July Wrap-up--Zero Year Birds

Red-headed Woodpecker, Cloverdale Road

If June was a quiet month, then July, to make an oxymoronic statement, was deafeningly silent. Through all my wanderings during the month, I wasn't able to add one bird to the year list. True, I wasn't spending my time seawatching, where I might have lucked onto a petrel or shearwater, but even if I had been of a mind to chase, there was nothing to chase. 

The month had its compensations in the places I birded. I spend a lot of time walking around Whitesbog with my informant where I learned the history, cultivation, and processing of the Elizabeth blueberry and got a refresher course on how to separate Virginia meadowbeauty from Maryland meadowbeauty. As the month progressed, we watched the bogs get discovered by Great Egrets, as they always do this time of year, only they are using the flooded Fenwick bogs instead of the 3 bogs to the east, which are no longer drawn down.   With a little luck and some evaporation, I'm hoping that we may get something of a shorebird season in those formerly working bogs (now under water for the last two years to kill girdle worm). So far, only Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpipers, and Semipalmated Plovers in low numbers have been found feeding in them. 

Turkey Vulture, Whitesbog

And I spent a pleasant morning down at Brig with my buddy Bob Auster. It was only my second trip to Brig this year, and while we dipped on most of the rarities that had been reported there (though we did get the Black-necked Stilts at the Gull Pond), there was a good variety of shorebirds, egrets, and terns to sort through and the greenhead flies were not too bad, with only one painful bite on my elbow. 

I trudged around Colliers Mills, I trudged around the cranberry bogs on Dover Road, I trudged around Double Trouble, I even trudged up and down the Union Transportation Trail by Sharon Station because that day I didn't feel like worrying about ticks. I always say that if the birding isn't productive, at least I got my exercise in. At least I got a lot of exercise in July.

For the month, 112 species in 4 counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean.

Species                 First Sighting
Canada Goose    Colliers Mills WMA
Mute Swan    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Wood Duck    Whitesbog
Mallard    Whitesbog
American Black Duck    Brig
Wild Turkey    35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon    Union Transportation Trail
Mourning Dove    Whitesbog
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    Whitesbog
Eastern Whip-poor-will    35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift    Brig
Ruby-throated Hummingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail    Brig
Black-necked Stilt    Brig
American Oystercatcher    Brig
Black-bellied Plover    Brig
Killdeer    Double Trouble SP
Semipalmated Plover    Brig
Short-billed Dowitcher    Brig
Spotted Sandpiper    Horicon Lake
Willet    Waretown
Greater Yellowlegs    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Stilt Sandpiper    Brig
Least Sandpiper    Cattus Island County Park
Semipalmated Sandpiper    Brig
Laughing Gull    Whitesbog
American Herring Gull    Cattus Island County Park
Great Black-backed Gull    Brig
Black Skimmer    Brig
Least Tern    Brig
Gull-billed Tern    Whitesbog
Caspian Tern    Brig
Forster's Tern    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Common Tern    Brig
Double-crested Cormorant    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
White Ibis    Waretown
Glossy Ibis    Cranberry Bogs
Black-crowned Night Heron    Manahawkin WMA
Little Blue Heron    Cranberry Bogs
Tricolored Heron    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Snowy Egret    Cranberry Bogs
Green Heron    Whitesbog
Great Egret    Cranberry Bogs
Great Blue Heron    Whitesbog
Black Vulture    Crestwood Village
Turkey Vulture    Whitesbog
Osprey    Cattus Island County Park
Cooper's Hawk    Colliers Mills WMA
Bald Eagle    Whitesbog
Red-shouldered Hawk    Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk    Colliers Mills WMA
Belted Kingfisher    Cranberry Bogs
Red-headed Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker    35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker    35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Flicker    Whitesbog
Eastern Wood-Pewee    Whitesbog
Willow Flycatcher    Cattus Island County Park
Eastern Phoebe    Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher    Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Kingbird    Whitesbog
White-eyed Vireo    Whitesbog
Eastern Warbling Vireo    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo    Double Trouble SP
Blue Jay    35 Sunset Rd
American Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow    Whitesbog
Common Raven    Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee    Whitesbog
Tufted Titmouse    Double Trouble SP
Tree Swallow    Whitesbog
Purple Martin    Whitesbog
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    Cranberry Bogs
Barn Swallow    Cranberry Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch    Whitesbog
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    Whitesbog
Northern House Wren    Whitesbog
Marsh Wren    Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren    35 Sunset Rd
European Starling    Whitesbog
Gray Catbird    Whitesbog
Brown Thrasher    Whitesbog
Northern Mockingbird    Crestwood Village
Eastern Bluebird    Colliers Mills WMA
Veery    Double Trouble SP
Wood Thrush    Cranberry Bogs
American Robin    Whitesbog
Cedar Waxwing    Whitesbog
House Sparrow    Crestwood Village
House Finch    35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch    Whitesbog
Chipping Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow    Whitesbog
Seaside Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Saltmarsh Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Song Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow    Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee    Whitesbog
Orchard Oriole    Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird    Whitesbog
Brown-headed Cowbird    Union Transportation Trail
Common Grackle    Whitesbog
Ovenbird    Whitesbog
Black-and-white Warbler    Whitesbog
Common Yellowthroat    Whitesbog
Northern Yellow Warbler    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Pine Warbler    Double Trouble SP
Prairie Warbler    Whitesbog
Northern Cardinal    35 Sunset Rd
Blue Grosbeak    Colliers Mills WMA
Indigo Bunting    Union Transportation Trail

