August List

August started out with me birding the grounds of Staten Island University Hospital, which, while surprisingly birdy, I'll  be happy if I never do again, and ended on the dredge spoils of National Park in Gloucester County, a new spot for us, where we managed to pick out (with the help of our birding friends Joe and Elizabeth) a couple of rarities for that spot--Western Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher. The highlight of the month was, of course

Photo: Shari Zirlin

the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Shari & I found at Whitesbog on August 4.  This bird created quite a stir among the Jersey birders (and some from farther afield) and surprisingly hung around for almost 2 weeks. These birds have a reputation for being "one day wonders." Most rewarding for me was that we were able to show it to interested friends, including our neighbor Jerry who, while not an avid birder, has a great interest in nature and found this bird spectacular and also our friend from Brooklyn Peter Dorosh, who happened to be in the "neighborhood" at the right time.

We birded Brig a few times on NJ Audubon trips, getting great birds and good lessons on i.d. I also did a circuit with Peter one Sunday morning and we were rewarded with 2 American Avocets. Of course, our trip to Bombay Hook yielded Avocets by the hundreds, a lot of them already in basic plumage (all black & white) which I find very attractive, as if they're high contrast versions of themselves. I guess the only disappointment of the month was that there were no Black-necked Stilts to be found in Delaware while we were there. Oh yes, one more: Baird's Sandpiper remained elusive.

For the month I had 137 species with 6 FOY added, pretty good for the beginning of migration.
Counties Birded:
Delaware: Kent, Sussex
New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Gloucester, Monmouth, Ocean
New York: Kings, Richmond

Species     First Sighting

Brant     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Canada Goose     Staten Island University Hosp

Mute Swan     Brigantine

Tundra Swan     Bombay Hook NWR

Wood Duck     Colliers Mills WMA

Gadwall     Bombay Hook NWR

American Black Duck     Whitesbog

Mallard     Whitesbog

Blue-winged Teal     Brigantine

Green-winged Teal     Brigantine

Northern Bobwhite     Colliers Mills WMA

Wild Turkey     35 Sunset Rd

Double-crested Cormorant     Colliers Mills WMA

Great Blue Heron     Colliers Mills WMA

Great Egret     Staten Island University Hosp

Snowy Egret     Brigantine

Little Blue Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Tricolored Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Cattle Egret     Brigantine

Green Heron     Double Trouble State Park

Black-crowned Night-Heron     Brigantine

Glossy Ibis     Staten Island University Hosp

Black Vulture     Brigantine

Turkey Vulture     Colliers Mills WMA

Osprey     Cattus Island County Park

Northern Harrier     Brigantine

Cooper's Hawk     Brigantine

Bald Eagle     Whitesbog

Red-tailed Hawk     Colliers Mills WMA

Clapper Rail     Brigantine

Black-bellied Plover     Brigantine

American Golden-Plover     Bombay Hook NWR

Semipalmated Plover     Whitesbog

Killdeer     Staten Island University Hosp

American Oystercatcher     Brigantine

American Avocet     Brigantine

Spotted Sandpiper     Whitesbog

Solitary Sandpiper     Staten Island University Hosp

Greater Yellowlegs     Whitesbog

Willet     Brigantine

Lesser Yellowlegs     Whitesbog

Whimbrel     Brigantine

Hudsonian Godwit     Bombay Hook NWR

Marbled Godwit     Bombay Hook NWR

Ruddy Turnstone     Brigantine

Red Knot     Brigantine

Sanderling     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Semipalmated Sandpiper     Whitesbog

Western Sandpiper     Brigantine

Least Sandpiper     Staten Island University Hosp

White-rumped Sandpiper     Brigantine

Pectoral Sandpiper     Whitesbog

Dunlin     Brigantine

Stilt Sandpiper     Brigantine

Short-billed Dowitcher     Brigantine

Long-billed Dowitcher     Brigantine

Wilson's Snipe     Whitesbog

Wilson's Phalarope     Brigantine

Laughing Gull     Toms River

Ring-billed Gull     Brigantine

Herring Gull     Staten Island University Hosp

Great Black-backed Gull     Brigantine

Least Tern     Cattus Island County Park

Gull-billed Tern     Whitesbog

Caspian Tern     Brigantine

Common Tern     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Forster's Tern     Brigantine

Royal Tern     Brigantine

Black Skimmer     Brigantine

Rock Pigeon     Staten Island University Hosp

Mourning Dove     Staten Island University Hosp

Yellow-billed Cuckoo     Colliers Mills WMA

Black-billed Cuckoo     Colliers Mills WMA

Common Nighthawk     35 Sunset Rd

Eastern Whip-poor-will     35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift     Staten Island University Hosp

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     35 Sunset Rd

Belted Kingfisher     Colliers Mills WMA

Red-bellied Woodpecker     Colliers Mills WMA

Downy Woodpecker     Colliers Mills WMA

Northern Flicker     Colliers Mills WMA

Peregrine Falcon     Brigantine

Eastern Wood-Pewee     Colliers Mills WMA

Willow Flycatcher     Whitesbog

Eastern Phoebe     Colliers Mills WMA

Great Crested Flycatcher     Colliers Mills WMA

Eastern Kingbird     Colliers Mills WMA

êScissor-tailed Flycatcher     Whitesbog

White-eyed Vireo     Whitesbog

Red-eyed Vireo     Rising Sun Lake

Blue Jay     Crestwood Village

American Crow     Staten Island University Hosp

Fish Crow     Crestwood Village

Horned Lark     Whitehall Crossroads - Leipsic

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     Whitesbog

Purple Martin     Colliers Mills WMA

Tree Swallow     Colliers Mills WMA

Bank Swallow     Whitesbog

Barn Swallow     Colliers Mills WMA

Carolina Chickadee     Crestwood Village

Tufted Titmouse     35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch     Crestwood Village

House Wren     35 Sunset Rd

Marsh Wren     Bombay Hook NWR

Carolina Wren     35 Sunset Rd

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     Colliers Mills WMA

Eastern Bluebird     Whitesbog

American Robin     Staten Island University Hosp

Gray Catbird     Crestwood Village

Northern Mockingbird     Staten Island University Hosp

Brown Thrasher     Whitesbog

European Starling     Staten Island University Hosp

Cedar Waxwing     Brigantine

Ovenbird     Double Trouble State Park

Northern Waterthrush     Cattus Island County Park

Black-and-white Warbler     Whitesbog

Common Yellowthroat     Whitesbog

American Redstart     Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Lily Lake

Yellow Warbler     Brigantine

Pine Warbler     Colliers Mills WMA

Eastern Towhee     35 Sunset Rd

Chipping Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow     Colliers Mills WMA

Saltmarsh Sparrow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Seaside Sparrow     Brigantine

Song Sparrow     Staten Island University Hosp

Northern Cardinal     35 Sunset Rd

Blue Grosbeak     Brigantine

Indigo Bunting     Colliers Mills WMA

Bobolink     Bombay Hook NWR

Red-winged Blackbird     Whitesbog

Common Grackle     Colliers Mills WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird     35 Sunset Rd

House Finch     35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch     Crestwood Village

House Sparrow     Crestwood Village