Lehigh Valley bird sightings for week of October 16

Western Kingbird

Bald Eagles and Sharp-shinned Hawks continue their migration over the mountain ridges from New Jersey and Pennsylvania during the week ended October 16. But several uncommon migrants have been seen as well, according to the weekly list compiled by Dave DeReamus, of the Eastern PA BIrdline, which is sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society.

For instance, a Western Kingbird was seen in Palmerton. These birds normally breed on the Great Plains west to California. There is no mistaking them from Eastern Kingbirds, which are common in the Lehigh Valley area during the summer. The eye-catching Western Kingbirds have ashy gray and lemon-yellow plumage; Eastern Kingbirds have blackish and white colors.

Right now Western Kingbirds are migrating in flocks south to their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America. They do stray eastward during migration but almost never are seen in our area.

Western Kingbirds are known for their "take charge" behavior. They've even been known to chase off hawks and kestrels that come too close to their home base. They favor open areas with plenty of trees and utility poles where they dart out to feed on flying insects.

Another species, Nelson's Sparrow, was spotted at Beltzville State Park. These secretive birds breed along freshwater marshes of eastern Canada and the Great Plains. They rarely visits our area, even during their migration to coastal marshes along the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. 

Nelson's Sparrow

The diet of the Nelson's Sparrow consists mainly of insects, spiders, marine worms, small crabs, snails and other invertebrates. The bird also will eat seeds of marsh plants, especially in the fall and winter.

The Nelson's Sparrow has played a bit part in popular culture. Its name has been borrowed for an episode of the CBS crime drama, Criminal Minds. In the episode, detectives pursue a serial killer who has surfaced after three years of inactivity. A victim was a member of a bird-watching club.

Monocacy Nature Center, Northampton County
Wilson's Warbler, 1 on October 14.

Little Gap, Carbon County
Bald Eagle, 3 on October 11.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 157 on October 11.
Peregrine Falcon, 5 on October 11.

Palmerton, Carbon County
(along Boyer Farm Road and Hemlock Road)
Western Kingbird, 1 from October 11 through at least October 15.

Beltzville State Park, Carbon County
Orange-crowned Warbler, 1 on October 11.
Nelson's Sparrow, 1 on October 11 (at the spillway area)

Bake Oven Knob, Lehigh County
Bald Eagle, 7 on October 12 and 4 on October 14.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 145 on October 14 and 182 and October 15.
Golden Eagle, 1 on October 10 and October 15.
Merlin, 8 on October 14.

Peace Valley Park, Bucks County
Surf Scoter, 1 on October 10.

Lake Towhee, Bucks County
Trumpeter Swan, 1 on October 14 and October 15.

Merrill Creek Reservoir in New Jersey
Surf Scoter, 3 on October 11.
Lesser Black-backed Gull, 128 on October 10.
Rusty Blackbird, 1 on October 10.

Scotts Mountain Hawkwatch, at Merrill Creek
Bald Eagle, 4 on October 14 and October 15.
Northern Goshawk, 1 on October 15.
Peregrine Falcon, 2 on October 14.

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

Phoebe and Wood-Pewee

Eastern Phoebe

Be on the watch for two insect-eating birds. They won't be seen in our area for very much longer because the summer is almost over.

One of the most familiar eastern fly-catchers is the Eastern Phoebe. You may hear its raspy "phoebe" during the spring and summer around yards and farms. These hardy brown and white birds sit upright and wag their tails from prominent low perches.

The olive-brown Eastern Wood-Pewee is a small inconspicuous fly-catcher that perches on dead branches in the mid-canopy. Its unmistakable call—pee-a-wee-!—is a characteristic sound heard in summer.

The Eastern Phoebe is a plump bird with a medium length tail. The head seems large for a bird of this size. Like most fly-catchers, it has a short, thin bill for catching insects. These birds favor woodlands, yards, parks and woodland edges. Eastern Phoebes winter farther north than other insect-eaters and are one of the earliest returning migrants in spring. According to Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity, they are seen from April through September.

Eastern Wood-Pewee

The use of buildings and bridges for nest sites has allowed the Eastern Phoebe to tolerate habitat changes. They may reuse nests from year to year.

