February Wrap up

Canvasbacks, Mallards, Black Duck, Ruddy Duck, Herring Gull, Dock St, Sands Point

Not to put too fine a point on it, but this month I really stunk up the county. I missed so many great birds this month that I started to question why I even bother going out. My dips on the Thick-billed Murre and Bohemian Waxwing have already been documented to the point of self-flagellation, but I also missed King Eider & Black-headed Gull this month, both of which Greg, whose instincts and persistence this month have been admirable, had at Manasquan Inlet mid-month.

Yesterday, while standing around parking lot A3 waiting for the Bowax to show (which it eventually did, two hours after I left), I administered a little test I give myself. It goes like this.
   
       Birding is supposed to be fun.
       Are you having fun?

The answer was no, standing around in the cold waiting 4 hours for some bird to show up is not fun. If there had been other birds to look at to pass the time, if the weather was pleasant, I could make a case for it. So I left, knowing, just knowing, the bird would eventually show.

February, along with July, is just about the deadest month for new birds in this area, so the 4 rarities I missed would have added a little spice to the list. As it was, I added 15 species for the year, not a lot, the most interesting ones being raptors (an owl and two hawks) plus the American Pipits I found at Sands Point, an area which bears more investigation. I made two trips there this month and I suspect it will be a productive spot next month for ducks and through the early spring when the marshes thaw for passing shorebirds. The fact that the water is kept warm from the Oyster Creek nuclear plant makes the spot one of the few places on Barnegat Bay this winter where you can find open water.

Almost every day I took a picture of a Pine Warbler, our alleged rarity, to post on eBird. Most of them were purely documentary but this one approaches being a decent photo in itself.

For the month I had 110 species, down from last month's count, but I didn't leave the state this month.

Species             First Sighting

Snow Goose     Assunpink WMA

Brant     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Canada Goose     Sunset Park

Mute Swan     Sands Point Preserve

Trumpeter Swan     Assunpink WMA

Tundra Swan     Brig

Gadwall     Forsythe--Barnegat

American Wigeon     Marshall's Pond

American Black Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Mallard     Bayview Marina

Northern Pintail     Bayview Ave Park

Green-winged Teal     Brig

Canvasback     Sunset Park

Redhead     Assunpink WMA

Ring-necked Duck     Assunpink WMA

Greater Scaup     Sunset Park

Lesser Scaup     Wrangle Brook

Common Eider     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Harlequin Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Surf Scoter     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

White-winged Scoter     Manasquan Inlet

Black Scoter     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Long-tailed Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Bufflehead     Bayview Marina

Common Goldeneye     Sunset Park

Hooded Merganser     Bridge to Nowhere

Common Merganser     Assunpink WMA

Red-breasted Merganser     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Ruddy Duck     Eno’s Pond

Red-throated Loon     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Common Loon     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Pied-billed Grebe     Sands Point--Dock Ave

Horned Grebe     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Red-necked Grebe     Manasquan Inlet

Double-crested Cormorant     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Cormorant     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Blue Heron     Sands Point Preserve

Black-crowned Night-Heron     Bayview Ave Park

Black Vulture     Forked River

Turkey Vulture     New Egypt

Northern Harrier     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Sharp-shinned Hawk     35 Sunset Rd

Cooper's Hawk     35 Sunset Rd

Bald Eagle     Sands Point Preserve

Red-shouldered Hawk     Brig

Red-tailed Hawk     GSP MM 65.5

Rough-legged Hawk     Mercer Sod Farm IBA

American Coot     Marshall's Pond

American Oystercatcher     Brigantine Island

Black-bellied Plover     Bayview Marina

Killdeer     Sands Point Preserve

Greater Yellowlegs     Eno’s Pond

Willet     Brigantine Island

Ruddy Turnstone     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Dunlin     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Purple Sandpiper     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Bonaparte's Gull     Manasquan Inlet

Ring-billed Gull     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Herring Gull     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Black-backed Gull     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Rock Pigeon     Bayview Marina

Mourning Dove     35 Sunset Rd

Great Horned Owl     Bridge to Nowhere

Snowy Owl     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Belted Kingfisher     Eno’s Pond

Red-bellied Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     Crestwood Village

Downy Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker     Brig

Northern Flicker     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Merlin     Brig

Peregrine Falcon     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Blue Jay     35 Sunset Rd

American Crow     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Fish Crow     Mercer Sod Farm IBA

Common Raven     Double Trouble State Park

Carolina Chickadee     35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse     35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch     35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper     Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Carolina Wren     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Eastern Bluebird     Brig

Hermit Thrush     Eno’s Pond

American Robin     35 Sunset Rd

Northern Mockingbird     New Egypt

European Starling     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

American Pipit     Sands Point Preserve

Cedar Waxwing     Island Beach SP

Pine Warbler     35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-rumped Warbler     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Eastern Towhee     Brig

American Tree Sparrow     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Chipping Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow     Brig

Savannah Sparrow     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Fox Sparrow     Bayview Ave Park

Song Sparrow     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Swamp Sparrow     Bridge to Nowhere

White-throated Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow     Assunpink WMA

Dark-eyed Junco     35 Sunset Rd

Northern Cardinal     35 Sunset Rd

Red-winged Blackbird     Marsha Dr & Rt 72

Common Grackle     New Egypt

Boat-tailed Grackle     Great Bay Bvld.

Brown-headed Cowbird     New Egypt

House Finch     35 Sunset Rd

Common Redpoll     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

American Goldfinch     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

House Sparrow     Barnegat Lighthouse SP