This time of year, many people are searching for a sign that spring is near. In my yard, there are three easy ways to tell if spring is near: Turkey Vultures begin to fly, flowers begin to bloom, and American Woodcocks begin their territorial "singing". I witnessed all three of those today. First, the vultures. For most of the day, small groups of Turkey and Black Vultures sailed over the yard, rocking back and forth in the glorious sun. Second, the flowers. As the snow melted away, the flowers of Winter Aconite appeared. These bright yellow flowers (native to Europe) are always the first to bloom and brighten an otherwise dull landscape. And finally, the woodcocks. After the sun had set, my mom came to the door and mentioned that she may have heard a displaying woodcock. I grabbed my boots and headed outside to listen. Sure enough, a woodcock called--peent. Before long, several American Woodcocks were calling from the damp, muddy field.
Although the temperatures are supposed to dip again for the next few days, I hope that these signs are not just teasing us.
Friday, February 18, 2011
2010 -- Part I
I have been meaning to do this for a few weeks now, but I have been too busy. Now, with a break for Presidents' Day Weekend, I can finally compile a list of my favorite moments from 2010:
In February, a large snowstorm hit the region. In Kunkletown, we received around 18 inches of snow. Although fun, the large amount of snow made it difficult to get around. Revi, my dog, had no idea what to do with so much snow!
On February 17, country-singer Kathy Mattea visited Moravian College for a presentation about the impacts of coal mining on people, the environment, and music. Her presentation included songs from her album Coal. It was an incredibly powerful and inspiring presentation.
In March, I traveled to Costa Rica. The adventure began with a stop at middle elevations, where the group found this lovely Bay-headed Tanager. Although pouring rain, the birds were still around. In 2009 I visited Costa Rica and it was raining at this same spot. Unfortunately on that trip, the rain lasted for the entire week. In 2010, the returning trip members could only wish for drier weather than the year before.
From there, we went to El Zota, a biological station along the Caribbean coast. As always, this area was full of great birds as well as mud! Despite the mud, we received NO rain while in the lowlands, which was a lovely surprise.
After the lowlands, we headed to the mountains in search of the Resplendent Quetzal like the one above. We saw several which was a real treat. The birds were wonderful; the road to the birds was not.
As well as seeing quetzals, we saw numerous brilliantly-colored hummingbirds including this stunning Fiery-throated Hummingbird.
In May, many birds began returning to the yard including this Blue-winged Warbler that could be heard every morning from the house. Not long after the arrival of this bright warbler, other species began arriving including Prairie Warblers and the my first ever Mourning Warbler for the yard. The Mourning Warbler proved difficult to see, but sang all morning long and was the first thing I heard when I woke up for school.
During the second week of May, I began scouting for the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. I focused my scouting on southern New Jersey including places such as Heislerville WMA, Jake's Landing, Cape May, and Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine). I was on the Subadult Skuaz with Luke Seitz and Ian Davies.
Brigantine was full of great birds including this White-faced Ibis. Other great birds were seen at Brig including Gull-billed Tern, White-rumped Sandpiper, and Black Skimmer. A Bar-tailed Godwit was seen at the Refuge, but apparently left before I was able to get there for scouting.
Finding Piping Plovers, like this one, is always a treat while birding Cape May County. I also found Northern Bobwhite, Dickcissel, and Common Eider in this bird-filled county while scouting.
With 188 species, the Subadult Skuaz were able to win the youth division! (We also were able to do some advertising for eBird thanks to Marshall Iliff.) We found many great birds with highlights of Golden-winged Warbler and Harlequin Duck, but missed common species like Northern Flicker, our most embarrassing miss. Overall, we had a great, fun day that we ended surrounded by a cacophony of Clapper Rails.
In June, I started and compiled the Monroe-Carbon Butterfly Count, which was part of the North American Butterfly Association butterfly counts. I surveyed the area around my yard and found, among many other species, this beautiful Striped Hairstreak on blooming Wild Hydrangea. The count was a success with several teams across the region including one at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center.
In February, a large snowstorm hit the region. In Kunkletown, we received around 18 inches of snow. Although fun, the large amount of snow made it difficult to get around. Revi, my dog, had no idea what to do with so much snow!
On February 17, country-singer Kathy Mattea visited Moravian College for a presentation about the impacts of coal mining on people, the environment, and music. Her presentation included songs from her album Coal. It was an incredibly powerful and inspiring presentation.
