Grebes, Grebes and More Grebes

Memorial Lake Outflow

     After hearing about the spectacular grebe show going on at Memorial Lake in Lebanon County, I decided to head there to check it out. Upon arrival, I did a quick glance out into the lake and I immediately found a few Horned Grebes. Setting up the scope and scanning revealed some birds across the lake. They turned out to be Pied-billed Grebes and a large raft of waterfowl, including Ring-necked Ducks, one Am Wigeon, lots of Coots and Gadwalls, plus both species of Scaup. 
     I decided to move over to the dam area where the viewing was better. Walking down to the water's edge I spotted the Red-necked Grebe.  He was very actively feeding, diving and surfacing with a fish in his bill.

Red-necked Grebe

      After watching him for bit I looked to my right and there was the Western Grebe just floating around minding his own business, not seeming to be out of place at all. What the heck is this guy doing in PA?

Western Grebe

 

 

 

       One more grebe to go, the Eared Grebe. This guy proved to be a worthy opponent. I had to circle the lake twice to finally find him. Nick had told me that he was difficult to find because he hugged the shoreline. But I finally was able to get a good look at him and a few photos, but unfortunately into the sun.

Eared Grebe

Alert Horned Grebe and resting Western Grebe

 

Yellow Rail - An Adventure of a Lifetime

Banding of the Yellow Rail

     Sharon and I arrived in Jennings, Louisiana for the Yellow Rail & Rice Festival. We have been looking forward to this trip for a good three months. The plans called for all the participants to go out in the rice fields as the farmers were harvesting their second crop of rice. The fun part (beside finding Yellow Rails) was getting to ride on the farmer's combine during the harvest.

Participants riding the combine

That's us disembarking the combine

       We were lucky to find a Yellow Rail on our first time out. Most riders didn't have the thrill of finding their lifer Yellow Rail until the second day. Besides the Yellow Rails, we also were able to observe about 10 Virginia Rails and an amazing 100+ Soras.  
      Even before we arrived at the rice fields Sharon and I found some other nice birds. Lots of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks. There were thousands of Greater White-fronted Geese and Long-billed Dowitchers. Another 500 White-faced Ibis and lots of shorebirds, including Stilt Sandpipers, Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets.

Some of the many Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks

      On day 2 we awoke to very thick fog so the rice couldn't be harvested because the fields were wet and that would clog the combines. So we headed to Lacassine NWR where we added Gull-billed and Caspian Terns. We also saw many Common Gallinule and after much searching were able to find a juvenile Purple Gallinule. Other birds of interest were Anhingas and Neotropic Cormorants and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

Common Gallinule

Anhinga

Yellow-headed Blackbirds mixed in with other blackbirds

     The bird banders were out in full force on the second day and there were nets up everywhere. They had a tough job because once the combine made a pass along one or two rows of rice they would have to carry the nets to a new location closer to the uncut rice areas. It was also interesting to watch the banders who were on the opposite side of the uncut fields from the nets. They had butterfly nets and when a rail would flush in their direction and land in the cut sections of the field they would chase it down and catch it with the butterfly nets. They had a banner day today with Soras. We watched as they banded both Soras and Virginia Rails. I was able to release one after banding.

Al with Sora

     After all the time spent in the field both days the banders could not catch a Yellow Rail. Finally on our last trip on the combine when we flushed the third Yellow Rail on our run, I was able to direct the grad students on the ground to the spot where the bird had landed. We then watched them band and release it.

Notice white secondaries of the rail

      It was an exciting time for both of us. The festival itself was a little unorganized due to having to plan around when the fields would be dry. We always started rail trips around noon so the dew would evaporate and the fields would be dry. I would highly recommend the festival for anyone needing to see this bird.

A Personal Fall Migration

 
    The first week of October for the last seven years have been for me as celebratory as Christmas and my birthday combined; here’s why.
    Each of those October weeks have been spent watching peregrine falcons and exploring nature along the last 20 miles of Virginia’s Eastern Shore on the Delmarva Peninsula. Most of my time has been spent watching hawks at, or near, Kiptopeke State Park, just three miles from the peninsula’s end. Nature plays the leading role in life on the Eastern Shore.
    It is a shame that most people traveling south along Route 13 traverse the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel thinking only of their destinations, ranging from Virginia Beach and Norfolk (home of the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic fleet) to the Carolina’s Outer Banks. The lower end of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, just before the bay-bridge-tunnel, has much to offer nature lovers.
    Watching hawks and other diurnal raptors migrate in October over KSP is thrilling because it is one of the best spots in the eastern United States to view migrating raptors. More importantly, though, it is one of the best places in the eastern U.S. to see falcons: peregrines, merlins and kestrels. Several other raptor species also appear in very large numbers, most notably osprey and sharp-shinned hawks.

