| Current
report - Thursday June 12, 2008
- Birds Mentioned
Click Here for species
accounts for many of these birds
Little Egret +++
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher +
+ (Details requested by New
Jersey Birds Records Committee)
++ (Details requested by Pennsylvania
Ornthological Records Committee)
+++ (Details requested by Delaware
Records Committee)
Common Loon
Wilson's Storm-petrel
American White Pelican
Great Egret
Tricolored Heron
Black-crowned Night-heron
Snow Goose
Gadwall
Blue-winged Teal
Surf Scoter
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Osprey
Northern Bobwhite
Virginia Rail
Piping Plover
Black-necked Stilt
Spotted Sandpiper
Red Knot
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Common Nighthawk
Whip-poor-will
White-rumped Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
American Woodcock
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Least Tern
Pileated Woodpecker
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Prairie Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Summer Tanager
Grasshopper Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Dickcissel
Orchard Oriole
Hotline: Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert
Email reports to:
Compilers: Steve Kacir and
Tony Croasdale - Delaware
Valley Ornithological Club
Phone: (215) 240-7547
URL: http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm
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. This week,
we highlight reports of LITTLE EGRET in Kent County, DE and SCISSOR-TAILED
FLYCATCHER in Atlantic County, NJ.
For New Jersey:
Cape
May County:
On June 5 & 8, WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS were seen off the St Mary’s
Jetty. Nine more WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS were seen from a fishing
boat at Brandywine Shoal, with one near the inlet to the Cape May Canal.
This week’s highlights from The Nature Conservancy’s Cape
May Migratory Bird Refuge were BLUE GROSBEAKS, GADWALLS, AMERICAN WOODCOCKS,
PIPING PLOVERS, LEAST and CASPIAN TERNS. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was
seen at the refuge on June 8-9, and a TRICOLORED HERON flew by on June
9. That day Norbury’s Landing had a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, and
a BLUE GROSBEAK sang at The Villas WMA. A late ALDER FLYCATCHER sang from
the north side of the Bunker Pond at Cape May Point State Park on June
7. That day, a walk through the Rea Farm revealed BLUE GROSBEAKS and PROTHONOTARY
WARBLERS. Pine Swamp Rd at Belleplain State Forest had PROTHONOTARY and
HOODED WARBLERS. Two dozen ROYAL TERNS were seen nesting in the Hereford
Inlet area. On June 11, both an adult SANDWICH TERN and a first summer
SANDWICH TERN were at Champagne Island along with 2 lingering RED KNOTS
and 2 WESTERN SANDPIPERS.
Atlantic
County:
The SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was seen again at the Brigantine Division
of Edwin B Forsyth NWR on June 5. The Brigantine GLAUCOUS GULL was at
the spit at the dike road’s dogleg and at the “cormorant island”
on June 6 and was still at the refuge on June 7. A SANDWICH TERN and VIRGINIA
RAIL were also at Brigantine on June 7. Other sightings from Brigantine
this week included TRICOLORED HERON, NORTHERN BOBWHITE, BLUE GROSBEAK,
GULL-BILLED and CASPIAN TERNS.
Monmouth
County:
A SURF SCOTER and COMMON LOON were at Sandy Hook’s Horseshoe Cove
on June 9. On June 11, BANK SWALLOWS were seen from the Davis Station
Rd bridge in Imlaystown.
Burlington
County:
Rancocas State Park had a singing BLUE GROSBEAK on June 6. On June 11,
COMMON NIGHTHAWKS performed their “booming” display near the
Carranza Memorial in Wharton State Forest, and WHIP-POOR-WILLS were calling
in that area as well.
Somerset
County:
The Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve had GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS on
June 11.
For Delaware:
New
Castle County:
On June 7, a COMMON MERGANSER was roosting on a sandbar at Brandywine
Creek near the PA border. Two COMMON LOONS were on Hoopes Reservoir on
June 6. The Middle Run Natural Area had PRAIRIE WARBLER and ORCHARD ORIOLE.
A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW has been visiting a yard in Claymont.
Kent
County:
A LITTLE EGRET was discovered at the north end of Shearness Pool at Bombay
Hook NWR on June 7. The LITTLE EGRET was seen at the far end of Shearness
Pool near the floodgate just before the Parsons Point Trailhead June and
at Bear Swamp on June 8-9. On June 10, the LITTLE EGRET was first found
at the end of the tidal flats at the north end of Shearness Pool, before
it flew over to the center of Bear Swamp Pool. The most recent sighting
came from opposite Bear Swamp on June 12 (seen as late at 4:30 pm). Other
birds at Bombay Hook this week included BLACK-NECKED STILTS, including
at least one bird on a nest
Click
here to enjoy pictures of the Little Egret on Donna Tolbert-Anderson's
website
Click
Here to enjoy pictures of the Little Egret on Howard Eskin's website.
