"Call Notes" Newsletter for Oct.-Dec. 2010

	Lancaster County Bird Club
	Lancaster, Pennsylvania Founded December 8, 1937 to secure the cultivation of public sentiment in the preservation of our native bird life.

 

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OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2010

  

FROM PRESIDENT BARBARA HUNSBERGER

 Welcome to the fall season of birding in Lancaster County.  If you follow the PA Birds web site or have taken advantage of the beautiful weather to go birding, you are aware that the fall migration has been quite active already in Lancaster County.  The shorebirds have arrived on the Conejohela Flats and the hawk migration is under way.  Numerous warbler species have been sighted from Pumping Station Road to Middle Creek to various state game lands in the county.  Great fall birding is everywhere, so my motto (thanks to Shank’s Mare) is, “Go play outside!”

While you are thinking of going outside and enjoying the beauty and wildlife in our county, think about how you can help to preserve our environment and the wildlife that depends on it.  There are numerous volunteer opportunities related to maintaining our environment and to preserving the special place we live in that could use your time and talents.  The organization that I ask you to support is your own Lancaster County Bird Club.  You are probably thinking that I already send the Club my dues every year; what else do you need?  We need people who are willing to devote some time to helping the organization grow and thrive as we have done since our founding in December 1937.  We have had a wonderful cadre of volunteers over the years and many of them have devoted many years of service.  I could name many but Shirley Bubb, Jan and Pat Witmer and Harold Morrin quickly come to mind.  Jan and Pat continue to faithfully serve the club.

 Now we need you.  Last year we did not have volunteers to help the numerous visitors at Middle Creek identify the many species of waterfowl that arrive every winter.  We could always use additional volunteers with our three Christmas Bird Counts in December and January.  Most pressing is our need for a volunteer to provide data entry for the spring PA Migration Count in May.  Long time volunteer and field trip leader, Bruce Carl, is willing to organize the count and contact the other volunteers but he needs someone to do the data entry after the warbler walks are completed.  A number of our volunteers juggle many hats in the organization and we cannot keep them all in the air at times.  We really need your help. So think about what you can do and contact any board member for further information.

PREVIEW OF COMING EVENTS

 Sunday, October 3, 2010 - Field trip to Memorial Lake and Second Mountain Hawk Watch:  Leader Rosemary Spreha (Harrisburg 657-0271 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).  Meet at 7:00 a.m. along Route 934, just north of I-81 near Indiantown Gap.  Birding in the morning for fall migrants; afternoon at the hawk watch.

Friday, October 8, 2010 - Dr. Keith Minnich, M.D. will present an illustrated talk on the biodiversity of various habitats of Ecuador. He has taken two of his children on three-week trips focusing on nature and science education. Dr. Minnich is a cardiac anesthesiologist at Reading Hospital and is involved in public outreach in astronomy in public schools in Berks County.

 Sunday, October 10, 2010 - Field trip exploring areas in northern Lancaster County along Route 897 from near Reinholds to Middle Creek WMA. We will be searching for late fall and early winter migrants in the woodlands/fields and will look for waterfowl at Middle Creek WMA. Leader Bruce Carl (368-4824 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) will meet the group at 657-0271 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

 Friday, November 12, 2010:  Robert Bull will present an illustrated talk titled, “The Herps of Lancaster County.”  His talk is a pictorial review of the salamanders, frogs and toads, lizards, turtles, and snakes most commonly found in Lancaster County.”  He has worked as a consulting ecologist for the last 14 years.  Mr. Bull was placed on the Maryland and USFWS Bog turtle qualified expert list in 2006 and on Pennsylvania’s list in late 2009. He has written more than twenty environmental impact statement documents for public projects in the Mid-Atlantic, such as the MD Route 30 Bypass where the Maryland SHA purchased two bog turtle wetlands and has committed to habitat management in perpetuity. He also co-authored the management plan for these habitat areas.

 November 19-21, 2010 (Friday-Sunday) - The annual fall trip to bird the Delmarva Coast and Chincoteague NWR – Leaders Roger Stoner (Lancaster 393-9030) and Derek Stoner.  Reservations are a must!  Trip limited to 12 participants.  Please contact Roger as soon as possible for trip details.

