Finally, after a bit of a lull, this weekend I started adding more birds for my county year list and my overall year list. Although we’re still sans Little Gull or really any gulls in the area (unlike, seemingly, the rest of the state), I’ll take any new arrivals.

Friday, in the rain, I made a quick run around Harvey’s Lake just before sunset. I was pleased to find 10 Common Loons, all out of their winter plumage. I was getting worried I wouldn’t get a Luzerne County Loon this year since I didn’t see any locally in 2008 fall (only spring). Other than that the Lake was dead other than a Pied-billed Grebe, a couple Bufflehead, and the usually Coots and Mallards.

Saturday I took a quick afternoon run to Lake Scranton. I was limited on time, but all I really wanted was a gull check. Unfortunately, only Ring-bills were present. But I was pleased to get my first Northern Rough-winged Swallows of the year. Other birds were 8 Common Loons, a few Common Mergs, a Bufflehead, and a dozen Eastern Phoebe. It’s amazing how many Phoebe I saw and I didn’t even walk the lake. All I did was go out to the two entrance points to scope it out. All along the rocky shore, the Phoebes were in groups of 3 fluttering about.

Today I got up early to hit Plymouth Flats before the ATV crowd came in a ruined it. I was very pleased to find a personal favorite bird: American Pipit. There were 5 hanging about in the wet field on the way to the water. That was the only new thing for me there, but I also had 1 Wilson’s Snipe, 7 Blue-winged Teal, about 30 Green-winged Teal, about 50 Ring-necked Ducks (I probably overestimated when I twittered from the field), 1 Gadwall, 4 Northern Pintail, 3 American Wigeon and 6 Wood Ducks.

From there I headed to Plains Flats for an uneventful session. The snipe are apparently gone as I haven’t seen any in a couple times there. What I did have were 5 Wild Turkey, 6 Blue-winged Teal and 8 Green-winged Teal.

Next stop on the tour was the pond behind Airport Gravel in Wyoming. Just when I thought there was nothing (other than what could wind up being my last American Tree Sparrow for the season) I heard a “song” right above my head in a tree as I was walking out of the pond. I looked up and it was a lone Rusty Blackbird- my first for the year. Before I could get the digiscope on it, it flew off and I never saw it or any more of its kind in the area.

Finally, I decided to give the Powerline Cut in Harding a try. Since I drive my Honda Element, I can take the road all the way up so I slow rolled and listened, stopping when something interested me. I didn’t add anything new for the year but I got what will probably be my last Fox Sparrow for the season. The only other thing of note is how many Field Sparrows were there. They were ping-pong balling away. I think that’s my first Luzerne Co. Field Sparrows…

I should also mention that others have been seeing Louisiana Waterthrush and Chipping Sparrows (even though I haven’t gotten them yet) and that any day now there should be reports of Pine Warblers. I keep meaning to hit Big Pines in Frances Slocum for them, but haven’t gotten around to it.