End of the Year Review

We ranged from Alaska to Puerto Rico in our pursuit of birds this year. 311 species for 2012, far ahead of last year. 20 life birds for each of us, though not exactly the same birds. While we saw lifers in Puerto Rico, Washington, & Alaska, I think the most satisfying ones, the ones I enjoyed the most were the lifers close to home. UPLAND SANDPIPER and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW this June with Pete Bacinski and Linda Mack at Lakehurst Naval Base were exciting finds for us--20 minutes from home, but only accessible once a year when the base opens itself up for birders. And finally hearing a CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOW at Brigantine with Pete this summer was also very special.

The first lifer for me wasn't until May when we went to Chincoteague and Shari took me to the spot where she'd seen BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES previously with Pete and Scott and sure enough, there they were. Our last life bird was just a couple of weeks ago, SHINY COWBIRD, in the side yard of a the Puerto Vieja Cafe, along with Yellow-shouldered Blackbirds.

Superstorm Sandy did so much damage to so much habitat all along the east coast that it seems almost impossible that places like Brigantine or Jamaica Bay will ever be restored to how they were. How this affects the bird populations on their migrations is yet to be known. It does make finding birds more of a challenge, a small problem compared to what the birds are facing. (And no, my sympathies don't extend to people who wanted to live on the edge of the ocean and inevitably lost their homes.)

On a boastful note, unless Scott Barnes sneaks into Ocean County today and finds a couple of more birds, it looks like I'll finish #1 in the county for the year with 182 species. It is a testament to my obsessiveness, not my birding skills.

And so the final list for 2012: (UPPERCASE BOLD is a life bird).

Species                                          Location

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck     Brigantine

West Indian Whistling-Duck     Laguna Cartegena

Snow Goose     Brigantine

Brant     Nummy Island

Barnacle Goose     Mercer Corporate Park

Canada Goose     Cape May Point SP

Mute Swan     Cape May Point SP

Tundra Swan     Brigantine

Wood Duck     Whiting WMA

Gadwall     Cape May Point SP

American Wigeon     Cape May Point SP

American Black Duck     Sandy Hook

Mallard     Cape May Point SP

Blue-winged Teal     Brigantine

Northern Shoveler     Cape May Point SP

White-cheeked Pintail     Pond Near Copamarina

Northern Pintail     Cape May Point SP

Green-winged Teal     Cape May Point SP

Canvasback     Riverfront Landing

Ring-necked Duck     Cape May Point SP

TUFTED DUCK     Laguna Cartegena

Greater Scaup     Sandy Hook

Lesser Scaup     Cape May Point SP

Common Eider     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

Harlequin Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Surf Scoter     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

White-winged Scoter     Sandy Hook

Black Scoter     Cape May Point SP

Long-tailed Duck     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

Bufflehead     Nummy Island

Common Goldeneye     Sandy Hook

Hooded Merganser     Cape May Point SP

Common Merganser     Lilly Lake

Red-breasted Merganser     Nummy Island

Masked Duck     Laguna Cartegena

Ruddy Duck     Prospect Park

HELMETED GUINEAFOWL     Laguna Cartegena

Northern Bobwhite     35 Sunset Rd

Ring-necked Pheasant     Lacey Road

Ruffed Grouse     Coles Brook Farm

Wild Turkey     GSP MM 95

Red-throated Loon     Cape May Point SP

Pacific Loon     Glacier Bay

Common Loon     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

Pied-billed Grebe     Cape May Point SP

Horned Grebe     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS     Aboard MS Westerdam

NORTHERN FULMAR     Aboard MS Westerdam

LEACH'S STORM-PETREL     Aboard MS Westerdam

Magnificent Frigatebird     Outside Ponce

Brown Booby     Cabo Rojo NWR

Northern Gannet     Cape May Point SP

Double-crested Cormorant     Lilly Lake

Great Cormorant     Nummy Island

Pelagic Cormorant     Glacier Bay

American White Pelican     Brigantine

Brown Pelican     Great Bay Blvd WMA

American Bittern     Brigantine

Least Bittern     Bombay Hook NWR

Great Blue Heron     Cape May Point SP

Great Egret     Cape May Point SP

Snowy Egret     Brigantine

Little Blue Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Tricolored Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Reddish Egret     Brigantine

