Manahawkin WMA 5/22--Marsh Wren

Having resigned myself to missing migration this year because where all the warblers are all the birders are and having no desire to do seawatches the last few blustery days, looking for the various rarities that have been blown inshore (nothing I like more than an east wind in my face for a few hours of looking for the one bird that seems different), I decided that the place with the most potential today was the Manahawkin WMA. Usually at this time of year the paths are overgrown to waist height and if you are foolish enough to walk through the high grass, you're sure to be attracting ticks. But this year, for some reason, the DFW has been working in there, cutting down brush and trees along the impoundment edges, laying down gravel over muddy parts of the trail, and, keeping the grass relatively low.

Orchard Oriole (female)

I was hoping for a rarity in the impoundments--in the past I've found White Ibis there, seen Black-necked Stilt, and then, of course, there was the Townsend's Solitaire last year. While I found a lot of species (51), nothing was rare, and the only new species for the year was Marsh Wren; I heard a couple and actually saw one in a little bush. That's probably as late in the year as I've gone before Marsh Wren was on the list.

I did do a little bushwhacking on one trail that I recently discovered--last month it easy walking, today there was lots of thorny plants. And I picked up one tick there which fortunately I found and flicked away.

Tricolored Heron

I did find two species that were more or less out of place--Yellow-throated Vireo and Orchard Oriole. 3 Orchard Orioles--one beautiful male, then two what I assume were females (no black throat as in young male Orchards). The photo shows a dark face but I think that's shadows. 

Other favorite birds were Tricolored Heron, Cedar Waxwing, and two Willow Flycatchers. Catbirds, as they have been all spring, were everywhere. I'm starting to think they're crowding out all the other species. Pish and one, two, three curious catbirds emerge from the tangles. I keep upping my estimates for catbirds on my eBird lists, wondering when I'm going to break the filter. 75 hasn't done it and 75 is a conservative number.

Canada Goose  10

Mute Swan  14

Mallard  9

Mourning Dove  2

Yellow-billed Cuckoo  1    Heard

Chimney Swift  4

Clapper Rail  1    Heard

Greater Yellowlegs  4

Willet  3

Laughing Gull  2

Herring Gull  20

Forster's Tern  1

Great Egret  9

Snowy Egret  4

Tricolored Heron  3

Glossy Ibis  25

Turkey Vulture  1

Osprey  1

Red-tailed Hawk  2

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1    Heard

Northern Flicker  3

Willow Flycatcher  2

Great Crested Flycatcher  5

Eastern Kingbird  2

White-eyed Vireo  2    Heard

Yellow-throated Vireo  1    Along Stafford

Red-eyed Vireo  1    Heard

Blue Jay  1    Heard

American Crow  1    Heard

Fish Crow  1    Heard

Carolina Chickadee  1    Heard

Tufted Titmouse  1

Tree Swallow  10

Barn Swallow  2

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2

Marsh Wren  3

Carolina Wren  1    Heard

European Starling  1

Gray Catbird  75

Wood Thrush  2    Heard

American Robin  1

Cedar Waxwing  1

Seaside Sparrow  3

Song Sparrow  3

Eastern Towhee  1

Orchard Oriole  3    Along Stafford 1 male, 2 females

Red-winged Blackbird  50

Ovenbird  10    Heard

Black-and-white Warbler  1    Heard

Common Yellowthroat  15

Yellow Warbler  6