Before we did our usual two laps around the Wildlife Drive at Brig today, Mike's group took a little walk in the fields and along the old railroad bed. We were surprised to find so many warblers flitting about. You don't usually think of Brig as a warbler hot spot, but today I had 7 species, including a Wilson's Warbler which I was unaware that
A) it was a year bird for me &
B) it is a rarity in Atlantic County.
There might have been two there--a few of us birded the road to the Gull Pond before the start of the trip and a Wilson's was identified, but I didn't count that one because I only saw movement and no field marks. Then later, about 50 yards away as the warbler flies, the group saw another bird, yellowish green on the back, bright yellow on the breast. No stripes. By myself, I might have called it a Yellow Warbler (which we later saw near Lake Dogleg), but better eyes than mine called it a Wilson's and I saw enough of the field marks to be convinced. Oh, those confusing fall warblers. This bird had to be a female. Had it been wearing Wilson's little yarmulke as the males do (appropriately), it would have been a no doubter.
There were more shorebirds there than lately, despite high water levels in the impoundments, including White-rumped Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, and a couple of Dunlins, bringing in autumn with them. It took a while, but the group did see one of the continuing Yellow-headed Blackbirds along the east dike. I was probably the last to see it and only because it flew straight at us revealing its yellow foreparts. There was one birder there visiting from Utah and he was racking up the life birds today, but the one true rarity there didn't interest him since it is a backyard bird where he lives.
Ducks seem to be returning, another harbinger of colder weather. Besides the usual Wood Ducks, black ducks, and Mallards, we had both teal, Northern Pintail, a couple of Gadwall and a sleeping hen Hooded Merganser.
I managed 74 species for the day--more were tallied by the group, but a few flying birds I let go because that's all they were to me and a few birds were heard that I didn't hear.
Canada Goose 35
Mute Swan 15
Wood Duck 7
Blue-winged Teal 2
Gadwall 2
Mallard 20
American Black Duck 2
Northern Pintail 4
Green-winged Teal 4
Hooded Merganser 1 Channel side of north dike, sleeping on bank
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Double-crested Cormorant 200
Great Blue Heron 9
Great Egret 110
Snowy Egret 90
Tricolored Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 6
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 3
Glossy Ibis 5
Turkey Vulture 2
Osprey 1
Northern Harrier 2
Bald Eagle 1
Clapper Rail 2
American Avocet 1
Black-bellied Plover 1
Semipalmated Plover 3
Stilt Sandpiper 2
Dunlin 2
White-rumped Sandpiper 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 150
Greater Yellowlegs 20
Willet 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Laughing Gull 300
Herring Gull 50
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Caspian Tern 28
Forster's Tern 200
Royal Tern 1 Heard
Black Skimmer 30
Mourning Dove 8
Chimney Swift 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Heard
Downy Woodpecker 1 Heard
Peregrine Falcon 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Eastern Kingbird 3
Blue Jay 2 Heard
American Crow 8
Fish Crow 4
Tree Swallow 50
Carolina Chickadee 2 Heard
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Heard, parking lot
Carolina Wren 2 Heard
Gray Catbird 2
European Starling 20
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 2
American Redstart 1
Northern Parula 3
Yellow Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 2
Wilson's Warbler 1 Gray-green back bright yellow breast, female
Seaside Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 6
Song Sparrow 10
Yellow-headed Blackbird 1 Continuing on east dike.
Red-winged Blackbird 125
Boat-tailed Grackle 4
American Goldfinch 3
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