May Wrap-up: Migration Semi-madness Edition

Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Delaware

Snowy Egret, Whitesbog (unusual there)

On the phone today, a friend mentioned that migration this month was awful. He's not the first birder to tell me that lately. I don't know. I have no standard against which to measure it, since there are so many variables, like, where I was and when I was there, but it seems that every year migration is awful. Then again, there are the missing BILLION or so birds, so that might have something to do with it. 

As for me, I felt like I had a pretty good month. I had vowed to myself to go to Island Beach more often than I usually do, and I did, and thanks to Steve and Scott I was able to tally up pretty good numbers there. I did a modicum of successful chasing: Arctic Tern at Assunpink, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in Delaware, to mention two. I went to the "zoo" with Shari when we drove down to the Ocean City Visitor's Center to see the heron rookery with its nesting White Ibises and Yellow Crowned Night-Herons. We spent 3 days in Delaware, racking up the specialties of that state. The only place I feel that I neglected was Whitesbog, but I'll make up for that in summer, assuming the bogs are drawn down again. 

8 new warbler species for the month, 4 colorful cardinal "allies" and 4 FOY flycatchers along with a couple of new thrushes speckle the list. My total for the month, 175, is less than last May's but that can be attributed to my disinclination to drive down to Brig. Supposedly we enter the summer doldrums now until the shorebirds reverse their migration in late July. I have my sights on a couple of more less obscure spots where I hope to turn up a rarity, so that will keep me interested until things pick up. 

Counties birded:

