Welcome to the Conejohela Flats wiki...

I kayaked around the Conejohela Flats for a few hours yesterday (11/2) afternoon (2:45 PM - 6:15 PM).  Water levels were fairly high, unlike most of the Friday afternoons I've been out there this fall.  Presumably the same Long-billed Dowitcher that was discovered 10/28 was lingering around the Flats, seen from the South Spit to Gull Island.  Waterfowl numbers, particularly dabbling ducks, continued to be fairly high and I believe there was a dark-winged scoter joining a distant flock of Bufflehead.  

  5 species of shorebirds:

Black-bellied Plover - 1   

Killdeer - 2

Greater Yellowlegs - 1

Dunlin - 1

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER - 1

  Other birds of note:

Common Loon - 9

Wood Duck - 26

Gadwall - 184

Northern Pintail - 11

American Wigeon - 43

Northern Shoveler - 11

BLUE-WINGED TEAL - 1

Green-winged Teal - 122

Ring-necked Duck - 38

Lesser Scaup - 2

Bufflehead - 17

Ruddy Duck - 11

American Coot - 700+

Peregrine Falcon - 1

SNOW BUNTING - 1 

  The Long-billed Dowitcher was also seen Monday, October 29th by Drew Weber and Andy McGann.  I wasn't able to obtain close looks at the bird as most of the views were in flight, however I assume it was the same individual.  The single flyover Snow Bunting adds to the flurry of late October/early November sightings of this species in PA.

      Good Birding,

           Cameron Rutt

10/28/07

Ramsay Koury and I fought some fairly blustery conditions in kayaking about

the Conejohela Flats for most of the morning (7:40 AM - 12:00 PM).  Water

levels were high for the entire time but did drop a bit towards midday.

Highlights include a nice study of a Long-billed Dowitcher, and continuing

high numbers of grebes, waterfowl (352 individual dabbling ducks, excluding

Mallards), and coots.  Bob Schutsky, Eric Witmer, and Tom Garner were also

out for most of the morning and likely had some additional goodies.  

  6 sps. of shorebirds:

Black-bellied Plover - 2

Killdeer - 1

Greater Yellowlegs - 3

Lesser Yellowlegs - 1 

Dunlin - 1

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER - 1

  Other birds of note:

Pied-billed Grebe - 122 (!)

Common Loon - 2

BRANT - 1

Wood Duck - 1

American Black Duck - 4

Gadwall - 134

Northern Pintail - 17

American Wigeon - 32

Northern Shoveler - 12

Blue-winged Teal - 1

Green-winged Teal - 151

Ring-necked Duck - 34

Scaup species - 1

Bufflehead - 6

Ruddy Duck - 11

American Coot - 836 (!)

Bonaparte's Gull - 2

Peregrine Falcon - 1

    Good Birding,

          Cameron Rutt

10/26/07

Although Friday afternoon held less than desirable kayaking conditions, I

paddled around the Conejohela Flats for a good chunk of the afternoon (2:30

- 6:15 PM).  Water levels were pretty low by the time it was dark but the

greater amounts of exposed mud came late in the afternoon.  It was quite the

interesting assortment of birds. 

  7 sps. of shorebirds:

Black-bellied Plover - 2

Semipalmated Plover - 1

Killdeer - 14

Greater Yellowlegs - 5

RUDDY TURNSTONE - 1 (late)

DUNLIN - 292 (Flats high count!)

Wilson's Snipe - 2

  Other birds of note:

Common Loon - 7

Pied-billed Grebe - 95 (!)

Great Egret - 1

BRANT - 1 juvenile

Blue-winged Teal - 2

American Coot - 718 (!)

Bonaparte's Gull - 14

Laughing Gull - 3 (2 adults/1 juvenile)

Common Tern - 2

Forster's Tern - 1

Bald Eagle – 1

Swamp Sparrow - #

   Good Birding,

       Cameron Rutt

10/19/07

I don't have too much to add to Bob Schutsky's post from earlier in the day.  Only one new shorebird presented itself in the form of a single Pectoral Sandpiper bringing the daily total to 8 shorebird species.  I was able to view and photograph one of the Baird's Sandpipers that Bob had seen earlier in the day.  Checking the last 10 years of records from the Flats, only 2 Baird's Sandpipers have been seen beyond mid-October (with both occurring in the latter half of October).  