 Friday, December 10, 2010:  Dr. James Thorne will present an illustrated talk titled, “Disappearance of Grassland and Forest Interior Habitats in SE PA and Their Restoration.”  Dr. Thorne does conservation planning, implementation and research for the Natural Lands Trust.  He spends most of his time coordinating a public-private partnership effort known as the Hopewell Big Woods Project.  Before joining the Natural Lands Trust in 2001, Jim worked eight years for the Pennsylvania Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and 10 years for the University of Pennsylvania.

 Christmas Bird Counts – The LCBC sponsors three counts:

Sunday, December 19, 2010 - SoLanCo – Robert Schutsky, Coordinator (548-3303) – Sunday, December 26, 2010 Lititz – Bruce Carl, Coordinator (368-4824 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), Sunday, January 2, 2011 -  Barbara Hunsberger, Coordinator (393-4091 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Please contact the coordinator of each count to get involved.  You don’t have to be an expert!  It’s a good time for beginners to get familiar with various areas in the county. You will be put on a team with leaders who are acquainted with their areas and know where to seek out the birds.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT BY JANE SCHREFFLER

 In 2008 the Lancaster County Bird Club received a bequest from the Estate of Shirley S. Bubb, past president and long-time club member, who for many years served as Curator of Ornithology at the North Museum of Natural History and Science. When the Board learned that the Museum had a number of birds "in the freezer" with no funds available to have them mounted, they voted to use funds from the bequest to have a taxidermist mount 17 of the birds. These birds are now in a special display designated as a memorial tribute to Shirley. The exhibit is in the Museum's Ornithology Department on the lower level.

 You may visit the North Museum at any time to view the display, browse through the collection of approximately 800 bird specimens and the many other exhibits throughout the Museum. You are especially invited to visit on Founder's Day, October 9, 2010, when the museum is open to the public free of charge. Leon and Jane Schreffler, the present volunteer Curators of Ornithology, will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on that day to serve as guides in the area.

 LCBC WEB SITE:

We welcome your comments and suggestions, which may be sent to the editor at phunsberger@comcast.

 MEMBERSHIP NEWS BY PAT WITMER

If you have not paid your dues for 2010-11, this is the last newsletter you will be receiving.  Unless you have paid your dues recently, your label will have a “7/11” on it.

 Members who need to renew should send their renewal form, along with a check made payable to the Lancaster County Bird Club, to our treasurer, Roger Stoner, 1650 Princess Anne Drive, Lancaster, PA  17601-5631.  In case you have misplaced your renewal form, dues are as follows:  Student - $5.00; Regular Adult - $15.00; Family - $25.00; (includes parents and dependent children); Sustaining Individual - $30.00. You may print a membership form from the LCBC web site at www.lancasterbirdclub.org.

Our membership currently stands at 257 which is 37 fewer members than this time last year. 

 Welcome to our new members!  We hope you will find the time to attend various Club activities, which we are hope you will find both educational and enjoyable.  Joining the group on field trips is a good way to become acquainted with Club members, as well as many good birding areas.  You will find the more knowledgeable birders willing to assist the newer members.

New Members:

LeMasters, Ms. Penny, 426 Barbara Street, Landisville, PA  17538

McElhany, Mrs. Mary Ann, 45 Clay School Road, Ephrata, PA  17522

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Tributes and memorial contributions received since July 1, 2010, are as follows:

In Honor of Raymond Bubb

         by Jim and Lee Amigh

 In Honor of Harold B. Morrin

           by Jim and Lee Amigh

           by Thom Kurtz and Nancy Clupper

 In Memory of Jo Pederson

            by Chris and Betsy Pederson

In Memory of Don Rannels

  by and Jeanne Preisendanz

 

 

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS BY BETTINA HEFFNER

 

Herb Myers, Paul Brubaker, Becky Nolt, and Bettina Heffner enjoyed birding in Oregon from June 12-20, 2010. The whole group of eleven totaled 160 bird species. All got a lifer, as the Winter Wren has been recently split to create the Pacific Wren. The group covered a lot of territory including the Portland area, the coast, the Cascades, including Crater Lake, and the high desert near Bend. Coastal birds included Tufted Puffin, Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorant, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, Marbled Murrelet, Snowy Plover, Black Oystercatcher, and Vaux’s Swift. Coastal birding was very exciting and very windy. Becky saved Paul’s scope from a watery end. How do those birds stay put on those rocks when humans can hardly stand still? Further inland, the group found the American Dipper, California Quail, MacGillivay’s Warbler, Lewis’s, Black-backed and White-headed Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Sapsucker, etc. The group learned about the challenges of saving habitat for the Snowy Plover and the Marbled Murrelet and witnessed the negative results of clear-cut foresting.  As birds were checked off lists, the challenge of preserving habitat was not overlooked.

