NJ North Shore--1/15

Photo by Shari Zirlin

We headed down to the Jersey north shore today. Our target bird was RED CROSSBILL, which would be a lifer for us. Our first stop was Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch, where White-winged Crossbills had been reported. I thought we'd have to go a little farther south to Deal to find the Red Crossbills, but happily there were 2 birds flying back & forth in the Japanese Black Pines, nibbling on the cones. We got great "field guide" views. Thanks to the birder who initially pointed them out to us. A slight disappointment was that there were no White-wings, but we'd already spent a winter chasing them a couple of years ago, finally finding them down in Mercer County.

(On an historical note, I expected to see a plaque somewhere listing the seven presidents for whom the park is named but maybe it was covered in snow or ice since I didn't find it. So I googled the park. I was guessing presidents like Chester A. Arthur and Rutherford B. Hayes and I was right on those two along with Grant, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley, & Wilson, all having spent summer vacations in Long Branch)

We decided to scan the ocean to see what else we could turn up and the great surprise was a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE flying along with some Ring-billed Gulls. A life bird for me, not for Shari, who has seen them on pelagic trips that I won't go on. This is a bird I never really expected to see since they aren't that common so close to shore and I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to pick it out if it weren't for the kindness of another birder who who got it in his scope for me.

So with 2 lifers anything we saw today was gravy. We drove down to the Shark River inlet where we saw only a couple of Common Loons. Although I suppose if we had looked harder in the stiff breeze coming off the ocean, one of the loons might have been the Pacific Loon that was reported there today. Didn't see the Purple Sandpipers on the jetty that were also reported there earlier in the morning.

However, we drove to the other side of Belmar and parked at a marina on the Shark River and found lots of ducks, geese, and swans. We also found a Turkey Vulture tearing apart a gull in the parking lot. It was very intent on its meal and didn't seem to mind us until we were practically on top of it. Oh, nature red in tooth and claw.

Photo by Shari Zirlin

Finally, we turned back north and went to Sandy Hook, but there was really nothing on the water to see. Sparrows were the highlight, a Fox Sparrow and a 3 American Tree Sparrows. Also hundreds of robins roosting in the bare branches of trees as twilight descended.

Our lists:
Seven Presidents Park
Number of species:    11
Canada Goose    30
Long-tailed Duck    2
Ruddy Duck    1
Red-throated Loon    1
Common Loon    4
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE    1
Ring-billed Gull    50
Great Black-backed Gull    2
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1
Song Sparrow    3
RED CROSSBILL  2    One Adult male & 1 first year male? 
Shark River
Number of species:    15
Brant    500
Canada Goose    50
Mute Swan    150
American Wigeon    6
American Black Duck    200
Bufflehead    100
Hooded Merganser    30
Red-breasted Merganser    2
Ruddy Duck    20
Double-crested Cormorant    2
Turkey Vulture    1
Ring-billed Gull    150
Herring Gull    10
Great Black-backed Gull    5
American Crow    4
Sandy Hook
Number of species:    12
Canada Goose    25   
American Black Duck    1
Ring-billed Gull    100
Herring Gull    3
Great Black-backed Gull    5
American Robin    300
European Starling    25
American Tree Sparrow    3
Fox Sparrow    1
Song Sparrow    3
White-throated Sparrow    5
Northern Cardinal    2

The BirdMobile after 3 snowstorms
Photo by Shari Zirlin