Cooper's Hawk

Peregrine falcons hold an unusual position among those who care about nature and the environment. Peregrines were nearly decimated by DDT, a pesticide formerly used in the states to kill mosquitoes. By about 1965 there were no nesting peregrines in the eastern U.S., and birders noted the flashy bird’s decline, and then disappearance. Legislation spurred by Pennsylvanian Rachel Carson’s eye-opening book, “Silent Spring”, banned DDT in the U.S. Carson and her book are still considered major factors in initiating the environmental movement in our country. Additionally, legal protection for the peregrine and a massive re-introduction program centered largely on captive-bred peregrines provided by falconers saved the Peregrine in the east, and caused it to be removed from the Endangered Species list. The unusual part of this scenario is that many Peregrine supporters had, and have, never seen a wild peregrine, but they supported them anyway.
    My opening October weeks at KSP have solved that problem for me because hundreds pass there, especially during the first few weeks of October. While I have had several days seeing over 100 peregrines in the past, this year had somewhat fewer, though we still had good numbers. This fall season, up to and including October 8, KSP had 544 peregrines, 594 merlins and 2,906 kestrels pass over in 422.8 hours of counting. A total of 8,670 diurnal raptors have passed the hawk watch site in the same time period. There are plenty of more raptors to come before this fall’s parade of raptors across the sky ends. An average of 22,000 raptors annually migrated past KSP over the last 10-years.
Several hundred raptors are trapped at KSP each fall to gather health data on the migrating raptors before they are banded and released. Gender, weight and general physical condition are gathered and recorded. Researchers from across the country have access to both the raptor figures and the additional health information gathered at KSP.
    Also at KSP, the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory traps, bands and releases hundreds of songbirds each fall as part of their research program. Basically the same type of information is gathered from the songbirds that is obtained from the raptors. The licensed banders and well-trained volunteers handle all birds carefully and quickly release them.
    Monarch butterflies, which pose one of the biggest mysteries of migration, also pass through KSP. Nearly all eastern Monarchs end up at their winter home in a mountainous region of Central Mexico where they hunker down in fir trees until it is time to return north. 
    An additional plus for birders and naturalists is the annual Birding Festival held the first weekend of October for the last 20-years at Cape Charles, VA., just 10-minutes away from KSP. Nature lovers will enjoy the information gained from private conservation groups and official state and federal agencies. While birds and birding are the primary focus, there is a great emphasis on coastal, wetland, vegetative and wildlife protection. Birds and wildlife cannot survive without homes, food and clean water.
    The really interesting parts of the bird festival are the numerous birding outings led by experts to local areas incredibly rich in bird life. With the fall bird migration in full swing across the peninsula the trips are quite rewarding. One trip is especially interesting because it involves taking a boat around various barrier islands just off the coast to see water birds of myriad species. Harry Armistead, a local birding expert from Philadelphia, has guided many of those trips. It would be a cliché to say Armistead’s knowledge of birds is encyclopedic, but it would be fairly accurate.
    My wife and I have put a deposit on our rental for next October, when we will again marvel at KSP’s and Eastern Shore Virginia’s natural bounty.
                                                                          John McGonigle

Cape May Fun by Nick Pulcinella

Red-breasted Nuthatch

     We, in the Delaware Valley, are very fortunate to reside near one of North America’s premier migration hotspots – Cape May, NJ.  When the winds are from the northwest or the atmosphere is unsteady with bouts of rain or fog fall migration here can be spectacular. On Thursday, October 11, 2012, I ventured down to hopefully witness some visible migration. A cold front had passed through 48 hrs before and on this day the temperatures were down to the mid-40s and the wind was brisk out of the northwest.