In March, I traveled to Costa Rica. The adventure began with a stop at middle elevations, where the group found this lovely Bay-headed Tanager. Although pouring rain, the birds were still around. In 2009 I visited Costa Rica and it was raining at this same spot. Unfortunately on that trip, the rain lasted for the entire week. In 2010, the returning trip members could only wish for drier weather than the year before.
From there, we went to El Zota, a biological station along the Caribbean coast. As always, this area was full of great birds as well as mud! Despite the mud, we received NO rain while in the lowlands, which was a lovely surprise.
After the lowlands, we headed to the mountains in search of the Resplendent Quetzal like the one above. We saw several which was a real treat. The birds were wonderful; the road to the birds was not.
As well as seeing quetzals, we saw numerous brilliantly-colored hummingbirds including this stunning Fiery-throated Hummingbird.
In May, many birds began returning to the yard including this Blue-winged Warbler that could be heard every morning from the house. Not long after the arrival of this bright warbler, other species began arriving including Prairie Warblers and the my first ever Mourning Warbler for the yard. The Mourning Warbler proved difficult to see, but sang all morning long and was the first thing I heard when I woke up for school.During the second week of May, I began scouting for the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. I focused my scouting on southern New Jersey including places such as Heislerville WMA, Jake's Landing, Cape May, and Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine). I was on the Subadult Skuaz with Luke Seitz and Ian Davies.
Brigantine was full of great birds including this White-faced Ibis. Other great birds were seen at Brig including Gull-billed Tern, White-rumped Sandpiper, and Black Skimmer. A Bar-tailed Godwit was seen at the Refuge, but apparently left before I was able to get there for scouting.
Finding Piping Plovers, like this one, is always a treat while birding Cape May County. I also found Northern Bobwhite, Dickcissel, and Common Eider in this bird-filled county while scouting.
With 188 species, the Subadult Skuaz were able to win the youth division! (We also were able to do some advertising for eBird thanks to Marshall Iliff.) We found many great birds with highlights of Golden-winged Warbler and Harlequin Duck, but missed common species like Northern Flicker, our most embarrassing miss. Overall, we had a great, fun day that we ended surrounded by a cacophony of Clapper Rails.
In June, I started and compiled the Monroe-Carbon Butterfly Count, which was part of the North American Butterfly Association butterfly counts. I surveyed the area around my yard and found, among many other species, this beautiful Striped Hairstreak on blooming Wild Hydrangea. The count was a success with several teams across the region including one at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February Birds
This weekend was the Lehigh Gap Area Feederwatch. This Sunday, I counted the birds that visited the feeders in the yard. I was able to find 17 species and 71 individual birds including American Tree Sparrows, Pine Siskins, and a Carolina Wren.
American Goldfinches, a Pine Siskin, and a House Finch at the feeder
As well as watching the birds at the feeder on Sunday, my mom and I traveled to Graver's Hill, a well-known spot for wintering grassland bird species. At Graver's Hill, we found several Horned Larks as well as a Snow Bunting. The bunting was sitting along the side of the road and allowed us to get fairly close.
One of the Horned Larks at Graver's Hill
Snow Buntings, like this one, are fairly common in Pennsylvania during the winter, but are always exciting to find. They often associate with flocks of Horned Larks.
American Goldfinches, a Pine Siskin, and a House Finch at the feederAs well as watching the birds at the feeder on Sunday, my mom and I traveled to Graver's Hill, a well-known spot for wintering grassland bird species. At Graver's Hill, we found several Horned Larks as well as a Snow Bunting. The bunting was sitting along the side of the road and allowed us to get fairly close.
One of the Horned Larks at Graver's Hill
Snow Buntings, like this one, are fairly common in Pennsylvania during the winter, but are always exciting to find. They often associate with flocks of Horned Larks.Sunday, January 23, 2011
January Birding
The birding year began when I woke up on January 1 and found an American Goldfinch at the thistle feeder. This was followed by several common feeder birds including chickadees, titmice, and juncos. Even a Pine Siskin joined in the feeding frenzy. As the sun rose, my dad and I headed out to the yard to look for birds. We found several common species as well as a Great Blue Heron that flew low over our heads.
As I posted in the previous blog entry, a Harlequin Duck had been hanging out along the Delaware River near Riverton, Northampton County, PA. My dad and I had gone to see it two days before, but my mom did not get to go along. My mom and I decided to take a New Year's Day trip over the the river to search for the rare duck. When we arrived, we found the duck floating in the middle of the river with a small group of Buffleheads. The Harlequin was a lifer for my mom.
