I started the year off with hopes of a “Big Year”. The goal for my personal “Big Year” was to reach 400 species for the ABA Area. My hopes and dreams for 400 species were not fulfilled. I wasn’t able to take as many trips as I wanted, nor was I able to bird as much as I anticipated. That goal on my bucket list will have to wait for another year. Perhaps, next year? I’m not setting any goals.
Anyways, I started my year birding in Pennsylvania. I birded throughout Centre County and took a day to bird Presque Isle State Park with Nate Fronk and Drew Weber where we picked up Glaucous Gull and a Tree Swallow, but missed out on the Common and Hoary Redpolls that were reported the same day.
Tree Swallow at Presque Isle State Park on 1/17/2011
At the end of February, I took a trip with the Penn State Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. There were a ton of Snow Geese present and also a great variety of other waterfowl.
Snow Geese in flight at Middle Creek WMA on 2/26/2011
Over Spring Break in March, Nate and I, along with two other Penn State Students, took a trip to Nebraska for the AFO/COS/WOS conference in Kearney, Nebraska. It was peak time for Sandhill Cranes in that part of Nebraska. I observed 67 species on the trip. When we were not attending talks we were birding. The best bird of the trip, for me, was a Bohemian Waxwing.
Bohemian Waxwing near Kearney, Nebraska on 3/12/2011
In April, I spent all of my down time birding around Penn State in Centre County, Pennsylvania. I was able to pick up sick birds such as Eurasian Collared-Dove, Virginia Rail, and Cattle Egret.
Eurasian Collared-Dove near State College, PA on 4/24/2011
Cattle Egrets at Polled Hereford Farm Pond on 4/29/2011
The beginning of May was a race to see how many county birds I could get before I left for a field season in the southwest and still manage to study for finals. The best bird had to be a Black-bellied Plover at Tadpole Rd.
Black-bellied Plover at Tadpole Rd. on 5/4/2011
The day after finals were over, I flew to Phoenix, Arizona to start my field season as a Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Surveyor. I spent roughly two months in the southwest. I believe I saw over 90 lifers in the two months. I observed 149 species in California and 124 species in Arizona. I took two trips in California; one to the Sequoia National Forest and the other to the Salton Sea. We saw a ton of sick birds at Sequoia including Mountain Chickadee, White-headed Woodpecker, American Dipper, and Acorn Woodpecker. At the Salton Sea, I observed a Reddish Egret, Yellow-footed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, and a ton of Black Skimmers. At the end of the summer, my Dad came out to visit and we traveled to the Hoover Dam and then to Havasu City where I got ridiculously close to a Yellow-billed Loon and observed an awesome Tropical Kingbird.
White-headed Woodpecker at Lodgepole in Sequoia National Park on 6/26/2011
Reddish Egret at Salton Sea on 7/11/2011
Yellow-footed Gull at Salton Sea on 7/11/2011
Yellow-billed Loon at Parker Dam, Arizona on 7/23/2011
Tropical Kingbird at Ahakhav Tribal Preserve on 7/23/2011
When I came back to Pennsylvania, my girlfriend and I took a trip to Maine in early August. We started at Wells Beach and worked our way up to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. That place is absolutely amazing. I am hoping we get to head up there again this upcoming August. This time, we are taking a boat tour to see the beautiful Atlantic Puffins! Anyways, I observed some sick birds there such as Black Guillemot, Common Tern, Piping Plover, and Glossy Ibis.
View from Camden Hills State Park on 8/3/2011
At the end of August, I started back to Penn State for my final semester of my undergraduate career. It was time for fall migration at Scotia Barrens. I tried to bird there as much as possible in the mornings before class. The early mornings got old quick because I commuted an hour and a half to State College. I would have to get up at four in the morning to get to the Barrens for nocturnal flight calls. I picked up Swainson’s and Gray-cheeked Thrushes when listening to the flight calls. Warbler migration was spotty on the days I was at the barrens.
an August Sunset
Migration carried into September and I got my PA lifer Olive-sided Flycatcher at the Scotia Pond. September seemed to be the month for shorebird highlights in Centre County. Birds such as White-rumped Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, and American Golden-Plover managed to make their way onto my year list. During a bird banding session on the 21st of September, we banded a beautiful female Connecticut Warbler and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo!
a banded female Connecticut Warbler on 9/21/2011
October was the month for The Big Sit. I attended the sit at the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch. Our goal was 60 species, but we only observed 41. The morning before the big sit, I observed a Henslow’s Sparrow in State College. When we arrived at the front that afternoon, we had a nice push of raptors and I observed my first Golden Eagle in Pennsylvania. The two major highlights of October were seeing Centre County’s first Long-billed Dowitcher and a Northern Wheatear in Lebanon County!
Northern Wheatear near Lickdale, PA on 10/7/2011
November was a pretty slow month for birding in Central Pennsylvania. We did manage to find a Red Phase Eastern Screech-Owl though. Also, I took a trip to East Stroudsburg and was able to find the very cooperative Merrill Creek Reservoir Snowy Owl.
Snowy Owl at Merrill Creek Reservoir on 11/29/2011
For the final month of 2011, I had to buckle down to finish my last semester. I did manage to find a few more Centre County Year birds such as Golden Eagle, Red-throated Loon, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. My ABA year list ended at 340 species. My Pennsylvania list was 219 species, while my Centre County list finished at 203 species.
Golden Eagle at Jo Hayes Vista on 12/10/2011
My last 2011 year bird: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at State Game Lands 176--Toftrees on 12/11/2011