Fern Bauman had a “thoroughly spectacular” trip to Alaska from June 21 through 29, 2010. Her husband Charles, “not really a birder”, enjoyed driving the two of them to new places that Fern identified through her careful research.  They birded areas in the greater Anchorage vicinity including Potter Marsh, Westchester Lagoon and Kinkaid Park, then in areas on the way to Seward along the beautiful and scenic highway, on to Soldotna, Homer, and a little diversion to Hope before heading back to Anchorage. They also birded north of Anchorage in the Matsu Valley, including Wasilla and Palmer. They took a cruise where they enjoyed Sea Otter, Sea Lion, Orca, Dall Porpoise, and Humpbacked Whale. Birds seen on the cruise were Horned and Tufted Puffin, Black-legged Kittiwake, Pelagic, Double-crested and Red-faced Cormorants, Rhinoceros Auklet, Kittlitz’s and Marbled Murrelets, Common and Thick-billed Murres, and Pigeon Guillemot. New land birds included the Alder Flycatcher, Northwestern Crow, Mew and Glaucous-winged Gulls, Surfbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Common Redpoll, Varied Thrush, Townsend's Warbler, Violet-green Swallow, Steller's and Gray Jays, Boreal and Chestnut -backed Chickadees, Northern Hawk Owl, Pacific Loon, and American Dipper. Total count of new birds was 28. Fern says “It was difficult to leave. Just felt like I was getting started.”  

Ad Crable’s “Falcons’ fortunes rise…..Raptors hatch chicks in nest on bridge” appeared in the Lancaster paper on July 21, 2010. This is a BIG event for Lancaster County and for our club. Meredith Lombard found the location of this year’s nest on the Route 462 bridge between Columbia and Wrightsville. PA Game Commission staff with the help of Jeff Musser, Charlie Albin and Meredith, reached the nest and banded the two nestlings. Charlie reported at our September 10th meeting that both chicks were still at the bridge and looking good. Lee Musser’s photos of the birds were used in the article. Twenty-two successful nests have been located in Pennsylvania this year. 

Barbara and Peter Hunsberger traveled in Maine from August 1 through 17, 2010. They identified 80 species, including 13 species of warblers. Highlights included Atlantic Puffin, Common Eider, Greater Shearwater, Northern Gannett, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Winter Wren, Nashville Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, and Rusty Blackbird. They spent about a week in the Baxter State Park area of north Central Maine and a week near Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor. They enjoyed a half day whale watch trip out of Bar Harbor and had good looks at both Humpbacked and Finback Whales.

The Lifestyle section of the Lancaster Sunday News on August 15, 2010 included an article about a new study called “Strong Women - Healthy Hearts.” It’s being funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is being carried out locally by the Penn State Extension in partnership with Tufts University. Linda Lueck-Stoner, nutritionist consultant with the Extension, was pictured in the article. She will be playing a key role in running the study in Lancaster County. Best wishes, Linda, with this critical program. 

The Susquehanna Super Hike sponsored by the Keystone Trails Association was held on September 11, 2010. Ad Crable’s “Outdoors” column on September 7 in the Lancaster paper helped to promote it. He interviewed Fred Habegger who participated in the event last year which was 25 miles along the Conestoga Trail and the Mason Dixon Trail. Fred was in no hurry to finish the hike saying “It doesn’t make sense to go fast through all that nice terrain.” He did complete the event last year and took time to take pictures, find geocaches and look for birds, butterflies, mushrooms and the like. His plan was to go again on this year’s hike which was an additional 3.4 miles. Thyra Sperry, President of the Keystone Trails Association, served on the organizing committee (called the Super Crew) as the coordinator of supplies.  She obtained supplies such as first aid materials, snacks, water, etc. and made sure they were delivered to each checkpoint along the trail. Thyra reported that there were 400 participants this year, double the number from last year. Thyra’s husband, Dick Martin, took the photograph for the article mentioned above.

If you would like to submit information to this column, please send it to Bettina at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or to 539 N. Mary St., Lancaster, PA 17603. For questions, you may call 393-2546.

