Last Walk of the Year--Snow Goose

I went out this afternoon when it finally warmed up a bit, walking around the neighborhood, mostly for the exercise, but I always bring my binoculars along. There were the expected birds along the way, nothing I hadn't already seen this morning by our feeders, but at the pond on Schoolhouse, in among the usual Canada Geese and Mallards, I found one odd goose.

My first reaction was that it was some sort of hybrid goose or an immature goose. I wasn't carrying a field guide. I knew it wasn't a barnyard goose--I have enough experience with those--but this is a case of context. Had I seen this bird at Brig I would probably have called it immediately. However, in our little pond it seemed weirder than it really is. I should have remembered that this spring we had Tundra Swans and a Redhead in that pond, so it can attract more than the very common species. But then, I didn't believe I was looking at  Tundra Swans at first either.

When I showed this picture to Shari after I got home, she, not being biased by the location, immediately said "Snow Goose." I looked it up in Sibley's and yes, it had all the field marks of an immature Snow Goose (dingy color, black bill) that were throwing me off. I put up a few pictures on line and asked for help on Jerseybirds and almost immediately confirmations of Snow Goose came pinging in.

Now, the big deal here, for me, is that I hadn't had Snow Goose all year in Ocean County, and had pretty much given up looking for new birds after hearing the Sedge Wren on the Barnegat Christmas Bird Count this Sunday. This was my 233rd bird in Ocean County for me this year, an all time high for me, but good only for a very distant second place overall.

I think, if nothing else, my list shows the amazing diversity of birds in Ocean County, blessed as it is with both a long shoreline, plenty of marshes, and vast upland habitat.

Species              First Sighting

Snow Goose     Crestwood Village                      

Brant     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                  

Canada Goose     Crestwood Village                  

Mute Swan     Cattus Island County Park                      

Tundra Swan    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)             

Wood Duck     New Egypt              

Gadwall     Forsythe--Barnegat                 

American Wigeon     Marshall's Pond                 

American Black Duck     Riverfront Landing                  

Mallard     Crestwood Village                    

Northern Shoveler     Forsythe--Barnegat                      

Northern Pintail     Bayview Ave Park                 

Green-winged Teal     Forsythe--Barnegat                     

Canvasback     Riverfront Landing                      

Redhead     Riverfront Landing                

Ring-necked Duck     Double Trouble State Park                     

Greater Scaup     Little Silver Lake                       

Lesser Scaup     Riverfront Landing                    

King Eider     Barnegat Lighthouse SP               

Common Eider     Great Sedge Island                 

Harlequin Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP                 

Surf Scoter     Barnegat Lighthouse SP             

White-winged Scoter     Barnegat Lighthouse SP                    

Black Scoter     Barnegat Lighthouse SP                       

Long-tailed Duck     Manasquan Inlet                 

Bufflehead     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                   

Common Goldeneye     Great Bay Bvld. WMA              

Hooded Merganser     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                 

Common Merganser     Prospertown Lake                     

Red-breasted Merganser     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                   

Ruddy Duck     Riverfront Landing                      

Northern Bobwhite     Colliers Mills WMA                      

Ring-necked Pheasant     Warren Grove                       

Wild Turkey     Rt. 70                      

Red-throated Loon     Barnegat Lighthouse SP            

Common Loon     Manasquan Inlet                     

Pied-billed Grebe     Double Trouble State Park                       

Horned Grebe     Little Silver Lake                       

Red-necked Grebe     Manasquan Inlet              

Northern Gannet     Manasquan Inlet                 

Double-crested Cormorant     Barnegat Lighthouse SP                      

Great Cormorant     Barnegat Lighthouse SP                

Brown Pelican     Great Sedge Island                 

American Bittern     Great Sedge Island              

Great Blue Heron     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                    

Great Egret     Cattus Island County Park                       

Snowy Egret     Island Beach SP             

Little Blue Heron     Cattus Island County Park             

Tricolored Heron     Cattus Island County Park             

Green Heron    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)              

