June Was a Productive Month

Our trip to the great Northwest certainly added a slew of birds we'd normally wouldn't have, including a decent number of lifers, but it is the trips to Brigantine and Lakehurst that stand out for me this month. On June 2 at Brig, because we were birding with Pete Bacinski, we totaled about half the species we'd eventually get for the month. At at Lakehurst, a few days later, again with Pete, we got the elusive UPLAND SANDPIPER as well as GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, plus Common Nighthawk, Eastern Meadowlark, and Horned Lark. Those are all birds on any year's wish list.

We had 2 rarities this month. They were rare only because of time of the year--Northern Shoveler and Red-breasted Nuthatch should have moved on by early June.

I've written enough about Alaska this month not to have to rehash it here. There were a lot of BVD's there (Better Views Desired).

White-winged Scoters in Glacier Bay, Alaska
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Counties birded:
Alaska: Juneau, Ketchikan Gateway, Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon, Sitka, Wrangell-Petersburg
British Columbia: Capital, Comox-Strathcona, Cowichan Valley, Mount Waddington
New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean
Washington: King

142 Species for the Month:

Species                     Location

Canada Goose          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Mute Swan          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Wood Duck          Brigantine

American Black Duck          Brigantine

Mallard          Whiting WMA

Northern Shoveler          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

White-winged Scoter          Glacier Bay

Black Scoter          Juneau Harbor

Common Merganser          Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Wild Turkey          35 Sunset Rd

Pacific Loon          Glacier Bay

Common Loon          Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS          Aboard MS Westerdam

NORTHERN FULMAR          Aboard MS Westerdam

LEACH'S STORM-PETREL          Aboard MS Westerdam

Double-crested Cormorant          Brigantine

Pelagic Cormorant          Glacier Bay

Great Blue Heron          Brigantine

Great Egret          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Snowy Egret          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Little Blue Heron          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Cattle Egret          Brigantine

Green Heron          Double Trouble State Park

Black-crowned Night-Heron          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron          Brigantine

Glossy Ibis          Brigantine

White-faced Ibis          Brigantine

Turkey Vulture          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Osprey          Brigantine

Bald Eagle          Lakehurst NAES

Red-tailed Hawk          Whiting WMA

American Kestrel          Lakehurst NAES

Peregrine Falcon          Brigantine

Clapper Rail          Brigantine

Virginia Rail          Brigantine

Common Gallinule          Brigantine

Black-bellied Plover          Brigantine

Semipalmated Plover          Brigantine

Killdeer          Brigantine

American Oystercatcher          Brigantine

Spotted Sandpiper          Brigantine

Greater Yellowlegs          Brigantine

Willet          Brigantine

UPLAND SANDPIPER          Lakehurst NAES

Whimbrel          Brigantine

Semipalmated Sandpiper          Brigantine

White-rumped Sandpiper          Brigantine

Dunlin          Brigantine

Short-billed Dowitcher          Brigantine

Black-legged Kittiwake          Glacier Bay

Bonaparte's Gull          Juneau Harbor

Laughing Gull          Brigantine

Mew Gull          Juneau Harbor

Ring-billed Gull          Brigantine

Herring Gull          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL          North Seattle

Great Black-backed Gull          Brigantine

Least Tern          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Gull-billed Tern          Brigantine

Caspian Tern          Brigantine

Arctic Tern          Glacier Bay

Forster's Tern          Brigantine

Black Skimmer          Brigantine

Common Murre          Glacier Bay

Pigeon Guillemot          Pier 91 Seattle

MARBLED MURRELET          Glacier Bay

CASSIN'S AUKLET          Juan de Fuca Strait

RHINOCEROS AUKLET          Juan de Fuca Strait

TUFTED PUFFIN          Glacier Bay

Rock Pigeon          Juneau--downtown

Mourning Dove          Whiting WMA

Yellow-billed Cuckoo          Wells Mills Park

Common Nighthawk          Lakehurst NAES

CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW          Brigantine

Eastern Whip-poor-will          35 Sunset Rd

Ruby-throated Hummingbird          Crestwood Village

Belted Kingfisher          Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Red-bellied Woodpecker          Brigantine

RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER          Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Downy Woodpecker          Whiting WMA

Northern Flicker          North Seattle

Eastern Wood-Pewee          Whiting WMA

Eastern Phoebe          Whiting WMA

Great Crested Flycatcher          Whiting WMA

Eastern Kingbird          Whiting WMA

Blue Jay          Whiting WMA

American Crow          Brigantine

NORTHWESTERN CROW          Juneau Harbor

Fish Crow          Whiting WMA

Common Raven          Juneau--downtown

Horned Lark          Lakehurst NAES

Purple Martin          Brigantine

Tree Swallow          Whiting WMA

Barn Swallow          Brigantine

Carolina Chickadee          Whiting WMA

Black-capped Chickadee          North Seattle

Chestnut-backed Chickadee          Sitka Nat. Historical Park

Tufted Titmouse          Whiting WMA

Red-breasted Nuthatch          35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch          Whiting WMA

Carolina Wren          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Bewick's Wren          North Seattle

House Wren          Whiting WMA

Marsh Wren          Brigantine

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher          Whiting WMA

Eastern Bluebird          Whiting WMA

Swainson's Thrush          Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Hermit Thrush          Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Wood Thrush          Wells Mills Park

American Robin          Whiting WMA

Varied Thrush          Mt. Roberts Tramway

Gray Catbird          Whiting WMA

Northern Mockingbird          Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

European Starling          Brigantine

Cedar Waxwing          Whiting WMA

Ovenbird          Whiting WMA

Black-and-white Warbler          Whiting WMA

Common Yellowthroat          Whiting WMA

Yellow Warbler          Brigantine

Pine Warbler          Whiting WMA

Prairie Warbler          Whiting WMA

Townsend's Warbler          Sitka Nat. Historical Park

Spotted Towhee          North Seattle

Eastern Towhee          Whiting WMA

Chipping Sparrow          Whiting WMA

Field Sparrow          Brigantine

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW          Lakehurst NAES

Seaside Sparrow          Brigantine

Song Sparrow          Brigantine

Lincoln's Sparrow          Starrigavan Estuary (Sitka)

Dark-eyed Junco          North Seattle

Northern Cardinal          Whiting WMA

Indigo Bunting          Brigantine

Red-winged Blackbird          Whiting WMA

Eastern Meadowlark          Lakehurst NAES

Common Grackle          Whiting WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle          Brigantine

Brown-headed Cowbird          35 Sunset Rd

Orchard Oriole          Brigantine

House Finch          Whiting WMA

American Goldfinch          Brigantine

House Sparrow          North Seattle

Ketchikan, Alaska
Photo: Shari Zirlin