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