Yesterday morning’s fallout of hundreds of nocturnally migrating birds was followed overnight by the influx of one hundred or more new arrivals atop Second Mountain in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. Visitors to the forest clearing used as a hawk watch lookout were treated to the antics of these colorful Neotropical species and more…
These night-flying warblers, vireos, and flycatchers did again provide a thrilling show during the hours after sunrise, but today’s rarity passed through among the hundreds of migrating diurnal raptors—the tropics-bound Broad-winged Hawks—that made their way down the ridges of the lower Susquehanna valley this afternoon.
A “kettle” of Broad-winged Hawks climbing on a thermal updraft above Second Mountain Hawk Watch.After gaining altitude, Broad-winged Hawks glide away toward the southwest in search of the next thermal updraft upon which they will rise to continue their journey to Texas, Mexico, and beyond. Over three hundred of these raptors were counted as they passed the Second Mountain lookout today.Another “kettling” flock of migrating Broad-winged Hawks above Second Mountain.A closer look reveals something unusual. While the Broad-winged Hawk at the bottom center of the image displays the typical light-morph plumage, the bird in the upper left appears to be a dark-morph Broad-winged Hawk, a rarity in the eastern United States.A zoomed-in view of the probable dark-morph Broad-winged Hawk seen over Second Mountain this afternoon. Populations of these variants nest in areas of central and western Canada.
The peak of the autumn Broad-winged Hawk migration will likely occur during the coming two weeks with many counting stations tallying more than one thousand birds on the best of days. Visit one of these prominent lookout points so that you too can witness this amazing spectacle. Click the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab at the top of this page to find a hawk watch near you!
Bathed in glowing sunshine, a very large fallout of migrating Neotropical songbirds enlivened the forest edge atop Second Mountain in northern Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, this morning. While last night’s flight was widespread beneath a dome of atmospheric high pressure covering the Mid-Atlantic States, this is a look at some of the 500 -1,000 migrants observed feeding on insects and other natural foods at just this single location.
As the composition of the nightly flights begins to transition to species that start their migration later in the season, numbers of birds like the Blackpoll Warbler (top) are beginning to rival those of the heretofore very common Black-throated Green Warbler (bottom).A Blackpoll Warbler.The Bay-breasted Warbler, another common species found among the fallout flock.The Tennessee Warbler was today’s most abundant migrant with at least 200 birds seen moving among the other species.A newly arrived Tennessee Warbler at sunrise.A Tennessee Warbler snatches breakfast.The Magnolia Warbler was another common find among today’s migrants.A Magnolia Warbler.A Nashville Warbler among tangles of Mile-a-minute Weed.A Nashville Warbler.A Black-throated Blue Warbler.An adult male Black-throated Blue Warbler.An acrobatic Northern Parula.Blackburnian Warblers continue their southerly trek.An American Redstart.A Chestnut-sided Warbler feeding on Mile-a-minute Weed berries.A Cape May Warbler.A handsome adult male Cape May Warbler.A Swainson’s Thrush.Scarlet Tanagers continue to work their way south through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.A composite image of an uncommon find, a large-headed Olive-sided Flycatcher seen perched atop a dead tree snag.A brief encounter with a Philadelphia Vireo, another uncommon species.A Blue-headed Vireo, typically the last of its genus to move south in the fall, put in a welcome appearance among the hundreds of migrants.A favorite diurnal migrant, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, was seen feeding on flowers that grew from the remains of garden waste dumped illegally along the mountain road last autumn.
Many of the observers at the Second Mountain Hawk Watch commented that this morning’s fallout was by far the best they had seen anywhere in the region during recent years. Others believed it to be the best they had ever seen. Choosing a good viewing location and being there at the right time can improve your chances of seeing a spectacle like this. The good news is, it looks like another big flight is currently underway, so finding a forest edge on a ridgetop or along a utility right-of-way just might pay off for you early tomorrow morning.
Nocturnal migrating birds, a southwest-bound flight down the ridges of central Pennsylvania as indicated by Doppler radar between 10:30 and 11:30 PM EDT on September 11, 2024. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)
Clear, cool nights have provided ideal flight conditions for nocturnal Neotropical migrants and other southbound birds throughout the week. Fix yourself a drink and a little snack, then sit down and enjoy this set of photographs that includes just some of the species we found during sunrise feeding frenzies atop several of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed’s ridges. Hurry up, because here they come…
A Black-throated Green Warbler.The Black-throated Green Warbler was perhaps the most frequently identified treetop warbler during the most recent four mornings.A Black-throated Green Warbler with a unique variation in the crown plumage.The Blackburnian Warbler was another plentiful species.A Blackburnian Warbler feeding in a Red Maple.Cape May Warblers have an affinity for conifers like this Eastern White Pine.But when traveling in mixed flocks with other migrants, Cape May Warblers can also be found feeding in the crown foliage of deciduous trees.This adult Tennessee Warbler appears to be adorned in a very worn set of plumage……and its traveling companion looks like it’s overdue for a new set of feathers as well.Like the Tennessee Warbler, the Nashville Warbler was common among mixed flocks.A Nashville Warbler atop a Black Cherry.This Chestnut-sided Warbler was one of several found among the more common species of migrants.A Chestnut-sided Warbler.We were lucky enough to spot this male Chestnut-sided Warbler sporting his namesake flank feathers.A Black-and-white Warbler uses its nuthatch-like feeding behavior to search the tree bark for edible invertebrates.To see the Common Yellowthroat, one must cease looking upward into the high canopy and instead give the aching neck a rest by peering into the low vegetation at the forest edge.While checking the low growth, keep an eye open for other migrants among the shrubs and tangles. This Magnolia Warbler glows in the rays of a rising sun as it searches for a meal after a long night of travel.Here we found a perky little House Wren.Back in the middle and upper reaches of the trees, we find what has been by far the most numerous of the flycatchers seen during our visits to fallout sunrises. Eastern Wood-Pewees are appearing in very good numbers and can be seen quarreling and battling for hunting perches from which they are ambushing flying insects.An Eastern Wood-Pewee fiercely defending its hunting perch.An Eastern Wood-Pewee.The numbers of migrating Least Flycatchers and other members of the genus Empidonax may be reaching their seasonal peak this week.Scarlet Tanagers are currently a common find following nocturnal flights.A Scarlet Tanager peers down from the top of a Red Maple.Did you hear a loud squeak in the treetops? It could be a southbound Rose-breasted Grosbeak stopping by for the day.A Rose-breasted Grosbeak in a dead tree snag.The Neotropical thrushes are beginning to move south now as well. We found this newly arrived Swainson’s Thrush at Rocky Ridge County Park in York County during sunrise this morning.Not surprisingly, the Red-eyed Vireo is one of the most numerous of the migrants seen feeding in the deciduous canopy following a nocturnal flight event. It’s not at all unusual to see dozens filing the trees around a ridgetop overlook or along a forest edge. Be certain to check these congregations carefully, especially the groups of birds feeding in the lower branches of tall timber or in the tops of smaller trees. This week we found……several hungry Yellow-throated Vireos arriving after nocturnal flights,……and a Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) at the hawkwatch at Rocky Ridge County Park in York County.Though not a Neotropical migrant, the easier-heard-than-seen Red-breasted Nuthatch is beginning to wander south into the lower Susquehanna region. Most of these birds will eventually continue on to the pine forests of the southern United States for winter, but a few could remain to become seasonal visitors at feeding stations.Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are on the move; their migration to the tropics is well underway and nearing its peak. Ruby-throats are diurnal migrants that do a majority of their flying during the hours of daylight. The notable exception: the nighttime portion of the long southbound flight some of the birds make to cross the Gulf of Mexico.The Red-headed Woodpecker is another diurnal migrant. This denizen of temperate climates is currently beginning to move to its wintering grounds, an area that extends from the latitudes of the lower Susquehanna south to the Gulf of Mexico and central Texas.A juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker during a brief pit stop.The flights of roving bands of masked Cedar Waxwings continue. Their numbers appear to be an improvement over those of 2023.At regional hawk-counting stations, observers are seeing more Broad-winged Hawks and other species beginning to move through.The frequency of Broad-winged Hawks passing the lookouts one at a time is giving way to the occurrence of larger and larger “kettling” groups that search out thermal updrafts to save energy while migrating. By mid-September each of these “kettles” can include one hundred birds or more. On the peak days, the daily Broad-winged Hawk totals can reach one thousand or more.A Broad-winged Hawk soaring to gain lift from a thermal updraft above a hawkwatch lookout.
