1

The Birding Club of Delaware

County is a birding club located in

Delaware County, Pennsylvania,

with the purpose of expanding indi-

vidual interest in and study of wild

birds.

The Birding Club of Delaware

County is open to birders and bird

watchers of all skill levels.

Membership is from September

through August.

Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday

of each month from September

through June at the Marple Township

Library Meeting Room. Meetings

begin at 7:30PM.

Visitors are always welcome.

For additional information regarding

membership, please contact John

D’Amico at 610-566-1461

or email membership@bcdelco.org.

Websites

BCDC: www.bcdelco.org

RTPHW: www.rtphawkwatch.org

All materials, illustrations and photos

are copyrighted 2010, by the Birding

Club of Delaware County, all rights

reserved.

November 2010

Volume 13, Issue 2

1 Programs

2 Field Trip Schedule

3 Birding Yellowstone

By Peter & Kris Wade

4 Powdermill Banding

By Lauren Johnson

5 Accidental Birder

By Noel Kelly

6 Member Profiles

8 Birding Grand Isle (2)

By Mariana Pesthy

10 Bluebirds 2010

By Alice Sevareid

11 Darlington in October

By Dave Eberly

12 World Series of Birding

By Bill Roache

N E W S L E T T E R

Inside This Issue

November 10: Jim McVoy

Fifty Birds in Fifty States In 1997, Jim and Sue McVoy embarked on a quest to find at least

fifty species of birds in each of the fifty US states. Some states gave up

their birds in a matter of hours; others were stingier. One state had to be

visited three times; Hawaii, twice (it was a dirty job, but. . .). Rock

pigeons appear on forty-nine of their state lists. Where did they miss

them? Jim and Sue saved Alaska for their fiftieth state, visiting it in 2009,

the year of Alaska's fiftieth anniversary of statehood. Which unsuspecting

bird was the fiftieth bird in the fiftieth state? In his presentation, Jim

shares travel stories and favorite birding spots around the country and

tells all.

Jim McVoy was born and raised on a dairy farm near Syracuse, NY.

He did his undergraduate studies in music theory and composition at

Syracuse University followed by graduate work at the Eastman School of

Music. From 1970-1979 he taught at Elizabethtown College. He then

moved to West Chester University where he taught until his retirement in

2005. Jim now offers his time as a volunteer for the Stroud Preserve, the

Land Trust and Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research.

December 8: Win Shafer

Birding the Appalachian Trail Win Shafer and his son Blake (AKA Birdman and Li'l Wayne) spent 4

1/2 months in 2009 hiking the entire 2175 miles of the Appalachian Trail

from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. Being in the

mountains and woods in many different life zones during spring

migration afforded incomparable opportunities for bird observation.

Win's program is a travelogue of his unique adventure and birding

experience.

January 12: David Barber David is a research biologist at the Acopian Center for Conservation

Learning at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

Programs

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BCDC FIELD TRIPS

November 6, Saturday Crosslands Field Birds

8:00 AM. Meet at the Crosslands Center, off of Route 926.

Leader: Dale Kendell 610-793-0291

November 13, Saturday Hidden Valley Saw-whet Owl Banding For directions and time contact the trip leader.

Leader: Sheryl Johnson 610-649-4621

November 21, Sunday Lakes of Chester County

7:00 AM. Meet at Boscov's parking lot at Exton Mall for a 3/4-day trip. Bring a lunch.

Leader: Holly Merker 610-733-4392

December 4, Saturday Eagles at Conowingo, Plus Perryville Park

8:00 AM. Meet at the Fishermen’s parking lot below the Conowingo Dam.

Leader: Janis Zane 610-361-8477

December 11, Saturday Forsythe & Barnegat Waterfowl & Short-eared Owl

8:00 AM. Meet at the parking lot at Forsythe NWR (Brigantine) for a full-day trip.