 

BIRDS ON THE MOVE (JUNE-AUGUST 2010)COMPILED BY GLENN SHAFFER

 Please report your sightings to Glenn Shaffer, 221 Maxson Rd, Lancaster, PA 17601.  He prefers to have reports sent to his e-mail address ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), but will accept mail or phone reports (717-569-2519). Our focus is not just on rare or uncommon birds, but also on more common species that appear in unusual numbers, out-of-season, or exhibiting behavior that would be of interest to our members.  Your help is needed in making this column a way of recording the county’s bird life.  If you send a report to the Pennsylvania Birding List or make a verbal report at a LCBC meeting, please send that report to Glenn also.  Thank you for your help!

June 2 - 10 Willow Flycatchers, 20 Yellow Warblers, 1 Grasshopper Sparrow, Bobolinks (uncounted, but less than expected) among 52 total species – Middle Creek WMA - Wednesday Birding Group of 25

June 5 - 7 White-rumped Sandpipers, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, 1 Black-bellied Plover among 9 Shorebird species, 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 4 Prothonotary Warblers, 1 Blue Grosbeak, 2 Purple Martins, 2 Cliff Swallows included in 71 total species - Conejohela Flats – Deuane Hoffman

June 6 - 7/27   1 Dickcissel (adult male singing) – Corner of Smyrna Rd. & Williams Run Rd.– Drew Weber, Chuck Chalfant,

June 6 - 3 Least Terns, 8 White-rumped Sandpipers, 20 Bald Eagles, 9 Prothonotary Warblers     Gull Island, Conejohela Flats – Eric Witmer

June 9 – 3 Virginia Rails, 1 Sora, 1 Willow Flycatcher, 1 Greater Scaup, 10 Cliff Swallows among 53 total species – Wood’s Edge, Susquehanna River, Blue Rock to Riverfront Park - Wednesday Birding Group of 15

June 10 - 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 1 Dickcissel remains there - Smyrna Rd. & Williams Run Rd. – Chuck Chalfant

June 16 - 1 Ringed Turtle-Dove – Rt. 72 north of Manheim near Hosler’s Hardware – Jonathan Heller

June 23 - 1 Cooper’s Hawk with 1 Mourning Dove in talons chased by Common Grackles - Landisville – Bob Coley

June 27 - 1 Song Sparrow feeding 1 “adopted” baby American Robin – Home on Signal Hill Lane – Henry Michel

June 29 - 1 Black-throated Green Warbler (heard) – Reservoir Rd. in Welsh Mountains near New Holland – Stan Stahl

June 30 - 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers (easily seen flycatching) – Remain at Williams Run Rd. - Barry Bell      

June 30 - 6 Blue Grosbeaks, 1 Bald Eagle (adult) flying within 30 ft. – Turkey Hill Trail – Mike Epler

July 2 - 8 Spotted Sandpipers, 26 Killdeer, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 6 Least Sandpipers, 1 Prothonotary Warbler, 3 Ring-billed Gull (1 migrant juvenile), 7 Bald Eagles - Conejohela Flats – Bob Schutsky

July 2 - 1 Common Merganser (male) – Falmouth F&G Commission Boat Launch – Barry Bell 

July 6 - 2 Peregrine Falcons (4^th year nesting attempt) – Rt. 30 & Rt. 462 bridges, Columbia – Meredith Lombard

July 7 - 1 Caspian Tern, 2 Great Egrets, 1 Green Heron – Middle Creek WMA – Chuck Chalfant

July 11 - 1 Blue Grosbeak, 2 Willow Flycatchers, 4 Grasshopper Sparrows – Middle Creek WMA – Mickey Cashman

July 11 - 10 Bald Eagles (1 immature carrying its unusual prey, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo), 1 Short-billed Dowitcher, 65 Killdeer, 16 Spotted Sandpipers, 47 Least Sandpipers - Conejohela Flats – Bob Schutsky

July 13 - 3 American Kestrels (Juveniles) – Hunting in meadow near home in Bowmansville – Edith & Irvin Leaman

July 15 - 1 Cattle Egret, 5 Great Egrets , 2 Short-billed Dowitchers, 68 Least Sandpipers among 7 Shorebird Species, 3 Blue Grosbeaks (male), 1 Pied-billed Grebe - Conejohela Flats – Bob Schutsky                 

July 18 – 1 Red-headed Woodpecker, 1 Eastern Meadowlark – Millport Rd, Warwick & Manheim Twps. – Fern Bauman