The migration is by no means over; it has only just begun. So plan to visit a local hawkwatch or other suitable ridgetop in coming weeks. Arrive early (between 7 and 8 AM) to catch a glimpse of a nocturnal migrant fallout, then stay through the day to see the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Broad-winged Hawks and other diurnal raptors that will pass by. It’s an experience you won’t forget.
A Broad-winged Hawk gliding away to the southwest.
Be certain to click the “Birds” tab at the top of this page for a photo guide to the species you’re likely to see passing south through the lower Susquehanna valley in coming months. And don’t forget to click the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab to find a hawk-counting station near you.
More birds are on the way. Here’s a look at this evening’s liftoff of nocturnal migrants detected by National Weather Service Radar in State College, Pennsylvania. (NOAA/National Weather Service Doppler Radar image)
It’s hard to believe, but for almost two months now, sandpipers, plovers, and terns have been filtering south through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed on their way to the Atlantic coastline as they complete the first leg of their long autumn migration—a journey that will take some species all the way to the far reaches of the South American continent for winter.
Migrating Caspian Terns and an Osprey take a break on a lower Susquehanna valley gravel bar.
As August draws to a close, these early birds are being joined by widespread nocturnal flights of Neotropical migrants—those species, primarily songbirds, on their way to wintering grounds which lie exclusively south of the continental United States.
To catch a glimpse of these night-flying avians, your best bet may be to position yourself on the crest of a ridge or along a linear break in the forest such as a utility right-of-way where waves of warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and other Neotropical passerines sometimes feed on invertebrates after making landfall at daybreak. Pick a place where the trees are bathed in the warm light of the rising sun and be there by 7 A.M. E.D.T. The activity can be tremendous, but it usually ends between 8 and 9.
One of more than half a dozen Red-eyed Vireos seen during a daybreak fallout at Second Mountain Hawkwatch in Lebanon County earlier this week.During sunrise, a just-arrived Blackburnian Warbler checks the foliage of a ridgetop Red Maple for insects.A Least Flycatcher quietly searches the shrubby growth along the forest edge for a morning meal.A Black-and-white Warbler in the first hour of sunlight after a big nocturnal flight.A Scarlet Tanager having a look around. This individual and other migrating birds may be here for a few days before moving on.A Black-throated Green Warbler in a treetop glowing with the light of sunrise.A hungry Chestnut-sided Warbler inspects limbs, leaves, and twigs looking for nourishment after an all-night flight.
Diurnal migrants, birds that make their movements during the daylight hours, are ramping up their flights now as well. Broad-winged Hawks, Bald Eagles, and falcons are currently being tallied at hawk-counting stations throughout the northeast. Many of those lookouts are seeing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, swallows, and other daytime migrants too.
While many diurnal migrants gather in flocks as a method of defense against predators, Broad-winged Hawks congregate as a reconnaissance measure. Not waiting around for strong autumn winds to be deflected upwards by the region’s numerous ridges, these Neotropical birds migrate early enough in the season to rely upon thermal updrafts from sun-heated surfaces to provide lift, gain altitude, and save energy during their long trip. By traveling in groups, there are collectively able to better locate and utilize rising air columns as they progress southwesterly along their route. Broad-winged Hawks travel to Central and South America for winter. Their numbers in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed will peak during the third week of September.Many American Kestrels transit our area in August and early September, a time coinciding with flights of migratory dragonflies, insects upon which they and another falcon, the Merlin, frequently prey.Chimney Swifts are fast-flying diurnal migrants. They are beginning to congregate into larger groups in preparation for their departure. Some are already on the move.Cedar Waxwings are currently being seen in roving flocks throughout the region. Their migration is less of a point-to-point flight and more of a continuous wandering in search of berries and other wild foods.Not everyone is yet ready to go. American Goldfinches are still in the midst of their nesting cycle and won’t begin leaving until the young are on their own and colorful adult males like this one are beginning to molt into their drab winter plumage.
Autumn migration flights are an ever-changing process, with different species peaking at different times throughout the season. In these months just after the nesting season, each of these species is more numerous than at any other time of the year. And of course, the more often we as observers get out and have a look, the more of them we’ll see.
Be certain to click the “Birds” tab at the top of this page for a photo guide to the species you’re likely to see passing through the lower Susquehanna valley this fall. Nearly four months of autumn hawk migration flights lie ahead, so don’t forget to click the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab to find a hawk-counting station near you, then stop by for a visit or two. See you there!
A large nightfall liftoff of nocturnal migrating birds is shown here on this evening’s State College, Pennsylvania, Doppler Radar base velocity loop. Returns indicating birds moving toward the radar site (the white dot in the center of the color mass) are shown in green, and those indicating birds moving away are indicated in red. This is a big flight headed generally in a south-southwest direction. (NOAA/National Weather Service Doppler Radar image)
During the past week, we’ve been exploring wooded slopes around the lower Susquehanna region in search of recently arrived Neotropical birds—particularly those migrants that are singing on breeding territories and will stay to nest. Coincidentally, we noticed a good diversity of species in areas where tent caterpillar nests were apparent.
The conspicuous nest of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum), a native species of moth. The first instar of the larval caterpillars hatch in early spring from egg masses laid on the limbs of the host tree by an adult female moth during the previous spring. Soon after they begin feeding on the host tree’s first tender shoots, these tiny, seldom-noticed larvae start communal construction of a silk tent to act as a shelter and greenhouse-like solar collector that will both provide protection from the elements and expedite their growth.The familiar last instar of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar is the most consumptive stage of the animal’s life. After feeding in the treetops, they will descend to the ground and seek a sheltered location to pupate. Adult moths emerge in several weeks to take to the air, mate, and produce eggs to be deposited on a host tree for hatching next year. The favorite host tree in forests of the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed: native Black Cherry.
Here’s a sample of the variety of Neotropical migrants we found in areas impacted by Eastern Tent Caterpillars. All are arboreal insectivores, birds that feed among the foliage of trees and shrubs searching mostly for insects, their larvae, and their eggs.
The Yellow-throated Vireo nests, feeds, and spends the majority of its time feeding among canopy foliage.The Eastern Wood-Pewee is a flycatcher found in mature woodlands. It feeds not only among the limbs and leaves, but is an aerial predator as well.The Northern Parula nests in mature forests along rivers and on mountainsides, particularly where mature trees are draped with thick vines.The Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina) is found among thick understory growth on forested slopes.The Ovenbird builds a domed, oven-like nest on the ground and forages in the canopy.The Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa) nests in woodland undergrowth, often near steep, forested slopes.The Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) nests among woody understory growth on forested hillsides.The Scarlet Tanager is often difficult to observe because of its affinity for the canopy of mature forest trees.
In the locations where these photographs were taken, ground-feeding birds, including those species that would normally be common in these habitats, were absent. There were no Gray Catbirds, Carolina Wrens, American Robins or other thrushes seen or heard. One might infer that the arboreal insectivorous birds chose to establish nesting territories where they did largely due to the presence of an abundance of tent caterpillars as a potential food source for their young. That could very well be true—but consider timing.
Already Gone- By the time Neotropical migrants arrive in our area, the larval stages of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar’s life cycle are already coming to an end. The nests that these native insects constructed to capture the energy of the springtime sun have allowed the larvae to exit and browse foliage when conditions were suitable, then return for shelter when they were not. While inside, the larvae could move among the chambers of their structure to find locations with a temperature that best suited their needs. Therein the solar heating and communal warmth sped up digestion and growth.Eastern Tent Caterpillar larvae are now in their bristly final-instar stage and the majority have already moved to the ground to each seek a place to pupate and metamorphose into an adult moth. Arboreal Neotropical birds have scarcely had a chance to feed upon them, and ground-feeding species seem to lack any temptation. As for the adult moths, they fly only at night and live for just one day, offering little in the way of food for aerial, arboreal, or ground-feeding birds.Having left arboreal environs, Eastern Tent Caterpillar larvae are now food for ground-feeding birds like our resident Wild Turkeys. They need only get past the bristly hairs on the caterpillar’s back and the foul taste that may result from its limited diet of cyanogenic Black Cherry leaves.The arboreal Yellow-billed Cuckoo (seen here) and its close relative the Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) are the two species of birds in our area known to regularly feed on bristly tent caterpillars. But having just arrived from the tropics to nest, they’ll need to rely on other insects and their larvae as sources of food for their young.Final-instar Eastern Tent Caterpillars often defoliate Black Cherry trees before moving to the ground to pupate. Their timing allows them to feed on the fresh foliage while it is still young and tender, and to largely avoid becoming food for the waves of Neotropical birds that arrive in the lower Susquehanna basin in May.
