Manasquan River WMA | Forsythe-Barnegat 5/1--Ruff, Broad-winged Hawk, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Grosbeak

Ruff, on right, Forsythe-Barnegat

Suddenly, after years of being a bird-free zone, the viewing platform at Forsythe-Barnegat is HOT. Last month a Stilt Sandpiper, this morning, a Ruff (which is probably a female, thus Reeve). I had decided to head down there after a long, semi-successful morning at Manasquan River WMA where migrating birds seem to have skipped over today. I was happy to see 3 new species: Broad-winged Hawk, Blue-headed Vireo, and, especially Blue Grosbeak, but I thought there would be a lot more species of warblers than I found and all the ones I found were already on the list for the year. So, checking the eBird alerts, I saw that a lot of sandpipers were being seen again off the observation deck, including a couple of species I wanted for my county list. 

Driving down the Parkway, I got a text from Steve: 

                        Are you aware of the Ruff at Barnegat?

If I was a subscriber to rare bird text alerts I would have been, but since I'm not, I have to rely on eBird, luck, and good friends like Steve to get me to the next rarity. But what a coincidence that I was on my way there anyway.

It took a little over a half hour to arrive in Barnegat, and of course, a half dozen birders were trying to refind the bird, not an easy task when there are 200 yellowlegs, both greater and lesser, shuffling along the mud flats, skittering into the air, then landing, inevitably, where the light is worst. 

Someone had the bird from a vantage point on Edison Street, so we all transferred our optics there, but, after giving brief, unsatisfying looks through twigs and reeds blocking the scope, the bird moved out of sight. A few of us went back to the platform, where another birder was set up. He had the Ruff, about as far out on the flats as it could be, but with a scope you could differentiate it easily from all the yellowlegs. Pictures, of course, were problematical. 

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April was not the cruelest month. Migration madness started in earnest and I added 34 year birds, Interestingly, to me, four of the new birds were from my own backyard--whippoorwill, hummingbird, House Wren,  &Yellow-throated Vireo (#99 for the yard). Most of new warblers came from Whitesbog (not a warbler hotspot) and most of the new shorebirds came from Brig (not surprisingly). Looking through my month list I'm startled to see that while I made it down to Salem once again, I didn't set foot in Monmouth County all month. I may have developed a slight Sandy Hook aversion. 

Counties Birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean, Salem

140 species: 

Species                  First Sighting

Snow Goose   Brig

Brant   Waretown

Canada Goose   Manchester Dump

Mute Swan   Manahawkin WMA

Wood Duck   Whitesbog

Blue-winged Teal   Island Beach SP

Northern Shoveler   Brig

Gadwall   Brig

Mallard   Whitesbog

American Black Duck   Whitesbog

Northern Pintail   Forsythe-Barnegat

Green-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA

Ring-necked Duck   Double Trouble State Park

Black Scoter   Island Beach SP

Bufflehead   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Red-breasted Merganser   Waretown

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Horned Grebe   Island Beach SP

Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd

Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   Wells Mills Park

Clapper Rail   Great Bay Blvd

American Coot   Mannington Marsh

American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP

Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP

Piping Plover   Island Beach SP

Killdeer   Compromise Rd.

Whimbrel   Brig

Red Knot   Brig

Stilt Sandpiper   Forsythe-Barnegat

Sanderling   Island Beach SP

Dunlin   Great Bay Blvd

Least Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Pectoral Sandpiper   Mannington Marsh

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Brig

Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig

Wilson's Snipe   Salem River WMA

Solitary Sandpiper   Cloverdale Farm

Greater Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA

Willet   Brig

Lesser Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd

Bonaparte's Gull   Mathis Veteran's Memorial Park

Laughing Gull   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Ring-billed Gull   Manahawkin Lake

Herring Gull   35 Sunset Rd

Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP

Great Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Gull-billed Tern   Brig

Caspian Tern   Brig

Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP

Red-throated Loon   Mannington Marsh

Common Loon   Waretown

Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP

Great Cormorant   Island Beach SP

Double-crested Cormorant   Island Beach SP

American White Pelican   Brig

Least Bittern   Brig

Great Blue Heron   Double Trouble State Park

Great Egret   E. Bay Ave, Barnegat

Snowy Egret   Waretown

Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP

Tricolored Heron   Island Beach SP

Cattle Egret   Meadowedge Park

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd

Glossy Ibis   Island Beach SP

Black Vulture   Salem River WMA

Turkey Vulture   Pond on Schoolhouse Road

Osprey   Nessie Bog

Northern Harrier   Double Trouble State Park

Sharp-shinned Hawk   Great Bay Blvd

Cooper's Hawk   Double Trouble State Park

Bald Eagle   Double Trouble State Park

Red-shouldered Hawk   Brig

Red-tailed Hawk   Eno’s Pond

Belted Kingfisher   Whitesbog

Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA

Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Downy Woodpecker   Double Trouble State Park

Hairy Woodpecker   Cloverdale Farm

Northern Flicker   Whitesbog

American Kestrel   Compromise Rd.

Merlin   Whiting WMA

Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP

Eastern Phoebe   35 Sunset Rd

Great Crested Flycatcher   Whitesbog

Eastern Kingbird   Whitesbog

White-eyed Vireo   Brig

Yellow-throated Vireo   35 Sunset Rd

Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA

Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd

American Crow   Pond on Schoolhouse Road, Whiting

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Double Trouble State Park

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd

Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Salem River WMA

Purple Martin   Whitesbog

Tree Swallow   Whitesbog

Barn Swallow   Great Bay Blvd

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP

Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper   Island Beach SP

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Double Trouble State Park

House Wren   35 Sunset Rd

Marsh Wren   Brig

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

European Starling   35 Sunset Rd

Gray Catbird   Whitesbog

Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP

Northern Mockingbird   Double Trouble State Park

Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog

Hermit Thrush   Island Beach SP

American Robin   35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow   Tip Seaman County Park

House Finch   35 Sunset Rd

Purple Finch   35 Sunset Rd

Red Crossbill   Double Trouble State Park

Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd

Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow   Cloverdale Farm

Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd

White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Seaside Sparrow   Brig

Savannah Sparrow   Whitesbog

Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog

Eastern Towhee   Whitesbog

Eastern Meadowlark   Compromise Rd.

Red-winged Blackbird   Whitesbog

Brown-headed Cowbird   Whitesbog

Common Grackle   Waretown

Boat-tailed Grackle   Eno’s Pond

Ovenbird   Whitesbog

Black-and-white Warbler   Whitesbog

Common Yellowthroat   Whitesbog

Hooded Warbler   Whitesbog

Yellow Warbler   Brig

Palm Warbler   Whitesbog

Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Whitesbog

Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd Prairie Warbler, Manasquan River WMA