March Summary--110 Species

Birds around the house:
  American Goldfinch, molting.

It wasn't a very good month. Obviously. It has taken a while for the enormity (and I'm using that word correctly, which it rarely is) of the situation to sink in. I should have known when Shari's trip to Louisiana was cancelled (and how glad we are that it was) that things weren't going back to normal in a week or two. Now, the words of an old James Taylor song, "It looks like it goes on like this forever."

Female Northern Cardinal

But, you can't sit in the house and read lies all your waking hours. I try to go out every day, look for a place where I won't run into anyone, get my 4 miles in so that I can maintain some semblance of health and sanity, and while I'm at it, to make the exercise interesting, I look for birds.

Migration will be starting soon, but a lot of the places I would normally go, say Reed's Road on Island Beach SP, or Double Trouble, I'm afraid to visit because other birders will have the same idea. So, I'll be playing a game of "What does not belong," hoping that my travels in the more obscure parts of Whitesbog, Reeves Bogs and Colliers Mills, along with a few Pine Barrens roads I know about will yield species that I wouldn't just find in my backyard. And that means warblers and vireos. Shorebirds are going to be almost impossible to find with the beaches, appropriately, closed.

This month, 6 of the 8 new species were found in Ocean County, 3 in the Manahawkin WMA, 2 at surprisingly birdy Shelter Cove, and one, controversial one, on Island Beach. Shari and I made a trip to Brig before all hell broke loose and added Osprey there. Yesterday, at Reeves Bogs (which I do not recommend if you aren't familiar with the place already), I heard a Virginia Rail which made me smile with accomplishment, since I knew exactly where to listen.

There is a very old George Booth cartoon that was published in The New Yorker probably 40 years ago. A man is sitting in the bathtub in the middle of the kitchen, wearing a derby and smoking a cigar. Around him are a dozen yowling cats and dogs scratching themselves. His wife is ironing next to the bathtub, the iron is plugged into the light fixture. The walls are cracked and the lath behind the plaster is showing. It is a scene of utter disorder. The caption is:

Things around here are going to get a lot worse before they get any better.

For the record, here's what I saw in March

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean

Species             First Sighting

Snow Goose   Marshall's Pond

Brant   Island Beach SP

Canada Goose   Colliers Mills WMA

Mute Swan   Island Beach SP

Tundra Swan   Whitesbog

Wood Duck   Colliers Mills WMA

Blue-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA

Northern Shoveler   Brig

Gadwall   Forsythe-Barnegat

American Wigeon   Forsythe-Barnegat

Mallard   Colliers Mills WMA

American Black Duck   Colliers Mills WMA

Northern Pintail   Manahawkin WMA

Green-winged Teal   Forsythe-Barnegat

Canvasback   Brig

Ring-necked Duck   Colliers Mills WMA

Greater Scaup   Lake of the Lilies

Lesser Scaup   Lake of the Lilies

Common Eider   Island Beach SP

Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Black Scoter   Island Beach SP

Long-tailed Duck   Manasquan Inlet

Bufflehead   Colliers Mills WMA

Hooded Merganser   Colliers Mills WMA

Common Merganser   Colliers Mills WMA

Red-breasted Merganser   Ocean Gate

Ruddy Duck   Lake of the Lilies

Wild Turkey   New Egypt

Pied-billed Grebe   Little Silver Lake

Horned Grebe   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Rock Pigeon   New Egypt

Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd

Virginia Rail   Reeves Bogs

American Coot   Lake of the Lilies

American Oystercatcher   Point Pleasant Beach

Killdeer   Seaside Marina

Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Wilson's Snipe   Shelter Cove Park

Greater Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd

Thick-billed Murre   Island Beach SP

Laughing Gull   Manasquan Inlet

Ring-billed Gull   Shelter Cove Park

Herring Gull   Ocean Gate

Great Black-backed Gull   Ocean Gate

Red-throated Loon   Manasquan Inlet

Common Loon   Island Beach SP

Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP

Great Cormorant   Island Beach SP

Double-crested Cormorant   Lake of the Lilies

Great Blue Heron   Island Beach SP

Great Egret   Great Bay Blvd

Snowy Egret   Manahawkin WMA

Little Blue Heron   Manahawkin WMA

Glossy Ibis   Shelter Cove Park

Black Vulture   New Egypt

Turkey Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA

Osprey   Brig

Northern Harrier   Manahawkin WMA

Cooper's Hawk   Meadow View Ln

Bald Eagle   Island Beach SP

Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog

Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA

Belted Kingfisher   Collinstown Road

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Metedeconk Preserve

Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA

Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve

Northern Flicker   Whitesbog

American Kestrel   New Egypt

Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP

Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog

Blue Jay   Colliers Mills WMA

American Crow   Island Beach SP

Fish Crow   New Egypt

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse   Colliers Mills WMA

Tree Swallow   Manahawkin WMA

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog

White-breasted Nuthatch   Colliers Mills WMA

Brown Creeper   Colliers Mills WMA

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA

Gray Catbird   Island Beach SP

Northern Mockingbird   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve

Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA

Hermit Thrush   Metedeconk Preserve

American Robin   Colliers Mills WMA

House Sparrow   Ocean Gate

House Finch   New Egypt

American Goldfinch   Colliers Mills WMA

Chipping Sparrow   Whiting WMA

Field Sparrow   Manasquan River WMA

Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow   New Egypt

White-throated Sparrow   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve

Savannah Sparrow   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve

Song Sparrow   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve

Swamp Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park

Eastern Towhee   Collinstown Road

Eastern Meadowlark   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve

Red-winged Blackbird   Colliers Mills WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird   Colliers Mills WMA

Common Grackle   Island Beach SP

Boat-tailed Grackle   Manasquan Inlet

Pine Warbler   Whitesbog

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Island Beach SP

Northern Cardinal   Colliers Mills WMA

Eye of Mourning Dove

Shelter Cove 3/31--Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis with geese and a grackle

Little Blue Heron

The plan for today (aside from living through it) was to go to Shelter Cove, pick off the Glossy Ibises that Steve found there a few days ago, walk around a bit, then go over to Cattus Island and walk the marsh trail to the Yellow Trail that goes around the Ocean County Parks offices. Almost immediately upon exiting the car, I knew that was going to be a bad idea. Yet another raw, uncomfortable, windy day. A moment or so later, Steve pulled up--we kept our social distance and he pointed out the ibis to me, which, in the mist and overcast were hard to see in the distance. He also picked out a Little Blue Heron, still flagged as rare in the county.

I could have left then, I suppose, but I subscribe to the practice of another birder I know who says you should stay in a place at least as long as the round trip takes you, so I put on my rubber boots and walked around the flooded fields. Steve drove off in the opposite direction and sent me texts of what he was finding. When I was about as far away from the area as I could be he let me know he had a Wilson's Snipe in the weedy area of the other parking lot, so I sloshed over there and we picked it out, cryptic though it was.

Wilson's Snipe

It was amusing to Steve and me to see the flock of Laughing Gulls in the fields, since only a couple of months ago there was one wintering bird in Point Pleasant that it seemed everyone just had to list (including me, excluding Steve). Steve took off and I walked around a little more, only finding a few Buffleheads in the bay.

Having walked about a mile I ditched the idea of the walk through the marshes, figuring that I don't have to make myself any more miserable than I already feel. As it turns out, it was my last chance for the foreseeable future to do it because as of 6 PM tonight, all Ocean County Parks are closed--and wisely so, I think. My planned route today was based on not coming into contact with any dogwalkers (I doubt anyone would be out with their kids or for a stroll). Too many people still not getting the concept or not caring, or not taking it seriously. A sad state of affairs when you look upon anyone within six feet of you, except your spouse, as your potential murderer.

23 species

Canada Goose  10

Mallard  15

Bufflehead  3    

Mourning Dove  2    Heard

Wilson's Snipe  1    

Laughing Gull  25

Ring-billed Gull  20

Herring Gull  5

Double-crested Cormorant  19

Little Blue Heron  1    

Glossy Ibis  11    Exact count

Osprey  4    Two near fields two on nest

Red-tailed Hawk  1

Fish Crow  6

Carolina Chickadee  2    Heard

White-breasted Nuthatch  1    Heard

Carolina Wren  1    Heard

European Starling  100

American Robin  2

Red-winged Blackbird  10

Common Grackle  50

Pine Warbler  1    woods

Northern Cardinal  1    grove

Reeves Bogs 3/30--Virginia Rail

On an absolutely gloomy morning in absolutely despairing times, I was at Reeves Bogs at dawn, though through the mist and lowering clouds there wasn't much difference between pre-dawn and dawn itself. I was there because yesterday afternoon a friend had heard Virginia Rails there and that seemed like a worthy goal to seek while I took my social distancing walk.

I knew exactly where to listen (to look would be futile) but it is preferable to keep that aspect quiet. I cheated, playing the grunt calls on my phone. Within 20 seconds one responded with grunts then with kiddicks. By the time I thought to switch my phone to record it had stopped. I tried again and it responded again but only briefly--too short a time to record anything. Then, nothing. Virginia Rails are "smart." They don't get fooled again, unlike the body politic.

I continued my walk, exploring a part of the area where I've never ventured but not finding anything there of note. Wood Ducks were all around, squealing. Pairs of Mallards were in each reservoir, as were Canada Geese. A hen and drake Ring-necked Duck were in the back reservoir, but they don't nest here--just lingerers. I saw a beautiful Ruby-crowned Kinglet with its crown aflame and singing. I realized they sound similar to House Finches but without the "F you" at the end.

With all the rain, the reservoirs were overflowing the trails into one another and some of the makeshift bridges were "out." I didn't bother to explore the possibility of making a circuit by crossing the rickety bridge of pallets that sometimes, in dryer conditions, can get you across the major breach. Instead, I gingerly crossed an overflowing dam and retraced my route, passing by the rail's area. I played the recording again. Again it responded, but, as if remembering, it cut short its response.

Hearing the rail, so close and so loud, should have made me happy, but as Samuel Beckett once said, under completely different circumstances, "Well, let's not get carried away."

My little list:

16 species

Canada Goose  8    Pairs

Wood Duck  6    Pairs

Mallard  12    Pairs

Ring-necked Duck  2    Back bog

Mourning Dove  2    Heard

Virginia Rail  1    Calling. Kiddick and grunts

Great Blue Heron  1

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1    Heard

Downy Woodpecker  1    Heard

Northern Flicker  1    Heard

Fish Crow  3    Heard

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1    Singing. 

American Robin  1    Heard

White-throated Sparrow  2

Red-winged Blackbird  10

Pine Warbler  5

Manahawkin WMA 3/21--Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron

Manahawkin, this last pre-lockdown morning, was raw and windy, especially out on the impoundment trails and along Stafford Avenue and I was not enjoying myself, more like forcing myself to get some exercise. I was hoping for some new birds for the year and county list before things get even more difficult than they are. I did see an Osprey on a distant nest, so that was a county bird, but everything else was common, common, common.

I was impressed however, with the number of Song Sparrows I was seeing, especially along Stafford Avenue as I headed to the Bridge to Nowhere. Even allowing for the fact that I was pushing them along, they were all over both sides of the road, scratching in the gravel and gravel. I estimated 35 for the day and that was probably low. On my way out, along the back impoundment trail, I had seen a white egret fly over my head, but I lost it immediately in the marsh. I had seen a report of one Snowy Egret there yesterday, so I was hoping that was it, but with such a quick and lousy look, I couldn't rule out Great Egret, so I just let it go.

Walking back along Stafford, scanning the ducks, I saw, way in the back, two white dots in a tree. They looked like this:
"That figures," I grumbled. The tree looked like it was along the impoundment trail, but I couldn't tell exactly where. At least, I figured, I now have an excuse not to walk the wooded end of Stafford, but double back now and try to find out what kind of egrets those are. Walking along the trail I stopped at every stand of trees but there was nothing. Then I got an inspiration, thinking that the tree might be around the trail that runs through the phragmites and is perpendicular to the main trail. Fortunately, the trail was somewhat accessible--looks like someone before me went stomping through it. I went in about 100 feet and suddenly flushed two Snow Egrets out of the channel. "Damn, I'm not going to get a picture," but, very cooperatively, the both landed in a nearby, dead tree. And, as I started snapping away, another heron flew in. The light was terrible, but I knew it wasn't a Great Blue. I walked on the trail, took a few pictures, got closer, put the bins up, and saw that it was, indeed, a Little Blue Heron, a bird that I went to great lengths to find in county last year and here it was, unexpected and rare for the time of year.

Immediately, my grim mood lifted. Lately, my birding has turned into a game of "what does not belong," and both the egrets and the heron fell into that category. Walking back, after putting the two birds on the alert app, I saw the continuing Blue-winged Teal, which also made me happy, since last time I got such a crappy look at the three of them. In the wooded area on the way back to the car the wind let up and I took a path I don't usually traverse and found a nice little flock of tweety birds. I was going to go farther along to see where it let out when I saw a mammal in the brush up ahead, which looked very much like a raccoon. I don't like diurnal raccoons, so I turned around and finished the walk with only a few more species added to the list.

Before I went home, I decided to look into the Oxcocus Bog, a part of Forsythe that very few know about. In the past, I've found some interesting birds there. Today, there was nothing in the bog itself and the bridge to the back of the bog was out, but I took a trail that I never noticed before and found three phoebes, three Pine Warblers and a Brown Creeper. Finding a creeper always makes me happy and this is getting to be late in the year for them. I figured I'd end on an upbeat note and went home to read about more bad news.

My Manahawkin List:

32 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  2

Mute Swan  5

Blue-winged Teal  1    

Gadwall  1    with black ducks and wigeon

American Wigeon  2    Baldpate clearly seen

Mallard  5

American Black Duck  50

Green-winged Teal  4    Back impoundment

Hooded Merganser  1    Front impoundment

Mourning Dove  1

Greater Yellowlegs  1    flyover

Herring Gull  25

Great Blue Heron  1

Snowy Egret  2    

Little Blue Heron  1    

Osprey  1

Belted Kingfisher  2

Red-bellied Woodpecker  2    Heard

Downy Woodpecker  1

Northern Flicker  1

Blue Jay  2    Heard

crow sp.  1

Tufted Titmouse  4

Golden-crowned Kinglet  3

White-breasted Nuthatch  2

Carolina Wren  1    Heard

American Robin  5

White-throated Sparrow  1

Song Sparrow  35

Eastern Towhee  1    Heard drink your tea

Red-winged Blackbird  20

Pine Warbler  1    Singing

Yellow-rumped Warbler  1

Brig 3/20--Osprey

Every year, as a public service, I go to Brig in the spring and take the definitive photograph of  an Osprey so that no one else has to bother, a task made even more important this year since, from the reports I read, we're all supposed to lock ourselves away for the foreseeable future in order for us spread out getting sick at a pace the medical system can handle. So this morning, Shari & I social distanced ourselves with a circuit of the Wildlife Drive. I don't know if birding from a car will be considered "essential" in the bleak future.

I was hoping for a few more new birds for my list; Shari did great on her year list, including two American Oystercatchers that gave us good scope views. She was also interested in finding Northern Shovelers, which was no problem today.

When we first arrived I saw a flock of birds around the martin houses and thought I'd be able to add a year bird right there, but upon closer examination the swallows were Tree Swallows and the birds investigating the nest were House Finches. Disappointing with the swallows, disconcerting with the finches.

Still, it was a fine day for the first one of spring, not as warm as predicted with a stiff breeze and a few rain drops here and there, but there was plenty to look at and for whole moments at a time I was able to escape the oppression of the news and the markets.

We didn't walk any trails and only did one loop of the drive at low tide. Ducks are still the predominant family--shorebirds and raptors (other than the 5 Ospreys) were scarce. Just in case that Osprey above is not enough, below are three more just as good so you can see, all you photographers, you can spend your time on more worthwhile projects as I have already done your work for you.

Click photos to enlarge

Here's our day list. 

42 species

Snow Goose  600

Brant  150

Canada Goose  100

Mute Swan  4

Northern Shoveler  70

Gadwall  25

Mallard  16

American Black Duck  100

Northern Pintail  12

Green-winged Teal  15

Canvasback  9

Ring-necked Duck  4    Gull Pond

Bufflehead  3    One at Gull Pond, two at Exit Pond

Red-breasted Merganser  4    Channel off north dike

American Oystercatcher  2

Greater Yellowlegs  1    Heard Gull Pond

Ring-billed Gull  3

Herring Gull  100

Great Black-backed Gull  25

Double-crested Cormorant  2

Great Blue Heron  10

Great Egret  3

Osprey  5

Northern Harrier  1

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1    Heard

American Crow  1    Heard

Fish Crow  1

Tree Swallow  10

Carolina Wren  5    Heard

Eastern Bluebird  2    Parking lot

American Robin  5

House Sparrow  1    Heard

House Finch  10

Chipping Sparrow  1    Heard parking lot

Field Sparrow  1    Heard upland

Dark-eyed Junco  1    On Wildlife Drive; unusual place for it.

Song Sparrow  3    Heard

Red-winged Blackbird  25

Brown-headed Cowbird  5    Parking lot field

Boat-tailed Grackle  3

Pine Warbler  1    Heard

Northern Cardinal  2    Heard

Blunder

I don't know how many times I've walked around a pond or lake and heard someone, not a birder, refer to a Great Blue Heron or Great Egret with something like, "Oh, look at the crane, Johnny," and I ever-so-gently correct them. So I understand that the birds get confused but...

Seeing this box in the liquor store today revived all my disdain for graphic designers that I thought I'd left behind when I exited the printing biz during the last recession. I can just imagine this project landing on my desk--the whole suite, stationery, promotional brochures, posters, boxes, labels, and the whole concept wrong.

First I would have gone to the owner of my company and told him about the fiasco but he either wouldn't care or wouldn't understand (including the word "fiasco")and then, depending on my mood, I might call up the designer and say something like, "You realize of course that this isn't a crane but a Great Blue Heron, a totally different animal, it's like using a wolf for company with "Fox" in its name." Of course, by this time the designer would have spent days upon days with layouts and proofs and approvals and it would be too late to change course and there would have been a number of possible reactions to my call:
Outrage that I should question his/her identification
Tears
Begging that I not tell the client
Total incomprehension at what I was saying (most likely of the four outcomes).

I have emailed the Crane Lake Wine Company and pointed out, as politely as I could, the huge blunder they have committed. I'm curious to see if I get any response. I know in these times of stress, people have other things to do, but in these time of stress, maybe somebody there is working from home and has nothing else to do.

New Egypt 3/15--A 7 Sparrow Day

Savannah Sparrow, Emson Preserve

To get away from the relentlessly bad news and to get out of the house while I'm still allowed to, I decided to finally explore the entire trail at the newest set aside land in Ocean County, the Ephraim P. Emson Preserve, which is on the well-known American Kestrel hot spot, West Colliers Mills Road, in New Egypt. I've birded the long driveway and parts of the woods, but today I decided that this would be where I did the bulk of my birding instead of treating it as an auxiliary to Colliers Mills.

Savannah Sparrow in greenbriar

And it was a very happy experience. Spring is not the time of year that I usually think about sparrows, but the driveway which is about 2/10 of a mile long and lined with thickets the whole length, was teeming with sparrows, as well as other birds. The Song Sparrows were a given, of course, but immediately upon exiting the car I had Field Sparrow, then a small flock of Chipping Sparrows (eBird only allows me 5, but there were probably more), juncos, still hanging in there, a couple of White-throated Sparrows, and probably best of all, 3 very pretty hopping through the greenbriar and low brush.

Eastern Bluebird

Other birds of note at the preserve were Eastern Meadowlarks in the field adjacent to the preserve (meadowlarks have been a very easy bird in the county this year), a kestrel hunting over the field across the road, a few bluebirds around the birdhouses at the head of the driveway, and, in the woods, a Hairy Woodpecker. I keep hoping for a Pileated in there, but no luck as of yet.

I had 30 species in my time there and while I enjoyed the walk in the woods, and even found a small pond that looks promising, more than half the birds I saw were along or around the driveway. That is one productive stretch of gravel.

Canada Goose  4    Flyover

Mourning Dove  2

Killdeer  1

Black Vulture  1

Turkey Vulture  3

Bald Eagle  1    flying low over field to west of driveway

Red-bellied Woodpecker  3    Heard

Downy Woodpecker  1    forest

Hairy Woodpecker  1     deep in hardwood forest

American Kestrel  1    In field across the road

Blue Jay  2

American Crow  1    Heard

Fish Crow  2

Carolina Chickadee  3

Tufted Titmouse  2    Heard

White-breasted Nuthatch  2

Carolina Wren  2    Heard

European Starling  2

Eastern Bluebird  3   

American Robin  30

Chipping Sparrow  5

Field Sparrow  3

Dark-eyed Junco  20

White-throated Sparrow  2

Savannah Sparrow  3

Song Sparrow  5

Eastern Meadowlark  4    

Red-winged Blackbird  3    In trees along driveway with a mixed flock

Brown-headed Cowbird  2    In trees along driveway with a mixed flock

Northern Cardinal  3    Saw two along driveway, heard one in woods

But wait...that's only 6 kinds of sparrows. Yes, the seventh species of sparrow was found in the usual spot on Brymore Road in New Egypt across from the muddy pastures, a White-crowned Sparrow that seems to hang out with the White-throated Sparrows that fly out of the tangles along the fence line to pick seeds out of the black dirt. Today was a good day to spot the sparrow because the sun was not glaring into my eyes, nor was it too gloomy and overcast which is the long way of saying that the light was perfect. (I'm not counting the House Sparrows that inhabit the dead trees and weeds around Lone Silo Farm as a species of sparrow--technically, I think they're finch-weavers.) I only got about 15 species there because I didn't drive on Inman. I knew I had to put the car in the garage today and didn't want it smelling like manure which it would have if I had driven through the muck and mire of that road. As it was, the stench was almost overwhelming. 

Red-headed Woodpecker, Colliers Mills

Even though it was Sunday and I knew Colliers Mills would be a lot more crowded than I like it (meaning somebody else is there besides me) I went over there to finish my "steps" and to amuse myself by looking for the Red-headed Woodpecker in the fields north of the burnt fields off Success Road. It took me a little while shuffling through what's left of the leaf litter after the burn in the woods but one of the pair popped up eventually. Once you find one they seem to stay still, contemplating the branch they're on as if they're deciding whether pecking is worth the effort. It give me, with my less than optimal photographic equipment, half a chance to get a photo. 

And that was it for me. Once I found the woodpecker, I scooted out of there as the pickup trucks zoomed down Success, kicking up clouds of dust.