Pintail parade

pintail-pair

Octorara Lake has been a great spot to see Northern Pintails this year. The last time I checked the area off of Mt Eden Rd, there were probably close to one thousand pintails feeding there. I was looking for a previously reported Eurasian Wigeon but struck out on that.  Eurasian Wigeons have made quite a showing in PA this year, with sightings in at least Lancaster, Berks, Delaware counties.

Here is a list of the other birds I saw at Octorara Lake-

  • Canada Goose – Branta canadensis     300
  • Wood Duck – Aix sponsa     1
  • American Wigeon – Anas americana     4
  • American Black Duck – Anas rubripes     12
  • Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos     30
  • Northern Pintail – Anas acuta     900
  • Ring-necked Duck – Aythya collaris     56
  • Hooded Merganser – Lophodytes cucullatus     4
  • Common Merganser – Mergus merganser     120
  • Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias     1
  • Black Vulture – Coragyps atratus     4
  • Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura     8
  • Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus     2
  • Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis     1
  • American Kestrel – Falco sparverius     1
  • Ring-billed Gull – Larus delawarensis     60
  • Herring Gull – Larus argentatus     3
  • Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura     2
  • Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon     1
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker – Melanerpes carolinus     1
  • Downy Woodpecker – Picoides pubescens     1
  • Northern Flicker – Colaptes auratus     2
  • Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata     4
  • American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos     20
  • Carolina Chickadee – Poecile carolinensis     3
  • Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor     2
  • White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis     1
  • Carolina Wren – Thryothorus ludovicianus     3
  • Winter Wren – Troglodytes troglodytes     2
  • Golden-crowned Kinglet – Regulus satrapa     2
  • Eastern Bluebird – Sialia sialis     2
  • American Robin – Turdus migratorius     19
  • Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos     1
  • European Starling – Sturnus vulgaris     20
  • Field Sparrow – Spizella pusilla     1
  • Song Sparrow – Melospiza melodia     8
  • White-throated Sparrow – Zonotrichia albicollis     12
  • Dark-eyed Junco – Junco hyemalis     80
  • Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis     4
  • Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus     120
  • Common Grackle – Quiscalus quiscula     800
  • House Finch – Carpodacus mexicanus     3
  • Pine Siskin – Carduelis pinus     16
  • American Goldfinch – Carduelis tristis     X