Black-crowned Night-Heron     Island Beach SP                      

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                       

Glossy Ibis     Cattus Island County Park                       

Black Vulture     New Egypt                      

Turkey Vulture     Crestwood Village                   

Osprey     Cattus Island County Park                  

Northern Harrier     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                      

Sharp-shinned Hawk     Colliers Mills WMA                  

Cooper's Hawk     Crestwood Community Gardens                 

Bald Eagle     Double Trouble State Park                       

Red-shouldered Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere                  

Broad-winged Hawk     Double Trouble State Park                  

Red-tailed Hawk     Whiting--Power line cut                  

Clapper Rail     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                 

American Coot     Lake of the Lilies                     

American Avocet     Forsythe--Barnegat             

American Oystercatcher     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                     

Black-bellied Plover     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                

American Golden-Plover    Holgate                     

Semipalmated Plover     Great Bay Bvld. WMA             

Piping Plover     Barnegat Lighthouse SP                     

Killdeer     Great Bay Bvld. WMA              

Spotted Sandpiper     Lake Enno             

Solitary Sandpiper     Butterfly Bogs                    

Greater Yellowlegs    Eno's Pond            

Willet     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                  

Lesser Yellowlegs     Forsythe--Barnegat                       

Upland Sandpiper     Lakehurst NAES               

Whimbrel     Great Sedge Island              

Marbled Godwit     Great Sedge Island                

Ruddy Turnstone     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                    

Red Knot     Great Sedge Island               

Stilt Sandpiper     Forsythe--Barnegat                 

Sanderling     Barnegat Lighthouse SP              

Dunlin     Great Bay Bvld. WMA               

Purple Sandpiper     Barnegat Lighthouse SP              

Least Sandpiper     Cattus Island County Park             

Pectoral Sandpiper    Eno's Pond            

Semipalmated Sandpiper     Island Beach SP              

Short-billed Dowitcher     Island Beach SP                    

Long-billed Dowitcher     Bayview Marina                      

Wilson's Snipe    Eno's Pond                   

American Woodcock     Crestwood Community Gardens                    

Bonaparte's Gull     Manasquan Inlet                  

Laughing Gull     Toms River bus station                       

Ring-billed Gull     Crestwood Village                 

Herring Gull     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                  

Lesser Black-backed Gull     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                  

Great Black-backed Gull     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                    

Least Tern     Double Trouble State Park            

Caspian Tern     Great Sedge Island                   

Black Tern     Great Sedge Island            

Common Tern     Barnegat Lighthouse SP                    

Forster's Tern     Cattus Island County Park                  

Royal Tern     Barnegat Lighthouse SP              

Black Skimmer     Great Bay Bvld. WMA             

Rock Pigeon     Warren Grove                  

Mourning Dove     35 Sunset Rd             

Yellow-billed Cuckoo     Colliers Mills WMA                  

Black-billed Cuckoo    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)             

Eastern Screech-Owl     35 Sunset Rd               

Great Horned Owl     35 Sunset Rd                     

Snowy Owl   Bridge to Nowhere               

Short-eared Owl   Bridge to Nowhere                 

Common Nighthawk     Lakehurst NAES                       

Chuck-will's-widow     Collinstown Rd                

Eastern Whip-poor-will     35 Sunset Rd            

Chimney Swift     Prospertown Lake                   

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     35 Sunset Rd              

Belted Kingfisher     Horicon Lake                       

Red-headed Woodpecker     Colliers Mills WMA                      

Red-bellied Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd                     

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     Crestwood Village            

Downy Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd                 

Hairy Woodpecker     Whiting WMA                    

Northern Flicker     Crestwood Village                

American Kestrel     Colliers Mills WMA              

Merlin     Crestwood Village                      

Peregrine Falcon     Barnegat Lighthouse SP              

Eastern Wood-Pewee     Colliers Mills WMA                 

Acadian Flycatcher     Double Trouble State Park                    

Willow Flycatcher     Double Trouble State Park                       

Least Flycatcher     Colliers Mills WMA               

Eastern Phoebe     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                      

Great Crested Flycatcher     Double Trouble State Park                      

Eastern Kingbird    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                   

Northern Shrike    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                    

White-eyed Vireo    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                  

Blue-headed Vireo     Cattus Island County Park                     

Warbling Vireo     Colliers Mills WMA                  

Red-eyed Vireo     Island Beach SP                    

Blue Jay     35 Sunset Rd              

American Crow     35 Sunset Rd              

Fish Crow     Horicon Lake            

Common Raven     Lakehurst NAES                  

Horned Lark     Lakehurst NAES              

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA               

Purple Martin    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)             

