This Stilt Sandpiper showed itself to Rick K. and I for 5 minutes before flying off, never to be seen again after a trip completely around the flats.

A Black Tern sat for a couple hours on this log in the middle of the water. It’s an amazing second sighting of the species in county this year.

Other birds included a Common Tern that came flying around for a few minutes before heading back out to the river, 15 Dunlin, 6 Semipalmated Plovers, 4 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, plenty of Spotties and Solitaries, both Yellowlegs species and roughly 75 Least Sandpipers hanging out as well as a group of 17 Short-billed Dowitchers that gave a flyby— roused by atv riders from the other side, right past me, and out of the flats.

Last night I said “tomorrow is the most likely day for us to get Black Terns at Harvey’s Lake.” And it was true. The combination of the storm, the date, and the fact that I haven’t really heard of any mass sightings of Black Terns yet proved me right. Although my morning check found an incredible lone male Surf Scoter, I found no terns. Fast forward to noon when Rick K., who went up for the Surf Scoter on his lunch break, found two Black Terns flying around. I also ran up to see them on my lunch. I’d like to believe that next up is Caspian Tern but I think it’s more likely we see Common or Forster’s. Today would be an excellent day to check Lake Wallenpaupack.

Due to developing my iphone/android app (birdcountr) I’ve got a ton of entries not up on the site. I’ll try to log them in when things slow down. But as of right now birds that had entries:

Shorebirds:
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Wilson’s Snipe
American Woodcock

Herons:
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron

Sightings will be sparse until probably March since most everything is frozen over. But March 15 kicks off my official start to looking for sandpiper and plovers.

Sibley’s lists Red-necked Grebes as in breeding plumage February thru August but this fellow is still mostly in breeding plumage- though admittedly shabby. I’ve personally never seen a bird not in plain old non-breeding plumage and looking mostly brownish. The other individual present at the lake is your typical non-breeding plumage bird.

These Greater Yellowlegs at Plymouth over the weekend could be the last sandpipers of the season. Three were present in the wet field in front. The main pool is back to full of water now that the river has raised to almost 12 feet, eliminating all the mudflats.

I was very pleased to find a mid-October push of Pipers at Plymouth Flats this morning. Three species are still in their peak migration: White-rumped, Dunlin, and Golden-Plovers. Plymouth held two out of three of those species (1 White-rumped, 6 Dunlin). Besides that was a large group of 16 Pectoral, 8 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, about 30 Killdeer, and an early morning flyby Wilson’s Snipe.

Also of note is Harvey’s Lake sightings are on the rise. Yesterday had an FOS Bonaparte’s Gull (very far out and I’m still iffy as to whether I think it was definitely Boney’s and not something better) and the day before saw the first Common Loons of the season.

This juvenile White-rumped isn’t the first I’ve had locally this year, but the first I managed a photo of, even if not a great photo. I really should have tried harder but with the push I wanted to get to a second location.

Another 6 Dunlin appeared all winter plumaged.

I got to spend some time digiscoping a group of Pecs down Plymouth Flats. Check out some more photos at blog.nepabirdproject.org.

This morning I found a non-breeding plumage Dunlin at Forty Fort— the first fall record this year. Dunlin’s peak migration is in October.

With the river level as low as it is there is a ton of prime shorebird habitat that I know is not being checked. I can’t possibly cover it all. I’m making an appeal for anyone who can or maybe is and I don’t know to check out areas such as: the Kirby Park Sandbar (by the railroad bridge), the islands near Carey Ave. Bridge in Hanover, the sandbar in Harding (the walk-in across from the powerline cut), and any place else on the river. And if you do, shoot me an email from the contact page. There are a ton of islands open right now.

Of course we’re over the hump of migration, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t still around or coming through. For instance, juvenile Long-billed Dowitchers are in peak right now, Dunlin are getting on the move and other areas are still reporting goodies like American Avocet and Stilt Sandpiper.

Hopefully next year I can afford a jonboat and check the river by boat on weekends next year to cover all this ground. Or find someone with a common interest with a boat to work the river with me.