Pennsylvania Birds

[PABIRDS] Alder Flycatcher and others Northern Lanc. Co.

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:11:52 -0500

PA BIRDERS,

I made some quick stops at a few locations in northern Lancaster
County this morning. Below you will see the locations visited and some
highlights from each.

SPEEDWELL LAKE

Black-bellied Plover (2)
White-rumped Sandpiper (1)
Semipalmated Plover (11)
Lesser yellowlegs (1)

Blackpoll Warbler (1)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1)
Orchard

[PABIRDS] Churchville Report (Bucks Co) - Birds sighted May 19-25

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:41:10 -0500

Bird reported from Churchville Nature Center in Bucks County for the week of May 19-25 included these highlights:

Wood Duck
Common Merganser
Common Loon
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Wild Turkey
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Waterthrush
Yellow

Re: [PABIRDS] eBird/BBS ideas

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:34:04 -0500

eBird provides a way to upload an Excel file of records or checklists.
This may be easier for entering a lot of data quickly, especially if
you already have it in Excel or another database. I did this to enter
my roughly 3,000 point counts from the breeding bird atlas.

Details for the process

Re: [PABIRDS] eBird/BBS ideas

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:28:09 -0500

Is there a way to enter the locations using the lat/long in an excel table?

There can be 10 or more species per point.

And we have 5 BBS routes so that is a lot of entries!
250 stops

Deb

At 3:21 PM -0400 5/25/12, Drew Weber wrote:
>Well, you are always welcome to enter the

Re: [PABIRDS] eBird/BBS ideas

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:21:41 -0500

Well, you are always welcome to enter the full route into eBird as a
traveling count for the entire route. However, since that data is
useless for eBird, it would just be for your personal use.

You could break it into smaller traveling counts of ~5 miles, but that
seems unfortunate because the individual

[PABIRDS] Sandhill Crane 5/25 - York County

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:20:33 -0500

The Sandhill Crane was seen this morning (Friday 5/25/2012)
around 8:35 am foraging in the corn field behind Harr's
Drive-In Theater in Dillsburg, York County, PA.
(N 40

[PABIRDS] Last minute $500 scholarships available for adults for 6-day Audubon birding programs in Maine

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:00:55 -0500

PA Birders,

Scholarships to Maine.

Best regards,

Carmen

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "Van Etten, Erica" <(email address filtered)>
To: (email address filtered)
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 10:03:50 AM
Subject: Possible listserv post: Last minute $500 scholarships available for adults for 6-day Audubon birding programs in Maine

Hi,

I

Re: [PABIRDS] eBird/BBS ideas

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:49:11 -0500

great point, I have been running into this over the years with CBC,
BBS and PAMC

I wish they would allow long routes like this to be easier for us as
the consumers.

chad kauffman
mifflintown, pa

At 02:44 PM 5/25/2012, Evan Mann wrote:
>The calendar is reminding me it is time to plan for

[PABIRDS] eBird/BBS ideas

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:44:15 -0500

The calendar is reminding me it is time to plan for my upcoming Breeding Bird Survey Route. It is obvious that we have many committed eBird users in our group. I am wondering if there are any of those who also run BBS routes that have come up

[PABIRDS] Golden-winged Warbler Week Late May

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:39:23 -0500

I don't believe this was mentioned...this is Golden-winged Wabler Week
as mentioned on Pennsylvania eBird. Very informative article and
links, please check it out.

http://ebird.org/content/pa

In recent years there has been a lot of habitat changes including
clear-cuts at higher elevations in Pennsylvania's mountains. It may be
well worth checking these areas now or very soon

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:26:48 -0500

Chalk me up as another one that noticed fireflies?over the last three weeks. I haven't seen any actually "light up" but I have found them at various spots around the yard during the daytime.
?
Frank Dickman
New Tripoli, Lehigh County

-----Original Message-----
From: Drew Weber <(email address filtered)>
To: PABIRDS <(email address filtered)>
Sent: Fri, May

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:12:18 -0500

Squeaky the bat has returned to Flavell's Bonnie Dell Farm. He was seen
night before last as he buzzed my sons head heading for our pond. There is a
board missing from the south wall of the barn. He sleeps his day away under
the tar paper that covers the

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:48:13 -0500

I actually saw a couple of fireflies on May 5th this year in Allentown-way too early.
Kathy Stagl
Emmaus, PA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sally Ann Sims" <(email address filtered)>
To: (email address filtered)
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 11:08:54 AM
Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Hi all,

I

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:47:55 -0500

There were fireflies at Scotia Barrens west of State College as early
as May 3, and we had more there on May 4 for the Shaver's Creek
Birding Cup. I thought they were early, but didn't realize how early.

