Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Year in Birds

Yellow-headed Blackbird, Island Beach SP
Unlike `16, `17, and `18, when I added hundreds of life birds to my list with trips to Trinidad, South Africa, Mexico, and Australia, this year I only added 5. My lone major foray beyond the east coast was this summer when we went to Utah and Idaho and netted 3 lifers there. In New Jersey, I added two lifers, which is unusual in itself since the rarities that usually show up in the state are birds I've already seen elsewhere that I chase for my Jersey list.

But as I get older, I'm less and less impressed by my life list (or anyone else's) since all you need to get a huge list is time, some money and the willingness to travel to distance places for an extended length of time; I am deficient in the last. If I'm not willing to haul my butt up to Bergen County to see Monk Parakeets, now that the Carteret population has vanished, what are the chances of me going to Indonesia or Sri Lanka?

This year I finished with 295 species in New Jersey. If I hadn't been so feckless about running down to Cape May when all the rarities were showing up I would probably have hit the magic number of 300. As it was, out of all those rarities, only LeCONTE'S SPARROW showed itself to me and while it was a life bird, it wasn't the most satisfactory birding experience. There's an article in the current Birdwatching Magazine by Pete Dunne wherein he claims you cannot have a bad birding experience in Cape May. I clear my throat. You can if the birds you hope to see (Wood Stork, Mountain Bluebird) are found dead on successive trips, which is what happened when I waited too long to go down there for both species.

So I guess the goal for next year is to get 300 NJ species, but if I'm at 299 in December I'm still not driving up to Bergen County for some misplaced parakeets.

FLAMMULATED OWL, Utah
Wilson's Plover, Sea Bright
The highlight of the year for me was seeing the FLAMMULATED OWL in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Of the quintet of lifers this year, that bird was by far the one that was best seen and photographed. When I think of the other neat birds I saw this year, proximity seem to play a large part in the pleasure I took in finding them. The Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on Cedar Run Dock Road were a few miles from where I happened to be that day. The Wilson's Plover in Sea Bright happened to show up when I was at Sandy Hook. I was at Sandy Hook when the Bell's Vireo was discovered less than a thousand feet from where our group was. Whitesbog had an American Avocet and while we were admiring that bird, a Black Tern showed up. That's magic. Walking a rut up and down a path at Palmyra looking for a Pacific-slope Flycatcher is not magic--it verges on work--at least it isn't magic while you're walking back and forth losing hope. Then the bird appears, seemingly out of nowhere: magic.

For the year I finished with 354 species. There were big misses: American Bittern comes to mind first but I don't want to dwell on the negative any more than I already have. In NJ I finished just out of the top 20 for species listed and in my home county of Ocean I tied for the #3 slot. It was a spectacular year in for rarities in Ocean County; I added 12 to my county life list including some really exciting ones like Pacific Loon, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Townsend's Solitaire and Yellow-headed Blackbird. It's going to be hard to beat that next year. It was also good to get some supposedly easier birds finally onto the county list like Philadelphia Vireo and Iceland Gull ( which had been a nemesis bird so a big thanks to Jason for that one!).

