July Wrap-up--Mostly Brig

Black-crowned Night-Heron, Brig

I went to Brig 9 times this month--more than twice a week by a fraction. I went by myself, with Shari, with Mike, with Bob, and on a couple of NJ Audubon field trips. Most of the birds I saw this month, I saw at Brig and all but one of my year birds were found at Brig this month. Doing the arithmetic, that means 128 miles of birding at Brig. Summer birding in NJ.

I did go other places, particularly early in the month when warblers and other passerines were still somewhat vocal, but once the weather gets really warm, it is hard in the woods to hold up your binoculars and swat away bugs at the same time.

While I had 143 species for the month, a respectable number, I only added 5 birds to the year list, my worst month so far by far. And I won't even go into the incredibly frustrating saga of the Roseate Spoonbill that spent two days eluding all but a handful of birders in Ocean County. And what did everyone say when we couldn't find it in Ocean County? "Oh, it'll probably turn up at Brig."

Counties Birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean

Species                  First Sighting

Snow Goose   Brig

Canada Goose   Brig

Mute Swan   Brig

Wood Duck   Brig

American Black Duck   Brig

Mallard   Brig

Blue-winged Teal   Brig

Green-winged Teal   Brig

Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Pied-billed Grebe   Brig

Double-crested Cormorant   Brig

Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP

Least Bittern   Brig

Great Blue Heron   Baldpate Mt

Great Egret   Brig

Snowy Egret   Brig

Little Blue Heron   Brig

Tricolored Heron   Island Beach SP

Green Heron   Union Transportation Trail

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Brig

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Brig

White Ibis   Brig

Glossy Ibis   Brig

Black Vulture   Baldpate Mt

Turkey Vulture   Brig

Osprey   Brig

Mississippi Kite   GSP MM 69

Cooper's Hawk   Rt 539 New Egypt

Bald Eagle   Brig

Red-tailed Hawk   NJ-29 S, Trenton

Clapper Rail   Brig

Common Gallinule   Brig

American Avocet   Brig

American Oystercatcher   Brig

Black-bellied Plover   Brig

Semipalmated Plover   Brig

Piping Plover   Island Beach SP

Killdeer   Brig

Whimbrel   Brig

Marbled Godwit   Brig

Ruddy Turnstone   Great Bay Blvd

Stilt Sandpiper   Brig

Sanderling   Island Beach SP

Least Sandpiper   Brig

White-rumped Sandpiper   Brig

Pectoral Sandpiper   Brig

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Brig

Western Sandpiper   Brig

Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig

Long-billed Dowitcher   Brig

Spotted Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd

Greater Yellowlegs   Brig

Willet   Brig

Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig

Laughing Gull   Brig

Ring-billed Gull   Brig

Herring Gull   Brig

Great Black-backed Gull   Brig

Least Tern   Brig

Gull-billed Tern   Brig

Caspian Tern   Brig

Black Tern   Brig

Common Tern   Island Beach SP

Forster's Tern   Brig

Royal Tern   Island Beach SP

Black Skimmer   Brig

Mourning Dove   Brig

Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Brig

Black-billed Cuckoo   Crosswicks Creek Park

Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift   Baldpate Mt

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   Brig

Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Baldpate Mt

Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Northern Flicker   Baldpate Mt

Peregrine Falcon   Brig

Eastern Wood-Pewee   Baldpate Mt

Willow Flycatcher   Brig

Eastern Phoebe   Bright View Farm

Great Crested Flycatcher   Brig

Eastern Kingbird   Brig

White-eyed Vireo   Baldpate Mt

Yellow-throated Vireo   Baldpate Mt

Warbling Vireo   Mercer Sod Farm IBA

Red-eyed Vireo   Baldpate Mt

Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd

American Crow   Brig

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Brig

Purple Martin   Brig

Tree Swallow   Brig

Bank Swallow   Brig

Barn Swallow   Brig

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse   Brig

White-breasted Nuthatch   Baldpate Mt

House Wren   35 Sunset Rd

Marsh Wren   Brig

Carolina Wren   Brig

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Baldpate Mt

Eastern Bluebird   Bright View Farm

Veery   Baldpate Mt

Wood Thrush   Baldpate Mt

American Robin   Brig

Gray Catbird   Brig

Brown Thrasher   Brig

Northern Mockingbird   Mercer Sod Farm IBA

European Starling   Wawa-Jackson

Cedar Waxwing   Baldpate Mt

Ovenbird   Baldpate Mt

Blue-winged Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Black-and-white Warbler   Baldpate Mt

Common Yellowthroat   Brig

Hooded Warbler   Baldpate Mt

Yellow Warbler   Baldpate Mt

Chestnut-sided Warbler   Baldpate Mt

Pine Warbler   Whitesbog

Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog

Grasshopper Sparrow   Juliustown Rd

Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd

Seaside Sparrow   Brig

Chipping Sparrow   Brig

Field Sparrow   Brig

Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog

Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Baldpate Mt

Blue Grosbeak   Crosswicks Creek Park

Indigo Bunting   Baldpate Mt

Dickcissel   Juliustown Rd

Red-winged Blackbird   Brig

Eastern Meadowlark   Mercer Sod Farm IBA

Common Grackle   Brig

Boat-tailed Grackle   Brig

Brown-headed Cowbird   Brig

Orchard Oriole   Brig

Baltimore Oriole   Baldpate Mt

House Finch   Brig

American Goldfinch   Brig

House Sparrow   Wawa-Jackson Green Heron, Union Transportation Trail