  A highlight was certainly the growing concentration of Pied-billed Grebes which reached 80 birds today (!).  Almost all of these could be seen from the South Spit (78) with the other 2 hanging around Gull Island.  There was also an extremely cooperative American Bittern that could be scoped from the South Spit.  This bold individual strayed from the concealing shoreline vegetation for minutes on end.  As I kayaked by the location a little while later, I once again noticed the bird in a fairly obvious position.  From the kayak, the bird provided tremendous looks as it crept, froze, and hunted for 10-15 minutes at close range.  

     Good Birding,

          Cameron Rutt

10/5/07

  10 sps. of shorebirds:

American Golden-Plover - 1 juv.

Black-bellied Plover - 4 (at least 3 juv.)

Semipalmated Plover - 2

Killdeer - 27

Greater Yellowlegs - 2

Lesser Yellowlegs - 1

Least Sandpiper - 1

STILT SANDPIPER - 1 first-winter

Pectoral Sandpiper - 5

Wilson's Snipe - 2

 Other birds of note:

Pied-billed Grebe - 65 (!)

Great Egret - 9

Northern Pintail - 1

Northern Shoveler - 26

Blue-winged Teal - 4

Green-winged Teal - 26

SORA - 1

Northern Harrier - 1

Merlin - 1

Peregrine Falcon - 1      

Marsh Wren - 1

Lincoln's Sparrow - 1

White-crowned Sparrow - 1 imm.

 Amazingly, the number of Pied-billed Grebes continues to increase out at the Flats.  Yesterday evening's 65 tops the 40 and 32 tallied on 9/21/07 and 9/14/07 respectively.  There has been some recent discussion of how it seems to be a nice fall for American Golden-Plovers in the greater Susquehanna River region.  So I went back through my records and yesterday's American Golden-Plover marks the 109th that I have seen in PA since 8/31/07.  This is in comparison to the 15 Black-bellied Plovers I've had since 8/25/07 (greater than a 7:1 ratio of AMGP to BBPL).

  Good Birding,

      Cameron Rutt

9/28/07

  9 sps. of shorebirds:

American Golden-Plover - 5 juv.

Semipalmated Plover - 3 (at least 2 juv.)

Killdeer - 30

Lesser Yellowlegs - 2 (at least 1 juv.)

Sanderling - 2 juv. (1 molting in some gray scapulars)

White-rumped Sandpiper - 1 molting adult

Least Sandpiper - 4 juv.

Pectoral Sandpiper - 25 mostly/all juv.

Wilson's Snipe - 1

 Other birds of note:

Pied-billed Grebe - 22

Great Egret - 12

Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1

AMERICAN BITTERN - 1

Snow Goose - 1 adult flyover

Green-winged Teal - 20

SORA - 2-3

Peregrine Falcon - 2      

 As far as I am aware, the American Bittern, Snow Goose, Sora, and Wilson's Snipe all represent firsts of the season for the Flats.  The highlight was certainly the first Sora that I flushed on Sharptail Island.  Amazingly, this bird actually landed among vegetation ~12 feet up a tree!  The bird remained perched atop a mat of bur cucumber that was draped over a silver maple.  It stayed for a number of minutes, peering around the vegetation, I assume, to keep an eye on me.  This was probably the only time I ever had to look up to a rail.  Because of the odd situation, I was able to obtain fairly nice views of the "treed" Sora.  The bird was an adult that appeared to be molting out of its breeding plumage as the black in the face and throat were mottled.  Unless this first Sora pulled a fast one on me, I had 3 Soras at different locations.  

  Good Birding,

       Cameron Rutt

9/21/07

   6 sps. of shorebirds:

American Golden-Plover - 15 juv.

Semipalmated Plover - 7

Killdeer - 117

Lesser Yellowlegs - 4

Baird's Sandpiper - 1 juv.

Least Sandpiper - 10

  Other birds of note:

Pied-billed Grebe - 40 (!)

