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DVOC Field Trip Report
by Win Shafer

June 10-12, 2011
Weekend at Camp Susquehannock in NE PA

Win Shafer and 6 participants joined forces at Camp Susquehannock in Brackney PA (18 miles south of Binghamton NY) on Fri eve. We adjourned to the Lake View Inn nearby for a delicious sampling of the local fare including many varieties of wings and Lake Views famous “Garbage Burgers”.

Early on Saturday we drove to the Florence Shelley Preserve in the Northwestern corner of Susquehanna County which has a wonderful variety of habitats including a large bog. Despite getting thoroughly doused by an early morning shower we had good success locating such northern breeding species as White-throated Sparrow, Mourning Warbler, Canada Warbler, Brown Creeper and Winter Wren. We then moved on to Harmony Road which runs along the Susquehanna River and State Game Land #32 which lies between New Milford and Great Bend PA to the east of Interstate 81. There we picked up many additional species highlighted by: Worm-eating Warbler, Black throated blue and green Warblers, Blue winged Warbler, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting and many more. From there we returned to camp to see the numerous breeding Bobolinks in the fields adjacent to the camp.

On Sunday we drove to nearby Salt Springs State Park which contains a beautiful gorge with multiple waterfalls and a section of huge virgin hemlock. Here we were able to add such species as Blackburnian Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrow and Louisiana Water thrush. We ended the day and our trip at Woodbourne Sanctuary in Dimock PA, the first preserve established in PA containing a beautiful beaver swamp and hemlock forest.

Below is listed our total species for the weekend:

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Broadwinged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Kildeer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downey Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
N. Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Winter Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Grey Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black & White Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Lousiana Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellow-throat
Canada Warbler
Scarlet Tananger
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Gasshopper Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Pictures by Stu Beltz