Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Road Trip
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Brigantine 5/5--Semipalmated Sandpiper
The last--and only--time I saw a Bar-tailed Godwit, I was on my honeymoon, fighting off mosquitoes as large as hummingbirds, in a salt marsh called The Carmargue in southern France. Today, more like an early March morning out on the dikes of Brigantine than Cinco de Mayo, we tried and failed to find our first North American BTGO, despite 2 turns around the loop. Of course, as Shari predicted, others saw the blinking bird just as we were on the other side of the refuge--in fact, she predicted the time exactly: 2:40. Unfortunately, we didn't find out until after we got home. Here's the sour grapes: If we had seen the bird, it was so far away that the views would not have been very satisfactory.
Windy weather is a double problem. You don't feel like standing there getting windblown, trying to hold the scope steady, while you scan for birds that in any case, are much smarter than you and have decided to hunker down in the grass out of the wind. So the first trip around the dikes was kind of dispiriting. After lunch, the sun started to come through the overcast and it warmed up a few degrees so we did another loop, adding a few birds to the list. The most interesting was this Bald Eagle which sent a group of cormorants off their roost and panicked a flock of shorebirds. The black ducks didn't seem to mind its presence.
Windy weather is a double problem. You don't feel like standing there getting windblown, trying to hold the scope steady, while you scan for birds that in any case, are much smarter than you and have decided to hunker down in the grass out of the wind. So the first trip around the dikes was kind of dispiriting. After lunch, the sun started to come through the overcast and it warmed up a few degrees so we did another loop, adding a few birds to the list. The most interesting was this Bald Eagle which sent a group of cormorants off their roost and panicked a flock of shorebirds. The black ducks didn't seem to mind its presence.
 |
| Photo: Shari Zirlin
Of course, what they say about pizza, applies to Brig--even a lousy day there is still pretty good.
46 species
Brant 300 Canada Goose 100 Mute Swan 4 American Black Duck 105 Mallard 8 Green-winged Teal 6 Double-crested Cormorant 15 Great Egret 10 Snowy Egret 8 Glossy Ibis 2 Osprey 4 Bald Eagle 3 Clapper Rail 1 Heard Black-bellied Plover 15 American Oystercatcher 4 Greater Yellowlegs 50 Willet 25 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Whimbrel 30 Semipalmated Sandpiper 5 Dunlin 500 Short-billed Dowitcher 3 Laughing Gull 1 Herring Gull 10 Great Black-backed Gull 20 Forster's Tern 25 Fish Crow 3 Purple Martin 2 Tree Swallow 3 Barn Swallow 1 Carolina Wren 1 Heard Eastern Bluebird 1 Visitor's Center American Robin 2 Parking lot Gray Catbird 1 Entrance European Starling 1 Under martin houses Common Yellowthroat 2 Heard, Gull Pond Yellow Warbler 1 Heard, Exit Ponds Chipping Sparrow 2 Picnic tables Field Sparrow 1 Heard, Experimental Pool Song Sparrow 1 Heard, road to Gull Pond White-throated Sparrow 1 Picnic tables Northern Cardinal 1 Heard, Upland trail Red-winged Blackbird 25 Boat-tailed Grackle 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 5 House Sparrow 1 Squatter in martin houses. |
Friday, May 3, 2013
Manahawkin WMA 5/3--Black-necked Stilt
I headed to down Manahawkin WMA/Forsythe Bridge to Nowhere this morning. It's never been clear to me where one leaves off and the other begins, but I have been informed, after posting this question on Jerseybirds, that Manahawkin is on the right and the Bridge to Nowhere section on the left, as you approach the bridge.
It truly is a bridge into nothing. No one seems to have a good explanation as to where it was supposed to go or what it was supposed to do. There's nothing but wetlands across the channel.
Of course, it does make a great canvas for graffiti, that is when the local teenagers aren't setting fire to the structure.
Anyway, I've never had much luck birding this area, but then, it wasn't until started walking the road at Great Bay Blvd, instead of birding by car, that I had decent results there. The bird that drew me there was a reported Black-necked Stilt that a couple of people had seen on Wednesday. Stilts are vagrants to NJ--they're pretty easy to see at Bombay Hook in Delaware, but not a lot seem to make the flight over the bay to here and if you are going to see them, you'd expect it to be a place like Brigantine or maybe Heislerville.