While at the Harlequin spot, we ran into a birder who had just seen the Anna's Hummingbird that had been visiting a feeder since late November. This winter visitor was the first of this species for Pennsylvania.
Excited about seeing this unusual bird, my mom, brother, and I headed to Mountain Springs Camping Resort in Berks County, PA. After a bit of searching, we found the house where the feeder was hanging and waited for the bird. After about twenty minutes of waiting, the bird visited the feeder for a quick drink before flying off. This bird was a lifer for both my mom and me.
On the way home from the hummingbird location, we stopped at the Fogelsville Quarry, a local 'hotspot' for waterfowl during the winter. Most of the birds in the quarry were Canada Geese and Mallards, but we also found American Black Duck, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, and American Coot.
On the 15th, I helped out with the Winter Bird Survey run by the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. The volunteers were split into groups and we headed out to bird northern Lehigh and southern Carbon counties. The group I was with found 33 species, including Horned Larks and Savannah Sparrow.
On the 21st, I was birding in my yard when I heard the flight calls of Common Redpolls. Sure enough, two of these winter finches were flying over the yard. This species is in a group of irruptive winter finches that do not reach Pennsylvania every year. That same day, I heard a Hermit Thrush and saw a Brown Creeper climbing up an oak.
On the 22nd, my family and I headed to Brodheadsville for my brother's soccer game. While driving home after the game, we spotted an adult Red-shouldered Hawk sitting on a power line. After seeing the hawk, we stopped at Weir Lake which is a small lake that was built for the community that surrounds the water. As my dad and I learned on the 2010 Wild Creek-Little Gap Christmas Bird Count, this lake sometimes holds interesting species, such as Hooded Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, and Ring-necked Duck, as well as gulls and more common duck species. On this day, however, much of the lake was frozen so the number of waterfowl was down. Despite the small amount of open water, we found 23 Hooded Mergansers swimming around with the more common Canada Geese, Mallards, and American Black Ducks.
This year, two members of the Pennsylvania Birding Listserv are holding a yard-listing competition. Birders from around the state will count all of the species that they can see or hear in the yard during 2011. So far I am up to 35 species. In past years, the highest yard counts have been just over 150 species. During 2010, I found 148, so my personal goal is to reach 150. If anyone reading this post is a birder, I encourage you to keep track of the bird species that you see in your yard!
As I posted in the previous blog entry, a Harlequin Duck had been hanging out along the Delaware River near Riverton, Northampton County, PA. My dad and I had gone to see it two days before, but my mom did not get to go along. My mom and I decided to take a New Year's Day trip over the the river to search for the rare duck. When we arrived, we found the duck floating in the middle of the river with a small group of Buffleheads. The Harlequin was a lifer for my mom.
While at the Harlequin spot, we ran into a birder who had just seen the Anna's Hummingbird that had been visiting a feeder since late November. This winter visitor was the first of this species for Pennsylvania.
Excited about seeing this unusual bird, my mom, brother, and I headed to Mountain Springs Camping Resort in Berks County, PA. After a bit of searching, we found the house where the feeder was hanging and waited for the bird. After about twenty minutes of waiting, the bird visited the feeder for a quick drink before flying off. This bird was a lifer for both my mom and me.
On the way home from the hummingbird location, we stopped at the Fogelsville Quarry, a local 'hotspot' for waterfowl during the winter. Most of the birds in the quarry were Canada Geese and Mallards, but we also found American Black Duck, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, and American Coot.
On the 15th, I helped out with the Winter Bird Survey run by the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. The volunteers were split into groups and we headed out to bird northern Lehigh and southern Carbon counties. The group I was with found 33 species, including Horned Larks and Savannah Sparrow.
On the 21st, I was birding in my yard when I heard the flight calls of Common Redpolls. Sure enough, two of these winter finches were flying over the yard. This species is in a group of irruptive winter finches that do not reach Pennsylvania every year. That same day, I heard a Hermit Thrush and saw a Brown Creeper climbing up an oak.
On the 22nd, my family and I headed to Brodheadsville for my brother's soccer game. While driving home after the game, we spotted an adult Red-shouldered Hawk sitting on a power line. After seeing the hawk, we stopped at Weir Lake which is a small lake that was built for the community that surrounds the water. As my dad and I learned on the 2010 Wild Creek-Little Gap Christmas Bird Count, this lake sometimes holds interesting species, such as Hooded Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, and Ring-necked Duck, as well as gulls and more common duck species. On this day, however, much of the lake was frozen so the number of waterfowl was down. Despite the small amount of open water, we found 23 Hooded Mergansers swimming around with the more common Canada Geese, Mallards, and American Black Ducks.
