Seasonal Report - Winter 2017-18
Lycoming County Winter 2017-18 Summary
December and January saw some very cold temperatures. Rose Valley Lake froze by mid-December, and much of the river was frozen during late December through mid-January as well. February was a bit more moderate, with some fairly warm days. Most bodies of water were unfrozen by the end of February, including most of Rose Valley Lake.
Christmas Bird Counts
Two C.B.C. circles fall primarily in Lycoming County: the Williamsport and Northern Lycoming counts.
The Williamsport C.B.C. was held on 12/16. Twenty-three individuals participated in 10 groups. A total of 67 species were recorded plus 10 additional count week species. New high counts were set for many species: Canada Goose, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Bald Eagle, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, Winter Wren, and Carolina Wren.
The Northern Lycoming C.B.C. was held on 12/30. Sixteen participants found a total of 40 species. The day was pretty snowy and totals were down for many species. Despite this, new high counts were set for a number of species including Horned Lark, American Robin, Dark-eyed Junco, and White-throated Sparrow.
Season Highlights
Overall, it was a pretty strong season with quite a few rarities and elevated waterfowl numbers. Highlights included Ross's Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, Black Scoter, Sandhill Crane, Iceland Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, and a number of Snowy Owls. In total, 113 species were reported in Lycoming County during the winter.
Observations
Observer abbreviations include: Bobby Brown (BB), David Brown (DB), Deb Brown (DeB), Bob Brown (BoB) (BB, DB, DeB, BoB collectively as Browns), Dan Brauning (DanB), Jean Dalton (JD), Maddi Dunlap (MD), Dave Ferry (DF), Norwood Frederick (NF), C. Harbach (CH), Eric Hartshaw (EH), Andy Keister (AK), Gary Metzger (GM), Steve Pinkerton (SP), Lauren Shaffer (LS), Dennis Toepperwein (DT), Eric Zawatski (EZ)
m. obs. = many observers
Waterfowl
It was a fairly weak season for Snow Goose sightings, with some small flocks seen in Montoursville in late December, and some migratory flocks in late February. A Ross's Goose was seen with Snow Geese in Montoursville on 12/22 (BB, DeB, BoB), an apparent first Lycoming County record. Three Greater White-fronted Geese flew over Mill St. on 2/17 (BB). Cackling Geese were seen on several occasions, with one at Mill St. on 1/27 (BB, DanB), another at the Williamsport Dam on 2/16 (DB, EH), and one at Rose Valley Lake on 2/25 (SP, NF).
A Wood Duck was seen at Greevy Boat Launch on 12/2 (BB, DeB, BoB), and another at Rose Valley Lake on 12/9 (SP). One was also seen at small pond in Hughesville on 12/31 and 1/2 (BB, DeB, BoB). The same pond had up to 2 Gadwall on 12/26, 12/31, 1/2, and 1/6 (Browns). Two were also present at the Williamsport Dam on 12/30 (BB, DB). American Wigeons were also seen at that pond in Hughesville on 12/26 and 12/31 (Browns). There were scattered American Black Duck sightings during the winter, with as many as 16 at Montgomery Boat Launch on 12/16 (BB, DeB). A hybrid Mallard x American Black Duck was seen at the Williamsport Dam on 1/4 (DB) and 1/11 (BB). There were a few Northern Pintail sightings during January, but the species was less abundant than the previous year. Green-winged Teal were first seen at South Williamsport Park on 2/23 (BB). Most of the expected dabbling duck species were migrating through the county by the last week or two of February.
Two Canvasbacks were at the Williamsport Dam from 1/25 through 2/6 (BB, et al.), and one was seen at the same location on 2/23 (DB). A small flock of Redheads was seen at the Williamsport Dam for a few days at the end of December and beginning of January (Browns), along with a few scattered February sightings once migration started picking up. Both species of scaup were seen fairly regularly during the winter, particularly at the Williamsport Dam.
A Black Scoter was at the Williamsport Dam on 2/24 (MD, JD, BB, DeB, DB), which is the first known winter record for Lycoming County. Two Long-tailed Ducks were at Rose Valley Lake on 12/10 (BB, SP). Other sightings of that species were at the Williamsport Dam on 12/17 (BB, et al.), 12/26 (Browns), 1/22 (m. obs.), and 2/16 (DB, EH), along with a report from Pine Creek on 12/19 (CH).
Common Goldeneye numbers were strong this winter, particularly at the Williamsport Dam, with more than 40 seen at times. Red-breasted Mergansers were also seen in elevated numbers compared to past winters. Ruddy Ducks were seen in small numbers at Rose Valley Lake during the first half of December.
Other Waterbirds
The only Common Loon sighting of the season was at the Williamsport Dam on 12/10 (BB, DeB). Pied-billed Grebes were mainly seen at the Williamsport Dam from mid-December through early January, along with a few sightings elsewhere. Horned Grebes were seen sporadically at the Williamsport Dam during the entire season, along with a sighting at Rose Valley Lake on 12/8 (SP). A Double-crested Cormorant was at the Williamsport Dam 12/15-17 (m. obs.), and one was at the same location on 12/28 (BB, DB). Great Blue Herons were seen pretty regularly during the winter, particularly near the river.
Raptors and Owls
For the most part Black Vultures stayed in their normal winter area near the Lycoming County Landfill, but some occasionally strayed north to the Williamsport and Montoursville area. Turkey Vultures were seen in the same areas as Black Vultures, but probably in slightly higher numbers than previous years. The species became more scattered throughout the county by the end of February.
The only Golden Eagle sighting of the winter was in Jackson Twp. on 12/30 (Browns).
