Seasonal Report - Winter 2023-24
Lycoming County Winter 2023-24 Summary
In total, 107 species were reported in Lycoming County during the winter.
Notable Observations
Observer abbreviations include: Bobby Brown (BB — county compiler), Bob Brown (BoB), David Brown (DB), Deb Brown (DeB), Rebecca Brown (RB), Jean Dalton (JD), Dave Ferry (DF), Drew Haussmann (DH), Evan Houston (EH), Wayne Laubscher (WL), Bryce Perles (BP), Stephen Pinkerton (SP), Collin Porter (CP), David Rothrock (DR)
m. obs. = many observers
Waterfowl
An immature male Surf Scoter was at the Williamsport Dam on 12/23 (BB, DB), and continued through 12/28 (JD, DR).
Shorebirds
At least two American Woodcocks were at Mill St. on 2/8 (BB), which is a very early date for their arrival. Up to 10 Wilson's Snipes were in a wet field along Tome Rd. 2/1-11 (EH, BP, et al.).
Gulls
Three Bonaparte's Gulls were at the Williamsport Dam on 12/11 (BB), and one was at Rose Valley Lake on 12/29 (BB) and 1/2 (BB, RB, DB), which provided the first January record of that species in Lycoming County.
Loons
A Common Loon was seen off and on at the Williamsport Dam between 1/3 (BB, DB) and 1/27 (JD, DR).
Cormorants
Seven Double-crested Cormorants were seen at the Williamsport Dam on 12/17 (JD), and one was seen at the same location on 1/2 (BB, RB, DB).
Raptors and Owls
Rough-legged Hawks were scarce, but one was reported near Buttonwood on 1/21 (DF), and one flew over the Haneyville Snowmobile Trail on 2/9 (BB, DeB, BoB, WL)
A small number of Short-eared Owls returned to Mill Hill Rd. this winter (m. obs.).
Shrikes
The Northern Shrike at Rose Valley Lake that first arrived during the fall season was present through the end of the winter season (m. obs.).
Mimids
A Gray Catbird was in Nisbet on 12/22 (JD, DR).
Finches
Red Crossbills were found at three spots along Rte. 44 during February, including the intersection of Rte 44. and Rte. 664 in Haneyville, where up to 24 were seen (m. obs.). That flock included call types 1, 2, 4 and 12. There were scattered reports of Pine Siskins throughout the winter.
Longspurs & Snow Buntings
Three Snow Buntings were in Cogan House Twp. on 2/16 (SP)
Warblers
A Common Yellowthroat was reported at Rose Valley Lake on 12/28 (CP). A Pine Warbler was seen visiting a suet feeder in Williamsport on 2/29 (DH).
The Winter 2023-24 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.
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