August Wrap Up--Mostly Whitesbog

American Golden-Plover, Whitesbog
(digiscope)

August found me at Whitesbog 20 times: A fifteen minute drive to see if any rare shorebirds are around is just too tempting for me, plus I know I'll enjoy the company of the few regulars who make it out there. My best find of the month was the American Golden-Plover I found on the Middle Bog Monday, just as I was getting ready to call it a day.  I regret that it didn't stick for my birding buddies. Other notable rarities this month on the bogs were the Buff-breasted Sandpiper (it, or a couple of others, has been seen off and on since the middle of the month), White-rumped Sandpipers close enough to really study, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Stilt Sandpipers, the last 3 rare for Burlington, a county with way more pines than mud flats. While you don't get the huge numbers of shorebirds you might at Brig (which is good, because sorting through 5000 sandpipers gets old real fast), you do get nice diversity--12 species of shorebirds in a small area is common.

Pied-billed Grebe, Whitesbog

Another cool bird that showed up was Upland Sandpiper, 3 of them, in mowed field of the Mercer Sod Farm (which, perplexingly is in Burlington County). It took me two tries to find them (the first day was a miserably rainy one), but I found them almost immediately on my 2nd try, thin-necked, small-headed, upright sandpipers. It was the first time I've seen the species outside of the Lakehurst jump circle.

Of course, the Wood Stork at Sandy Hook was the highlight of the month. The day I saw it had a semi-holiday vibe to it due to the partial eclipse.

Two species of phalaropes at Brig, along with two species of godwits there were also notable. Yes, I did go to Brig a few times on the weekends--Whitesbog after about 8 o'clock  A.M. on a summer Saturday or Sunday gets a little too busy with the retriever people, the dirt bike people, and the let's drive around the dikes aimlessly people for birding to be productive or pleasant.

For the month I added 7 year birds (2 more than in July) and managed 143 species (30 species of shorebirds!), all but two in NJ. I listed pigeon and House Sparrow on the mean streets of Manhattan.

Green Heron, Whitesbog

Counties birded:
New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Monmouth, Ocean
New York: New York

Species             First Sighting

Snow Goose   Brig

Canada Goose   Whitesbog

Mute Swan   Cape May

Wood Duck   Whitesbog

Blue-winged Teal   Brig

Northern Shoveler   Brig

Mallard   Whitesbog

American Black Duck   Cape May

Northern Pintail   Brig

Green-winged Teal   Whitesbog

Black Scoter   Island Beach

Hooded Merganser   Brig

Northern Bobwhite   Cape May

Wild Turkey   Crestwood Village

Pied-billed Grebe   Whitesbog

Wood Stork   Sandy Hook

Double-crested Cormorant   Island Beach

Brown Pelican   Island Beach

Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog

Great Egret   Whitesbog

Snowy Egret   Island Beach

Little Blue Heron   Brig

Tricolored Heron   Scotch Bonnet

Green Heron   Whitesbog

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Brig

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Scotch Bonnet

White Ibis   Brig

Glossy Ibis   Island Beach

Turkey Vulture   Brig

Osprey   Island Beach

Cooper's Hawk   Whitesbog

Bald Eagle   Whitesbog

Red-tailed Hawk   Whitesbog

Clapper Rail   Brig

American Oystercatcher   Island Beach

Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach

American Golden-Plover   Whitesbog

Semipalmated Plover   Island Beach

Piping Plover   Island Beach

Killdeer   Cape May

Upland Sandpiper   Mercer Sod Farm IBA

Whimbrel   Brig

Hudsonian Godwit   Brig

Marbled Godwit   Brig

Ruddy Turnstone   Cape May

Stilt Sandpiper   Brig

Sanderling   Island Beach

Dunlin   Brig

Least Sandpiper   Whitesbog

White-rumped Sandpiper   Brig

Buff-breasted Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Pectoral Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Island Beach

Western Sandpiper   Brig

Short-billed Dowitcher   Island Beach

Long-billed Dowitcher   Brig

Wilson's Snipe   Whitesbog

Wilson's Phalarope   Brig

Red-necked Phalarope   Brig

Spotted Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Solitary Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Greater Yellowlegs   Whitesbog

