Whitesbog 4/2--Palm Warbler

I neither expect nor certainly want wind chills of 19 degrees on April 2 but as in so much of life it doesn't matter what you want--or at least what I want, it may matter what you want--which is why there is the phrase, "You play the hand you're dealt." So the way I dealt with it was throwing out my plans to look for newly arriving shorebirds and waders down at Tuckerton and instead went to Whitesbog where the woods afford me at least some protection from the gusting winds of 25 mph blowing air just about freezing in my face--on April 2. 

I hadn't decided what side of Whitesbog I wanted to walk, Burlco or Ocean, but as I was pulling into "my" parking space at the county line, I met my friend there and he told me of his recent sightings which persuaded me to do the Burlington County trek, even though it meant facing the wind off the bogs. Fortunately, I didn't start up the trail through the woods to Ditch Meadow because he warned me that it was completely flooded. 

I walked around Union Pond, up to the airstrip, then around Ditch Meadow and was walking up the eastern side of Union Pond when I hit a little flurry of warbler activity. I knew immediately I had a year bird before I even saw the bird. I don't know how I instantly identified a Palm Warbler other than to credit subliminal suggestion, but there it was, brown cap and wagging its tail. It was with a few Pine Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Blindly snapping away with my camera, I managed to get pictures of all 3 though none will win any awards. Happy to have a year bird, I walked into the village via the Triangle Field and then back out to the bogs, getting in my minimum walk because for April, it was just too unpleasant to try to pad the list up to 30. I was satisfied with 27.

Wood Duck  3     two in Upper Bog flew to Union Pond, one drake in Rome

Mallard  6     5 in Upper and Lower Bogs, one drake in Ditch Meadow

American Black Duck  6     Union Pond

Mourning Dove  1     Rome Road

Turkey Vulture  7

Belted Kingfisher  1     Ditch Meadow

Northern Flicker  4     One in Ditch Meadow, three near village

Eastern Phoebe  4

American Crow  4

Fish Crow  1     Heard

Carolina Chickadee  1     Heard

Tree Swallow  60     10 over bogs, large flock over Rome Pond

White-breasted Nuthatch  4

Carolina Wren  1     Heard Village

Eastern Bluebird  2     One in Ditch Meadow, one in Triangle Field

American Robin  1     Behind Catalog House

Chipping Sparrow  3     Two in Triangle Field, one below feeders

Dark-eyed Junco  7

White-throated Sparrow  1     Feeders

Song Sparrow  1     Heard Ditch Meadow

Eastern Towhee  1     Ditch Meadow

Red-winged Blackbird  4

Brown-headed Cowbird  4     One in Triangle field, one at feeders, pair in garden

Palm Warbler  1     Union Pond

Pine Warbler  4

Yellow-rumped Warbler  2     Union Pond

Northern Cardinal  1     Union Pond