Tuesday, April 30, 2013

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



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