Willet   Brig

Lesser Yellowlegs   Whitesbog

Laughing Gull   Island Beach

Ring-billed Gull   Island Beach

Herring Gull   Island Beach

Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach

Least Tern   Cape May

Gull-billed Tern   Brig

Caspian Tern   Brig

Black Tern   Brig

Common Tern   Island Beach

Forster's Tern   Island Beach

Royal Tern   Island Beach

Black Skimmer   Brig

Rock Pigeon   901 Lexington Ave, New York

Mourning Dove   Whitesbog

Common Nighthawk   35 Sunset Rd

Eastern Whip-poor-will   Whiting WMA

Chimney Swift   Whitesbog

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd

Belted Kingfisher   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog

Downy Woodpecker   Crestwood Village

Hairy Woodpecker   Brig

Northern Flicker   Cape May

Peregrine Falcon   Brig

Eastern Wood-Pewee   Whitesbog

Least Flycatcher   Whitesbog

Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog

Great Crested Flycatcher   Whitesbog

Eastern Kingbird   Whitesbog

White-eyed Vireo   Whitesbog

Red-eyed Vireo   Brig

Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd

American Crow   Cape May

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Whitesbog

Purple Martin   Cape May

Tree Swallow   Whitesbog

Barn Swallow   Whitesbog

Carolina Chickadee   Whitesbog

Tufted Titmouse   Whitesbog

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

House Wren   Cape May

Marsh Wren   Brig

Carolina Wren   Cape May

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Whitesbog

Eastern Bluebird   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd

American Robin   Cape May

Gray Catbird   Whitesbog

Brown Thrasher   Whitesbog

Northern Mockingbird   Cape May

European Starling   35 Sunset Rd

Cedar Waxwing   Whitesbog

Ovenbird   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd

Black-and-white Warbler   Whitesbog

Common Yellowthroat   Whitesbog

American Redstart   Brig

Yellow Warbler   Cape May

Pine Warbler   Whitesbog

Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog

Canada Warbler   Whitesbog

Saltmarsh Sparrow   Brig

Seaside Sparrow   Brig

Chipping Sparrow   Whitesbog

Field Sparrow   Cape May

Song Sparrow   Whitesbog

Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog

Eastern Towhee   Whitesbog

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Blue Grosbeak   Brig

Indigo Bunting   Cape May

Bobolink   Brig

Orchard Oriole   Whitesbog

Red-winged Blackbird   Whitesbog

Brown-headed Cowbird   Whitesbog

Common Grackle   Whitesbog

Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach

House Finch   35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch   Whitesbog

House Sparrow   485 Lexington Ave, New York

Brig 8/27--Hudsonian Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope

Hudsonian Godwit

A couple of interesting shorebirds showed up at Brig on Saturday so I was already planning on going there today when Bob Auster called last night. He originally wanted to see if I was interested in doing some "sod farming" today, but instead agreed that Brig had possibilities. We met there early this morning and we weren't disappointed.

The water levels in the SW pool were best for shorebirds and it is about the only place on the refuge with a lot of exposed mud flats, perfect for "grasspipers." Bob found a very intriguing sandpiper there that we spent a lot of time debating--was it a Baird's Sandpiper, or a White-rumped, or just a big Semi? Just yesterday I had spent a lot of time at Whitesbog trying to figure out with Jim S. another sandpiper that finally devolved into a Semi, so I was a little more dubious than Bob. If we had seen this bird on a sod farm, I'd probably think it was a Baird's, but, given the difficulty of the i.d. and that fact that we didn't have a photo (the bird moved around a lot) I just couldn't put it down as anything other than "shorebird." Bob, after much thought, figures it was a White-rumped and he's likely correct. These shorebirds can be frustrating especially when they're more than 5 feet away from (in other words--always).

Red-necked Phalarope in the water

Speaking of a bird that moved around a lot, we found our first target bird up the road by the observation tower--a spinning, fidgety, Red-necked Phalarope. This is a bird that you could identify by behavior--only phalaropes whirl around in the water. The big eye patch gave it away as a Red-necked instead of the Wilson's that had been there for a good part of the month. I was able only to get really coarse photos of it due to the distance. Bob already had this species from a pelagic trip earlier this month, but it was a year bird for me.

We both got a year bird on the East Dike when we stopped near the Osprey tower to find the Hudsonian Godwit in with a group of yellowlegs. Surprisingly, this time of year Hudwits are not listed as rare at Brig, nor are the Marbled Godwits we saw nearby. Yet, announce that you have one and birders come running.

It wasn't until we were on the north dike that we found any ibises. Bob & I saw a bird that looked good for White Ibis while were making the turn at the dogleg, but by the time we stopped it had disappeared (that's also known as "flying away"). We scanned a flock of Glossy Ibises hoping for a White-faced Ibis which was seen by others but we couldn't find that either--a bird that continues to elude me this year and time for finding one is rapidly running out. It wasn't until our second trip around the Wildlife Drive that Bob & I were able to locate the White Ibis, a mottled juvenile, that promptly flew away (also known as disappearing) into the reeds at the back of the pool. With difficulty we were able to locate it for a couple of birder buddies who drove up behind us.

