Priorities....

I haven't posted in a while, but that does not mean that I have not been active. When I get a chance to have some time for myself from the glass container factory, I try to get outside rather than sit on my computer and write about it, leaving me with weeks worth of pictures to post. I have come to the conclusion that I am not lazy when it comes to blogging, I just have my priorities straight. So here I sit on the deck at walleye camp, watching the rain, listening to birds, occasionally getting a quick glimpse of the nesting ruby-throated hummingbird as it darts by to retreive nectar from nearby flowers, while sipping on a mug of 8 O'Clock with a dash of french vanilla, life is good.

 

 We would be out on the lake right now had it not started raining last night. But what we were left out on this morning, we will make up for this afternoon. But until then, I thought that I would write up a quick update on the trips and sightings over the past few weeks.

 

 

My dad and myself are not huge into trout fishing, yet we do enjoy going out from time to time. On Friday, March 25, yes March.....we went on a quick evening trip to a stretch of Toby Creek, we even caught a few fish. I was in fishing mode so I don't have any pictures that I took from the trip, but my girlfriend Brooke managed to snap a few pictures of my dad and I doing our thing with my Nikon point and shoot AW-100.

 

Dad and I

Photo credit Brooke Cox

Dad and I

Photo credit Brooke Cox

 

On May 9th, I had a day off. So I decided to take my kayak out on Kyle Lake in Falls Creek, PA to do some panfishin, and did fairly well. But again, I was in fishing mode, and I got one single picture.

 

 

On May 19th, I decided to head up to walleye camp in Linesville, Pennsylvania to spend my days off with my dad and his girlfriend fishing. When I arrived, I did a little bit of birding around Pymatuning State Park before meeting them. While scanning the fields, I observed many families of canada geese, several bobolinks, red-winged black birds, common grackles, and barn swallows.

 

Female Red-winged Blackbird

Barn Swallow

 

Since the coffee pot is set for 4:30 am, it was early to bed when I arrived at camp that night. And the next morning, after we got out onto the Pymatuning reservoir and dropped our lines in the water, I sat back and enjoyed myself as I watched the chaninging warm colors of the skyline, as my first of year Pymatuing sunrise unfolded.

 

The sun rising over the Pennsylvania coast.

Life is GOOD!

 

It was my first day out on the boat for the year, and I had my limit of 6 walleye before noon, with a few throw backs here and there.

 

This guy was just short of 15 inches, the size of a legal walleye.

A beautiful throwback!!!!

 

 Dad had his 6th keeper in the box just shortly after I, and we were back at camp by 1:30 to enjoy the rest of the day.

 

After we got everything put away and cleaned up, and grabbed a bite to eat, dad took his girlfriend Connie out to get her limit of six, and I went for a quick ride looking for birds. I watched plenty of purple martins flying around the condo at the Linesville spillway, chasing bugs and each other.

 

A Purple Martin pair.

 

I went back Tea Kettle road to try and get some pictures of the bobolinks from the evening prior, and ran into this little guy scampering up a tree to safety. He paused for a few minutes allowing me to snap a few shots and have a quick conversation with him, before he grew tired of the odd sounds of a camera shutter and retreated to his arboreal hiding place. I must say that this picture, though a little out of focus, definitely made the evening.

 

A young Pymatuning Racoon.

 

As I said before, there were many families of Canada Geese around Tea Kettle Road and Miller's Pond areas.

 

Canada goose with goslings.

 

On May 21st, our last day at camp, the rich smell of coffee woke me up at about 4:45 am., or maybe it was dad banging doors and cupboards around. The fishing was not as exciting as the day before, but there was lots of activity on the water. Here is a shot of a mature Bald Eagle with lunch.

Distant shot of a Bald Eagle

 

We only fished until about 11:00 that morning, and ended up with 11 legal walleye, several throw backs, and a mess of nice panfish. On the way back to the marina, I ended up getting several photos of canada geese, ring-billed gulls, and my best yet photos of a Great Blue Heron taking off from its mid-lake perch.

 

 Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Ring-Billed Gull

Ring-Billed Gull

Family of Canada Geese

 

After cleaning our fish, packing up our gear, and breakiung camp, dad and Connie took off for home while I stuck around and did some last minute birding. I stopped at the Linesville spillway to check out the waterfowl, gulls, and swallows one last time.