     My first stop was at the Higbee Dike morning flight count where I hoped that my skills at identifying flying songbirds would be highly tested. I was not disappointed. Not only were the birds passing in numbers but the brisk wind had them passing by like bullets. The scene of hundreds of birds zooming by, some individually, others in small groups, some distant at the edge of the bay others so close I ducked a few times thinking I was going to be struck. It was mesmerizing and overwhelming at the same time. The morning flight counter, Cameron Rutt, was doing a superhuman job trying to identify and count these birds in this near impossible situation. He uttered only one word “outrageous.” The flight consisted mainly of Yellow-rumped Warblers with smaller numbers of Palm, Parula, Blackpoll, and Black-throated Blue Warblers, the latter two, whizzing by introducing themselves with their distinctive chip notes.  There were a few Red-eyed Vireos, Northern Flickers and Red-breasted Nuthatches mixed in for added diversity. The never-ending flocks of Pine Siskins, and Purple Finches that seem to be making a sizeable incursion into the mid-Atlantic provided additional excitement.  One aspect of the morning’s flight was the marvelous flight of Sharp-shinned Hawks. There was no point that I can recall that there were not 4-5 Sharpies in the air.  Similar to the songbirds, these hawks were sometimes within inches of us with at least two birds flying within the three-foot space between the counter and me. The Cape May Hawkwatch based at Cape May Point State Park, recorded 1000 Sharp-shinned Hawks in its first hour.

     As I was driving down in the early morning I was excited at the possibility of photographing some of these migrants in flight. Photographing flying songbirds can be a challenge in itself, but in these conditions, it was absurd. All I can say is “thank God for digital cameras.” Many images consisted of blurred birds, only the tail of a bird or no bird at all. Here a few that made it.  

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Purple Finch

Pine Siskins

 
     Leaving Higbee Dike, I then birded briefly at Higbee Beach. I was lucky to find a skulking Orange-crowned Warbler in some Poke Weed very near the parking lot. The nearby fields had several White-throated Sparrows and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. The sky over the Higbee fields was busy with Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks and Northern Flickers. 

Sharpie

     I drove over to Cape May Point State Park. There was a large number of Turkey Vultures in the air along with more Sharpies. I also saw single Broad-winged and Red-shouldered Hawks pass by.  There are so many areas in Cape May to bird that it can be difficult sometimes to decide where to go next. One of my favorite things is to walk along the streets of the point checking out the various small yards which at times can act like a magnet in attracting birds in very easy to see situations. I parked the car at the state park and then walked the streets down to St. Peters stopping at the various jetties to check the ocean and bay, and then walking around Lily Lake stopping at the CMBO Northwood center to check their feeders and then back to the state park. Here are a few photos from that walk.    Before leaving for home, I spent some time at the Hawkwatch enjoying more accipiters and falcons. 

Peregrine Falcon

    Below are the lists from both the Morning Flight Count and the Hawkwatch for October 11th.

Morning Flight

    Strong northwest winds this morning and a surge of Sharp-shinned Hawks did not deter the warblers.  What started as a fairly diverse warbler flight (14 species) with Blackpoll Warblers (219) predominating, gave way to a great mid-morning passage of Yellow-rumped Warblers (4852). 

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Butterbutt)

     This marks only the fourth time this year that Blackpoll Warblers have crested triple-digits, and the first time since 9/29 - a great flight for this relatively late date.  And like the large warbler flight on 10/9, few woodpeckers and nuthatches were aloft today.  However, the finches more than compensated with the second-largest Pine Siskin (697) flight and largest Purple Finch (78) flight of the year.  Today's Purple Finches outnumbered the sum from the rest of the fall and we've now amassed 2356 Pine Siskins for the year!

     The past seven days have featured a heavy volume of birds over Higbee Beach. In fact, since 10/5, more than 37,000 birds have been registered in morning flight!

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 4
Northern Flicker - 44
Red-eyed Vireo - 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 29
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Brown Creeper - 2
kinglet sp. - 2
American Robin - 37
Cedar Waxwing - 53
Tennessee Warbler - 7
Nashville Warbler - 5
Northern Parula - 101
Yellow Warbler - 1
Magnolia Warbler - 2
Cape May Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 22
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 4852
Black-throated Green Warbler - 2
Palm Warbler - 124
Blackpoll Warbler - 219
Black-and-white Warbler - 1
American Redstart - 5
Northern Waterthrush - 2
warbler sp. - 2426
Chipping Sparrow - 2
Savannah Sparrow - 10
Indigo Bunting - 8
Rusty Blackbird - 2
Purple Finch - 78
Pine Siskin - 697

Total = 8733


Other highlights included a Solitary Sandpiper, a massive flight of Sharp-shinned Hawks (perhaps 1000+), and 3 Northern Rough-winged Swallows.  A personal highlight for me was a Brown Creeper that briefly alighted on Nick Pulcinella's pant leg!

