Cranberry Bogs 1/7--Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Warbler, American Tree Sparrow, Field Sparrow

It's always a good feeling to set yourself a goal and then accomplish that goal, even if the goal is something as essentially silly as finding your first Red-breasted Nuthatch of the year. Last month I found one twice at the cranberry bogs in South Toms River,  in a stand of pine trees on the way to the sand pit. It took me two tries to find the little bugger, but on my second swing by on the way out there was a mixed flock of chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and juncos there and in with them was the RBNU. There was also a Pine Warbler with them, supposedly rare in winter in the county but in actuality, quite a few overwinter here. They just don't sing in the winter and thus are harder to find.

Besides those two year birds I also added to more sparrows to the list--a Field Sparrow briefly by the first bog (frozen, like all the rest) and an American Tree Sparrow down near the power line cut. Both the FISP and PIWA were new species for me at this spot.

Four year birds plus one of my faves, a Brown Creeper, made the morning a productive one.
21 species
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Mourning Dove  25
Downy Woodpecker  1     Heard
Blue Jay  10
American Crow  1     Heard
Carolina Chickadee  5
Tufted Titmouse  4
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Brown Creeper  1
Carolina Wren  2     Heard
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Pine Warbler  1     
Yellow-rumped Warbler  15
American Tree Sparrow  1
Field Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  12
White-throated Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  2
American Goldfinch  1     Heard