Reed's Road, IBSP 4/30--Chuck-Will's-Widow, Warbling Vireo, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak + The Monthly Wrap Up

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Reed's Road

Instead of waiting for reports to come in from Reed's Road and being a day late, as is my custom, today I decided to do things differently and just go there on speculation, the speculation being that the overnight rain might create a "fallout" at this migrant trap. I also had calm conditions which is an advantage.

When I started, just before 8, the only singing birds I heard were catbirds, towhees, and yellowthroats and that was pretty much the case for the entire 2+ hours I was there. It looked like it was just going to be a decent walk by the time I hit the bay since the only new bird I'd added was Warbling Vireo, the plainest bird around and hardly worth looking at.

However, turning north toward the "bowl" activity picked up with 3 Palm Warblers along the way making forays from the pines onto the beach and a kingfisher rattling overhead. I turned onto the path into the bowl, remembering that last year I'd seen Chuck-Will's-Widow in this spot and thought turned to action when one flushed up the from the ground, flew a feet and then sat in a low bush where I got nice looks, though, like the Cheshire Cat, it somehow managed to slowly disappear and soon I lost sight of it. Which was okay because my attention was called to something moving high up in a tree, and though the light was bad, the black back with white spots made me suspect Rose-breasted Grosbeak and as I whispered "turn around" thought once again preceded action as it showed me it's very rosy breast.

Still standing in the same spot I was watching the many Yellow-rumped Warblers flitting in the trees, hoping for something different and my hopes were fulfilled when a magnificent Magnolia Warbler (apparently early and thus rare) flew around above me for a good while. Leaves and twigs, not to mention hyperactivity, prevented thoughts of photos.

When I finally moved into the bowl I saw a female Rose-breasted (I would eventually count 6 in the area--two in the bowl and 3 females chased by a male on the return trip on the road itself), then moving toward the back, thinking that this is the spot where I often find Black-throated Green, I glanced up and saw, instead, a Blackburnian Warbler with its flaming throat. A few minutes later an American Redstart appeared. I may have had a better day on Reed's Road, but one doesn't come to mind.

29 species

Bufflehead  10

Chuck-will's-widow  1

Greater Yellowlegs  1    Heard

Herring Gull  4

Double-crested Cormorant  90    3 large flyover flocks

Great Blue Heron  26    Flyover flocks of 4 & 22

Belted Kingfisher  1

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1

Northern Flicker  2

Blue-headed Vireo  4

Warbling Vireo  1

Red-breasted Nuthatch  1    Heard

Carolina Wren  1    Heard

Gray Catbird  10

American Goldfinch  6

Chipping Sparrow  1

White-throated Sparrow  8

Eastern Towhee  10

Red-winged Blackbird  1    Flyover

Ovenbird  1    Heard

Black-and-white Warbler  3

Common Yellowthroat  10

American Redstart  1   

Magnolia Warbler  1    

Blackburnian Warbler  1    

Yellow Warbler  2

Palm Warbler  3

Yellow-rumped Warbler  10

Rose-breasted Grosbeak  6   

Marsh Wren, Spizzle Creek

I made my way down the park stopping at my usual spots. I didn't add any year birds but at Spizzle Creek, at the end of the trail, I found my county Marsh Wren for the year and was able to get a picture of it despite it being obscured by the reeds. 

I didn't really feel like making the trek down the beach to the inlet, but there were a couple of more birds I hoped to get. I walked about a mile down the beach without really seeing much of interest. I decided I was wasting my time, gave up and turned around. Zirlin's Second Law of Birding states:

       You will not find the bird until you truly give up.

So, walking north, what do I see fly past me over the ocean? A Caspian Tern, another bird for my county list and one of the birds I was looking for. Proof yet again.

As to April I added quite a few species to the various lists I keep. The month was mostly Ocean County-centric, but I did make a few trip extra-county forays, including the very successful trip up to South Amboy where I added Little Gull to my NJ list. I even got out of the state with a few hours spent in Central Park, adding one year bird there. 

The rarities this month, aside from Little Gull, were in the southern part of the county. The Townsend's Solitaire set off a frenzy down at Manahawkin for about a week, the Cape May Warbler that I found down on Great Bay Blvd took a while to get some attention but then everyone seemed to get it, and the Summer Tanagers (2, count 'em, 2) on Cedar Bonnet Island had the side effect of introducing a lot birders to this relatively new hot spot. 

For the month I listed 172 species, by far my biggest month of the year. If you can't get them during migration, you may as well not bother. 