Cattle Egret     Brigantine

Green Heron     Chincoteague NWR--Wildlife Loop

Black-crowned Night-Heron     Brigantine

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron     Great Bay Blvd WMA

White Ibis     Chincoteague NWR

Glossy Ibis     Brigantine

White-faced Ibis     Brigantine

Black Vulture     Cape May Point SP

Turkey Vulture     Cape May Point SP

Osprey     Mt. Loretto Unique Area

Northern Harrier     Brigantine

Sharp-shinned Hawk     Cape May Point SP

Cooper's Hawk     Whiting WMA

Bald Eagle     Bombay Hook NWR

Red-shouldered Hawk     Cape May Point SP

Red-tailed Hawk     Central Park

Clapper Rail     Little Toms Cove

Virginia Rail     Brigantine

Sora     Horicon Lake

Purple Gallinule     Laguna Cartegena

Common Gallinule     Brigantine

American Coot     Cape May Point SP

Caribbean Coot     Laguna Cartegena

Black-bellied Plover     Stone Harbor Point

American Golden-Plover     Bombay Hook NWR

Wilson's Plover     Cabo Rojo NWR

Semipalmated Plover     Chincoteague NWR--Wildlife Loop

Piping Plover     Assateague Island

Killdeer     Shelter Cove Park

American Oystercatcher     Nummy Island

Black-necked Stilt     Bombay Hook NWR

American Avocet     Ted Harvey WMA

Spotted Sandpiper     Prospect Park

Solitary Sandpiper     Whiting WMA

Greater Yellowlegs     Bombay Hook NWR

Willet     Brigantine

Lesser Yellowlegs     Bombay Hook NWR

UPLAND SANDPIPER     Lakehurst NAES

Whimbrel     Brigantine

Hudsonian Godwit     Bombay Hook NWR

Marbled Godwit     Nummy Island

Ruddy Turnstone     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

Red Knot     Stone Harbor Point

Sanderling     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

Semipalmated Sandpiper     Brigantine

Western Sandpiper     Brigantine

Least Sandpiper     Chincoteague NWR--Marsh Trail

White-rumped Sandpiper     Brigantine

Pectoral Sandpiper     Bombay Hook NWR

Purple Sandpiper     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

Dunlin     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

Stilt Sandpiper     Brigantine

Buff-breasted Sandpiper     Sandy Hook

RUFF     Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--East Pond

Short-billed Dowitcher     Brigantine

Long-billed Dowitcher     Brigantine

Wilson's Phalarope     Brigantine

Red-necked Phalarope     Cabo Rojo NWR

Black-legged Kittiwake     Glacier Bay

Bonaparte's Gull     Cape May Point SP

Laughing Gull     Cape May Meadows

Mew Gull     Juneau Harbor

Ring-billed Gull     Cape May Point SP

Herring Gull     Cape May Point SP

Lesser Black-backed Gull     Brigantine

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL     North Seattle

Great Black-backed Gull     Cape May Point SP

Least Tern     Horicon Lake

Gull-billed Tern     Brigantine

Caspian Tern     Brigantine

Black Tern     Sandy Hook

Common Tern     Assateague Island

Arctic Tern     Glacier Bay

Forster's Tern     Cape May Point SP

Royal Tern     Brigantine

Sandwich Tern     Boqueron

Black Skimmer     Assateague Island

Common Murre     Glacier Bay

Razorbill     Manasquan Inlet

Pigeon Guillemot     Pier 91

MARBLED MURRELET     Glacier Bay

CASSIN'S AUKLET     Juan de Fuca Strait

RHINOCEROS AUKLET     Juan de Fuca Strait

TUFTED PUFFIN     Glacier Bay

Rock Pigeon     Cape May Point SP

Eurasian Collared-Dove     Lincoln Ave, Cape May Pt

White-winged Dove     Lincoln Ave, Cape May Pt

Zenaida Dove     Guanica

Mourning Dove     Avalon--8th St. Jetty

Common Ground-Dove     Ponce--general area

Yellow-billed Cuckoo     Wells Mills Park

Mangrove Cuckoo     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

Black-billed Cuckoo     Island Beach SP

Smooth-billed Ani     Laguna Cartegena

Eastern Screech-Owl     35 Sunset Rd

Great Horned Owl     Prospect Park

Barred Owl     Bombay Hook NWR

Common Nighthawk     Lakehurst NAES

CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW     Brigantine

Eastern Whip-poor-will     35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift     Brigantine

Antillean Mango     Copamarina

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     35 Sunset Rd

Puerto Rican Tody     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

Belted Kingfisher     Cattus Island County Park

Puerto Rican Woodpecker     Laguna Cartegena

Red-bellied Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     Crestwood Village

RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER     Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Downy Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd

Northern Flicker     Cape May Point SP

Pileated Woodpecker     Walkway over the Hudson

Crested Caracara     Princeton Junction--Grover Farm

American Kestrel     Whiting WMA

Merlin     18 Aberdeen Avenue

Peregrine Falcon     Brigantine

Caribbean Elaenia     Cabo Rojo

Eastern Wood-Pewee     Winding Hills County Park

Lesser Antillean Pewee     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

Acadian Flycatcher     Chincoteague NWR

Willow Flycatcher     Bombay Hook NWR

Eastern Phoebe     White's Bogs

Great Crested Flycatcher     Double Trouble State Park

Puerto Rican Flycatcher     Laguna Cartegena

Eastern Kingbird     Whiting WMA

Gray Kingbird     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

LOGGERHEAD KINGBIRD     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

White-eyed Vireo     Brigantine

Bell's Vireo     Cape Island--The Beanery (Rea Farm)