So why do we find this admirable variety of Neotropical bird species nesting in locations with tent caterpillars? Perhaps it’s a matter of suitable topography, an appropriate variety of native trees and shrubs, and an attractive opening in the forest.
An American Redstart singing in a Black Cherry. Unlike others in the vicinity, this tree nestled among several very large Eastern White Pines showed no signs of tent caterpillar activity. It may be that for one reason or another, no adult female moth deposited her eggs on this particular tree. During our visits, Black Cherry was but one of the diverse variety of native trees and shrubs found growing on the sloping topography that created attractive habitat for the nesting birds we found. We happened to notice that a majority, but not all, of those Black Cherry trees were impacted by Eastern Tent Caterpillars.The end of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar’s larval surge may spell the end of their nests for the year, but it’s not the end for the Black Cherry and other host trees in the Prunus (cherry) and Malus (apple) genera. Because it’s still early in the season, they have plenty of time to re-leaf and many will still flower and produce fruit. Those flowers and foliage will attract numerous other insects (including pollinators) that benefit breeding birds.The Blue-winged Warbler inhabits shrubby breaks in the forest such as this utility right-of-way where Black Cherry trees have sprouted after their seeds arrived in waste deposited by fruit-eating (frugivorous) birds. Already attractive to a variety of insectivores, these openings soon lure egg-laying Eastern Tent Caterpillar moths to the cherry trees growing therein. Even in dense forest, a small clearing created by a cluster of dead trees makes good bird habitat and will sooner or later be visited by fruit-eating species that will inadvertently sow seeds of Black Cherry, starting yet another stand of host trees for Eastern Tent Caterpillars. It’s the gap in the forest that often attracts the birds, some of which plant the host trees, which sometimes entice Eastern Tent Caterpillar moths to lay their eggs.Adapt and Reuse- A Red-eyed Vireo visits an Eastern Tent Caterpillar nest……and ignores the few remaining occupants that could easily be seized to instead collect silk to reinforce its own nest.
Here in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, the presence of Eastern Tent Caterpillar nests can often be an indicator of a woodland opening, natural or man-made, that is being reforested by Black Cherry and other plants which improve the botanical richness of the site. For numerous migratory Neotropical species seeking favorable places to nest and raise young, these regenerative areas and the forests surrounding them can be ideal habitat. For us, they can be great places to see and hear colorful birds.
Our Lucky Break- This Scarlet Tanager descended from the treetops to feed on spiders in a small forest clearing.
As waves of wet weather persistently roll through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, the tide of northbound migrants continues. Here are few of today’s highlights…
Though few in number several days ago, flycatchers are now quite common. Many of the Eastern Kingbirds we’re now seeing will stay to nest in trees bordering grasslands and pastures.Willow Flycatchers nest along streams and other bodies of water where herbaceous growth and scattered shrubs are plentiful. Lacking favorable habitat, many will continue moving north in coming days.The seldom seen Lincoln’s Sparrow likes wet thickets for layovers during its passage through the lower Susquehanna valley. They are often the last of the migratory sparrows to transit the area in May. These elusive birds nest primarily in boggy thickets far to the north of our region, mostly in Canada.Colorful warblers are still arriving. Remember to watch for them in unusual places due to stormy weather. Earlier today, we spotted this Northern Parula prowling a lakeside willow instead of spending its time among the crown foliage and vines adorning mature forest trees. Breezy conditions ahead of an afternoon shower may have prompted this bird to seek caterpillars and other grub in this protected location.As May churns on, more and more shorebirds will be moving through on their way to nesting grounds in the interior of Canada. This flock of Least and Solitary Sandpipers was found on the muddy margins of a man-made pond. Flooded portions of farm fields and stormwater basins are also good places to see these migrants as they trek north.
In recent days, the peak northbound push of migratory birds that includes the majority of our colorful Neotropical species has been slowed to a trickle by the presence of rain, fog, and low overcast throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. Following sunset last evening, the nocturnal flight resumed—only to be grounded this morning during the pre-dawn hours by the west-to-east passage of a fast-moving line of strong thundershowers. The NOAA/National Weather Service images that follow show the thunderstorms as well as returns created by thousands of migrating birds as they pass through the Doppler Radar coverage areas that surround the lower Susquehanna valley.
Sterling, Virginia, Doppler Radar west of Washington, D.C., at 4:00 A.M. E.D.T. indicates a dense flight of northbound migrating birds located just to the south of the approaching line of rain and thunderstorms over the State College, Pennsylvania, radar coverage area. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)More northbound birds are indicated at 4 A.M. by the radar station located at Dover, Delaware… (NOAA/National Weather Service image)…and by the Mount Holly, New Jersey, radar site. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)Many of the migrating birds shown here over the Binghamton, New York, radar station at 4 A.M. probably overflew the lower Susquehanna region earlier in the night. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)And these birds over Albany, New York’s, radar station at 4 A.M. are mostly migrants that passed north over New Jersey and easternmost Pennsylvania last evening and during the wee hours of this morning. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)
Just after 4 A.M., flashes of lightning in rapid succession repeatedly illuminated the sky over susquehannawildlife.net headquarters. Despite the rumbles of thunder and the din of noises typical for our urban setting, the call notes of nocturnal migrants could be heard as these birds descended in search of a suitable place to make landfall and seek shelter from the storm. At least one Wood Thrush and a Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) were in the mix of species passing overhead. A short time later at daybreak, a Great Crested Flycatcher was heard calling from a stand of nearby trees and a White-crowned Sparrow was seen in the garden searching for food. None of these aforementioned birds is regular here at our little oasis, so it appears that a significant and abrupt fallout has occurred.
A White-crowned Sparrow in the headquarters garden at daybreak. It’s the first visit by this species in a decade or more.
Looks like a good day to take the camera for a walk. Away we go!
Along woodland edges, in thickets, and in gardens, Gray Catbirds were everywhere today. We heard and/or saw hundreds of them.During our travels, American Redstarts were the most frequently encountered warbler. Look for them in low-lying forested habitats.Many early-arriving Baltimore Orioles have already begun building nests. But widespread territorial fighting today may be an indication that some latecomer orioles became trespassers after dropping in on existing territories during the morning fallout.Red-eyed Vireos are difficult to see but easily heard in forested areas throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.If the oriole isn’t the showiest of the Neotropical migrants, then the Scarlet Tanager is certainly a contender…Listen for their burry, robin-like song in the treetops of mature upland forests.No woodland chorus is complete without the flute-like harmony of the Wood Thrush. Look and listen for them in rich forests with dense understory vegetation.The Eastern Wood-Pewee, another forest denizen, has an easy song to learn…a series of ascending “pee-a-wee” phrases interspersed with an occasional descending “pee-urr”. It was one of the few flycatchers we found today, but more are certainly on the way. Their numbers should peak in coming days.Yellow-rumped Warblers can be especially numerous during migration but tend to peak prior to the arrival of the bulk of the Neotropical species. This was the only “yellow-rump” we encountered today. The majority have already passed through on their way to breeding grounds to our north.If today you were to visit a streamside thicket or any type of early successional habitat, you would probably find this perky little warbler there, the Common Yellowthroat.The Yellow Warbler likes streamside thickets too. You can also find them along lakes, ponds, and wetlands, especially among shrubby willows and alders.While nowhere near the headquarters garden, we ran into another White-crowned Sparrow in less-than-ideal habitat. This one was in a row of trees in a paved parking lot.Not all songbirds migrate at night. The Bobolink is an example of a diurnal (day-flying) migrant. They’re currently arriving in hay fields that are spared the mower until after nesting season.While looking for Neotropical species and other late-season migrants, we also found numerous early arrivals that had already begun their breeding cycles. We discovered this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on its nest in a Black Walnut tree……then, later in the day, we found this one in its nest, again in a Black Walnut tree. Note the freshly emerging set of leaves and flower clusters. With many tree species already adorned in a full set of foliage, open canopies in stands of walnuts we found growing in reforested areas seemed to be good places to see lots of migrants and other birds today. It’s hard to say whether birds were more numerous in these sections of woods or were just easier to observe among the sparse leaf cover. In either case, the nut-burying squirrels that planted these groves did us and the birds a favor.
