Pennsylvania Birdlists Summary 2016

Return to the Birdlists Reports Menu    Return to the Birdlists Home Page

Compiled by Peter Robinson

There are now 91 birders whose PA Life Lists are 300 or more, four more than for 2015. Twenty-five have PA Life Lists of 350 species or more, two more than for 2015. Seven are at 375 or more. Barb Haas regained the PA Life List lead with a 387 total.

There are eleven birders at the 300 mark or more in the PA Life List-Unassisted category, an increase of two. The year’s high PA Annual Lists were the 268 shared by Mike Epler and Ted Nichols II.

The following people submitted list information for 2016: Brendyn Baptiste, Tim Becker, Chuck Berthoud, Gerry Boltz, Fritz Brock, Bobby Brown, Brian Byrnes, Bruce Carl, Chuck Chalfant, Dick Cleary, Michael David, Dave DeReamus, Mike Epler, Bill Etter, Mike Fialkovich, Carl Garner, Tom Garner, Deborah Grove, Greg Grove, David Hawk, Al Guarente, Barb & Frank Haas, Carol Hildebrand, Roy Ickes, Chad Kauffman, David Kyler, Trudy Kyler, Wayne Laubscher, Ken Lebo, Randy C. Miller, Zachary Millen, Ted Nichols II, Richard Nugent, Bill Oyler, Thomas Reeves, Richard Rehrig, Jim Ridolfi, Michael Schall, Kurt Schwarz, John Snarey, Russ States, Mark Vass, Eric Witmer, David Yeany II.

BIRD OF THE YEAR – Tropical Kingbird

There were votes for a total of 28 species – an interesting mix that shows how many species of “good birds” were seen. Four of the 28 were Hummingbirds, and that does not include Ruby-throated! With three points for a first place vote, two for second, and one for third, the Tropical Kingbird’s 53 points was tops by far.

A second place tie was shared by Corn Crake and Anna’s Hummingbird with eight points each. In third place with seven points were Red-breasted Nuthatch and Black-headed Grosbeak.

Six points were earned by Cedar Waxwing. Greater White-fronted Goose, Black-necked Stilt, and Bullock’s Oriole got five points. At four points was Western Tanager, King Eider, American Avocet, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red Crossbill, and White-winged Dove each got three points. At two points were Piping Plover, Black-headed Gull, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Say’s Phoebe, Mountain Bluebird, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Summer Tanager, Eastern Towhee, and Indigo Bunting. There was one point for Longbilled Dowitcher, Rufous Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, and Common Raven.

BIRDER’S COMMENTS

Comments (Bird of the Year–BOY)

Brendyn Baptiste
BOY: Red-breasted Nuthatch, Greater White-fronted Goose, Black-headed Gull

Gerry Boltz
BOY: Red-headed Woodpecker, Eastern Towhee, Rufous Hummingbird

Fritz Brock
BOY: Cedar Waxwing, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Indigo Bunting

Bobby Brown
New PA state species: 21 BOY: Tropical Kingbird, King Eider, Blackchinned
Hummingbird After a slow start, it was a great year for rarities in Lycoming county.

Bruce Carl
BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Say’s Phoebe, King Eider

Michael David
New PA state species: Mountain Bluebird, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Black-necked Stilt, Anna’s Hummingbird, Tropical Kingbird BOY: Anna’s Hummingbird, Tropical Kingbird, Black-necked Stilt I had a very enjoyable birding day on November 8, when I followed up a successful chase of the Anna’s Hummingbird with discovery of a Cackling Goose in York County, then a Say’s Phoebe in Lancaster.

Dave DeReamus
New PA state species: Tropical Kingbird BOY: Corn Crake, Tropical Kingbird, Calliope
Hummingbird There was a CORN CRAKE that was injured by a cat, and eventually died, in Honesdale back in January 2016. I didn’t see it, but it is an amazing record.

Mike Epler
BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Red Crossbill

Bill Etter
BOY:The Black-headed Grosbeak that wintered in Northampton County, the Mountain Bluebird that stayed in Bucks, Common Raven that are becoming common in south eastern PA.

