January Wrap-up

Northern Cardinal, backyard

Severe cold, a bad cold during that severe cold, doctor appointments, minor, yet irritating motor vehicle problems, and a pussycat vet visit--which are all filed under the rubric "Life," limited my birding time this month. Looking at last January's list, there probably aren't any species on it that I won't get sometime this year although Dickcissel in January was a good one to check off early. That's one I'm unlikely to just stumble across.

I did have rarities for the month--mostly waterfowl (underlined on the list below); a couple of oxymoronic common rarities, like Snowy Owl and Common Raven, hardly count.

Long-tailed Duck (hen), Island Beach SP

One theory I've heard bandied about is that a lot of birds--ranging from gannets to Killdeer--cleared out during the cold snap and are further south where both the water and ground are warmer making feeding easier. That could explain the long walks I've taken both on beaches and in woods where my list comes up as paltry.

For the month I've come up with 108 species, 15 less than last year's list. Looking for both warmer weather and few distractions in February.
Counties birded:
NJ: Atlantic, Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean
NY: Nassau, New York

Species                  First Sighting

Snow Goose   Conine’s Millpond

Greater White-fronted Goose   Conine’s Millpond

Brant   Island Beach SP

Cackling Goose   Assunpink WMA

Canada Goose   Riverfront Landing

Mute Swan   Tunney Bridge

Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA

Tundra Swan   Whitesbog

Wood Duck   Central Park

Northern Shoveler   Central Park

Gadwall   Brig

American Wigeon   Brig

Mallard   Riverfront Landing

American Black Duck   Island Beach SP

Northern Pintail   Brig

Canvasback   Riverfront Landing

Redhead   Mathis Park

Ring-necked Duck   Riverfront Landing

Tufted Duck   Shark River Inlet

Greater Scaup   Shark River Inlet

Lesser Scaup   Sands Point

Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Harlequin Duck   Shark River Inlet

Surf Scoter   Spring Lake

White-winged Scoter   Sandy Hook

Black Scoter   Shark River Inlet

Long-tailed Duck   Island Beach SP

Bufflehead   Island Beach SP

Common Goldeneye   Island Beach SP

Hooded Merganser   Mathis Park

Common Merganser   Mathis Park

Red-breasted Merganser   Sands Point Preserve

Ruddy Duck   Riverfront Landing

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Common Loon   Island Beach SP

Pied-billed Grebe   Bamber Lake

Horned Grebe   Allenhurst

Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Double-crested Cormorant  Berkeley

American Bittern   Brig

Great Blue Heron   Cattus Island County Park

Black Vulture   Brig

Turkey Vulture   Toms River

Northern Harrier   Great Bay Bvld.

Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd

Bald Eagle   Brig

Red-tailed Hawk   Brig

American Coot   Lake Takanassee

Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP

Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Sanderling   Island Beach SP

Dunlin   Island Beach SP

Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Western Sandpiper   Brigantine Island

Bonaparte's Gull   Seven Presidents Park

Ring-billed Gull   Island Beach SP

Herring Gull   Island Beach SP

Iceland Gull   Clark T. Carey Park

Lesser Black-backed Gull   Clark T. Carey Park

Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP

Rock Pigeon   New Egypt

Mourning Dove   Malverne

Snowy Owl   Island Beach SP

Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   35 Sunset Rd

Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Northern Flicker   Sandy Hook

American Kestrel   W Colliers Mill Rd

Merlin   Marsha Dr & Rt 72

Blue Jay   Whiting

American Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Fish Crow   Bayview Marina

Common Raven   Whitesbog

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper   35 Sunset Rd

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Horicon Lake

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Trenton Sewage Ponds

Eastern Bluebird   Brig

American Robin   Forked River

Gray Catbird   Seven Presidents Park

Northern Mockingbird   Sandy Hook

European Starling   GSP MM 107

Cedar Waxwing   Sandy Hook

Snow Bunting   Sandy Hook

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Island Beach SP

American Tree Sparrow   Sandy Hook

Chipping Sparrow   Bamber Lake

Field Sparrow   Assunpink WMA

Fox Sparrow   Bamber Lake

Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow   Sandy Hook

White-throated Sparrow   Malverne

Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Song Sparrow   Malverne

Swamp Sparrow   Island Beach SP

Northern Cardinal   Malverne

Eastern Meadowlark   Mercer Sod Farm IBA

Red-winged Blackbird   Cattus Island County Park

Brown-headed Cowbird   New Egypt

Common Grackle   Central Park

Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Bvld.

