October Round-up

The Tea Party managed to limit our birding opportunities for the first couple weeks of the month by closing down Sandy Hook, Brig and all the other NWRs and National Parks in the country, just to keep everything in perspective. We finally made it down to Brig last weekend and there duck migration was in evidence, along with a very good helping of the shorebirds that hang around in to fall and winter, like Dunlin and Black-bellied Plover.

We've also been happy to record some new backyard birds for the year, including a Great Horned Owl we've heard hooting a couple of time, as well as a Blue-headed Vireo, which I saw a tree branch right outside my window instead of on the ground after it bashed into said window as was the case with the one we saw this time last year.

"Only" 126 species this month and only two new year birds. Obviously, as the year progresses, the new birds get scarcer. Late fall and winter are the times to pick up any birds you didn't get in the beginning of the year--I'm on the lookout for Redheads and hoping for a Barrow's Goldeneye.

This month's list:
Counties birded:
New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean
New York: Kings

Species      Location      Brant      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Canada Goose      Prospect Park      Mute Swan      Prospect Park      Wood Duck      Whiting WMA      Gadwall      Brigantine  American Wigeon      White's Bogs      American Black Duck      Brigantine  Mallard      Crestwood Village      Blue-winged Teal      Brigantine  Northern Shoveler      Prospect Park      Northern Pintail      Brigantine  Green-winged Teal      Forsythe--Barnegat Lesser Scaup      Brigantine  Surf Scoter      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Bufflehead      Cattus Island County Park      Ruddy Duck      Prospect Park      Wild Turkey      Palmyra Cove Nature Park      Common Loon     Island Beach SP  Pied-billed Grebe      Brigantine  Double-crested Cormorant      Island Beach SP Brown Pelican      Island Beach SP Great Blue Heron     Island Beach SP Great Egret     Island Beach SP  Snowy Egret     Island Beach SP Little Blue Heron      Cattus Island County Park      Tricolored Heron     Island Beach SP Yellow-crowned Night-Heron      Great Bay Bvld.    Glossy Ibis      Brigantine  Turkey Vulture      Crestwood Village      Osprey     Island Beach SP Northern Harrier      Parker Preserve      Sharp-shinned Hawk      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Cooper's Hawk      Whiting power line cut Broad-winged Hawk      35 Sunset Rd      Red-tailed Hawk      Brigantine  Clapper Rail      Great Bay Bvld. WMA      American Coot      Brigantine  American Oystercatcher      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Black-bellied Plover      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Semipalmated Plover      Island Beach SP Killdeer      Parker Preserve      Spotted Sandpiper      Palmyra Cove Nature Park      Greater Yellowlegs      White's Bogs      Lesser Yellowlegs      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Marbled Godwit      Brigantine  Ruddy Turnstone      Island Beach SP Red Knot      Island Beach SP Sanderling      Island Beach SP Dunlin      Island Beach SP Pectoral Sandpiper      White's Bogs      Semipalmated Sandpiper      Great Bay Bvld.  Long-billed Dowitcher      Brigantine  Wilson's Snipe      Parker Preserve      Laughing Gull      Island Beach SP  Ring-billed Gull      Island Beach SP  Herring Gull     Island Beach SP  Great Black-backed Gull     Island Beach SP  Caspian Tern      Island Beach SP Forster's Tern      Palmyra Cove Nature Park      Rock Pigeon      Prospect Park      Mourning Dove      35 Sunset Rd      Great Horned Owl      Whiting WMA      Belted Kingfisher     Island Beach SP Red-bellied Woodpecker     Island Beach SP  Yellow-bellied Sapsucker      Palmyra Cove       Downy Woodpecker      Crestwood Village      Hairy Woodpecker      Cattus Island County Park      Northern Flicker     Island Beach SP  Merlin      35 Sunset Rd      Peregrine Falcon      Palmyra Cove Nature Park      Eastern Wood-Pewee     Island Beach SP Least Flycatcher      Whiting WMA      Eastern Phoebe     Island Beach SP Blue-headed Vireo      35 Sunset Rd      Red-eyed Vireo      Island Beach SP Blue Jay      Island Beach SP American Crow      Whiting power line cut Fish Crow      Toms River      Tree Swallow     Island Beach SP Carolina Chickadee     Island Beach SP  Tufted Titmouse      Whiting power line cut White-breasted Nuthatch      Whiting power line cut Brown Creeper      Whiting WMA      House Wren      Whiting WMA      Marsh Wren      Cattus Island County Park      Carolina Wren     Island Beach SP  Golden-crowned Kinglet      Crestwood Village      Ruby-crowned Kinglet     Island Beach SP Eastern Bluebird      Colliers Mills WMA      Gray-cheeked Thrush      White's Bogs      Swainson's Thrush      Colliers Mills WMA      Hermit Thrush      Brigantine  American Robin      Whiting power line cut Gray Catbird     Island Beach SP  Brown Thrasher      Brigantine  Northern Mockingbird      Island Beach SP  European Starling      Prospect Park      Cedar Waxwing      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Northern Waterthrush      Prospect Park      Black-and-white Warbler      Prospect Park      Common Yellowthroat      Whiting power line cut American Redstart      Prospect Park      Northern Parula      Palmyra Cove Nature Park      Magnolia Warbler      Prospect Park      Blackpoll Warbler      Prospect Park      Black-throated Blue Warbler      Prospect Park      Palm Warbler     Island Beach SP Pine Warbler      Whiting power line cut Yellow-rumped Warbler     Island Beach SP  Eastern Towhee     Island Beach SP  Chipping Sparrow      35 Sunset Rd      Field Sparrow      Parker Preserve      Vesper Sparrow      White's Bogs      Savannah Sparrow     Island Beach SP Seaside Sparrow      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Song Sparrow      Island Beach SP  Swamp Sparrow      Whiting power line cut White-throated Sparrow      Prospect Park      White-crowned Sparrow     Island Beach SP Dark-eyed Junco      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     Scarlet Tanager      Palmyra Cove Nature Park      Northern Cardinal      Whiting power line cut Red-winged Blackbird      Cattus Island County Park      Common Grackle      Prospect Park      Boat-tailed Grackle      Great Bay Bvld. WMA     House Finch     Island Beach SP American Goldfinch      Crestwood Village      House Sparrow      Island Beach SP