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