Current report - Thursday July 10, 2008

- Birds Mentioned
Click Here for species accounts for many of these birds

Little Egret +++
White Ibis +
White Ibis ++
Eurasian Collared-dove +
Western Kingbird ++


+ (Details requested by New Jersey Birds Records Committee)
++ (Details requested by Pennsylvania Ornthological Records Committee)
+++ (Details requested by Delaware Records Committee)

Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Northern Gannet
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Least Bittern
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Northern Bobwhite
Common Moorhen
Sandhill Crane
Black-bellied Plover
Piping Plover
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Western Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Barred Owl
Common Nighthawk
Chuck-will's-widow
Whip-poor-will
Red-headed Woodpecker
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Horned Lark
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Blue-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow-throated Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Clay-colored Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Blue Grosbeak
Dickcissel
Bobolink
Pin-tailed Whydah

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; WHITE IBIS in Atlantic County, NJ and Lancaster County, PA and EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE in Cape May County, NJ.

For New Jersey:

Cape May County:
Click Here for Cape May County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

A EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE has been in the area of New England Rd between Bay Springs Alpaca Farm and the alternate Higbee Beach WMA parking lot, with the most recent report coming from July 9. Please respect private property in this area if you look for the dove. Hints of Fall migration have begun to appear in Cape May with reports of CASPIAN TERN, WORM-EATING WARBLER, BANK and CLIFF SWALLOWS. PIPING PLOVERS and BLUE GROSBEAK were at Cape May Point State Park this week, and the RUDDY DUCK was on the Lighthouse Pond on July 3. On July 7, a NORTHERN GANNET and BROWN PELICAN were seen off the point. The Nature Conservancy’s Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge had a HOODED MERGANSER and a GULL-BILLED TERN on July 3. PECTORAL SANDPIPER was reported there July 2-3 & July 7. A WHIMBREL was at Grassy Sound near North Wildwood on July 6. On July 5, Belleplain State Forest had 6 SUMMER TANAGERS at Franks Rd, and a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT were off Cedar Bridge Rd. That day, a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER was found along Fulling Mill Rd off Route 47 near Rio Grande. Champagne Island had 3 SANDWICH TERNS on July 3. The ponds just south of the Stone Harbor Point parking lot had PIPING PLOVERS with chicks. WESTERN WILLETS are beginning to appear at Stone Harbor Point.

Atlantic County:
Click Here for Atlantic County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN and an immature WHITE IBIS were at the Brigantine Division of Edwin B Forsythe NWR through July 9. An adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was there on July 6, and an AMERICAN AVOCET was found in the west pool before the tower on July 9. A WHIMBREL was at the NW corner of Brigantine’s West Pool on July 3, and a WHIMBREL was reported on July 9 as well. Other sightings from Brigantine included GULL-BILLED TERNS, CASPIAN TERN, NORTHERN BOBWHITES and BLUE GROSBEAKS.

Cumberland County:
Click Here for Cumberland County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

WHIP-POOR-WILLS, SUMMER and SCARLET TANAGERS were at Bear Swamp along Route 555 outside of Dividing Creek.

Ocean County:
Click Here for Ocean County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

Manahawkin WMA had a HOODED MERGANSER in the channel on the east side of the almost dried out pond on July 6. Other sightings there included TRICOLORED HERON, 3 NORTHERN HARRIERS, SEASIDE SPARROWS and 4 SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS.

Monmouth County:
Click Here for Monmouth County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

On July 5-6, Assunpink WMA had YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS and BLUE GROSBEAKS on the hilltop north of East Branch Rd near the air navigation structures. On July 5, four DICKCISSELS were singing in Upper Freehold Twp. The DICKCISSELS were found along Polhemustown Rd between Route 539 and Walnford Rd. Three were in a scrubby field north of Polhemustown Rd, within a quarter mile of its intersection with Walnford Rd. The fourth DICKCISSEL was in another scrubby field farther east on Polhemustown Rd. Also seen in this area were 8 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, 4 BLUE GROSBEAKS and 2 pairs of BOBOLINKS. An adult SANDWICH TERN roosted with other terns at the north end of Plum Island at Sandy Hook on July 7.