The important question to ask myself is: Did I have fun? On the whole, yes, especially considering how lousy the year has been outside of birding. I enjoyed birding with my buddies, I enjoyed the time Shari and I spent together, I enjoyed my solo walks through Whitesbog, Colliers Mills, Assunpink, and I enjoyed running into friends while I was birding alone.Mostly, it was fun to find birds. That's always the measure: is this going to pass the fun test? Maybe some day I'll be able to convince myself that a trip all the way up to Bergen County will be fun. I do like Monk Parakeets after all.
Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Cedar Run Dock Road
Species                        First Sighting
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck   Cedar Run Dock Rd.
Snow Goose   Brig
Ross's Goose   Cream Ridge
Greater White-fronted Goose   Conines Millpond
Brant   Sandy Hook
Barnacle Goose   Conines Millpond
Cackling Goose   Lake Takanassee
Canada Goose   Seven Presidents Park
Mute Swan   Lake Takanassee
Trumpeter Swan   Stone Tavern Lake
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Muscovy Duck   Fletcher Lake
Wood Duck   Little Silver Lake
Blue-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Shoveler   Monmouth Beach
Gadwall   Lake Takanassee
Eurasian Wigeon   Shark River
American Wigeon   Lake Takanassee
Mallard   Lake Takanassee
American Black Duck   Lake of the Lilies
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Allenhurst
Canvasback   Mathis Veteran's Memorial Park
Redhead   Lake of the Lilies
Ring-necked Duck   Mathis Veteran's Memorial Park
Greater Scaup   Bayview Ave Park
Lesser Scaup   Assunpink WMA
King Eider   Sandy Hook
Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Sandy Hook
White-winged Scoter   Sandy Hook
Black Scoter   Sandy Hook
Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook
Bufflehead   Sandy Hook
Common Goldeneye   LBI Bayside
Hooded Merganser   Lake Takanassee
Common Merganser   Conines Millpond
Red-breasted Merganser   Sandy Hook
Ruddy Duck   Lake Takanassee
California Quail   Gilgal Sculpture Garden,
Ring-necked Pheasant   New Egypt
GRAY PARTRIDGE   Mud Lake WMA
Wild Turkey   New Egypt
Pied-billed Grebe   Lake Takanassee
Horned Grebe   Sandy Hook
Red-necked Grebe   Sandy Hook
Eared Grebe   Mud Lake WMA
Western Grebe   Lee Kay Ponds
Clark's Grebe   Lee Kay Ponds
Rock Pigeon   Little Silver Lake
Eurasian Collared-Dove   Gilgal Sculpture Garden,
Mourning Dove   Seven Presidents Park
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Cedar Bonnet Island
Black-billed Cuckoo   Sandy Hook
Common Nighthawk   Island Beach SP
Chuck-will's-widow   Island Beach SP
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Brig
White-throated Swift   Shoshone Falls Park
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   Cloverdale Farm
Black-chinned Hummingbird   Red Butte Arboretum
Broad-tailed Hummingbird   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Clapper Rail   Island Beach SP
Virginia Rail   Bear River MBR
Sora   Bear River MBR
Common Gallinule   Brig
American Coot   Lake Takanassee
Sandhill Crane   Pemberton Twp MUA Fields
Black-necked Stilt   Lee Kay Ponds
American Avocet   Sandy Hook
American Oystercatcher   Brigantine Island
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Blvd
American Golden-Plover   BC Fairgrounds
Snowy Plover   Bear River MBR
Wilson's Plover   Sea Bright
Semipalmated Plover   Forsythe-Barnegat
Piping Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   Lakewood Wawa
Upland Sandpiper   Seven Presidents Park
Whimbrel   Brig
Long-billed Curlew   Antelope Island SP
Hudsonian Godwit   Bombay Hook
Marbled Godwit   American Falls Reservoir
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Red Knot   Great Bay Blvd
Stilt Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Sanderling   Manasquan Inlet
Dunlin   Manasquan Inlet
Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet
Baird's Sandpiper   Sandy Hook
Least Sandpiper   Manahawkin WMA
White-rumped Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Buff-breasted Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Pectoral Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Forsythe-Barnegat
Western Sandpiper   Brig
Short-billed Dowitcher   Great Bay Blvd
Long-billed Dowitcher   Market Lake WMA
American Woodcock   Crestwood Village
Wilson's Snipe   Mannington Marsh
Wilson's Phalarope   Brig
Red-necked Phalarope   Antelope Island SP
Spotted Sandpiper   Barnegat Municipal Dock
Solitary Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Poplar St boat ramp
Willet   Barnegat Municipal Dock
Lesser Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Razorbill   Sandy Hook
Bonaparte's Gull   Cape May Ferry Terminal
Black-headed Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Little Gull   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park