House Finch   35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow   Malverne Ring-necked Duck, Marshall's Pond

Bamber Lake 1/23--Pied-billed Grebe

Tundra Swans

I went shopping again for birds today. It rained most of the morning and early afternoon, but around 1:30 there was a break in the precip that looked like it would last for about an hour, so I drove over to Bamber Lake, about 15 minutes away, hoping I'd find Tundra Swans for the county. Obviously, from the picture above, I did. But wait: How do I know they weren't Trumpeter Swans? I got fooled on Sunday at Assunpink. Well, for one thing, 26 Trumpeter Swans would be mind-blowing and for a another, these birds were "singing," making their weird little whistle (more like a wheeze) that I heard as soon as I got out of the car before I even saw them. So I'm pretty confident in the i.d.

The other waterfowl on the lake were the expected species: geese, black ducks, Ring-necked Ducks but there was one happy exception when I saw a smaller bird (thin neck, stubby bill) diving and realized from shape and style of diving that it was my FOY Pied-billed Grebe. Bonus Bird.

I walked up & down Good Luck Road which is a path that runs along the east side of the lake and only heard a few birds, then walked around on the lawn behind the tennis courts where I saw my county Red-tailed Hawk. Just as I opened the car door, the rain began again, so my timing was perfect.

During the morning I off and on checked the feeders and while looking at the ones on the side of the house I saw a couple of turkeys walking through the catch basin next to our house. A couple of turkeys turned into 8 or 9, then 18, then 29. They just kept coming. I threw some seed out onto the lawn and a few came over to investigate. Seeing that the scouts were eating, the rest of the flock walked up out of the basin and paraded past my back window and over into my neighbor's yard. I went back outside, took photos and counted 30 birds. He just called me and said he counted them as they walked past and his number, counted twice, was 32. We've had big flocks before, but they numbered in the low 20's. There were a few Toms in the flock, but most of them seemed to be first year birds.

Turkeys walking into my neighbor's yard.

A couple of Toms

4 Counties 1/21--Trumpeter Swans + 8 Other Year Birds

Trumpeter Swans (with geese), Assunpink WMA
The goose at far right, foreground is probably a Cackling Goose

Mike & I ended up at Assunpink as our final stop after birding in 4 counties, starting at Whitesbog with Tundra Swans. The lake is still partially frozen, but there was a large stretch of open water to the east where we saw a small flock of swans. Scoping them, we knew immediately that they weren't Mute Swans, so, at that distance, we figured them as our 2nd flock of Tundra Swans for the day. Tundra Swans are considered "rare" in Monmouth County, but with so many bodies of water iced over, we didn't think it particularly odd to find these birds where there was open water. 

Trumpeter Swans, much, much rarer in the state and sometimes controversial as to provenance (read: countability) have been regular visitors to Assunpink for the last few years, but at most, there was a group of three. NINE Trumpeter Swans would be a real stretch, so we didn't really consider them. Unfortunately (and I never thought I'd say this about Mute Swans) there were no Mute Swans with which to compare these birds. If they had been smaller, than we'd know they were Tundra. Had they been more or less the same size as Pond Pigs, we'd start wondering about Trumpeter. 

Better birders than I (Scott & Linda), however, had already been there today and unbeknownst to us, had determined, judging from the shape and slope of the bill, that these were indeed Trumpeter Swans! My very distant pictures, when blown up, can, in some shots, show the tell-tale "Canvasback-like" bill. Another fine birder who I've dubbed the "Mayor of Assunpink" went to the lake late this afternoon and agreed with Scott & Linda. Tomorrow, I'm sure, more birders will seek out this flock and the arguments as to id and provenance can begin. The lesson here is probably a lesson I'll never learn: Don't assume.

One our of previous stops had been Mercer Corporate Park, that well-known rarity magnet. There had been a report of a Greater White-fronted Goose, as well as a Cackling Goose. Since we were in the vicinity (the Trenton Sewage Ponds on the Delaware River) we went over there, only to discover that the goose had been misidentified: it was, in fact, a Swan Goose, a good-looking but ultimately uncountable domestic bird. Meanwhile, while there was a smaller goose there that could be a Cackling Goose, when I reviewed my picture I didn't think it was convincing enough to take as my year bird. 

However, while pondering the pictures of the swans from Assunpink and trying to compare their size relative to the Canada Geese with the relative size of the Tundra Swans from Whitesbog, I noticed a much smaller goose in the pictures, and even allowing for parallax, it seemed to me to be a Cackling Goose. It is the small goose in the lower right corner of the top picture of this entry. This, of course, raises the existential question of whether I really saw the goose if I didn't know it was there until I looked at pictures but since eBird is supposed to be a survey of birds at various locations, I feel justified in listing it. I showed it to a friend of mine who sees lots of Cackling Geese in Central Jersey (for some reason, the farther north you go in the state, the easier they are to find) and he said it looks good for Cackler. 

As I said, we started the morning off in Whitesbog, ticked the Tundra Swans and heard the distinctive "cronk cronk" of a Common Raven. Ravens have been all over Whitesbog of late, but this morning we only heard two--one on either side of the county line, which was good for me as it helped build up my Ocean County list, as did the two Bald Eagles we found out by the very frozen Upper Reservoir.

We then drove over to the Burlington County Fairgrounds, hoping to find a Rough-legged Hawk. We found a hawk sitting on the ground at a great distant out on the old sod farm and spent quite some time debating its identity. Then it flew and turned out to be a Northern Harrier. We also saw the two nesting Bald Eagles there, and, best for me, added one of my favorite birds to the year list, Eastern Meadowlark. 

Then we drove over to the Delaware River at Florence. Ice floes were drifting south and on each one was a raft of gulls. Mike managed to pick out both a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 2 Iceland Gulls, both Burlington County lifers for me. 

Driving north up the Delaware to the aforementioned sewage ponds, nothing was flowing as the river was a catastrophe of ice blocks clogging it shore to shore, Jersey to Pennsy. Washington lucked out the day he crossed the Delaware not far from this spot. 

Panorama of the Delaware at Trenton

We were hoping for the out-of-season warblers that the warm ponds, with their ever-present bugs, attract, but aside from a slew of Yellow-rumped Warblers, there were none. Perhaps even these ponds couldn't compensate for the endless cold weather of the last month. Ruby-crowned Kinglet though was a good add. 

We then wound our way back west and north to Assunpink. My last year bird of the day was a Field Sparrow we found on the dirt road that runs along the perimeter of the lake. The FISP was my 50th bird of the day (not counting pigeons or the false alarm goose).

Snow Goose   3

Cackling Goose   1

Canada Goose   932

Trumpeter Swan   9

Tundra Swan   32

Mallard   29

American Black Duck   3

Redhead   1

Ring-necked Duck   14

Lesser Scaup   2

Bufflehead   3

Hooded Merganser   8

Common Merganser   19

Ruddy Duck   2

Black Vulture   3

Turkey Vulture   1

Northern Harrier   2

Cooper's Hawk   1

Bald Eagle   5

Ring-billed Gull   107

Herring Gull   45

Iceland Gull   2

Lesser Black-backed Gull   1

Mourning Dove   4

Red-bellied Woodpecker   2

Downy Woodpecker   1

Northern Flicker   2

Blue Jay   3

American Crow   5

Fish Crow   20

Common Raven   2

Carolina Chickadee   4

Tufted Titmouse   1

White-breasted Nuthatch   1

Carolina Wren   5

Golden-crowned Kinglet   2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   1