Species             First Sighting

Snow Goose   Brig

Brant   Great Bay Blvd

Canada Goose   Tip Seaman CP

Mute Swan   Manahawkin WMA

Wood Duck   Whitesbog

Blue-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA

Northern Shoveler   Brig

Gadwall   Forsythe-Barnegat

American Wigeon   Forsythe-Barnegat

Mallard   Tip Seaman CP

American Black Duck   Great Bay Blvd

Northern Pintail   Forsythe-Barnegat

Green-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA

Ring-necked Duck   Cloverdale Farm

Greater Scaup   Great Bay Blvd

Lesser Scaup   Lake of the Lilies

Surf Scoter   Island Beach SP

Long-tailed Duck   Island Beach SP

Bufflehead   Tip Seaman CP

Hooded Merganser   Tip Seaman CP

Red-breasted Merganser   Great Bay Blvd

Ruddy Duck   Silver Lake

Ring-necked Pheasant   Manahawkin WMA

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Pied-billed Grebe   Cloverdale Farm

Horned Grebe   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Rock Pigeon   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd

Chuck-will's-widow   Island Beach SP

Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift   Brig

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   Cloverdale Farm

Clapper Rail   Island Beach SP

American Coot   Lake of the Lilies

Sandhill Crane   New Egypt

American Oystercatcher   Great Bay Blvd

Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Blvd

Killdeer   Whitesbog

Upland Sandpiper   Seven Presidents Park

Whimbrel   Brig

Stilt Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd

Sanderling   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Dunlin   Great Bay Blvd

Least Sandpiper   Manahawkin WMA

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Forsythe-Barnegat

Short-billed Dowitcher   Great Bay Blvd

Wilson's Snipe   Manahawkin WMA

Spotted Sandpiper   Linden Hawk Rise Sanctuary

Greater Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd

Willet   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Lesser Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA

Bonaparte's Gull   Island Beach SP

Black-headed Gull   Manahawkin WMA

Little Gull   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Laughing Gull   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Ring-billed Gull   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Herring Gull   Great Bay Blvd

Great Black-backed Gull   Great Bay Blvd

Gull-billed Tern   Brig

Caspian Tern   Brig

Forster's Tern   Butler Beach

Black Skimmer   Brig

Red-throated Loon   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Common Loon   Island Beach SP

Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP

Double-crested Cormorant   Tip Seaman CP

Great Blue Heron   Great Bay Blvd

Great Egret   Great Bay Blvd

Snowy Egret   Great Bay Blvd

Little Blue Heron   Shelter Cove Park

Tricolored Heron   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Green Heron   Tip Seaman CP

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd

Glossy Ibis   Manahawkin WMA

Black Vulture   Barnegat

Turkey Vulture   Manahawkin WMA

Osprey   Tip Seaman CP

Northern Harrier   Meadowedge Park

Sharp-shinned Hawk   Whitesbog

Cooper's Hawk   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Bald Eagle   Tip Seaman CP

Red-tailed Hawk   Lacey Road

Barred Owl   Ocean County

Belted Kingfisher   Manahawkin WMA

Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker   Double Trouble State Park

Northern Flicker   Great Bay Blvd

American Kestrel   Colliers Mills WMA

Merlin   Seven Presidents Park

Peregrine Falcon   Murray Grove

Eastern Phoebe   Cloverdale Farm

Great Crested Flycatcher   Manasquan River WMA

Eastern Kingbird   Great Bay Blvd

White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA

Blue-headed Vireo   Double Trouble State Park

Warbling Vireo   Island Beach SP

Red-eyed Vireo   Belleplain SF

Blue Jay   Collinstown Rd

American Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Linden Hawk Rise Sanctuary

Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Double Trouble State Park

Purple Martin   Double Trouble State Park

Tree Swallow   Manahawkin WMA

Bank Swallow   Brig

Barn Swallow   Double Trouble State Park

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd

Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

House Wren   Forest Resource Education Center

Marsh Wren   Brig

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Manahawkin WMA

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Cattus Island County Park

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Great Bay Blvd

Eastern Bluebird   Cloverdale Farm

Townsend's Solitaire   Manahawkin WMA

Hermit Thrush   Eno’s Pond

Wood Thrush   Belleplain SF

American Robin   35 Sunset Rd

Gray Catbird   Colliers Mills WMA

Brown Thrasher   Great Bay Blvd

Northern Mockingbird   Collinstown Rd

European Starling   Great Bay Blvd

Cedar Waxwing   Island Beach SP

House Finch   Forsythe-Barnegat

Purple Finch   Great Bay Blvd

Pine Siskin   Cloverdale Farm

American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd

Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow   Wawa South Toms River

Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd

White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd

Saltmarsh Sparrow   Brig

Savannah Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA

Song Sparrow   Tip Seaman CP

Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog

Eastern Towhee   IBSP--Blind Trail

Orchard Oriole   Brig

Red-winged Blackbird   Tip Seaman CP

Brown-headed Cowbird   Cloverdale Farm

Rusty Blackbird   Linden Hawk Rise Sanctuary

Common Grackle   Collinstown Rd

Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Blvd

Ovenbird   Manahawkin WMA

Worm-eating Warbler   Belleplain SF

Louisiana Waterthrush   Belleplain SF

Blue-winged Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Black-and-white Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Prothonotary Warbler   Belleplain SF

Common Yellowthroat   Manahawkin WMA

Hooded Warbler   Belleplain SF

American Redstart   Island Beach SP

Cape May Warbler   Great Bay Blvd

Northern Parula   Central Park

Magnolia Warbler   Island Beach SP

Blackburnian Warbler   Island Beach SP

Yellow Warbler   Manahawkin WMA

Palm Warbler   Lakehurst Railroad Tracks

Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Manahawkin WMA

Yellow-throated Warbler   Belleplain SF

Prairie Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Summer Tanager   Cedar Bonnet Island

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP

Blue Grosbeak   Great Bay Blvd

Indigo Bunting   Great Bay Blvd

House Sparrow   Stafford

Belleplain SF 4/27--Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush, Worm-eating Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Prothonotary Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler

Prairie Warbler

The last weekend in April is the time we go down to Belleplain State Forest in Cape May County to search--and listen--for warblers and other new arrivals. Bob Auster came down on Friday night to spend the weekend with us and very early Saturday, Mike picked us up as the first participants in his NJ Audubon field trip down there.

To write a little doggerel:

The conditions were not propitious
Because the winds were vicious.

Aside from the tendency of birds, unlike their idiotic pursuers, to hunker down when it is windy, the sound of wind makes it very difficult to even hear the hunkered down birds singing deep in the protected thickets.

However, 7 of us gave it a whack and happily we were able to compile a pretty decent list by stopping and walking around the paths most shielded from the wind. Before the trip even started, Mike, Bob, & I had already heard a Wood Thrush, a Prothonotary Warbler, and tracked down a Red-eyed Vireo near the shore of Lake Nummy.

Once the group gathered we started finding birds at a pretty good clip. In the parking lot, as Bob had insisted there would be, we came upon a fairly cooperative Yellow-throated Warbler (not cooperative enough to stay still for a picture). We eschewed the fields because the winds were too much, but at the Louisiana Waterthrush spot we heard the bird, on the road where expected Hooded Warblers, we heard Hooded Warblers, and at the little pond where Prothonotary Warblers are "guaranteed" we saw a beauty right over our heads, a life bird for couple of people in the group. We even managed to separate the clicking song of the Worm-eating Warbler from the surrounding Chipping Sparrows and Pine Warblers, quite a feat since descriptions of the different songs tend to sound very vague to me--one is more "mechanical," one is "drier," one is more "musical." I really don't know what those words "mean" in relation to one another, anymore than I understand what a "robin with a sore throat" sounds like which is supposedly how a Scarlet Tanager sounds (or is that a Rose-breasted Grosbeak?). Anyway, after a while--a long while in my case--you just know the difference and you hope that others can hear it too.

For the day I managed 45 species (Bob & Mike had a couple more that I didn't hear). After lunch it is traditional that we drive over to the Heislerville impoundments for shorebirds. We did drive over there but the impoundments were like lakes and with the wind blowing a gale: whitecaps. So we didn't see much of real interest there and, since Sunday was another trip, and the drive was a long one, we ended about an hour early and headed back north.

My list:

Mourning Dove  1

Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1    feeder

Spotted Sandpiper  1

Laughing Gull  10

Herring Gull  20

Double-crested Cormorant  1

Black Vulture  1

Turkey Vulture  3

Bald Eagle  2

Red-bellied Woodpecker  2

Downy Woodpecker  1

Eastern Phoebe  5

Great Crested Flycatcher  3

Eastern Kingbird  1

White-eyed Vireo  5

Red-eyed Vireo  1

Fish Crow  2

Tree Swallow  3

Carolina Chickadee  1    Heard

Tufted Titmouse  3    Heard

Carolina Wren  2

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  15

Eastern Bluebird  5

Wood Thrush  1    Heard

American Robin  2

Gray Catbird  2

American Goldfinch  4

Chipping Sparrow  20

White-throated Sparrow  2

Eastern Towhee  2

Brown-headed Cowbird  4

Ovenbird  21    Heard

Worm-eating Warbler  1    Heard

Louisiana Waterthrush  1    Heard

Black-and-white Warbler  10

Prothonotary Warbler  3

Hooded Warbler  1    Heard

Yellow Warbler  1    Heard

Pine Warbler  2    Heard

Yellow-rumped Warbler  1

Yellow-throated Warbler  2

Prairie Warbler  5

Northern Cardinal  2

Blue Grosbeak  1

Indigo Bunting  1

Eastern Bluebird, parking lot

Whip-poor-will: Woodland Crime Stopper

The Scene of the Crime

We were lucky.

There are a lot of "ifs" to this story.

IF we didn't have the most reliable whip-poor-wills in New Jersey singing in our neighborhood that people come from all over to hear...

IF our friends hadn't rung our doorbell to let us know that they were outside listening for the whips...

IF Bob hadn't needed the whip for his year list...

IF Bob and Shari & I hadn't stood outside with our friends listening to the whip-poor-wills; the first one distant, the second one right next to the house at 8:29 (I had predicted 8:30)...

THEN I wouldn't have seen a glow coming from the WMA behind our house and I wouldn't have gone to investigate it, thinking it was another birder trying to get eye shine with a flashlight. Instead, I found a fire spreading in the undergrowth and a suspicious character moving around. The first thing I did was shout to Shari to call 911 and the second thing I did was to confront the young woman who was walking rapidly away from the fire. She told me she was camping and her camp fire got out of hand, which, had it been true, would have been bad enough since camping isn't allowed back there, but in reality she was making a fire because, not to put too fine a point on it, she was nuts. 

Or distraught, or on drugs, or just plain stupid, who cares? All I knew was that there was a fire burning in the woods a couple of hundred feet from my house. When I "asked" here if she was stupid she got very huffy and told me no, but then, as she walked away from me down the path from the WMA that runs along our property, she did say that it was stupid thing to do and that she wouldn't come back again. I briefly thought about detaining her, but then realized that arresting people isn't my job; the real problem was the fire. She disappeared up the street but not before one of my friends had the presence of mind to take her picture with a phone camera. 

I went into the house and got our fire extinguisher from the kitchen. Not that I knew how to use it but Bob, took a quick look at the label and went out to the woods to try to put out the fire though I didn't think we'd be able to. It had spread and was creeping up one of the pitch pines. Bob got that part of the fire out and was able to tamp down about half of it before the extinguisher was empty. By this time the fire department had arrived, along with the police.

Fortunately for us the conditions were not good for the fire--that area of the woods had been prescribed burned a couple of years ago so there wasn't much fuel; we'd had a lot of rain in the last day; and the winds, which were brutal during the day, had died down to nothing. Plus, the fire breaks they had dug would have acted as pretty good protection had the fire spread in some unlikely manner. So we probably weren't in as much danger as I had originally thought.  Probably. They quickly determined that the fire wasn't going to get out of hand and, instead of just putting it out, they let it burn as "evidence." 

The matches she used and tried to use

The police officers were extraordinarily thorough--I wasn't expecting a CSI investigation or a police dog sniffing for evidence--but as the forest warden who also responded explained to us, people who set little fires in the woods also set bigger fires in the woods, or trash fires, house fires, and eventually someone gets hurt. This woman, once we started describing her to the police--it was dark, obviously, so we couldn't see her feature but just the general description we could give (the women, I marveled, noticed way more about her, especially her clothes, then the men did) and how she spoke, told them that they already knew who they were looking for and where she lived (not far). This, apparently, wouldn't be the first time they were interacting with her.

When I told my neighbors across the street what had happened, the immediately knew who the woman was and were surprised that I didn't know her. But I spent 40 years in New York where you really don't spend much time worrying about other people--there are just too many to keep track of who's walking up the street at what time and what kind of car this guy drives when he passes the house at 4:15 and so on.

Later, the police came and asked us more questions and took a signed statement from me. They seemed to be building a case. Whether they've arrested the woman I have no idea. Whether I'll have to testify I also don't know, though I'll have no problem with it if I have to. 

And the whip-poor-will continued to sing through all of this, the whip-poor-will which drew us out of the house at just the right time to see a small fire and keep it that way. I have always loved hearing the whip-poor-will; unlike my neighbors, its song has never bothered me, even at 3 o'clock in the morning. I like the bird even more now.