Male phoebes do not share incubation or feeding of the young, and females often chase them away.

The sides of the breast of the Eastern Wood-Pewee are dark with an off-white throat and belly, giving it a vested appearance. It has short legs, upright posture, long wings with white bars, and a peaked crown.

Eastern Wood-Pewees are found in clearings and forest edges. They prefer deciduous forests but also live in mixed hardwood-conifer forests of the north.

"Pewees" are in our area only from May through August. They migrate to South America to winter.

Eastern Wood-Pewees appear to be monogamous; the male will bring food to the female during incubation.

Both species capture small flying insects. They sally out from a branch to catch their prey, often returning to the same or nearby perch. They may also glean insects from foliage or the ground. Their diet consists of flies, bugs, moths, butterflies, bees, wasps, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, ticks and millipedes. They may also eat small fruit or seeds.

We've seen the Eastern Phoebe at the Monocacy Nature Center and Trexler Nature Preserve, and the Eastern Wood-Pewee at Nisky Hill Cemetery.

Within the past week, birdwatchers have reported both species at Allentown's Lehigh Parkway East, Leaser Lake and the Freemansburg Towpath. Eastern Phoebes have been seen at Wayne Grube Memorial Park and in Haafsville. Eastern Wood-Pewees have been reported at Martins Creek Environmental Preserve, Monocacy Nature Center, State Game Lands 205 (Lehigh County) and Walking Purchase Park.

Lehigh Valley bird sightings for the week of May 23

Alder Flycatcher

Now that the weather is warming (or at least is better than it was weeks ago), flies have emerged and a number of species of flycatchers are now on duty.

The past week saw sightings of Yellow-bellied, Alder and Olive-sided flycatchers at several locations in the Lehigh Valley. As their name suggests, they feast on insects, including flying ones.

The Alder Flycatcher breeds here during the summer but the Yellow-bellied and Olive-sided usually make visits to the region and then move on. They are rarely seen, so it's a treat to spot one. 

Small inhabitants of wet thickets, the Alder Flycatcher chases insects, catching them on the wing or picking them from the foliage of trees or shrubs. They have brown upper parts, browner on the wings and tail, and grayish-olive-white underparts. White wing bars, a small bill, a short tail and a bit of orange on the lower bill help distinguish them from other species. They place their nests in a deciduous shrub about 2 feet off the ground.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is the easiest of the three to spot because to it is mostly bright olive with yellow underparts. It's a small flycatcher with a relatively large round head. The wing bars are broad and white. You'll find it in boreal forests, moist forests, bogs and swamps. Insects and arthropods are its diet.

The Olive-sided Flycatcher spends time in burned forests and open areas where finding insects is easy. Otherwise they inhabit northern coniferous forests and forest edges between the woods and meadows. One of their favorite food source is bees. The Olive-sided species are a large, stocky flycatcher with a large head and a relatively short tail. The sides are gray and the best white.

Here are the Lehigh Valley bird sightings for the week ended May 23. The list was compiled by Dave DeReamus, of the Eastern PA Birdline, which is sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County
(along National Park Drive)
Gray-cheeked Thrush, 1 on May 18.
Mourning Warbler, 2 on May 19.

Bear Swamp, Northampton County
Gray-cheeked Thrush, 2 on May 18.

Jacobsburg State Park, Northampton County
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, 1 on May 21.
Alder Flycatcher, 2 on May 17.
Mourning Warbler, 1 on May 19.

Lower Nazareth Township, Northampton County
(at the Gremar Road retention ponds)
Common Gallinule, 1 on May 17.

Monocacy Nature Center, Northampton County
Mourning Warbler, 1 on May 19.

State Game Lands 217, Lehigh County
Olive-sided Flycatcher, 1 on May 15 and 1 on May 17.
Alder Flycatcher, 1 on May 17.

Leaser Lake, Lehigh County
Ruffed Grouse, 1 on May 16 near the top of the mountain.

Allentown, Lehigh County
(at Lehigh Canal Park)
Yellow-throated Warbler, 1 on May 17.

Peace Valley Park, Bucks County
Prothonotary Warbler, 2 continued this past week.

Pine Siskins were reported at several sites this past week. They probably will be migrating northward within days.

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