American Robin   2

Northern Mockingbird   1

European Starling   50

Yellow-rumped Warbler   25

American Tree Sparrow   1

Field Sparrow   1

Dark-eyed Junco   5

White-throated Sparrow   2

Song Sparrow   1

Swamp Sparrow   1

Northern Cardinal   1

Eastern Meadowlark   4

American Goldfinch   2

Snow Goose   3

Cackling Goose   1

Canada Goose   932

Trumpeter Swan   9

Tundra Swan   32

Mallard   29

American Black Duck   3

Redhead   1

Ring-necked Duck   14

Lesser Scaup   2

Bufflehead   3

Hooded Merganser   8

Common Merganser   19

Ruddy Duck   2

Black Vulture   3

Turkey Vulture   1

Northern Harrier   2

Cooper's Hawk   1

Bald Eagle   5

Ring-billed Gull   107

Herring Gull   45

Iceland Gull   2

Lesser Black-backed Gull   1

Mourning Dove   4

Red-bellied Woodpecker   2

Downy Woodpecker   1

Northern Flicker   2

Blue Jay   3

American Crow   5

Fish Crow   20

Common Raven   2

Carolina Chickadee   4

Tufted Titmouse   1

White-breasted Nuthatch   1

Carolina Wren   5

Golden-crowned Kinglet   2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   1

American Robin   2

Northern Mockingbird   1

European Starling   50

Yellow-rumped Warbler   25

American Tree Sparrow   1

Field Sparrow   1

Dark-eyed Junco   5

White-throated Sparrow   2

Song Sparrow   1

Swamp Sparrow   1

Northern Cardinal   1

Eastern Meadowlark   4

American Goldfinch   2     

Brig 1/20--American Bittern, Bald Eagle, ducks, etc

American Bittern at the Gull Pond

Somehow, both Mike and I had manged to get 20 days into the year without going to Brig. We planned to remedy that today, but, with the government shutdown looming, we had a Plan B, which, with the government shut down, we instituted this morning, by driving down to Brigantine Island (not to be confused with the Brigantine Unit [Brig] of Forsythe NWR), hoping for godwits and such. "And such" turned out to be one stinking Western Sandpiper out on a distant sandbar. No godwits, Willets, oystercatchers, or any ducks of real interest did we see in our various stops. The "B" in Plan B seemed to stand for "Blech" so it was back to Plan A.

Even with the shutdown, national parks are open. Open, in the sense, that you can go in, just don't expect to find a bathroom with a flush toilet. So, why wouldn't a National Wildlife Refuge be open? No reason at all, apparently, because when we arrived at 9:30, the gate was open, cars were on the drive, and year birds were to be found. We did a loop around the Wildlife Drive, where the predominant bird was Snow Goose--thousands upon thousands of Snow Geese. We found some new ducks for the year, and at the north-east corner of the drive, a Snowy Owl. It has been another good year for Snowy Owls (this was my third for the year and Mike had some on a trip to the Midwest last week) and since this bird has been on the refuge almost all year, it wasn't a big surprise. Still, obligatory pictures were taken:

We weren't going to make a second loop but another birder told us he had seen both a Bald Eagle and a Golden Eagle on the drive, one to the south, one to the north, about 500 feet ahead of Jen's Trail. That was enough incentive to get us back on the drive--but first a detour for a second look at the Gull Pond, which I thought would be a fruitless task since there was little there on our first trip in the morning. Of course, had we followed my inclination, we wouldn't have seen the American Bittern that was lurking in the reeds. And, in accordance with Zirlin's Second Law of Birding, we didn't see the bird until we had truly given up on looking for it--we peered into the vegetation from all angles,  we went to the top of the observation tower and looked into the phrags, but it wasn't until we were getting into the car to leave that the bird decided to emerge and pose, freezing in position as if by doing so it would become invisible.

