November Recap--Sparse Edition

Cooper's Hawk, Tip Seaman Park

Looking over my records for the past years, I see that I never add many species in November. The reasons are obvious: Migration is over and by this time of the year I've seen more than 70% of the species that have been recorded in NJ (hell, by the end of January I've seen 50% of the birds that will be on my list) and those that I didn't see are long gone. So it's no surprise that I only added 4 species to the year list this month. 

One was embarrassing--there's no other word for going that long without seeing a Bonaparte's Gull. I guess I just didn't want to hang around Manasquan Inlet very much this year. One was unsatisfactory--flyover Red Crossbills, kip kip kip. The other two were fine additions. A Common Ground Dove hovers just on the cusp of MEGA and to get one in Ocean County, where it was a one day wonder was very gratifying. Then there was the American White Pelican which finally yielded to something that is not a big trait of mine--persistence. But yesterday I was finally able to see this handsome bird. 

Evening Grosbeak, Wells Mills Park

I listed a few other interesting birds this month--a couple of Evening Grosbeaks again at Wells Mills Park which seemed to be the hot spot in the state for them, a couple of Common Gallinules on Holly Lake in Tuckerton (I seem to be the only one who ever see two there) and a grunting Virginia Rail back in Reeves Bogs where only the intrepid or the insane are prone to go. 

Psychically, between the the election with its laughable but terrifying aftermath and the surging pandemic, it has been a brutal month. I find a walk on the dams at Whitesbog, early in the morning, birds or not birds, is about the most soothing thing I can do, so I spent a lot of time there, which may have cut into my list, but it was worth it. Other spots I hit this month were Island Beach, Assunpink, and Colliers Mills. The last two are full of hunters, but only at Colliers Mills do I worry about getting shot. 

The list for the month:

Counties Birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species           First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Brant   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Canada Goose   Whitesbog
Mute Swan   Manahawkin WMA
Tundra Swan   Reeves Bogs
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Northern Shoveler   Brig
Gadwall   Brig
American Wigeon   Brig
Mallard   Barnegat Light Marina
American Black Duck   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA
Canvasback   Brig
Ring-necked Duck   Whitesbog
Lesser Scaup   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Island Beach SP
White-winged Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck   Island Beach SP
Bufflehead   Whitesbog
Hooded Merganser   Brig
Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Pied-billed Grebe   Wells Mills Park
Horned Grebe   Island Beach SP
Rock Pigeon   Barnegat Light Marina
Common Ground Dove   Cedar Bonnet Island
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Virginia Rail   Reeves Bogs
Common Gallinule   Holly Lake
American Coot   Assunpink WMA
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Wilson's Snipe   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Bonaparte's Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull   Barnegat Light Marina
Ring-billed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Herring Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Light Marina
Royal Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
American White Pelican   Brig
American Bittern   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Great Egret   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Black Vulture   Brig
Turkey Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Harrier   Manahawkin WMA
Sharp-shinned Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Cooper's Hawk   Whitesbog
Bald Eagle   New Egypt
Red-shouldered Hawk   Reeves Bogs
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Downy Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Reeves Bogs
American Kestrel   Assunpink WMA
Merlin   Assunpink WMA
Peregrine Falcon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Eastern Phoebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Blue Jay   Colliers Mills WMA
American Crow   New Egypt
Fish Crow   New Egypt
Common Raven   Reeves Bogs
Carolina Chickadee   Colliers Mills WMA
Tufted Titmouse   Colliers Mills WMA
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Colliers Mills WMA
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Colliers Mills WMA
White-breasted Nuthatch   Colliers Mills WMA
Brown Creeper   Colliers Mills WMA
Winter Wren   Whitesbog
Carolina Wren   Colliers Mills WMA
European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Catbird   Cedar Bonnet Island
Brown Thrasher   Brig
Northern Mockingbird   Whitesbog
Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
American Robin   Colliers Mills WMA
House Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Evening Grosbeak   Wells Mills Park
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Red Crossbill   Island Beach SP
Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   Colliers Mills WMA
Chipping Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Field Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
American Tree Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Fox Sparrow   Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-throated Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Savannah Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Song Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Swamp Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Towhee   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Meadowlark   Island Beach SP
Red-winged Blackbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Brown-headed Cowbird   Union Transportation Trail
Rusty Blackbird   Whitesbog
Common Grackle   Assunpink WMA
Boat-tailed Grackle   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pine Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow-rumped Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd