Sandy Hook | Sea Bright 5/3--American Avocet, Wilson's Plover, Black-billed Cuckoo, Red-headed Woodpecker, Scarlet Tanager

Wilson's Plover, Sea Bright
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Mike & I went "outta county" this cold, drizzly morning, driving up to Sandy Hook for one of Scott's Half Day Fridays and we got a lot more than we expected. Even before the group had moved away from the parking lot, Scott spotted an American Avocet flying by north over the bay. This was great because it save Mike and me from having to make the death march to the north end of the Hook where two avocets have been seen hanging out in one of the ponds. I wasn't relishing that notion, because even though it was a nice day for mid-March, this is May after all.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Sandy Hook

As a group of about 12 stalwarts we  started down the usual path, the bike path, to the Road to Nowhere. One of the group spotted a woodpecker on a dead tree just at the junction of where the two paths meet. She wasn't sure she was right about her i.d., but a woodpecker with a red head, black back, and white rump is certainly what she called out--Red-headed Woodpecker, a rarity for the Hook (and Monmouth County), though I was surprised to find, after consulting my records, that a couple of years ago I had seen this woodpecker on the Hook.

Scarlet Tanager, Sandy Hook

We continued on, picking up many birds--warblers, gnatcatchers, vireos--in the murk. Over at Horseshoe Cove we found the usual kingfisher, along with a Green Heron. The same woman who found the woodpecker said she saw a red bird that wasn't a cardinal. "Stick with her," I was thinking. "Tanager?" I suggested. We went to look and sure enough, a beautiful Scarlet Tanager was moving around in a tree by the side of the road.

Black-billed Cuckoo, Sandy Hook

We were on the return loop when Scott saw a text on his phone from Tom, that a half hour earlier there had been a Black-billed Cuckoo near his banding station, eating caterpillars. Scott thought it might be too late, but after checking with Tom that the bird was still around, we walked back and got good looks at the bird, just sitting in the branches of the tree, presumably digesting.

We were all walking back to Guardian Park when another alert came in. It was on a group I don't subscribe to (I can only handle so much information) and so, as often happens with these alerts, you feel like you're coming in on the middle of a conversation. However, when a couple of guys in our group heard that there was a Wilson's Plover, a very rare visitor this far north, at Sea Bright, about 15 minutes south of the Hook, the turned on their heels and hot-footed it to their cars. Scott told them to let us know if A) the bird was real and B) if it was still there.

About a half hour later, just as the trip was ending, our scouts reported confirmation on both counts and about half the group made the quick trip down to the Sea Bright beach. After walking about an eighth of a mile north of the dormant beach club where we parked, we came upon the bird, which, at first glance you'd dismiss as a Semipalmated Plover, picking at the wrack line. The thick dark bill and heavy chest band were the field marks we needed and it displayed them nicely. There were a couple of Piping Plovers in the vicinity and we had a demonstration of one trait that has enable that species  to survive under adverse conditions--it is a feisty little bird and wanted the Wilson's out of its territory. Instead of feeding alongside it, as you often see shorebirds do in mixed flocks, the Pipers chased the Wilson every time it got too close.

Checking my records, I hadn't seen one of these birds in more than 2 years--we last encountered them in Florida. I also have records from the Bahamas and Puerto Rico; this was the 356th species I've listed in NJ.

My trip list for Sandy Hook was 55 species. It was the best Half Day Friday in memory. And this was the season's inaugural trip so who knows what goodies lie ahead.

Brant  100

Canada Goose  2

Mallard  3    flyover

Mourning Dove  2

Black-billed Cuckoo  1    Road to Nowhere, by banding station

American Avocet  1    Flyby Guardian Park

Killdeer  1    Beach of Horseshoe Cove

Greater Yellowlegs  4    flyovers

Laughing Gull  5

Herring Gull  100

Great Black-backed Gull  5

Northern Gannet  1

Double-crested Cormorant  5

Great Egret  2   

Snowy Egret  1    Horseshoe Cove

Green Heron  1    Horseshoe Cove

Osprey  1

Cooper's Hawk  1

Belted Kingfisher  1

Red-headed Woodpecker  1    

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1    Heard

Downy Woodpecker  1

Merlin  1    Junction of Road to Nowhere and Bike Path

Great Crested Flycatcher  4

Eastern Kingbird  1    Guardian Park

White-eyed Vireo  2    Heard

Blue-headed Vireo  4

Red-eyed Vireo  1

Fish Crow  4

Red-breasted Nuthatch  4

House Wren  4

Carolina Wren  6    Heard

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2

American Robin  15

Gray Catbird  6

Northern Mockingbird  2    B lot

European Starling  2

Cedar Waxwing  1

Purple Finch  5    Streaked brown females

Chipping Sparrow  10

White-throated Sparrow  10

Song Sparrow  1

Eastern Towhee  10

Baltimore Oriole  6    Bike Path around Horseshoe Cove

Red-winged Blackbird  5

Common Grackle  2

Ovenbird  1

Black-and-white Warbler  1

Northern Parula  2

Yellow Warbler  3

Yellow-rumped Warbler  15

Black-throated Green Warbler  2

Scarlet Tanager  3    Two males, one female

Indigo Bunting  1 

Merlin, Road to Nowhere, Sandy Hook