Urban bird round up: Wilkes-Barre

The weather has been, as is typical here in spring, warm and cold. I didn't put any extra effort into birding this week, except for going out to Nescopeck State Park. I don't include those observation here. 

Here's my list of birds within the city limits of Wilkes-Barre this week. More interesting observations are underlined:

Peregrine Falcon: seen chasing pigeons while sitting in traffic on River and Market St.

Canada Geese 

Mallards

Cooper' Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk: not just a fly-over. Sitting on a hemlock a few blocks from the house

Ring-billed Gull

Chimney Swift: just one... zipping around the neighborhood

Carolina Wren: been around all winter

Common Grackles: most likely breeding already

Fish Crows: one has set up a nest that is perfectly visible from the top of Cohen

Common Crow: harassing Fish Crows

Swamp Sparrow: dead at the foot of Cohen

Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow: TWO! at the feeder
Northern/Baltimore Oriole

Common Yellowthroat: new for the yard 

Tree Swallows: they all look like their using the nesting boxes - but they're not!

Gray Catbird: yesterday they came through in big numbers, including one in the yard

Cedar Waxwings: zipping around town, eating flowers of trees (looks like they prefer Rosaceae (apple, cherry, crab-apple) flowers 

European Starling: carrying nest material 

One of the White-crowned Sparrows that was hanging out at the house this week