Red-shouldered Hawks were reported three times: one flying over Duboistown on 12/15 (BB), one on Quenshukeny Rd. on 1/29 (EZ), and one at Muncy Heritage Park on 2/21 (LS). Rough-legged Hawks were seen on a number of occasions, but it wasn't a particularly strong year for the species.
American Kestrels were widely scattered throughout the county, particularly the southern part of the county. Merlins were seen regularly throughout the winter, especially in the Montoursville area. The nesting pair of Peregrine Falcons were present at the Williamsport Dam throughout the winter, and the pair from Montgomery Boat Launch was seen on 2/24 (BB, DeB). One was also seen in Hughesville on 1/2 (BB, DeB, BoB).
It was a very strong season for Snowy Owls, with birds being seen in six different spots during the winter. Most of the birds were seen during the first half of December, with confirmed sightings in Elimsport, Williamsport, Linden, Cogan Station, and near the Lycoming Mall. The sixth sighting was a bird that was seen by many birders on Ridge Rd. on 2/24 and 2/25. Short-eared Owls were found reliably along Mill Hill Rd. again this winter, with as many as 5 birds seen.
Cranes and Rails
Four Sandhill Cranes were seen at dusk from Mill Hill Rd. on 2/3 (SP).
Shorebirds
Two Killdeer were seen at a pond near Hughesville on 12/14 (GM), and the spring arrival date for the species was around 2/20. The arrival date for American Woodcocks was 2/21, both at a private residence outside of Williamsport (DF) and at Mill St. (BB, DeB, BoB).
Gulls
Ten Bonaparte's Gull were seen at Rose Valley Lake on 12/10 (BB, SP), with 3 seen the following day (AK). Ring-billed Gulls were seen regularly during the winter. Some relatively large flocks of Herring Gulls were seen, with a high count of 41 at the Williamsport Dam on 1/21 (Browns). An Iceland Gull was found at the Williamsport Dam on 1/22 (DB, et al.), which is the third Lycoming County record. A Great Black-backed Gull flew by the Williamsport Dam mixed in with the flock of Herring Gulls on 1/21 (Browns). That species has now been recorded four years in a row in Lycoming County.
Hummingbirds
No winter hummingbirds were found this year.
Warblers
The only warbler species observed during the winter was Yellow-rumped Warbler, with quite a few sightings compared to past years. Up to 9 were seen at Canfield Island in multiple sightings during December (BB, DeB, BoB). One was observed at Greevy Boat Launch on 12/27 (BB). Mill St. became a reliable spot for the species in January and February, with up to 7 individuals seen (BB, et al.). The only sighting away from the river was 3 birds at Rose Valley Lake on 12/30 (SP).
Sparrows
Field Sparrows wintered at SGL 252 again this year, and one was seen at the Williamsport Water Authority on 12/16 (DanB) and 12/17 (BB, DeB, BoB). A few Fox Sparrows were seen at the Williamsport Water Authority during December and January. An adult White-crowned Sparrow was seen at South Williamsport Park on 1/24 (BB) and an immature bird was seen at a feeding station on Mahaffey Hollow Rd. on 2/11 (DT). There were a few scattered sightings of Swamp Sparrows during the winter. Quite a few Eastern Towhees wintered at the Williamsport Water Authority.
Blackbirds
There were only two sightings of Eastern Meadowlarks during the winter: one along Lockcuff Rd. on 2/27 (DF) and 2 at Mill St. the following day (BB). There were only a few sightings of Red-winged Blackbirds during December and January, but numbers picked up dramatically in the second half of February. The only Brown-headed Cowbird reports during the winter were a single bird on Mahaffey Hollow Rd. on 12/14 (DT) and 3 birds at a feeder in Montoursville on 2/18 (BB, DB, DeB). There were a few reports of Rusty Blackbirds during late February, including at least 40 birds at South Williamsport Park on 2/25 (Browns). Common Grackles followed the same pattern as Red-winged Blackbirds, with only a few sightings before a dramatic increase by the second half of February.
Finches
Two Purple Finches were found at Rose Valley Lake on 12/2 (SP), but, apart from that sighting, the species was very hard to find. Pine Siskins started descending on feeders after a snow and ice storm on 1/13, but were otherwise fairly uncommon away from the Williamsport Water Authority, where they wintered in good numbers.
Other Species of Note
Belted Kingfishers were seen regularly, but mainly contained to a few spots, particularly Mill St.
Fish Crows were found in small numbers during the winter.
Horned Larks were mostly found in the normal areas, especially in Cogan House Twp. Four Lapland Longspurs were reported in Cogan House Twp. on 12/17 (SP). Snow Buntings were seemingly scarce, but 4 were reported from Cogan House Twp. on 12/17 (SP), and about 60 were at Mill Hill Rd. on 1/7 (Browns).
Red-breasted Nuthatch numbers were far smaller than the previous winter, but the species was consistently found at the Williamsport Water Authority.
Winter Wrens weren't terribly abundant, but there were still several sightings.
A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was found at the Williamsport Dam on 2/6 (DB, BB).
Hermit Thrushes wintered again this year at the Williamsport Water Authority, which has been a reliable site in past years.
A Gray Catbird was seen near Greevy Boat Launch on 12/23 (Browns), and continued until at least 1/1 (BB).
Conclusion
It was a pretty strong winter for rare birds, especially with the Snowy Owl irruption and the rare goose and gull sightings, which helped to get 2018 off to the best best start of any recent year. If spring migration is solid, Lycoming County could be set up to have a record-setting total species count for the year.
The Winter 2017-18 report was compiled and written by Bobby Brown. Our seasonal reports cover March-May (Spring), June and July (Summer), August-November (Fall) and December-February (Winter) to better line up with migration, breeding and wintering timings. All photos used with permission.