Mike Fialkovich
BOY: Greater White-fronted Goose (With the amazing invasion in the winter of 2016 I think this deserves the honor. The numbers and distribution were beyond anything we’ve seen in the state with this species.) Tropical Kingbird (Only the second record of this mega rarity.) Black-chinned Hummingbird (Another second state record of a mega rarity.) I added one species to my Allegheny life list this year, and it was a good one, Least Bittern. Fortunately it remained all day in one small area.

Carl Garner
BOY: American Avocet, Anna’s Hummingbird, Bullock’s Oriole

Tom Garner
New state species since 2012 were Brown Booby, White-winged Dove, Tropical Kingbird BOY: Tropical Kingbird

Al Guarente
BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Black-necked Stilzt, Black-headed Gull It was a tough choice for #1 bird. I picked Tropical Kingbird because I missed the one in Philadelphia by a few minutes so I was thrilled to see this guy, but I was going to pick Blacknecked Stilt. I have seen it in the state before but this year I saw the one at Green Lane in Montgomery Co. in November. That was a good sighting but then a week later I found another (or the same one) at Springton Reservoir in Delaware Co. This was a new county bird (my home county) so I just had to choose this as my #2 pick of the year. The Black-headed Gull in Philadelphia County was a great way to finish out the year.

Barb & Frank Haas
New PA state species: Tropical Kingbird

Chad Kauffman
BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Western Tanager, Piping Plover

Ken Lebo
New PA state species: White-winged Dove, Tropical Kingbird

Zachary Millen
BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Corn Crake, Bullock’s Oriole

Ted Nichols II
New PA state species: Mountain Bluebird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, White-winged Dove, Clay-colored Sparrow, Mississippi Kite, Western Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Wilson’s Phalarope, Blackbellied Whistling-Duck, Le Conte’s Sparrow, Black-necked Stilt, Anna’s Hummingbird, Say’s Phoebe, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Tropical Kingbird BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Anna’s Hummingbird, Corn Crake One of my memorable birding highlights in 2016 was seeing all three Phalarope species in PA in a nine-day period – two of them being lifers!

Bill Oyler
New PA state species: Lesser Black-backed Gull, Tropical Kingbird, Summer Tanager BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Summer Tanager (in home county of Franklin), Long-billed Dowitcher (in home county of Franklin)

Thomas Reeves
BOY: Cedar Waxwing, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Indigo Bunting

Richard Rehrig
New PA state species: Bullock’s Oriole, Red Crossbill, Black-necked Stilt, Black-bellied
Whistling-Duck, Piping Plover, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron BOY: Bullock’s Oriole, Black-necked Stilt, Piping Plover

Peter Robinson
New PA state species: White-winged Dove, Tropical Kingbird BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager It was nice to finally get to see a White-winged  Dove in PA, after having chased after two or three, including one in York County found by Randy Phillips. He called me right away, but we could not relocate it in spite of searching for about two hours.

Michael Schall
New PA state species: Tropical Kingbird BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager The tropical Kingbird seen November 19 at Peach Bottom, Lancaster County, was state bird number 350 for me. It was a wonderful, slightly chilly Saturday morning with many friends from across PA in attendance. It was like an organized birding event where you get to enjoy listening to the many birding stories from friends old and new. The Black-headed Grosbeak was a rare bird in my home county.

Kurt Schwarz
BOY: Tropical Kingbird

Eric Witmer
New PA state species: White-winged Dove, Connecticut Warbler, Tropical Kingbird New Lancaster County species: Clay-colored Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Tropical Kingbird BOY: Tropical Kingbird, Corn Crake, Anna’s Hummingbird If it weren’t for “look at what the cat drug in ” the Corn Crake would have never been known to the birding community. If it had been seen by birders I would have made it number 1! After the Tropical Kingbird one afternoon wonder several years ago near Philadelphia, I doubted this record would be duplicated anytime soon in PA!