There’s obviously more spring migration to come, so do make an effort to visit an array of habitats during the coming weeks to see and hear the wide variety of birds, including the spectacular Neotropical species, that visit the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed each May. You won’t regret it!
Wood Ducks arrived in February and March to breed in the lower Susquehanna valley. Soon after hatching in April or May, the young leave the nest cavity to travel under the watchful gaze of their ever-vigilant mother as they search for food along our local waterways. If you’re fortunate, you might catch a glimpse of a brood and hen while you’re out looking at the more than one hundred species of birds that occur in our region during the first half of May. Good luck!
A warbler found moving through trees and shrubs or foraging on the ground while bobbing its tail is likely to be a Palm Warbler. During migration, these animated passerines favor the vegetated shorelines of lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds. This affinity for water is reflected in the Palm Warbler’s choice of breeding habitat. Nesting territories are primarily located within spruce bogs east of the Rockies in Canada, Minnesota, Maine, and on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The bird seen here with extensive yellow underparts is known as a Yellow or Eastern Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum hypochrysea), a subspecies that nests in eastern portions of the breeding range. The duller, grayer Brown or Western Palm Warbler (S. p. palmarum) nests in western sections of the summer range. In the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, both subspecies can be seen during fall migration, which peaks in late September and October as movements of the less hardy Neotropical warblers are winding down. Both subspecies spend the winter on Caribbean islands or in coastal plain areas of eastern North America. Some of the western birds pass the colder months along the Pacific coast.
“Waves” of warblers and other Neotropical songbirds continue to roll along the ridgetops of southern Pennsylvania. The majority of these migrants are headed to wintering habitat in the tropics after departing breeding grounds in the forests of southern Canada. At Second Mountain Hawk Watch, today’s early morning flight kicked off at sunrise, then slowed considerably by 8:30 A.M. E.D.T. Once again, in excess of 400 warblers were found moving through the trees and working their way southwest along the spine of the ridge. Each of the 12 species seen yesterday were observed today as well. In addition, there was a Northern Parula and a Canada Warbler. Today’s flight was dominated by Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, Black-throated Green, and Tennessee Warblers.
A Blackburnian Warbler at sunrise on Second Mountain.A hungry Blackburnian Warbler feeding on insects.Black-throated Green Warblers were a plentiful species among both yesterday’s and today’s waves of Neotropical migrants.A juvenile Black-throated Green Warbler.One of the scores of Tennessee Warblers seen on Second Mountain early this morning.Cape May Warblers were still common today, but not moving through in the numbers seen yesterday.A male Black-throated Blue Warbler.Compared to yesterday’s flight, lesser numbers of Magnolia Warblers were seen today.An adult male Wilson’s Warbler was a good find among the hundreds of birds swarming the ridgetop.This Nashville Warbler spent much of the day in the tangles of Mile-a-minute Weed surrounding the lookout.
Other interesting Neotropical migrants joined the “waves” of warblers…
Red-eyed Vireo numbers were higher than yesterday.This Warbling Vireo was found peering from the cover of the shady forest.A minimum of six Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were identified including the juvenile male seen here in first-fall plumage. Other good sightings were Scarlet Tanagers, an adult male Baltimore Oriole, and a dozen or more Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.Three Least Flycatchers were heard calling and seen chasing one another through a stand of dead timber on the south slope below the lookout.After the warbler flight settled, the task of counting migrating raptors commenced. Five Broad-winged Hawks including this one were tallied as they glided away to the southwest for a winter vacation in the tropics of Central and South America.
During the recent couple of mornings, a tide of Neotropical migrants has been rolling along the crests of the Appalachian ridges and Piedmont highlands of southern Pennsylvania. In the first hours of daylight, “waves” of warblers, vireos, flycatchers, tanagers, and other birds are being observed flitting among the sun-drenched foliage as they feed in trees along the edges of ridgetop clearings. Big fallouts have been reported along Kittattiny Ridge/Blue Mountain at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and at Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch. Birds are also being seen in the Furnace Hills of the Piedmont.
Here are some of the 300 to 400 warblers (a very conservative estimate) seen in a “wave” found working its way southwest through the forest clearing at the Second Mountain Hawk Watch in Lebanon County this morning. The feeding frenzy endured for two hours between 7 and 9 A.M. E.D.T.
Tennessee Warblers (Leiothlypis peregrina) were very common among the migrants seen this morning on Second Mountain.An adult male Tennessee Warbler.A Nashville Warbler.A Chestnut-sided Warbler.Cape May Warblers were another common species during the morning flight.Magnolia Warblers were frequently observed as well.A Black-and-white Warbler exhibiting its nuthatch-like feeding behavior.A Blackburnian Warbler.Black-throated Green Warblers were numerous.A Bay-breasted Warbler.This was the only Wilson’s Warbler discerned among the hundreds of warblers seen in a “wave” on Second Mountain this morning.
Not photographed but observed in the mix of species were several Black-throated Blue Warblers and American Redstarts.
In addition to the warblers, other Neotropical migrants were on the move including two Common Nighthawks, a Broad-winged Hawk, a Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), and…
At least half a dozen Scarlet Tanagers were in the treetops.And no less than 23 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were counted cruising southbound past the lookout at Second Mountain Hawk Watch today.
Then, there was a taste of things to come…
One of 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches filling the air on the mountaintop with calls reminiscent of a toy tin horn. Will this summer’s forest fires in Canada prompt a significant invasion of this and other birds including winter finches in coming months? Time will tell.
Seeing a “wave” flight is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Visiting known locations for observing warbler fallouts such as hawk watches, ridgetop clearings, and peninsular shorelines can improve your chances of witnessing one of these memorable spectacles by overcoming the first variable. To overcome the second, be sure to visit early and often. See you on the lookout!
As we enter September, autumn bird migration is well underway. Neotropical species including warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and nighthawks are already headed south. Meanwhile, the raptor migration is ramping up and hawk watch sites throughout the Mid-Atlantic States are now staffed and counting birds. In addition to the expected migrants, there have already been sightings of some unusual post-breeding wanderers. Yesterday, a Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) was seen passing Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and a Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) that spent much of August in Juniata County was seen from Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch while it was hunting in a Perry County field six miles to the north of the lookout! Both of these rarities are vagrants from down Florida way.
A Peregrine Falcon speeds past the lookout at Second Mountain Hawk Watch yesterday.Later this month, numbers of high-flying Broad-winged Hawks moving past counting stations will reach their peak. Most sites will experience one or more days with hundreds or perhaps thousands of these Neotropical migrants streaming by.This Black-and-white Warbler was found among a “wave” of migrating songbirds moving through some ridgetop trees.A juvenile Cape May Warbler peers from the cover of an Eastern Hemlock.
To plan a visit to a hawk watch near you, click on the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab at the top of this page to find a list and brief description of suggested sites throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. “Hawkwatcher’s Helper” also includes an extensive photo guide for identifying the raptors you’re likely to see.
And to identify those confusing fall warblers and other migrants, click the “Birds” tab at the top of this page and check out the photo guide contained therein. It includes nearly all of the species you’re likely to see in the lower Susquehanna valley.
Here’s a quick look at just a few of the birds that have been moving northward in recent days…
Find a thicket, a garden with plenty of shrubs, or a brushy woodland and you’ll find Gray Catbirds. Many will stay in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed to nest.Orchard Orioles favor old meadows with large shade trees. Some remain to nest.The Common Yellowthroat is one of the more than two dozen species of warblers found regularly during spring migration. It nests locally in wet thickets.The Warbling Vireo can be found singing among the branches of large streamside trees like this Green Ash.Unlike the preceding species which do the majority of their migrating by night, Blue Jays move north by daylight. Keep an eye on the sky and you just might see a flock or two go by!
For nearly a week now, a slow-moving low pressure system has not only brought heavy rain and cold temperatures to the northeastern United States, it has also stalled the northbound flights of migrating Neotropical birds. As this weather system at last drifts offshore, birds including warblers, thrushes, vireos, flycatchers, catbirds, hummingbirds, orioles, tanagers, and others should again resume their northward movements.
