May 2019--34 Year Birds

Short-billed Dowitcher, Great Bay Blvd WMA

And just like that, in the last week  it seemed, migration was over leaving me feeling a bit unfulfilled having missed a lot of birds that I might not get on their return migration--warblers like Bay-breasted (I get a Cerulean Warbler in Ocean County but not a Bay-breasted?), flycatchers like Least, Alder, Yellow-bellied, and I even missed Swainson's Thrush, though I have been assured I can get them at Reed's Road when they're going south. We'll see. There's still a chance to get a Yellow-breasted Chat--I've only walked the tick-infested fields of Assunpink twice and it usually takes a minimum of three trips for me to get them.

A lot of the problem was that I wasn't too interested in going to places where I might find these birds a bit more easily, sticking around locally more than I usually do. It's not that I was foolish and demanding that birds be where I wanted them to be, it's just that while you can find the above birds at Double Trouble or Cloverdale or Great Bay Blvd, they are a lot more populous in other locations. I did make two trips to Sandy Hook, but to really assure myself of a big list, I should have been there 10 times this month.

But, to stop dwelling on the negative, I did have a good month with a number of rarities besides the Cerulean, including Wilson's Plover, American Avocet, White Ibis, the returning Mississippi Kite in Waretown, and the Olive-sided Flycatcher at Double Trouble which I happened upon for the 2nd time this morning. It was a good month for nightjars with our whip-poor-will singing every night (even singing in the rain, which has been constant this month), plus I stumbled upon a Chuck-Will's-Widow at Island Beach and had a flyover Common Nighthawk there as well. Warblers for most of the month were abundant and Great Bay Blvd had more shorebirds in the marshes than I have ever seen before. Cedar Bonnet Island has become a very productive and popular hot spot over the last 6 months or so, though now that the summer season has begun, going over the causeway to get there might give me pause.

For the month I listed 177 species with 34 of them being year birds. We are now entering the summer doldrums when new birds will be much harder to find (though those that do appear will probably be really cool), but I'll keep plugging away, if only for the 4 miles of walking I try to get in every day.

It's only a Fish Crow at Double Trouble, but it's probably the best picture I took all month

Species   First Sighting

Brant   Sandy Hook

Canada Goose   Colliers Mills WMA

Mute Swan   Double Trouble State Park

Wood Duck   Wells Mills Park

Blue-winged Teal   Cedar Bonnet Island

Mallard   Colliers Mills WMA

American Black Duck   Forsythe-Barnegat

Green-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA

Lesser Scaup   Sandy Hook

Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook

Red-breasted Merganser   Cedar Bonnet Island

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Rock Pigeon   New Egypt

Mourning Dove   Manasquan River WMA

Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black-billed Cuckoo   Sandy Hook

Common Nighthawk   Island Beach SP

Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift   Allaire State Park

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd

Clapper Rail   Cedar Bonnet Island

American Avocet   Sandy Hook

American Oystercatcher   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Wilson's Plover   Sea Bright

Semipalmated Plover   Forsythe-Barnegat

Piping Plover   Sea Bright

Killdeer   Natco Lake

Whimbrel   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Ruddy Turnstone   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Red Knot   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Dunlin   Forsythe-Barnegat

Least Sandpiper   Whitesbog

White-rumped Sandpiper   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Pectoral Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Forsythe-Barnegat

Short-billed Dowitcher   Cedar Bonnet Island

American Woodcock   Brig

Spotted Sandpiper   Cloverdale Farm

Solitary Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Greater Yellowlegs   Sandy Hook

Willet   Cedar Bonnet Island

Lesser Yellowlegs   Cedar Bonnet Island

Laughing Gull   Colliers Mills WMA

Ring-billed Gull   Brig

Herring Gull   Manasquan River WMA

Lesser Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook

Least Tern   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Gull-billed Tern   Forsythe-Barnegat

Caspian Tern   Double Trouble State Park

Common Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Forster's Tern   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black Skimmer   Forsythe-Barnegat

Common Loon   Cedar Bonnet Island

Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook

Double-crested Cormorant   Natco Lake

Great Blue Heron   Manasquan River WMA

Great Egret   Sandy Hook

Snowy Egret   Sandy Hook

Little Blue Heron   Forsythe-Barnegat

Tricolored Heron   Cedar Bonnet Island

Green Heron   Sandy Hook

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Manahawkin WMA

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center

White Ibis   Ocean City Welcome Center

Glossy Ibis   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA

Turkey Vulture   Manasquan River WMA

Osprey   Manasquan River WMA

Mississippi Kite   Waretown

Cooper's Hawk   Sandy Hook

Bald Eagle   Natco Lake

Red-shouldered Hawk   Double Trouble State Park

Broad-winged Hawk   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Red-tailed Hawk   Manasquan River WMA

