Trumpeter Swans are rare but increasing in Pennsylvania, and more are found every year. Many of the swans found in PA have yellow neck-collars or yellow wing-tags from the Ontario reintroduction efforts. However, there has been an interesting rush of sightings of 3 different neck-collared Trumpeter Swans in PA since March 10th; all of which have stained, white neck-collars with 4-digit codes on … Read More
The Final Longspur
I’ve grown up seeing a few Lapland Longspurs each winter, sprinkled into Horned Lark flocks in the farmland of Pennsylvania. This past summer I was able to spend some quality time in the midwestern prairies, and was fortunate to see both Chestnut-collared and McCown’s Longspurs on their breeding grounds. That left me with one final longspur species to see in … Read More
An Upstate Northern Gannet
Today was just another Friday: wake up late and go to my 11:15 class, relax the rest of the afternoon, read some emails, etc. But at around 3:20 PM, Tim Lenz sent me and some friends a message that there was a Northern Gannet found near Watkins Glen, over on Seneca Lake (Schuyler County). He was already en route with … Read More
Trumpeter Swan – Clarion County, PA
A few days ago, birders near New Bethlehem, PA discovered a wing-tagged immature Trumpeter Swan associating with some Mute Swans and Canada Geese along the Redbank Creek. Looking at the map, this swan was right on the way to the Armstrong County Snowy Owl, so my friends and I knew it would make a great afternoon chase. We left State … Read More
Northern Shrike – Moraine SP
Anna Fasoli, Gretchen Lasser, Delia Guzman, and I spent almost the entire day today searching Moraine State Park for the previously reported Black-headed Gull(s), without any success. Luckily there was a very beautiful adult Northern Shrike that I was able to see multiple times throughout the day in the same parking lot as where the gulls roosted. Below are two … Read More
Past Two Days…..
Anna and I have been out near the Island Park area of Idaho trying to conduct Flammulated Owl surveys in the Targhee National Forest for a few days now. Check out this post Anna put up yesterday if you want to read more. Rain has been a real pain for us and has resulted in a cancellation of last nights survey. The … Read More
Lock Haven Trumpeter Swans
This morning I chased the reported Trumpeter Swans on Bald Eagle Creek just south of Lock Haven. I almost missed them at first because they were both in the middle of the creek with their head and neck in the water and looked just like snow covered rocks. According to Wayne Laubscher, these are both adult Trumpeter Swans which are … Read More