Leader: Tom Mc Parland 610-331-1863

December 18, Saturday Glenolden Christmas Count

Annual Christmas Bird Count in Delaware County, PA

Coordinator: Nick Pulcinella 610-696-0687

January 1, Saturday Big Al does Big Day in [Coastal] Delaware

6:00 AM. Meet at McDonald's at I-95 & Route 452 in Aston, PA.

Leader: Al Guarente 610-566-8266

January 15, Saturday Waterfowl

9:00 AM. Meet at Roosevelt Park in Philadelphia, PA.

Leader: Tom Reeves 610-361-8027

IMPORTANT NOTES Please contact the field trip leader in advance so you can be notified of any changes.

Plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to departure time.

Please check our website at www.bcdelco.org for updates.

Field Trip Coordinator: Al Guarente, 610-566-8266

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This was a first-time trip for Peter and a return

visit for Kris who came with her family 40 years

ago. After we flew into Salt Lake City, our first day

birding started at Willard Bay State Park. Our first

bird was a Yellow Warbler and then we got a pair

of Bullocks Orioles. More Yellow Warblers, a

Western Tanager, and an Olive-sided Flycatcher

rounded out the visit. Heading north, we came to the

Bear Lake NWR, which was closed on a Sunday.

But nobody told the birds: Outside the refuge we

saw a Western Meadowlark on every other

fencepost and a dark-morph Swainson’s Hawk on a

nest. We also found Cinnamon Teal and plenty of

Western Kingbirds. Heading for Grays Lake NWR

on the Great Bear Lake Road, we came to a

mountain pass where Broad-tailed Hummingbirds

mobbed the feeders at the visitors center. On the

way, we saw Nighthawks in daytime flight, White

Pelicans, Cliff Swallows and Yellow-headed

Blackbirds. Gray’s Lake itself was a

disappointment: The lake was all but dried up at the

end near the shuttered refuge, and no birds were

around.

We went on to four days at Grand Teton

National Park. There, we got a nesting pair of

Trumpeter Swans and their cygnet at the Elk NWR

in Jackson just outside the park. A female Harrier

also put in an appearance. There were Mountain

Bluebirds, a Brewer's Sparrow and Vesper

Sparrows. We saw what we could only identify as

oversized Chipping Sparrows, and that's exactly

what they were, definitely bigger than our usual

eastern customers! We also got Common

Mergansers, American Wigeons, Lesser

Goldfinch, and a Willow Flycatcher. Black-back

Woodpecker and Williamson’s Sapsucker were

target birds that we missed, but we did get a Red-

naped Sapsucker instead. While hiking, we

observed several Green-tailed Towhees and a

Black-throated Gray Warbler. We saw several

Blue Grouse at the top of Signal Mountain near

sunset, just sitting next to and in the road. We stared

at one of them through our scope for 10 minutes

from 30 feet and he finally hopped up on the curb -

not afraid of anything! The next day while hiking,

we got a probable Sage Grouse, a much more skittish

bird. Finally, we witnessed an apparent territorial

fight between a Gray Jay and several Mountain

Chickadees near Jackson Lake.

Upon entering Yellowstone on a snowy mid-

June day, we went to Yellowstone Lake where we

heard a report of a Common Loon sighting. We can

see these guys locally all the time in the winter but

they migrate north in the summer! We never did find

the loon, but we did find Barrow’s Goldeneye,

close to Fishing Cone Geyser, What a beautiful

duck! We were also greeted by Townsend’s

Solitaires in several places, always on talus slopes,

which they like. There were many light-morph

Swainson’s Hawks making appearances with all

those tasty Yellowstone varmints running around as

potential snacks. While watching geysers and

mudpots in the Norris Geyser Basin, we had a Ruby-

crowned Kinglet in a tree over the boardwalk.

There were several others in various places, most

with very pronounced ruby crowns. We saw another

Trumpeter Swan near the west entrance in the

Madison River at the 6 mile marker while the rest of

the crowd was watching a Bald Eagle nest across

the road.