Blue-headed Vireo     Island Beach SP

Warbling Vireo     Whiting WMA

Philadelphia Vireo     Central Park

Red-eyed Vireo     Bombay Hook NWR

Blue Jay     Lilly Lake

American Crow     Cape May Point SP

NORTHWESTERN CROW     Juneau Harbor

Fish Crow     Whiting WMA

Common Raven     Juneau--downtown

Horned Lark     Fast Landing Rd

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     Lighthouse Pond

Purple Martin     Brigantine

Tree Swallow     Whiting WMA

Bank Swallow     Bombay Hook NWR

Barn Swallow     Cape May Meadows

Cliff Swallow     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Cave Swallow     Cemetery of the Resurrection

Carolina Chickadee     35 Sunset Rd

Black-capped Chickadee     Allaire State Park

Chestnut-backed Chickadee     Sitka Nat. Historical Park

Tufted Titmouse     Whiting WMA

Red-breasted Nuthatch     Crestwood Village

White-breasted Nuthatch     Whiting WMA

BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH     Chincoteague NWR

Brown Creeper     Whiting WMA

House Wren     Whiting WMA

Winter Wren     Prime Hook NWR--Headquarters area

Marsh Wren     Bombay Hook NWR

Bewick's Wren     North Seattle

Carolina Wren     Cape May Point SP

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     Estell Manor Park(move)

Golden-crowned Kinglet     Whiting WMA

Ruby-crowned Kinglet     Whiting WMA

Eastern Bluebird     Cape Island--The Beanery (Rea Farm)

Veery     Double Trouble State Park

Swainson's Thrush     Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Hermit Thrush     Cattus Island County Park

Wood Thrush     Whiting WMA

American Robin     Cape May Point SP

Varied Thrush     Mt. Roberts Tramway

Gray Catbird     Brigantine

Northern Mockingbird     Cape May Point SP

Brown Thrasher     Double Trouble State Park

Pearly-eyed Thrasher     Copamarina

European Starling     Cape May Point SP

Cedar Waxwing     Cape May Point SP

Snow Bunting     Sandy Hook

Ovenbird     Whiting WMA

Northern Waterthrush     Prospect Park

Blue-winged Warbler     Double Trouble State Park

Black-and-white Warbler     Whiting WMA

Nashville Warbler     Cape May Point SP

Common Yellowthroat     Whiting WMA

Hooded Warbler     Double Trouble State Park

American Redstart     Central Park

Northern Parula     Crestwood Village

Magnolia Warbler     Chincoteague NWR

Blackburnian Warbler     Cape May Point SP

Yellow Warbler     Crossley Preserve

Chestnut-sided Warbler     Cape May Point SP

Blackpoll Warbler     Island Beach SP

Black-throated Blue Warbler     Cape May Point SP

Palm Warbler     Horicon Lake

Pine Warbler     Whiting WMA

Yellow-rumped Warbler     Cape May Point SP

Prairie Warbler     Whiting WMA

Adelaide's Warbler     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

Townsend's Warbler     Sitka Nat. Historical Park

Canada Warbler     Central Park

Yellow-breasted Chat     Bryant Park

Bananaquit     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

Yellow-faced Grassquit     Laguna Cartegena

Black-faced Grassquit     Laguna Cartegena

Puerto Rican Bullfinch     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

Spotted Towhee     North Seattle

Eastern Towhee     Whiting WMA

American Tree Sparrow     White's Bogs

Chipping Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow     Sandy Hook

Savannah Sparrow     Great Bay Blvd WMA

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW     Lakehurst NAES

Saltmarsh Sparrow     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Seaside Sparrow     Brigantine

Fox Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

Song Sparrow     Crestwood Village

Lincoln's Sparrow     Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Swamp Sparrow     Little Creek Wildlife Area

White-throated Sparrow     Empty lot at Whildin and Harvard

White-crowned Sparrow     Island Beach SP

Dark-eyed Junco     Whiting WMA

Northern Cardinal     Cape May Point SP

Rose-breasted Grosbeak     35 Sunset Rd

Blue Grosbeak     Chincoteague NWR

Indigo Bunting     Chincoteague NWR

Dickcissel     Empty lot at Whildin and Harvard

Red-winged Blackbird     Brigantine

Yellow-shouldered Blackbird     Puerto Viejo Cafe

Eastern Meadowlark     Lakehurst NAES

Common Grackle     Clara Barton rest stop

Boat-tailed Grackle     Bridge to Nowhere

Greater Antillean Grackle     Copamarina

SHINY COWBIRD     Puerto Viejo Cafe

Brown-headed Cowbird     Sandy Hook

Orchard Oriole     Chincoteague NWR

Venezuelan Troupial     Pond Near Copamarina

Baltimore Oriole     Cape May Point SP

Antillean Euphonia     Bosque Estatal de Guánica

Purple Finch     35 Sunset Rd

House Finch     Cape Island--The Beanery (Rea Farm)

Red Crossbill     Deal--Clem Conover Rd.

Pine Siskin     35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch     35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow     Empty lot at Whildin and Harvard

ORANGE BISHOP     Laguna Cartegena

Orange-cheeked Waxbill     Laguna Cartegena

Bronze Mannikin     Cabo Rojo