Always Read the Directions

We just bought a new washing machine. It comes with a "Pet Pro" option, which, not having any pets, we don't need. However, for those who do have pets, the company's lawyers insisted that this note be appended to the directions:

 But if you missed those directions, I'm sure putting Fido in the microwave is a good way of drying him off.

June Wrap-up--Quiet

Green Heron, Whitesbog

Not even doing something wacky like breaking out of my two-county comfort zone and doing a loop at Brig could make June anything other than dull. Migration ended; the warblers are in the boreal forest, the shorebirds are in the arctic, and what we have left, we've pretty much seen. In the whole month I was able to add 4 birds to the year list, 3 of which have been chronicled in entries below. The fourth one was Common Nighthawk which we heard flying over the house a couple of evenings early in the month. All the rare birds--shearwaters, storm-petrels, and really rare birds (a White-tailed Tropicbird was just documented), have been seen from fishing boats and whale-watching trips on neither of which you will ever find me. I'd like to hear a Barred Owl, but not enough to get up a 4 AM or go down to Manahawkin at dusk to hear it. 

Cedar Waxwing, Cranberry Bogs

I spent most of my time at my personal Big Four: Whitesbog, Colliers Mills, Double Trouble, and the Cranberry Bogs on Dover Road. I'm always hoping for the rarities in the places I want to be, instead of chasing them at places I don't particularly want to travel to, and, as I said to Shari today, about 1 time in a 100 it works--like last month at Double Trouble when I found 4 Black-necked Stilts in the Mill Pond. But most of the time it's just like walking through a party attended by old familiar friends. 

For the month a mere 120 species. Because we had to make a trip into New York on June 1, a Blue Jay on Broadway, and a Great Egret in a marsh off the Turnpike were anomalies on the list. The New York trip also explains the entries for the Toms River Bus Station.

