Whitesbog 9/1--American Golden-Plover

Where was this bird last month? True, September is a better month for American Golden-Plover, but I usually don't have to wait that long to find one picking at the mud at Whitesbog. Today, in a spritzing rain, as I drove out on the south side of the Middle Bog, I saw, naked eye, an erect shorebird with a short bill and knew immediately it was a plover. The question was whether it was Black-bellied (rare in county, no big deal in the state) or a Golden (rare in NJ, a year bird for me). A quick scope look
confirmed the latter--a golden mantle and the black on the belly extending up the vent (a great euphemism, by the way). A little odd to find it out on the mud flat when there was all that grass a few yards east of it, which is where I normally expect to see them.  

I called my friend who I figured was somewhere in the vicinity but the call didn't go through. No problem since as I was pocketing my phone I heard a vehicle coming up to where my car was blocking the road, but I didn't have to move it since it was him. I got him on the bird and he said he didn't think the bird would hang around very long. Just a feeling he had. It's true that Black-bellied Plovers are notorious for making touch and goes at Whitesbog--I remember two from last year, each one was only about a 10 minute stay, but I can't say that I've noticed that about Goldens. 

Still, he was right. I put out the alert and about a half hour later another birder showed up, but the bird was nowhere to be found. I hate being the only one to see a rarity so I was glad that at least one other birder saw it. The weather being unpleasant and it being a work day must have discouraged anyone else from coming out, which giving the flightiness of the bird, was just as well. 

But a great start to the month for me. The forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning is, from my perspective, perfect. Heavy rain tonight in Burlco to bring some water into the bogs and habitat for any birds knocked down by the storm, but stopping just after sunrise. 

I kicked off the month with 35 species. 

Wood Duck  5     Ditch Meadow

Mallard  15     Middle Bog

American Black Duck  1     with Mallards

Green-winged Teal  7     Middle Bog

Mourning Dove  2

Ruby-throated Hummingbird  4     Village feeders

American Golden-Plover  1    

Semipalmated Plover  5

Killdeer  1

Least Sandpiper  10

Pectoral Sandpiper  2

Semipalmated Sandpiper  75

Solitary Sandpiper  2

Greater Yellowlegs  3

Lesser Yellowlegs  15

Osprey  1

Belted Kingfisher  1

Red-bellied Woodpecker  1     Heard

Downy Woodpecker  2

Eastern Wood-Pewee  1     Heard

Eastern Phoebe  1     Ditch Meadow

Eastern Kingbird  1     Village Parking Lot

American Crow  2

Carolina Chickadee  2     Heard

Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1     Roosting in Union Pond

Barn Swallow  1

White-breasted Nuthatch  2     Heard

Carolina Wren  1     Heard

European Starling  4

Gray Catbird  8

Brown Thrasher  1     Garden

Song Sparrow  2

Eastern Towhee  4

Northern Waterthrush  1     Saw for a second heard chip note head of nature trail.

Common Yellowthroat  2     Heard