After four days in Yellowstone, we headed north

for a day in Glacier National Park. A Swainson’s

Thrush made a cameo appearance and his cousins

kept up a delightful serenade. We had no luck

finding a Gray-crowned Rosy Finch. The high passes

that they inhabit were full of snow and the road was

closed!

On our way back from Glacier to Salt Lake City,

we had two final memorable sightings. The first was

a Common Loon family in full summer plumage on

a remote lake in Montana. Further south, we got

close up mid-day looks of Nighthawks asleep in

trees at the Camas NWR in Idaho.

Birding Yellowstone and Other Western Parks By Peter and Kris Wade

Trumpeter swan at Yellowstone

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This year I was looking forward to the beginning of

September, excited about waking up at 6 AM every morning,

not to go to the first day of school, but to go to an Advanced

Bird Banding Workshop at Powdermill Avian Research

Center (PARC). Powdermill, in southwestern Pennsylvania,

is one of the foremost bird banding operations in the country.

From September 7 through 12, I joined five adults (from NM,

TX, NY, WI and IA) to assist PARC staff in their daily

banding operation.

Actually, waking up at 6 AM wasn’t so bad, because

the workshop participants stayed in a house right next to the

banding lab. I could roll out of bed and walk a few steps to

the first of the nets. The variety and number of birds caught at

Powdermill astounded me. We caught many warblers of

more than 15 species including Connecticut, Mourning, Hooded, Wilson’s, Magnolia, and

Blackburnian. We also netted Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Indigo Bunting, various

flycatchers, and a plethora of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. (Hummingbirds sound like buzzing

bees in the nets because their wings are moving so fast.) By far the most exciting birds we banded were

an American Woodcock and a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

The main focus of the advanced workshop was learning how to age birds in the hand, a critical

part of data collection in bird banding. I learned two main ways to determine the age of a bird. First,

we looked at the plumage. In most birds, their first pre-basic molt, when they start to get adult

plumage, is not complete. The young birds molt some

feathers, but not others. The experienced bander can pick out

these differences, or molt limits, in the bird’s feathers. If the

bird has molt limits, it is aged as a hatching-year bird.

The second method for aging a bird was through the

technique of skulling. Young birds undergo a process called

skull pneumatization. When birds hatch, they have only one

layer of bone that forms their skull. As they grow older they

begin to grow a second layer of bone. This second layer is

separated from the first by a layer of air and is connected by

columns of bone. By parting the feathers, you can look

through a bird’s skin to see its skull. If there are bright white

areas and less-bright areas, this indicates that the bird is

(Continued on page 6)

Banding at Powdermill By Lauren Johnson

Lauren holding an American Woodcock.

Photo by Ashli Gorbet

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Photo by Lauren Johnson

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The Accidental Birder, or What I did on my Summer Vacation (from BCDC)

By Noel Kelly

I had no special birding trips planned for my summer; however, as it sometimes goes with

birding, it is often better to be lucky than prepared.

In mid-July I received a disturbing phone call from California. My mom had a heart attack, and

could I fly out and be her personal Physical Therapist and House Elf until she got back on her feet? Of

course I could. Mom and I are very close, and it is to her I attribute my passion for birding. When we

visit she plans trips to Half Moon Bay, The Pinnacles, Panoche Valley or some other west coast

birding hot spot. I wasn’t expecting anything like that this time. As luck would have it, Mom’s birding

buddy, Martha, and her husband came by early one morning. Surprise! I was going birding!

We decided to stay local to the Santa Clara Valley as recent sightings looked interesting. Our first

destination (traditionally our lunchtime destination in this area) was Maria Elena’s Mexican Restaurant

just outside Don Edwards Park on the San Francisco baylands. Sure enough, two blocks down the road

we saw our first target bird. First one, then three Eurasian Collared Doves roosting on a power line

and a TV aerial antenna. Our next treat was an adult Peregrine Falcon plucking its prey from his high

perch. Feathers snowed down like winter in Philadelphia. Our second target bird was a Red Neck

Phalarope which had recently been seen along the railroad tracks (a rough and stony trail). Martha and

I decided to look for Sora and rails first and finish with the tracks on the way out. We spent a few

minutes watching peeps on the muddy shores with a flock rising up every once in a while and lighting

down gently on an open shoreline. One flock meandered back and forth before landing in the pond

which lay between the railroad tracks and us. Wait a minute!? Peeps in the water? A quick look with

our scope confirmed a flock of 38 Red-necked Phalarope, some with alternate plumage. That was

easy!

