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| Caspian Tern |
When we lived in Brooklyn, shopping for food usually entailed walking up and down Court Street, stopping Esposito's for cheese and cold cuts, Carlucci's for bread, the Green Market for vegetables, Kim's for "health food," and maybe a stop at the bagel store too. It would have been more efficient to go to the supermarket, but that would have meant moving the car from its precious parking spot.
Today, wanting to build up the year list, I was faced with an analogous birding dilemma: Go to a woodsy place for warblers and vireos, a marsh for shorebirds and waders, a pond or a lake for whatever waterfowl remain in the area, or go to the supermarket of birding, one might even call it the Costco of birding, Brig. Which I did, since parking is longer a consideration in my life.
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| Common Yellowthroat |
The morning was clear, warm, and calm. Perfect conditions for walking from the Gull Pond to Jen's Trail and back before doing a couple of loops of the wildlife drive. While I was drinking my coffee at the Gull Pond I had my first year bird, a
Caspian Tern sitting alone on mud flat. From there I walked the road and turned onto the drive walking up a little past Goose Marker 4, where I heard my first
Seaside Sparrow of the year, but it remained a "heard only" bird since I couldn't find it in the reeds. I retraced my steps and walked along the old railroad bed to the end of the drive and walked "backwards" toward Jen's. Along the way I heard a
White-eyed Vireo picking up the beer check. Just before the road to the Overlook, I saw two yellow flashes in a low shrub--one was a
Yellow Warbler and the other was the first
Common Yellowthroat I've seen this year, after hearing them for the last two days at Whitesbog.
It was already mid-morning by the time I made it back to the car and started driving the loop. Far out in the marsh toward Atlantic City I saw a large flock of shorebirds which I was pretty sure were Whimbrels. Or at least had Whimbrels mixed in with them as the birds looked various sizes. By the time I got my scope focused on the area they had all settled into the high marsh grass and the only birds I could confidently call Whimbrel numbered 5. I saw another report today of a count of 110. But, I only need one so five was sufficient.
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| Black-bellied Plover with Dunlin |
On the east dike I was scanning with my binoculars a huge flock of
Dunlins, which I suspected contained some other birds. I was debating whether to stop and scope them when I heard a
Willet call. It was a thrill to hear my first "pee-willet" though I know that soon enough I'll be sick of the sound. I got out the scope but all I could find were dozens of
Greater Yellowlegs at first. Scanning the Dunlins I found a small group of
Short-billed Dowitchers. So that made 7 year birds. At that point I had 63 species for the day and the weather had changed from sunny and windless to cloudy and gusty. I stopped for lunch in the parking lot, looked at the forecast and saw that drizzle and light rain was predicted for the next hour. But, it wasn't as if I'd be walking in the rain, so I took another loop around. I wanted to see the oystercatchers better (a pair had been flybys), I was hoping to find the Willet, and I wanted to see if I could add anything else to the list. I managed one
Snow Goose, 3
Black-bellied Plovers, and, on the way out, a
Bald Eagle on its nest on Lily Lake Road, giving me 66 on the day.
Snow Goose 1 South Dike
Brant 85
Canada Goose 200
Mute Swan 13
Blue-winged Teal 5
Northern Shoveler 40
Gadwall 7
Mallard 8
American Black Duck 40
Green-winged Teal 140
Bufflehead 6
Mourning Dove 3
American Oystercatcher 4
Black-bellied Plover 3
Whimbrel 5
Dunlin 765
Short-billed Dowitcher 5
Wilson's Snipe 2
Greater Yellowlegs 45
Willet 1
Laughing Gull 9
Ring-billed Gull 18
Herring Gull 65
Great Black-backed Gull 12
Caspian Tern 2
Forster's Tern 30
Double-crested Cormorant 42
Great Blue Heron 7
Great Egret 27
Snowy Egret 10
Glossy Ibis 22
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 16
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Over Jen’s Pond
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Heard
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
White-eyed Vireo 1 Heard
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 3
Fish Crow 20
Carolina Chickadee 6
Tufted Titmouse 3
Purple Martin 14
Tree Swallow 50
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Carolina Wren 5 Heard
European Starling 1
Brown Thrasher 1 Heard Upland
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 5
House Sparrow 1
House Finch 4
American Goldfinch 2
Chipping Sparrow 3
Field Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 7
Seaside Sparrow 1 Heard
Song Sparrow 4
Red-winged Blackbird 200
Ovenbird 1 Heard upland
Common Yellowthroat 4
Yellow Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1 Heard
Northern Cardinal 4
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| Great Egret |
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