Sussex
County:
The fields at Hunting Quarter Rd still had 3 DICKCISSELS and GRASSHOPPER
SPARROWS on June 8, and singing DICKCISSELS were still in the area on
June 11. A BLACK-NECKED STILT was seen from Old Furnace Rd in Seaford
on June 7. A YELLOW-THROATED VIREO and CASPIAN TERN were at Haven Lake
on June 8. On June 11, a SUMMER TANAGER was at the Old Postal Road Trail
at Blair’s Pond, and a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO was at the pond’s
edge. A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER has been singing along the Johnson’s
Branch boardwalk at Abbott’s Pond. A kayaking trip around Cape Henlopen
found RED KNOTS and ROYAL TERNS.
For Pennsylvania:
Philadelphia
County:
On June 5, a DARK-EYED JUNCO was at the Schuylkill Center.
Chester
County:
A WHITE-EYED VIREO sang at Kenilworth Park on June 9.
Montgomery
County:
Click Here
for information on DVOC member Steve
Kacir's Montgomery County Big year.
On June 8, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were at Dove Lake, and a GREAT EGRET
flew over Riverbend Environmental Education Center. A male PILEATED WOODPECKER
was at the Winsor Trail in Lower Merion. A female RUDDY DUCK was at the
Walt Rd area of Green Lane Reservoir on June 7. On the evening of June
6, the Church Rd area of Green Lane had 2 hen COMMON MERGANSERS, a drake
in eclipse plumage and 11 COMMON MERGANSER ducklings.
Bucks
County:
A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON and SPOTTED SANDPIPER were at Churchville
Nature Center on June 6. That day, a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER sang near the
Chapman Rd Bridge at Peace Valley Park, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER was
heard from that area. Other recent highlights for Peace Valley were a
SNOW GOOSE on Lake Galena, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT at the uphill end of the
first clearing beyond the footbridge behind the nature center, a couple
lingering OSPREYS and an active CLIFF SWALLOW colony on the concrete control
tower and walkway. A family of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS was at Warminster Community
Park on June 7.
Northampton
County:
Two WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were at the flooded field at Green Pond on
June 5. Other highlights from Green Pond were BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON,
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, SEMIPALMATED and LEAST SANDPIPERS.
Lehigh
County:
A drake BLUE-WINGED TEAL was at the retention pond at 860 Nestle Way on
June 5. A BLUE GROSBEAK near Leaser Lake was seen from Spring House Rd
on June 5-7, and another was at the Grand Central Landfill on June 4.
On June 9, a COMMON LOON was on the Lehigh River at the Lehigh Gap Nature
Center.
Schuylkill
County:
A LEAST FLYCATCHER was at Sweet Arrow Lake on June 5.
Berks
County:
Work on the PA Breeding Bird Atlas in block 80B41 revealed PILEATED WOODPECKERS,
HOODED WARBLERS and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.
Lancaster
County:
A GRASSHOPPER SPARROW sang just outside of Susquehannock State Park on
June 5. A VIRGINIA RAIL was seen at Woods Edge Pond on June 11.
EXTRALIMITAL REPORTS:
MARYLAND:
An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was seen in the Fairfield section of Baltimore,
Baltimore County near Fort McHenry through June 11.
CONNECTICUT:
A SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was seen on June 10 at Bradley International
Airport in East Granby, Hartford County.
*** ANNOUNCEMENTS ***
ATTENTION WOOD SANDPIPER FANS: Liz Gordon has set up
an online guest book for any and all who went down to Broadkill Rd to
see the Wood Sandpiper. The guest book will provide data for a University
of Delaware Shorebird Economic study. Please visit the site below by Clicking
Here and fill out the short survey found there
On June 28, Steve
Kacir will lead a DVOC field trip to Wharton State Forest. The trip
will meet at the Carranza Memorial at 6:00PM. Target species include displaying
Common Nighthawks, calling Whip-poor-will and possibly Chuck-will’s-widow.
Please contact Steve Kacir if you plan on attending.
Contact information and more information about the field trip are on the
DVOC website: http://www.dvoc.org
The next meeting of the DVOC is on Thursday July 10
at 7:30pm at Palmyra Cove Nature Park in Palmyra, NJ. This informal meeting
will feature short presentations including Rob
Hynson’s “Southeast Arizona” and Bert
Filemyr’s “A Raptor ID Puzzle” and “Behind
the Curtain of the DVOC Website.” Details are on the website, and
guests are always welcome.
The second Delaware Breeding
Bird Atlas has already made great strides this year. Please consider contributing
to this massive citizen science project to study and map the distribution
of birds breeding in Delaware. For more information contact the DE BBA
Coordinator, Anthony Gonzon at [email protected] or call (302)
653-2880. More information is available at the DE BBA Website:http://www.fw.delaware.gov/BBA
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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