National Weather Service radar presently displays returns of these airborne nocturnal migrants in clear storm-free skies throughout the eastern half of the United States and Canada. As the showers and clouds depart the lower Susquehanna valley and areas to the north, the birds immediately to our south will begin to fill the void.
Gray and green halos surrounding radar stations indicate nocturnal bird migration across much of the eastern United States and Canada. Note their absence north of Maryland where the effects of the low pressure system currently located over New England are temporarily blocking these flights. (NOAA/National Weather Service radar image)
Our advice to you…plan to spend some time outdoors this weekend looking for our colorful Neotropical visitors. Their springtime songs should fill the warm air of forest and thicket. You won’t want to miss it.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is a common migrant throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed right now. Look for it and other colorful species along woodland edges, particularly where conifers are intermingled among deciduous growth.
This year’s unseasonably mild weather has hastened the northward migration of many birds. Neotropical species including warblers and Broad-winged Hawks are already pushing through the lower Susquehanna region in numbers. But it seems the spring movement may be a little bit protracted for female Red-winged Blackbirds, which are still rolling through by the hundreds despite the males being here, some of them defending nesting territories, since late February. No sense of urgency?
This linear grove of mature trees, many of them nearly one hundred years old, is a planting of native White Oaks (Quercus alba) and Swamp White Oaks (Quercus bicolor).
Imagine the benefit of trees like this along that section of stream you’re mowing or grazing right now. The Swamp White Oak in particular thrives in wet soils and is available now for just a couple of bucks per tree from several of the lower Susquehanna’s County Conservation District Tree Sales. These and other trees and shrubs planted along creeks and rivers to create a riparian buffer help reduce sediment and nutrient pollution. In addition, these vegetated borders protect against soil erosion, they provide shade to otherwise sun-scorched waters, and they provide essential wildlife habitat. What’s not to love?
Autumn leaf of a Swamp White Oak
The following native species make great companions for Swamp White Oaks in a lowland setting and are available at bargain prices from one or more of the County Conservation District Tree Sales now underway…
The Red Maple is an ideal tree for a stream buffer project. They do so well that you should limit them to 10% or less of the plants in your project so that they don’t overwhelm slower-growing species.The River Birch (Betula nigra) is a multi-trunked tree of lowlands. Large specimens with arching trunks help shade waterways and provide a source of falling insects for surface-feeding fish. Its peeling bark is a distinctive feature.The Common Winterberry with its showy red winter-time fruit is a slow-growing shrub of wet soils. Only female specimens of this deciduous holly produce berries, so you need to plant a bunch to make sure you have both genders for successful pollination.An American Robin feeding on Common Winterberry.Common Spicebush is a shrub of moist lowland soils. It is the host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly and produces small red berries for birds and other wildlife. Plant it widely among taller trees to provide native vegetation in the understory of your forest.Common Spicebush foliage and berries in the shade beneath a canopy of tall trees.The Common Pawpaw a small shade-loving tree of the forest understory.Common Pawpaw is a colony-forming small tree which produces a fleshy fruit. It is the host plant for the caterpillars of the Zebra Swallowtail.The Buttonbush is a shrub of wet soils. It produces a round flower cluster, followed by this globular seed cluster.And don’t forget the Eastern Sycamore, the giant of the lowlands. At maturity, the white-and-tan-colored bark on massive specimens makes them a spectacular sight along stream courses and river shores. Birds ranging from owls, eagles, and herons to smaller species including the Yellow-throated Warbler rely upon them for nesting sites.Yellow-crowned Night Herons, an endangered species in Pennsylvania, nesting in an Eastern Sycamore.
So don’t mow, do something positive and plant a buffer!
Act now to order your plants because deadlines are approaching fast. For links to the County Conservation District Tree Sales in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, see our February 18th post.
By November, as insects become more difficult to come by, migrating Yellow-rumped Warblers are seldom found far from a supply of berries. This one was in the vicinity of the white fruits of Poison Ivy vines.
There’s something in the air tonight—and it’s more than just a cool comfortable breeze.
(NOAA/National Weather Service image)
It’s a major nocturnal movement of southbound Neotropical birds. At daybreak, expect a fallout of migrants, particularly songbirds, in forests and thickets throughout the region. Warblers, vireos, flycatchers, thrushes, Scarlet Tanagers, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks pass through in mid-September each year, so be on the lookout!
The Common Yellowthroat is one of our most frequently encountered warblers. It can be found in almost any shrubby habitat, but is particularly numerous in streamside and wetland thickets. Many remain through the summer to nest and raise young.
A Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) searches for insects among the branches of a flowering Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). In river bottomlands, they nest almost exclusively in the canopy of massive Eastern Sycamores trees. In mature mountain forests, they also use pines. The Lower Susquehanna River Watershed is located along the northern extreme of the Yellow-throated Warbler’s regular breeding range.
The Blue-winged Warbler is a Neotropical migrant that nests among successional growth near taller timber in scattered locations throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. Its song, a ringing “beee-bzzz”, is one of the easiest in the warbler family repertoire to recognize and remember. The Blue-winged Warbler has become less widespread as a breeding species as forests and woodlots have matured and utility right-of-ways are sprayed or cleared of shrubs and small trees with greater frequency.
The Northern Parula is a Neotropical migrant that nests in mature forest trees along the lower Susquehanna. It is a warbler most often located by listening for its buzzy song, “zzzzzzzup”, then searching the treetops in the area with hope of detecting its movements there.
The Blackburnian Warbler, a Neotropical migrant, feeds high in the canopy of mature forests during stopovers in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, so you need to look up to find one. This male was seen searching for insects along the branches of an American Beech (Fagus grandifolia).
The handsome Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the earliest and most numerous of the warblers to migrate through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed each spring. Look for them now in woodlots and forests throughout the area.
National Weather Service radar showed a sizeable nocturnal flight of migrating birds early this morning. Let’s go for a short stroll and see what’s around.
Radar returns from State College, Pennsylvania, display several bands of light rain and a massive flight of migrating birds. (NOAA/National Weather Service image)After coming in on an overnight flight, Gray Catbirds were numerous at dawn this morning.Masses of Neotropical migrants are just beginning to arrive. This Black-and-white Warbler was found feeding on insects in a Green Ash tree that, so far, has survived Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) infestation.The Veery is a Neotropical thrush that nests in understory vegetation on forested slopes in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.Orchard Orioles are here.And Baltimore Orioles are here too. Vibrant colors like these are what many observers find so wonderful about many of the Neotropical species.Not all migrants move at night. While you’re out and about, keep an eye on the sky for diurnal fliers like these migrating Double-crested Cormorants, seen this morning a full ten miles east of the river.While many birds are still working their way north to their breeding grounds, resident species like this Carolina Wren are already feeding young. This one has collected a spider for its nestlings.
Despite being located in an urbanized downtown setting, blustery weather in recent days has inspired a wonderful variety of small birds to visit the garden here at the susquehannawildlife.net headquarters to feed and refresh. For those among you who may enjoy an opportunity to see an interesting variety of native birds living around your place, we’ve assembled a list of our five favorite foods for wild birds.
American Goldfinches in drab winter (basic) plumage visit the trickle of water entering the headquarters pond to bathe and drink. In addition to offering the foods animals need to survive, a source of clean water is an excellent way to attract wildlife to your property.
The selections on our list are foods that provide supplemental nutrition and/or energy for indigenous species, mostly songbirds, without sustaining your neighborhood’s non-native European Starlings and House Sparrows, mooching Eastern Gray Squirrels, or flock of ecologically destructive hand-fed waterfowl. We’ve included foods that aren’t necessarily the cheapest but are instead those that are the best value when offered properly.
Bread, “bargain” seed mixes, and cracked corn can attract and sustain large numbers of House Sparrows and European Starlings. Both are non-native species that compete mercilessly with indigenous birds including bluebirds for food and nesting sites. Though found favorable for feeding Northern Cardinals without attracting squirrels, the expensive safflower seed seen here is another favorite of these aggressive House Sparrows. Ever wasteful, they “shovel” seed out of feeders while searching for the prime morsels from which they can easily remove the hulls. Trying not to feed them is an ongoing challenge, so we don’t offer these aforementioned foods to our avian guests.
