December: Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done

Long-tailed Duck, hen, a rarity at Whitesbog

Because tomorrow I have a repairman coming to fix the dishwasher and it's probably going to rain in the afternoon anyway, unless something spectacular shows up in the backyard, there is no chance that I'm going to add any more birds to the month or year list. So I'm calling it a year today, one day short. At least I ended on a high note.

I went to Island Beach SP this morning to walk to the jetty, hoping that I might find a Razorbill for the year (hundreds reported all along the coast, I haven't seen one) even though I knew there would be hordes of birders and photographers looking for Snowy Owls (which, schadenfreude alert here, weren't to be found today), but I didn't find a Razorbill either. I made do with the usual birds, lots of scoters, including the harder to find White-winged Scoter, plus a big flock of Common Eiders in the inlet. I had walked as far back along the inlet as you can reasonably go, and thus was at the maximum distance from my car (about 2 miles) when I got a text from a friend and Burlco birder that there was a Long-tailed Duck at Whitesbog. Now, I had just seen about 50 Long-tailed Ducks all along the beach, but a Long-tailed Duck at Whitesbog is a rarity, as it is anywhere in Burlington County, though you can find them flying up the Delaware, I'm told. Since I have resolved to be somewhat more aggressive in my birding this year, and since it would be a county life bird for me, I walked back to the car and drove the 35 miles inland to Whitesbog. It is always a great feeling when you're chasing a bird to come to the location, look around for a minute and bang! there it is. The duck was very cooperative and allowed me to walk over toward it pretty close before it got skittish and flew a few yards farther in the middle of the Middle Bog. Since this species is pretty much a saltwater diving duck, what there is at Whitesbog for it to eat I don't know, unless it likes pickerel. It was constantly diving, so either it was finding something to it or it is an extremely stubborn duck.

Sandhill Cranes in Burlington County

This month I only added 3 year birds to the list, not really unexpected since it obviously gets harder to find new stuff as the year progress. The birds were all rarities: the very unexpected Ash-throated Flycatcher at Mercer County Park, the Rough-legged Hawk at the fairgrounds, and the oxymoronic hen King Eider off the jetty at Barnegat Light. Other neat rarities for the month, though not year birds, were the Sandhill Cranes in Pemberton (county birds though) and the returning Trumpeter Swans at Stone Tavern Lake.

Trumpeter Swans, Stone Tavern Lake

I didn't get down to Brig this month; I can't recall the last month I didn't make at least one trip there but it was always too windy, or rainy, or the prospect of just looping around the Wildlife Drive seemed too dreary to me. I didn't get to Sandy Hook either and I should have if I wanted Razorbills. But I'm starting the new year there. Instead, I stuck to familiar Ocean & Monmouth County spots for the most part--I enjoyed circumambulating the Manasquan Reservoir twice.

For the month I had 110 species. The year list and year summary will follow tomorrow.
Counties birded:
New Jersey: Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean
New York: New York

Species              First Sighting

Snow Goose   Spring Lake Boardwalk

Brant   Island Beach SP

Canada Goose   Island Beach SP

Mute Swan   Island Beach SP

Trumpeter Swan   Stone Tavern Lake

Tundra Swan   Whitesbog

Wood Duck   Lake of the Lilies

Northern Shoveler   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Gadwall   Lake of the Lilies

American Wigeon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Mallard   Riverfront Landing

American Black Duck   Cedar Bonnet Island

Canvasback   Stone Tavern Lake

Redhead   Lake of the Lilies

Ring-necked Duck   Bamber Lake

Lesser Scaup   Bayview Ave Park

King Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Common Eider   Island Beach SP

Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Surf Scoter   Island Beach SP

White-winged Scoter   Island Beach SP

Black Scoter   Island Beach SP

Long-tailed Duck   Island Beach SP

Bufflehead   Island Beach SP

Common Goldeneye   Sunset Park

Hooded Merganser   Lake of the Lilies

Common Merganser   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP

Ruddy Duck   Riverfront Landing

Wild Turkey   Crestwood Village

Pied-billed Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River

Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd

American Coot   Lake of the Lilies

Sandhill Crane   Pemberton Twp MUA Fields

Killdeer   Lakewood Wawa

Ruddy Turnstone   Island Beach SP

Red Knot   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Dunlin   Island Beach SP

Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet

Ring-billed Gull   Riverfront Landing

Herring Gull   Island Beach SP

Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP

Red-throated Loon   Wreck Pond

Common Loon   Island Beach SP

Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet

Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Double-crested Cormorant   Island Beach SP

Great Blue Heron   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black Vulture   New Egypt

Turkey Vulture   Toms River

Northern Harrier   Cedar Bonnet Island

Sharp-shinned Hawk   Bamber Lake

Cooper's Hawk   Etra Lake Park

Bald Eagle   Bamber Lake

Red-tailed Hawk   Cedar Bonnet Island

Rough-legged Hawk   BC Fairgrounds

Barred Owl   Central Park

Belted Kingfisher   Cedar Bonnet Island

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Whitesbog

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Bamber Lake

Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog

Northern Flicker   Island Beach SP

American Kestrel   Reeves Bogs

Merlin   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Peregrine Falcon   Shark River Inlet

Eastern Phoebe   Island Beach SP

Ash-throated Flycatcher   Mercer County Park

Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd

American Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Fish Crow   Assunpink WMA

Common Raven   Whitesbog

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Black-capped Chickadee   Central Park

Tufted Titmouse   Whitesbog

Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper   Assunpink WMA

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Nessie Bog

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Eastern Bluebird   Assunpink WMA

Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog

American Robin   Island Beach SP

Northern Mockingbird   Island Beach SP

European Starling   35 Sunset Rd

House Finch   35 Sunset Rd

Purple Finch   Union Transportation Trail

Pine Siskin   Cloverdale Farm

American Goldfinch   Cedar Bonnet Island

Snow Bunting   Cedar Bonnet Island

Chipping Sparrow   Bamber Lake

Field Sparrow   Union Transportation Trail

Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd

White-throated Sparrow   Bamber Lake

Savannah Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island

Song Sparrow   Island Beach SP

Swamp Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs

Eastern Towhee   Central Park

Eastern Meadowlark   BC Fairgrounds

Red-winged Blackbird   Assunpink WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird   Olde Noah Hunt Rd

Common Grackle   Olde Noah Hunt Rd

Boat-tailed Grackle   Point Pleasant Beach

Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Assunpink WMA

Northern Cardinal   Wawa South Toms River

House Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP