Ocean County 2/28

I noticed the last few days that scaup were being reported at Lake of the Lilies (which used to be called "Old Sam's Pond"--sounds like a real estate agent "improved" the name--and there ain't no lilies there that I've seen). I went up there this morning with the notion of testing myself on separating the lesser from the greater. The lake/pond is small enough that you can get fairly close to the ducks and judge their head shape. On a freshwater pond you'd expect to see mostly Lesser Scaup and there were about 200 of there, easily identified at fairly close distance by their peaked heads. Scoping the flock I managed to find at least one Greater Scaup--flatter head, slightly larger, slightly cleaner markings on its back. Possibly 2 but I wouldn't positively call the 2nd one. I didn't ace the test, but I'd give myself a B+.
Lake of the Lilies
19 species
Canada Goose  4
Mute Swan  5
Mallard  25
Greater Scaup  1
Lesser Scaup  200
Hooded Merganser  1
Great Blue Heron  1
American Coot  30
Killdeer  2
Ring-billed Gull  5
Herring Gull  15
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Mourning Dove  1
American Robin  1
European Starling  10
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Red-winged Blackbird  20
Common Grackle  15
House Finch  2
On my way up to Manasquan Inlet I stopped for a few minutes at Little Silver Lake--nothing unusual there.
Little Silver Lake
7 species
Mute Swan  1
Mallard  40
Bufflehead  10
Ring-billed Gull  10
Herring Gull  10
Song Sparrow  1
Red-winged Blackbird  2
Walking on the beach toward the jetty at the inlet I met a woman coming from it who asked if I'd seen the Razorbill. She hadn't and thought it was much too cold on the jetty to hang around looking for it. After a few minutes scanning the ocean I agreed with her. I didn't feel like freezing my face off in the hope of seeing a bird I'd already seen this year. I'd have liked to see the bird but I didn't feel any urgency about it. 


So immediately the rule that you never see a bird until you have truly given up on seeing it kicked in. I drove over to the parking lot that sits about midway along the inlet and as soon as I got out of the car--there it was!  Naked eye. I wish I had brought my camera because even I--a mediocre photographer with a crummy camera--could have gotten good shots of the alcid. It drifted the length of the parking lot east to west, preening itself, while I walked along seawall at a leisurely pace. It never dove once. 


I also saw a couple of loons and finally, a cormorant. 
Manasquan Inlet
8 species
Brant  25
Common Loon  2
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Ring-billed Gull  25
Herring Gull  25
Great Black-backed Gull  1
Razorbill  1   
House Sparrow  X
I had an errand in Toms River so my next 2 stops were there. I drove east on Bay Avenue until it ended at Shelter Cove Park. When I was there earlier this month it was a lot more active. Today the bay was very quiet. A few yellow-rumps were jumping around in the low branches of the trees. 
Shelter Cove Park
8 species
Canada Goose  5
Bufflehead  3
Ring-billed Gull  1
American Crow  1
Carolina Chickadee  1
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  4
My last stop, after lunch at my favorite diner, was Cattus Island Park. The predominate duck there was Buffflehead. With passerines, it was robins by far. A flock was constantly moving ahead of me as I walked on the blue trail through the woods. 


But what I found most interesting was seeing from the observation platform one drake Mallard and one hen American Black Duck paired up. Looks like a hybrid in the making. I found the most species at Cattus Island, as I would expect, since I covered the most ground there and surveyed a number of different habitats. 
Cattus Island County Park
21 species
Mute Swan  3
American Black Duck  1
Mallard  1 
Bufflehead  125
Red-breasted Merganser  2
Turkey Vulture  1
Herring Gull  5
Mourning Dove  3
Downy Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  1
Carolina Chickadee  5
Tufted Titmouse  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
American Robin  60
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Song Sparrow  3
White-throated Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  3    Two seen, one heard calling.
Red-winged Blackbird  10
House Finch  3
American Goldfinch  1