January Wrap Up

Bonaparte's Gull, Manasquan Inlet

American Woodcock in our backyard

January was a very satisfying birding month: I did a Christmas Count, a Pinelands Survey, saw some decent rarities (American Avocet, Barnacle Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Snowy Owl, among others), birded with friends and my lovely wife and generally had a good time in mild winter weather, marred only by a weekend of 2 feet of snow. I would have to say that the highlight of the month happened in our backyard when we saw an American Woodcock feeding in the leaf litter one afternoon and then, two days later during the storm, huddling beneath a stunted pitch pine. That bird brought our backyard bird count up to 90 species and I would say it is tied with last year's Common Redpoll for most exciting species seen through the window.

There have actually been more exciting birds around than I could get to--today, while doing the Pinelands Survey at Whitesbog, I missed Razorbill at Manasquan Inlet and Western Grebe up in Monmouth County. Shari & I hope to try for them tomorrow. A new month with a clean slate. This month I had 122 species, which is more than a third of the number of species I usually get in a year. But it isn't just about listing (although it would be easy to get that impression from these entries); for sheer aesthetic pleasure, nothing beats seeing a Harlequin Duck off the jetty at Barnegat Light SP.

World's most unlikely looking duck

But I still feel compelled to paste in the month's list:
Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean

Species            First Sighting

Snow Goose     Brig

Brant     Sandy Hook          

Barnacle Goose     Monroe           

Cackling Goose     Monroe

Canada Goose     Manchester      

Mute Swan     Lake Takanassee  

Tundra Swan     Brig          

Gadwall     Brig        

Eurasian Wigeon     Lake Takanassee   

American Wigeon     Lake Takanassee  

American Black Duck     Oceanic Bridge

Mallard     Lake Takanassee         

Northern Shoveler     Brig  

Northern Pintail     Brig      

Green-winged Teal     Cape May Point SP        

Canvasback     Lake Takanassee

Redhead     Marshall's Pond        

Ring-necked Duck     Marshall's Pond   

Greater Scaup     Riverfront Landing      

Lesser Scaup     Brig          

Common Eider     Barnegat Lighthouse SP       

Harlequin Duck     Barnegat Lighthouse SP     

Surf Scoter     Sandy Hook

White-winged Scoter     Sandy Hook      

Black Scoter     Sandy Hook         

Long-tailed Duck     Sandy Hook 

Bufflehead     Oceanic Bridge      

Common Goldeneye     Sandy Hook       

Hooded Merganser     Lake Takanassee

Common Merganser     Brig          

Red-breasted Merganser     Oceanic Bridge      

Ruddy Duck     Oceanic Bridge    

Wild Turkey     Crestwood Village

Red-throated Loon     Sandy Hook          

Common Loon     Sandy Hook     

Pied-billed Grebe     Manahawkin Lake  

Horned Grebe     Sandy Hook      

Northern Gannet     Sandy Hook 

Double-crested Cormorant     Sandy Hook        

Great Cormorant     Sandy Hook  

Great Blue Heron     Silver Lake   

Great Egret     Great Egg Harbor   

Tricolored Heron     Brig     

Black Vulture     Stafford    

Turkey Vulture     Sandy Hook     

Northern Harrier     Bridge to Nowhere   

Sharp-shinned Hawk     35 Sunset Rd   

Cooper's Hawk     Brig        

Bald Eagle     Oceanic Bridge            

Red-shouldered Hawk     Brig      

Red-tailed Hawk     Lakewood Wawa      

American Coot     Lake Takanassee        

American Avocet     Absecon Creek        

Black-bellied Plover     Sandy Hook        

Killdeer     Manahawkin Lake       

Greater Yellowlegs     Brig 

Ruddy Turnstone     Barnegat Lighthouse SP  

Sanderling     Barnegat Lighthouse SP  

Dunlin     Brig          

Purple Sandpiper     Barnegat Lighthouse SP  

American Woodcock     35 Sunset Rd    

Bonaparte's Gull     Barnegat Lighthouse SP    

Ring-billed Gull     Sandy Hook    

Herring Gull     Oceanic Bridge    

Iceland Gull     Sandy Hook          

Great Black-backed Gull     Oceanic Bridge       

Rock Pigeon     Lake Takanassee           

Mourning Dove     Stafford Avenue         

Eastern Screech-Owl     Beach Ave        

Great Horned Owl     Whitesbog     

Snowy Owl     Holgate        

Long-eared Owl     Beach Ave      

Belted Kingfisher     Cattus Island County Park

Red-bellied Woodpecker     35 Sunset Rd         

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     Bamber Lake         

Downy Woodpecker     Cattus Island County Park       

Hairy Woodpecker     Bridge to Nowhere

Northern Flicker     Bridge to Nowhere    

Peregrine Falcon     East Bay Av 

Blue Jay     35 Sunset Rd  

American Crow     35 Sunset Rd  

Fish Crow     Union Transportation Trail 

Carolina Chickadee     35 Sunset Rd     

Tufted Titmouse     35 Sunset Rd

Red-breasted Nuthatch     Cranberry Bogs        

White-breasted Nuthatch     35 Sunset Rd        

Brown Creeper     Brig        

Carolina Wren     35 Sunset Rd   

Golden-crowned Kinglet     Cattus Island County Park           

Ruby-crowned Kinglet     Assunpink WMA        

Eastern Bluebird     Brig     

Hermit Thrush     Beach Ave         

American Robin     Cattus Island County Park  

Gray Catbird     Brig

Northern Mockingbird     Assunpink WMA         

European Starling     Oceanic Bridge     

Cedar Waxwing     Cattus Island County Park  

Snow Bunting     Sandy Hook      

Pine Warbler     Cranberry Bogs  

Yellow-rumped Warbler     Cattus Island County Park 

American Tree Sparrow     Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd

Chipping Sparrow     35 Sunset Rd         

Field Sparrow     Cranberry Bogs 

Fox Sparrow     Beach Ave

Dark-eyed Junco     35 Sunset Rd           

White-crowned Sparrow     Assunpink WMA     

White-throated Sparrow     Beach Ave    

Song Sparrow     Beach Ave         

Swamp Sparrow     Bridge to Nowhere   

Eastern Towhee     Stafford          

Northern Cardinal     35 Sunset Rd         

Red-winged Blackbird     Cattus Island County Park   

Eastern Meadowlark     Brig          

Rusty Blackbird     Whitesbog       

Common Grackle     Barnegat Lighthouse SP  

Boat-tailed Grackle     Bridge to Nowhere           

Brown-headed Cowbird     St. Mary's Cemetery

House Finch     Sandy Hook        

Purple Finch     Beach Ave           

Pine Siskin     35 Sunset Rd         

American Goldfinch     35 Sunset Rd     

House Sparrow     Stafford