April Roundup

With 3 field trips and the reopening of our beloved Brigantine, April was our best month this year in terms of both quantity (142 species) and quality. What's quality?  During our trip to Brigantine, one of the participants was a casual birder; she was trying to figure out why Chipping Sparrows were shrugged at while a Northern Rough-winged Swallow was a "good" bird. She understood if the bird was rare, then it was good, but what else made a bird a quality bird?

Hard to say, since it is subjective. Warblers, because they migrate, tend to be elusive, and are pretty little birds for the most part, are generally considered quality birds--but some, like Yellow-rumped Warlbers which overwinter, don't get anyone's heart racing.  Raptors, rare or not, are generally sought after, because they're dramatic. Everyone loves a Bald Eagle even though they're certainly not "rare" anymore--thankfully. I'm always amused at how much attention Ospreys get--I certainly don't consider them quality birds, but judging from the the number of photos taken of Ospreys on nests at Brigantine, I'm in the minority there.

Shorebirds attain quality status when they are tricky to identify. At certain times of the year, Western Sandpipers are not that rare on the east coast, but picking them out from Semipalmated Sandpipers takes experience and a good eye--find a Western Sandpiper and you have a good bird.

And then there's the personal aspect--some birds you just like. Shari's favorite, American Oystercatcher is common--and it isn't it great that such a goofy looking bird is common? The day's birding is a success once she's seen one. As for me, any time I see a Cedar Waxwing, I'm happy.

In the list below, birds that are underlined are rarities. There are 2 kinds of rarities: absolute rarities like Crested Caracara that are out of their range, and seasonal rarities like Long-billed Dowitcher which are found at the 'wrong' time of the year. Birds in bold italics are first of year birds.

Counties birded:
New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem
New York: New York

Species               Location

Snow Goose     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Brant     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Canada Goose     Horicon Lake

Mute Swan     Salem River WRA

Wood Duck     Horicon Lake

Gadwall     Salem River WRA

American Wigeon     Salem River WRA

American Black Duck     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Mallard     Horicon Lake

Blue-winged Teal     Salem River WRA

Northern Shoveler     Salem River WRA

Northern Pintail     Brigantine

Green-winged Teal     Pedricktown Marsh

Ring-necked Duck     Horicon Lake

Greater Scaup     Riverfront Landing

Lesser Scaup     Riverfront Landing

Bufflehead     Horicon Lake

Red-breasted Merganser     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Ruddy Duck     Riverfront Landing

Wild Turkey     Brynmore / Big Woods Rd. fields

Red-throated Loon     Cattus Island County Park

Common Loon     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Pied-billed Grebe     Salem River WRA

Horned Grebe     Cattus Island County Park

Double-crested Cormorant     Horicon Lake

Great Blue Heron     Horicon Lake

Great Egret     Horicon Lake

Snowy Egret     Cattus Island County Park

Little Blue Heron     Brigantine

Tricolored Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Black-crowned Night-Heron     Heislerville WMA

Glossy Ibis     Brigantine

Black Vulture     Pedricktown Marsh

Turkey Vulture     35 Sunset Rd

Osprey     Horicon Lake

Northern Harrier     Featherbed Lane WMA

Cooper's Hawk     Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Lily Lake

Bald Eagle     Whiting WMA

Broad-winged Hawk     Brigantine

Red-tailed Hawk     Rt. 70

Clapper Rail     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

American Coot     Salem River WRA

Black-bellied Plover     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Killdeer     Pedricktown Marsh

American Oystercatcher     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Greater Yellowlegs     Cattus Island County Park

Willet     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Lesser Yellowlegs     Brigantine

Whimbrel     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Sanderling     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Least Sandpiper     Heislerville WMA

Pectoral Sandpiper     Brynmore / Big Woods Rd. fields

Dunlin     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Short-billed Dowitcher     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Long-billed Dowitcher     Heislerville WMA