Delaware: Kent, Sussex

New Jersey: Burlington, Cape May, Monmouth, Ocean

Species                              First Sighting
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck  Amalfi Dr. Retention Pond
Brant  Island Beach SP
Canada Goose  Island Beach SP
Mute Swan  Island Beach SP
Wood Duck  Whitesbog
Blue-winged Teal  Island Beach SP
Mallard  Riverfront Landing
American Black Duck  Island Beach SP
Green-winged Teal  Island Beach SP
Bufflehead  Island Beach SP
Red-breasted Merganser  Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck  Assunpink WMA
Wild Turkey  35 Sunset Rd
Horned Grebe  Island Beach SP
Mourning Dove  Island Beach SP
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  Jumping Brook Preserve
Chuck-will's-widow  Collinstown Road
Eastern Whip-poor-will  35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift  Jumping Brook Preserve
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  Island Beach SP
Clapper Rail  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Sandhill Crane  Jumping Brook Preserve
Black-necked Stilt  Bombay Hook
American Avocet  Bombay Hook
American Oystercatcher  Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover  Island Beach SP
Semipalmated Plover  Island Beach SP
Piping Plover  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Killdeer  Whitesbog
Whimbrel  Island Beach SP
Marbled Godwit  Island Beach SP
Ruddy Turnstone  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Red Knot  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Sanderling  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin  Island Beach SP
Least Sandpiper  Island Beach SP
White-rumped Sandpiper  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Semipalmated Sandpiper  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Short-billed Dowitcher  Island Beach SP
Spotted Sandpiper  Island Beach SP
Solitary Sandpiper  Island Beach SP
Greater Yellowlegs  Island Beach SP
Willet  Island Beach SP
Lesser Yellowlegs  Island Beach SP
Bonaparte's Gull  Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull  Riverfront Landing
Ring-billed Gull  Island Beach SP
Herring Gull  Riverfront Landing
Iceland Gull  Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull  Island Beach SP
Least Tern  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Caspian Tern  Bombay Hook
Common Tern  Island Beach SP
Arctic Tern  Assunpink WMA
Forster's Tern  Island Beach SP
Royal Tern  DuPont Nature Center
Black Skimmer  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Red-throated Loon  Island Beach SP
Common Loon  Island Beach SP
Wilson's Storm-Petrel  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Gannet  Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant  Island Beach SP
Brown Pelican  Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron  Island Beach SP
Great Egret  Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret  Island Beach SP
Little Blue Heron  Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron  Island Beach SP
Green Heron  Assunpink WMA
Black-crowned Night-Heron  Ocean City Welcome Center
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  Ocean City Welcome Center
White Ibis  Ocean City Welcome Center
Glossy Ibis  Island Beach SP
Turkey Vulture  Island Beach SP
Osprey  Island Beach SP
Northern Harrier  Island Beach SP
Cooper's Hawk  Manasquan River WMA
Bald Eagle  Colliers Mills WMA
Red-tailed Hawk  Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Red-headed Woodpecker  Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker  Colliers Mills WMA
Downy Woodpecker  Whitesbog
Hairy Woodpecker  Whitesbog
Northern Flicker  Whitesbog
Merlin  Island Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon  Island Beach SP
Eastern Wood-Pewee  Colliers Mills WMA
Acadian Flycatcher  Double Trouble SP
Willow Flycatcher  Island Beach SP
Least Flycatcher  Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe  Crestwood Village
Great Crested Flycatcher  Island Beach SP
Eastern Kingbird  Island Beach SP
White-eyed Vireo  Island Beach SP
Yellow-throated Vireo  Huber Preserve
Blue-headed Vireo  Island Beach SP
Warbling Vireo  Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo  Huber Preserve
Blue Jay  35 Sunset Rd
American Crow  Island Beach SP
Fish Crow  35 Sunset Rd
Carolina Chickadee  Island Beach SP
Tufted Titmouse  35 Sunset Rd
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  Jumping Brook Preserve
Purple Martin  Cranberry Bogs
Tree Swallow  Riverfront Landing
Bank Swallow  Cranberry Bogs
Barn Swallow  Riverfront Landing
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  Island Beach SP
Golden-crowned Kinglet  Island Beach SP
White-breasted Nuthatch  Colliers Mills WMA
Brown-headed Nuthatch  Cape Henlopen State Park
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  Island Beach SP
House Wren  Island Beach SP
Marsh Wren  Island Beach SP
Carolina Wren  Island Beach SP
European Starling  Island Beach SP
Gray Catbird  Island Beach SP
Brown Thrasher  Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird  Island Beach SP
Eastern Bluebird  Whitesbog
Veery  Island Beach SP
Hermit Thrush  Island Beach SP
Wood Thrush  Island Beach SP
American Robin  Crestwood Village
Cedar Waxwing  Island Beach SP
House Sparrow  Riverfront Landing
House Finch  Island Beach SP
American Goldfinch  Island Beach SP
Grasshopper Sparrow  Bombay Hook
Chipping Sparrow  Island Beach SP
Field Sparrow  Island Beach SP
Dark-eyed Junco  Great Bay Blvd WMA
White-throated Sparrow  Island Beach SP
Seaside Sparrow  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Saltmarsh Sparrow  Great Bay Blvd WMA
Savannah Sparrow  Jumping Brook Preserve
Song Sparrow  Riverfront Landing
Swamp Sparrow  Island Beach SP
Eastern Towhee  Island Beach SP
Yellow-breasted Chat  Double Trouble SP
Eastern Meadowlark  Whitehall Crossroads
Orchard Oriole  Jumping Brook Preserve
Baltimore Oriole  Island Beach SP
Red-winged Blackbird  Island Beach SP
Brown-headed Cowbird  Island Beach SP
Common Grackle  Crestwood Village
Boat-tailed Grackle  Island Beach SP
Ovenbird  Island Beach SP
Northern Waterthrush  Island Beach SP
Blue-winged Warbler  Huber Preserve
Black-and-white Warbler  Island Beach SP
Prothonotary Warbler  Huber Preserve
Nashville Warbler  Jumping Brook Preserve
Common Yellowthroat  Island Beach SP
Hooded Warbler  Colliers Mills WMA
American Redstart  Manasquan River WMA
Northern Parula  Island Beach SP
Magnolia Warbler  Huber Preserve
Bay-breasted Warbler  Island Beach SP
Blackburnian Warbler  Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow Warbler  Island Beach SP
Blackpoll Warbler  Island Beach SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler  Island Beach SP
Palm Warbler  Island Beach SP
Pine Warbler  Whitesbog
Yellow-rumped Warbler  Island Beach SP
Prairie Warbler  Island Beach SP
Black-throated Green Warbler  Island Beach SP
Canada Warbler  Island Beach SP
Scarlet Tanager  Island Beach SP
Northern Cardinal  35 Sunset Rd
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  Island Beach SP
Blue Grosbeak  Colliers Mills WMA
Indigo Bunting  Ephraim P. Emson Preserve