I had 62 species, including 16 types of shorebirds, for the day which is acceptable, especially considering that we didn't make much of an effort to find passerines and we didn't spend any time trying to turn a Short-billed Dowitcher into a Long-billed Dowitcher.

Snow Goose 1 Continuing injured
Canada Goose 15
Mute Swan 6
Wood Duck 4
Blue-winged Teal 35
Northern Shoveler 2
Mallard 50
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Double-crested Cormorant 70
Great Blue Heron 4
Great Egret 30
Snowy Egret 45
Little Blue Heron 1 North Dike
Black-crowned Night-Heron 4 Two at Gull Pond, two on south dike
White Ibis 1 Mottled white & brown Ibis on north dike. continuing.
Glossy Ibis 27
Osprey 5
Clapper Rail 2
American Oystercatcher 1
Black-bellied Plover 11
Semipalmated Plover 50
Hudsonian Godwit 1 From East Dike, near Osprey platform
Marbled Godwit 3
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Stilt Sandpiper 15
Least Sandpiper 20
White-rumped Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 400
Western Sandpiper 5
Short-billed Dowitcher 40
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher 1
Red-necked Phalarope 1 Continuing at observation tower Spinning wildly.
Greater Yellowlegs 40
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Laughing Gull 300
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 95
Great Black-backed Gull 6
Least Tern 2
Caspian Tern 3
Black Tern 1
Common Tern 1
Forster's Tern 155
Black Skimmer 60
Mourning Dove 1
Chimney Swift 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Heard upland
Peregrine Falcon 1
Eastern Kingbird 1
Blue Jay 3 Heard
American Crow 6
Fish Crow 1 Heard
Tree Swallow 40
Carolina Chickadee 1 Heard
Carolina Wren 3 Heard
Gray Catbird 3
European Starling 100
Common Yellowthroat 2
Saltmarsh Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 1 Heard picnic tables
Red-winged Blackbird 10
American Goldfinch 3

Sandy Hook 8/21--Wood Stork

Wood Stork

Generally, I avoid Sandy Hook between Memorial Day and Labor Day and I especially don't want to go there on a hot, sunny day in August, so I just watched the alerts roll in yesterday from those brave souls who were willing to put up with the traffic (both to & fro), the possibility that the park would be closed when they got there (which it was for a while), and then the long, "death march" out to the tip area, to get the latest rarity to hit NJ.

Most of the time Wood Storks are reported as flyovers down in Cape May (there was a report just last week; who knows, it might be this bird), so one just feeding in a relatively small body of water was just too hard to resist, especially when I got an early A.M. text from Bob Auster who'd detoured on his way to work to get the bird. So, after I got rid of the sprinkler repairman this morning, I packed some water and an energy bar and drove up to the Hook. The trudge through the sand was as unpleasant as it always is, but, I was propelled forward when I met a birder coming out who confirmed that the stork was still present.

Not far from Raritan Bay

A lot of birders don't even know about this little pond. Until a few years ago, I didn't know about it either, but it is a great rarity spot--Soras are often spotted in there and in migration warblers pass through. When I made the left onto the obscure little path off the main trail I saw, in the distance, a couple of other birders high on the dune overlooking the pond. Of course, the bird was hidden, but it was very close--we just couldn't see it over the phragmites. We watched the vegetation move as it foraged its way eastward, sometimes catching a glimpse of its big white body. Then, suddenly, it moved to the center of the pond and then to the back shore and the drive and the walk became worth the trouble. You can't exactly say that this ungainly bird is a good looking one, but it is striking. Shifting into "bird watching" mode instead of just being a lister, I was interested to watch it feed, shaking a leg to stir up the fish in the water.

After about a half hour of observation, I started walking back. The eclipse, which didn't interest me much, was starting. Someone offered me glasses to look at it on my way to the parking lot, but I have enough trouble with my eyes without taking glasses from strangers. At the parking lot a couple of guys had set up a telescope and were projecting the eclipse onto a piece of cardboard. It was about 30% when I got there. That was neat and now I can say I saw the eclipse of 2017. By the time the eclipse was at its maximum in NJ, 75%, I was stuck in traffic in Long Branch.

But seeing my first New Jersey Wood Stork (unpredictable) was much more interesting than seeing a very predictable celestial event.