I was also curious to walk the area--the stilt was said to be in "back impoundment" down a trail blocked to car traffic. I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in finding the bird, since someone on Thursday had not listed it there, but I hoisted the scope on my shoulder and walked about 1/4 mile down the road (picking up a tick in the process), turned left and, wow, there it was, a beautiful black and white bird with candy pink legs:
That pretty much made the day for me--not only is a great bird in itself, it's a great one to use for Bird A Day, it's an FOY and it's the first Ocean County listing for me.
I have to say that Stafford Avenue out in the marshes seems a slightly sinister place to me. Knowing the mischief created at the bridge probably adds to that aura and the cars and pick-up trucks slowly driving up and down the road, to no known purpose (they're not birding, they're not photographing, they're not fishing or crabbing, as on Great Bay Blvd) didn't make me feel comfortable just leaving the car on the side of the road for very long.
Then a helicopter landed.
A guy got out, stood looking down into the marsh for a few minutes and then got back in and off went the chopper. I noticed that a Mute Swan nearby didn't even look up as the copter nestled into the marsh grass.
The helicopter just added to the frisson of danger I was feeling, so I was fine with getting in the car, and heading back out to Route 9.
In the winter Stafford Avenue is a hot spot for Short-eared Owls. I don't know how much I'd like being there at dusk and later, when they start to hunt.
I found 21 species while there, plus some peeps on the wing I couldn't identify:
Canada Goose 6
Mute Swan 4
Mallard 3
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Egret 4
Snowy Egret 12
Little Blue Heron 1 Technically, this in the Bridge to Nowhere section
Glossy Ibis 24
Black-necked Stilt 1 Back impoundment off Stafford Avenue.
Greater Yellowlegs 6
Willet 3
peep sp. 4
Herring Gull 3
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Forster's Tern 5
Mourning Dove 2
Fish Crow 1
Tree Swallow 2
American Robin 5
Ovenbird 1 Heard in woods
Common Yellowthroat 2 Heard
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Of course, it does make a great canvas for graffiti, that is when the local teenagers aren't setting fire to the structure.
Anyway, I've never had much luck birding this area, but then, it wasn't until started walking the road at Great Bay Blvd, instead of birding by car, that I had decent results there. The bird that drew me there was a reported Black-necked Stilt that a couple of people had seen on Wednesday. Stilts are vagrants to NJ--they're pretty easy to see at Bombay Hook in Delaware, but not a lot seem to make the flight over the bay to here and if you are going to see them, you'd expect it to be a place like Brigantine or maybe Heislerville.
I was also curious to walk the area--the stilt was said to be in "back impoundment" down a trail blocked to car traffic. I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in finding the bird, since someone on Thursday had not listed it there, but I hoisted the scope on my shoulder and walked about 1/4 mile down the road (picking up a tick in the process), turned left and, wow, there it was, a beautiful black and white bird with candy pink legs:
 |
| Black-necked Stilt, digiscoped photo |
I have to say that Stafford Avenue out in the marshes seems a slightly sinister place to me. Knowing the mischief created at the bridge probably adds to that aura and the cars and pick-up trucks slowly driving up and down the road, to no known purpose (they're not birding, they're not photographing, they're not fishing or crabbing, as on Great Bay Blvd) didn't make me feel comfortable just leaving the car on the side of the road for very long.
Then a helicopter landed.
The helicopter just added to the frisson of danger I was feeling, so I was fine with getting in the car, and heading back out to Route 9.
In the winter Stafford Avenue is a hot spot for Short-eared Owls. I don't know how much I'd like being there at dusk and later, when they start to hunt.
I found 21 species while there, plus some peeps on the wing I couldn't identify:
Canada Goose 6
Mute Swan 4
Mallard 3
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Egret 4
Snowy Egret 12
Little Blue Heron 1 Technically, this in the Bridge to Nowhere section
Glossy Ibis 24
Black-necked Stilt 1 Back impoundment off Stafford Avenue.
Greater Yellowlegs 6
Willet 3
peep sp. 4
Herring Gull 3
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Forster's Tern 5
Mourning Dove 2
Fish Crow 1
Tree Swallow 2
American Robin 5
Ovenbird 1 Heard in woods
Common Yellowthroat 2 Heard
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Forsythe--Barnegat 5/3--Semipalmated Plover
After leaving Manahawkin, I drove up 9 toward Forked River; I wanted to go to our vet and buy more syringes for our diabetic cat. When I reached Bay Avenue in Barnegat, though, I impulsively turned right, figuring I'd see what those Forsythe impoundments held.
