My friends and I always plan a New Years trip to kick off another year with a few days of birding the Atlantic Coast. This year the focus of our trip was clear from the start – there was a Gyrfalcon on Long Island. Reports had been coming in sporadically that the immature Gyrfalcon seen a few times last winter … Read More
December Marbled Godwit – Pittsburgh, PA
Yesterday morning Jack and Sue Solomon discovered a Marbled Godwit, a very unusual bird for this time of the year in PA. This is also the first sighting of this species in the state in two years! The Solomon’s found the godwit foraging on the exposed mudflat at Duck Hollow along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. This is a late … Read More
Fork-tailed Flycatcher – Hadlyme, Connecticut
Even aside from their ridiculously long tails, the Fork-tailed Flycatcher is beautiful. This bird’s black cap and light gray mantle make it one of the most interesting Tyrannus flyatchers – one of those birds that has always made me pause while skimming through a field guide and admire it. I always felt as if the Fork-tailed Flycatcher was a mythical … Read More
PA MacGillivray’s Warbler Update
Pennsylvania’s 2nd MacGillivray’s Warbler is still present as of November 29th at Highspire Reservoir Park. Although the warbler is typically easy to find by tracking down its chip notes it most often stays hidden low in the brush, and rarely pops out into the open offering unobstructed views. This afternoon, I made my 4th visit to the park, and after … Read More
Snowy Owl – Berks County, PA
Two Snowy Owls were reported at Presque Isle SP on Lake Erie during the past week, adding Pennsylvania to the growing list of East Coast states being invaded by Snowy Owls so far this month. This morning, Loretta Gehman’s husband discovered the state’s third Snowy Owl of the season – this one near Myerstown in Berks County, perched on the roof … Read More
MacGillivray’s Warbler – Highspire, Pennsylvania
After close observation between yesterday afternoon and this morning, as well as consulting with warbler experts, it seems the tricky Geothlypis warbler found yesterday by Sue Hannon at Highspire Rreservoir Park is the 2nd PA state record of MacGillivray’s Warbler! This morning, the bird was mostly seen along the boardwalk on the the north side of the lake, foraging low … Read More
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Lark Sparrow!
Coming back into Lewes this past Saturday, after a day-long Paulagic trip, I switched my phone off of airplane mode and was immediately inundated with loads of RBA text messages and voicemails that I had missed during our time out on the ocean….David Allen had found an adult Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Philadelphia and Alan Kneidel found a Lark Sparrow at … Read More
Black-chinned Hummingbird – 2nd PA State Record!
With more and more winter hummingbirds reported each year throughout Pennsylvania, we have been breaking new records left and right. Last year about 100 winter hummingbirds were reported across the state, but only 49 of those were banded and most were Rufous Hummingbirds. Two Allen’s Hummingbirds, 1 Calliope Hummingbird, and the most insane of all – 1 Bahama Woodstar, were … Read More
MEGA: Buffalo Brown Booby!
***UPDATE*** As of 8:30 this morning (10/8/13), we had the Brown Booby giving excellent looks at the Erie Basin Marina. Here is a short video I took of the bird doing an awesome flyby of our viewing point. The bird appears to be an adult female. Perhaps the best part of this video is not the booby, but rather the … Read More
Ruff at Chincoteague NWR, Virginia
Originally discovered by Joe and Jeff Greco on June 27th, Zak Poulton and I raced up from Kiptopeke the following evening and were able to find the bird along the Wildlife Loop. Ruff are rare vagrants to Chincoteague NWR, with about 16 previous records on the refuge itself. Based on the similarity in plumage coloration and timing with a Ruff found … Read More