Island Beach SP 4/5--Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Had I but known that the winds from yesterday would continue into today, I might have chosen a more inland location to go birding, but as I was already in Toms River this morning, I decided to make my first spring trip to Island Beach SP. Even though it is too early for warblers, I started on Reed's Road, that famous migrant trap, and was rewarded with my FOY Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I thought I'd heard its distinctive buzz, but with the all the wind shushing through the reeds, I couldn't be certain, but one came in, sat on a stalk of phragmites, then flew into a tree. I tried for a photo, but small, fast-moving bird and lousy photographer with slow-focusing camera do not a picture make.

Walking along the trail on Reed's Road wasn't too bad, but as soon as I hit the bay the winds became vicious. It is April 5th. March can go away now. It doesn't look much better for the next few days. Snow predicted for Saturday.

I was hoping for some egret/heron/ibis activity at Spizzle Creek, but all I found there were Great Egrets. The trail to the blind is almost impassable with fallen trees from the various March nor'easters. I didn't even attempt walking the beach on the ocean side.

I stopped at Shelter Cove, again hoping for some new waders but all I found there were more Greats--Blue Herons and Egrets. I did flush a couple of snipe--always fun to see them. By mid-afternoon the winds were not diminishing, so I packed it in and went home to watch the last few innings of the Mets game, getting in just in time to see Bruce hit a grand slam.

My combined list for IBSP and Shelter Cove

Brant   50

Canada Goose   8

Mute Swan   9

Mallard   6

Bufflehead   8

Common Loon   2

Great Blue Heron   6

Great Egret   7

Turkey Vulture   3

Osprey   10

Northern Harrier   1

Bald Eagle   1

Black-bellied Plover   1

Wilson's Snipe   2

Herring Gull   112

Great Black-backed Gull   2

Mourning Dove   5

Belted Kingfisher   1

Northern Flicker   3

Eastern Phoebe   1

American Crow   2

Fish Crow   6

Carolina Chickadee   6

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   1

American Robin   9

Northern Mockingbird   1

European Starling   6

Yellow-rumped Warbler   15

Song Sparrow   1

After the game I spent some time in the backyard filling the feeders. The birding back there was more interesting than earlier in the day--I had 4 Pine Warblers feeding on our suet cakes, a Brown-headed Cowbird "singing" in the oak tree ("bloop-bloop") and for more than 5 minutes, a Fox Sparrow sat up in the same tree. That bird I could get a picture of. 

Fox Sparrow

Red-tailed Hawk

When I went outside to take the photo, I saw a raptor high in the cloudless, blue sky. I first thought eagle, but looking at my pix, I realized it was a Red-Tailed Hawk (blown up, I can see the belly band). I can't think of anything else it can be. I'm always open to correction. It just shows how difficult lighting can make birding. 

So, for the 45 or 50 minutes I spent birding my little patch of lawn and woods, I had 14 species. We have plenty of tangles and brush piles from the recent ready for the nesters who will soon be setting up their households. The junco and White-throated Sparrow numbers are diminishing quickly, the towhees and House Wrens have not yet arrived. 

My backyard list:

Red-tailed Hawk 1
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Robin 1
Pine Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Fox Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Northern Cardinal 1 Oak tree
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
House Finch 2 Oak tree
American Goldfinch 1