The long-awaited Third New York Breeding Bird Atlas officially kicked off at the start of 2020. Last year, for obvious reasons, it was difficult to engage in as much exploration as I would’ve liked. My reduced vehicle access and the various travel restrictions made it difficult for me to venture beyond NYC for much of the breeding season. Even though … Read More
South Padre Warblers on Parade
Sandwiched between the rush of spring-breakers in March and the arrival of beach-goers in June, there is another invasion of visitors to South Padre Island during the end of April and beginning of May. They may be much more discrete than rowdy, drunken college kids but dress just as gaudy and they don’t crowd the beaches with 4X4’s and umbrellas like … Read More
Close encounters of the feathered kind
Late last week brought the first spring fallout of warblers to South Padre Island. Trans-gulf migrants, or birds that cut straight across the Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan Peninsula, find themselves exhausted upon reaching land. If the winds are “right” (“right” being a rather awful term, because although great for birding, it is awful for the birds as many … Read More
Black-and-white Warbler – PSU Fall Banding
This morning was the PSU Forest Fest in the Botanic Gardens, so to make access for visitors easier, we moved the banding station up from Big Hollow. With two nets around bird feeders and the rest down along the forest edge, we were ready to catch a nice collection of birds to show the public. The highlight today was this … Read More
Scotia Barrens – September is here, and so are the warblers!
This morning Anna and I went over to Scotia Barrens to search for migrants. We started off the morning at Scotia Pond, where we met up with Tim Schreckengost. Activity was low, and we only saw a Tennessee Warbler and a Chestnut-sided Warbler. The highlight was when Tim spotted an Olive-sided Flycatcher perched on a distant snag. We were able … Read More
Scotia Barrens – Lawrence’s Warbler?
Last evening a Red-necked Phalarope was reported at the pond at Scotia Barrens, a species that is quite uncommon in Pennsylvania. Seven of us planned on getting to Scotia Pond at day break this morning to search for the phalarope. When we arrived, Joe Verica was also present. We all searched the pond for quite a while and came up … Read More