July 19-8/31  4 Peregrine Falcons (nesting pair and 2 nestlings: end of July nestlings fell from nest and were rescued to an island where they are learning to fly)  – Rt. 30 & Rt. 462 bridges, Columbia – Meredith Lombard

July 20 - 2 Little Blue Herons (imm.), Cattle Egret remains there - Conejohela Flats – Mike Epler

July 21 - 1 Cerulean Warbler – Susquehannock State Park – Justin & Devin Bosler

July 24 - 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 1 Short-billed Dowitcher among 9 shorebird species,2 Caspian Terns, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 7 Yellow Warblers, 1 White-eyed Vireo - Conejohela Flats – Justin & Devin Bosler with Bob Schutsky

July 24 - 1 Alder Flycatcher - Past stop #1, Middle Creek WMA – Fern Bauman

July 25 - 1 American Avocet (female), 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Little Blue Heron - Conejohela Flats – Bruce Carl

July 25 - 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 16 Least Sandpipers, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 9 Killdeer,1 Green Heron – Woods Edge Park, S. Centerville Rd. – Bruce Carl

July 25 - 9 Laughing Gulls – Peach Bottom Power Plant discharge, Susquehanna River - Bob Schutsky

July 26 - 1 Bonaparte’s Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull – Susquehanna River, Columbia to The Flats – Mike Epler

July 27 - 3 Upland Sandpipers, 1 Dickcissel  remains there - Smyrna Rd. & Williams Run Rd. – Jeff Loomis

July 27 - 1 Alder Flycatcher, 1 Blue Grosbeak, 7 Caspian Terns, 2 Black-crowned Night-Herons – Middle Creek WMA – Bruce Carl

July 28 - 2 Tufted Titmouse (fledglings) – On windowsill peering in window, Woodridge Blvd – Barbara Hunsberger

July 28 - 2 Glossy Ibis, 90 Least sandpipers (including 1 juvenile) among 7 shorebird species, 1 Green-winged Teal, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 32 great Egrets - Conejohela Flats – Justin & Devin Bosler with Bob Schutsky

July 28 - 1 Lesser Yellowlegs (juvenile), 2 Solitary Sandpipers, 5 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers among 7 shorebird species - Farm pond on Beechdale Rd. - Justin Bosler

Aug. 2 - 1 Common Tern, 12 Forster’s Tern, 1 Bonaparte’s Gull, 1 Merlin - Conejohela Flats – Bob Schutsky

Aug. 4 - 1 House Finch (albino – all white w/ pinkish legs and beak) – Home feeder, Manheim – Jay & Shirley George

Aug. 7 - 1 Baird’s Sandpiper, 175 Least Sandpipers, 36 Lesser Yellowlegs, 5 Pectoral Sandpipers among 10 shorebird species, 5 Blue-winged Teal, - Conejohela Flats – Justin & Devin Bosler with Bob Schutsky

Aug. 8 - 1 Osprey, 2 Great Egrets – North Pointe Commercial Complex, Oregon Pike, Manheim Twp. – Glenn Shaffer

Aug. 9 - 1 Mourning Warbler (female) – SGL 156 near old Cornwall Fire Tower site - Justin & Devin Bosler 

Aug. 10-28 - 1 Yellow-crowned Night Heron (juvenile), 1 Black-crowned Night Heron (Juvenile), 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 4 Cooper’s Hawks (Mother and 3 chicks) - Umbletown Rd., Gap – Chuck Chalfant

Aug. 13 - 1 Black-bellied Plover, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 4 Short-bill Dowitchers among 10 shorebird species, 2 Peregrine Falcons, 35 Forster’s Terns- Susquehanna River, Wrightsville to Conejohela Flats – Bruce Carl

Aug. 13 - 1 Wilson’s Phalarope, 2 Black Terns, 1 Common Tern, 4 Caspian Terns, 1 Prothonotary Warbler, 110 Least Sandpipers - Conejohela Flats – Justin & Devin Bosler & Mike Epler

Aug. 14 - 1 Little Blue Heron, 1 White-rumped Sandpiper - Conejohela Flats – Mike Epler & Deuane Hoffman   

Aug. 14 - 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, 1 Mourning Warbler (female, Same one as 8/9 ???), 1 Canada Warbler, 1 Broad-winged Hawk, 1 Eastern Screech Owl, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak – SGL 156, Mt. Gretna area – Bruce Carl