Great Egret - 13

Blue-winged Teal - 39

Northern Shoveler - 8

Green-winged Teal - 23

Ring-necked Duck - 2

Caspian Tern - 2

Marsh Wren - 1

American Pipit - 1 (first of season for the Flats)

 The count of 15 American Golden-Plovers at one time was certainly a treat and represents a high count for this species on the Flats this year.  I was almost decapitated by 9 of these golden-plovers that swiftly flew very low overhead while I was paddling between islands.  Surprisingly, the number of Pied-billed Grebes today increased from the count of 32 tallied a week ago.  According to <http://conejohelaflats.pbwiki.com/Map> the Marsh Wren found this afternoon was on Sharptail Island 2.0.  As I followed this individual back towards the kayak, it eventually settled into a wet region with cattails.  It then proceeded to sing an admittedly weak/strained version of its song for quite some time.  All of the eastern swallows were seen this afternoon (minus Purple Martin) with increased numbers of Northern Rough-winged Swallow compared to previous weeks.      

   Good Birding,

       Cameron Rutt

9/17/07

A morning of birding the Conejohela Flats with Andy McGann produced a
notable number of swallows. A huge flock of swallows was roosting on Avocet
Point (~2000) split pretty evenly between Bank and Tree Swallows.
Rough-winged, Barn and Cliff were also seen. Water levels were high all
morning but we still had some shorebirds, including several flocks of Least
Sandpipers that flew in just as we were leaving. A Yellow Warbler was
another nice sighting.

Shorebirds-
American Golden-Plover- 3 (1 on Avocet when we arrived, plus two birds that
flew over)
Semipalmated Plover- 8
Lesser Yellowlegs- 1
Least Sandpiper- 65
Semipalmated Sandpiper- 5
Pectoral Sandpiper- 13

Other interesting birds-
Caspian Tern- 1
Bald Eagle- 3
Red-shouldered Hawk- 1 juv
Blue-winged Teal- 4

Drew Weber
Bird-in-Hand, PA

 9/16/07

  6 sps. of shorebirds:

Semipalmated Plover – 8 (the 4 aged birds were all juv.)

Killdeer – 1

Lesser Yellowlegs – 7

Semipalmated Sandpiper – 2 juv.

Least Sandpiper – 16

Pectoral Sandpiper – 15

 Other highlights:

Pied-billed Grebe – 3

Great Egret – 16

Both teal

Peregrine Falcon – 1

Cliff, Barn, Bank, Tree, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows

  10 sps. of warblers:

Northern Parula – 1

Nashville Warbler – 1

Tennessee Warbler – 1

Yellow Warbler – 1

Magnolia Warbler – 1

Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1

Common Yellowthroat – 1

   Others added Wilson’s, Palm, and a waterthrush

Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 1

Indigo Buntings

  Good Birding,

     Cameron Rutt

 9/14/07  

   9 sps. of shorebirds:

Black-bellied Plover - 1 juv. (perhaps the first juv. of the season)

Semipalmated Plover - 4

Killdeer - 6

Greater Yellowlegs - 1

Lesser Yellowlegs - 19

Semipalmated Sandpiper - 13

Least Sandpiper - 68

Pectoral Sandpiper - 18

Stilt Sandpiper - 3

  Other birds of note:

Pied-billed Grebe - 32 (!)

Little Blue Heron - 1 juv.

Northern Pintail - 4

American Wigeon - 2

Northern Shoveler - 10

both teal

Peregrine Falcon - 2 (at least 1 was an imm.)

Caspian Tern - 1

Forster's Tern - 1

MARSH WREN - 1

Yellow Warbler - 3

Ducks seemed to be fairly plentiful with my first American Wigeon and Northern Pintails of the fall noted.  However, more surprising was the number of Pied-billed Grebes.  Although larger concentrations have been recorded, I think this is my highest single site count for the state.  There were even little groups of 8 and 10 Pied-billed Grebes and at least one individual still retained its juvenile face pattern.  The Marsh Wren was camped out in the only suggestion of "habitat" at the south tip of Avocet Point - a duck blind.  The bird skulked around in the vegetation that was arranged to encase the blind and was still there 3.5 hours after I originally disturbed it.   Lastly, it seems to be getting on the late side of migration/dispersal for Little Blue Heron, Caspian Tern, and Yellow Warbler so I was pleased to see all three of these species.

  Good Birding,

     Cameron Rutt

9/7/07

  7 sps. of shorebirds:

American Golden-Plover - 1 ad.

Semipalmated Plover - 11

Killdeer - 127

Lesser Yellowlegs - 13

Sanderling - 1 juv.