Drew Weber
State College, PA

On Fri, May 25, 2012 at 6:19 AM, Scott Weidensaul
<(email address

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:17:31 -0500

I was just generalizing.

Sent from Amy's iPhone
>
> -----Original Message----- From: John, Lisa, Danny and Bailey Fedak
> Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 6:43 AM
> To: (email address filtered)
> Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa
>
> As I am listening to a Blackpoll Warbler outside, I

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:08:54 -0500

Hi all,

I also so my first firefly of the year yesterday (5/24) evening in the rain
actually. It seemed early to me too.

Sally Ann Sims
Chester County

-----Original Message-----
From: John, Lisa, Danny and Bailey Fedak
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 6:43 AM
To: (email address filtered)
Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill

[PABIRDS] Alder Flycatcher, Northampton County

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:45:39 -0500

05/25/2012

East Allen Twp., Bath, Northampton County

This morning I heard and finally found a singing ALDER FLYCATCHER in my yard. A new yard bird and county bird for me. Only other migrants in the yard this morning are a female BLACKPOLL and a first spring AMERICAN REDSTART in mottled plumage. CEDAR

Re: [PABIRDS] Sad News....Help Needed (Gabriel Mapel) - SCAM

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:28:06 -0500

Hi all,
yes it was a scam/hacker. I am fine. My email account is too now that I've changed my password.
So sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused.
Thank you.
Gabriel MapelNew Hope, Va

--- On Wed, 5/23/12, Smith, Holly <(email address filtered)> wrote:

From: Smith, Holly <(email address filtered)>
Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] Sad

[PABIRDS] GC Flycatcher/Nestbox/Franklin CO

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:37:39 -0500

Hi All,

A pair of Great-crested Flycatchers have been bringing nesting materials into a nestbox in back of our house. They attack squirrels and birds that come too close. They are a force to reckon with. I was not aware that they would use a nestbox. Fascinating!

Bob Keener
5207 Heisey Rd
Shippensburg, PA 17257
717-532-9723

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:43:02 -0500

As I am listening to a Blackpoll Warbler outside, I am not sure it is fair
to say 'all the birds were early'. I have been seeing fireflies since PSO,
but I have only seen a few bats...very few. I have noticed an increase in
insects as well....I

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:19:04 -0500

The usual first date for fireflies at our home in western
Schuylkill County is about May 28-June 1, but we saw our first about a
week and a half ago. Like Amy, I assume this was because of the
unusually warm spring, which accelerated

[PABIRDS] Eastern PA Birdline: 5/25/2012 - Corrected

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:50:45 -0500

- RBA
* Pennsylvania
* Lehigh / Northampton Counties and Vicinity
* May 25, 2012
* PAEA1205.25

- Birds mentioned

SURF SCOTER
BLUE GROSBEAK
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
BLACK SCOTER
ARCTIC TERN (2nd Carbon County record)
COMMON TERN
ALDER FLYCATCHER
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER

- Transcript

Hotline: Eastern PA Birdline
Date: May 25th at 4:00 AM
Phone Number: (610) 252-3455
To Report by Phone: Call (610) 252-3455, press the (*) key and

[PABIRDS] Eastern PA Birdline: 5/25/2012

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:58:38 -0500

- RBA
* Pennsylvania
* Lehigh / Northampton Counties and Vicinity
* May 25, 2012
* PAEA1205.25

- Birds mentioned

BLUE GROSBEAK
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
ALDER FLYCATCHER
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER

- Transcript

Hotline: Eastern PA Birdline
Date: May 25th at 2:00 AM
Phone Number: (610) 252-3455
To Report by Phone: Call (610) 252-3455, press the (*) key and leave your
message.
To Report by E-Mail: Send to