 



 



Ring-Billed Gull

 

There wasn't too much going on at the spillway, so I made my way for Tea Kettle Road and Miller's ponds on the Pymatuning Wildlife Management Areas, where I saw all of the same birds, and finally got half decent pictures of the male bobolinks, bringing my days off to a satisfying end.

 

A pair of Eastern Kingbirds on Tea Kettle Road

Male Red-winged Blackbird on Tea Kettle Road

A distant shot of a female Hooded Merganser with a brood of young, and several Midland Painted Turtles basking on the log behind her.

 Male Bobolink

Male Bobolink

Male Bobolink

Male Bobolink

 

 

 

 

 

The End of Another Chapter

Final grades were coming in, students are returning home, some are committing to summer employment, graduates are on the search for jobs, and families have celebrated comencement ceremonies as the semester has come to a close. The weather in State College, Pennsylvania has been nothing short of beautiful for the past several weeks, and I have been doing my best to take advantage of that. On April 29th, the weather wasn't as great, but I got great looks at a first of year spotted sandpiper at the Scotia Barrens game land.

 

Spotted Sandpiper

 

 

I went back to the Scottia Barrens game land on the 1st of May, where I got great looks at several species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and added common yellowthroat to my year list.

 

Midland Painted Turtles soakin some sun.

 

Broad-winged hawk

This was one of 3 BWHA that I observed that afternoon.

 

Carolina Wren

This bird was very vocal, and put on quite a show.

This Common Yellowthroat was very vocal and very territorial. He flew from bush to bush, letting me and anything else that could hear him that this was his turf, giving me great looks.

 

I spent May the 2nd, banding birds at the Arboretum at Penn State with Nick Kerlin and several other volunteers. Despite the acceptional weather, the banding station has been somewhat slow as far as new migrants, we have mostly been catching white-throated sparrows. But this blue-winged warbler that I banded was a good bird to start off the day!!!

 

 

Blue-winged Warbler

 

I observed many species that morning, one of them were this Orange crowned warbler, a rare find, only the second OCWA that I have ever recorded!!

 

Orange-crowned warbler

 

This House Wren trying to take over a barn swallow nest that is near the banding station was making quite a racket.

I counted at least 4 different Red-tailed hawks last Thursday morning, this one got pretty close and gave me a photo opp!

This was one of 2 Yellow Warblers that I observed.

One of MANY Eastern Towhees

I believe that this is some species of dusky.

 

 

 

 

 



Scotia Barrens Provides Again

It seems that almost everytime I go spend time at the Scotia Barrens game lands, I get a new year tick. So this evening I decided to make a quick stop at the 10-acre pond, after spending some time at Colyer Lake watching the osprey hunt that is.

 

 Osprey with a yellow-perch.

This is one of three osprey that were present at Colyer this evening.

 

I left Colyer when the thunder storm hit and made my way to Scotia's 10-acre pond, stopping on Circleville Road to check out a group of ducks that were dabbling in the cornfields. 3 canada geese, 7 mallards, 2 blue-winged teal, and 7 wood ducks were present.

 

Blue-winged teal pair.

The wood ducks, being wood ducks, retreated to the cover of the corn stuble before I could get a shot.

 

When I got to the 10-acre pond I was greated by many red-winged blackbirds as usual. Also present were white-throated sparrow, eastern towhee, american goldfinch, mallard, canada geese, and solitary sandpiper.

 

Eastern towhee pair, male on right.

White-throated sparrow

 

I also had great up close looks with blue gray gnatcatchers, a tick for my year list, which made for awesome photos. I just wish the lighting would have been a bit more cooperative.

 

Blue gray gnatcatcher

 

 



Recent Happenings In Pennsylvania

I haven't been able to do a whole lot of serious birding or spend much time outdoors for a while, but here and there I have been stopping at local birding hotspots when there are gaps in my schedule, and even got away for a weekend camping trip last week. I haven't posted in a while, so here is a recap.

