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PA Big Day Details |
| Date | Jul 24, 2004 | ||||||
| Number | 110 | ||||||
| # Seen by All | 110 | ||||||
| Area | State | ||||||
| Time | 0300 to 2330 | ||||||
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| 285 Miles by car, 2 miles by foot. Visiting: Penn Forest Reservoir, Beltzville SP, Delaware Water Gap, Pocono Environmental Education Center, Martins Creek Preserve, Conejohela Flats. Species of note: Tundra Swan (S), Lesser Scaup (S), Great Horned Owl (M), Red- bellied Woodpecker (M), Magnolia Warbler (E). You wake up early with high hopes of new records and head out to scouted areas for those expected owls. But each spot you try the tape, nothing responds. Strong winds were not anticipated, but your Big Day must start somehow. Then as daylight arrives, a Hermit Thrush sings and the race is on. Billy Weber and I began our quest on a planned and the rain never came. Penn Forest Reservoir was our starting area and the winds began to subside. Promptly, we added Ovenbird, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Hooded Warbler. Missed was a Louisiana Waterthrush seen the day before, but substituted was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. At nearby Wild Creek, there was a Blue-headed Vireo and a pair of nesting Sharp-shinned Hawks. Yesterdays Kinglet and Yellow-rumped Warbler were nowhere to be ticked. Our misses early on were mounting. At Beltzville SP, our luck began to change. A grassy field produced an unexpected Grasshopper Sparrow and Bobolink. Nesting Cliff Swallows, an adult Bald Eagle, Green Heron, and many common species were added. The lake was not good for waterfowl, but a fly-by Black-crowned Night-Heron boosted our spirits. It was now 0800 and time leave Carbon County. Our count was 45 species. We hurried along Route 209 to the Delaware Water Gap. River Road has nesting warblers if they can be found. Numbers were low, but Northern Parula, Cerulean Warbler, American Redstart, and a bonus Magnolia Warbler were found. The targeted nesting Red-headed Woodpeckers by the headquarters building put on a nice display. A juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk in a snag added more excitement. Back on the road, we headed north to the Pocono Environmental Education Center in Pike County for more target birds. All seemed quiet except a group of summer camp kids. After passing by the kids, the pines came alive with activity. We got our targets, which included Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Pine Warbler. There was also a surprise Worm-eating Warbler searching high in a pine for a meal. With the morning hour over and 71 species, it was time to head south. The Peregrine Falcon at the cliffs overlooking the Delaware River could not be found. Minsi Lakes summering Pied-billed Grebe and Mute Swan were located. At Bear Swamp, we nearly struck out on nesting Flycatchers, getting an Acadian Flycatcher near the end of our walk. Our days only Tufted Titmouse was found here. Further south at Martins Creek, we added Osprey, American Kestrel, and a pair of summering Lesser Scaup. After missing Eastern Meadowlark, the route we were following was charged slightly due to time constraints. We headed towards Lehigh County, stopping at a small pond to get Snow Goose. Our days only Chimney Swift circled above my house in Whitehall. A canoe was loaded and we were on the move. Next stop, Bake Oven Road, produced Savannah Sparrow, Killdeer, and Northern Harrier. At 89 species, we were getting close to the July Big Day record of 100 with one great place left to bird. Time was now a factor at 1600 hours. After a long two-hour drive and some fast food, we arrived at Washington Boro, in Lancaster County. At the Rocks, fiver more species were added including Bank Swallow and Great Black-backed Gull. Our first Eastern Bluebird was at the Blue Rock Road boat launch. Paddling out on the Susquehanna River, our destination was the Conejohela Flats. Sandbars at Avocet Point had lots of early migrant shorebirds. The record was broke. Highlighting the list was a Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Pectoral Sandpiper. A targeted Tundra Swan was on the sandbar and ten Forster’s Tern were flying over the river. There was still an hour of light left and we paddled to Gull Poin and found two Sanderlings, Wood Duck, and heard Fish Crow. We drove home with smiles, knowing we had set a new Pennsylvania Big Day record for July. With a last breath of energy, Billy and I made one last stop at our opening area in Northampton County and added Eastern Screech-Owl for a grand total of 110. | |||||||