Hawk Flight

Day's Count   

 Black Vulture                  5             
Turkey Vulture                   44            
Osprey                              85           
Bald Eagle                          11            
Northern Harrier                 42           
Sharp-shinned Hawk          2631          
Cooper's Hawk                   155           
Northern Goshawk          0             
Red-shouldered Hawk      2             
Broad-winged Hawk               66           
Red-tailed Hawk                 17            
Rough-legged Hawk                0             
Golden Eagle                     0             
American Kestrel               146          
Merlin                              35           
Peregrine Falcon                 9           

Total:                            3248
          

Observation start time: 05:45:00
Observation end   time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10.33 hours

Official Counter: Tom Reed

Weather: Sunny throughout, with winds shifting from NNW to NW to W through the day. Winds were around 15-20mph to start, but decreased through the day, ending
at <5mph.

Raptor Observations:
A good flight of SSHA, largely during the morning hours.

Non-raptor Observations:
Pine Siskin (400+), Clay-colored Sparrow (1), White-crowned Sparrow (5),
Rusty Blackbird (6), Eastern Meadowlark (6), Solitary Sandpiper (1),
Pectoral Sandpiper (5)

Maine Vacation

     Sharon and I have recently returned from a great time in Maine. We drove the whole coast line from New Hampshire up to Eastport, ME and then farther north to Moosehorn NWR. The trip was a mixture of birding and sightseeing (mostly birding for me). We visited many lighthouses and state parks along the way. My favorite lighthouse has always been Nubble Light because of the great views it offers. See below.

Nubble Light at Cape Neddick, ME

     On the first day of driving we actually stopped at West Point to tour the grounds. It was an impressive academy with a major emphasis on sports. Then we drove to a ferry in Connecticut and crossed the Connecticut River to the Gillette Castle. This was built by William Gillette who was an actor who played Sherlock Holmes back in the twenties in the silent movie days. He was quite prosperous. 

Gillette Castle

After 13 hours on and off the road we finally arrived at Scarborough Marsh in Maine. This is a very large marshy area that runs downs to the ocean so you can get all kinds of birds. We managed to find Bonaparte's Gull, Common Tern, Little Blue Heron and lots of other stuff but the most exciting were several Nelson's Sparrows pictured here.

Next we stopped in Pittsfield ME to visit one of our old employee's from the feed store who moved to Maine to start an alpaca farm. She now has about fifty alpacas and about a hundred ribbons that her animals have won at shows around the country. Of course we had to go visit the alpacas.

 Next we were off for more sightseeing with a quick stop at Stephen King's home in Bangor, Maine.

 

We finally arrived at our main destination which was Acadia National Park. We arrived just as planned, on my 62nd birthday and purchased our Senior Pass for $10 which entitles us to free entry into all national parks for the rest of our lives. So we celebrated with popovers at Jordan Pond and with a lobster dinner that evening.

I know you're saying by now where are the bird pictures. Here they come. Common Eiders were everywhere along the coastline. 

Another very common bird was the Black Guillemots. Some were still in their black summer plumage while others have already changed into the speckled winter plumage.

Winter Plumaged Black Guillemot

Quoddy Head Lighthouse is the most eastern point in the United States and is another favorite lighthouse of ours. Not only is it an appealing lighthouse at a great location, just east of here you can see Grand Manan Island which belongs to New Brunswick, Canada, but it also offers great birding. Black Guillemots, Northern Gannets, Red-necked Phalaropes all flying around the water but also in the boreal forests you get Golden-crowned Kinglets and Brown Creepers nesting.

Quoddy Head Lighthouse - Eastern most point in USA

Great view with Grand Manan Island in the background

But best of all you are able to find Spruce Grouse just by walking the trails and they aren't afraid of people at all. We saw four of them sitting up in the spruce trees just above eye level and about eight feet away.

From here we headed over the bridge to New Brunswick, Canada. We stopped to visit the Franklin Roosevelt home on Campobello Island. He would spend two and a half months here each year during the summer months. We actually had reservations for tea and cookies with Eleanor Roosevelt who gave us an hour long story about her experiences as first lady.