Wilson's Snipe     Mannington Marsh

Wilson's Phalarope     Heislerville WMA

Laughing Gull     Riverfront Landing

Ring-billed Gull     Brigantine

Herring Gull     Cattus Island County Park

Glaucous Gull     Heislerville WMA

Great Black-backed Gull     Cattus Island County Park

Gull-billed Tern     Brigantine

Caspian Tern     Brigantine

Forster's Tern     Brigantine

Rock Pigeon     Brynmore / Big Woods Rd. fields

Mourning Dove     Cattus Island County Park

Great Horned Owl     Pedricktown Marsh

Eastern Whip-poor-will     35 Sunset Rd

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     35 Sunset Rd

Belted Kingfisher     Double Trouble State Park

Red-bellied Woodpecker     Horicon Lake

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     Double Trouble State Park

Downy Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker     Salem River WRA

Northern Flicker     Cattus Island County Park

Crested Caracara     Featherbed Lane WMA

American Kestrel     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Peregrine Falcon     Brigantine

Eastern Phoebe     Horicon Lake

Eastern Kingbird     Horicon Lake

White-eyed Vireo     Horicon Lake

Blue-headed Vireo     Belleplain State Forest

Blue Jay     Horicon Lake

American Crow     Horicon Lake

Fish Crow     Horicon Lake

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     Salem River WRA

Purple Martin     Brigantine

Tree Swallow     Cattus Island County Park

Barn Swallow     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Carolina Chickadee     Horicon Lake

Tufted Titmouse     Horicon Lake

Red-breasted Nuthatch     Cattus Island County Park

White-breasted Nuthatch     Horicon Lake

Brown Creeper     Double Trouble State Park

House Wren     Belleplain State Forest

Winter Wren     Central Park

Carolina Wren     Horicon Lake

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     Double Trouble State Park

Golden-crowned Kinglet     Brigantine

Ruby-crowned Kinglet     Double Trouble State Park

Eastern Bluebird     Cattus Island County Park

Hermit Thrush     Brigantine

American Robin     35 Sunset Rd

Northern Mockingbird     Featherbed Lane WMA

Brown Thrasher     White's Bogs

European Starling     Horicon Lake

American Pipit     Brigantine

Cedar Waxwing     Brigantine

Ovenbird     Whiting WMA

Worm-eating Warbler     Belleplain State Forest

Black-and-white Warbler     Horicon Lake

Prothonotary Warbler     Belleplain State Forest

Common Yellowthroat     Horicon Lake

Hooded Warbler     Belleplain State Forest

Yellow Warbler     Brigantine

Palm Warbler     Heritage Park

Pine Warbler     Cattus Island County Park

Yellow-rumped Warbler     Heritage Park

Yellow-throated Warbler     Belleplain State Forest

Prairie Warbler     Horicon Lake

Eastern Towhee     Whiting WMA

Chipping Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow     Assunpink WMA

Savannah Sparrow     Brigantine

Seaside Sparrow     Brigantine

Fox Sparrow     Double Trouble State Park

Song Sparrow     Horicon Lake

Swamp Sparrow     Central Park

White-throated Sparrow     Horicon Lake

Dark-eyed Junco     Horicon Lake

Summer Tanager     Belleplain State Forest

Northern Cardinal     Horicon Lake

Red-winged Blackbird     Cattus Island County Park

Eastern Meadowlark     Featherbed Lane WMA

Yellow-headed Blackbird     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Common Grackle     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird     35 Sunset Rd

House Finch     35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch     35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow     Horicon Lake

Brigantine 4/28--Broad-winged Hawk, Gull-billed Tern, Yellow Warbler

American Oystercatcher on nest.
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Day two of our weekend bird-a-rama with Pete Bacinksi. Today we did 2 loops around the Wildlife Drive at Brig. The first time around was productive. On the 2nd trip we seemed to enter what Pete called a "bird free zone." However, a stop at the Experimental Pool where we hung out for 20 minutes produced some "quality" birds including our FOY Broad-winged Hawks, albeit very distant views of high flying birds. 