After we had our fill, we still had time to cross the valley to Russian Ridge and explore the

coastal range. As usual, the best bird of the day was in the parking lot: a male and female Black-

throated Gray Warbler. Our target bird for the area was a Band-tailed Pigeon, for which we did not

have to wait long. Several flocks flew over our heads giving us great views. We finished the day with

falafel pizza, which Mom enjoyed very much. By the way, Mom is doing fine. She is back to birding

two times a week.

My second “accidental birding” occurred on a drive back from Branson, MO to Kansas City with

my cousin and our two sons. We were looking for a popular fishing spot when we spotted a Scissor-

tailed Flycatcher hunting from a wire fence. A lifer for me! It turned out not to be our last. The road

had sentries of STFC about every half-mile. As we drove back onto the main road I caught a glimpse

of something white perched in a tree near an open field. It was my first Swainson’s Hawk. My

excitement was contagious and my cousin asked me to take him out birding the next day. After several

emails and hours of Googling and plotting our course, we picked two reliable spots for finding Sedge

Wren, Bells Vireo, and Buff Breasted and Upland Sandpipers. We dipped on all of them!

Like I said: Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than prepared.

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Member Profiles Mariana Pesthy is compiling short interviews to introduce BCDC members to each

other via our newsletter. You may be next!

Marion R. Murphy

Growing up, my family did not know much about birding. Yet, I recall

my mother always feeding the birds when I was a child, and I continue

to do so. Looking back it seems that I have dabbled at birding for the

past 30 years or so. While raising two sons we learned the common

backyard birds such as Jays, Cardinals, Crows, and Mockingbirds that

came to our feeders. We also enjoyed visits to Middle Creek and

Bombay Hook where friends took us to see Snow Geese and shore birds.

I have always enjoyed being outdoors and my interest in birding

was a natural development. About 20 years ago I got my first pair of

birding binoculars. I began to attend regular bird walks offered by the Wild Bird Center stores at Exton

and Gateway Shopping Centers. Church Farm School was a frequent stop. My birding knowledge

expanded to include winter ducks. Three years ago Laura Tracy introduced me to BCDC and Tyler

Arboretum. At Tyler, with Tom Reeves leading bird walks, my birding shifted to another gear and

became fun for me.

My favorite bird is the Eastern Bluebird. Laura Tracy and I managed the Bluebird Trail in

Willistown Township for 20 years. Naturally, I became very attached to these beautiful birds.

I have yet to have an “Aha” moment in birding. I do have a few moments of “Wows,” such as

when I saw a white immature baby Blue Heron in Cape May this fall. I was also elated to have spotted

a Pileated Woodpecker in my backyard. Also included is my first sighting of a Dickcissel this fall. I

am reluctant to call myself a birder as I feel I have so much more to learn. But, when asked, I can

honestly say that I enjoy birding very much.

growing the second layer of bone. Adult birds will have a skull that is fully or mostly complete. Young

birds will not. Therefore, I learned that if I saw that difference, I could call the bird a hatching-year

bird.

My week at Powdermill helped improve my bird-banding skills greatly. I would love to go back

to visit again. It was a great experience. Powdermill holds a beginner bird-banding workshop in the

spring. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in banding and learning more about birds in the

hand! Check out their website, http://www.powdermillarc.org/default.aspx, for interesting information

and summaries of banding data.

