Saturday, September 30, 2017

September Wrap-up

Tricolor Heron, Spizzle Creek, Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret, Spizzle Creek, Island Beach SP
I got dem Why am I always in the wrong place? migration blues. Once again, migration was a frustrating season to me, so much so that I am formulating Zirlin Third Law of Birding which states that "Wherever you are, you should be someplace else."

So if I was at Higbee's Beach today, where I didn't see much, I should have been somewhere in Burlington County. If I was on Reed's Road on Tuesday, I should have been there on Wednesday. Or Monday, since I seem to be a day late. If I was at Assunpink this week, according to my informant, I should have been there last week. Or the week before that. Or the week before that, but certainly not the day I was there.

This is not to say I had a disappointing month. I found a lot of species (170) including 10 year birds, but it was work. Never did I have one of those magical days where the warblers are falling out and you don't know where to look first. I built the list in dribs and drabs and lots of walking.

Rarities weren't much of a problem this month--I finally got the Roseate Spoonbill I would have like to have had for Ocean County; on the other hand, I finally got Wood Stork for Ocean County. Plus a county Red-necked Phalarope.

Today, down in Cape May with Mike, we knew migration was winding down when we encountered our first Yellow-rumped Warblers in the state park. When they show up, you know you probably only have a few more days to scramble up any warblers you're missing for the year.  The shorebirds have all pretty much departed, judging from a run around Brig this afternoon. Soon it will be waterfowl, gulls, and raptors--and the winter finch report is not promising since there is a lot of food up in the boreal forest this year.

This month's list:
Counties birded: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Monmouth, Ocean.
Species                First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Canada Goose   Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Mute Swan   Forsythe-Barnegat
Wood Duck   Colliers Mills WMA
Blue-winged Teal   Island Beach SP
Northern Shoveler   Brig
Gadwall   Brig
American Wigeon   Cape May Point SP
Mallard   Colliers Mills WMA
American Black Duck   Brig
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Hooded Merganser   Brig
Ruddy Duck   Cape May Point SP
Wild Turkey   County Hwy-539
Common Loon   Island Beach SP
Pied-billed Grebe   Brig
Wood Stork   Forsythe-Barnegat
Double-crested Cormorant   Forsythe-Barnegat
American White Pelican   Richard W. DeKorte Park
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Great Egret   Whitesbog
Snowy Egret   Forsythe-Barnegat
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Island Beach SP
Green Heron   Whitesbog
Black-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Island Beach SP
Glossy Ibis   Brig
Roseate Spoonbill   Heislerville WMA
Black Vulture   New Egypt
Turkey Vulture   W Colliers Mill Rd
Osprey   Island Beach SP
Northern Harrier   Sandy Hook
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Higbee Beach WMA
Cooper's Hawk   New Egypt
Bald Eagle   Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Broad-winged Hawk   Cape May Point SP
Red-tailed Hawk   Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Clapper Rail   Brig
Sora   Brig
American Avocet   Brig
American Oystercatcher   Sandy Hook
Black-bellied Plover   Sandy Hook
American Golden-Plover   Whitesbog
Semipalmated Plover   Forsythe-Barnegat
Piping Plover   Sandy Hook
Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA
Upland Sandpiper   Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Whimbrel   Sandy Hook
Ruddy Turnstone   Island Beach SP
Red Knot   Island Beach SP
Stilt Sandpiper   Brig
Sanderling   Sandy Hook
Dunlin   Brig
Least Sandpiper   New Egypt
White-rumped Sandpiper   Brig
Buff-breasted Sandpiper   Sandy Hook
Pectoral Sandpiper   Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Forsythe-Barnegat
Western Sandpiper   Brig
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Wilson's Snipe   Whitesbog
Red-necked Phalarope   New Egypt
Spotted Sandpiper   Island Beach SP
Solitary Sandpiper   New Egypt
Greater Yellowlegs   Whitesbog
Willet   Sandy Hook
Lesser Yellowlegs   New Egypt
Laughing Gull   Forsythe-Barnegat
Ring-billed Gull   Brig
Herring Gull   Forsythe-Barnegat
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Caspian Tern   Brig
Black Tern   Sandy Hook
Common Tern   Sandy Hook
Forster's Tern   Forsythe-Barnegat
Royal Tern   Island Beach SP
Black Skimmer   Forsythe-Barnegat
Rock Pigeon   Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Mourning Dove   New Egypt
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Sandy Hook
Common Nighthawk   Sandy Hook
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Whitesbog
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Belted Kingfisher   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Downy Woodpecker   Union Transportation Trail
Hairy Woodpecker   Sandy Hook
Northern Flicker   Island Beach SP
American Kestrel   Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Merlin   Whitesbog
Peregrine Falcon   Brig
Olive-sided Flycatcher   Richard W. DeKorte Park
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher   Sandy Hook
Eastern Phoebe   Union Transportation Trail
Great Crested Flycatcher   Whitesbog
Eastern Kingbird   Sandy Hook
White-eyed Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Philadelphia Vireo   Sandy Hook
Warbling Vireo   Bunker Hill Bogs
Red-eyed Vireo   Bunker Hill Bogs
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   New Egypt
Fish Crow   Colliers Mills WMA
Purple Martin   Whitesbog
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Barn Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA
Carolina Chickadee   Colliers Mills WMA
Black-capped Chickadee   Sandy Hook
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
White-breasted Nuthatch   Colliers Mills WMA
House Wren   Sandy Hook
Marsh Wren   Jake's Landing
Carolina Wren   Colliers Mills WMA
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Sandy Hook
Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA
American Robin   Union Transportation Trail
Gray Catbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   New Egypt
European Starling   Mercer Sod Farm IBA
Cedar Waxwing   Sandy Hook
Ovenbird   Sandy Hook
Northern Waterthrush   Sandy Hook
Blue-winged Warbler   Island Beach SP
Black-and-white Warbler   Island Beach SP
Nashville Warbler   IBSP--A11 path
Connecticut Warbler   Sandy Hook
Common Yellowthroat   Union Transportation Trail
American Redstart   Union Transportation Trail
Cape May Warbler   Sandy Hook
Northern Parula   Sandy Hook
Magnolia Warbler   Sandy Hook
Bay-breasted Warbler   Sandy Hook
Yellow Warbler   Brig
Chestnut-sided Warbler   Sandy Hook
Blackpoll Warbler   Sandy Hook
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Sandy Hook
Palm Warbler   Brig
Pine Warbler   Whitesbog
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Cape May Point SP
Prairie Warbler   Island Beach SP
Black-throated Green Warbler   Sandy Hook
Canada Warbler   Sandy Hook
Wilson's Warbler   Brig
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Brig
Seaside Sparrow   Brig
Chipping Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Field Sparrow   Sandy Hook
White-throated Sparrow   Sandy Hook
Savannah Sparrow   Brig
Song Sparrow   Union Transportation Trail
Swamp Sparrow   Sandy Hook
Eastern Towhee   Colliers Mills WMA
Scarlet Tanager   Sandy Hook
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Blue Grosbeak   Manasquan River WMA
Indigo Bunting   Sandy Hook
Yellow-headed Blackbird   Brig
Bobolink   Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird   Union Transportation Trail
Brown-headed Cowbird   Union Transportation Trail
Boat-tailed Grackle   Brig
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
House Sparrow   New Egypt

No comments:

Post a Comment