For Shari, of course, the highlight of the day was seeing the oystercatchers, particularly the one pictured above, sitting on a nest. This is the first time we've seen a nesting oystercatcher. The nest is just a scraped out area in the gravel. The staff at Forsythe has cordoned off the area with traffic cones  since the birds decided that 5 feet off the road was the perfect place to scratch out their nest. 

It was, as it so often seems to happen, another "Heinz" day for us: 57 varieties of birds. I'm stretching this just a little by counting the pigeon we saw on New York Road on the way to the refuge. Hard to believe, but that was the first pigeon I've seen in Atlantic County.

Day List:

Brant  120
Canada Goose  31
Mute Swan  4
American Black Duck  100
Mallard  6
Blue-winged Teal  5
Green-winged Teal  3
Red-breasted Merganser  1
Ruddy Duck  13
Double-crested Cormorant  50
Great Egret  25
Snowy Egret  20
Glossy Ibis  4    f/o Experimental Pool
Black Vulture  1    f/o Experimental Pool
Turkey Vulture  7
Osprey  8
Broad-winged Hawk  2    High over Experimental Pool
Clapper Rail  1    Heard
Black-bellied Plover  20
American Oystercatcher  6    
Greater Yellowlegs  25
Willet  100
Whimbrel  25
Least Sandpiper  2
Dunlin  200
Short-billed Dowitcher  50
Long-billed Dowitcher  1    
Laughing Gull  5
Ring-billed Gull  2
Herring Gull  100
Great Black-backed Gull  6
Gull-billed Tern  2    North Dike
Forster's Tern  100 

Rock Pigeon 1   New York Road  

Red-bellied Woodpecker   1   Heard Lily Lake

Peregrine Falcon  3    On tower  

White-eyed Vireo 1 Heard Lily Lake
Blue Jay  1    Heard
American Crow  1    Heard
Fish Crow  5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1    Gull Pond
Purple Martin  20
Tree Swallow  10
Barn Swallow  1    Experimental Pool
Carolina Chickadee  3    Heard
Tufted Titmouse  1    Heard
Carolina Wren  1    Heard
American Robin  4    Picnic tables and parking lot
Common Yellowthroat  3    Heard
Yellow Warbler  1    Heard upland trail
Eastern Towhee  1    Heard upland trail
Chipping Sparrow  10    Picnic tables and parking lot
Seaside Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  5    Heard
Northern Cardinal  2    Heard
Red-winged Blackbird  50
American Goldfinch  1    Heard Experimental Pool

Heislerville WMA 4/27--Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Phalarope, Glaucous Gull

Heislerville Rookery
Photos: Shari Zirlin

After lunch we caravanned over to the Heislerville WMA, a series of impoundments on the Delaware Bay shore, sort of southwest NJ's answer to Brigantine. The sight of the rookery was impressive, the trees at the bottom and in the middle looking like they had huge cotton balls of egrets stuck on them, while at the top, Double-crested Cormorants sat, preened, and dried their feathers. While I've seen a number of heron rookeries, I've never seen one shared with cormorants. In fact, I've never seen cormorants nesting at all.

Thousands of shorebirds were on the mud flats--mostly Dunlins, which are coming into the their very attractive rufous and black breeding plumage, and Short-billed Dowitchers, a few of them of hendersoni sub-species, looking as red on their breasts as a robin.

There were three rarities on the flats, the rarest being, I suppose, the Wilson's Phalarope, always a good bird to find. That one we knew about and with the help of some other birders who were already "on" the bird, we didn't have too much trouble finding it. It also came in close enough to for Shari to get some pretty good photos of it:

Scoping the huge flocks of shorebirds, Pete started picking out the much rarer (for NJ) and very early arrival, Long-billed Dowitchers, best described as looking like hump-back dowitchers that have swallowed, depending on who you're talking to, a basketball, a grapefruit, or a softball. Pete said there were about 100 out there. I was happy to be able to confidently identify three. 