(Continued from page 4: Powdermill Bird Banding)

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Edie Parnum

I’ve been birding for almost 30 years and a BCDC member

almost from its inception. I got started when I went on a

guided bird walk on Cape Cod. The habitats there were

varied and included ocean, shoreline, marsh, field, and

forest, so I saw many different kinds of birds. All these

years later I still remember how astonished I was seeing

common birds such as Great Egret, American Goldfinch,

and Baltimore Oriole. I immediately became an

enthusiastic birder and remain so to this day.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak is my favorite bird. It’s

stunning and can be seen in our area, even coming to feeders sometimes. Of course there are even more

beautiful birds that I’ve seen in far-away exotic locations, e.g., Lovely Cotinga, Purple-crowned

Fairy, Resplendent Quetzal, Eurasian Hoopoe, and Carmine Bee-eater. The pictures of these birds

don’t do them justice; you must travel to see them in the wild.

From my birding experiences, two memories stand out:

1) The migration of Broadwings in Veracruz, Mexico. There were thousands and thousands,

possibly a million, of birds streaming by. The sky was completely full of black dots, which

were the hawks high in the sky. And they kept coming hour after hour all day long.

2) Shorebirds feeding on horseshoe crab eggs on Delaware Bay. On a May day about 25 years ago,

the Semi-palmated Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings, and Red Knots were so

numerous they completely covered the shoreline at Reeds Beach in New Jersey. All were

feeding voraciously. When I go there now, it’s the Laughing Gulls that are the most numerous.

I urge BCDC members to create habitat for birds on their properties. Get rid of your lawn, or most

of it anyway. Plant native plants, especially trees and shrubs, to host the native insects that our birds

eat. Oaks are the best. I always look in the oaks for the spring warblers because the oak bud worms

hatch just when these birds are passing through. My best backyard bird was a Connecticut Warbler

walking along a branch in thick vegetation at the back of my property.

Welcome to BCDC! The Birding Club of Delaware County is pleased to announce these new members.

Elaine Brody - Paoli

William and Rosemarie Barry - West Chester

Alice and Ronald Gaither - Aston

Eric Weislogel and Kellie Given - Newtown Square

Marcia Martin – Swarthmore

Also, members Lewis and Judy Norton moved from this area to Eureka, California a few years

ago. They still receive BCDC News & Notes just to see what’s going on.

We appreciate their continued interest!

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Birding Grand Isle, Louisiana (Part 2) By Mariana Pesthy

Editor’s Note: Read Part 1 of the spring 2010 trip to Grand Isle by Mariana and Andy Pesthy in the

September 2010 issue of the BCDC newsletter.

We were too late for the warblers as most of them had already come and gone. Even so, we saw a

Tennessee Warbler feeding on a poison ivy vine and a mixed flock of Northern Parula, Black-

throated Blue, Black and White, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped and Myrtle Warblers. We saw many

Vireos: Blue-headed, Red-eyed, Yellow-throated and Warbling, plus several Ovenbirds, all in the

oak chenier forests. And there were ever so many Tanagers, both Scarlet and Summer. One late

morning at the Nature Conservancy Griletta Tract, we were surrounded by a dozen Scarlet Tanagers,

most of them adorned in vivid red with silky black wings!

As mentioned, our best birding was at the dike path to the salt marshes near the Grand Isle Port

Commission. On the inland side is a 10-foot deep trench of shallow slow-flowing water. On the side

facing Barataria Bay are the marshes, a vast span of green grass and blue water. Walking along the

dike path, we often found Water Thrush, Sora, Common Yellowthroat, Greater and Lesser

Yellowlegs, and occasionally a Sandpiper or two wading in the ditch. On the marsh side we often saw

larger birds such as Cattle, Great and Snowy Egrets and Great Blue and Tri-color Herons. Several

times we saw flocks of Glossy and White Ibis flying in from the marshes and landing to feed in the

fields next to the dike ditch. All the while, we could hear the Rails – King and Clapper – clamoring

loudly from behind the grasses. It was music to our ears. Walking up and down the dike path enough

times, we even caught glimpses of these secretive creatures walking from one patch of seagrass to

another! At dusk on our first full day of birding, we saw a shape standing at the seagrass edge: It was

that of a Clapper Rail preening in the gathering darkness. Watching in utter silence, we noticed water

squirting up out of the mud in the shallows, making a tinkling sound as it fell in arches into the marsh

water. This mystified us until the next day when we saw in bright daylight that these were oysters

spitting water while feeding.