[PABIRDS] The things birders say, as overheard on the Magee Marsh boardwalk

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:11:30 -0500

You might enjoy this list my wife made of things birders say, as overheard on the Magee Marsh boardwalk:

http://danieleweeks.com/Birder_Sayings.html

Some of my favorites are:

he wants to be a canadian

i see him but i can't find him

it could be anywhere out here

Dan Weeks,
Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA

[PABIRDS] Lake Ontelaunee, May 24, 2012 - MS Kite, scoter

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:09:28 -0500

Besides the birds below, I saw a sub-adult Mississippi Kite at the Bailey
Creek parking lot at 5:45 p.m. This bird was low enough to see the short
outermost primary, narrowly banded tail (which it often fanned and tilted to
adjust buoyancy), very light head, gray underparts with some streaking

Re: [PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:53:13 -0500

Hi Bill, I saw a flashing Firefly last night in my yard (southeastern
Washington County). Seemed early to me too but not surprising considering
that we had no winter and all the birds were early too....

Amy Taracido

-------Original Message-------

From: bill drolsbaugh

Date: 05/24/12 09:54:01

To:

[PABIRDS] Purple Martins - Allegheny Co.

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:03:26 -0500

This evening I went to the Imperial Grasslands and sat for awhile at the pond

there was a pair of PURPLE MARTINS here which are very uncommon to see here

also the flock of geese here had a dark breasted bird that really stood out among the other pale breasted birds,it seemed slightly

[PABIRDS] Quittaphilla wetlands Lebanon county

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:01:33 -0500

In the wetlands across from the home depot. I had 5 great egrets , 2 great blue herons, 2 kingfishers, spotted sandpiper, and I was surprised by a green heron that I accidentally flushed as I was walking to the car .

Sent from my iPad

[PABIRDS] Sandhill Crane

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:33:33 -0500

I drove by Logan Road in Dillsburg at 6:30 this evening and the sandhill
crane was feeding in the bare field right on the turn of the road, barely 20
feet from the road. Great photo op!

Kermit Henning

[PABIRDS] Erie County, Mississippi Kite

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:06:30 -0500

At 1005 DST, Roger Donn and I watched a sub-adult (first summer) Mississippi Kite in molt (still retaining immature dark inner primaries) fly directly over the hawk watch at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. It was very high and went through quickly, mostly on a glide as it passed.

[PABIRDS] ID Help - Sparrow

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:59:10 -0500

[PABIRDS] Erie County, Presque Isle Hawk Watch

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:55:23 -0500

Presque Isle
Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: May 24, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture

[PABIRDS] Photos from the Bucktoe Shorebird Watch, ID help wanted - Chester County

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:57:46 -0500

If anyone is interested in an ID challenge, I have posted several of
Holly Merker's photos of shorebird flocks flying over Bucktoe
Shorebird Watch yesterday. Even if you can't identify them, it's neat
seeing photos of shorebird flocks this size in Pennsylvania.

http://www.nemesisbird.com/2012/05/mystery-shorebird-photos-from-the-the-great-bucktoe-shorebird-watch/

Drew Weber
State College PA

Re: [PABIRDS] Blue grosbeak, Koch property, Northampton County

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:26:27 -0500

Obviously I forgot to do a spell check. I meant that I haven't seen a female. My apologies.

Arlene Koch
Easton, PA
Northampton County
(email address filtered)

________________________________
From: DAVID KOCH <(email address filtered)>
To: (email address filtered)
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 8:36 PM
Subject: [PABIRDS] Blue grosbeak, Koch property, Northampton County

It's still

[PABIRDS] Golden-winged Warbler, Pike Co.

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:48:35 -0500

Saw at least two Golden-winged Warblers on Snow Hill Road in Pike Co. It?s
a shelter cut area on the north side where the understory looks to be a year
or two old. The birds were singing vigorously at around 8:00 to 9:00 AM .
They can be seen easily from

[PABIRDS] Blue grosbeak, Koch property, Northampton County

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:36:46 -0500

It's still here, occasionally perching in trees along the driveway. It's not singing, however, and I haven't seen a famle. But I have seen it going into two separate patches of barley that are just beginning to ripen.

Arlene Koch
Easton, PA
Northampton County
(email address filtered)

Re: [PABIRDS] Brewster's Warbler Question

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:03:45 -0500

Hi Shawn,

I agree, first generation male "Brewster's" are truly beautiful birds.
And, yes, they can be attracted to (or, conversely, can attract) a
Golden-winged Warbler as a mate. In fact, it is that very combination that
I selected (in memory and honor of the late Carnegie Museum Ciurator of
Birds, Dr. Kenneth C.