On our second trip we did indeed find the Bald Eagle--the Golden Eagle we suspect might be an immature Bald Eagle sighting. It wouldn't be the first time.

Brig's status is unclear--we saw a ranger make the rounds of the drive (poor guy doesn't know when he's going to get paid next) and briefly the gate, we were told, was closed, but as of mid-afternoon the refuge was open. I'm glad we got in when we did. I remember in 1996 during the first government shutdown, I took the subway (!) to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel, walked a mile from the station to the refuge, only to find it closed--I didn't make the connection back then. I didn't make the connection this time either--it took Mike, a state employee who knows from shutdowns, to point out the potential problem.

Our list for two trips around the non-shutdown dikes:
36 species
Snow Goose 3125
Brant 25
Canada Goose 175
Mute Swan 14
Gadwall 15
American Wigeon 5
Mallard 25
American Black Duck 1100
Northern Pintail 5
Bufflehead 40
Hooded Merganser 12
Red-breasted Merganser 10
American Bittern 1
Black Vulture 3
Turkey Vulture 3
Northern Harrier 3 One Gray Ghost
Cooper's Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 1 On ice, NW corner
Red-tailed Hawk 1 F/O Marsh, NW corner
Dunlin 6
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 30
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Snowy Owl 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Heard, parking lot
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 20
Carolina Chickadee 1
Carolina Wren 1 Heard parking lot
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Robin 14
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Swamp Sparrow 1 Gull Pond
House Finch 1 Upland section
American Goldfinch 2

Central Park 1/18--Wood Duck, Northern Shoveler, Common Grackle

Common Grackle

Two stints in Central Park today, sandwiching an appointment. In the morning I entered the park on the West Side, by the Natural History museum and walked into The Ramble where I spent most of my time watching the feeders. Nothing that I couldn't see in my own backyard, as Black-capped Chickadees didn't make an appearance, but I was cheered by a big flock of FOY Common Grackles. I'd say Common Grackle is probably #4 on the "trash bird" list, (not a list I give any credence to), right after Rock Pigeon, European Starling, and House Sparrow (all of which were in the park today, of course), but, if you'll just look at a grackle and then imagine seeing it in another country, with its iridescent blues, violets, and even oranges, all shimmering on what at a glance is just a big black bird, you'd be knocked out and be taking a slew of photos.

Fox Sparrow

I was also happy to find a couple of Fox Sparrows on the ground. Not a year bird (had one a couple of days ago at Bamber Lake), but always a good to find this robust sparrow in winter. 

After my appointment on the East Side, I walked back to the park and headed up to the Reservoir. Despite one of the great bubblers of all time in the fountain spewing a stream of water a couple of stories high, about 70% of the water was frozen. It is, according to the tracker of eBird, 1.57 miles around the perimeter of the Reservoir, and since there were only a few areas where the birds were congregating, I did the loop in 45 minutes.

Northern Shovelers mixed with Mallards

It wasn't until I was about 2/3 of the way around that I saw any new ducks for the year and I almost overlooked them as 2 Wood Ducks and 7 Northern Shovelers were mixed with the 30 or so Mallards sitting on the ice which in turn were mixed in with well over 100 Canada Geese. It didn't make any easier that most of the ducks had their heads tucked in. At first I saw the shovelers, their white breasts being the giveaway, and then, after another sweep with the binoculars, I found the two Wood Ducks, one of which appeared to be looking  balefully at me.