Burlington County:
Click Here for Burlington County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

Brendan Byrne (formerly Lebanon) State Forest continued to host RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, SCARLET and SUMMER TANAGERS at the Red-headed Woodpecker Habitat Enhancement Area on June 28-29. To reach the Enhancement Area, take Headquarters Rd off Route 72 towards Shinns Road. Turn Left on Shinns Road and take the first dirt road on the right immediately after the maintenance yard, driving to the sign for the Enhancement Area. A parking area is on the left and a trail leads from the parking area to an open area being managed for RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS.

Salem County:
Click Here for Salem County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

On July 3, Compromise Rd had 8 CATTLE EGRETS, and 18 more were in a hayfield at the intersection of Kings Highway and Biddle Rd. A COMMON MOORHEN and its chick were at the Kings Highway Bridge area of Mannington Marsh.

Gloucester County:
Click Here for Gloucester County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

No reports

Hunterdon County:
Click Here for Hunterdon County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

No reports

Mercer County:
Click Here for Mercer County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

On July 3, a drake BUFFLEHEAD in eclipse plumage was on the pond at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Hopewell site (the old Mobil Technical Center) near Pennington. Though this site is not open to the public, the waterfowl that frequent this area often spend time on nearby bodies of water including Rosedale Lake, Baldwin Lake, or the pond at the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association.

Warren County:
Click Here for Warren County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

No reports

For Delaware:

A PIN-TAILED WHYDAH was reported in Wilmington, a common pet store species native to East Africa. The sighting was the third or fourth record of a free-ranging PIN-TAILED WHYDAH in Delaware.

Kent County:
Click Here for Kent County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

On July 5, the LITTLE EGRET returned to the bayside of Shearness Pool at Bombay Hook NWR, and was reported as recently as July 7. Single BLACK-BILLED and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS were reported from the Finis Pool area that day. Shorebird diversity was up, with twelve species of shorebirds including BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, breeding plumaged STILT SANDPIPERS and SPOTTED SANDPIPER. On July 8, shorebirds included STILT SANDPIPERS and 3 WILSON’S PHALAROPES at Raymond Pool, with a flyby PECTORAL SANDPIPER at Shearness Pool. On July 5 a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT sang from a field near the entrance gate and a CASPIAN TERN flew past Shearness Pool before loafing on a mudflat on the bayside. Towards the end of that day, a LEAST BITTERN flew from the bayside to the impoundment at Bear Swamp. Additional highlights from Bombay Hook were PROTHONOTARY WARBLERS and BARRED OWLS at Finis Pool, good numbers of BLACK-NECKED STILTS and 140 AMERICAN AVOCETS at Raymond Pool, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, NORTHERN BOBWHITES, WILLOW FLYCATCHERS and BLUE GROSBEAKS. Port Mahon Rd had a ROYAL TERN on July 8.

Sussex County:
Click Here for Sussex County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

COMMON NIGHTHAWKS and CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOWS were reported from the woods around the road before the Biden Nature Center at Cape Henlopen State Park on July 7.

For Pennsylvania:

Philadelphia County:
Click Here for Philadelphia County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

No reports

Chester County:
Click Here for Chester County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

A volunteer with the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas discovered YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, WORM-EATING and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS in block 81D46; HOODED and BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS were in block 81D44.

Montgomery County:
Click Here for Montgomery County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

Click Here for information on DVOC member Steve Kacir's Montgomery County Big year.

A GREATER YELLOWLEGS was at the Church Rd area of Green Lane Reservoir on July 4.

Bucks County:
Click Here for Bucks County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

A HORNED GREBE was at the Nockamixon State Park fishing pier on July 6, and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was near the bike path. The pond behind Kohl’s in Oxford Valley had a PIED-BILLED GREBE on July 7. That day, Core Creek Park had CLIFF SWALLOWS and LEAST SANDPIPERS. On July 6, birds at Warminster Community Park and the vacant lot just outside the park included 2 adult and 4 fledgling SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, nearly 20 SAVANNAH SPARROWS including fledglings and a pair of BOBOLINKS. A drake CANVASBACK was on a small pond at Doylestown Township Park on Wells Rd on July 7-9.

Northampton County:

On July 6, a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER sang from a sycamore at the intersection of Route 611 and Howell Rd. PPL Martins Creek has had BUFFLEHEAD, LESSER SCAUP and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. A NORTHERN PARULA was at Wild Creek Reservoir, and LEAST FLYCATCHERS were found along Brodhead Creek. A BLUE GROSBEAK was still singing at Grand Central Landfill over the weekend.