Common Name    First Sighting
Canada Goose    Whitesbog
Mute Swan    Waretown
Wood Duck    Cranberry Bogs
Mallard    Whitesbog
American Black Duck    Cranberry Bogs
Black Scoter    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Wild Turkey    35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon    South Toms River
Mourning Dove    35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    Whitesbog
Black-billed Cuckoo    Whitesbog
Common Nighthawk    35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will    35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift    Whitesbog
Ruby-throated Hummingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
American Oystercatcher    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black-bellied Plover    Brig
Killdeer    Whitesbog
Piping Plover    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Short-billed Dowitcher    Brig
Wilson's Phalarope    Brig
Spotted Sandpiper    Lighthouse Center
Solitary Sandpiper    Double Trouble SP
Lesser Yellowlegs    Brig
Willet    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Greater Yellowlegs    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ruddy Turnstone    Island Beach SP
Dunlin    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Semipalmated Sandpiper    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull    Cattus Island County Park
American Herring Gull    Cattus Island County Park
Great Black-backed Gull    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Skimmer    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Least Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Caspian Tern    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Forster's Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Roseate Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Royal Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Loon    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant    Whitesbog
White Ibis    Waretown
Glossy Ibis    Island Beach SP
Yellow-crowned Night Heron    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-crowned Night Heron    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Little Blue Heron    Cattus Island County Park
Tricolored Heron    Cattus Island County Park
Snowy Egret    Cattus Island County Park
Green Heron    Whitesbog
Great Egret    New Jersey Turnpike N
Great Blue Heron    Whitesbog
Brown Pelican    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Turkey Vulture    Whitesbog
Osprey    Toms River bus station
Cooper's Hawk    Whitesbog
Bald Eagle    Double Trouble SP
Red-tailed Hawk    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-headed Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker    Cattus Island County Park
Downy Woodpecker    Cattus Island County Park
Hairy Woodpecker    Whitesbog
Northern Flicker    Whitesbog
Eastern Wood-Pewee    Cattus Island County Park
Willow Flycatcher    Cattus Island County Park
Eastern Phoebe    Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher    Cattus Island County Park
Eastern Kingbird    Cattus Island County Park
White-eyed Vireo    Whitesbog
Yellow-throated Vireo    Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Warbling Vireo    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo    Whitesbog
Blue Jay    2197 Broadway
American Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven    Island Beach SP
Carolina Chickadee    35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse    Double Trouble SP
Bank Swallow    Thompson-Wright Preserve
Tree Swallow    Cattus Island County Park
Purple Martin    Whitesbog
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    Whitesbog
Barn Swallow    Cattus Island County Park
White-breasted Nuthatch    35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    Whitesbog
Northern House Wren    Cattus Island County Park
Marsh Wren    Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren    Colliers Mills WMA
European Starling    35 Sunset Rd
Gray Catbird    Toms River bus station
Brown Thrasher    Whitesbog
Northern Mockingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Bluebird    35 Sunset Rd
Veery    Double Trouble SP
Wood Thrush    Double Trouble SP
American Robin    35 Sunset Rd
Cedar Waxwing    Cranberry Bogs
House Sparrow    Toms River bus station
House Finch    Toms River bus station
American Goldfinch    35 Sunset Rd
Grasshopper Sparrow    Colliers Mills WMA
Chipping Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow    Whitesbog
Seaside Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Saltmarsh Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Song Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow    Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee    35 Sunset Rd
Orchard Oriole    Whitesbog
Baltimore Oriole    South Park Rd
Red-winged Blackbird    Cattus Island County Park
Brown-headed Cowbird    Colliers Mills WMA
Common Grackle    Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ovenbird    Whitesbog
Blue-winged Warbler    Manasquan River WMA
Black-and-white Warbler    Whitesbog
Common Yellowthroat    Cattus Island County Park
Hooded Warbler    Double Trouble SP
American Redstart    Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Yellow Warbler    Cattus Island County Park
Pine Warbler    Whitesbog
Prairie Warbler    Whitesbog
Summer Tanager    South Park Rd
Scarlet Tanager    South Park Rd
Northern Cardinal    Toms River bus station
Blue Grosbeak    Whitesbog
Indigo Bunting    Colliers Mills WMA
Dickcissel    Juliustown-Georgetown Rd

Barnegat Light SP 6/21--Roseate Tern

Roseate Tern, Least Tern, Forster's Tern

When I awoke at 5:30 morning, I looked out the window and saw my brother sorting through his catch on the white tablecloth.  I joined him for a while and help disassemble the lights and cords. He took off for other places to look for butterflies and beetles, and I had to decide where to go for the day. Fighting off deer flies in the woods didn't hold much appeal, so I figured I'd go to Barnegat Light SP and hope for the best. 