Semipalmated Sandpiper - 4

Least Sandpiper - 27

  Other birds of note:

Pied-billed Grebe - 1

Blue-winged Teal - 1

Northern Shoveler - 9

Hooded Merganser -  2

Great Egret - 12

Little Blue Heron - 1

Osprey - 3

Bald Eagle - 4

Forster's Tern - 3

Bank Swallow - 1

Yellow Warbler - 2

   Good Birding,

       Cameron Rutt

9/6/07

  6 sps. of shorebirds:

American Golden-Plover – 5 (2 ad., 3 juv. w/the large Killdeer flock)

Killdeer – 179

Semipalmated Plover – 11 (looked to be all juv.)

Lesser Yellowlegs – 3 juv.

Semipalmated Sandpiper – 2 (1 molting ad.)

Least Sandpiper – 8

  Other birds of note:

Pied-billed Grebe – 5

Great Egret - ~5

Bald Eagle – 4 (1 ad.)

Osprey – 2

   Good Birding,

      Cameron Rutt

9/6/07

Out in the morning with Myna. Water levels were a bit high, no mud at South Spit, but not top level. List of shorebirds not available but best birds were....

2 Red-necked Phalaropes located in the HUGE grass mat around South Spit and

1 juv. Buff-breasted Sanpiper at Avocet Point.

I know Cameron was out in the afternoon so maybe he has some numbers to add??

Also of note....Manor Township received a state recreation fund grant......with this they are going to blacktop the boat ramp with 2 inches of macadam AND I helped them install a brand spankin' new floating boat dock!! This way people will be able to load and unload with out getting wet....a nice feature when the water temperatures take a downturn!

9/2/07

9/1/07

1 RUFF was observed at Conejohela Flats IBA, Lancaster County on 1 SEPTEMBER, 2007 by Tom Amico.

Details from Tom Amico:  I had a Reeve out on the lower flats toward Turkey Point on Saturday afternoon.  Was able to get down on the flats to scope well in good light. I did not have a good enough camera to attempt a photo.  It was with 5 Lesser Yellowlegs. About same size. very dark and blotchy, legs were what I would say orangish. Bill two toned dark at tip and lighter at the base. It did not fly or make any noise. It was still there when I left.

8/31/07

8/29/07

 9 sps. of shorebirds:

Killdeer – 149

Semipalmated Plover – 11 (4 juv.)

Black-bellied Plover – 1 adult

Greater Yellowlegs – 2

Lesser Yellowlegs – 6 (1 ad.)

Spotted Sandpiper – 2 juv.

Solitary Sandpiper – 1

Pectoral Sandpiper – 2 ad.

Least Sandpiper – 9

  Other birds of note:

Little Blue Heron – 1 juv.  

Blue-winged Teal    

Green-winged Teal

American Coot – 1

Bonaparte’s Gull – 1 juv.

Laughing Gull – 1 juv.

Caspian Tern – 3 (1 juv.)

Forster’s Tern – 1 juv.

Bald Eagle – 2 

   Good Birding,

       Cameron Rutt

8/28/07

8/25/07 

8/24/07

It was an excellent morning on the Conejohela Flats. The water level was

very high, which left relatively little shorebird habitat. This worked

in our favor to concentrate the migrating shorebirds. Highlights of the

morning were a juvenile Western Willet (reported earlier by Jason Horn}

and a flock of 11 Glossy Ibis.

Tom Amico, Deuane Hoffman, Jason Horn, Andy McGann and I  found 13 species of shorebirds this morning between 7:45 AM and 1:00 PM:

American Golden-Plover--1

Black-bellied Plover--1

Semipalmated Plover--13

Killdeer--32

Greater Yellowlegs--7

Lesser Yellowlegs--12

Solitary Sandpiper--1

(Western) WILLET--1 juv

Spotted Sandpiper--4

Sanderling--2

Semipalmated Sandpiper--2

Least Sandpiper--46

WESTERN SANDPIPER--3

Additional highlights include:

Osprey--8

Bald Eagle--2 ad, 3 imm

Little Blue Heron--1 imm

GLOSSY IBIS--eleven! This is the largest flock that any of the six of us

could remember for many years. We searched them carefully for

White-faced Ibis, with no luck. The remained in close view for about 10

minutes, then took off downriver.

