Leaving myself plenty of time to get lost, I didn't, and arrived early. Quite a few birders I knew were going on the trip and we gathered in the parking lot, hearing a lot of birds, mostly Blackpoll Warblers. And hearing was the theme for the park, because we saw very few of the many warblers that Scott and the other, better ear birders, were picking out up in the leafy canopy. Just when I think I'm getting pretty good at ear birding, I come across a cacophony of bird song and I'm lucky if I can pick out Ovenbird (which I did).
Thrushes were in great supply in the park--I got my first Swainson's Thrushes, Veerys, and Gray-cheeked Thrush. The first two I saw--the last I only heard, twice. Gray-cheeked Thrush has a distinctive enough call that I felt okay about counting it after Scott pointed it out. There were a few warblers I didn't count today, like Blackburnian, because though Scott would call out and identify the song, I didn't feel confident that if I heard it two minutes later I would know what it was. Consequently my list is a lot shorter than it could have been.
After 3 hours of walking around the woods, hemmed in by Routes 35, 9, and the Turnpike, we all drove 4 miles north to the Oros Preserve, territory more familiar to me. Oros Preserve is pin oak forest and a small swamp with many dead trees sticking up out of the water. The resident Red-headed Woodpeckers were nowhere to be found, but there were some marquee birds to be found. Flycatchers are coming back and it was here that I got my first Willow Flycatcher of the year--an empid identified best by it "song"--"Fitz-bew!"
On a narrow trail leading back from the edge of the water Patrick Belardo found a Black-billed Cuckoo, a fairly unusual bird for Middlesex County. It sang--but at first, since it was partially hidden in the tree (as cuckoos almost always are), it sounded like a Yellow-billed until it switched over to it's more coo-coo like song, so there was a moment of confusion as to which cuckoo we had. But the red-eye, the tail pattern, and the black bill made the identification simple.
The best was yet to come as we walked into the forest. Scott heard a Tennessee Warbler and after some intensive searching by a dozen pair of eyes, we finally were able to get a look at one singing: "ticka ticka ticka." Tennessee Warbler is not much to look out--kind of bland--the Warbling Vireo of the warbler world, but it is rare this time of year so it was good to find. We actually heard a 2nd one singing. Then a few minutes later Scott snapped his fingers and said, "There--Mourning Warbler." Mourning Warbler is a always a much sought-after warbler in these parts, and while we only heard it sing (glimpsed it fly deeper into the tangles) it has such a distinctive song and we heard it for so long that I had no problem counting it. Both warblers were state birds for me, so I was pretty pleased.
By now it was 1 o'clock. My mother lives 15 minutes away from Oros. Every time I go there I say I wish I knew that it existed 3 years ago when I was staying in Iselin, taking care of my parents. It would have been a great stress reliever to go there.
My list for the two spots. I really upped my Middlesex County year and life lists today.
Species First Sighting
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Canada Goose Ernest L.
Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Great Egret Ernest L.
Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Green Heron
William Warren County Park
|
Black-billed Cuckoo Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Red-bellied Woodpecker William Warren County Park
|
Northern Flicker
William Warren County Park
|
Eastern Wood-Pewee
William Warren County Park
|
Willow Flycatcher Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Eastern Phoebe William
Warren County Park
|
Great Crested Flycatcher
William Warren County Park
|
Eastern Kingbird
Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Warbling Vireo Ernest
L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Red-eyed Vireo
William Warren County Park
|
Blue Jay William Warren County
Park
|
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Tree Swallow Ernest L.
Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Tufted Titmouse
William Warren County Park
|
Carolina Wren Ernest
L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Veery William Warren County Park
|
Gray-cheeked Thrush William Warren County Park
|
Swainson's Thrush William Warren County Park
|
American Robin William
Warren County Park
|
Gray Catbird
William Warren County Park
|
European Starling
William Warren County Park
|
Cedar Waxwing William
Warren County Park
|
Ovenbird William
Warren County Park
|
Northern Waterthrush
William Warren County Park
|
Black-and-white Warbler
William Warren County Park
|
Tennessee Warbler Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Mourning Warbler Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Common Yellowthroat Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
American Redstart
William Warren County Park
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Northern Parula William
Warren County Park
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Magnolia Warbler
William Warren County Park
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Bay-breasted Warbler Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Yellow Warbler Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
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Chestnut-sided Warbler William Warren County Park
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Blackpoll Warbler
William Warren County Park
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Black-throated Blue Warbler William Warren County Park
|
Canada Warbler William
Warren County Park
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Scarlet Tanager
William Warren County Park
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Northern Cardinal Ernest
L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
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Red-winged Blackbird Ernest L.
Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Brown-headed Cowbird William Warren County Park
|
Orchard Oriole Ernest
L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
|
Baltimore Oriole
Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve
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