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Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert
Last updated
Thursday, February 28, 2008 2:28 PM
Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert - Thursday January
24, 2008
brought to you from Philadelphia by the Delaware
Valley Ornithological Club and the Academy of Natural Sciences
The phone number to report sightings or hear the current RBA is 215-240-7547. You may leave your sightings after the recording or hit the one (1) key at any time to skip the recording and leave a message. The Hotline will be updated every Thursday afternoon and a weekend wrap-up update will be recorded every Monday morning. The Hotline will also be updated in the event any especially important rarities appear in the Delaware Valley Region such as Ivory Gull, Long-billed Murrelet, Red-footed Falcon, etc.
This spoken word version of the hotline is an abbreviated version of what's available here. Our current announcer for the RBA is Tony Croasdale, though, there will doubtlessly be others who contribute in this respect. Please call in and enjoy the Hotline, and feel free to call that number to report rarities.
Submit reports to
or 215-240-7547
(Submission guidelines)
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| Current report - January 24, 2007
- Birds Mentioned Horned Grebe Hotline: Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert Welcome to the Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert, a service provided by the joint efforts of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC), covering the Delaware Valley Regions of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I'm Steve Kacir your guide for birding in the Greater Philadelphia Region. For January 24, 2008 we highlight reports of BARNACLE GOOSE, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, BOHEMIAN WAXWING and BULLOCK’S ORIOLE. For New Jersey: In Cape May County, Lily Lake had 2 REDHEADS and a CANVASBACK on January 23. The continuing BARNACLE GOOSE was on Lily Lake on January 20. A female COMMON EIDER was offshore from the dune crossover at Coral Ave on January 17, and three hen COMMON EIDERS were off the St Mary’s Jetty on January 23. A PINE SISKIN flew past Cape May Point State Park and a flock of 25 SNOW BUNTINGS was on the beach on January 20. A BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was seen from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry that day as well. A flock of over 100 AMERICAN PIPITS was at the field across from Hidden Valley Ranch on January 23. A dozen RED KNOTS have been seen at Hereford Inlet. The Two Mile Beach Unit of the Cape May NWR had HARLEQUIN DUCKS at the tip of the far jetty at Cold Spring Inlet on January 24. From Poverty Beach that day, 9 COMMON EIDERS were seen. On January 19, Kimbles Beach had a NELSON’S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW; the bird was in the marsh behind the south end of the beach along a small path, which is part of The Nature Conservancy’s Hand Landing Preserve. Three SHORT-EARED OWLS and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK haunted Jake’s Landing that day, and 5 SHORT-EARED OWLS were there on January 23. Two SHORT-EARED OWLS haunted the fields nearest Route 9 at Mott Creek in Atlantic County on January 21. On January 21, a MARBLED GODWIT was with oystercatchers at the Absecon Channel mudflats just over the bridge to Brigantine Island. On January 23, Edwin B Forsythe NWR at Brigantine had an AMERICAN BITTERN seen from Gull Pond Rd and a SHORT-EARED OWL flying over the east pool. In Ocean County this weekend, Barnegat Lighthouse State Park had 20 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, a COMMON EIDER, IPSWICH SPARROW and PURPLE SANDPIPERS. Meanwhile, Cedar Run Dock Rd had 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS that evening. Manahawkin Bay had TUNDRA SWANS on January 21. A COMMON REDPOLL called from South Amboy in Monmouth County on January 17. Fifteen SNOW BUNTINGS were at Shark River Inlet on January 21. Three REDHEADS were on Lake Takanassee January 20-21, and only 2 REDHEADS on January 22. Sandy Hook continued to host BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS (Click Here to see pictures of this bird on Karl and Judy Lukens's website) through January 21; the birds are associating with flocks of robins and CEDAR WAXWINGS. The birds have been seen in the trees behind the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory, Raccoon Alley (the bike path between Guardian Park and the maintenance building at Randolph Rd. The TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE was most recently reported on January 21; the SOLITAIRE has been seen reliably around the maintenance building at the end of Randolph Rd (Click Here to see pictures of this bird on Karl and Judy Lukens's website). A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was in the vicinity of the Sayreville Landfill in Middlesex County. In Gloucester County, the National Park area had a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on January 17. The Pole Farm in Mercer County Park Northwest had at least 7 SHORT-EARED OWLS on January 19, and the owls were seen as recently as January 21. A ROSS’S GOOSE was with a SNOW GOOSE flock in a field near Nimrod Rd in Salem County at the Mannington Marsh area on January 22. On January 20, the Husted Landing crane flock in Cumberland County was scrutinized up close, revealing the continuing COMMON CRANE, 4 probable hybrids and 11 SANDHILL CRANES. A dark morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was at Newport Landing on January 21. In Burlington County on January 19, the Whitesbog