As if this were not enough, there were birds for us to follow on the dike path itself. Flocks of

Dickcissels, Bobolinks and a reliable pair of Inca Doves would be feeding on the ground ahead of us.

They would fly away a little distance at our approach and then drop down again a little further on to

forage on the path. In this manner we followed them for 20 yards or more, training our field glasses

and camera on them, giggling like the silly birders we are. We were particularly fond of the Inca

Doves, as they allowed very close approach. They look cute in their tan scale-like scallop feathers and

astonished us with a flash of rufous primaries as they lifted their wings.

This dike path was truly a treasure trove. The few trees growing along it yielded surprises too: Osprey,

Belted Kingfisher, Indigo Bunting, Orioles, Tanagers and many Swainson’s Thrushes. A bold

Cattle Egret landed by the water’s edge a few feet from us and insisted on staying there as we walked

by. One late afternoon we spied an over-tired Yellow-billed Cuckoo hiding in a small tree at eye level

in plain sight. It was obviously too exhausted to fly off, but we could not avoid passing near it. At a

safe distance we managed a couple of pictures with zoom and discreetly looked away when we got

close. To allow it some undisturbed rest, we passed by, keeping as much distance as we could from

(Continued on page 9)

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where it was hiding without falling into the ditch ourselves! It worked. We could see its shadowy shape

in the tree from the other side. Still and all, our best sighting was that of a King Rail flying from the

marsh side over the dike, affording us a great view of it landing on the slope of the ditch and running to

the grassy field just beyond.

When things slowed on Grand Isle we went over to Port Fourchon, about a 40-minute drive to the west.

All along Fourchon Road are marshes, mud flats, shrubs, and fields with lots of shore birds. Unlike

downtown Grand Isle, there were plenty of road shoulders here for us to stop and look. At a boat

launch we found three pairs of Least Terns nesting a few feet from each other on an old rough

concrete parking area. Their choice of nesting location seems dubious until one realizes that the

concrete ground retains heat and the eggs are well-camouflaged. The Least Terns were endearing in

their cooperative behavior with their nesting neighbors, taking turns guarding the eggs while one or

more flew off to fish and bring back their catch of small fries for their roosting mates. We witnessed

them chasing off invading gulls and petrels repeatedly.

Before Fourchon Road turns in front of a bridge leading to a beach, there is a large paved area leading

to a dock for large ships. We parked and walked towards the piers where we saw some interesting birds

circling in the sky. On our way we saw Seaside Sparrows, Plovers and Ruddy Turnstones and a

Roseate Spoonbill feeding on shallow waters at a distance. When we finally got close to the pier and

the circling big birds, we raised our glasses to see a flock of six Magnificent Frigatebirds.

Further down Fourchon Road near the beach on the west side is a large lagoon where we saw lots of

small shorebirds like Semipalmated, Piping Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones and Sanderlings busy

probing in the mud. At another spot by the road where water parted the banks of grass, we found

Willets, Wimbrels, and Glossy as well as White Ibis walking along the water’s edge.

We understand that winter birding is excellent for shore birds and raptors around Grand Isle and Port

Fourchon. With the oil spill seemingly under control at the time of my writing (summer 2010) it

remains to be seen as to how severely the birds will be affected when they return this fall to Grand Isle

and nearby Gulf areas.

If you go:

Be sure to get a bridge pass before approaching the bridge to Grand Isle. There are no toll booths. A

pass costing only a few dollars can be pre-purchased along Route 1 at various commercial

establishments. Neglecting to do so would be costly (fines up to well over $100). Visit

www.geauxpass.com for detailed information.

