RBA
* Pennsylvania
* Philadelphia
* March 18, 2007
* PAPH0703.18

* Birds mentioned:
Common Loon
PACIFIC LOON
Pied-billed Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Horned Grebe
Northern Gannet
Tundra Swan
Snow Goose
ROSS' GOOSE
Wood Duck
American Black Duck
Gadwall
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
American Wigeon
EURASIAN WIGEON
Canvasback
Redhead
Bufflehead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Harlequin Duck
Black Scoter
Surf Scoter
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Hooded Merganser (as many as 67)
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Harrier
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
SANDHILL CRANE
American Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Purple Sandpiper
American Woodcock
Wilson's Snipe
LITTLE GULL
Bonaparte's Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull (as many as 456)
Eastern Phoebe
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Winter Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Pipit
Pine Warbler
LAZULI BUNTING
Vesper Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Fox Sparrow (many, as many as 75)
Lapland Longspur
SMITH'S LONGSPUR (extralimital)
Rusty Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Purple Finch
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS (extralimital)

Philadelphia Birdline
Date: March 18, 2007
Number: 215/567-BIRD
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Armas Hill
Coverage: Delaware Valley, and southern New Jersey
Transcriber: Risë Hill

For Sunday, March 18th, this is the Philadelphia Birdline, supported by a number of bird clubs and individuals. I'm Armas Hill, glad to be with you.

A PACIFIC LOON was found along the North Jersey Coast on Saturday, March 10th. It was seen in Deal off Roosevelt Avenue, just north of the Conover Pavillion - in the surf between the pier and the jetty.

Other notable birds seen along the North Jersey Shore that day were:
both male and female BARROW'S GOLDENEYES at Sandy Hook, in the Horseshoe Cove, where there were also 2 drake REDHEADS,
15 REDHEADS at Lake Takanassee,
2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS at Wreck Pond,
RED-NECKED GREBES at Deal and at the Shark River Marina,
and a drake EURASIAN WIGEON at Silver Lake.

One week later, on Saturday, March 17th, birding in the same area of the North Jersey Coast failed to produce the PACIFIC LOON, but did produce the following:
5 REDHEADS at Lake Takaanassee,
numerous BONAPARTE'S GULLS, an ICELAND GULL off Roosevelt Avenue, and 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS nearby.
A drake HARLEQUIN DUCK was in Deal, on the ocean off Clem Conover Boulevard, where there were also COMMON LOONS in various stages of their molt.
Also offshore that day, there were small flocks of SURF and BLACK SCOTERS, a few HORNED GREBES, only one GANNET. Along the shore, some PURPLE SANDPIPERS were seen.

Further south along the Jersey Shore, also on March 17th, at Barnegat Light, at the north end of Long Beach Island, 2 adult LITTLE GULLS were found among about 20 BONAPARTE'S GULLS. There were also 15-plus HARLEQUIN DUCKS, several OYSTERCATCHERS, and a PEREGRINE FALCON sitting on the lighthouse.
A bit inland, an OSPREY was over Lake Manakawkin.

At a New Jersey location I don't think ever mentioned here previously, these birds were observed yesterday, March 17th, at the Franklin Parker Preserve, in Woodland Township, in Burlington County:
28 TUNDRA SWANS, 6 WOOD DUCKS, 67 HOODED MERGANSERS (yes, that's 67), 15 WILSON'S SNIPE, a WOODCOCK, 3 PHOEBES, 19 PINE WARBLERS, 4 FOX SPARROWS, 5 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and a KESTREL.

In Pennsylvania, the LAZULI BUNTING, noted here last time as being in Red Hill, near Green Lane, was seen, since last time, on Friday, March 9th, when it was seen at about 7:45 in the morning for a few minutes. It was seen in the multiflora rose before flying across the road to the top of tree where it was for a short time, before dropping out of sight.

In Norristown, Montgomery County PA, a PEREGRINE FALCON has been seen on a ledge of the One Montgomery Plaza office building.

2 PEREGRINE FALCONS have been observed this past week in Reading, Berks County PA. They've been seen mating. And perching on church steeples (of 3 churches: the Trinity Lutheran, the First United Church of Christ, and the Christ Episcopal), and on the Berks County Courthouse.

Along the Susquehanna River in south-central Pennsylvania, BALD EAGLES have been at a nest on the Holtwood Dam tower, on the York County side of the river. They were observed there on March 10th. Also that day, an OSPREY was observed at a nest on the Piney Island tower, on the Lancaster County side of the river. There's also another BALD EAGLE nest on Piney Island.

In Northeast Philadelphia, an adult BALD EAGLE was seen yesterday, March 17th, from I-95, just north of the Academy Road exit. It was flying away from the Delaware River.

Back to the Susquehanna River, a LITTLE GULL was seen this week, on March 15th, with about a dozen BONAPARTE'S GULLS at West Fairview, near Harrisburg.
Other waterbirds noted there, that day, included: 72 TUNDRA SWANS, 7 HORNED GREBES, over 100 SCAUP (both species), all 3 MERGANSERS, COMMON GOLDENEYE, BUFFLEHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, AMERICAN WIGEON, and WOOD DUCK.