NORTHERN SHRIKE was in the second cranberry bog after the woods past the small village. On January 21, the SHRIKE was observed at the field between the first and second impoundment and along the autoroute perched in dead trees on the right near the first drained bog. The SHRIKE was most recently reported on January 23. Whitesbog also had TUNDRA SWANS in the adjacent bog, and 12-15 COMMON REDPOLLS fed in birch trees next to the paved road before the village store. The REDPOLLS were seen as recently as January 21. On January 19, an IPSWICH SPARROW was in a grassy field in Southampton Twp. That day, Franklin Parker Preserve had a flock of 6 PINE WARBLERS. For Delaware: Nesting BALD EAGLES were observed at Hoopes Reservoir in New Castle County on January 21. In Kent County, a pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS was observed on January 21 at Armstrong Farms, just east of Smyrna in DE Breeding Bird Atlas Block #55. For more on the DE Breeding Bird Atlas and links to get involved, see our Announcements section of the RBA. In Sussex County, Fowler’s Beach had an ICELAND GULL, NELSON’S GULL (GLAUCOUS X HERRING GULL) and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on January 19. That day, the RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was seen at Deep Branch Rd. A BALD EAGLE and COMMON GOLDENEYE were at Haven Lake in Milford, and 4 TUNDRA SWANS were on Griffith Lake. On January 19, a SHORT-EARED OWL flew along Broadkill Rd near Broadkill Beach. On January 19, Cape Henlopen State Park had a BLACK-HEADED GULL at Herring Point. Lighthouse Point had IPSWICH SPARROWS, and there were 4-6 COMMON REDPOLLS with the 120-140 SNOW BUNTINGS at Lighthouse Point. On January 21, the SNOW BUNTING flock was estimated at several hundred strong. A RED CROSSBILL was at the campground parking lot on January 21, and other birds in the area included RED-BREASTED and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES. A HARLEQUIN DUCK was at the breakwater area over the weekend, and that location had HORNED GREBE and COMMON EIDER on January 19. The bay side of Cape Henlopen had a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on January 21. Indian River Inlet hosted COMMON EIDER and PURPLE SANDPIPERS on January 19. For Pennsylvania: In Philadelphia County, an Eastern PALM WARBLER and a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK at the pipeline cut at John Heinz NWR at Tinicum on January 24. A PINE SISKIN was at a feeder in Ambler, Montgomery County on January 19. On January 20, Green Lane Reservoir had a CACKLING GOOSE and 2 SNOW GEESE. The Green Lane Nature Center feeders had up to 4 PURPLE FINCHES and a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE January 20-21. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK flew over the Delaware River across from Westminster Cemetery on January 19. Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County had a HERMIT THRUSH on January 22. In Bucks County, the Churchville Nature Center (see also) hosted LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, ICELAND GULL and a light morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK on January 19. On January 19, Falls Township Community Park had a GLAUCOUS GULL and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, while Franklin’s Cove had ICELAND GULLS. The gulls at Nockamixon State Park on January 20 included a first cycle THAYER’S GULL, 250 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and 2 ICELAND GULLS, 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED X HERRING GULL Hybrids, and a third cycle NELSON’S GULL (HERRING X GLAUCOUS GULL Hybrid). Peace Valley Park recently had 1000 COMMON MERGANSERS, 2 COMMON GOLDENEYES and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS. Warminster Community Park had 14 HORNED LARKS in the grassy vacant lot at Veterans Dr and Johnsville Blvd on January 20. On January 22, Core Creek Park had a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and 10 PURPLE FINCHES. Graver’s Hill in Moore Twp, Northampton County had a CACKLING GOOSE January 18-19 and a flock of over 14 SNOW BUNTINGS on January 18. A REDHEAD and CACKLING GOOSE were on the far shore of the Delaware River just above Foul Rift Rd at the Tekening Hiking Trails of Martins Creek Environmental Preserve on January 21. That day, an adult ICELAND GULL was at Dutch Springs Quarry. On January 19, three SHORT-EARED OWLS hunted over the fields near Middle Creek WMA’s Willow Point Trail in Lancaster County. A COMMON REDPOLL was at a feeder in Holtwood on January 20. In Berks County on January 20, Lake Ontelaunee had GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, HERMIT THRUSH along with 10 AMERICAN PIPITS in a field near Peters Creek. PINE SISKINS and PURPLE FINCHES visited feeders near Dryville. On January 20, an extralimital LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was once again seen near the intersection of Pumping Station Rd and Cunningham Rd, outside of Gettysburg in Adams County. The extralimital male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE at David Troyer's
feeders in Juniata County was most recently reported on January 19. To
reach the property from Route 22/322, take the Mifflintown/ McAlisterville
Exit for Route 35. Head north into the small village of Oakland Mills
and turn left onto Oakland Rd. You will see signs for the Lost Creek Shoe
Shop, which is the Troyers’ business. Once on Oakland Rd go less
than a mile and pull into the Shoe Shop parking lot on the left. Across
the road will be two driveways, and the one on the left belongs to David
Troyer. DO NOT PULL INTO THE DRIVEWAY, as you will likely spook the bird.