This year, two members of the Pennsylvania Birding Listserv are holding a yard-listing competition. Birders from around the state will count all of the species that they can see or hear in the yard during 2011. So far I am up to 35 species. In past years, the highest yard counts have been just over 150 species. During 2010, I found 148, so my personal goal is to reach 150. If anyone reading this post is a birder, I encourage you to keep track of the bird species that you see in your yard!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Finding the Harlequin
A few days ago, I checked the Pennsylvania Birding Listserv and saw that a Harlequin Duck had been reported from northern Northampton County. After a day or two, birders began posting photos of this beautiful male Harlequin Duck which represented the first documented record for the county. Today, my dad and I traveled to the Delaware River near the Belvidere bridge in order to see this duck.
We drove across the bridge and walked down the railroad bed until we got a clearing where we spotted the group of ducks. As we watched and photographed the rare bird, the group flew off. We walked back to the car, which was also the direction that ducks flew. When we got to where the ducks were, we were able to take several photographs before the birds swam towards the middle of the river.
The Harlequin Duck with a group of Common Goldeneyes
This beautiful bird was a lifer for my dad and only the second that I had ever seen (the first was during the World Series of Birding).
The beautiful, unique pattern and dark color of the Harlequin Duck distinguished it from the Common Goldeneyes
When we arrived at the location, we saw the bird down the river with a small group of Common Goldeneyes. We thought that a spot down the road would have a better vantage point, so we headed back the car. As we were about to leave, we ran into local birder Dave DeReamus who was also looking for the duck (although he had already seen it the day before). We talked with Dave for a while and decided to try the New Jersey side, since the Harlequin had been hanging out primarily on that side of the river.We drove across the bridge and walked down the railroad bed until we got a clearing where we spotted the group of ducks. As we watched and photographed the rare bird, the group flew off. We walked back to the car, which was also the direction that ducks flew. When we got to where the ducks were, we were able to take several photographs before the birds swam towards the middle of the river.
The Harlequin Duck with a group of Common GoldeneyesThis beautiful bird was a lifer for my dad and only the second that I had ever seen (the first was during the World Series of Birding).
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Solstice Lunar Eclipse
Early during the morning of Tuesday, December 21, I witnessed a lunar eclipse. The combination of the eclipse and the solstice is a very rare coincidence and was a beautiful sight.
Friday, December 3, 2010
More on the Youth Involvement at COP16
This morning started off with another early meeting of the youth organizations. The meeting got off to a quicker start than the day before, as the issue of language had been solved and the translators were ready in the back of the room. The meeting began with announcements and went into discussions about presenting a report to the Secretariat of the UNFCCC. Announcements about the upcoming YOUNGO focal point elections were also given at the meeting. The meeting was going to be long (for the second day in a row), but students were began heading to the meeting for the contact group on Article 6 of the Convention. This article focuses on public awareness and youth involvement in the UNFCCC process which made it an important event for YOUNGO members to attend.
Contact Group on Article 6 of the Convention with party members and observers
There was a very good turnout at the contact meeting. Many of the non-negotiating attendees were members of youth organizations that showed up to remind those making the decisions why these negotiations were being held in the first place. To me, it felt as though little came out of this contact group meeting. Much of the time was spent discussing the wording of the document rather than content. However, mention of youth was included into the Article 6 document.
Young people are now included in the treaty document
When Section 6: Paragraph (e) was being discussed, the chair of the committee decided that this section should be deleted, despite the recommendations of the United States and the European Union. This section is the portion of the convention treaty that suggests that the Secretariat of the UNFCCC consider the integration of youth delegates into the negotiation process. The chair decided that this paragraph was inappropriate for Article 6 of the document and therefore was placed aside to be discussed at another time by a separate committee. Although some people that I talked to were disappointed as a result of the deletion, some were still hopeful that something good will eventually come out of this COP meeting.
I attended various side events for the remainder of the day including panels on urbanization, indigenous peoples, and impacts of climate change on human health. Also, I met the rest of the Moravian College delegation, many of which arrived yesterday. I have one more day to attend COP16, so I am hoping that I will make the best of tomorrow with my final YOUNGO meeting of the conference. I also plan on attending more side events and hopefully getting in contact with another Inconvenient Youth member who is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
Red Cross/Red Crescent panel
I added this photo to highlight some the technology being used at the COP16 meeting. This display is an eight-screen interactive Google Earth exhibit.
Moravian College students, professors, and alumni in Cancun
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