Also, loafing on a piling, was a very white, presumably 2nd winter, Glaucous Gull, another rare find for NJ at any time of the year. This is the kind of gull I'd easily overlook on my own. I don't usually  have the patience or sitzfleisch to sort through hundreds of common gulls, looking for the rarity. That's why it's good to go with those who do. 

Toward the end of the day we were all getting a little goofy, trying to build up the day list, so birds that normally would be barely noted, like Mallard, Mute Swan, and Boat-tailed Grackle, were each greeted with a cheer and its number on the list called out by Mike Mandracchia, the official tallier on these outings. I think the cumulative number for the group was about 83. Shari & I finished the day with 74, which is a fine number any day.

Heislerville WMA list:

36 species

Canada Goose  10
Mute Swan  1
American Black Duck  1
Mallard  1    North Impoundment
Blue-winged Teal  1    Main Pool
Northern Shoveler  3
Green-winged Teal  1
Red-breasted Merganser  3
Double-crested Cormorant  50
Great Blue Heron  1    North Impoundment
Great Egret  50
Snowy Egret  10
Black-crowned Night-Heron  4    North Impoundment rookery
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  4
Bald Eagle  2
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Clapper Rail  1    Heard
Black-bellied Plover  1
Greater Yellowlegs  25
Lesser Yellowlegs  3
Least Sandpiper  1
Dunlin  2000
Short-billed Dowitcher  500
Long-billed Dowitcher  3    
Wilson's Phalarope  1   
Laughing Gull  2
Herring Gull  50
Glaucous Gull  1    
Great Black-backed Gull  6
Forster's Tern  10
Barn Swallow  1
Eastern Towhee  1    Heard
Song Sparrow  1  Heard
Red-winged Blackbird  1
Boat-tailed Grackle  1

Tomorrow: Brigantine.

Belleplain SF 4/27--Blue-headed Vireo, House Wren, Worm-eating, Prothonotary, Hooded, Yellow-throated Warblers, Summer Tanager

White-eyed Vireo
Photo: Shari Zirlin

We started our weekend of field trips with Pete Bacinski at Belleplain State Forest in Cape May County. Shari & I had only birded this forest once, almost 5 years ago. It's a big place and hard to know where the best spots are if you're not a local or a regular visitor. Interestingly, the one well-known area called "The Triangle" that we remembered going to in 2008 turns out to no longer be the hot spot it once was. "Birded out," according to Karen Johnson, who was assisting Pete.

The one bird that Shari & I really wanted to see was Worm-eating Warbler. We had heard this bird when we were in Belleplain last time, but that was our only encounter with the bird. Happily, the group was treated to long looks at one not too high up in a tree. I had studied it's trilling song, more insect-like than a Pine Warbler's song and not as mechanical as a Chipping Sparrow's, and when we got out of the car I heard one and immediately recognized it. Others were on the bird a lot faster than I was, but eventually, with enough people tugging me this way and that I was able to get the "field guide" look at it. Shari didn't have nearly as hard a time finding it once I was able to point her to it. So, in a way, we feel like we got a life bird today.

It was something of a Warbler Fest in the forest today, as you would hope during Spring migration. Some of the warblers I only heard but I was fine with that because I've at least seen them in the past. Ovenbirds, for instance, were all over the place, chef chef cheffing away wherever we stopped, but I still haven't seen one this year and I'm okay with that. We had 9 warbler species, 2 vireos and a Summer Tanager as the highlights of the morning's birding. 44 species in all.

Then, we went to Heislerville (see above).