Some useful Louisiana birding websites:

http://www.birdlouisiana.com

This is an all inclusive Louisiana birding information web site. From the map you can see we literally

only dip the toe of the Louisiana boot this spring!

http://grandisle.btnep.org/

This is a useful website especially if you want to visit Grand Isle for spring migration. Our schedule

did not afford us the opportunity to visit during the Grand Isle Spring Birding Festival, but the

information provided here was most helpful for our trip. This page has a link to a downloadable

“Birding Trail Map.”

(Continued from page 8: Grand Isle)

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This winter there should be more bluebirds flying around due to the efforts of the Delaware County

Bluebird Trail Monitors group. There could be as many as 386 baby bluebirds. That is the number of

bluebirds the group, many of whom are BCDC members, fledged from their boxes this summer.

Our group is now in its 13th year. We monitor sites all over the county: Parks such as Ridley Creek

State Park; schools such as Delaware County Community College; retirement communities such as

White Horse Village; office campuses such as SAP on West Chester Pike; plus Hildacy Farm Preserve,

Edgemont Memorial Gardens, and various farms and backyards.

The 386 bluebirds fledged this year were 24 more than last year. We also encourage tree swallows to

nest in our boxes, and this year 282 tree swallows fledged.

Many people put forth a lot of effort! Rick West continued to rehab boxes and help build and install

predator guards. He and Sharon spent a long Sunday helping Evelyn Kritchevsky and Eileen Brzycki

fit boxes with predator guards. At Lima Estates, Don Cameron moved boxes and installed new ones

early in the summer and, with the help of Pat McElreavey, got quite a bumper crop of bluebirds. Tom

Reeves fought house sparrows all summer at Granite Farms and finally got a bluebird pair and

fledglings, the first in three years of effort. Sue and Vance Downing fed raisins to a bluebird pair only

to have them move out of the Downing’s box into that of a neighbor to lay their eggs. The birds

continued to visit to get the raisins. All of us visit our boxes once a week or biweekly to make sure the

birds are not being attacked by predators such as house wrens or getting leaks in the roof.

We send a report of our numbers fledged to The Pennsylvania Bluebird Society each year. They also

are interested in the number of white eggs we get. Normally bluebird eggs are blue, although up to 4%

may be white. The female produces the blue egg color, but some may not be able to produce it, so the

eggs turn out white. The babies still come out blue since it is the structure of the feather and not a

pigment that makes the bluebird blue. This year we had 20 white eggs, more than the usual 8 or 10.

We have 30 volunteers around the county. If you are interested in joining our group give me a call at

610-544-9057, or send me an email at alicesevareid@hotmail.com.

Bluebird Trail 2010 By Alice Sevareid

We welcome members’ contributions to our newsletter, so if you have reports, announcements, reviews, poetry, essays,

or photographs that would be of interest to our BCDC birding community, please submit them to the editor:

Chris Blidan, e-mail: newsletter@bcdelco.org (phone: 610-566-0937).

The deadline for the January newsletter is Wednesday, December 22, 2010.

Club questions or suggestions? Contact Sheryl Johnson, President: sbjohnso@haverford.edu.

Suggestions for or leading of field trips? Contact Al Guarente, Field Trip Coordinator: owlguarente@yahoo.com.

Bird sightings to report? Contact Dave Eberly, Bird Reports Editor: david.eberly@gmail.com.

11

Darlington Tract in October By Dave Eberly

BCDC sponsored a bird walk around the Darlington Tract on Saturday, October 23, and eleven of us

were there to enjoy a gorgeous fall morning. The temperature was a refreshing 39 degrees at the 8 a.m.

start. We encountered the first scattered frost of the season along the way, but by the time we finished three

hours later it was 60 degrees under clear skies and bright sun. The fall colors seemed at their peak. We

walked a clockwise loop starting on the trail that leads into the woods across Darlington Road from the

parking lot. We finished by walking the road from Rooster Tail Farm back to the lot. Total distance was

about two miles.