Bonaparte's Gull--2

Laughing Gull--1 imm

Caspian Tern--2

Forster's Tern--2

BLACK TERN--5

American Coot--1

Sincerely,

BOB SCHUTSKY

8/19/07

8/17/07

Today was an excellent day on the Conejohela Flats on the Susquehanna

River in Lancaster County. The highlights have already been posted, but

here is the full report.

I birded the Flats today from 7:45 AM to 4:15 PM. Water level was low

and held steady all day. Water temp was 84 F, air temps ranged from

79-87 F. Winds were calm most of the day, then picked up to W at 10-15

late in the afternoon. Sky ranged from clear but hazy, to a light shower

at noon, to LOTS of thunder and lightning, to partly cloudy. The mid-day

storm missed us by a few miles to the north.

I found a total of 13 species of shorebirds today: AM/PM

Semipalmated Plover--12/13

Killdeer--55/92

Greater Yellowlegs--3/2

Lesser Yellowlegs--10/6

Spotted Sandpiper--5/4

MARBLED GODWIT--2 juv/0. The godwits flew in at 8:30 AM and were gone by

10 AM.

Semipalmated Sandpiper--1/7

Least Sandpiper--45/72

BAIRD'S SANDPIPER--0/1

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER--0/2

Pectoral Sandpiper--2/3

Short-billed Dowitcher--6/8

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER--0/1 ad

Additional highlights included (totals for the day):

Wood Duck--75

Northern Shoveler--1

Osprey--6

Bald Eagle--2 ad, 13 imm

CATTLE EGRET--1. At 0745 it was perched near the Blue Rock Road boat

launch. At 1615 it flew over the boat launch toward Rookery Island. It

was not seen at all between these two times. Most likely it was feeding

in the nearby fields.

Green Heron--9

Bonaparte's Gull--2 juv

Caspian Tern--3 ad, 3 juv

Forster's Tern--2 ad

Common Tern--1 ad

Late in the afternoon we found a juvenile Osprey that had a USFWS band

on the right leg, nothing on the left leg. Unfortunately we proobably do

not have enough info to determine its origin.

GREAT day on the Flats!

Sincerely,

BOB SCHUTSKY

8/14/07

It was another beautiful afternoon on the Conejohela Flats. I birded the

Flats from 11:45 AM to 4:15 PM under clear skies, light winds, low

humidity, no haze, and comfortable temperatures. The water level was

low, exposing lots of good habitat.

I found eleven species of shorebirds:

Black-bellied Plover--1

Semipalmated Plover--28

Killdeer--69

Greater Yellowlegs--2

Lesser Yellowlegs--29

Spotted Sandpiper--3

Semipalmated Sandpiper--16

Least Sandpiper--126

WESTERN SANDPIPER--1

Pectoral Sandpiper--2

Short-billed Dowitcher--1

Additional highlights included:

Blue-winged Teal--4

Green-winged Teal--2

NORTHERN SHOVELER--1, first of the season

Bald Eagle--4 imm

Osprey--2

Four species of gulls,

Bonaparte's--1 juv

Ring-billed--900

Herring--1 juv

Great Black-backed--2 ad, 1 juv

Common Tern--1 ad

Caspian Tern--1 ad

And, the final highlight, all of the trash has been picked up on Avocet

Point, Gull Island, and the Blue Rock Road boat launch and parking lot.

Many different individuals are helping, including birders, fisherman,

hunters, and recreational boaters. NICE!

Sincerely,

BOB SCHUTSKY

8/11/07

I was on the Conejohela Flats yesterday (Saturday) from 11:45 AM to 4:30

PM. Sky was partly cloudy, wind NE at 5-10 mph. Air temp was 78-86 F,

water temp 85 F. Water level was in the mid-range and dropped 2" late in

the afternoon. Deuane, Carolyn, Kathy, and Jerry had been out all

morning, so they had a few species pinned down when I arrived. In

addition to the 11 species listed below, they saw two Western Sandpipers

that continued on their migration before I arrived.