Belleplain list:
Double-crested Cormorant  6    f/o HQ
Black Vulture  1
Turkey Vulture  6
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  1
Laughing Gull  2    f/o HQ
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1    HQ Feeder
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2    Heard
Hairy Woodpecker  1    Heard
Eastern Phoebe  1
White-eyed Vireo  5
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  1
Fish Crow  2
Carolina Chickadee  5
Tufted Titmouse  1    Heard
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1    Heard
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
House Wren  1    Heard
Carolina Wren  1    Heard
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2
Eastern Bluebird  1
American Robin  1
Northern Mockingbird  1
Ovenbird  10    Heard
Worm-eating Warbler  1
Black-and-white Warbler  5    Heard
Prothonotary Warbler  1    Heard
Hooded Warbler  1    Heard
Pine Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  3
Yellow-throated Warbler  1
Prairie Warbler  3
Eastern Towhee  1    Heard
Chipping Sparrow  2
Field Sparrow  1    Heard
White-throated Sparrow  5
Summer Tanager  1
Northern Cardinal  1    Heard
Red-winged Blackbird  1
Eastern Meadowlark  1
Brown-headed Cowbird  1   
House Finch  1    Heard
American Goldfinch  3

Front Yard 4/27--Ruby-throated Hummingbird

As I was waiting for Shari to pull the car out of the garage to start down to Belleplain State Forest, I saw our first Ruby-throated Hummingbird at the new feeder Shari had strategically placed at the front of the house. It deftly avoided the spray from the sprinkler system. A great jump start to a very productive day of birding (reports above).

Great Bay Blvd WMA 4/26--Short-billed Dowitcher

Short-billed Dowitcher (reddish bird), with Black-bellied Plovers and Dunlins

Today on Great Bay Blvd, I stopped before the last bridge, as I usually do, and found construction vehicles on the site. This is the 2nd spot on the road where work is in progress. I think they're replacing the bulkheads. As I walked over with my scope a guy in a fluorescent yellow vest asked me if I was bird watching. I thought he was going to give me gas about not being allowed  on the little landing but instead he excitedly told me about a really "weird" bird he and his friend had seen. "It looked like a penguin." He started to describe the bird to me but it could have been anything from his description. His friend showed me a picture she had taken on her phone. "Oh, this is a good one," I said, "Black-crowned Night-heron. They roost in these trees during the day and hunt at dusk." I was hoping to find one of these birds, along with its yellow-crowned cousin, but the smart phone photo was as close as I got.

However, the shorebirds were abundant. The switch over from waterfowl to shorebirds is just about complete. I saw large flocks of Black-bellied Plovers flying over the marshes, a big concentration in one spot of Dunlins, coming into their summer plumage, reddish backs with large black spots on their bellies, and mixed in, as the photo above barely shows, my first Short-billed Dowitchers for the year.

Along with the constant song of Red-winged Blackbirds and the clicks and chirps of Boat-tailed Grackles, I heard the "pee-willet" cry of Willets at every stop I made. It is amazing how much noise a couple of birds can make--you think you're hearing a flock and look out on a point and see only a couple producing all that sound. Still, my count of 25 is probably very conservative. I was also pleased to find the Whimbrel again, almost in exactly the same spot as it was on the 18th when I last visited.

In the non-water bird category, I saw my 2nd Brown Thrasher in 2 days. Maybe this won't be the frustrating bird it usually is this year.

The day's list:
34 species
Brant  150
Canada Goose  2
Mute Swan  1
Red-breasted Merganser  2
Common Loon  2
Double-crested Cormorant  7
Great Egret  30
Snowy Egret  25
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  4
Clapper Rail  1    Heard
Black-bellied Plover  250
American Oystercatcher  1
Greater Yellowlegs  10
Willet  25
Whimbrel  1
Dunlin  175
Short-billed Dowitcher  4    
Laughing Gull  1
Herring Gull  100
Great Black-backed Gull  6
Forster's Tern  10
Rock Pigeon  1
Mourning Dove  1
Blue Jay  1
Barn Swallow  5
Brown Thrasher  1
European Starling  2
Eastern Towhee  1    Heard
Chipping Sparrow  2
Savannah Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  5
Red-winged Blackbird  100
Boat-tailed Grackle  75