[PABIRDS] Black Bellied Plover and Brewster's - Crawford Co

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:41:51 -0500

I stopped at a few places today

The Black Bellied Plover was again there today at the Spillway.

1 Forster's Tern
2 Bonaparte Gulls
1 Black Bellied Plover
1 Spotted Sandpiper

I also stopped to the area that we found the Brewster's Warbler in again.
I sat in my Jeep hoping to see either actually.

Re: [PABIRDS] Brewster's Warbler Question

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:13:42 -0500

On Wednesday, I was able to witness a Golden-winged Warbler and Brewster's
Warbler territory battle in the Dauphin County (restricted access) portions
of the installation. The Golden-winged showed up this year for the first
time since 2004 and has his perch trees staked out. He was singing away as
a Brewster's Warbler approached making

[PABIRDS] Sandhill crane, York Co.

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:52:24 -0500

The adult sandhill crane reported by Jon Dale this morning was feeding in the front yard of a home directly across Logan Blvd. from Harr's Drive-In at 12:30 this afternoon. The site is just north of Dillsburg in northern York County.

Dick Cleary

[PABIRDS] speciation

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:47:21 -0500

What defines one species vs another is whatever the current experts decide.

Fortunately, we tend to have a lot of bird experts, so they need some general rules and it's not just one person making the decisions (unlike poorly studied taxa). But there are probably as many political concerns as biological

[PABIRDS] Common Tern-Allegheny River, Clarion Co.

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:45:28 -0500

Hi all,

Sorry for the belated post. Yesterday afternoon (5/23), there was a first-summer Common Tern feeding over the Allegheny River at Foxburg, Clarion County, downstream of the Rt. 58 bridge.

Cheers,
Ben Coulter

Re: [PABIRDS] Brewster's Warbler Question

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:49:20 -0500

I remember talking to a biologist on this subject years ago. His opinion was that the Golden-winged and Blue-winged should probably be considered just one species.....since they do react to each other's songs and they do readily breed. I think as a kid, I learned that the ability

[PABIRDS] Somerset Co: Mockingbird benefits

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:06:48 -0500

The benefits of having a very loud mockingbird take up residence all around your house and garden:

1: You no longer need a store bought alarm clock. The mockingbird has more electronic beeps and whistle sounds than any alarm clock and unfailingly goes off way before 6 AM.

2: I

Re: [PABIRDS] Brewster's Warbler Question

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:56:18 -0500

Great photos, Shawn!

I have some experience with several Brewster's warblers in the Delaware State Forest, in areas where the predominate "winged" warblers are golden-wings. A territory near our cabin held a Brewster's for at least five years, and I was fortunate to actually see the two of them feeding

[PABIRDS] Pine Siskin- Tioga County

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:47:12 -0500

Birders,

This morning I had a Pine Siskin along Blockhouse Road in Sebring. The bird was
calling from a few Norway Spruces in different backyards. It seems pretty late
for Pine Siskins to still be around. Possibly breeding? I also had an Orchard
Oriole and several Bobolinks in town.

Nate Fronk
Williamsport, PA

[PABIRDS] Outdoor Learning Days - Sixth Graders

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:04:26 -0500

Hi All,
Our local County Conservancy sponsored an Outdoor Learning Days event, which was held this past Thurs & Fri at the Sweet Arrow Lake county park, near Pine Grove.

With the event, folks from State Parks, Forestry, PGC, and other affiliations presented information in the great outdoors to the students on

[PABIRDS] fireflies and bats bill drolsbaugh mercer co. pa

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:53:12 -0500

While attending my neices softball game tues nite and watching bats flit around at dusk i heard 2 reliable reports of fire flies turning on in downtown sharpsville pa(is this early for lightening bugs ???

[PABIRDS] Dillsburg Sandhill Crane still here

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:44:27 -0500

On April 23, my son Alex and I reported a young adult Sandhill Crane on Logan Blvd., Dillsburg just past Haar's Drive-In Theatre and at the entrance to the Elm Croft Senior Living Center, 153 Logan Blvd. On the way to school this morning, Alex again saw it appx.

Re: [PABIRDS] Fw: Bird Collision Research Project

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:40:00 -0500

Thanks for the article link and Kudo's to Keith Russell at Audubon PA
for his fine work on the issue.

Kim

Quoting Rudolph Keller <(email address filtered)>:

> Here's a link to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about birds
> striking windows. There's an encouraging section about work being