Campobello Island Home

Afterwards we continued north to the end of the island to visit another lighthouse. At this point I was scanning the ocean for birds, seeing lots of Common Terns and Bonaparte's Gulls when a dark bird flew past with long pointed wings. Getting the scope on the bird it turned at to be a Sooty Shearwater. Scanning some more produced about 200 more, plus another 200 Manx Shearwaters and a Great Shearwater. Looking at the birds sitting on the rocks near the lighthouse I noticed a large number of Herring Gulls and other gulls, but they didn't look right for Bonaparte's. A closer look revealed their true identity. Sitting on the rocks were about 150 Black-legged Kittiwakes, Awesome!

East Quoddy Head Light

Kittiwakes among Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls

Well, since I'm getting tired of typing I will end with a photo of a bird we found the next morning in Moosehorn NWR near Calais, Maine. Thanks for putting up with such a long blog.

Ruffed Grouse

Hickory Horned Devil

Hickory Horned Devil

       Today, while birding on the bridle trail at Ridley Creek State Park, I happened to come across a Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar crossing the trail. At first I didn't know what to make of it. It was about 5 inches long and the girth with wider than my index finger. It was quite spooky looking. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me so I posted photos from the internet and a description from Wikipedia below. Apparently they are the larvae of the Regal Moth.

   
    Wikipedia: As the caterpillars age, they feed during the day. They molt 5 times. Each instar is different, but on their sixth and final instar they become a bright green color, with huge black-tipped red horns, earning them their common name "hickory horned devils". They feed heavily on their host plant and can grow up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long. Their scary appearance is purely a ruse; the spines, though prickly, do not sting, and the larva is harmless and actually one of the more easily handled of the saturniidae.

     Just before pupation, the larva expels its gut and changes color from Frankenstein-green to a more fetching turquoise, the skin of the fully fed creature stretched shiny and tight. They then crawl down the host plant, where they burrow into the dirt and pupate in a well formed chamber at a depth of five to six inches. The pupae are dark brown/black in color, and have a relatively short cremaster. Some pupae overwinter for 2 seasons, perhaps as an adaption to variable and adverse conditions such as fires and flooding, or to maintain genetic diversity across generations.

Regal Moth

     When the moths eclose, they have to pump their wings with fluid to extend them. The females emit pheromones, which the male can detect through its large, plumose antennae. Males can fly for miles in order to reach a female. After the moths mate, the female spends the majority of the remainder of her life laying eggs, while the male may mate several more times. Adults of this family of moths have vestigial mouths, meaning their mouthparts have been reduced. Because of this, they do not eat and only live for about a week as adults.

     Needless to say it was a lifer for me and a real treat.

Barn Owl Banding in Barto, PA

Game Commission officer holding the male Barn Owl

     Sharon and I made the trip to Barto, PA to see the banding of Barn Owls on a local farmer's property in Berks County. The Game Commission has been installing barn owl boxes throughout several counties in southeastern and south central Pennsylvania. The owls are nesting in a double silo where one of the boxes had been placed, but the farmer/owner says the Barn Owls have been nesting there for about twenty years. The game commission says there is another new location about a mile from this site thanks to the new nest box. 

 

Silos which contain Barn Owl family

      Originally the field trip was suppose to be limited to 25 people but Rick Wiltraut, the organizer of the trip, couldn't turn anyone down who requested to participate. There were actually just over 100 people present. 

Some of the 100 plus participants present

      We were fortunate tonight because the volunteers who climbed the silo to retrieve the birds were able to capture both adult birds along with the four young. We could see the difference in the male, which was very white under the wings, and the female which had a lot of spotting and darker feathering on the underside of her wings. 

Male Barn Owl

       Since the Barn Owl lays its eggs over a several day period and incubates them from the start, the young birds are hatched at various times so there are different age birds in the nest. If the youngest birds in a very large clutch don't get enough food from the parents then they will perish and become food for the other nestling.  During the banding process, a feather is extracted and DNA testing will be done on the feather. This will show if the owls that are nesting here now are the same parents from last year or if a new bird has joined the family because last years parent has died. 

Seven week old owl

Five week old owl

      Banding is important to the study of owls and birds in general. Some of the young owls that the game commission have banded in the past have shown up as far away as North Carolina. But the majority of the recaptured owls usually travel around fifty miles to find a new nest site. 
      The banding experience was fun and educational and it was good to see that so many people were interested in the birds. 
      After we left the owl site we made a quick trip to find Blue Grosbeak and Dickcissel in northern Montgomery County. We met up with Dustin Welsh and managed to find both birds along with Bobolinks in the high meadows. It was a very interesting, albeit hot, evening but well worth the effort. 