Number 5
Raw Beef Suet
In addition to rendered beef suet, manufactured suet cakes usually contain seeds, cracked corn, peanuts, and other ingredients that attract European Starlings, House Sparrows, and squirrels to the feeder, often excluding woodpeckers and other native species from the fare. Instead, we provide raw beef suet.
Because it is unrendered and can turn rancid, raw beef suet is strictly a food to be offered in cold weather. It is a favorite of woodpeckers, nuthatches, and many other species. Ask for it at your local meat counter, where it is generally inexpensive.
Raw beef suet is fat removed from areas surrounding the kidneys on a beef steer. To avoid spoiling, offer it only in the winter months, particularly if birds are slow to consume the amount placed for them. If temperatures are above freezing, it’s important to replace uneaten food frequently. The piece seen here on the left was stored in the freezer for almost a year while the rancid piece to the right was stored in a refrigerator at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit for just two months. You can render raw beef suet and make your own cakes by melting it down and pouring it into a form such as cupcake tin. But do it outdoors or you’ll be living alone for a while.A female Downy Woodpecker feeds on raw beef suet stuffed into holes drilled into a vertically hanging log. Because they can’t be cleaned, log feeders should be discarded after one season. Wire cage feeders though, can usually be scrubbed, disinfected, dried, and reused.Pesky European Starlings might visit a raw beef suet feeder but won’t usually linger unless other foods to their liking are available nearby.This male Downy Woodpecker has no trouble feeding on raw beef suet packed into holes drilled into the underside of this horizontally hanging log. Starlings don’t particularly care to feed this way.Unusual visitors like a Brown Creeper are more likely to stop by at a suet feeder when it isn’t crowded by raucous starlings, House Sparrows, and squirrels. This one surprised us just this morning.Below the feeders, scraps of suet that fall to the ground are readily picked up, usually by ground-feeding birds. In this instance, a male Eastern Bluebird saw a chunk break loose and pounced on it with haste.
Number 4
Niger (“Thistle”) Seed
Niger seed, also known as nyjer or nyger, is derived from the sunflower-like plant Guizotia abyssinica, a native of Ethiopia. By the pound, niger seed is usually the most expensive of the bird seeds regularly sold in retail outlets. Nevertheless, it is a good value when offered in a tube or wire mesh feeder that prevents House Sparrows and other species from quickly “shoveling” it to the ground. European starlings and squirrels don’t bother with niger seed at all.
Niger seed must be kept dry. Mold will quickly make niger seed inedible if it gets wet, so avoid using “thistle socks” as feeders. A dome or other protective covering above a tube or wire mesh feeder reduces the frequency with which feeders must be cleaned and moist seed discarded. Remember, keep it fresh and keep it dry!
Niger (“thistle”) seed is very small, so it is offered in specialized feeders to prevent seed from spilling out of oversize holes as waste.An American Goldfinch in winter plumage feeding on niger seed from a wire mesh feeder. By April, goldfinches are molting into spectacular breeding feathers. Niger seed can be offered year-round to keep them visiting your garden while they are at maximum magnificence.American Goldfinches in August. This tube feeder is designed specifically for goldfinches, birds that have no difficulty hanging upside down to grab niger seed from small feeding ports.During invasion years, visiting Pine Siskins favor niger seed at feeding stations.Like goldfinches, Pine Siskins are quite comfortable feeding upside down on specialized tubes with perches positioned above the seed ports. Seeds dropped to the ground are readily picked up by ground-feeding birds including Mourning Doves and Dark-eyed Juncos. Periodically, uneaten niger seed should be swept up and discarded.
Number 3
Striped Sunflower Seed
Striped sunflower seed, also known as grey-striped sunflower seed, is harvested from a cultivar of the Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), the same tall garden plant with a massive bloom that you grew as a kid. The Common Sunflower is indigenous to areas west of the Mississippi River and its seeds are readily eaten by many native species of birds including jays, finches, and grosbeaks. The husks are harder to crack than those of black oil sunflower seed, so House Sparrows consume less, particularly when it is offered in a feeder that prevents “shoveling”. For obvious reasons, a squirrel-proof or squirrel-resistant feeder should be used for striped sunflower seed.
Striped sunflower seed.A male House Finch and a Carolina Chickadee pluck striped sunflower seeds from a squirrel-resistant powder-coated metal-mesh tube feeder.An American Goldfinch in winter plumage finds striped sunflower seeds irresistible, even with niger seed being offered in an adjacent feeder.A Tufted Titmouse visits a feeder stocked with striped sunflower seeds.Northern Cardinals readily feed on striped sunflower seeds, especially those that fall from our metal-mesh tube feeders.An Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) has no choice but to be satisfied with striped sunflower seeds that spill from our wire-mesh tube feeders.
Number 2
Mealworms
Mealworms are the commercially produced larvae of the beetle Tenebrio molitor. Dried or live mealworms are a marvelous supplement to the diets of numerous birds that might not otherwise visit your garden. Woodpeckers, titmice, wrens, mockingbirds, warblers, and bluebirds are among the species savoring protein-rich mealworms. The trick is to offer them without European Starlings noticing or having access to them because European Starlings you see, go crazy over a meal of mealworms.
Dried mealworms can be offered in a cup or on a tray feeder. Live mealworms need to be contained in a steep-sided dish, so they don’t crawl away. Unless you’re really lucky, you’ll probably have to place your serving vessel of mealworms inside some type of enclosure to exclude European Starlings.A male Eastern Bluebird tossing and grabbing a dried mealworm.A female Eastern Bluebird with a dried mealworm.A pair of Eastern Bluebirds. The value of mealworms is self-evident: you get to have bluebirds around.
To foil European Starlings, we assembled this homemade mealworm feeder from miscellaneous parts. The bluebirds took right to it.It frustrates the starlings enough to discourage them from sticking around for long.If you’re offering dried mealworms, a source of clean water must be available nearby so that the bluebirds and other guests at your feeder don’t become dehydrated.
Number 1
Food-producing Native Shrubs and Trees
The best value for feeding birds and other wildlife in your garden is to plant food-producing native plants, particularly shrubs and trees. After an initial investment, they can provide food, cover, and roosting sites year after year. In addition, you’ll have a more complete food chain on a property populated by native plants and all the associated life forms they support (insects, spiders, etc.).
In your garden, a Northern Mockingbird may defend a food supply like these Common Winterberry fruits as its sole means of sustenance for an entire winter season. Having an abundance of plantings assures that in your cache there’s plenty to eat for this and other species.The American Goldfinches currently spending the winter at our headquarters are visiting the feeders for niger and striped sunflower seeds, but the bulk of their diet consists of tiny seeds from the cones on our Eastern Hemlock trees. At night, birds obtain shelter from the weather by roosting in this clump of evergreens.While the Eastern Bluebirds visiting the susquehannawildlife.net headquarters are fond of mealworms, the bulk of their diet here consists of these Common Winterberry fruits and the berries on our American Holly trees.Cedar Waxwings are readily attracted to red berries including Common Winterberry fruit.Migrating American Robins visit the headquarters garden in late winter each year to devour berries before continuing their journey to the north.
Your local County Conservation District is having its annual spring tree sale soon. They have a wide selection to choose from each year and the plants are inexpensive. They offer everything from evergreens and oaks to grasses and flowers. You can afford to scrap the lawn and revegetate your whole property at these prices—no kidding, we did it. You need to preorder for pickup in the spring. To order, check their websites now or give them a call. These food-producing native shrubs and trees are by far the best bird feeding value that you’re likely to find, so don’t let this year’s sales pass you by!
It’s surprising how many millions of people travel the busy coastal routes of Delaware each year to leave the traffic congestion and hectic life of the northeast corridor behind to visit congested hectic shore towns like Rehobeth Beach, Bethany Beach, and Ocean City, Maryland. They call it a vacation, or a holiday, or a weekend, and it’s exhausting. What’s amazing is how many of them drive right by a breathtaking national treasure located along Delaware Bay just east of the city of Dover—and never know it. A short detour on your route will take you there. It’s Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, a quiet but spectacular place that draws few crowds of tourists, but lots of birds and other wildlife.
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is located just off Route 9, a lightly-traveled coastal road east of Dover, Delaware. Note the Big Bluestem and other warm season grasses in the background. Bombay Hook, like other refuges in the system, is managed for the benefit of the wildlife that relies upon it to survive. Within recent years, most of the mowed grass and tilled ground that once occurred here has been replaced by prairie grasses or successional growth, much to the delight of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and other species.