Eleven species of shorebirds were tallied:

Black-bellied Plover--1

Semipalmated Plover--15

Killdeer--95

Greater Yellowlegs--2

Lesser Yellowlegs--10

Spotted Sandpiper--2

Sanderling--2

Semipalmated Sandpiper--5

Least Sandpiper--118

Pectoral Sandpiper--4

Short-billed Dowitcher--26

Additional highlights include:

Osprey--3

Bald Eagle--1 adult, 9 imm

Black-crowned Night-Heron--1 juv

Bonaparte's Gull--2 juv

Ring-billed Gull--1175, first time I remember the gull count going past

1000 since the spring migration.

Great Black-backed Gull--1 adult

Caspian Tern-- 2 ad, 2 juv

Forster's Tern--1 ad

American Coot--1

It was a very nice day with a lot of activity.

Sincerely,

BOB SCHUTSKY

8/10/07

Tom Amico and I birded the Conejohela Flats today from 8:15 AM to 1:00

PM. We were joined by Tom Johnson, Deuane Hoffman, Myna, Kathy

Goodblood and Jerry Stanley. The sky was partly cloudy and quite foggy

at the start. Wind was calm to NW at 5-10 mph. Air temps 75-84 F, water

temp 83 F. Water level was down a bit early and dropped another 1-2"

during the morning.

We found eleven species of shorebirds:

Semipalmated Plover--4

Killdeer--34

Greater Yellowlegs--1

Lesser Yellowlegs--12

Spotted Sandpiper--2

Solitary Sandpiper--1

RUDDY TURNSTONE--1, first of the season

Semipalmated Sandpiper--3

Least Sandpiper--59

Pectoral Sandpiper--6

Short-billed Dowitcher--1

Other birds of interest include:

Osprey--6

Bald Eagle--2 ad, 4 imm

Red-shouldered Hawk--1 juv. Tom Johnson believes that they nested on

Rookery Island this year. He saw an adults and heard begging calls from

young.

Bonaparte's Gull--2 juv

Caspian Tern--2 ad, 1 juv. One of the adults was color-banded. Tom

Johnson may have info on the origin of this bird at a later date.

Forster's Tern--1 ad

American Coot--1

Prothonotary Warbler--1 singing

Sincerely,

BOB SCHUTSKY

8/4/2007

Dear PABirders,

Tom Amico and I birded the Conejohela Flats today from 11:45 AM to 4:30

PM. The water level was high and dropped about 2" during the afternoon.

Water temp was 88 F. Air temp ranged from 83-93 F. Sky was fairly hazy

to start then cleared. There were no clouds. It was a productive and

comfortable day on the Flats.

We found 10 species of shorebirds:

Semipalmated Plover--12

Killdeer--141

Greater Yellowlegs--1

Lesser Yellowlegs--12

Spotted Sandpiper--4

Semipalmated Sandpiper--8

Least Sandpiper--292

White-rumped Sandpiper--1

Pectoral Sandpiper--4

Short-billed Dowitcher--2

Additional highlights include the following lingerers:

Lesser Scaup--1 drake

Hooded Merganser--1 juv

American Coot--1 adult

And . . .

Double-crested Cormorant--40

Bald Eagle--3 ad, 5 imm

Osprey--5

Great Egret--60

Bonaparte's Gull 1 juv, first of the season

Caspian Tern--2 ad

Forster's Tern--5 (4 ad, 1 imm)

Common Tern--2 ad

Black Tern--1 ad

Sincerely,

BOB SCHUTSKY

8/1/07

Howdy All,

Never did get this posted to PA BIRDS......Took out a couple from England via South carolina to the Flats. They were visiting relatives that live about a mile from me. Spent from 0730 to 1030 on the Flats. Water levels started at medium height and dropped nicely all morning, when we lwft at 1030 there was LOTS of habitat.

Best non-shorebird was an adult Bonaparte's Gull that was loafing around on South Spit

Shorebirds....

Killdeer 16

Semipalmated Plover 1

Black-bellied Plover 1

Solitary Sandpiper 1

Spotted Sandpiper 2

Pectoral sandpiper 1

Lesser Yellowlegs 3

Semipalmated Sandpiper 7

Least sandpiper 78

Take care,

Deuane

7/31/07

Dear PABirders,

The weather was very pleasant on the Flats this morning, a nice change

from the recent heat and humidity. The sky was clear, winds from the

north at 5-10, air temps 73-81 F. The water level was high and steady,

water temp 81 F.