Birds seen last week in the area of the Churchville Nature Center in Bucks County PA included:
a HORNED GREBE on March 3rd, WOOD DUCK, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP, RUDDY DUCK, and both COMMON and HOODED MERGANSERS.
Also: an ICELAND GULL on March 4th, and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.

Late yesterday, March 17th, 456 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were tallied in northern Bucks County. 349 of them were at Lake Nockamixon: 261 at the marina and another 88 at the fishing pier at about 7pm. A half-hour later, at Lake Galena, Peace Valley, further south in Bucks County, 107 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were counted.

Other birds in the Peace Valley area this past week included:
7 HORNED GREBES on March 15th, 3 PIED-BILLED GREBES that day, over 500 SNOW GEESE overhead that same day, an OSPREY on March 13th, multiple reports of immature BALD EAGLES through the week, PHOEBE and TREE SWALLOW on March 15th, MEADOWLARKS on March 13th & 15th, FOX SPARROW, and 8 WOODCOCK on March 12th.
Ducks noted at Peace Valley this past week included: WOOD DUCK, WIGEON, BLACK DUCK, PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, RUDDY DUCK, and all 3 MERGANSERS.

In the area of Valley Forge, northwest of Philadelphia, birds on Wednesday, March 14th included these just-arrived : FIELD SPARROW and PINE WARBLER. The previous Sunday evening, 3 WOODCOCK were at Walnut Creek near the pipeline cut. A kettle of over a dozen BLACK VULTURES was seen above Valley Forge on March 13th.

The previously-reported SANDHILL CRANE has continued this past week at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, in northern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was seen on March 10th, on the stubble field on the west side of the road between the visitor's center and the Willow Trail parking lot.
Also there that day, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen just beyond the tour #3 stop. And a WINTER WREN was at the first creek crossing after the entrance to the reserve.

Actually, many birds were seen at Middle Creek that day. Those observed during a field-trip by the Lehigh Gap Naturalists Club included:
over 2,500 TUNDRA SWANS, 15,000 or so SNOW GEESE, a ROSS' GOOSE, and these ducks:
200 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, 50 NORTHERN PINTAIL, 20 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 25 AMERICAN WIGEON, 7 NORTHERN SHOVELERS, a GADWALL, 6 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 4 LESSER SCAUP, 2 COMMON MERGANSERS, and 1 HOODED MERGANSER.
Raptors that day included: a PEREGRINE FALCON, 2 BALD EAGLES, 2 NORTHERN HARRIERS, RED-TAILED HAWKS, and TURKEY VULTURES.
BLUEBIRDS and MEADOWLARKS were also seen.

In Chester County PA, on March 9th, at Somerset Lake, in Landenberg, ducks included: CANVASBACKS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, RUDDY DUCKS, and WOOD DUCKS.

Not just in Chester County, but throughout our region, FOX SPARROWS have been numerous the past few days, and especially at feeders, or along country roads, during the recent storm.

Yesterday, March 17th, between 4 and 6 pm, in Dauphin and Lebanon Counties, between Hershey and Memorial Lake, along several two-lane roads in wooded areas, over 75 FOX SPARROWS were seen by a birder without leaving his car.
Other birds during that time included many PIPITS, a VESPER SPARROW, CHIPPING SPARROW, and a PINE WARBLER.
Earlier in the day on March 17th, at least 8 FOX SPARROWS were seen at a feeder in eastern Lancaster County.
5 FOX SPARROWS, and a CHIPPING SPARROW, were, that day, at a feeder in Media, in Delaware County.
7 FOX SPARROWS were at a feeder in York County, PA, on March 17th, as was a male PURPLE FINCH.
Also yesterday, March 17th, FOX SPARROWS were reported at a number of other places, including: Phoenixville, and East Stroudsburg (where there were 5, along with a RUSTY BLACKBIRD).
The previous day, March 16th, among places where FOX SPARROWS were reported were Boyertown in Berks County, and further west in Pennsylvania in Cumberland County - you remember that's where the SCOTT'S ORIOLE has been (or was).
At the Cumberland County location, in Southampton Township, there were 6 FOX SPARROWS at a feeder on Friday, March 16th. The next day, there were over 30 there.

In Northampton County PA, there have been FOX SPARROWS as well, but more notable there were 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS, on March 17th, at Graver's Hill in Moore Township. One was a male entering breeding plumage; the other was a female. They were with over 150 HORNED LARKS.

In New York, by the way, on Long Island, the SMITH'S LONGSPUR has continued, being seen today, March 18th.

Let's end, now, with another extralimital report. You may have heard of place in northern Vermont called Moose Bog. During a recent visit there, a birder described "virtually ever treetop filled with WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, and their vocalizations were overwhelming".

Good birding, wherever you may be, and thank you for tuning in to the Birdline.

- end transcript