A walk around Bucktoe Preserve

     This Sunday morning I decided to go to Bucktoe Preserve in Chester County. Holly Merker was leading a walk there and since I was in need of a Blue Grosbeak for the year, and I knew that one was reported from the preserve, I headed on down. All photos in this blog were taken by Hank Davis a frequent visitor to the preserve. It was going to be a hot one today so we quickly crossed the open field headed for the shade of the woods. On the way we came across a family of three Kestels feeding over the grasslands. 

     Once in the woods we found Veery, Warbling Vireo and Red-eyed Vireos. At one point along the stream we encountered a group of about four Baltimore Orioles and a large family of Orchard Orioles. In one sycamore tree there was an oriole nest, a Kingbird nest and a Gnatcatcher nest. Hank managed to get a photo of a  female Baltimore Oriole feeding the young in the nest.

Baltimore Oriole

     Further along the creek Holly and I both heard a warbler singing and both of us recognized the song but just couldn't place the songster. After a little searching we were thrilled to discover that we had found Bucktoe's first Cerulean Warbler.

Our surprise find for the day - Cerulean Warbler

      Everyone was able to get great looks at this very cooperative bird. Usually a treetop warbler this guy was only about 20 feet off the ground and constantly singing. 
      We managed a few other birds such as Belted Kingfisher and Wood Thrush with nesting material but then headed out of the woods again as we were finishing the walk. In a large field with a lot of saplings Holly heard a strange sound coming from the brushy area. We chased it down and discovered it was another rare bird at Bucktoe, a Yellow-breasted Chat. Once again Hank managed to get a nice picture of the big warbler.

Yellow-breasted Chat - A discussion ensued rather this bird is really a warbler or should be in another Genus

     As we got back to the parking lot, I still hadn't found my target bird. Hank mentioned that the grosbeak was seen in an area behind the lot so we all walked over to the berm area and I climbed up on the berm and to my surprise there was a Blue Grosbeak sitting on the split rail fence. Success at last.
     For a hot June day this bird walk was definitely worth the trip. Thanks to Holly and Hank for all their knowledge.

Arctic Terns in Elk County

    My wife Sharon and I have been trying to visit all the counties in Pennsylvania for some years now. So we decided to visit Armstrong and Forest Counties which would be two new counties for our list. After we completed that task we started driving around the area visiting state parks. While visiting Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean Co. during a thunderstorm (not recommended by the way) we picked up a brochure for Elk State Park. So we determined that we should head south to Elk State Park just across the border in northern Elk County.

    Upon our arrival and not having a map of the park, it looked as if there was only one way in, so we proceeded down the only road toward the lake. We arrived at a nice size parking area adjacent to the lake. While still in the car I immediately saw two white birds flying over the lake. I informed Sharon that they gave the impression of being terns but were very distant and hard to distinguish. I stepped out of the car and got the binoculars on them and indeed they were terns.  I figured they would be Forster’s Terns but I wanted to check them out just in case it was something unusual.

    The terns were still too far to identify, so I setup up the scope. By the time I had the scope setup the birds were approaching for a closer view. I could see the stiff wing beats and the very uniform gray color on the upper wings. The upper wing had no black on the primaries that I could see and after looking at photos that I procured, they didn’t reveal any black markings either. As the birds passed in profile I noticed the thin black trailing edge on the under wing primaries. The outer primaries only had a trace of black on the tips of the feathers. Good field marks for Arctic Tern. So I was psyched.

Arctic Tern at Elk State Park

     The birds had very dark, red bills which to me appeared short. The birds were bullnecked in flight; that is, the neck was short but thick. The breast looked to be gray and not white as in Forster’s Tern. The tail on both birds was deeply forked, but one bird showed a very long tail while the second bird appeared to have a shortened tail. I’m not sure if this was the angle of view or maybe a bird not yet in full alternate plumage.

    We observed the terns for approximately a half an hour to make sure of the identification and than made a call to put the word out on the PA listserv. This was only the third sighting of Arctic Tern for me in Pennsylvania, the other two being in Delaware County along the Delaware River. I assume that this would be a first record for Elk County but have not checked into that matter. About this same time there was also an Arctic Tern spotted at Beltzville State Park in Carbon Co. As far as I could tell there was no significant weather factors in the area at the time. I have also submitted a report to the Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee.

     So in the end, we added two new counties and eight new state parks to our list and had a great opportunity to study a rarely seen bird in Pennsylvania.