This was either the 3rd of 4th expedition to find Roseate Tern in the county, and I promised myself while waiting at one of the stop lights on Central Avenue that if I didn't find one this time, I give up, no more slow-motion rides for 8 miles northward on LBI. When I finally arrived, just after the park was open, I shouldered my scope and ventured forth. Since the "bowl" is stringed off to protect the nesting Piping Plovers, oystercatchers, Least Terns, and skimmers, finding a decent vantage point is a challenge. There are a few gaps in the dunes that afford an obstructed view, and the first one is right where the water flows in from the inlet to feed the pond that was dug out a few years ago. I plunked down my scope, saying let the frustration begin, and boom--there was a Roseate Tern. Just luck, no skill, perhaps a dash of persistence. I swiveled the scope a little to the left and there were two more, breaking my all-time record for most Roseate Terns seen at one time but you only need one. 

Piping Plover

There were plenty of Piping Plovers scurrying about--they all looked grown up to me, and I saw two immature oystercatchers running to mama. There were a lot of Black Skimmers in the bowl and while the Least Tern colony wasn't overwhelming as it was a couple of weeks ago, there was still an impressive number there. 

I walked down to the ocean and south to the sunken mast. A few years ago, this mast of an old fishing boat was deep in the dunes and now it is about 20 feet off the beach which gives one an idea of how much erosion the island is undergoing. I saw 3 hen Black Scoters, which isn't remarkable for these normally winter waterfowl, but then, scanning farther out, I saw a huge flock of scoters--more than enough to break the eBird filter, but looking back at my list from a year ago I had a big flock in the same place then too. 

For the morning's walk 30 species. 

Mallard  3
Black Scoter  50     
Mourning Dove  1
American Oystercatcher  7
Piping Plover  8
Willet  1
Greater Yellowlegs  1     Bowl
Laughing Gull  10
American Herring Gull  30
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Black Skimmer  20
Least Tern  50
Caspian Tern  1     Bowl
Forster's Tern  15
Common Tern  5
Roseate Tern  3     
Common Loon  1     Near scoters
Double-crested Cormorant  5
Snowy Egret  1
Great Egret  4
Osprey  4
Fish Crow  1
European Starling  1
American Robin  1
House Sparrow  5
Song Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  2
Boat-tailed Grackle  2
Common Yellowthroat  2
Northern Cardinal  1

Backyard Bugs

Diplotaxis varia

My brother came over yesterday evening to "light up" our yard in order to attract the beetles and moths he collects. It's a pretty simple set up: you throw a white sheet over the picnic table, turn on three strong lights, then sit back and wait for dozens, then dozens and dozens of insects to land on the sheet (and sometimes you) and pick through the ones you are interested in. The main beetle he was interested in was Diplotaxis varia, which are abundant this time of year in the Pine Barrens. He knows someone in Italy who for some reason is obsessed with these beetles and every once in a while Harry sends him a batch. The one to the left I collected early this month and kept in the freezer. At first, we thought this might be the only one he'd get, but by this morning, when he came back to see what had landed on (and under) the sheet, he'd collected so many that he was tossing them back into the woods. 

For the early part of the evening the insects landing on the sheet (and sometimes me) were mostly beetles. Harry kept up a running commentary as he sorted through the bugs on the sheet and this is some of what I picked up.

Scarab beetles

These are scarab beetles. What kind of scarab beetles? We don't know. The most expert entomologist in the world wouldn't know what species they were unless that expert dissected them and examined their genitalia. Obviously, we weren't going to do field surgery last night.

