Current Topic: Cowbirds

Birding New Places in Monroe County

The breeders and migrants have been slowly trickling in to the Northeast. Migration seems to be somewhat late this year and, this week, is being pushed back some more with all of this bad weather. My county, Monroe, seems to be a bit under-birded and I am trying to correct that.

I found a nice spot that is not far from my house that I can monitor for migrants off of Brodhead Creek in Stroudsburg – there are a few parks with trails surrounding it. Something tells me that it is not visited much by birders, however, I was pleased to find swallow and bluebird houses spread throughout.

Tree Swallow peaking out of a house

The habitat is very nice and I can see it being a popular stop for birds, especially in the fall with all of the brush under the trees. The creek is fairly large and stocked with trout so it attracts some nice birds of prey.

Adult and juvenile Bald Eagles off of Brodhead Creek

Osprey taking off

It already has some birds in territory – Tree Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds, House Wrens, Flickers, Gnatcatchers, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Towhees, Phoebes, Chipping Sparrows, Robins and our resident birds.

One of the local House Wrens singing away

The Tree Swallows have claimed their nesting sites

I came across nice waves of Warblers that consisted mostly of Yellow-rumps – others mixed in included Palms, Pine, Black-and-white and Yellow Warblers along with Kinglets and Blue-headed Vireos.

One of many, MANY Yellow-rumped Warblers

Palm Warbler sitting pretty

Pine Warblers move slowly, but stay at the tree tops

Song and White-throated Sparrows are scattered throughout.

White-throated Sparrow posing nicely

And, unlucky for other breeders, Cowbirds are also in high numbers.

A male Brown-headed Cowbird

I visited two ponds to see what they could bring. One is Zachary’s Pond, which did not have much and was too open for birds aside from Mallards and Geese to enjoy. The other, across the woods and road, is Gregory’s Pond – this one has a much nicer habitat for water birds with plenty of cattails to hide in. This pond attracted the usual crowd – Red-winged Blackbirds, Swallows, Phoebes, Herons and possibly more. I think this one has a better chance for having bitterns, rails and marsh birds show up.

An Eastern Bluebird at Zachary’s Pond.

An Eastern Phoebe at Gregory’s Pond

Another treasure of a spot that I visited a couple of times is a more well known spot near the Delaware Water Gap NRA Headquarters – McDade Trail and Freeman Tract Road. The birds are a little more difficult to see here since the trees are so tall, but it is a great spot to bird-by-ear and, with patience, see some of them. So far, I’ve counted over 20 singing Northern Parulas. Pretty soon, other birds will join them in high numbers.

The only chance I had at getting a Northern Parula and I screwed it up!

Gnatcatchers seem to be the bird of the year for me. I don’t know if this is normal for the area or if this is an unusually high year. I see and hear them everywhere.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers don’t stop moving!

I’ve also visited the public trails for the Tannersville Cranberry Bog. I think these will be alive with birds once migration really kicks in. I already heard two good birds there – a Barred Owl and the beautiful song of the Hermit Thrush (who I’ve only seen in other locations). I am signed up for public birding walks starting next week, so I’ll really be able to see what this gem brings.

Before the snow melted in the early spring, I also visited Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I’m not entirely sure of the best places to go here yet, but I hope to learn them soon. There are trails that are near a highway, which worries me that I will not be able to hear anything.

Wood Ducks with Hooded Mergansers in the background at Witmer’s Lake

I’m not sure what else to expect, but I see tons of good birds in my future within the next couple of weeks as I continue to explore my county. Keep em coming!

Eastern Phoebe gathering nesting material