Salem County (Mostly) 4/6--Crested Caracara, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Yellow-headed Blackbird

Today's birding was a field trip to Salem County with NJ Audubon's Scott Barnes and Linda Mack. The header above says "mostly" because we met at the eastern end of the Pedricktown Marsh which is in Gloucester County. We had parked at the sign welcoming us to the county. I joked with Scott that he promised Salem County and here we were in Gloucester. No, no, he said, the marsh is part of Salem County. However, eBird, which relies on Google maps, doesn't see it that way; all of the marsh along the causeway we walked on is in Gloucester County. None of this really matters. It just gives me my first Gloucester County list of 12 birds; but one of those birds is a Great Horned Owl that we saw sitting in its nest back in the treeline in the middle of the marsh. I'd really prefer to have that bird on my now burgeoning Salem County list. (By the way, I'm giving away the owl's location because there is no way you could get close enough to harass it.)

The rest of the trip we visited a few of the places Shari and I had explored back on March 23rd. Our first stop in Salem County proper was on Featherbed Lane.  As there were 2 weeks ago, we saw Lesser Scaups in the little pond far in the field and a few Eastern Meadowlarks. But the real target was, as it was previously, a rare raptor from down south, a Crested Caracara which we finally tracked down in a field, nestled in with much larger Turkey Vultures. The caracara is strange bird: technically it is in the Falconidae family along with peregrines, Merlins, kestrels and so on. More technically, it is in its own sub-family. But in terms of behavior, finding it hanging out with the vultures is not surprising, since it feeds on carrion and is not truly a "bird of prey" unless the prey is already dead. No matter its taxonomy, it's a great bird to see, with a dramatic black, red and white face and is the 2nd one we've seen in NJ.

We drove over to the Salem River WRA, another place we'd been 2 weeks ago, and from the observation deck observed many ducks, swans, coots, but again, dipped on the Sandhill Cranes. We walked over to one of the bridges that span the marsh, got a good look at an eagle on the nest and Scott pointed out a Northern Rough-winged Swallow swooping overhead. I managed to get a good look at this FOY bird, a much larger, stockier swallow than the tree swallows that are becoming more numerous now by the day.

At another stop at Mannington Marsh (I'm not certain whether Mannington Marsh is part of Salem River or vice versa), we saw one Wilson's Snipe. At another marsh, not far away, on Sunset Drive, we saw many Wilson's Snipes. I counted 18. Someone in our group, scanning more thoroughly and patiently that I, thought there might be 3 or 4 times that number, maybe up to 100.

The finale of our trip took place on Sharptown-Auburn Road, not far from Featherbed Lane. There was a huge proverbial "mixed flock" of blackbirds (redwings, grackles, starlings, Brown-headed Cowbirds) and mixed in with them were two (though I only saw one) female Yellow-headed Blackbirds, another fairly rare visitor from the Mid-west. This bird has been on my BVD list ever since I glimpsed one at Brigantine a couple a  years and this afternoon I got long, satisfactory, "field guide" looks at it. My final FOY bird of the day was a Barn Swallow flying over the fields. Not a rarity by any means, but I'm happy to see one in April.

(Speaking of Brigantine, the Wildlife Drive is now open on weekends; tomorrow we're going down to drive the circuit for the first time since October.)

For the day I saw 53 species plus one hawk I had to let go by as 'accipiter sp.' Shari probably has a couple more that eluded me and I'm sure Scott's and Linda's lists are longer, but I'm just fine with what I saw and heard.

Species                Location

Snow Goose     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Canada Goose     Salem River WRA

Mute Swan     Salem River WRA

Wood Duck     Salem River WRA

Gadwall     Salem River WRA

American Wigeon     Salem River WRA

American Black Duck     Pedricktown Marsh

Mallard     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Blue-winged Teal     Salem River WRA

Northern Shoveler     Salem River WRA

Green-winged Teal     Pedricktown Marsh

Ring-necked Duck     Mannington Marsh

Lesser Scaup     Featherbed Ln, Pilesgrove

Ruddy Duck     Mannington Marsh

Pied-billed Grebe     Salem River WRA

Horned Grebe     Mannington Marsh

Double-crested Cormorant     Salem River WRA

Great Blue Heron     Salem River WRA

Great Egret     Salem River WRA

Black Vulture     Pedricktown Marsh

Turkey Vulture     Pedricktown Marsh

Northern Harrier     Featherbed Ln, Pilesgrove

Bald Eagle     Salem River WRA

Red-tailed Hawk     Salem River WRA

American Coot     Salem River WRA

Killdeer     Pedricktown Marsh

Greater Yellowlegs     Pedricktown Marsh

Wilson's Snipe     Mannington Marsh

Laughing Gull     Salem River WRA

Mourning Dove     Pedricktown Marsh

Great Horned Owl     Pedricktown Marsh

Downy Woodpecker     Pedricktown Marsh

Hairy Woodpecker     Salem River WRA

Crested Caracara     Featherbed Ln, Pilesgrove

American Kestrel     Featherbed Ln, Pilesgrove

Blue Jay     Salem River WRA

Fish Crow     Salem River WRA

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     Salem River WRA

Tree Swallow     Featherbed Ln, Pilesgrove

Barn Swallow     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Tufted Titmouse     Featherbed Ln, Pilesgrove

White-breasted Nuthatch     Salem River WRA

Carolina Wren     Salem River WRA

Northern Mockingbird     Featherbed Ln, Pilesgrove

European Starling     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Song Sparrow     Salem River WRA

White-throated Sparrow     Pedricktown Marsh

Northern Cardinal     Salem River WRA

Red-winged Blackbird     Pedricktown Marsh

Eastern Meadowlark     Featherbed Ln, Pilesgrove

Yellow-headed Blackbird     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Common Grackle     Sharptown-Auburn Road, Pilesgrove

Brown-headed Cowbird     Pedricktown Marsh