Let’s join Uncle Tyler Dyer and have a look around Bombay Hook. He’s got his duck stamp and he’s ready to go.
Uncle Ty’s current United States Fish and Wildlife Service Duck Stamp displayed on his dashboard is free admission to the tour road at Bombay Hook and other National Wildlife Refuges.The refuge at Bombay Hook includes woodlands, grasslands, and man-made freshwater pools, but it is predominately a protectorate of thousands of acres of tidal salt marsh bordering and purifying the waters of Delaware Bay. These marshes are renowned wintering areas for an Atlantic population of Snow Goose known as the “Greater Snow Goose” (Anser caerulescens atlanticus). Witnessing thousands of these birds rising over the marsh and glowing in the amber light of a setting sun is an unforgettable experience.Trails at various stops along the auto tour route lead to observation towers and other features. This boardwalk meanders into the salt marsh grasses and includes a viewing area alongside a tidal creek. Our visit coincided with a very high tide induced by east winds and a new moon.During high tide, an Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) seeks higher ground near the boardwalk and the wooded edge of the salt marsh.As the tide rises, fast-flying shorebirds scramble from flooded mudflats in the salt marsh on the east side of the tour road.When high tide arrives in the salt marshes, shorebirds and waterfowl often concentrate in the man-made freshwater pools on the west side of the tour road. Glaring afternoon sun is not the best for viewing birds located west of the road. For ideal light conditions, time your visit for a day when high tide occurs in the morning and recedes to low tide in the afternoon.A view looking west into Shearness Pool, largest of the freshwater impoundments at Bombay Hook.Bombay Hook has many secretive birds hiding in its wetlands, but they can often be located by the patient observer. Here, two Pied-billed Grebes feed in an opening among the vegetation in a freshwater pool.One of Bombay Hook’s resident Bald Eagles patrols the wetlands.American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) gather by the hundreds at Bombay Hook during the fall. A passing eagle will stir them into flight.An American Avocet, a delicate wader with a peculiar upturned bill.As soon as the tide begins receding, shorebirds and waterfowl like these Green-winged Teal begin dispersing into the salt marshes to feed on the exposed mudflats.The woodlands and forested areas of the refuge host resident songbirds and can be attractive to migrating species like this Yellow-rumped Warbler.For much of its course, the tour road at Bombay Hook is located atop the dike that creates the man-made freshwater pools on the western edge of the tidal salt marsh. If you drive slowly and make frequent stops to look and listen, you’ll notice an abundance of birds and other wildlife living along this border between two habitats. Here, a Swamp Sparrow has a look around.Savannah Sparrows are common along the tour road where native grasses grow wild.Bombay Hook is renowned for its rarities. One of the attractions during the late summer and autumn of 2021 was a group of Roseate Spoonbills (Platalea ajaja), vagrants from the southern states, seen here with Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula).Roseate Spoonbills and Great Egrets at Bombay Hook.
Remember to go the Post Office and get your duck stamp. You’ll be supporting habitat acquisition and improvements for the wildlife we cherish. And if you get the chance, visit a National Wildlife Refuge. November can be a great time to go, it’s bug-free! Just take along your warmest clothing and plan to spend the day. You won’t regret it.
In the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, the Common Yellowthroat is a summer resident that nests within brushy cover along stream courses and forest edges. It is particularly fond of dense thorny growth in utility right-of-ways. During spring and fall migrations, it is one of the most likely of the warbler species to be found visiting suburban shrubbery.
Can it be that time already? Most Neotropical birds have passed through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed on their way south and the hardier species that will spend our winter in the more temperate climes of the eastern United States are beginning to arrive.
Here’s a gallery of sightings from recent days…
During the past two weeks, thousands of Broad-winged Hawks, including this adult bird, crossed the skies of the lower Susquehanna valley on their way to Central and South America for our winter.A juvenile Broad-winged Hawk passes into the sunset during its first autumn migration.Blackpoll Warblers are among the last of the Neotropical species to transit the region. They’ll continue to be seen locally through at least early October.Blue-headed Vireos are the October vireo during the fall, the other species having already continued toward tropical forests for a winter vacation.The lower Susquehanna region lies just on the northern edge of the wintering range of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, a species found nesting locally among treetops in deciduous woods. Look for their numbers to swell in coming days as birds from further north begin rolling through the region on their way south.Sharp-shinned Hawks delight visitors at ridgetop hawk watches during breezy late-September and early-October days. They allow closer observation than high-flying Broad-winged Hawks due to their habit of cruising just above the treetops while migrating.A Sharp-shinned Hawk glides over a lookout.Late September/early October is falcon time at area hawk-counting stations, the Peregrine Falcon often being the most anticipated species.Pale “Tundra Peregrines”, a subspecies that nests in the arctic, are strictly migratory birds in the Mid-Atlantic States. They are presently passing through on their way to South America. Like Neotropical songbirds, their long flights provide them with the luxury of never experiencing a winter season.This Carolina Saddlebags and other migratory dragonflies, which normally leave the area by mid-September, are still lingering in the lower Susquehanna region, much to the pleasure of the falcons that feed upon them.An male American Kestrel in pursuit of dragonflies found swarming around the lookout at Second Mountain Hawk Watch in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.A male American Kestrel stooping on a dragonfly.Osprey will be among the birds of prey passing hawk watch sites during the coming two weeks. The first week of October often provides the best opportunity for seeing the maximum variety of raptors at a given site. On a good day, a dozen species are possible.Seeing cinnamon-colored juvenile Northern Harriers is symbolic of the October migration flights.Bald Eagles always thrill the crowd.In addition to raptors, resident Common Ravens are regularly sighted by observers at hawk watches and elsewhere during the fall season.Hawk-counting stations sometimes log movements of Red-bellied Woodpeckers during late September and early October. This species has extended its range into the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed only during the past one hundred years, making these seasonal migration movements a recent local phenomenon.Blue Jays are currently on the move with breeding birds from the forests of Canada and the northern United States moving south. Hundreds can be seen passing a given observation point during an ideal morning.Blue Jays find a pile of peanuts to be an irresistible treat. Provide the unsalted variety and watch the show!
Be sure to click on these tabs at the top of this page to find image guides to help you identify the dragonflies, birds, and raptors you see in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed…
Damselflies and Dragonflies
Birds of Conewago Falls
Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Raptors
During the coming two weeks, peak numbers of migrating Neotropical birds will be passing through the northeastern United States including the lower Susquehanna valley. Hawk watches are staffed and observers are awaiting big flights of Broad-winged Hawks—hoping to see a thousand birds or more in a single day.
During its passage through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, an adult Broad-winged Hawk sails over Second Mountain Hawk Watch in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.A hatch-year/juvenile Broad-winged Hawk gazes toward hawk watchers on the ground.
Broad-winged hawks feed on rodents, amphibians, and a variety of large insects while on their breeding grounds in the forests of the northern United States and Canada. They depart early, journeying to wintering areas in Central and South America before frost robs them of a reliable food supply.
The Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina), this one photographed at Second Mountain Hawk Watch on September 8th, is the rarest of the lower Susquehanna region’s migratory dragonflies. Autumn Broad-winged Hawk movements coincide with southbound flights of the Carolina Saddlebags and the more numerous migratory dragonfly species: Common Green Darner, Wandering Glider, Twelve-spotted Skimmer, and Black Saddlebags. “Broad-wings” will often eat these and other dragonflies during migration and can sometimes be seen catching and feeding upon them while still soaring high overhead.
While migrating, Broad-winged Hawks climb to great altitudes on thermal updrafts and are notoriously difficult to see from ground level. Bright sunny skies with no clouds to serve as a backdrop further complicate a hawk counter’s ability to spot passing birds. Throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, the coming week promises to be especially challenging for those trying to observe and census the passage of high-flying Broad-winged Hawks. The forecast of hot and humid weather is not so unusual, but the addition of smoke from fires in the western states promises to intensify the haze and create an especially irritating glare for those searching the skies for raptors.
Smoke from fires along the California coast and in central Utah can be seen streaming east this morning. (NOAA/GOES image)Smoke from western fires and humid air creates a band of haze in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and states to the south this morning. (NOAA/GOES image)
A migrating Broad-winged Hawk in the glare of a hazy sky. In addition to visibility problems, swarms of Spotted Lanternflies above the treetops make distant hawks difficult to discern for hawk watchers scanning the horizon with binoculars.