Lehigh County:

A HORNED LARK flock was at Scheirer Road on July 9.

Schuylkill County:

No reports

Berks County:

No reports

Lancaster County:
Click Here for Lancaster County Birding Resources including an interactive map with locations, satellite views, driving directions, etc.

A SANDHILL CRANE and a immature WHITE IBIS were at Avocet Point in a cove about 75 yards from the blind at the Conejohela Flats on July 10.

PA Extralimitals:

A WESTERN KINGBIRD was discovered in Milton, Montour County on July 1, but has not been seen since. Another WESTERN KINGBIRD report came from Northumberland County, where one was seen near the intersection of State Route 3010 and T373 west of the town of Line Mountain on July 3.

A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at Amos Renno’s Farm in the village of Van Wert, Juniata County. The CLAY-COLORED SPARROW has been seen there July 5-8. Amos welcomes birders to come out and see the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW. Directions can be found on the PABirds Listserve: http://list.audubon.org/archives/pabirds.html or at http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/PENN.html

Extralimital Reports:

On July 4, a WHITE IBIS was at the barrow pits on the north side of US-50, just west of Salisbury, Wicomico County.

*** ANNOUNCEMENTS ***

On July 12, Martin Selzer will lead a DVOC field trip to Bombay Hook NWR & Environs for early part of the annual shorebird migration spectacle. The trip will meet at the Headquarters Area at 7:30AM. Please contact Martin Selzer 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 meeting is scheduled for August 7 at Palmyra Cove Nature Park. Details are on the website, and guests are always welcome.

See Life Paulagics is running a number of pelagic trips out of ports in the Delaware Valley. An overnight trip is scheduled for Aug 21 out of Lewes, DE. A pelagic out of Belmar, NJ is scheduled for Aug 24. A trip outside of the Delaware Valley leaves from Freeport, NY on Sep 14. For more information, call 215-234-6805 or visit See Life Paulagics on the web at http://www.paulagics.com

Due to a staffing shortage, John Heinz NWR at Tinicum desperately needs volunteers to help with the front desk and operate the Friends of Heinz Refuge's Tinicum Treasures store. Warm, friendly people who know Tinicum are needed to help John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge maintain and enhance its public interface. The Fish and Wildlife Service is relying more and more on volunteers to staff its visitor centers. Currently, volunteers run almost all public programs at the refuge. Who better to give advice on where to find a certain bird on the refuge than someone who actually birds the refuge? If you'd be interested in volunteering please contact Tony Croasdale at 215-301-7940 or email him at [email protected]

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.

On this page....

• Submission Guidelines
• What is the "Delaware Valley"?

Links

• Daily Field Checklist (A handy pocket list for your daily adventures. Available to everyone courtesy of the DVOC)
• Delaware Valley Birding Checklist (A major publication covering status and distribution of Delaware Valley birds. Available to everyone courtesy of the DVOC)

General Guidelines for Submission

- Rarities
- Good concentrations (e.g. 8 sp. of shorebirds at Green Lane)
- High numbers (e.g. 2,000 Common Mergansers at Peace Valley)
- Early/late occurrences (1st Indigo Bunting, lingering Phoebe)
- Unusual breeders
- BRIEF report on out of area mega rarities(e.g. Red-footed Falcon or even a stint in MA)
- Announcements (DVOC meetings and field trips, Academy events, CBC dates and pelagics!)

 

 

 

 

 

What is the Delaware Valley?

The Delaware Valley is the name given to the region that lays on either side of the Delaware River, centered on Philadelphia. This consists of southeastern Pennsylvania, central and southern New Jersey and the state of Delaware.
The following counties fall within our boundaries.
(Click on a county name for information specific to the county)

In Pennsylvania;
Berks County
Bucks County
Chester County
Delaware County
Lancaster County
Lebanon County
Lehigh County
Montgomery County
Northampton County
Philadelphia County
Schuykill County

In New Jersey;
Atlantic County
Burlington County
Camden County
Cape May County
Cumberland County
Gloucester County
Hunterdon County
Mercer County
Middlesex County
Monmouth County
Ocean County
Salem County
Somerset County
Warren County

In Delaware;
New Castle County
Kent County
Sussex County