Wilson's Warblers

The Wilson's Warbler is a relatively uncommon migrant warbler species in this region of Pennsylvania. In addition, their aptitude for staying in dense brush can make them difficult to find. I have discovered that the brushy edges and water sources in the yard provide excellent habitat for migrating Wilson's Warblers. Of the seven I have observed in the yard (including three this spring!), five have been from the same overgrown patch of greenbrier, spicebush, and highbush blueberry that shades a small muddy spring near the house.

male Wilson's Warbler staying hidden in the brush

the edge of the yard where I find the Wilson's Warblers

As I mentioned, this was an excellent spring for Wilson's Warblers, as I found three in my yard and another at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Carbon County. Maybe the relatively high number of this species has something to do with the weird migration this spring... who knows! Nevertheless, I don't mind having a few more of these singing in the yard for a couple days during migration.

This brushy area is also where I frequently find related species, such as this Canada Warbler. Like the Wilson's, it is unusual to find a Canada away from the dense brush. This bird popped up for no more than two seconds before disappearing back into the tangles.

Double-check your sparrows!

Be sure to take a careful look at any sparrows you find during the migration season. When I saw this bird hopping around the garden and bathing in the bird bath, I figured it was a Song Sparrow. What a surprise when it turned out to be a Lincoln's Sparrow—an uncommon species in this area!

Cobwebs

My posts to this blog have been few and far between thanks to my busy schedule as I finish my senior year of high school. Today I finally had a chance to spend quite a bit of time outside and to enjoy the wonderful weather. Migrant birds--vireos, flycatchers, warblers--are beginning to return from their southern wintering grounds. A few new species showed up in the yard this morning, including Red-eyed Vireo and Baltimore Oriole.

A number of butterflies were also out enjoying the sunshine. Among the throngs of Juvenal's and Sleepy Duskywings, I found this lovely Cobweb Skipper, a species that can only be found for a few weeks each spring!

February Flowers

The ground is still frozen and patches of snow dot the landscape, but that hasn't kept the winter aconite from opening a few blooms in a sun-filled patch of the yard! These bright yellow flowers are almost always the first blossoms to appear each year—often around the middle of February.

winter aconite (Eranthis)

Serving as a reminder that spring is not far off, the aconite flowers mark the beginning of the blooming season, as other (mostly non-native) species will also begin to flower before long. Snowdrops, crocuses, and daffodils will soon brighten up the drab winter ground as the days continue to grow longer and the temperatures start to rise.

Great Backyard Bird Count

This weekend (February 15-18) is the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a citizen science event where birders are encouraged to submit their sightings in order to contribute to scientific research. Despite the name of the event, bird observations can be submitted from any birdy location, not just backyards. That said, everyone should take the time to see what species are visiting their feeders and gardens. To submit sightings, simply visit the GBBC website or eBird. Entering a checklist takes only a few minutes and will provide valuable data for researchers around the world.

As I write this, over 5,000,000 individual birds representing more than 1,700 species have been counted in the 2013 GBBC! Don't forget to contribute!

Northern Lapwings in New Jersey

On January 14, a lucky birder found a group of three Northern Lapwings in a cow pasture in New Egypt, NJ. On Sunday, my mom and I decided to go see these unusual plovers that had somehow made their way from Europe to central New Jersey. We when arrived at the location along Brynmore Road in New Egypt, we found a number of birders set up along the roadside with spotting scopes pointed into the field. As soon as we started scanning, we spotted one of the birds. Not long after, we found the other two even farther back.

Although the lapwings never came close while we were watching, we were able to get excellent views of the birds through a spotting scope. Even with the great distance from which we were watching, the green iridescence on the wings was spectacular!

Several times as we watched, one of the lapwings raised its large wings into the air. After doing this a few times, the bird flew into the air, circled around a few times, and then landed again.

These gorgeous rarities represented yet another "lifer" that my mom and I were able to see so far this year!

Pink-footed Goose

In the movie The Big Year, two of the main characters, Brad Harris (played by Jack Black) and Stu Preissler (Steve Martin) finish off their year of intense birding by watching a Pink-footed Goose, a bird that eluded Brad up until that point. Although I am not doing a "big year," I did not have to wait long to see this species in 2013.

On January 7, Scott Burnet discovered a Pink-footed Goose at Lake Muhlenberg in Allentown, Lehigh County, PA. This rare species is uncommon in this state and throughout the country, although it is making an impressive showing in Pennsylvania this winter! At least three have shown up in the region: one at Peace Valley Park, one at Fogelsville Quarry, and this bird at Lake Muhlenberg. Even though this goose species is quite rare in this area, Matt Loyko and Mike Moser found one at this same urban lake back in 2009.

On the morning of January 12, my mom and I decided to try for this goose that would be a lifer for both of us. We arrived around 7:00am to ensure that we could get a look at the bird before it took off around 8:00am as it had in the previous days. When we got to the spot, the entire area was covered with a dense layer of fog. As the sky got lighter, we walked through the misty air with a crowd of birders hoping for a look at the rarity.

I stopped briefly to scan the barely-visible flock when I spotted the Pink-footed Goose. It was sitting in front of the Canada Geese; its small size and white tail were evident, although we could hardly see anything more.

Our first glimpse of the Pink-footed Goose

After a little while of sitting in place, the Pink-footed Goose slowly swam across the lake. During this time, the fog slowly began to dissipate. When the goose reached the far end of the lake, it did something totally unexpected--it stepped out onto the grass! We watched as the goose (and its uncovered pink feet) waddled on the grass for a while, occasionally pestered by some of the larger Canadas.

Look at those feet!

After about ten minutes on the grass, the Pink-foot wandered back to the water and swam all the way across the lake. By now, most of the lowest fog had lifted, although the sun was still hidden, which made photography a bit tricky.

Then, after a few honks, the goose lifted off the water with a small group of Canada Geese and headed West. In flight, the gray coloration and white tail stood out from the other birds.

The Pink-footed Goose was a lifer for me, my mom, and several of the other observers we met that morning!