 

Grapevine pelidnota

This is a Grapevine pelidnota. Very common, my brother says, hardly worth collecting. They're all over our backyard and yet, until last night, I never knew it

Psuedo-scorpion

This one is not an insect, it is an arachnid, an example of one of the psuedo-scorpions. The photo is about five times larger than life size. This little guy rides on the inside of the wings of beetles, feeding on mites that live there. It is sort of the oxpecker of the arachnid world. 

Later in the evening, the moths began to be attracted to the lights. As Harry says, no one truly understands why moths are attracted to lights because as soon as they get there, they become stunned and thus potential food. Harry has seen raccoons, turkeys, and various birds eating moths off a wall he has lit up. But I find the moths a lot more interesting than the beetles--especially now that I know that some of the beetles also have the psuedo-scorpion under their wings. 

Hebrew moth

This one is a Hebrew moth.  It is called that because the wing markings supposedly look like Hebrew lettering. Perhaps to a romantic 18th century lepidopterist they did, but to me I at best see a little heart toward the bottom. 

Checkered apogeshina moth

These next two are just interesting moths, no fascinating facts about them.

The first is a Checkered apogeshina moth, while the one below is the Common lytrosis.

Common lytrosis

Finally, this last moth is one my brother got a little excited about: It is a Northern pine sphinx moth:

Can you see it? It blends in perfectly with the  bark of the pine tree, even aligning itself to the grain of the bark. Here's another picture. I was a foot away and could barely make it out:

I won't even speak of the crane flies, ladybugs (all invasive), and various unpronounceable beetles that landed on the sheet. Suffice it to say that more species of insects lurk in a Pine Barrens backyard than there are species of birds in New Jersey.

Hey kids, you too can find bugs in your backyard with this easy to do set up. Of course, you won't know what they are, but they're there!

WARN-DEP

About a month ago I was way back behind the large reservoir at the cranberry bogs on Dover Road when I heard singing. I rarely meet anyone else in this area except for one other birder who goes there often and the occasional jerk on an ATV. A young guy with a large box on his shoulder was coming toward me. I thought it was some kind of animal trap and asked what he was trying to catch, but he told me that it was actually a big battery and that he was living there in an "underground bunker." I left it at that--my mother taught me not to talk to strangers. I didn't know of any underground bunkers there, but I thought he might have found a trench somewhere.  What I did do was text my fellow birder to give her a heads up. She replied that a lot of odd things had been going on out there--including the disassembly of one of the old pump houses which I had noticed. 

The other day she texted me that in the one remaining pump house someone had obviously set up housekeeping, using parts of the wrecked one to cover up the exposed side of the shed. She called the DEP, who referred it to the park police--the cranberry bogs are officially part of Double Trouble SP (though few people realize this) and thus comes under their jurisdiction. 

That was Thursday. Today I went over there and when I came upon the pump house, I saw that it had clothes in baskets on the floor and a couple of shirts hanging on nails. At the entrance of the bogs, on Dover Road, there was a big cart with a garbage can (Property of Berkeley Township) and a half-filled gallon of water) so I wasn't clear on what was going on. I decided to call it in again. I knew that the number for the NJDEP is WARN-DEP and I assumed it was an 800 number, which I "dialed". Imagine my surprise when I was connected with "the hottest talk line in America." I immediately disconnected. My first thought was "Phone sex? There's still phone sex? How quaint!" 

Then I had to actually look up the DEP's number. In case you ever want to report something, it is an 877 prefix. Operator 113 took my information and phone number and said that he would report it to the park police and that I should expect a call. I was skeptical but 10 minutes later a Sgt Callaway called me, took down the particulars, then told me that that park maintenance had cleared out most of the crap from the shed, included a lounge chair and a cart, but that they had left some stuff which they supposedly were coming back for at noon today. The police were still looking for the occupant--they'd like to have a talk with him since nearby, in South Toms River, someone was threatened with a knife, and the descriptions of the perp could match the description of the guy I met a month ago. I was impressed with the response and even more impressed that they took this seriously. And before anyone gets all goo-goo about harassing the unhoused, I know it's a problem; I also know that the solution is not sleeping in a pump house. 