I found five species of shorebirds this morning:

Semipalmated Plover--2

Killdeer--12

Spotted Sandpiper--6

Semipalmated Sandpiper--2

Least Sandpiper--104. Small flocks of mostly 5-20 birds were migrating

steadily from 8-10:30 AM. They would come in, spend 5-10 minutes

bathing, preening, and feeding, then continue south. The Semipalmated

Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers arrived and departed with the Leasts.

Additional highlights include:

Lesser Scaup--1 drake

Bald Eagle--1 ad, 5 imm

Osprey--4

Great Egret--25

Forster's Tern--4

Common Tern--1

Sincerely,

BOB SCHUTSKY

7/30/07

Howdy All,

After being out of town for most of the month I couldn't wait to hit the Flats 
once I got home. Andy McGann, Myna (who also couldn't wait to get back out on 
and into the river!) and I birded the Flats from 0830 til noon. The water level 
was high and actually rose a little while we were there. Due to this shorebird 
numbers were low but we still managed to pick up a goody.

Shorebirds---

Semipalmated Plover--3
Killdeer--2

Least sandpiper-- 21 adults
                                    2 juvenile

Semiplamated sandpiper--1
Spotted sandpiper--5
Greater Yellowlegs--1
American Avocet--1 female

The Avocet was first heard. We then located it as it flew past us and went 
downriver and finally settled in with a small gull flock around 10 AM. The bird 
was actively flying from spot to spot until we left. At that point it was wading 
near the big log and the end of the hook on Avocet Point. 

Not much else to note save for the increase in the swallow numbers. The vast 
majority, 95%, of the hundreds of swallows flying around were bank. This was augmented by smaller 
numbers of tree, barn, rough-winged and one lone purple martin.

A very nice welcome back for me! It sure is nice to get away to see, taste and 
hear things away from home....but it sure is special to come back and enjoy a 
place such as this!

Take care and Good birding,
Raven
a.k.a.  Deuane Hoffman
            Harrisburg, PA, Dauphin County
            corvuscorax@comcast.net

7/28/07

--

BIRD TREKS--Quality Worldwide Birding Tours

216 Spring Lane

Peach Bottom, PA USA 17563-4008

WEB SITE: www.birdtreks.com

VOICE: 717-548-3303     FAX: 717-548-3327

E-MAIL: info@birdtreks.com

7/25/07

7/21/07

7/18/07

7/15/07

Observer:     Tom Johnson

Location:     Conejohela Flats IBA

Observation date:     7/15/07

Number of species:     48

Canada Goose     18

Wood Duck     12

Mallard     5

Lesser Scaup     1

Double-crested Cormorant     3

Great Blue Heron     39

Great Egret     15

Green Heron     1

Turkey Vulture     3

Bald Eagle     2

Cooper's Hawk     1

American Coot     1

Killdeer     109

Greater Yellowlegs     2

Lesser Yellowlegs     4

Spotted Sandpiper     10

Semipalmated Sandpiper     2

Least Sandpiper     18

Pectoral Sandpiper     1

Short-billed Dowitcher     1

Ring-billed Gull     251

Forster's Tern     3

Mourning Dove     10

Yellow-billed Cuckoo     1

Chimney Swift     2

Belted Kingfisher     2

Willow Flycatcher     1

Red-eyed Vireo     2

Blue Jay     1

Fish Crow     3

Tree Swallow     2

Bank Swallow     2

Barn Swallow     12

Carolina Wren     2

House Wren     1

Wood Thrush     2

American Robin     1

Gray Catbird     1

Northern Mockingbird     2

Yellow Warbler     1

Common Yellowthroat     2

Eastern Towhee     1

Song Sparrow     2

Northern Cardinal     2

Indigo Bunting     4

Red-winged Blackbird     8

Baltimore Oriole     1

American Goldfinch     3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

7/13/07

All,

I ventured out onto the Conejohela Flats at Washington Boro again this

afternoon with Andy McGann.  We spent about 4 hours checking out the

vast mudflats (water level quite low) by kayak and turned up 10

species of shorebirds.  The American Avocets from yesterday were not

seen again, and the only new shorebird species today was Pectoral

Sandpiper, represented by 3 adults.  The gorgeous orange hendersoni

Short-billed Dowitcher adult was still present.  The gull flock

changed fairly significantly from yesterday, with fewer birds overall

but with a much higher percentage of adults joining the loafing flock

as post-breeders come off the Great Lakes.  One month ago the flock

contained NO adults, just first cycle birds.  The swallows were almost

nonexistent today, and were only represented by a handful of Barn

Swallows.

eBird report follows.

