January Review--127 Species

Harlequin Duck, Barnegat Light

It's the same every January: A blank list begs to be filled in and there are a lot of stops to make. Go to Assunpink for Trumpeter SwansR Stop at Shark River for Eurasian WigeonR Hit Holgate for Snowy OwlR Obscure street in Mantoloking for RedheadsR Barnegat Light for Harlequin Ducks, Purple SandpiperR Black-crowned Night-Heron rookery on LBIR BC Fairgrounds for the annual Rough-legged HawkRAnd please don't let there be a rarity on a really cold day.

The highlight of the month has to be the Pileated Woodpecker in New Egypt. I was near there today and toyed with the idea of going back for another look but dissuaded myself when I realized I'd be plunging through a foot of snow.

The last day of the month started out well with a Great Horned Owl waking me up. My first thought was Mourning Doves, but doves don't HOOT at 6:23 AM. Then, as I said, I drove out to New Egypt, figuring the road would be clear of snow and if I was lucky, cattle. If you don't count the starlings, the first bird I saw there was a Red-shouldered Hawk perched in a tree. A few walks up and down the edge of the fields across from the "pasture" produced a few sparrows, one of which was species #127 for the month, a White-crowned Sparrow. New Egypt is usually reliable for WCSP but this year it took a few trips for one to pop out.

Now it gets harder. If I find the same number of birds as I did last year, then I've already seen 44% of my list. Since I don't plan any big travels, that percentage is not going to change drastically. Well then, what about the pure pleasure of birding, instead of the obsession with finding something new? That doesn't kick in until the weather warms up and I can enjoy taking a long stroll through pleasant woods and fields. Tomorrow is February, my least favorite month along with November. It is cold and icy and windy and when I am walking around in those conditions an inner voice tells me that the entire forward thrust of human civilization was to get indoors.

My list and locations for the month.

Species              First Sighting

Snow Goose  Pemberton Lake WMA

Brant  East Bay Av

Canada Goose Whitesbog

Mute Swan  Bridge to Nowhere

Trumpeter Swan  Stone Tavern Lake

Tundra Swan Whitesbog

Wood Duck  Bridge to Nowhere

Northern Shoveler  Lake of the Lilies

Gadwall  Ocean Acres Pond

Eurasian Wigeon  MacLearie Park

American Wigeon  MacLearie Park

Mallard  Bridge to Nowhere

American Black Duck  Bridge to Nowhere

Northern Pintail  Bridge to Nowhere

Green-winged Teal  Ocean Acres Pond

Canvasback  Riverfront Landing

Redhead  Mantoloking

Ring-necked Duck  Manahawkin Lake

Greater Scaup  East Bay Av

Lesser Scaup  Riverfront Landing

Common Eider  Island Beach SP

Harlequin Duck  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Surf Scoter  Holgate

White-winged Scoter Island Beach SP

Black Scoter  Holgate

Long-tailed Duck  Island Beach SP

Bufflehead  Bridge to Nowhere

Common Goldeneye Graveling Point

Hooded Merganser  Whitesbog

Common Merganser  Lake of the Lilies

Red-breasted Merganser  East Bay Av

Ruddy Duck  Assunpink WMA

Pied-billed Grebe  Manahawkin Lake

Horned Grebe Graveling Point

Rock Pigeon  Manahawkin Lake

Mourning Dove  35 Sunset Rd

Virginia Rail  Bridge to Nowhere

American Coot  Holly Lake

Black-bellied Plover  Island Beach SP

Killdeer  Deer Head Lake

Ruddy Turnstone  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Sanderling  Island Beach SP

Dunlin  Island Beach SP

Purple Sandpiper  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Long-billed Dowitcher  Deer Head Lake

Wilson's Snipe  Cattus Island County Park

Greater Yellowlegs  Bridge to Nowhere

Razorbill  Island Beach SP

Ring-billed Gull  Manahawkin Lake

Herring Gull  Bridge to Nowhere

Great Black-backed Gull  Bridge to Nowhere

Red-throated Loon Graveling Point

Common Loon  Island Beach SP

Northern Gannet  Island Beach SP

Great Cormorant  Island Beach SP

Double-crested Cormorant  East Bay Av

Great Blue Heron  Beach Av

Great Egret  Great Bay Blvd

Tricolored Heron  Island Beach SP

Black-crowned Night-Heron  Bayview Av Park

Black Vulture  Manahawkin

Turkey Vulture  Bridge to Nowhere

Northern Harrier  Bridge to Nowhere

Sharp-shinned Hawk  Cattus Island County Park

Cooper's Hawk  Plumsted Recreation Park

Bald Eagle  Beach Av

Red-shouldered Hawk  New Egypt

Red-tailed Hawk  Bridge to Nowhere

Rough-legged Hawk  BC Fairgrounds

Great Horned Owl  Beach Av

Snowy Owl  Holgate

Belted Kingfisher  Whitesbog

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  Bridge to Nowhere

Red-bellied Woodpecker  Manahawkin WMA

Downy Woodpecker  35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker  35 Sunset Rd

Pileated Woodpecker  UTT New Egypt

Northern Flicker  Manahawkin WMA

Peregrine Falcon  Bridge to Nowhere

Blue-headed Vireo  Whitesbog

Northern Shrike  Franklin Parker Preserve

Blue Jay  35 Sunset Rd

American Crow Whitesbog

Fish Crow  High Bar

Common Raven  Stafford Forge WMA

Carolina Chickadee  35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse  35 Sunset Rd

Horned Lark  Jackson Liberty HS

Tree Swallow  Island Beach SP

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  Cattus Island County Park

Golden-crowned Kinglet  Whitesbog

Red-breasted Nuthatch  Bamber Lake

White-breasted Nuthatch  35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper  Crestwood Village

Winter Wren  Assunpink WMA

Carolina Wren  Beach Av

European Starling  East Bay Av

Gray Catbird  Manahawkin WMA

Brown Thrasher  New Egypt

Northern Mockingbird  35 Sunset Rd

Eastern Bluebird  Manahawkin WMA

Hermit Thrush Whitesbog

American Robin  Beach Av

Cedar Waxwing  35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow  Stafford

House Finch  35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch  35 Sunset Rd

Lapland Longspur  Holgate

Snow Bunting  Island Beach SP

Chipping Sparrow  Colliers Mills WMA

Field Sparrow  Colliers Mills WMA

American Tree Sparrow  Whitesbog

Fox Sparrow  Manahawkin WMA

Dark-eyed Junco  35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow  New Egypt

White-throated Sparrow  35 Sunset Rd

Savannah Sparrow  New Egypt

Song Sparrow  Whitesbog

Swamp Sparrow  Beach Av

Eastern Meadowlark  Colliers Mills WMA

Red-winged Blackbird  Bridge to Nowhere

Brown-headed Cowbird  New Egypt

Rusty Blackbird  New Egypt

Common Grackle  Assunpink WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle  Bridge to Nowhere

Yellow-rumped Warbler  Bridge to Nowhere

Northern Cardinal  Manahawkin WMA