Osprey, large reservoir

Other than that excitement it was fairly quiet on the bogs and in the meadow (where the buildings used to be--which were torn down a few years ago, no doubt to remove temptation). Evaporation is lowering the water in a lot of the bogs, so waders were in abundance and an Osprey was hunting over the large reservoir--that is when it was not being chased by a clueless blackbird expending energy chasing a raptor with no interest in its nest or chicks. 

Cedar Waxwing, large reservoir

36 species
Wood Duck  4     Bogs
Mourning Dove  3
Glossy Ibis  2
Snowy Egret  2
Green Heron  2     Meadow Bog & outer bogs
Great Egret  12
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  1     
Northern Flicker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  2
Eastern Phoebe  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
Eastern Kingbird  3
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  1
Carolina Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  1
Tree Swallow  8
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2     Meadow
Barn Swallow  2
Northern House Wren  2
Gray Catbird  5
American Robin  18
Cedar Waxwing  1
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  1
Chipping Sparrow  1
Field Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  1
Eastern Towhee  4
Red-winged Blackbird  25
Common Grackle  8
Ovenbird  3
Common Yellowthroat  6
Pine Warbler  3

Great Bay Blvd 6/16--Caspian Tern

Caspian Terns

To paraphrase Pete Seeger: 

                There is a season tern tern tern. 

Because migration is over and most of the shorebirds are up north, I have spent an inordinate amount of time the last couple of weeks looking for terns missing from the year list, without, until today, much luck. Everybody and his uncle have managed to find Roseate Tern except for me and I there has even been a Sandwich Tern reported but despite walks on the beaches of Barnegat Light and Island Beach, the best I've come up with is a large number of Royal Terns. (This is starting to remind me of a former Jersey birder who used to catalog in her Listserv missives the birds she didn't see--I once kept a spreadsheet of her misses--it was impressive. So, onto what I did see.) 

I went down to Great Bay Blvd this morning. There is a spot about 1/2 mile north of the first bridge, that looks out onto Tuckerton Cove. I've been able to find Caspian Terns there for the past few years--and my luck held this morning. As soon as I crossed the road and put up my bins, I saw two loafing at the edge of the water. Scope views confirmed them not to be Royal Terns, and so the day had taken a tern for the better. 

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

It's June so I didn't expect much from the rest of the Boulevard. The only shorebirds present were many vocal Willets. In one of cedar groves both flavors of night-herons were roosting (or were until they sensed my presence). Yellow-crowned Night-Heron can be a difficult bird to find but there were at least four of them in the grove today--3 immature and a very handsome adult. 

There were lots of fishermen on the beach, so that put the kibosh on any activity there aside from the many buzzing Seaside Sparrows. Walking and driving for 4+ miles of road and beach I managed 28 species for the day--not bad for a "shoulder month." 

Mourning Dove  8
Clapper Rail  1
Willet  14
Laughing Gull  70
American Herring Gull  10
Caspian Tern  2     
Forster's Tern  6
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Yellow-crowned Night Heron  4
Black-crowned Night Heron  8
Tricolored Heron  1
Snowy Egret  10
Great Egret  18
Osprey  2
Willow Flycatcher  3
Eastern Kingbird  1     Beginning of road
Fish Crow  1
Tree Swallow  2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1     Roadside
Barn Swallow  25
Marsh Wren  2
Gray Catbird  4
Seaside Sparrow  12
Song Sparrow  6
Red-winged Blackbird  35
Boat-tailed Grackle  15
Common Yellowthroat  5
Northern Yellow Warbler  1