Brig 5/31--Black-necked Stilt

Black-necked Stilts

I like Black-necked Stilts. They're a bird worth seeing. But since I have been paying very little attention to the rare bird alerts of late, I wasn't even aware that a trio was being seen at Brig until Friday when Bob Auster told me he was thinking going down there as it would be a state bird for him. He was successful yesterday, so today I got down there fairly early and started the hunt at Marker #4 where they had been reported. At first I had no luck, and decided to walk back to the beginning of the drive to see what I'd missed for the for first quarter of a mile. It was then that Steve pulled up, seeking the same bird. He said he'd text me if the bird showed up and drove up toward where I'd parked my car.

About two minutes later his text said that another birder had just had the stilts. I walked up there in no time but in no time they were gone behind some high grass. Now it was just a question of whether to wait. Of course I had to, it wasn't like they'd flown away, but there was always the chance of just standing there for hours waiting for them to emerge. I was halfheartedly scoping the mud flats when after about 5 minutes Steve called out that one was in sight. Through a curtain of high grass I saw one bird walking along then disappearing again where the curtain became a wall. 

I texted Bob to let him know I'd been successful and he said I should stick around; all three would eventually show. I told him I only needed one. 

After a non-eventful loop around the drive, I decided to walk around a bit--down to the Gull Pond and then, on the way back to the parking lot I figured I might as well walk up to #4 and see if the stilts were making a more satisfying appearance. A guy who'd been there when I originally saw the stilts was still there when I got back more than 2 hours later. "You're still here?" I asked in amazement. But, he pointed out, all three stilts were in sight and closer in, close enough for pictures, so his patience paid off for me. I out-sourced the waiting, I guess. 

Just an ordinary day at Brig--56 species without stopping a lot to scope the thousands of Semipalmated Sandpipers to look for the odd ones that might be mixed in with them. It was surprisingly windy today; surprising to me anyway who expected a warm calm day where the gnats and flies would be the problem. The wind eliminated that problem. It did however, give my new car its first coating of Brig's custom mixture of grit and bugs. Afterwards, I stopped at Amasa Landing Road, a tiny slice of Burlington County that juts into the salt marshes where you build up your county list with such supposed rarities as Boat-tailed Grackle, Saltmarsh Sparrow and Willet.

My Brig list

Canada Goose  50

Mute Swan  23

Mallard  6

Mourning Dove  1    Heard

Clapper Rail  2    Heard

Black-necked Stilt  3    

Black-bellied Plover  1

Semipalmated Plover  3

Ruddy Turnstone  20

White-rumped Sandpiper  1

Semipalmated Sandpiper  2000

Greater Yellowlegs  1

Willet  25

Laughing Gull  100

Herring Gull  50

Great Black-backed Gull  4

Gull-billed Tern  3

Caspian Tern  1

Forster's Tern  10

Black Skimmer  108

Double-crested Cormorant  4

Great Blue Heron  2

Great Egret  10

Snowy Egret  5

Glossy Ibis  45    Most were in pool by Jen's Trail

Turkey Vulture  1

Osprey  3

Bald Eagle  1    In tree before loop goes by Jen's Trail

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1    Heard Bristow Trail

Eastern Wood-Pewee  2    Heard

Willow Flycatcher  3

Great Crested Flycatcher  1    Heard

Eastern Kingbird  2

White-eyed Vireo  1    Heard Parking lot

Blue Jay  2

American Crow  1

Fish Crow  5

Carolina Chickadee  2    Bristow Trail

Purple Martin  40

Tree Swallow  10

Barn Swallow  15

House Wren  1    Heard parking lot

Marsh Wren  3    Heard

Carolina Wren  1    Heard parking lot

Gray Catbird  6

American Robin  2

Chipping Sparrow  2

Field Sparrow  1    Heard

Seaside Sparrow  20

Red-winged Blackbird  100

Brown-headed Cowbird  4

Boat-tailed Grackle  1

Common Yellowthroat  3    Heard

Yellow Warbler  1    Heard Jen’s Trail

Pine Warbler  1    Heard Jen’s Trail

Northern Cardinal  1    Bristow Trail