co., a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and a YELLOW-THROATED
WARBLER were seen along Strawberry Lane.
In Delaware, possibly two CURLEW SANDPIPERS, both in basic plumage, were
seen this week. One was at Bombay Hook, seen at the south end of Bear Swamp.
AMERICAN AVOCET, PECTORAL and STILT SANDPIPER were also seen. The reeds
along the Raymond and Shearness dikes are full of BOBOLINK still. The
refuge, like Tinicum, is bone dry right now.
Another CURLEW SANDPIPER was seen Tuesday evening at the north pond of the
Logan Tract off the Kitts Hummock Rd. There has been an AMERICAN WHITE
PELICAN at the northeast corner of the north pond all week, but it's unclear
of this is the same pelican that was there last month, or a different bird.
A single HUDSONAIN GODWIT was also at the north pond Tuesday evening. Logan
Tract will be closed on Saturdays for hunting now.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS continue to be seen at the Broadkill Beach
impoundments of Prime hook NWR. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
were also seen there.
A SANDWICH TERN was among the terns and gulls loafing at Gordon' s Pond on
Saturday. Gordon's is also bone dry, and full of long-legged waders: 200
GREAT EGRET, 400 SNOWY EGRET, GREAT BLUE HERON, TRICOLORED HERON, CATTLE
EGRET, GREEN HERON, and GLOSSY IBIS.
Some pelagic data, a fishing boat out in Wilmington Canyon on Sunday,
reported AUDUBON'S and CORY'S SHEARWATER. The observer sent several
pictures, including a nice shot of BRIDLED TERN. Thanks Nick!
Call your bird reports to (302) 792-9591 or email me at ednieap@wittnet.com.
Thank you for calling, good birding.
-end transcript