Walk up the driveway, and the feeders will be on the far left. The Troyers
request that you stay as far to the right of the house and driveway as
possible, walk back around the house and look from the other side of the
house. The Troyers have kindly given permission for Sunday visits, but
please respect their privacy if they do not come out of the house. The
Troyers also request that visitors sign their sign-in book. You can stop
in the shoe store for updates.
EXTRALIMITAL: MARYLAND: In St Mary’s County, Point Lookout State Park had an EARED GREBE in the pond by the boat ramp on January 19. NEW YORK: A SLATY-BACKED GULL was seen at Cornell
University’s Stevenson Rd compost pile on January 22. The SLATY-BACKED
GULL was there again on January 23, and was also seen at the southern
edge of Cayuga Lake at Stewart Park in Ithaca. Long Island had 2 adult
male KING EIDERS and a DOVEKIE at Camp Hero on January 19, and 1 male
KING EIDER on January 20. KING EIDERS were at Bayville on January 18.
Seven KING EIDERS were at Ditch Plains along with a probable THICK-BILLED
MURRE. Another KING EIDER was off the lighthouse at Montauk on January
19-20, and one was seen on January 23 off the north side of the point.
A SNOWY OWL was seen on an island in the bay east of the Ponquogue Bridge
January 17-23. Another SNOWY OWL has been seen at Hobart Beach on Eaton
Neck in Northport for about a month, seen as recently as January 23. On
January 23, a SNOWY OWL was seen on Hicks Island from Lazy Point, and
another was near the inlet seen from Road I off of Dune Rd. The PINK-FOOTED
GOOSE and BARNACLE GOOSE in Montauk were most recently reported on January
23. An apparent first year male SCOTT’S ORIOLE was reported from
midtown Manhattan on January 23-24; the ORIOLE was near the bronze statue
of Mahatma Gandhi in the southwest corner of Union Square Park near the
corner of East 14th St and Union Square West. On Thursday, the bird favored
the north side of the park, especially near the corner of 16th St and
Union Square West. *** ANNOUNCEMENTS *** On January 26, Martin Selzer will lead a DVOC field trip to Cape May for seabirds and wintering waterfowl, ending the day at Jake’s Landing for Short-eared Owls. Dress for the weather and bring a lunch and your scope. The field trip will meet at 8:30am at the parking lot of the Wawa at the intersection of Routes 347 and 47. There is no field trip fee, and both members and non-members are welcome. Please contact Martin Selzer if you plan on attending. Directions and contact information for the trip leader are on the DVOC website. The next meeting of the DVOC is on Thursday February 7 at 7:30pm at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, when Nathan Gregory will present “Impacts of Controlled Fires and Traditional Livestock Grazing on Bird Communities in Kenya.” Debbie Beer will present an Ornithological Study entitled “Sexing Bald Eagles.” Details are on the website, and guests are welcome. See Life Paulagics is running pelagic trips in the Delaware Valley region. On the schedule is a trip out of Freeport, NY on Sunday Feb 3, and a trip out of Lewes, DE on Saturday Feb 23. This is a prime time of year for finding Dovekies, and there have been multiple sighting from shore already this winter. For more information, call 215-234-6805 or visit them on the web at http://www.paulagics.com The second Delaware Breeding Bird Atlas kicks off this
year. Please consider taking part in this massive citizen science project
to study the map the distribution of birds breeding in Delaware and compare
the data with that gathered by the first Delaware Breeding Bird Atlas
from 20 years ago. For more information contact the BBA Coordinator, Anthony
Gonzon at [email protected] or (302)-653-2880. and also at: Additional resources can also be found at: http://www.dvoc.org/DelValBirding/DelawareBBA/Index.htm The Delmarva Ornithological Society (DOS) is asking birders to post winter American Kestrel sightings in the state of Delaware. This marks the club’s second year of mapping winter sightings from November 15 to Mar 15. Last year nearly 150 reports were mapped. Please use the web site www.dosbirds.org and the user-friendly map tool to locate and document your sightings. Wyncote Audubon Society will meet on Feb 15 at 7:30pm at the Plymouth Meeting House at the intersection of Germantown and Butler Pikes in Plymouth Meeting, PA. The program will be “The Dry Tortugas” by Adrian Binns, and the program is free and open to the public. A hybrid LESSER BLACK-BACKED X HERRING GULL hatched and was banded this past summer at Appledore Island in Maine. The bird has a large white-on-green “N02” band on the left leg, and a silver ring on the right. If you see this bird, please contact Bill Etter or email us at and we will forward the sightings to the interested parties. For photos of this gull, visit http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v230/billetter/Apple/ The Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert is a weekly report on birding in the Delaware Valley Region including Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. To report birds or significant upcoming birding events and planned pelagic trips, please email . This is Steve Kacir, good birding to you all and thanks for calling, surfing and reporting.
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DVOC Rare Bird Alert Committee
Steve Kacir - Chair
Tony Croasdale
Bert Filemyr
Paul Guris
Rob Hynson
Mike Lyman
Nate Rice