Occasionally, Chester County Water Authority does some work on the dam and lowers the water level which expands the mud flats off of Bluegill Rd.  When this happens, or if it has been exceptionally dry recently, conditions are optimal to see lots of shorebirds.

During spring shorebird migration, the area along Mt. Eden Rd can be productive if the water level is low and the vegetation is still thin. Fall shorebird migration is best observed at Bluegill Rd. At times there can be several hundred birds foraging in the shallow water and along the shore. Often birds will fly in and out from unviewable areas so if no birds are visible when you first arrive, it is worth waiting around.

Bluegill Rd is also probably the best place to check for late summer dispersing herons and egrets. While Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets are the most common, Little Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets can both be almost expected if you can make several visits. Perhaps the most exciting heron seen here has been a small white egret with dark lores- resembling a Little Egret.

Spring passerine migration is probably best along Mt. Eden Rd and Tick Hill Rd but I have not spent much time at Octorara Lake at this time of the year.

Late fall and winter are the times to check for ducks and geese. I have seen Long-tailed Duck, Cackling Geese and a Ross’ Goose at Octorara. In the surrounding fields there are often huge flocks of blackbirds that can include Brewer’s and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

The Octorara Lake area is definitely a place to check out year round. There is even a boat launch (for a small fee) and boat rentals along Spruce Grove Rd.

Much has been written about the identification of Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers. Most of it focuses on minutia, those little differences in plumage that are indeed very helpful in distinguishing these very similar species. The problem is, in order to use all those fine plumage details successfully, a good understanding of how to age shorebirds is required. Rather than rehashing ageing criteria and plumage details, this article will focus on the basics: the more fundamental differences between Semi and Western that should be the foundation upon which any plumage-based identification is made.

Tigrina Times Online Birding Magazine Cape May Bird Observatory » Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers: Start With The Basics

So starts Michael O’Brien’s article at birdcapemay.org. With several recent Western Sandpipers being found in Lancaster County at Octorara Lake among flocks of Semipalmated Sandpipers, this is a skill that is very timely to pick up. While reading the rest of the article by following the link above will be the most valuable I will summarize below.

Western Sandpiper (WESA) is slightly larger than Semipalmated Sandpiper (SESA) but the difference is small enough that you would have to see the two of them next to each other to discern the difference.

The bill length difference that is often touted as a identification feature (WESA longer than SESA) can be tricky to see because male WESA and female SESA overlap in bill length.

In overall proportions, WESA tend to look front heavy, with a bigger chest, larger head and thicker neck. This causes them to stand more upright when at rest to balance.

Check out the full birdcapemay.org article for the entire thing as well as some excellent photographs.

The most interesting thing about this bird was that it was not only banded on one leg with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife band, but the left leg also had a band. Since the left band had only three numbers, it was much easier to read. 011.

This Glossy Ibis was banded by New York Audubon, which is trying to study the behaviour of herons that roost near Staten Island. They have banded several ibises, as well as Great Egrets and Double-crested Cormorants to see where they are dispersing. Check the Meadowlands blog for more info on this.

I’ll post more details on the origin of the bird when I get them.

The Sharpe’s Longclaw has an extremely restricted range, basically limited to the remaining grasslands in sw Kenya which are quickly disappearing due to development. As you can see in the range map below, the Sharpe’s Longclaw is very vulnerable to even small amounts of development in its territory.

The surveys are going to be conducted by 26-year-old Kenyan Dominic Kamau Kimani. He has been birding since he was young and has previously worked on research related to birds and wildlife conservation.

A fund called the “Small African Fellowship for Conservation” has been set up and the goal is to raise $2,000 to fund two things: a survey of suitable longclaw habitat and an educational program to take to local schools about habitat conservation for the Sharpe’s Longclaw.

If you can contribute anything to this cause, click on the widget below to easily add your dollars to a good conservation fund. A couple dollars from lots of people will help reach the goal.

Sharpe’s Longclaw- photo © Charlie Moores

One great thing about birding ‘the muck’  is that there is a bird blind set up in the middle of some open water, giving you great views of Marsh Wrens chattering about in the cattails and rails working the edges of the vegetation.

We spent an evening canoeing around ‘the muck’ last week, putting in as the sun was setting. One thing I noticed immediately was that Purple Loosestrife was everywhere. I had never visited the muck this late in the summer so it might always be like this.

The only rails we heard were Virginia Rails, but we managed to see a few. We came across two adults, the juvenile in the photo below as well as two fluffy black chicks.

It was dark by the time we pulled out of ‘the muck’ and the rails were still sounding off occasionally. We spent some time listening for American Bittern but didn’t have any luck there.

photos © Justine Weber

Click on photos to zoom in.

Click on the images to zoom in or go to the Picasa gallery where I also have two videos. I have also posted closer crops of several of the images here.