Raritan Bay Waterfront Park 2/15--Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull (center) among Brant,
Ring-billed and Herring Gulls

The coldest day of the year (so far)

found me at Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park in Sayreville, overlooking what is euphemistically called the Sayreville Marsh but is actually a gigantic landfill across the Raritan River. I had come up for Jason's and Patrick's trip which concentrates of gulls and raptors. 

When I got out of the car it didn't feel too bad, despite the 15 degree temperature; there was no wind. 5 minutes later, I couldn't feel my feet. That happens to me in the cold when I just stand in one place, scoping flocks of birds; it just usually doesn't happen so fast.

Unfortunately, the gullage on the river was dullage. Just the usual 3 expected species, none of the Jason specialties I was hoping for. Jason can and will stand for hours on end studying gulls and from this intensive looking, he often finds a rarity. Since gulls have 3 or 4 molts and are extremely variable and also hybridize, this is an enviable skill to achieve. We were a little luckier with the raptors--eagle, falcon, harrier, and Red-tailed Hawk but again, no really cool ones like a Rough-legged Hawk which I still 'need' for the year.

After about an hour I felt like I was standing on stumps; plus the cold had killed the battery in my phone so I went to the car to recharge and warm up. The second stop was supposed to be the Edison Boat Launch on the other side of the river, but Jason had gone there earlier, found little of interest, and it didn't look to him and Patrick that any birds were moving that way. Instead the group drove over to South Amboy's Raritan Bay Waterfront Park where at least we could take a brisk walk. 

The birding there was fine. No wind and enough birds on the water to keep you interested. After walking up to the Morgan Mud Flats we turned around and walked to the other side of the park where there is a little cove that birds often gather on. This was the most productive area of the day, with a small flock of Sanderlings, a scattering of Killdeer, and best of all, a semi-rare gull, found, naturally, by Jason--a Lesser Black-backed Gull loafing among the Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. Because it was tucked in among the other gulls it was difficult for me to locate at first, especially since the fence along the boardwalk is just high enough to block my scope. But we ambled down toward the flock and the bird didn't move. Finally I got decent looks at it if not stellar pictures. When I got home and checked, it turned out to be a county bird for me, but I'm not in Middlesex County enough to take my lists there too seriously. 

While the weather had warmed noticeably, it was still literally freezing and we were standing around again. I felt my feet going numb and since it didn't look like any Glaucous or Iceland Gulls were going to appear out of nowhere, I shook hands all around and headed back home, happy with a year bird for the day. 

DAY LIST

Brant   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Canada Goose   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Gadwall   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Mallard   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Long-tailed Duck   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Bufflehead   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Hooded Merganser   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Red-breasted Merganser   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Horned Grebe   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Killdeer   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Sanderling   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Ring-billed Gull   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Herring Gull   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Lesser Black-backed Gull   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Great Black-backed Gull   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Red-throated Loon   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Common Loon   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Great Cormorant   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Double-crested Cormorant   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Northern Harrier   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Bald Eagle   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Red-tailed Hawk   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Peregrine Falcon   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Blue Jay   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

European Starling   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

Northern Mockingbird   Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park

American Robin   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Savannah Sparrow   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park

Song Sparrow   Raritan Bay Waterfront Park