Laughing Gull   Point Pleasant Beach
Franklin's Gull   Lee Kay Ponds
Ring-billed Gull   Lake Takanassee
California Gull   Salt Lake City
Herring Gull   Sandy Hook
Iceland Gull   Edison Boat Launch
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Lake Takanassee
Glaucous Gull   Manasquan Inlet
Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook
Least Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Caspian Tern   Brig
Black Tern   Whitesbog
Common Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Forster's Tern   Butler Beach
Royal Tern   Ocean Gate
Black Skimmer   Brig
Red-throated Loon   Monmouth Beach
Pacific Loon   Manasquan Inlet
Common Loon   Sandy Hook
Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Neotropic Cormorant   Lee Kay Ponds
Double-crested Cormorant   Point Pleasant Beach
American White Pelican   Lee Kay Ponds
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Least Bittern   Brig
Great Blue Heron   Lake Takanassee
Great Egret   Great Bay Blvd
Snowy Egret   Manahawkin WMA
Little Blue Heron   Shelter Cove Park
Tricolored Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Cattle Egret   Brigham City
Green Heron   Tip Seaman CP
Black-crowned Night-Heron   Brig
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
White Ibis   Ocean City Welcome Center
Glossy Ibis   Manahawkin WMA
White-faced Ibis   Brig
Black Vulture   Toms River
Turkey Vulture   35 Sunset Rd
Osprey   Great Bay Blvd
Golden Eagle  Malta
Mississippi Kite   Waretown
Northern Harrier   BC Fairgrounds
Sharp-shinned Hawk   18 Aberdeen Avenue
Cooper's Hawk   Lake Takanassee
Bald Eagle   Sandy Hook
Red-shouldered Hawk   Brig
Broad-winged Hawk   Michael Huber Preserve
Swainson's Hawk   Kennecott Reclamation Ponds
Red-tailed Hawk   Point Pleasant Beach
Rough-legged Hawk   Stafford Township
Ferruginous Hawk   Malta
Barn Owl   American Falls
FLAMMULATED OWL   Wasatch Mountain SP
Eastern Screech-Owl   Beach Ave
Great Horned Owl   Beach Ave
Snowy Owl   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Burrowing Owl   Howell
Barred Owl   Eno’s Pond
Long-eared Owl   Assunpink WMA
Short-eared Owl   Pole Farm
Northern Saw-whet Owl   Pole Farm
Belted Kingfisher   Bayview Ave Park
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Cattus Island County Park
Red-naped Sapsucker   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Red-headed Woodpecker   Sandy Hook
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Marshall's Pond
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA
Pileated Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA
Northern Flicker   Cedar Bonnet Island
American Kestrel   Pemberton Twp MUA Fields
Merlin   Toms River
GYRFALCON   Brig
Peregrine Falcon   Sandy Hook
Olive-sided Flycatcher   Double Trouble State Park
Western Wood-Pewee   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Cedar Bonnet Island
Acadian Flycatcher   Double Trouble State Park
Alder Flycatcher   Negri-Nepote Grasslands
Willow Flycatcher   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Hammond's Flycatcher   Diamondfield Jack Campground
Gray Flycatcher   Kinney Creek Trail
Dusky Flycatcher   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Pacific-slope Flycatcher   Palmyra Cove Nature Park
Cordilleran Flycatcher   Kinney Creek Trail
Eastern Phoebe   Trenton Sewage Ponds
Say's Phoebe   Antelope Island SP
Ash-throated Flycatcher   Sandy Hook
Great Crested Flycatcher   Manasquan River WMA
Western Kingbird   Salt Lake City
Eastern Kingbird   Great Bay Blvd
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher   Toms River High School East
White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Bell's Vireo   Sandy Hook
Yellow-throated Vireo   Baldpate Mt
Blue-headed Vireo   Double Trouble State Park
Plumbeous Vireo   Kinney Creek Trail
Philadelphia Vireo   Island Beach SP
Warbling Vireo   Island Beach SP
Red-eyed Vireo   Belleplain SF
Loggerhead Shrike   Malta
Steller's Jay   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Blue Jay   Lake of the Lilies
Black-billed Magpie   Malta
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   New Egypt
Common Raven   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Black-capped Chickadee   Merrill Creek Reservoir
Mountain Chickadee   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Boreal Chickadee   Merrill Creek Reservoir
Juniper Titmouse   Kinney Creek Trail
Tufted Titmouse   Cattus Island County Park
Horned Lark   Jackson Liberty HS
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Trenton Sewage Ponds
Purple Martin   Double Trouble State Park
Tree Swallow   Trenton Sewage Ponds
Violet-green Swallow   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Bank Swallow   Brig
Barn Swallow   Double Trouble State Park
Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake
Bushtit   Kinney Creek Trail
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Cattus Island County Park
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Assunpink WMA
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Cattus Island County Park
White-breasted Nuthatch   Cattus Island County Park
Brown Creeper   Colliers Mills WMA
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Manahawkin WMA
Rock Wren   Rock Creek Road
Canyon Wren   Rock Creek Road
House Wren   Forest Resource Education Center
Winter Wren   Union Transportation Trail
Marsh Wren   Brig
Carolina Wren   Sandy Hook
American Dipper   Big Cottonwood Canyon
European Starling   South Toms River
Gray Catbird   Assunpink WMA
Brown Thrasher   Manahawkin WMA
Sage Thrasher    Malta
Northern Mockingbird   Lake of the Lilies
Eastern Bluebird   Cloverdale Farm
Mountain Bluebird   Mink Creek Rd
Townsend's Solitaire   Manahawkin WMA
Veery   Double Trouble State Park
Swainson's Thrush   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Hermit Thrush   Taylor Ln
Wood Thrush   Belleplain SF
American Robin   Marshall's Pond
Cedar Waxwing   Taylor Ln
House Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
American Pipit   Whitesbog
House Finch   Cattus Island County Park
Purple Finch   Great Bay Blvd
Cassin's Finch   Big Cottonwood Canyon
CASSIA CROSSBILL   Thompson Flat Campground
Pine Siskin   Cloverdale Farm
Lesser Goldfinch   Red Butte Arboretum
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Snow Bunting   Sandy Hook
Grasshopper Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Chipping Sparrow   Manasquan River WMA
Clay-colored Sparrow   Sandy Hook
Field Sparrow   New Egypt
Brewer's Sparrow   Curlew National Grassland
Lark Sparrow   Kinney Creek Trail
American Tree Sparrow   Shelter Cove Park
Fox Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dark-eyed Junco   Whitesbog
White-crowned Sparrow   Assunpink WMA
White-throated Sparrow   Jackson
Vesper Sparrow   Mud Lake WMA
LECONTE'S SPARROW   The Beanery
Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Nelson's Sparrow   Sandy Hook
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Brig
Savannah Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Henslow's Sparrow   Negri-Nepote Grasslands
Song Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Lincoln's Sparrow   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Swamp Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Spotted Towhee   Kinney Creek Trail
Eastern Towhee   Money Island Road area
Yellow-breasted Chat   Brig
Yellow-headed Blackbird   Lee Kay Ponds
Bobolink   Cedar Bonnet Island
Western Meadowlark   Twin Falls
Eastern Meadowlark   Pole Farm
Orchard Oriole   Brig
Bullock's Oriole   Twin Falls
Baltimore Oriole   New Egypt
Red-winged Blackbird   Cattus Island County Park
Brown-headed Cowbird   New Egypt
Rusty Blackbird   Oros Wildlife Preserve
Brewer's Blackbird   Liberty Park
Common Grackle   New Egypt
Boat-tailed Grackle   Lake of the Lilies
Great-tailed Grackle   Salt Lake City
Ovenbird   Manahawkin WMA
Worm-eating Warbler   Belleplain SF
Louisiana Waterthrush   Belleplain SF
Northern Waterthrush   Oros Wildlife Preserve
Blue-winged Warbler   Manasquan River WMA
Black-and-white Warbler   Double Trouble State Park
Prothonotary Warbler   Belleplain SF
Orange-crowned Warbler   Great Bay Blvd
Nashville Warbler   Island Beach SP
MacGillivray's Warbler   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Common Yellowthroat   Manahawkin WMA
Hooded Warbler   Belleplain SF
American Redstart   Island Beach SP
Cape May Warbler   Great Bay Blvd
Cerulean Warbler   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Parula   Central Park
Magnolia Warbler   Island Beach SP
Bay-breasted Warbler   Sandy Hook
Blackburnian Warbler   Island Beach SP
Yellow Warbler   Manahawkin WMA
Chestnut-sided Warbler   Double Trouble State Park
Blackpoll Warbler   Cloverdale Farm
Black-throated Blue Warbler   William Warren County Park
Palm Warbler   Trenton Sewage Ponds
Pine Warbler   Cloverdale Farm
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Yellow-throated Warbler   Belleplain SF
Prairie Warbler   Double Trouble State Park
Black-throated Gray Warbler   Kinney Creek Trail
Townsend's Warbler   Trenton Sewage Ponds
Black-throated Green Warbler   Manasquan River WMA
Wilson's Warbler   Double Trouble State Park
Summer Tanager   Cedar Bonnet Island
Scarlet Tanager   Sandy Hook
Western Tanager   Big Cottonwood Canyon
Northern Cardinal   Assunpink WMA
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP
Black-headed Grosbeak   Red Butte Arboretum
Blue Grosbeak   Great Bay Blvd
Lazuli Bunting   Red Butte Arboretum
Indigo Bunting   Great Bay Blvd
Dickcissel   Laurel Run Park

Dickcissel, Laurel Run Park


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