 |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Reed's Road |
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
|
No comments:
Post a Comment