2010 Bird Sightings

Mid-summer Bird Sightings. Although we have had many days in the mid to high 80's, the mornings have been absolutely glorious. An early morning start will give you lots of birds and get you back into where it is cooler before the day really heats up. Birding has been very good. Two observers reported 49 species along the bike trail between Rte 287/Rte 6 and Ansonia, including a number of shorebird species -- sollitary sandpipers, killdeer, and various peeps. Shorebirds are among the first to migrate, and we should start seeing more of them in area ponds and streams. Great egrets have been seen in the ponds near Ansonia and also along the bike trail. Some warblers are still around, including chestnut-sided and yellow, common yellowthroat, and even ovenbirds. There also seem to be a lot of American redstarts around this year. Eaglets have fledged at Darling Run, but are still often seen in the area. Sometimes they put up a terrible racket. There are a lot of young birds around now and some are hard to identify, so if you haven't been taking your field guide with you, now would be a good time to bring it along. If you would like to see what has been reported in the county already, you can click here.

Mid June Bird Sightings. The birding may seem to have slowed down a bit, now that many of the migrants have continued their way north, but there are still plenty of birds to be seen. Of course, the warmer weather means that the peak of activity is much earlier in the morning now, so you have to get up earlier to see them. Balitmore orioles seem to be everywhere this year. A good place to see them and their hanging nests is at the Darling Run Access to the Pine Creek Rail Trail. Take a look around while you are watching the eagles that nest there (there are 3 young ones in the nest). All along the bike trails you may see yellow warblers, common yellowthroats, and indigo buntings. We are seeing a lot of rose-breasted grosbeaks this year, too, especially at backyard feeders. The feeders have become color spectaculars with visits by them, American goldfinches, and northern cardinals. The ospreys that built the nest by the dam at Hills Creek State Park do not seem to be making much use of it, but that is typical for a first attempt. Next year they may do better. Meanwhile, it is fun watching them soar over the lake and dive for fish from a hundred feet in the air. Many birds have fledged young already, including eastern bluebirds, house finches, and dark-eyed juncos. Other birds you might want to check out are Virginia rails at the Muck; nesting warblers (especially black-throated blues) in the Asaph section of the Tioga State Forest; bank, barn, cliff, and tree swallows at Hammond Lake; and eastern meadowlarks and bobolinks in many of the county's uncut fields.

Mid-Late May Bird Sightings. Warblers continue to be seen at Colton Point State Park, although not in great numbers. Perhaps initially cool days and strong winds of early May have played a role here. Yellow warblers and common yellowthroats are in abundance along the bike trails, and on 20 May many alder flycatchers were seen at the Rte 287/Butler Road end. A Baltiimore oriole's nest was seen in the same area. Plenty of them are around, especially along the creeks. There have still been only a few ruby-throated hummingbirds reports. The bald eagles at Darling Run Access to Pine Creek Rail Trail have hatched at least two young. The adults should be very busy flying around the area looking for food soon. Other birds newly arrived in the area include wood thrushes, veeries, scarlet tanagers, spotted and solitary sandpipers, great-crested flycatchers, and green herons. Of course, there is now much nesting activity, and it can be very interesting watching the birds carry nesting material to their chosen sites.

Early May Bird Sightings. It is only the beginning of May, but reports are pooring in. A variety of warblers and thrushes were seen at Colton Point State Park, and a winter wren was reported in the vicinity. Three Caspian terns and two Forster's terns were seen on May 2 at Hills Creek State Park, and then 5 Forster's terns showed up at the lake on May 8. Yellow warblers and common yellowthroats have returned to the bike trails in large numbers, and Baltiimore orioles are moving in along Pine and Marsh Creeks. A few ruby-throated hummingbirds have been seen, too. Ospreys continue to be seen at Hills Creek State Park, although it is questionable whether they are actually using the nest pole next to the dam. The bald eagles at Darling Run Access to Pine Creek Rail Trail have hatched at least two young. The adults should be very busy flying around the area looking for food soon. There is a lot of bird singing to be heard first thing in the morning. Take a few minutes to listen.

April Bird Sightings. Although the leaves on the trees are seemingly making an early debut, one can hardly say the same for the birds. Nevertheless, some migratory species are starting to appear. Two eastern meadowlarks were seen at Cowanesque Lake on April 4, and two common loons were seen on Hills Creek lake during the 17-April bird walk. Don't mistake them for the double-crested cormorants, which have been visiting the lake in small numbers. A yellow-rumped warbler was also seen during the walk, the first one of the year. Ospreys are on both nesting platforms at Hammond Lake/Crooked Creek, and a pair is showing great interest at Hills Creek State Park on the platform next to the bridge/dam. Please stay in your car when you cross the bridge; no ospreys have nested here before, and these two seem to be very nervous. We would not want to cause them to abandon the nest if possible. Lot of bald eagle sightings at Hills Creek, both adults and juveniles. Highlights for the month so far are 5 Bonaparte's guills seen on April 4, and the appearance of two Caspian terns on April 11, all at Hammond Lake .

March Bird Sightings. Spring is on the way, and our warm-season birds are starting to return. The Muck already resounds with the calls of red-winged blackbirds, American robins are just about everywhere, and eastern bluebirds are building nests in their boxes. The Lakes and streams are open now, and waterfowl are beginning to show up: hooded and common mergansers, mallards, wood ducks, and horned grebes have been seen at Hammond and Hills Creek Lakes. Three black vultures were reported near Pine Creek Gorge, and turkey vultures were seen near Millterton. Incidentally, this would be a good time to clean out your bird houses if you have not done so already. Also we will be getting into bear season, so you may want to start putting away your feeders for the night.

Eagle Survey On 9 January Phil Krajewski and Gary Tyson started a new eagle survey route between Ansonia and Tiadaghton along the Pine Creek Rail Trail. Although surveys have been conducted in the past along most of Pine Creek from about 4.5 miles north of Blackwell (to a bald eagle's nest near Pine Island Run/Steel Hollow that has been active since 1987) to Jersey Shore in the south, the gorge (Important Bird Area #28) has not been regularly covered during winter surveys. Three adult bald eagles were seen in this new section-- a pair near the well-known nest at Darling Run and a third adult; and five adults were reported in the section between Jersey Shore and Blackwell. The survey program is coordinated locally by Cecil Houser (formerly of the PA Fish and Boat Commission) and statewide by Doug Gross, a biologist who works for the PA Game Commission. Thanks are due to DCNR and the Bureau of Forestry for providing a driver and truck equipped with chains for the trip down Pine Creek. Special thanks are also due to Jim Losinger, the forest ranger who did the driving and pointed out many of the places where eagles are most often seen.

If you have seen anything interesting that you would like to share or if you would like help identifying a particular bird, please let us know at raven@tiaudubon.org. We will try to help you out and/or pass the information on to our other readers.