Barred Owl   Metedeconk Preserve

Belted Kingfisher   Natco Lake

Red-headed Woodpecker   Sandy Hook

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Manasquan River WMA

Downy Woodpecker   Manasquan River WMA

Hairy Woodpecker   Allaire State Park

Northern Flicker   Colliers Mills WMA

Merlin   New Egypt

Peregrine Falcon   Cedar Bonnet Island

Olive-sided Flycatcher   Double Trouble State Park

Eastern Wood-Pewee   Cedar Bonnet Island

Acadian Flycatcher   Double Trouble State Park

Willow Flycatcher   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Eastern Phoebe   Double Trouble State Park

Great Crested Flycatcher   Manasquan River WMA

Eastern Kingbird   Manasquan River WMA

White-eyed Vireo   Manasquan River WMA

Blue-headed Vireo   Manasquan River WMA

Warbling Vireo   Metedeconk Preserve

Red-eyed Vireo   Manasquan River WMA

Blue Jay   Manasquan River WMA

American Crow   Metedeconk Preserve

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Colliers Mills WMA

Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA

Purple Martin   W Colliers Mill Rd

Tree Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA

Bank Swallow   Whitesbog

Barn Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA

Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse   Manasquan River WMA

Red-breasted Nuthatch   Manasquan River WMA

White-breasted Nuthatch   Manasquan River WMA

House Wren   Manasquan River WMA

Marsh Wren   Manahawkin WMA

Carolina Wren   Metedeconk Preserve

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Manasquan River WMA

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Sandy Hook

Eastern Bluebird   Forest Resource Education Center

Veery   Double Trouble State Park

Wood Thrush   Manasquan River WMA

American Robin   Manasquan River WMA

Gray Catbird   Manasquan River WMA

Brown Thrasher   Manahawkin WMA

Northern Mockingbird   Colliers Mills WMA

European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA

Cedar Waxwing   Sandy Hook

House Finch   Manasquan River WMA

Purple Finch   Sandy Hook

Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch   Manasquan River WMA

Grasshopper Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA

Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow   Manasquan River WMA

White-crowned Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island

White-throated Sparrow   Manasquan River WMA

Seaside Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island

Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Savannah Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island

Song Sparrow   New Egypt

Eastern Towhee   Manasquan River WMA

Bobolink   Cedar Bonnet Island

Eastern Meadowlark   Colliers Mills WMA

Orchard Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA

Baltimore Oriole   New Egypt

Red-winged Blackbird   Colliers Mills WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird   35 Sunset Rd

Common Grackle   E. Colliers Mill Rd

Boat-tailed Grackle   Cedar Bonnet Island

Ovenbird   Manasquan River WMA

Worm-eating Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Northern Waterthrush   Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve

Blue-winged Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Black-and-white Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Prothonotary Warbler   Wells Mills Park

Common Yellowthroat   Manasquan River WMA

Hooded Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

American Redstart   Double Trouble State Park

Cape May Warbler   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Cerulean Warbler   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Northern Parula   Sandy Hook

Magnolia Warbler   Ocean County Park

Blackburnian Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Yellow Warbler   New Egypt

Chestnut-sided Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Blackpoll Warbler   Cloverdale Farm

Black-throated Blue Warbler   William Warren County Park

Pine Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Yellow-throated Warbler   Cloverdale Farm

Prairie Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Black-throated Green Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Wilson's Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Scarlet Tanager   Sandy Hook

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Metedeconk Preserve

Blue Grosbeak   Manasquan River WMA

Indigo Bunting   Sandy Hook

House Sparrow   Metedeconk Preserve

Wesley Lake 5/30--Cliff Swallow

I hadn't added a new bird to the list for over a week; a combination of birds moving on, bad luck, bad moods, and other things to do. So this morning I decided to drive up to Wesley Lake between Asbury Park and Ocean Grove because Cliff Swallows have returned to the bridge that crosses the lake. It was yet another cold, dreary morning in this seemingly endless series of them, and I thought perhaps the swallows wouldn't be out since the insects might not be flying.

From the car it didn't look promising, but as soon as I got on the bridge I saw swallows and while it took a little while to make the i.d. (especially since there was a Barn Swallow mixed in to the group), I finally saw the "headlight" on the forehead of the birds and checked it off the list. No real skill involved, no hunting around a big area, just go, look, tick.

It is interesting how site loyal birds can be. Not only do they return to the same area, but of the two bridges there they are at the same one as previous and, if memory serves, they're using the same arch as last year to build their nests. And because there are so many possible sites for them to use, I always wonder what makes this site the one or is there nothing particularly special about it and the choice is just random. As Myron Cohen use to say: Everybody's gotta be someplace.

