December's List

It wasn't a particularly exciting month of birding. The warm weather seems to have kept the ducks up north--they move when they have to, unlike the passerines and shorebirds that move according to day length and other cues. I added no year birds. By the middle of December I was happy to find month birds. The only rarity I came across was the American Avocet at Brig. This is not to say that I had a lousy time birding. Almost each day brought birds I enjoy and I wandered around places like Whitesbog, Assunpink, and the cranberry bogs in South Toms River-- all places I find agreeable. I just had to forget about my lists and enjoy the birding, which, of course, is what it's really about anyway. Plus, I practiced. I practiced identifying quick flying birds. I practiced pishing out stubborn birds. I practiced "ducks at a distance." And I think I got better. I know I'm a better birder this year than I was last year. And I plan to apply all I learned next year. Before the list, some pictures of birds I found this month:

Cooper's Hawk in the backyard

Fox Sparrow at Double Trouble

Hermit Thrush at the cranberry bogs

American Tree Sparrow at the cranberry bogs

Eastern Bluebirds at Cattus Island

Tundra Swans at the cranberry bogs

The list for the month, 106 species:
Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset, Ocean

Species                  Location

Snow Goose     Brig

Brant     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Canada Goose     Rt. 70--Manchester

Mute Swan     Marshall's Pond

Tundra Swan     Whitesbog

Wood Duck     Brig

Gadwall     Brig

American Wigeon     Brig

American Black Duck     Butterfly Bogs

Mallard     Bunker Hill Bogs

Northern Shoveler     Brig

Northern Pintail     Brig

Green-winged Teal     Brig

Redhead     Assunpink WMA

Ring-necked Duck     Bunker Hill Bogs

Common Eider     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Harlequin Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Surf Scoter     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

White-winged Scoter     Sandy Hook

Black Scoter     Sandy Hook

Long-tailed Duck     Sandy Hook

Bufflehead     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Common Goldeneye     Sandy Hook

Hooded Merganser     Brig

Red-breasted Merganser     Sandy Hook

Ruddy Duck     Cattus Island County Park

Wild Turkey     35 Sunset Rd

Red-throated Loon     Sandy Hook

Common Loon     Sandy Hook

Pied-billed Grebe     Double Trouble State Park

Horned Grebe     Sandy Hook

Northern Gannet     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Double-crested Cormorant     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Great Blue Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Great Egret     Brig

Black Vulture     Union Transportation Trail

Turkey Vulture     Crestwood Village

Northern Harrier     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Sharp-shinned Hawk     Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd

Cooper's Hawk     35 Sunset Rd

Bald Eagle     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Red-tailed Hawk     Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd

Virginia Rail     Brig

American Coot     Brig

American Avocet     Brig

American Oystercatcher     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Black-bellied Plover     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Killdeer     Bunker Hill Bogs

Sanderling     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Dunlin     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Bonaparte's Gull     Sandy Hook

Ring-billed Gull     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Herring Gull     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Glaucous Gull     Sandy Hook

Great Black-backed Gull     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Rock Pigeon     Manasquan Inlet

Mourning Dove     35 Sunset Rd

Belted Kingfisher     Cattus Island County Park

Red-bellied Woodpecker     Bunker Hill Bogs

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     Assunpink WMA

Downy Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker     Assunpink WMA

Northern Flicker     Union Transportation Trail

Peregrine Falcon     Brig

Blue Jay     35 Sunset Rd

American Crow     35 Sunset Rd

Fish Crow     Union Transportation Trail

Horned Lark     Sandy Hook

Carolina Chickadee     35 Sunset Rd

Black-capped Chickadee     Sandy Hook

Tufted Titmouse     35 Sunset Rd

Red-breasted Nuthatch     Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch     35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper     Whitesbog

Winter Wren     Sandy Hook

Carolina Wren     35 Sunset Rd

Golden-crowned Kinglet     Bunker Hill Bogs

Ruby-crowned Kinglet     Whitesbog

Eastern Bluebird     Cattus Island County Park

Hermit Thrush     Double Trouble State Park

American Robin     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Gray Catbird     Assunpink WMA

Northern Mockingbird     Sandy Hook

European Starling     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Cedar Waxwing     Sandy Hook

Snow Bunting     Sandy Hook

Yellow-rumped Warbler     35 Sunset Rd

American Tree Sparrow     Double Trouble State Park

Chipping Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow     Assunpink WMA

Fox Sparrow     Double Trouble State Park

Dark-eyed Junco     35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow     Assunpink WMA

White-throated Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd

Savannah Sparrow     Double Trouble State Park

Song Sparrow     Bunker Hill Bogs

Swamp Sparrow     Bunker Hill Bogs

Eastern Towhee     Brig

Northern Cardinal     35 Sunset Rd

Red-winged Blackbird     Great Bay Blvd WMA

Common Grackle     Whitesbog

Boat-tailed Grackle     Great Bay Blvd WMA

House Finch     35 Sunset Rd

Pine Siskin     Double Trouble State Park

American Goldfinch     35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow     Barnegat Lighthouse SP