At first it looked like a wasted detour. I didn't see much out on the flat other than lots of Barn & Tree Swallows skimming the marsh and roosting on driftwood. But after scoping a bit I started to pick out some yellowlegs and then I found a couple of Semipalmated Plovers. I wasn't sure if they were considered rare this time of year (they're not) so I digiscoped them. Here's one:
I drove around the bend to the viewing platform and there I did find a rarity--at least for this time of year. A lone drake Northern Shoveler was in the shallows, shoveling the water.
So the stop was definitely worth the detour. Surprisingly, there were very few herons or egrets around. Usually, this time of year, it's a good place to find them.
Forsythe-Barnegat List:
19 species 1/2 hour of observation
Canada Goose 8
Mute Swan 1
American Black Duck 3
Mallard 2
Northern Shoveler 1 Seen from observation deck
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 2
Semipalmated Plover 2
Greater Yellowlegs 8
Least Sandpiper 1
Herring Gull 2
Forster's Tern 5
Fish Crow 1
Tree Swallow 10
Barn Swallow 25
Carolina Chickadee 1
Common Yellowthroat 1 Heard
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 5
At first it looked like a wasted detour. I didn't see much out on the flat other than lots of Barn & Tree Swallows skimming the marsh and roosting on driftwood. But after scoping a bit I started to pick out some yellowlegs and then I found a couple of Semipalmated Plovers. I wasn't sure if they were considered rare this time of year (they're not) so I digiscoped them. Here's one:
I drove around the bend to the viewing platform and there I did find a rarity--at least for this time of year. A lone drake Northern Shoveler was in the shallows, shoveling the water.
So the stop was definitely worth the detour. Surprisingly, there were very few herons or egrets around. Usually, this time of year, it's a good place to find them.
Forsythe-Barnegat List:
19 species 1/2 hour of observation
Canada Goose 8
Mute Swan 1
American Black Duck 3
Mallard 2
Northern Shoveler 1 Seen from observation deck
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 2
Semipalmated Plover 2
Greater Yellowlegs 8
Least Sandpiper 1
Herring Gull 2
Forster's Tern 5
Fish Crow 1
Tree Swallow 10
Barn Swallow 25
Carolina Chickadee 1
Common Yellowthroat 1 Heard
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 5
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Crestwood Village 5/2--Great Crested Flycatcher
Yesterday, I didn't use Barn Swallow for my Bird A Day entry because I thought that today I might need it. I had to drive the car to Lakewood this morning for maintenance; I wanted it checked over before our big road trip to Ohio next week. Knowing that there was the possibility of my not getting much birding in, I thought I might have to fall back on Barn Swallow, which I've seen above the dealership parking lot in the past. But there were none today.
Fortunately, the car needed a part that wouldn't be in until mid-afternoon so they ferried me home instead of making me wait half the day in their "lounge," where Fox News seems to be the default channel on the blaring TV. I decided to take my walk in Crestwood Village instead of the WMA--that way I didn't have to worry too much about ticks. I walked over to Schoolhouse Rd, through the woods along there, looked at the pond, looked at the power line cut, then walked around the drainage basin behind CVS. I was surprised to see and/or hear 5 warbler species, and I was especially happy to find a new year bird: Great Crested Flycatcher--it was a relatively huge bird with a bright yellow breast. I also finally saw a couple of Ovenbirds today--the trick is to look for them at eye level even though they're ventriloquists and sound like they're much higher up in the trees. I was going to use the flycatcher for B.A.D. until walking along the stream that parallels the power line cut I heard a couple of Prairie Warblers singing their ascending buzzy notes. Warblers are more transient than flycatchers, so I used the warbler instead. I'm a third of the way through the year with 122 days in a row with a unique bird listed. There a few challenging days ahead in this month which may not permit me to bird much. If I can make it through May, I think I have a good shot of at least getting through the summer.
