April Roundup

Brown Thrasher singing at Whitesbog

April was not the cruelest month but migration did start slowly due to the Winter-That-Will-Not-End, but it did start and it was great to see warblers that were not of the Pine or Yellow-rumped variety. Shorebird migration has also started and the waders are back too.

Despite the grumbling about the weather we had a great month. I did a lot more birding with friends than I usually do, sometimes by design but a couple of times I was just lucky to run into a friend in the field. I was especially lucky at Whitesbog where a friend put me on to my first Prairie Warbler of the year and astoundingly lucky to meet Greg at Double Trouble and finally see after three tries, the elusive Louisiana Waterthrush that he originally found along the canal next to Cedar Creek.

One rarity I missed was a Neotropic Cormorant up north in Hunterdon County. The location is 94 miles from here but somehow those 94 miles seem much farther away than the 90 or so miles I would have to travel south to Cape May. Probably because I know my way around Cape May while Hunterdon falls into the "Hic Sunt Leontes" category. Had it been a life bird I would have steeled myself for the drive. As it is, it's one bird I won't have on my state list until one shows up closer to home.

Again this month almost all the birding was done in NJ--there was one quick trip into the city. That will change next month as we're headed to New Mexico for a week.

Finally, enough time has passed to show these pictures from earlier in the month. Greg and I went to Island Beach State Park. While standing in an open, sandy area on the bay side, we spotted 4 fox kits (pups, cubs) coming in and out of the den their mother had dug into a hill. She was off to the side, watching them as they investigated the area and seemed to have only half an eye on us. I took a couple of mediocre photos and held off posting them so as to not to tempt anyone to seek out the foxes. I felt both nervous and guilty being so near them. But they were cute.

For the month I had 143 species, by far the best count of the year.
Counties birded:
New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Monmouth, Ocean, Union
New York: New York

Species           Location

Snow Goose     Brigantine

Brant     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Canada Goose     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Mute Swan     Stafford Forge WMA

Tundra Swan     Crestwood Village

Wood Duck     Whitesbog Ocean County portion

Gadwall     Brigantine

American Wigeon     Brigantine

American Black Duck     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Mallard     Crestwood Village

Blue-winged Teal     Brigantine

Northern Shoveler     Brigantine

Northern Pintail     Brigantine

Green-winged Teal     Crestwood Village

Canvasback     Brigantine

Redhead     Crestwood Village

Ring-necked Duck     Crestwood Village

Greater Scaup     Riverfront Landing

Lesser Scaup     Assunpink WMA

Harlequin Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Black Scoter     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Long-tailed Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Bufflehead     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Hooded Merganser     Stafford Forge WMA

Common Merganser     Assunpink WMA

Red-breasted Merganser     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Ruddy Duck     Riverfront Landing

Wild Turkey     35 Sunset Rd

Red-throated Loon     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Common Loon     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Pied-billed Grebe     Assunpink WMA

Horned Grebe     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Northern Gannet     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Double-crested Cormorant     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Cormorant     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Blue Heron     Brigantine

Great Egret     Cattus Island County Park

Snowy Egret     Brigantine

Little Blue Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Tricolored Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Glossy Ibis     Brigantine

Black Vulture     Assunpink WMA

Turkey Vulture     Crestwood Village

Osprey     Cattus Island County Park

Northern Harrier     Brigantine

Sharp-shinned Hawk     Island Beach SP

Cooper's Hawk     Island Beach SP

Bald Eagle     Brigantine

Broad-winged Hawk     Estell Manor Park

Red-tailed Hawk     Crestwood Village

Clapper Rail     Heislerville WMA

American Coot     Brigantine

American Oystercatcher     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Black-bellied Plover     Island Beach SP

Killdeer     Whitesbog Ocean County portion

Greater Yellowlegs     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Willet     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Lesser Yellowlegs     Heislerville WMA

Whimbrel     Brigantine

Ruddy Turnstone     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Dunlin     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Purple Sandpiper     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Least Sandpiper     Brigantine

Semipalmated Sandpiper     Brigantine

Short-billed Dowitcher     Heislerville WMA

Wilson's Snipe     Cattus Island County Park

Bonaparte's Gull     Brigantine

Laughing Gull     Palmyra Cove Nature Park

Ring-billed Gull     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Herring Gull     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Great Black-backed Gull     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Gull-billed Tern     Brigantine

Caspian Tern     Brigantine

Forster's Tern     Cattus Island County Park

Rock Pigeon     Bayview Marina

Mourning Dove     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Eastern Whip-poor-will     35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift     Brigantine

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     Belleplain State Forest

Belted Kingfisher     Cattus Island County Park

Red-bellied Woodpecker     Crestwood Village

Downy Woodpecker     Crestwood Village

Hairy Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd

Northern Flicker     Cattus Island County Park

American Kestrel     Assunpink WMA

Merlin     Brigantine

Peregrine Falcon     Brigantine

Eastern Phoebe     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Crested Flycatcher     Double Trouble State Park

White-eyed Vireo     Whitesbog

Blue Jay     Crestwood Village

American Crow     Cattus Island County Park

Fish Crow     Crestwood Village

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     Whitesbog

Purple Martin     Brigantine

Tree Swallow     Riverfront Landing

Barn Swallow     Whitesbog Ocean County portion

Carolina Chickadee     Stafford Forge WMA

Black-capped Chickadee     Central Park

Tufted Titmouse     Stafford Forge WMA

White-breasted Nuthatch     Stafford Forge WMA

Brown Creeper     Palmyra Cove Nature Park

Carolina Wren     35 Sunset Rd

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     Colliers Mills WMA

Golden-crowned Kinglet     Whitesbog Ocean County portion

Ruby-crowned Kinglet     Central Park

Eastern Bluebird     Cattus Island County Park

Hermit Thrush     Island Beach SP

American Robin     Stafford Forge WMA

Gray Catbird     Island Beach SP

Brown Thrasher     Whitesbog

Northern Mockingbird     Bayview Ave Park

European Starling     Stafford Forge WMA

Ovenbird     Belleplain State Forest

Worm-eating Warbler     Belleplain State Forest

Louisiana Waterthrush     Belleplain State Forest

Black-and-white Warbler     Colliers Mills WMA

Prothonotary Warbler     Belleplain State Forest

Common Yellowthroat     Whitesbog Ocean County portion

Yellow Warbler     Brigantine

Palm Warbler     Double Trouble State Park

Pine Warbler     Crestwood Village

Yellow-rumped Warbler     35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-throated Warbler     Estell Manor Park

Prairie Warbler     Whitesbog Ocean County portion

Eastern Towhee     Assunpink WMA

Chipping Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow     Brigantine

Savannah Sparrow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Seaside Sparrow     Brigantine

Song Sparrow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Swamp Sparrow     Cattus Island County Park

White-throated Sparrow     Crestwood Village

White-crowned Sparrow     Assunpink WMA

Dark-eyed Junco     Crestwood Village

Northern Cardinal     Crestwood Village

Red-winged Blackbird     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Common Grackle     Double Trouble State Park

Boat-tailed Grackle     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird     Crestwood Village

House Finch     Crestwood Village

American Goldfinch     35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow     Riverfront Landing