Lehigh Valley bird sightings for October 24

Greater White-fronted Goose

Here are the Lehigh Valley bird sightings for the week ended October 24. The listing was compiled by several sources, including the American Birding Association website, the Ebird website and the Eastern PA Birdline, which is run by Dave DeReamus and sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society.

One of notable entry this week is the sighting of two Greater White-fronted Geese in Peace Valley Park in Bucks County. They were seen at least through October 17.

The Greater White-fronted Goose is rarely seen in our area. The goose breeds primarily  across the tundra wetlands in the Canada's Nunavut region and in Siberia. A subspecies that breeds in Greenland usually winters to the east, in Ireland and Scotland, but some birds instead fly west to winter on the East Coast. 

A medium-sized goose, the Greater White-fronted Goose had a gray-brown body, a white forehead and base of the bill, and a pinkish or orange bill. They sometimes are confused with domesticated geese, but the domesticated ones lack black belly markings and tend to have bigger bellies.

As is the case with many other species of geese, pairs stay together for years and migrate together. 

Now to the other birds seen during the week ...

Easton, Northampton County
Black Vulture, 3 on October 24.
Turkey Vulture, 12 on October 24.
Also seen: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.

Jacobsburg State Park, Northampton County
Blue-headed Vireo, 6 on October 19.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 3 on October 19.
Also seen: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, and Song, Lincoln's, Swamp and White-crowned sparrows.

Plainfield Township, Northampton County
(along Heitzelman Road)
Northern Harrier, 1 on October 21.

Bath, Northampton County
(along Cigar Road)
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 on October 18.
Cedar Waxwing, 13 on October 18.
Also seen: Turkey Vulture, Chipping Sparrow and Eastern Towhee.

Ring-necked Duck

Echo Lake, Northampton County
Ring-necked Duck, 31 on October 24.
Pied-eyed Grebe, 1 on October 24.

Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary, Northampton County
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 10 on October 21.
Red-tailed Hawk, 3 on October 21.
Also seen: Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture and Cooper's Hawk.

Graver's Arboretum, Northampton County
Brant, 12 on October 19.
Double-breasted Cormorant, 33 on October 19.
Turkey Vulture, 20 on October 19.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 25 on October 19.
Bald Eagle, 4 on October 19.
Tree Swallow, 23 on October 19.
Pine Siskin, 6 on October 19.
Also seen: Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Winter Wren, White-throated Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco.

Monocacy Nature Center, Northampton County
Black Duck, 10 on October 24.
American Robin, approximately 58 on October 24.
Nashville Warbler, 1 on October 24.
Also seen: Red-tailed Hawk, Mute Swan, Eastern Phoebe, Cedar Waxwing and Golden-crowned Kinglet.

Little Gap, Northampton County
Brant, 12 on October 19 (fly-bys)

Lehigh Canal, Lehigh County
(near Sand Island)
Double-breasted Cormorant, 2 on October 20.
Also seen: Great Blue Heron.

Dorney Park, Lehigh County
Canada Goose, 379 on October 24.
Blackpoll Warbler, 1 on October 24.
Also seen: Mute Swan, American Black Duck, Pied-eyed Grebe, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed hawks, Eastern Phoebe, Ruby-crowed Kinglet, and Song and White-throated sparrows.

Trexler Pond, Lehigh County
Cackling Goose, 1 on October 24.
Canada Goose, 489 on October 24.
Also seen: Mallard, American Robin and Gray Catbird.

Trexler Nature Preserve, Lehigh County
Wood Duck, 1 on October 18.
Blue-headed Vireo, 1 on October 18.
American Robin, 193 on October 18.
Cedar Waxwing, 42 on October 18.
Also seen: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel and White-throated Sparrow.

Rodale Park, Lehigh County
Blue Jay, 7 on October 24.
Also seen: Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Chipping and White-throated sparrows.

Tennessee Warbler (in fall plumage)

Pool Wildlife Sanctuary, Lehigh County
Bald Eagle, 2 on October 23 and 1 on October 19.
White-throated Sparrow, 30 on October 23.
Tennessee Warbler, 1 on October 19.
Black-throated Blue Warbler, 1 on October 19.
Dark-eyed Junco, 1 on October 19.
Also seen: Canada Goose, Cedar Waxwing, Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed hawks, and Turkey Vulture.

Haafsville, Lehigh County
Canada Goose, 23 on October 23; 30 on October 22; 2 on October 21.
Brown-headed Cowbird, 2 on October 23; 1 on October 22; 2 on October 21.
Blue-headed Vireo, 1 on October 21.
Red-headed Blackbird, 1 on October 19.
Also seen: Turkey Vulture, Song and White-throated sparrows, and Pine Warbler.

State Game Lands 205, Lehigh County
American Robin, 75 on October 19.
Hermit Thrush, 1 on October 19.
Palm Warbler, 2 on October 19.
Also seen: Dark-eyed Junco, and Chipping, White-throated and Song sparrows.

Zionsville, Lehigh County
American Robin, 12 on October 23.
Carolina Wren, 1 on October 23.
Also seen: Turkey Vulture, Red-bellied and Pileated woodpeckers, Eastern Towhee, and Song, White-throated and White-crowned sparrows.

Green Lane Reservoir, Montgomery County
(at the Church Road area)
Dunlin, 1 on October 17.
Semipalmated Sandpiper, 8 on October 17.
Also seen: Pectoral Sandpiper and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Lake Towhee, Bucks County
Trumpeter Swan, 1 on October 19 and October 20.
Brant, 1 to at least October 23.
Rusty Blackbirds, 20 on October 23.

Merrrill Creek Reservoir, nearby New Jersey
Bald Eagle, 8 on October 7.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 152 on October 18.
Northern Goshawk, 1 on October 18 and October 22.
Merlin, 6 on October 17; 8 on October 18.
Peregrine Falcon, 2 on October 18.

To report bird sightings to Dave DeReamus, send an e-mail to becard@rcn.com with the word "Birdline" in the subject heading.