Cheers,

Tom Johnson

Location:     Conejohela Flats IBA

Observation date:     7/13/07

Number of species:     40

Canada Goose     18

Wood Duck     18

Mallard     4

Lesser Scaup     1

Semipalmated Plover     2

Killdeer     55

Greater Yellowlegs     1

Lesser Yellowlegs     3

Solitary Sandpiper     1

Spotted Sandpiper     8

Semipalmated Sandpiper     3

Least Sandpiper     38

Pectoral Sandpiper     3

Short-billed Dowitcher     1

Ring-billed Gull     140

Caspian Tern     3

Mourning Dove     2

Yellow-billed Cuckoo     1

Belted Kingfisher     2

Red-bellied Woodpecker     1

Great Crested Flycatcher     1

Warbling Vireo     1

American Crow     2

Fish Crow     15

Barn Swallow     8

Carolina Wren     2

House Wren     3

Wood Thrush     1

American Robin     3

Gray Catbird     4

Northern Mockingbird     2

Cedar Waxwing     1

Yellow Warbler     4

Chipping Sparrow     1

Song Sparrow     8

Northern Cardinal     2

Indigo Bunting     4

Red-winged Blackbird     25

Baltimore Oriole     1

American Goldfinch     10

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

7/12/07

Andy McGann and I kayaked and birded around the Conejohela Flats in

Washington Boro and were pleased to see that the passage of last

night's cold front added some spice to the shorebird scene.  We found

10 species of shorebirds, with the stars being two adult American

Avocets.  These birds (a male and a female) were first seen at Gull

Island mixed in with a small flock of Ring-billed Gulls.  After

circling overhead, they landed and rested at Gull Island for ~2 hours.

 Later they flew down to the South Spit and then up to Avocet Point

where they remained when I left at 2:20 PM.  2 very different adult

Short-billed Dowitchers that were present afforded a nice comparison

of the vivid orange hendersonii and the paler griseus races.

Interesting waterfowl in the area included the continuing Lesser

Scaup, a fairly early Blue-winged Teal, and 2 American Black Ducks.  A

calling flyover Purple Finch was a surprise for Lancaster Co. in July.

 I added some photos of the avocets to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jaegermaster/PennsylvaniaSummer2007

My eBird list follows...

Cheers,

Tom

Location:     Conejohela Flats IBA

Observation date:     7/12/07

Number of species:     54

Canada Goose     25

Wood Duck     15

American Black Duck     2

Mallard     8

Blue-winged Teal     1

Lesser Scaup     1

Double-crested Cormorant     4

Great Blue Heron     22

Great Egret     12

Green Heron     1

Turkey Vulture     2

Osprey     1

Bald Eagle     4

Semipalmated Plover     1

Killdeer     32

American Avocet   2

Greater Yellowlegs     3

Lesser Yellowlegs     8

Solitary Sandpiper     4

Spotted Sandpiper     12

Semipalmated Sandpiper     1

Least Sandpiper     22

Short-billed Dowitcher     2

Ring-billed Gull     250

Mourning Dove     2

Yellow-billed Cuckoo     1

Belted Kingfisher     1

Red-bellied Woodpecker     1

Great Crested Flycatcher     1

Warbling Vireo     1

Fish Crow     6

Tree Swallow     15

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     2

Bank Swallow     4

Barn Swallow     10

Carolina Chickadee     1

Tufted Titmouse     1

White-breasted Nuthatch     1

Carolina Wren     1

House Wren     2

Wood Thrush     1

American Robin     2

Gray Catbird     3

Northern Mockingbird     1

Yellow Warbler     2

Eastern Towhee     1

Song Sparrow     4

Northern Cardinal     1

Indigo Bunting     3

Red-winged Blackbird     20

Common Grackle     2

Baltimore Oriole     1

Purple Finch     1

American Goldfinch     15

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

7/12/07

7/9/07

7/4/07

--

7/1/07

6/24/07

6/24/07

6/23/07

6/16/07