Today's list from sleepy Crestwood Village:
Canada Goose 9
Turkey Vulture 1
Mourning Dove 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Heard
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Blue Jay 2 Heard
American Crow 1 Heard
Fish Crow 5
Tree Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 3 Heard
Tufted Titmouse 5
Carolina Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 7
European Starling 1
Ovenbird 5
Black-and-white Warbler 1 Heard
Common Yellowthroat 2 Heard
Pine Warbler 2
Prairie Warbler 2 Heard
Eastern Towhee 5
Chipping Sparrow 15
Song Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 4
Common Grackle 2
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 1
Fortunately, the car needed a part that wouldn't be in until mid-afternoon so they ferried me home instead of making me wait half the day in their "lounge," where Fox News seems to be the default channel on the blaring TV. I decided to take my walk in Crestwood Village instead of the WMA--that way I didn't have to worry too much about ticks. I walked over to Schoolhouse Rd, through the woods along there, looked at the pond, looked at the power line cut, then walked around the drainage basin behind CVS. I was surprised to see and/or hear 5 warbler species, and I was especially happy to find a new year bird: Great Crested Flycatcher--it was a relatively huge bird with a bright yellow breast. I also finally saw a couple of Ovenbirds today--the trick is to look for them at eye level even though they're ventriloquists and sound like they're much higher up in the trees. I was going to use the flycatcher for B.A.D. until walking along the stream that parallels the power line cut I heard a couple of Prairie Warblers singing their ascending buzzy notes. Warblers are more transient than flycatchers, so I used the warbler instead. I'm a third of the way through the year with 122 days in a row with a unique bird listed. There a few challenging days ahead in this month which may not permit me to bird much. If I can make it through May, I think I have a good shot of at least getting through the summer.
Today's list from sleepy Crestwood Village:
Canada Goose 9
Turkey Vulture 1
Mourning Dove 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Heard
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Blue Jay 2 Heard
American Crow 1 Heard
Fish Crow 5
Tree Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 3 Heard
Tufted Titmouse 5
Carolina Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 7
European Starling 1
Ovenbird 5
Black-and-white Warbler 1 Heard
Common Yellowthroat 2 Heard
Pine Warbler 2
Prairie Warbler 2 Heard
Eastern Towhee 5
Chipping Sparrow 15
Song Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 4
Common Grackle 2
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 1
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Horicon Lake 5/1--Gray Catbird
At last--Gray Catbirds have arrived. While searching for a Brown Thrasher that was singing high up in a tree (every phrase was doubled, so I knew it was a thrasher) I lowered my binoculars for a moment and found a catbird on a picnic table at the Horicon Lake. And when they arrive, they arrive in numbers. My count of 4 is very conservative. I'm always wary of counting birds twice when I and the birds are both moving around an area.
Usually, I have catbirds on the list by now, but that's probably because they are what's called "half hardy" birds, meaning that some overwinter. This winter was cold and none stayed around, at least that I could see. Now that they're here, I'll get sick of their mewling calls pretty quickly. I remember a September day in Prospect Park telling a birder I was with that I was damn tired of catbirds and he said, "Soon they'll be gone and you'll miss them." And, of course, he was right.
34 species for my walk in the park:
Canada Goose 20
Mallard 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 2 Heard
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 1 heard
Fish Crow 2
Purple Martin 2
Tree Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 2 heard
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 1
Gray Catbird 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 1 heard, every phrase doubled.
European Starling 5
Ovenbird 5 heard
Black-and-white Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 5
Pine Warbler 1 heard
Eastern Towhee 4
Chipping Sparrow 1 heard
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Common Grackle 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
Usually, I have catbirds on the list by now, but that's probably because they are what's called "half hardy" birds, meaning that some overwinter. This winter was cold and none stayed around, at least that I could see. Now that they're here, I'll get sick of their mewling calls pretty quickly. I remember a September day in Prospect Park telling a birder I was with that I was damn tired of catbirds and he said, "Soon they'll be gone and you'll miss them." And, of course, he was right.
34 species for my walk in the park:
Canada Goose 20
 |
| Couldn't resist |
Mallard 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 2 Heard
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 1 heard
Fish Crow 2
Purple Martin 2
Tree Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 2 heard
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 1
Gray Catbird 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 1 heard, every phrase doubled.
European Starling 5
Ovenbird 5 heard
Black-and-white Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 5
Pine Warbler 1 heard
Eastern Towhee 4
Chipping Sparrow 1 heard
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Common Grackle 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)