The first bird of interest was a Winter Wren heard calling and seen by a few of us. After walking

through the cool woods and climbing a couple hills we entered the open fields where the sun and birds

greeted us warmly. Numerous Chickadees were along the edges and we heard both Carolina and Black-

capped, eventually spotting a definite Black-capped Chickadee among the birds that flitted in and out of

view. Al Guarente then picked out an Eastern Meadowlark flying around the sunny meadow. All got good

looks at this uncommon county bird. The best bird of the day was a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker that

flew onto the top of a tall tree at the top of the ridge. Again, all got good looks at this even more uncommon

species for Delaware County before it took off for parts unknown.

Overall we tallied 49 species. Other highlights were approximately 30 Purple Finches, including at

least three males, a Nashville Warbler, many Palm Warblers, Pine Siskin (heard but not seen), and nine

species of Sparrow, including Fox, Lincoln's, and White-crowned. We were also treated to a good

number of Golden-crowned Kinglets, a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers, all

letting us know that winter was on the way. It was a great morning with nice weather, beautiful fall color,

congenial company and a good variety of birds.

Oh, I mustn't forget another rare sighting, the bright orange Conan blimp headed to the Phillies game.

On May 15, the BCDC Cape Island Coyotes (sponsored by Exelon/PECO) took on the challenge of a

“Big Day” in the New Jersey Audubon Society’s World Series of Birding for the 8th consecutive year.

Our team this year welcomed back previous member Nick Pulcinella, even as we lost Jim Lockyer to

the “Left” coast. Weather leading up to the Big Day was warm and wet, and a hopeful front showed up,

but about 18 hours too early to produce a fall-out.

Some scouting and Big Day highlights: Male alternate plumaged Wilson’s Phalarope; Red-headed

Woodpecker; singing Cerulean Warbler and Summer Tanager in adjacent trees; Parasitic Jaeger; (Continued on page 12)

World Series of Birding By Bill Roache

12

all of the expected Swallows and Vireos; and a Mississippi Kite. Night birding produced

disappointing results, i.e. no Nightjars or Owls or most Rails.

We ended up driving about 50 miles, hiking about 10 miles, and scoring 139 species, finishing third in

our division. Some regrettable misses included the aforementioned “night” birds, plus Peregrine

Falcon, Hairy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Chipping and Savannah Sparrows.

Over my many years of participating in the WSB, I’m always curious about which bird I will see or

hear on Sunday, the day after the competition. A few years ago, after the Awards Brunch, I arrived

home to find a Mississippi Kite circling over the house. This year’s “day after award” goes to the two

Soras calling from the Meadows as I replaced the dead battery in my truck!

The Coyotes would like to thank our corporate sponsor Exelon/PECO for eight years of generous

support. We would also like to thank all of the club members and especially non-members who

annually and generously pledge. Please make all pledge checks out to BCDC and send to me: Bill

Roache, 1388 Dermond Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026.

2010 Cape Island Coyote Team

David Eberly, Al Guarente, Tom McParland, Nick Pulcinella, Bill Roache

(Continued from page 11: World Series)

Many movies contain scenes which include birds. Some are even about birds. Here are five questions

about bird-related movies or movie scenes. Feel free to use any resources you like to find the answers.

A particularly good place to go is www.imdb.com.

Name the movie with the bird event described. (Answers later.)

1. John McGiver bags his 250th lifer, a Great Blue Heron, in this 1962 effort starring Jimmy Stewart.

2. In this picture, Victor Mature gets ready for a night of romance, but instead gets a lecture from

Patricia Neal on saving the California Condor.

3. Burl Ives and Christopher Plummer are antagonists in what flick dramatizing the egret slaughter

for the millinery trade at the turn of the 20th century?

4. Blair Brown and John Belushi spark a romance while she studies Bald Eagles in this city-boy

woos country-girl effort.

5. Smack yourself if you can't ID this 1963 Hitchcock thriller which kept Americans away from their

feeders like "Jaws" later kept them out of the water.

Movie Birds Quiz By Carl Perretta