It may seem gloomy for the mid-September flights in 2021, but hawk watchers are hardy types. They know that the birds won’t wait. So if you want to see migrating “Broad-wings” and other species, you’ve got to get out there and look up while they’re passing through.
Migrating Ospreys typically fly low enough and are large enough to be spotted even during the haziest of conditions.Bald Eagles like this fourth-year bird can ascend to great altitude, but their size usually prevents them from sneaking past a lookout unnoticed.Peregrines escape notice not due to hazy sky conditions, but because they pass by so quickly. They’re being seen at local hawk watches now through October.
These hawk watches in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed are currently staffed by official counters and all welcome visitors:
Rocky Ridge County Park Hawk Watch—3699 Deininger Road off Mount Zion Road (Route 24) northeast of York, Pennsylvania.
Second Mountain Hawk Watch—off Cold Spring Road on the grounds of Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch—where Route 74 crosses Blue Mountain north of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
—or you can just keep an eye on the sky from wherever you happen to be. And don’t forget to check the trees and shrubs because warbler numbers are peaking too! During recent days…
Northern Parula at Chiques Rock County Park in Lancaster County.Black-and-white Warbler at Rocky Ridge County Park in York County.Cape May Warbler at Chiques Rock County Park in Lancaster County.Bay-breasted Warbler at Rocky Ridge County Park in York County.
Neotropical birds are presently migrating south from breeding habitats in the United States and Canada to wintering grounds in Central and South America. Among them are more than two dozen species of warblers—colorful little passerines that can often be seen darting from branch to branch in the treetops as they feed on insects during stopovers in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.
Being nocturnal migrants, warblers are best seen first thing in the morning among sunlit foliage, often high in the forest canopy. After a night of flying, they stop to feed and rest. Warblers frequently join resident chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches to form a foraging flock that can contain dozens of songbirds. Migratory flycatchers, vireos, tanagers, and grosbeaks often accompany southbound warblers during early morning “fallouts”. Usually, the best way to find these early fall migrants is to visit a forest edge or thicket, particularly along a stream, a utility right-of-way, or on a ridge top. Then too, warblers and other Neotropical migrants are notorious for showing up in groves of mature trees in urban parks and residential neighborhoods—so look up!
A Black-and-white Warbler descends into the tangles of the forest understory to search for a morning meal of insects or creepy-crawlies.Success! Looks like a cranefly (Tipulidae).A Black-throated Green Warbler high in the treetops.Warblers often travel and feed in the company of other Neotropical species like this Red-eyed Vireo.Get out and look for those Neotropical migrants now because, like this Canada Warbler, in just a few weeks they’ll be gone.
Be sure to visit the Birds of Conewago Falls page by clicking the “Birds” tab at the top of this page. There, you’ll find photographs of the birds, including warblers and other Neotropical migrants, that you’re likely to encounter at locations throughout the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed.
You’ll want to go for a walk this week. It’s prime time to see birds in all their spring splendor. Colorful Neotropical migrants are moving through in waves to supplement the numerous temperate species that arrived earlier this spring to begin their nesting cycle. Here’s a sample of what you might find this week along a rail-trail, park path, or quiet country road near you—even on a rainy or breezy day.
The Black-throated Blue Warbler is one of more than two dozen species of warblers passing through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed right now. Look for it in the middle and bottom branches of deciduous forest growth.The Veery and other woodland thrushes sing a melodious song. Veerys remain through the summer to nest in damp mature deciduous forests.The American Redstart, this one a first-spring male, is another of the variety of warblers arriving now. Redstarts nest in deciduous forests with a dense understory.Adaptable inquisitive Gray Catbirds are here to nest in any shrubby habitat, whether in a forest or a suburban garden.Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (Polioptilia caerulea) arrive in April, so they’ve been here for a while. They spend most of their time foraging in the treetops. The gnatcatcher’s wheezy call alerts the observer to their presence.Look way up there, it’s a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers building a nest.The Eastern Phoebe, a species of flycatcher, often arrives as early as mid-March. This particular bird and its mate are already nesting beneath a stone bridge that passes over a woodland stream.Orchard Orioles (Icturus spurius) are Neotropical migrants that nest locally in habitats with scattered large trees, especially in meadows and abandoned orchards.In the lower Susquehanna region, the Baltimore Oriole is a more widespread breeding species than the Orchard Oriole. In addition to the sites preferred by the latter, it will nest in groves of mature trees on farms and estates, in parks, and in forest margins where the canopy is broken.The Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) nests in big trees along streams, often sharing habitat with our two species of orioles.Eastern Towhees arrive in numbers during April. They nest in thickets and hedgerows, where a few stragglers can sometimes be found throughout the winter.The Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) is a migrant from the tropics that sometimes nests locally in thorny thickets. Its song consists of a mixed variety of loud phrases, reminding the listener of mimics like catbirds, thrashers, and mockingbirds.Thickets with fragrant blooms of honeysuckle and olive attract migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Look for them taking a break on a dead branch where they can have a look around and hold on tight during gusts of wind.The Eastern Kingbird, a Neotropical flycatcher, may be found near fields and meadows with an abundance of insects. In recent years, high-intensity farming practices have reduced the occurrence of kingbirds as a nesting species in the lower Susquehanna valley. The loss of pasture acreage appears to have been particularly detrimental.Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) can be found in grassy fields throughout the year. Large parcels that go uncut through at least early July offer them the opportunity to nest.Male Bobolinks have been here for just more than a week. Look for them in alfalfa fields and meadows. Like Savannah Sparrows, Bobolinks nest on the ground and will lose their eggs and/or young if fields are mowed during the breeding cycle.Cattail marshes are currently home to nesting Swamp Sparrows. Wetlands offer an opportunity to see a variety of unique species in coming weeks.Shorebirds like this Solitary Sandpiper will be transiting the lower Susquehanna basin through the end of May. They stop to rest in wetlands, flooded fields, and on mudflats and alluvial islets in the region’s larger streams. Many of these shorebirds nest in far northern Canada. So remember, they need to rest and recharge for the long trip ahead, so try not to disturb them.
It’s just common sense to take it easy and drive carefully when snow covers streets and highways. Everyone knows that. But did you know that slowing down when the landscape is blanketed in white can save lives even after the roadways have been cleared?
Following significant snowfalls such as the one earlier this week, birds and other wildlife are attracted to bare ground along the edges of plowed pavement. They are often so preoccupied with the search for food that they ignore approaching cars and trucks until it is too late.
Take a look at the species found today along a one mile stretch of plowed rural roadway in the lower Susquehanna valley.
Following snow storms, birds that normally feed among leaf litter on the forest floor or in thickets and fields are attracted to plowed roads. During their urgent search for food, many are struck and killed by motor vehicles.White-throated Sparrows commonly congregate along roads passing through woodlands and thickets.A juvenile White-crowned Sparrow looks for food among leaves along the edge of snow-free pavement.Adult White-crowned Sparrows take cover in roadside shrubs until traffic passes. Within moments they’ll return to a patch of bare ground along the road’s narrow shoulder.Dark-eyed Juncos are commonly encountered along roads through snow-covered weedy fields and suburbia.Song Sparrows gather along roads traversing brushy areas.Juvenile White-crowned Sparrows and, to the upper right, an American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) take refuge in a small roadside sapling after fleeing a passing automobile.This Yellow-rumped Warbler was attracted to berry-laden shrubs and vines in a road cut with a southern exposure and patches of bare ground.Following a snowfall, Eastern Bluebirds are regularly seen feeding along the edges of rural roads.Horned Larks gather along the snow-free margins of roads through tundra-like farmland.
For many species of wildlife in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, the fragmented and impaired state of habitat already challenges their chances of surviving the winter. Snow cover can isolate them from their limited food supplies and force them to roadsides and other dangerous locations to forage. Mauling them with motor vehicles just adds to the escalating tragedy, so do wildlife and yourself a favor—please slow down.
Even in areas with ideal habitat, snow cover will cause birds and other wildlife to explore bare ground along highways while seeking food.Ring-necked Pheasants frequently become traffic casualties. These birds feeding at roadside due to the snow cover are in increased peril.