I drove down to the Shark River Inlet to look at the Least Tern colony. Amazing how quickly it builds up. Last week, Shari & I stopped by and there were maybe 20 terns and none of them looked like they were nesting. Today there were at least 100 terns in the stringed off area, half of them on nests and the other half bringing food to the mate, while on the beach itself there was a long line of terns roosting. I also saw about 30 Black Skimmers, though only two looked like they had made a nest, along with one American Oystercatcher sitting on its nest. A Piping Plover rounded out the list of fun birds you'd expect to see there.

Black Skimmers, Shark River Inlet

Afterward, I drove inland to Assunpink, where I took my second unsuccessful walk in 3 days in the aviation beacon field looking for chats. I know they're there. But it always takes me multiple trips to find them.

Waretown 5/19--Mississippi Kite

I spent the morning at Manasquan River WMA. Birds that two weeks ago would have been happy events were today just checks on the list. I found nothing new. I did enjoy, as always, the bluebirds--their blue backs never cease to astonish me.

Because I started so early there, it was only mid-morning when I finally exhausted the place. Looking through the alerts, I saw that once again the Mississippi Kites had been spotted in Waretown. This is the 5th year running that they have returned to out of the way residential neighborhood. I drove down there with my usual misgivings about traipsing around with my binoculars on those quiet streets. I arrived just before 11, and decided to give myself until 11:15.

I parked my car a block away from the intersection where the "kite tree" stands, which also affords the most open look at the sky. I was looking for the most inconspicuous place to stand when I looked up to my right and saw one of the kites sailing away. I got a good look at it, checked the time (less than 6 minutes), turned around and went back to the car.

I met the birder who originally found the kite in 2015 across the street from her house. What luck that the birds decided to nest near a birder--otherwise they might go unnoticed all these years. Which brings up the question of what else we're not seeing because birders aren't looking in every backyard. I thanked her and told her that now I didn't have to be on her street for another year.

So, I added one more bird for the year, blunting somewhat the disappointment of this morning's walk.

Double Trouble SP 5/18--Olive-sided Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher

After making the usual stops on Mike's Birds of Jackson trip, I was torn between just going home or doing a little more birding. I decided to drive down to Waretown to see if I could find the Mississippi Kites that have returned (we're presuming the same birds) for what I think is the 4th year. Since its a residential neighborhood, I never feel comfortable standing at the intersection where the birds have been known to sit in a dead tree (now known as the "kite tree"), so I gave myself a time limit of 15 minutes. If no birds showed up in that period, I'd go. It's like a stop-loss when you buy a stock. 

I was into my 11th minute with only both vulture species seen flying overhead when an alert pinged on my phone--an Olive-sided Flycatcher had been found at Double Trouble SP.  If the kites follow their pattern from previous years, they'll still be there, tomorrow, next week, June. I have a decent chance of running into them. The flycatcher, on the other hand, was a much rarer bird, so I didn't bother waiting for my remaining 4 minutes to run out. 

Double Trouble is a just under 11 miles from Waretown and I made good time. The location on the first alert was a little vague--"the large open area"--but knowing the habits of these flycatcher, I presumed it was the former cedar forest that had been destroyed by Sandy where the damaged trees had been cut down and harvested. When I got to the park I met the two birders who'd found the bird, confirmed the location, saw his picture, and hustled down there. 

Naturally, the bird was not in sight. So I decided to give myself 15 minutes for this bird too. As it wasn't in the single dead cedar that inexplicably had been left standing, I walked the path a little farther down and saw, way in the back where the trees were still standing, a bird I was pretty sure was the flycatcher, atop a tree. I took pictures, looked hard with binoculars, saw the "unbuttoned vest" field mark on the chest, blew up the pictures on the view screen, and I was semi-confident I had the bird. Of course, I hadn't bothered to carry my scope out to there. 

The bird dived down into the bushes. A few minutes later, having walked back to the original position, I looked into the thin, dead cedar, and there was the bird again, with a much better view. I even saw it flash the white flank patch that is diagnostic.

I was really pushing my little camera taking these shots. Then the bird flew to the right into another tree in a stand that borders a marshy area where the Purple Trail runs. That's the picture on top of this entry. Having gotten all I could out of my camera and binoculars, I decided to walk the 1/2 mile back to the parking lot to get my scope. Returning, the bird wasn't in any of its previous locations. Again, I gave it 15 minutes to return. I even added on a bonus 5 minutes to make up for viewing the Prairie Warbler that alighted in the thin cedar for a while. However, the bird never returned. I was surprised to find that I was the only birder to try for it today. Where was everybody? 

I'm curious to see if this bird "sticks." Ones in recent years at Cloverdale Farm, haven't.