Wood Ducks

My little list for the day:

155 Canada Goose

2 Wood Duck

7 Northern Shoveler

54 Mallard

1 American Black Duck

2 Hooded Merganser

7 American Coot

200 Ring-billed Gull

20 Herring Gull

2 Rock Pigeon

2 Downy Woodpecker

4 Blue Jay

1 American Crow

6 European Starling

2 Fox Sparrow

5 White-throated Sparrow

50 Common Grackle

4 House Finch

5 American Goldfinch

45 House Sparrow

Of course none of these birds are New Jersey birds, much less Ocean County birds, so to a certain turn of mind, they hardly even count. I have to admit, I was much more excited when I pulled up to the house this afternoon and found 5 Wild Turkeys on my neighbor's lawn. FOY turkeys.

Sandy Hook & the North Shore 1/14--11 year birds

Cedar Waxwings, Boy Scout Camp parking lot, Sandy Hook

I looked up "idiot (n)" in the dictionary and next to the definition of "one who hates the cold but insists on going up to Sandy Hook with the temperature in the low teens and the wind in the low twenties" was my picture. But Scott and Linda were running one of my favorite trips so I put on five layers above the waist and two layers below and two sets of gloves and two pairs of socks and it wasn't so bad except I couldn't feel my feet after about a half hour and just getting my car keys out of my pocket required complicated logistics in order to expose my hand to the weather for the minimum amount of time possible.

However, no sooner had I pulled into Parking Lot B at the Hook, long before the scheduled start time,  than I got a year bird, a Northern Mockingbird. That, at least, is what's good about this time of the year--you have to get even the most common birds a first time, so that keeps your mind off the fact that frost bite is imminent. We did some seawatching from the beach and I added White-winged Scoter to the year list, which I thought was great since last year it took until November before I had that duck on the list.  Conditions were painful there with the wind; fortunately, Scott knows a few sites on the Hook that are protected from the wind, so we headed north up the peninsula stopping to look at both the bay and ocean in several spots. Highlights for me were my first Cedar Waxwings (a household favorite) at the Boy Scout Camp parking lot, and Snow Buntings, American Tree Sparrows and an immature White-crowned Sparrow at North Beach.
24 species
Brant 30
Canada Goose 60
Greater Scaup 2
White-winged Scoter 20
Black Scoter 15
Long-tailed Duck 30
Bufflehead 3
Common Goldeneye 3
Red-breasted Merganser 1 Horseshoe Cove
Common Loon 1
Ring-billed Gull 20
Herring Gull 115
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Northern Flicker 1
American Robin 10
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 5
Cedar Waxwing 10
Snow Bunting 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
American Tree Sparrow 4
White-crowned Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 2
Late morning we left the Hook for various spots along the North Shore. We didn't linger very long in any one spot; if there was nothing "interesting" at one site, we'd just go south to another. Monmouth Beach didn't have anything new, but Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch turned up a couple of year birds for me:
5 species
Canada Goose 25
Long-tailed Duck 3
Bonaparte's Gull 1
Gray Catbird 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
Then it was on to Lake Takanassee to look for rare gulls, none of which were present. However, this is also a reliable spot for American Coot and as it happened, I "needed" American Coot. I was so intent on getting the coot that I missed 3 Snow Geese that were mixed in with the Canada Geese. Fortunately, I didn't "need" Snow Goose, not even for Monmouth County.

American Coot, Lake Takanassee

8 species
Canada Goose 100
Mute Swan 1
Mallard 2 Drake & Hen
American Black Duck 3
Hooded Merganser 1 Drake
American Coot 3
Ring-billed Gull 100
Herring Gull 25
Nothing much at Pullman Avenue, a few blocks south and most of the group called it a day there. However, a few stalwart souls continued down to Corlies Avenue in Allenhurst, just north of Asbury Park. It was there, in the breakers, that I got my last year bird for the day, a very fleeting look at a Horned Grebe bobbing in the waves. 
6 species
Greater Scaup 50
Long-tailed Duck 20
Horned Grebe 1
Sanderling 11
Ring-billed Gull 100
Herring Gull 50
Toward the end of the day the temperatures had risen to the high twenties. It was almost pleasant, out of the wind. "Now would be a great time to bird," I thought. "And if I could just feel my feet, I might consider it."