 

On April 10th, I made a quick stop at the Toftrees Pond in State College searching for a pair of great egrets that were reported a day prior. There were no egrets when I got there, but I did see plenty of tree swallows, wood ducks, a yellow-rumped warbler, and an osprey.
 

Tree Swallows perched in the Toftrees Pond snag

 

 Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warbler

 

I left the Toftrees pond a went to Whipple Dam searching for the "Blue" Snow Goose that was reported the morning prior. Again, I dipped on the target bird, though I did get great looks at this Osprey hunting.

 

An Osprey with dinner

 

I left Whipple Dam for the 10-acre pond at Scotia Barrens game land. Not much was happening here, but the herps were very active due to the on and off rain that we had been getting that day.

 

Red Spotted Newt

"Red Eft" phase

 

 

The weekend of April 13th was the opening day of trout season in Northern Pennsylvania, so Friday afternoon I headed home to pack up for a camping trip that I had been planning for about a month. After I packed up all my gear, my girlfriend and I took a quick ride to Halton along the Clarion River, where we got great views of a pair of red-breasted mergansers.

 

Female Red-Breasted Merganser

 

Male Red-Breasted Merganser

 

The next morning, a friend of mine and I headed North to Sinnemahoning State Park for some fishing! Though we didn't catch any trout, we did see some birds! Common loons, double-crested cormorants, mallards, blue-winged teal, bald eagle, and osprey all made an apearance. I only had my point and shoot with me on my kayak, and since we didn't catch much of anything photo worthy, this is the only photo that is interesting enough to share.

 

Me testing out my new Old Town Kayak, and giving the sign of approval!!!

 

Last week we had some rough weather in State College, so I spent alot of time on school projects, though I did have a close encounter with an Eastern Towhee at the Scotia Barrens game lands on the 16th.

 

Male Eastern Towhee

 

This past weekend, I took my girlfriend to the Scotia Barrens shooting range to watch American Woodcocks in their courtship displays. While there, we were treated with many eastern towhees, a blue headed vireo, and a whip-poor-will calling, along with two american woodcock. Here is the best picture that I was able to get of one of the American Woodcock in courtship display.

 

American Woodcock

 

This evening, I had a pretty exciting hour of birding at the Scotia Barrens 10-acre pond after class. When I arrived, I noticed both greater and lesser yellowlegs foraging, lesser being a first of year bird for me. I quickly dropped to the ground and began crawling out onto a spit that jutted into the wetland, getting closer to the birds to get a better look.

 

Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater on the left.

 

The Lesser Yellowlegs flushed and began to forage to my left.

Lesser Yellowlegs

 

I turned back to see what flushed the Lesser Yellowlegs, and standing by the Greater Yellowlegs was a Saolitary Sandpiper, another tick for my year list!

 

Greater Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpiper, yellowlegs on the left.

 

A Killdeer then flew overhead landing on the opposite bank, offering great looks.

 

Killdeer

 

The Lesser Yellowlegs that flushed to my left had made its way towards me pretty quick, which offered great photo opportunies!

 

Lesser Yellowlegs cruisin' the shore

Lesser Yellowlegs

 

The bird had seemed to find something to snack on, but was having difficulties gaining control of the prey. After a short struggle, the yellowlegs pulled this tasty leach from the water, thrashed it around a bit, then swallowed it whole. 

Lesser Yellowlegs with its catch

 

The Greater Yellowlegs was also on the prowl for dinner.

 

Greater Yellowlegs with a small fish

 

After the meal, the greater yellowlegs began to bathe in the shallow water of the pond.

 



Greater Yellowlegs bathing

 

And then took a nap

Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs resting

 

By this time, the Solitary Sandpiper had gotten used to my presence, and began to forage a little closer to where I had been laying for the past twenty minutes.

 

Solitary Sandpiper

 

The Canada Geese were being very territorial this evening, and were chasing each other around the pond for most of the time that I was there.

 

Canada Goose

Canada Geese

 

I had an Accipiter sp. flyover which I did not get an ID on, but judging buy size I would say it was a Cooper's Hawk. I also heard a Broad-winged hawk's T-shirt call, several eastern towhees, red-winged blackbirds, common grackle, wood duck flyovers, and a first of year Green Heron.

 

Green Heron

 

It was a fairly productive evening.....as far as birding goes.