* East-central PA Bird Records * The latest 'EASTERN PA BIRDLINE'
* Other PA Bird Records from Around The State * The Area's Birding Year
* Birding Trips Beyond the State * 'PABIRDS' Listserv and Magazine Information
* My "PicasaWeb" Photo Site * Eastern PA Birding by County
This site was mainly created to display rare and unusual photo records and other information pertinent to birding in east-central Pennsylvania. This area contains the Lehigh Valley which, as the bird flies, is located about 30 miles east of the world-renown Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, about 50 miles north of Philadelphia, and about 70 miles west of New York City. Despite the increasing development in the area, there are still many unspoiled places to go birding like the two pictured above. The photo on the left depicts Lake Minsi in northeastern Northampton County. The Blue Mountain ridgeline can be seen in the background. This is the same ridge that directs a large amount of raptors to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary during the Fall migration. The photo on the right shows the hemlock glen found in Jacobsburg State Park, also in Northampton County.
My latest photos are being taken with a Nikon D80 digital SLR camera. All 'still' photos and 'videograbs' from between January 2005 and January 2008 were taken with a Canon Optura 40 Mini-DV camcorder. My older bird photos were taken with either a 1000mm Celestron mirror lens or a 200-400mm Tamron zoom lens mounted on a Nikon 6006 film camera body. All photos and other information contained in this site may not be reproduced without my written consent. Feel free to E-mail me with any comments or suggestions about my "Eastern PA Birding" Website.
Since its inception in 1991, I've been compiling the Eastern PA Birdline, a weekly report of our area's bird sightings, sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society. My reporting area includes all of Lehigh and Northampton Counties with the northern edge of the area reaching Beltzville State Park and the southern edge reaching Peace Valley Park in Bucks County. Updates are done every Thursday, more often when necessary. To view the latest update, click on "The latest Eastern PA Birdline" located above on the right-hand side of this page. To report your sightings to the Birdline, please E-mail me with them by Wednesday night. Directions to many of the birding sites mentioned in the 'Birdline' can be found in the recently revised book, "Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity".
Of course, weather plays a big factor when it comes to what birds can be expected in our area at a particular time, but most species still manage to keep an amazingly precise schedule year after year. I have found that, in most cases, this timetable rarely deviates more than a week before or after, especially in Spring. And, they do it without watches or maps! This summary follows the calendar year.
Winter: Even before January begins, many gulls occupy area lakes and rivers, especially those near the area landfills. Both waterfowl and gull numbers depend upon the harshness of the winter. Occasionally, winter birding will contain irruptive species, such as Snowy Owl, Northern Shrike, or a combination of winter finches.
Spring: Although many people associate the arrival of spring with the sighting of their first Robin, I consider it to be when the first "blackbirds" invade the area, which is usually around the third week in February.
By March, waterfowl numbers are on the increase as they migrate through. By mid-March, the raptor migration begins, although their numbers are just a fraction of what is seen during the fall.
As April rolls around, swallows begin to arrive. The last two weeks of the month usually produce the peak of the raptor migration. By the end of April, most of the gulls and waterfowl have moved north and are replaced by several species of shorebirds, warblers, and sparrows.
Most birders consider May the most exciting month of the year. The first three weeks of the month contain the arrival of most of the shorebirds, hummingbirds, flycatchers, vireos, thrushes, and others in addition to the warblers in their colorful breeding plumage.
Summer: By the beginning of June, most of the migrants have departed and the permanent and summer residents are on nesting territories.
July, oddly enough, actually marks the start of the fall migration as some shorebirds are already beginning to head south. This is also the start of what is known as the "post-breeding dispersal" period, which is when some of the parent birds and their offspring begin to wander away from their home territories.
Fall: This "post-breeding dispersal" also runs into August and is evident by an increase in the numbers of herons and egrets found in the area. Shorebirds numbers increase throughout the month. As the month winds down, some of the first raptor movements are noted along the area's ridges. Hummingbirds, flycatchers, and warblers also begin heading south.
As September passes, the raptor migration picks up and produces the peak number of species by the month's end. Also by the end of the month, many of the shorebirds and most of the hummingbirds, swallows, vireos, and warblers have left for warmer climates and are replaced by the beginning of the sparrow movement.
The beginning of October continues to produce the most species of raptors. Much of the sparrow migration occurs during this month. By the end of the month, waterfowl begin to arrive.
November contains most of the waterfowl movement, and the raptor migration drops off significantly. Gulls are on the increase and most of the winter birds have arrived by the end of the month.
As December and the year wanes, waterfowl numbers decline in accordance with the harshness of early winter. The area's Audubon Christmas Bird Counts always have the potential to turn up some unusual sightings.
The PABIRDS Listserv is an E-mail discussion list containing instantaneous information supplied by PA birders about birds and birding in Pennsylvania. This service, provided by 'Audubon PA', is absolutely free with no strings attached. For more detailed information about the listserv and how to join, go to the Listserv information page of the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology's Website, which also has information on how to join that organization and subscribe to Pennsylvania Birds, a magazine devoted to birding in Pennsylvania.
