Saturday, June 30, 2018

June in Review

Grasshopper Sparrow, Colliers Mills
By the middle of the month, avian activity gets very, very quiet hereabouts, so I had to range farther around the state to get new, or at least interesting, birds--a couple of trips to High Point SP, an excursion to Old Mine Road, and even some brief forays into Middlesex County, one for a chase (see above), another--the Monk Parakeets--because I was in the area anyway. And yet, I still haven't made it down to Cape May this year! Which partially explains my lagging list.

Mike and I did okay up at High Point SP, but the Old Mine Road trip had the weather against us--steady rain--and the second trip we were going to make got cancelled because of the weather too.

American Avocet at Brig
In terms of rarities, I did all right for the month coming up with one I wasn't looking for (American Avocet) while looking and not finding another (Roseate Spoonbill) at Brig. Today's Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are probably the highlight of the month, although the memory I'll carry with me forever is taking my mother to see and hear the Monk Parakeets.

Northern Mockingbird on lamp post in front of house
I spent a lot of time tromping around Colliers Mills looking for a Red-headed Woodpecker and didn't find one, which was frustrating, but I did find other sought after birds there along the way. The Grasshopper Sparrows were very cooperative for a couple of trips. And our backyard had two very interesting birds this month, both mimids. We always have a few Gray Catbirds, but rarely do we have Brown Thrasher and there were two hanging near our feeder for a couple of days. Even more intriguing, for me, are the two Northern Mockingbirds that appear to be nesting behind an ornamental tree up against the house across the street. The first day we looked at this house 7 years ago I saw a mockingbird and didn't think anything of it, but it was years before I saw another in the neighborhood. Now there are two very aggressive birds which I've seen chasing any Fish Crow that dares to come into the vicinity.

Also new for the month were the Common Nighthawks flying over the house--this is a very early date for them; usually they don't appear until August.

The special trip of the month was to the Lakehurst base where the Upland Sandpipers put on quite a show. I'll admit to having become a bit jaded about this trip, so it was fun to be there with birders who'd never been on the base and vicariously enjoy their life birds.

For the month I notched 149 species. I could have run down to Brig today and added the spoonbill, but I have to have something to do in July.

Species                                                 First Sighting
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck   Monroe
Canada Goose   Assunpink WMA
Mute Swan   Sussex
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Blue-winged Teal   Brig
Mallard   Assunpink WMA
American Black Duck   Ocean City Welcome Center
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Common Merganser   Old Mine Road IBA
Wild Turkey   Assunpink WMA
Common Loon   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Double-crested Cormorant   Assunpink WMA
Brown Pelican   Shark River Inlet
Great Blue Heron   Assunpink WMA
Great Egret   Brig
Snowy Egret   Brig
Little Blue Heron   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Green Heron   Ocean City Preserve
Black-crowned Night-Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Glossy Ibis   Brig
Black Vulture   New Egypt
Turkey Vulture   Assunpink WMA
Osprey   Brig
Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Bald Eagle   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Red-shouldered Hawk   High Point SP
Broad-winged Hawk   High Point SP
Red-tailed Hawk   Field next to Lakewood Wawa
Clapper Rail   Brig
Virginia Rail   Cattus Island County Park
Common Gallinule   Ocean City Preserve
American Avocet   Brig
American Oystercatcher   Brig
Semipalmated Plover   Brig
Piping Plover   Shark River Inlet
Killdeer   Whitesbog
Upland Sandpiper   Lakehurst NAES
Ruddy Turnstone   Brig
Dunlin   Brig
Least Sandpiper   Brig
White-rumped Sandpiper   Brig
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Brig
Greater Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Willet   Brig
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Laughing Gull   Brig
Herring Gull   Brig
Great Black-backed Gull   Brig
Least Tern   Brig
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Caspian Tern   Brig
Common Tern   Shark River Inlet
Forster's Tern   Brig
Black Skimmer   Brig
Rock Pigeon   Forsythe-Barnegat
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Whitesbog
Black-billed Cuckoo   High Point SP
Common Nighthawk   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Assunpink WMA
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Belted Kingfisher   Old Mine Road IBA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   High Point SP
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   High Point SP
Northern Flicker   Colliers Mills WMA
American Kestrel   Lakehurst NAES
Monk Parakeet   Carteret
Eastern Wood-Pewee   High Point SP
Acadian Flycatcher   Brig
Willow Flycatcher   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Eastern Phoebe   High Point SP
Great Crested Flycatcher   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Kingbird   Assunpink WMA
White-eyed Vireo   Assunpink WMA
Yellow-throated Vireo   Old Mine Road IBA
Warbling Vireo   Assunpink WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Assunpink WMA
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   Assunpink WMA
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Old Mine Road IBA
Horned Lark   Lakehurst NAES
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Union Transportation Trail
Purple Martin   Brig
Tree Swallow   Assunpink WMA
Bank Swallow   Brig
Barn Swallow   Assunpink WMA
Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Black-capped Chickadee   High Point SP
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
House Wren   35 Sunset Rd
Marsh Wren   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Carolina Wren   Assunpink WMA
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   High Point SP
Eastern Bluebird   Union Transportation Trail
Veery   High Point SP
Hermit Thrush   High Point SP
Wood Thrush   High Point SP
American Robin   Assunpink WMA
Gray Catbird   Assunpink WMA
Brown Thrasher   Brig
Northern Mockingbird   Assunpink WMA
European Starling   New Egypt
Cedar Waxwing   High Point SP
Ovenbird   Assunpink WMA
Worm-eating Warbler   Old Mine Road IBA
Northern Waterthrush   High Point SP
Black-and-white Warbler   High Point SP
Prothonotary Warbler   Union Transportation Trail
Common Yellowthroat   Assunpink WMA
Hooded Warbler   Old Mine Road IBA
American Redstart   High Point SP
Northern Parula   Old Mine Road IBA
Yellow Warbler   Assunpink WMA
Black-throated Blue Warbler   High Point SP
Pine Warbler   Whitesbog
Prairie Warbler   High Point SP
Canada Warbler   High Point SP
Grasshopper Sparrow   Assunpink WMA
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Seaside Sparrow   Brig
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Assunpink WMA
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow   Reeves Bogs
Eastern Towhee   Assunpink WMA
Yellow-breasted Chat   Brig
Scarlet Tanager   High Point SP
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   High Point SP
Blue Grosbeak   Assunpink WMA
Indigo Bunting   Assunpink WMA
Eastern Meadowlark   Lakehurst NAES
Orchard Oriole   Union Transportation Trail
Baltimore Oriole   High Point SP
Red-winged Blackbird   Assunpink WMA
Brown-headed Cowbird   High Point SP
Common Grackle   Assunpink WMA
Boat-tailed Grackle   Brig
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   Assunpink WMA
House Sparrow   New Egypt
Brown Thrasher on our feeder
Ovenbird, Whitesbog



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