Field Next To Lakewood Wawa 1/13--Killdeer

Killdeer

After a long, cold North Shore NJ Audubon field trip on which I added 4 year birds (Green-winged Teal, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, & Snow Bunting), I needed both coffee and gas. To Wawa, naturally, but instead of going home the faster route and stopping at the one in South Toms River, I chose to go the slightly longer route and stop off at the store on Route 70 in Lakewood. There is a field adjacent to the parking lot there that is a reliable spot for Killdeer, which I still needed for the year. I scanned from the car and just before I thought "nope" I came upon a lump far in the back of the field which I thought might be a bird with its back to me and upon bringing out the scope it proved to be so. Happily, it turned around so I could take its distant portrait.

Over the years this field has not only had breeding Killdeer in it (I have pictures of a Killdeer chick to prove it),  but also Red-tailed Hawks, kingbirds, mockingbirds--the field is always worth a look. But, like almost every other private empty space in Lakewood it up for sale and development and the fact that the Killdeer will lose their breeding ground will not be an argument against another strip mall or condominiums. So I'm going to enjoy this field for as long as it lasts.

Like most Jersey birders, I spend way too much time and money in Wawas. Unlike most Jersey birders, I also spend way too much time documenting my stops. I also keep, thanks to the magic of eBird's database, a list of birds I've seen at the 94 (and counting) Wawa's I have visited. So far the list is up to 34 species, which seems remarkable to me considering we're talking about an acre of asphalt here. Of course, a lot of these are flyovers, but Mike did once take a picture of a Red-tailed Hawk siting atop the Wawa in Galloway. By far the most interesting bird I've seen at a Wawa was down in Cape Coral, Florida, where Muscovy Ducks (countable in Florida) were just hanging out along the fence line of the parking lot. But aside from the House Sparrows, pigeons, and starlings you'd expect to see in any parking lot, the list has on it some birds you would't expect to find when stopping for a bathroom break and then a bladder refill of coffee. This seems like an apt time to show my Wawa Patch List:

Species                Location

Canada Goose   Wawa South Toms River

Muscovy Duck   Wawa Cape Coral, FL

Mallard   Wawa County Line Rd

Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River

Mourning Dove   Field next to Lakewood Wawa

Killdeer   Field next to Lakewood Wawa

Laughing Gull   Field next to Lakewood Wawa

Herring Gull   Wawa County Line Rd

Double-crested Cormorant   Wawa County Line Rd

Great Blue Heron   Wawa Rt 70 & CR 530

Great Egret   Wawa South Toms River

Black Vulture   Wawa Rt 130

Turkey Vulture   Field next to Lakewood Wawa

Bald Eagle   Wawa Woodstown

Red-tailed Hawk   Field next to Lakewood Wawa

Eastern Wood-Pewee   Wawa Rt 70 & CR 530

Eastern Kingbird   Field next to Lakewood Wawa

Blue Jay   Wawa 179 Route 37 E

American Crow   Field next to Lakewood Wawa

Fish Crow   Wawa-Jackson-1120 E Veterans Hwy

Common Raven   Wawa County Line Rd

Carolina Chickadee   Wawa Galloway

White-breasted Nuthatch   Wawa Rt 70 & CR 530

Carolina Wren   Wawa 179 Route 37 E

American Robin   Wawa County Line Rd

Gray Catbird   Wawa County Line Rd

Northern Mockingbird   Wawa County Line Rd

European Starling   Wawa Rt 70 & CR 530

House Finch   Wawa County Line Rd

Field Sparrow   Wawa South Toms River

Song Sparrow   Wawa County Line Rd

Common Grackle   Wawa Parsippany

Yellow Warbler   Wawa County Line Rd

Northern Cardinal   Wawa 179 Route 37 E House Sparrow   Wawa Rt 70 & CR 530

Red-tailed Hawk, Wawa Galloway
Photo: Mike Mandracchia