Since everyone from my brother to Google is posting a list of 2007 by the numbers, I might as well do it too… 3– number of first state records I missed in PA this year (Slaty-backed Gull, Long-billed Murrelet and Yellow-billed Loon)77– number of posts this year253– number of species I saw in PA in 2007269– life PA list as of the end of the year (got my year-end goal a day late- Northern Shrike)378– number of species I saw in the ABA area for 2007642– life list1137– ABA area total ticks2011– total ticks in PA3860– number of pageloads on my blog last year
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This has been a good year for orioles in Pennsylvania. A Scott’s Oriole in February near Harrisburg started out the year with a bang, see pictures here. This was the first recorded Scott’s Oriole in the state. The usual suspects for Pennsylvania are Baltimore and Orchard Orioles. Now, its December and there is a Bullock’s Oriole hanging out at the Lost Creek Shoe Shop at Oakland Mills. Bullock’s Oriole I managed to get up to see the Bullock’s Oriole the last week in November and after almost an hour of waiting for it to show up at the feeder it had been frequenting, someone spotted it down the lane in some bushes. We all sprinted down there and once we all had good looks I managed a couple shots of it hidden in the tangles.
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Last Saturday I counted again at Hawk Mountain. The weather was rainy on the drive up but as I polled into the parking lot I was met with snow. Upon reaching the lookout, I could see the line where the snow started further down. The trees and rocks were covered and it was beautiful. Unfortunately, birds were slow to come. I thought that maybe we would at least get some finches after the cold front but even that was wishful. Only about 4 birds before 2 pm but after that it picked up a little bit with a Northern Goshawk, two Golden Eagles, three harriers and 23 Red-tailed Hawks for a total of 34 raptors for the day. Currently, the Hawk Mountain count for the season is at 18,946 raptors, another good year for hawks and hawk watchers.
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Number 266 for my Pennsylvania list, the female Rufous Hummingbird I was able to see in Berks County this past week was a delight. When I first arrived at the house that it has been frequenting for about a month now, the hummingbird was nowhere to be seen. I was treated to a lovely overview of its habits and daily routine and I was promised that it would appear soon. And all of a sudden it did, she was sitting on one of several butterfly bushes the property owner had around the yard. I rushed to the window and was treated to a fantastic view of it sitting on the bush, then it flew to the feeder and I was able to watch it quite a while there.
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For the last few weeks, finch numbers have really increased in my backyard, thanks in large part to a cool double sock nyger seed feeder that really seems to draw in both American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins. My high counts have been 32 goldfinches and 5 siskins at one time. The double sock stuffed with njyer seed really seems to maximize the amount of space for finches to feed on because they can perch anywhere they want, in whatever orientation they want to. I particularly enjoyed watching the Pine Siskins because they are not as common, especially in this part of Pennsylvania. Finches are definitely moving south further this year than is typical according to reports. In the photo above you can see the distinctive pointy bill that the siskins sport. The golden edging on the flight feathers and wingbar can be seen as well as the streaky undertail feathers.
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This past February, the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) initiated the Winter Raptor Survey, a volunteer effort to determine winter abundances of raptors. The purpose according to the association’s website “is to get birders/raptor enthusiasts out in the field during the winter looking for diurnal raptors, and to provide those surveyors with a set of guidelines enabling them to record their observations in a standardized format.” While 2007 was the kickoff year, birders are still being encouraged to make their own 30-100 mile route and record raptor species seen from this car route between November and March. Instructions and data forms are available on the HMANA website. This is a great opportunity to get out for a nice drive and possibly see some of the rarer winter raptors such as Rough-legged Hawks as well as some of the other common species.
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As posted on BirdChat- We are experiencing the biggest winter finch irruption since the"superflight" of 1997-1998, when many boreal finches went well beyondtheir normal ranges. The cause is the largest tree seed crop failurein a decade across more than 3200 km (2000 mi) of boreal forest fromSaskatchewan into Quebec. Today in Toronto, I had a Pine Grosbeak,Evening Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins and Purple Finchesmigrating along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Boreal winter finchesare being reported in many areas of southern Ontario and the UnitedStates, where some species such as Pine and Evening Grosbeaks haven'tbeen seen in years. There is no telling how far south this"superflight" will go.Winter Finch Forecast 2007-2008 is stored at two sites.http://www.ofo.ca/reports%20and%20articles/winterfinches.phphttp://ca.geocities.com/larry.neily AT rogers.com/pittaway-new.
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A few days ago I spent the morning at Conejohela Flats, canoing around because the water level was extremely high following the 3 inches of rain we had just received. Generally we spend most of our time scoping the birds out from a blind that is on one of the small islands but now the blind was basically a small island of its own. Bonaparte’s Gulls Before I set off though, I had the pleasure of watching several first winter Bonaparte’s Gulls (or bonies) elegantly forage for food right near the dock. I really enjoy these gulls because of their bouyant, tern-like flight. They are not these big bruiser gulls like Herring or Glaucous Gulls that look mean and fly like a cargo plane.
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Saturday was one of the four days this fall that I am scheduled to count hawks at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in eastern Pennsylvania. The day started out pretty dismal as a huge mass of rain from the south was working its way up the northeast. I initially headed to some lakes to check for scoters and brant which had been reported around the state during the storm but came up empty. The storm ended around noon and I was soon up on north lookout, waiting for the raptors to start flying. I didn’t have to wait long as the afternoon started off with a young Osprey. North Lookout, clearing off after the rain Sharp-shinned Hawks dominated the flight early in the afternoon but the real star of the day were the Red-tailed Hawks.
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So it seems like ever other bird blogger has gotten out to digiscope the sparrow migration and today was finally my day. I got some OK pictures but there always seemed to be something obstructing part of my subject. Lincoln’s Sparrow I managed to come across several Lincoln’s Sparrows and one cooperatively perched about 30 ft away long enough to snap a few photos. These delicate sparrows are one of my favorite. According to some, Lincoln’s Sparrows affinity for dense shrubby areas, secretive nature and boreal breeding habitat make it one of the most elusive of N. American birds. White-crowned Sparrow- adult White-crowned Sparrows made a major push into the area following the cold front that just passed. Both striking adults and buffy juveniles were pretty common and generally easy to digiscope. White-crowned Sparrow- juvenile White-throated Sparrow- tan-stripe morph According to Birds of N.
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