Sandy Hook 12/7--King Eider, Ash-throated Flycatcher

King Eider hen (an oxymoron if there ever was one), tip of Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook has been hot lately with rarities that I also happened to need for year birds, so despite the wintery forecast, I went up there for a field trip led by Jason, Linda, and Carole. Either I was dressed appropriately (2 layers on insulated socks, long johns, flannel lined pants and shirt, Under Armour long sleeve undershirt, two pairs of gloves with hand warmers tucked in, not to mention a coat and hat) or it wasn't as cold as I expected it to be, because, aside from the death march out to the tip of the hook and long walk to the north to find the hen King Eider, where I lost all feeling in both my thumbs (where the warmth of the hand warmers do not reach), I was fairly comfortable all day. Finding year birds also tends to alleviate misery.

The King Eider was easy to find and close in. Much better than scanning a large flock of distant Common Eiders looking for the anomaly. There she was, with her Mona Lisa grin, floating in the breakers, not even diving, close enough for me to get some decent pictures. A few other ducks were out in the ocean, and the beach was lined with 3 species of gulls, but nothing else was particularly interesting, so the walk back seemed a little long, though it did allow my thumbs to thaw.

Just before we got to the parking lot, we spent some time around the Hawk Watch platform, looking for one of the two Ash-throated Flycatchers that had just been seen there. There were a phenomenal 4 (minimum) ATFLs there last week and today 3 were reported, but as I like to say, "You only need one." But one wasn't showing, so, with the report of Lapland Longspur a few beaches away, the group was preparing to caravan down to the Lot I. I was in my car, unwrapping an energy bar when there was a commotion by the trail. Someone yelled for me to come, and there, in another's birder's scope was the elusive flycatcher. Naturally, I ran from my car without my camera, though, while I did get good looks at the bird I suspect that every time I would have had a shot set up in the lens, it would have moved.

Two year birds (and rarities to boot) this late in the year is a pretty good day. That brings me up to 295 in New Jersey and now I have some regrets about the chases I didn't make this year. I could have had 300.

While I didn't have a huge list for the Hook, I did have some interesting species along with the two year birds, like FOS, Horned Larks and American Tree Sparrow, along with that Sandy Hook specialty, Black-capped Chickadee.

36 species

Brant  35

Canada Goose  60

American Black Duck  35

Greater Scaup  8

King Eider  1    

Surf Scoter  5    Tip of the hook

White-winged Scoter  1    Tip of the hook

Long-tailed Duck  4

Bufflehead  25

Common Goldeneye  2    Horseshoe Cove

Red-breasted Merganser  33

Ruddy Duck  1    Spermaceti

Horned Grebe  2

Black-bellied Plover  3

Sanderling  1

Ring-billed Gull  20

Herring Gull  200

Great Black-backed Gull  150

Black Vulture  2

Cooper's Hawk  1

Red-tailed Hawk  2

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1

Ash-throated Flycatcher  1   

Black-capped Chickadee  1    Heard

Horned Lark  3

European Starling  100

Northern Mockingbird  5

Hermit Thrush  1    Heard

American Robin  3

American Goldfinch  1    Heard

Field Sparrow  2

American Tree Sparrow  1

Dark-eyed Junco  10

White-throated Sparrow  3

Song Sparrow  6

Yellow-rumped Warbler  4