Brig 8/19--Bobolink

Ideally, I would have seen a Bobolink by now in breeding plumage, looking like it's wearing a backwards tuxedo, but despite much searching through the spring and early summer, I didn't come up with one. Brig, in late summer, is a good place to hear Bobolinks as they migrate overhead. They go "plink." "Plink" is not very satisfying.

I went down to Brig with Mike today for his NJ Audubon trip, giving myself a break from Whitesbog for a day. We had a fabulous day on the dikes, with 19 shorebirds, including the continuing Wilson's Phalarope (rare), 3 Marbled Godwits, a couple of Long-billed Dowitchers, and some shorebirds that are dwindling in numbers this time of year, Whimbrel and Willet. Bob Auster met us there; he still needed the phalarope, which has been pretty constant between goose markers 4 & 5, a distance of maybe an 1/8 of a mile. Our 3 car caravan parked around #4 and Bob and I walked up to #5 where we saw a small congregation of birders--we felt sure the phalarope would be there. It wasn't. Supposedly it had flown back toward where we started. Bob headed back, but I stuck around, counting Stilt Sandpipers which were in ridiculous, eBird flagging numbers. I quit after about 30; the birder next me quit around 62. Then a great birder we know, who was also there called out that he had a Bobolink on the phragmites. No way to describe where it was in that undifferentiated mass of vegetation but he took pity on me and since he is a lot taller than I am, he kindly lowered his scope and I got a good look at the bird, which though it had molted into basic plumage and looked like a big buffy sparrow, was still better to see than to hear "plink." Unfortunately, Mike, who also "needed" the bird, was an 1/8 of a mile back. The bird flew and disappeared.

Then the phalarope reappeared in front of us and I called Bob to get him back up the drive. Bobolinks are practically a backyard bird for Bob so he was amused and amazed that it had taken me this long to find one this year. Yeah, yeah, you wanna see this phalarope or not?

Earlier, before the trip started, Mike and I had 3 Black Terns (a quantity that was also flagged on eBird) at the Gull Pond. The rest of our group missed them, but on the 2nd trip around, back on the south dike, we came across a nice flock of gulls and terns in which there was one Black Tern. The best landmark for the Black Tern was another bird--"the largest tern in the world," as all trip leaders are required to say, a Caspian Tern. The size disparity is striking:

Caspian Tern in back, Black Tern middle, flanked by Stilt Sandpipers, with Black Skimmers in foreground. 

I had 85 species for the day (the trip list was 90) and that was with missing some supposedly easy birds like robin, towhee, oystercatcher, and Red-tailed Hawk.
Snow Goose 2 Continuing injured one w broken right wing the other w broken left wing
Canada Goose 15
Mute Swan 5
Wood Duck 6
Blue-winged Teal 12
Mallard 4
American Black Duck 8
Northern Pintail 2 Smaller, scalloped back, brown head, black bill
Hooded Merganser 1 Small duck with sawtooth bill. All gray. Hen Continuing?
Pied-billed Grebe 1 Gull Pond
Double-crested Cormorant 65
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 35
Snowy Egret 15
Green Heron 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 7
Glossy Ibis 25
Turkey Vulture 2
Osprey 10
Bald Eagle 1 In tree line at end of drive before Jen's Trail
Clapper Rail 1 Heard
Black-bellied Plover 3
Semipalmated Plover 50
Killdeer 1
Whimbrel 1
Marbled Godwit 3
Stilt Sandpiper 40 Undercount probably by half
Dunlin 1
Least Sandpiper 1
White-rumped Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 300
Western Sandpiper 2
Short-billed Dowitcher 65
Long-billed Dowitcher 2 Two very humpy birds, long straight bills,barring up to vent.
Wilson's Phalarope 1 Continuing @ goose marker 5
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Greater Yellowlegs 25
Willet 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 15
Laughing Gull 175
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 5
Least Tern 6
Caspian Tern 7 one on south dike, balance off north dike
Black Tern 3 Exact count
Common Tern 5 At NE corner
Forster's Tern 40
Black Skimmer 35
Mourning Dove 3
Chimney Swift 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 Heard
Eastern Phoebe 1
Eastern Kingbird 3
White-eyed Vireo 1 Heard
Red-eyed Vireo 1 Heard
Blue Jay 1 Heard
American Crow 2
Fish Crow 1
Purple Martin 1
Tree Swallow 500
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1 Heard
Carolina Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Gray Catbird 1 Heard
European Starling 20
Common Yellowthroat 1 Heard
American Redstart 1
Pine Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 1
Blue Grosbeak 4 Juveniles: one in parking lot, one upland, 2 just before start of Drive
Bobolink 1
Red-winged Blackbird 6
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Boat-tailed Grackle 2
American Goldfinch 2