http://blog.birderswiki.com birding in s.e. Pennsylvania Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:36:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Octorara Lake in southern Lancaster County is an excellent spot for birding any time of the year, but the really great birding is the spring and fall migration of shorebirds and passerines, late summer for dispersing egrets and herons as well as the winter for ducks and loons. [umap id="5076" size="m" ... http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/08/birding-octorara-lake/ 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 ... http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/08/western-vs-semipalmated-sandpiper/ Looking through about 30 pictures of the Glossy Ibis allowed me to piece together the band number- 116-50010. I submitted this info to the Bird Banding Lab. Unfortunately the bander hasn't submitted their banding data yet but hopefully I will hear back soon. http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/08/glossy-ibis-band-update/ At Conejohela Flats today, a young Glossy Ibis was hanging out on Avocet Point. Ignoring the seven birders walking around the flats, it foraged non-stop in shallow water from the time I arrived at 8:30am until I left at 12:30 pm. The most interesting thing about this bird was that it ... http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/08/banded-glossy-ibis/ The crew at 10000birds.com has started an effort to raise money for a survey of an endangered and endemic bird in Kenya; the Sharpe's Longclaw. The longclaws belong to the same family (Motacillidae) as the American Pipit and wagtails. According to BirdLife International, there are only between 10,000 and 20,000 ... http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/08/donate-to-conservation-sharpes-longclaw/ The latest collection of recent bird blogs is up at the Marvelous in Nature. http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/08/i-and-the-bird-81/ One of the birding gems in Tioga County is the State Gamelands 313, better known to birders as "The Muck." Formerly drained and farmed, it has now been allowed to return to its original state as a highly productive wetland. Specialties that can be found in 'the muck' include Marsh ... http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/08/birding-the-muck/ While spending a weekend at a cabin in northern Tioga County I was able to slip down to Cowanesque Lake to see what was around. Not much. But I did happen to get good looks at a very pale, possibly leucistic flycatcher which I believe is a Willow Flycatcher. It ... http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/08/interesting-willow-flycatcher/ Here are some closer crops of the photos I took of the possible Little Egret. Click on photos to zoom in. http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/07/closer-crops-of-little-egret-photos/ The egret found by Chuck Chalfant. Noticing the dark lores he began contacting others. Here are the pictures I took through my scope and Frank Haas' scope which had a higher zoom. Click on the images to zoom in or go to the Picasa gallery where I also have two videos. ... http://blog.birderswiki.com/2008/07/little-egret/