Saturday 5/21/16

 

 

 

 

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~The bird of the day was undoubtedly this roosting Common Nighthawk. This was my first time seeing this bird perched like this, and it was incredible. I set up the scope to allow everyone to get really incredible looks at this bird. Laurel Grove Cemetery, 5/21/16.~

Early this morning, Kyle, Linda, Maria, and I went to Laurel Grove Cemetery, hoping that some new birds had moved in. Last night, the radar looked good and the winds were favorable, but this morning, the cemetery was very quiet. If we hadn’t run into Rob Stone while we were out there, it would have been pretty much a total bust. Rob had located a roosting Common Nighthawk, which is something I’ve never seen and that I’ve been dying to see. I think it was probably a first for everyone in the group. Photos were tough as the nighthawk’s great camouflage didn’t seem to allow my autofocus  differentiate the bird from tree. At Kyle’s suggestion, I got my scope from the car and we all got really incredible looks. The only other notable bird was a trio of Blackpoll Warblers very high in a tree.

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~A young American Robin strikes a pose on a tombstone at the Laurel Grove Cemetery, 5/21/16.~

We decided to move on and try our luck at Pochuck Mountain State Forest. It was a little bit more birdy there, but really, nothing amazing. Highlights included really good looks at several Worm-eating Warblers and Scarlet Tanagers, and hearing and seeing several Yellow-billed Cuckoos. We had a modest 32 species at Pochuck; I’ve included my list of birds at the bottom of this post.

I’m also playing a little catch up with this post – I’ve included a shot of a Black-billed Cuckoo that Linda and I had at Wickham Lake on Thursday, as well as 3 shots from early in May that I somehow never posted. They were from Wickham Lake as well.

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~A noisy shot of a Worm-eating Warbler at Pochuck Mountain SF, 5/21/16.~ 
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~Definitely a favorite! Black-billed Cuckoo at Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 5/19/16.~ 
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~At the Goshen park and ride first thing this morning, American Robin 5/21/16.~
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~These guys keep avoiding me this spring, so I wanted to post the one shot I’ve gotten. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 5/2/16.~ 
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~This bird surprised me – a Purple Martin flying over Wickham Lake, 5/2/16.~
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~Yellow Warbler at Wickham Woodlands Town Park, 5/2/16.~ 

POCHUCK MOUNTAIN STATE FOREST, 5/21/16

Turkey Vulture
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson’s Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole

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