Aug. 16 - 5 Blue Grosbeaks – Tour Rd., Middle Creek WMA – Bruce Carl

Aug. 17&23 - 1 Blue-winged, 1 Black-throated Green, 1 Magnolia, 1 Northern Waterthrush, 3 Canada, 1 Chestnut-sided,  2 Black & White among 11 warbler species - Pumping Station Road – Bruce Carl

Aug. 18 - 1 Gull-billed Tern, 2 Glossy Ibis - Conejohela Flats – Deuane Hoffman

Aug. 18 - 1 Snowy Egret, 1 Little Blue Heron (juv.), 8 Great Egrets – Falmouth Boat Access Area -Mike Epler

Aug. 20 - 1 Common Raven, 1 Worm-eating Warbler among 4 warbler species – SGL 156 – Devin Bosler

Aug. 20 - 4 Northern Shovelers – Red Rose Commons – Devin Bosler

Aug. 21&22 - 1 Buff-breasted  Sandpiper, 1 Stilt sandpiper, 3 Short-billed Dowitchers, 123 Killdeer, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers among 13 shorebird species, 7 Green-winged Teal, 26 Blue-winged Teal, 1 Laughing Gull - Conejohela Flats – Justin & Devin Bosler with Bob Schutsky                 

Aug. 21 - 1 Sora, 2 Long-billed Dowitchers - Conejohela Flats – Dick Cleary

Aug. 25 - 1 Red-shouldered Hawk, 1 Sora, 15 Semipalmated Plovers, 1 short-billed Dowitcher among 9 shorebird species, 11 Caspian Terns, 1 Forster's Tern, 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo among 52 total species - Conejohela Flats – Wednesday Birding Group of 22

Aug. 25 - 1 Orchard Oriole, 3 Blue Grosbeaks – City View Dr., Lancaster County Central Park – Devin Bosler

Aug. 28 - 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches – Home in Gap – Chuck Chalfant             

Aug. 29 - 1 Cattle Egret – Millcross Rd. near Pitney Rd. - Devin & Justin Bosler

Aug. 29&31 - 4 American Golden Plovers, 3 Baird's Sandpipers, 3 Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers 1 White-rumped Sandpiper among 12 shorebird species, 1 Northern Harrier - Conejohela Flats – Mike Epler & Devin Bosler               

Aug. 31 - 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher – Warwick Rd. near Millport Conservancy – Bruce Carl                         

Aug. 31 - 3 Blackburnian Warblers, 1 Blue-winged Warbler,  5 Magnolia Warblers, 2 Hooded Warblers among 13 warbler species, 4 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, 2 Baltimore Orioles - Pumping Station Rd. - Devin Bosler

 

REVIEW OF COMPLETED EVENTS

 

Saturday, August 28, 2010:  Bruce Carl led a group of 13 participants on a field trip visiting Pumping Station Road & Speedwell County Park in northern Lancaster County. They identified a total of 56 species, which included 16 species of warblers. Many from the group commented that this was as birdie a morning as they have seen in some time at any location especially during fall migration. Bruce commented that the numbers of birds and species of warblers were very out of the ordinary for a fall walk at these locations. Warblers seen included: Tennessee, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Yellow-throated, Bay- breasted, Wilson’s and Canada. Other highlights for the morning included: Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, many Pewees & Veerys, Brown Thrasher, White-eyed Vireo and Baltimore Oriole.

 

Friday, September 10, 2010:  Adrian Binns was not able to present his program, “The Lighter Side of Birdng,” due to a sudden illness. Kevin Loughlin, owner of Wildside Nature Tours, was able to fill in on short notice.  His illustrated talk was titled, “Across the Hemisphere,” a whirlwind birding journey across the Western Hemisphere through his photographs.  He began in Pennsylvania, took us to Maine, Alaska, and the chickens of Colorado.  Moving south we saw the bright jewels (hummingbirds) of Ecuador and the strangeness of the Galapagos Islands.  We ended our journey with the icebergs and penguins of Antarctica.

 

Saturday, September 11, 2010:  Steve Rannels led a group of 14 participants in the state game lands at the end of Cornwall fire tower road.  They identified a total of 40 species of birds.  Highlights included several Blackpoll Warblers, 20+ Broad-winged Hawks, Northern Harrier, and Peregrine Falcon. A Philadelphia Vireo and several Blue-headed Vireos were seen.  Other warblers included Nashville, Cape May and Magnolia.  14 species of butterflies were also recorded.