Before today's big football game I decided to head west and look for some winter birds. My first stop at Alpha's Grasslands only yielded a half-dozen Horned Larks, and none of my other targets of American Pipit and Lapland Longspur.
Realizing I was in the area of another great bird, I went a few more miles west over to Easton, Pennsylvania to visit the home of Arlene Koch. Here a long-staying Harris' Sparrow has been spending the winter. I last visited the Koch's around Thanksgiving Day to see the sparrow, which took a few hours to be found. Today I saw the bird immediately and multiple times with very close views.
Also seen were a Gambel's subspecies of the White-Crowned Sparrow, along with the regular sparrows of American Tree, Song, White-Throated, White-Crowned, Field, House, and Savannah.
A Ring-Necked Pheasant was seen briefly in the distance after hearing it's call, and a Purple Finch made a visit to the feeders as well.
After this visit I went along the Delaware River just a few miles north of Easton and here I ran into some local PA birders who showed me the female Barrow's Goldeneye that had been found recently.
Returning to NJ, I visited Merrill Creek Reservoir for some wintering ducks and geese.
sharing with you what my eyes see