Tree Swallow     Prospertown Lake                     

Bank Swallow     Forsythe--Barnegat                  

Barn Swallow    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)            

Carolina Chickadee     35 Sunset Rd                 

Tufted Titmouse     35 Sunset Rd            

Red-breasted Nuthatch     Wells Mills Park                    

White-breasted Nuthatch     35 Sunset Rd                    

Brown Creeper     Crestwood Village                  

House Wren    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)              

Winter Wren     Ocean County Parks Offices                

Sedge Wren     Manahawking WMA--Beach Ave                     

Marsh Wren     Island Beach SP              

Carolina Wren     35 Sunset Rd               

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     Colliers Mills WMA                

Golden-crowned Kinglet     Whiting--Power line cut                

Ruby-crowned Kinglet     Crestwood Village                 

Eastern Bluebird     Horicon Lake            

Veery     Double Trouble State Park                    

Gray-cheeked Thrush     Double Trouble State Park               

Swainson's Thrush     Wells Mills Park               

Hermit Thrush     Crestwood Village                    

Wood Thrush     FREC                  

American Robin     Lakewood                  

Gray Catbird     Island Beach SP             

Brown Thrasher     Colliers Mills WMA               

Northern Mockingbird     New Egypt                    

European Starling     Crestwood Village            

Cedar Waxwing     Cattus Island County Park              

Lapland Longspur     Island Beach SP               

Snow Bunting     Island Beach SP                      

Ovenbird     Double Trouble State Park              

Louisiana Waterthrush     Double Trouble State Park             

Northern Waterthrush    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                      

Blue-winged Warbler     Colliers Mills WMA                  

Black-and-white Warbler     Colliers Mills WMA            

Orange-crowned Warbler     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                  

Nashville Warbler     Island Beach SP--Reed's Road              

Common Yellowthroat    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                     

American Redstart     Double Trouble State Park                     

Northern Parula    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                    

Magnolia Warbler     Double Trouble State Park                       

Bay-breasted Warbler     Island Beach SP                     

Blackburnian Warbler    Eno's Pond                   

Yellow Warbler    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                      

Blackpoll Warbler     Island Beach SP                

Black-throated Blue Warbler     Island Beach SP                     

Palm Warbler     Double Trouble State Park                  

Pine Warbler     35 Sunset Rd                  

Yellow-rumped Warbler     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                     

Prairie Warbler    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                      

Black-throated Green Warbler     Island Beach SP                   

Canada Warbler     Island Beach SP                  

Eastern Towhee     Colliers Mills WMA               

American Tree Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd                       

Chipping Sparrow     Crestwood Village             

Clay-colored Sparrow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA             

Field Sparrow    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)            

Savannah Sparrow     Barnegat Lighthouse SP                       

Grasshopper Sparrow     Colliers Mills WMA                 

Saltmarsh Sparrow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                 

Seaside Sparrow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                     

Fox Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd                   

Song Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd                

Lincoln's Sparrow     Colliers Mills WMA            

Swamp Sparrow     Horicon Lake             

White-throated Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd                       

White-crowned Sparrow     Double Trouble State Park                       

Dark-eyed Junco     35 Sunset Rd                       

Scarlet Tanager     FREC              

Northern Cardinal     35 Sunset Rd                     

Rose-breasted Grosbeak    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                 

Blue Grosbeak     Prospertown Lake                   

Indigo Bunting     Colliers Mills WMA                  

Bobolink     Island Beach SP--Reed's Road                  

Red-winged Blackbird     Cattus Island County Park               

Eastern Meadowlark     Lakehurst NAES                       

Common Grackle     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                    

Boat-tailed Grackle     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                  

Brown-headed Cowbird     35 Sunset Rd                       

Orchard Oriole    Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)                       

Baltimore Oriole     Lake Enno                  

House Finch     35 Sunset Rd                  

Purple Finch     Great Bay Bvld. WMA                

American Goldfinch     35 Sunset Rd                 

House Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd