September Review--Almost Normal Edition

Black Skimmer, Cape May

September was the first month since the pandemic began that I felt I was birding almost normally. This post is a couple of days late because Shari & I went down to Cape May for 4 days. That we felt safe enough to stay in a hotel (but not to eat in a restaurant) is an example of "almost normal." (More on Cape May should be above.)

So my birding territory in September was a bit more expansive than it has been of late though all of it was confined to southern NJ. I chased the Little Stint at Brig but forwent the Wood Sandpiper way up in Bergen County. Too far for a nothing-looking bird that would just be a check mark on a list I'll never be at the top of anyway. 

Another activity that made the month  was my first field trip since the winter with Scott and Linda at Island Beach. That it was limited to 10 participants and we were all wearing masks the whole time made it "almost normal." 

Warblers were the happy additions to the list during the month. Of the 14 species I added, half were warblers, most found at the migrant traps of Palmyra and Island Beach, though the Tennessee Warbler at Manasquan River WMA was by far the most satisfying find 'cause I did it by myself. 

I did still spend about half my birding days at Whitesbog. The shorebird season is over and not a lot of warblers are attracted to its habitats, but I'm always looking for what doesn't belong and Whitesbog is as good a place as I know to look. 

For the month I had 174 species, which is almost normal. 

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Ocean

Species                 First Sighting Canada Goose   Whitesbog Mute Swan   Brig Wood Duck   Whitesbog Blue-winged Teal   Whitesbog Northern Shoveler   Whitesbog American Wigeon   Cape May Point SP Mallard   Whitesbog American Black Duck   Whitesbog Northern Pintail   Brig Green-winged Teal   Whitesbog Wild Turkey   Whiting Pied-billed Grebe   Island Beach SP Rock Pigeon   Whitesbog Mourning Dove   Whitesbog Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Whitesbog Black-billed Cuckoo   Colliers Mills WMA Common Nighthawk   Whitesbog Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd Chimney Swift   Whitesbog Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd Clapper Rail   Brig Sora   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Common Gallinule   Cape May Point SP American Coot   Cape May Point SP American Avocet   Brig American Oystercatcher   Brig Black-bellied Plover   Brig American Golden-Plover   Whitesbog Semipalmated Plover   Whitesbog Killdeer   Whitesbog Ruddy Turnstone   Great Bay Blvd WMA Sanderling   Avalon Seawatch Dunlin   Great Bay Blvd WMA Little Stint   Brig Least Sandpiper   Whitesbog White-rumped Sandpiper   Whitesbog Pectoral Sandpiper   Whitesbog Semipalmated Sandpiper   Whitesbog Western Sandpiper   Brig Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig Spotted Sandpiper   Whitesbog Solitary Sandpiper   Whitesbog Greater Yellowlegs   Whitesbog Willet   Island Beach SP Lesser Yellowlegs   Whitesbog Laughing Gull   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Ring-billed Gull   Cape May Herring Gull   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Lesser Black-backed Gull   Holgate Great Black-backed Gull   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Caspian Tern   Brig Common Tern   Brig Forster's Tern   Brig Royal Tern   Brig Black Skimmer   Brig Common Loon   Island Beach SP Double-crested Cormorant   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Brown Pelican   Brig Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog Great Egret   Whitesbog Snowy Egret   Brig Little Blue Heron   Brig Tricolored Heron   Brig Green Heron   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Black-crowned Night-Heron   Brig Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Brig Glossy Ibis   Brig Black Vulture   Brig Turkey Vulture   Whitesbog Osprey   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Northern Harrier   Brig Sharp-shinned Hawk   Cape May Point SP Cooper's Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA Bald Eagle   Whitesbog Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA Great Horned Owl   Whitesbog Belted Kingfisher   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Red-headed Woodpecker   South Park Rd Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog Downy Woodpecker   Whitesbog Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog Northern Flicker   Whitesbog American Kestrel   BC Fairgrounds Merlin   Whitesbog Peregrine Falcon   Brig Eastern Wood-Pewee   Whitesbog Yellow-bellied Flycatcher   Great Bay Blvd WMA Least Flycatcher   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Eastern Phoebe   Colliers Mills WMA Great Crested Flycatcher   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Eastern Kingbird   Whitesbog White-eyed Vireo   Whitesbog Yellow-throated Vireo   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Philadelphia Vireo   Island Beach SP Warbling Vireo   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Red-eyed Vireo   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Blue Jay   Whitesbog American Crow   Whitesbog Fish Crow   Whiting Common Raven   Whiting Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd Tufted Titmouse   Whitesbog Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Whitesbog Purple Martin   Whitesbog Tree Swallow   Whitesbog Barn Swallow   Whitesbog Golden-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP Red-breasted Nuthatch   Colliers Mills WMA White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd Brown Creeper   Island Beach SP Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Colliers Mills WMA House Wren   Whitesbog Marsh Wren   Brig Carolina Wren   Whitesbog European Starling   35 Sunset Rd Gray Catbird   Whitesbog Brown Thrasher   Whitesbog Northern Mockingbird   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA Veery   Island Beach SP Swainson's Thrush   Island Beach SP American Robin   Whitesbog Cedar Waxwing   Island Beach SP House Sparrow   Palmyra Cove Nature Park House Finch   35 Sunset Rd Purple Finch   Island Beach SP American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd Chipping Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA Field Sparrow   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Dark-eyed Junco   Island Beach SP White-crowned Sparrow   Island Beach SP White-throated Sparrow   Island Beach SP Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd WMA Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd WMA Savannah Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd WMA Song Sparrow   Whitesbog Lincoln's Sparrow   Island Beach SP Swamp Sparrow   Reeves Bogs Eastern Towhee   Whitesbog Bobolink   Whitesbog Baltimore Oriole   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Red-winged Blackbird   Brig Brown-headed Cowbird   BC Fairgrounds Common Grackle   Manasquan River WMA Boat-tailed Grackle   Brig Ovenbird   Brig Northern Waterthrush   Island Beach SP Black-and-white Warbler   Brig Tennessee Warbler   Manasquan River WMA Nashville Warbler   Island Beach SP Connecticut Warbler   Island Beach SP Common Yellowthroat   Whitesbog American Redstart   Whitesbog Cape May Warbler   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Northern Parula   Brig Magnolia Warbler   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Bay-breasted Warbler   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Blackburnian Warbler   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Yellow Warbler   Brig Chestnut-sided Warbler   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Blackpoll Warbler   Island Beach SP Black-throated Blue Warbler   Island Beach SP Palm Warbler   Island Beach SP Pine Warbler   Whitesbog Yellow-rumped Warbler   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog Black-throated Green Warbler   Island Beach SP Scarlet Tanager   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP Blue Grosbeak   Palmyra Cove Nature Park Indigo Bunting   Palmyra Cove Nature Park

Black-crowned Night-Heron, Great Bay Blvd WMA