Double Trouble SP 5/30--Yellow-breasted Chat

Sandy Recovery Area panorama

A couple of years ago, Mike & I were walking through the Sandy Recovery Area in Double Trouble. Where once a cedar forest stood, it was, after having been blown down by Superstorm Sandy, now replanted with cedar saplings. A lot of other miscellaneous shrub and scrub was growing in there too. The day before, I'd been at Brig, where I'd spent an inordinate amount of time tracking down a Yellow-breasted Chat, so, when I heard "Blatt, blatt, blatt...whee zip boop...blatt blatt blatt burp" etc, (imagine a demented mockingbird singing) I had no doubt of what species we were hearing. Chat's a big whoop in Ocean County and this was the first record for Double Trouble. The habitat was perfect for the bird, which can be a bitch to actually see, and finding it there was better than tromping through the tick-laden Aviation Beacon fields at Assunpink.

Last year, though, it wasn't there. The habitat hadn't grown up significantly, so that wasn't the problem. A couple of days ago, though, chat was again reported at Double Trouble. While I'm not on any social media alert platforms, I didn't have to ask for specifics, since I just knew where it would be. I also know that once a chat sets up shop, it tends to stick around, so I wasn't in a hurry to get over there on Sunday. 

I got over there early this morning, hoping to beat the dogwalkers and cyclists. Instead of my usual route, which starts with a walk up to the big reservoir called Ore Pond, I walked straight through the village out into the recovery area. Within a minute I heard "Blatt blatt blatt...chick chick whee...zip boop burp!" I walked deeper into the area, hoping that maybe the bird would actually tee up on one of the snags. Instead, I came upon a second bird chattering away on the other side of the road. Despite looking for longer than I like to look, I couldn't get eyes on either one. The chat was my 300th species for year; I've blasted past last year's total, but last year I didn't go to Mexico.

Swamp Doghobble

Mountain Laurel

Shari was more fortunate. Yesterday, while I was at Colliers Mills, I noticed that the mountain laurel was coming into bloom. Shari & I like to take a mountain laurel walk one day in the spring, and there are stands of it at DT, too. I suggested she meet me there later in the morning. We walked out to the area, but the birds, while "singing" were more subdued, not truly belting it out as they will. But Shari, walking up the trail past where I thought they were, scared two of them out of a bush for a quick look. Steve came along and he heard one bird. Later, after Shari & I went to seek out more mountain laurel, Steve managed not only to see one bird, as wished for, perched up on a snag, but also managed a distant photo.

Along Mud Dam Road is where most of the mountain laurel grows, and there were also examples of fetterbush (also known as swamp sweetbells or swamp doghobble) and sheep laurel with its little pink blossoms. As has been the case for years, this is one of the best spots to hear Hooded Warbler, and though I missed it on my first walk up the lane, with Shari there, it very cooperatively sang. 

By the time 10 o'clock rolled around it was getting very hot and very quiet. The parking lot was full of kayakers and canoeists getting ready to tackle the mighty Cedar Creek, so Shari & I, having notched target plants and birds, headed out, while everyone else seemed to be heading in. 

37 species
Canada Goose
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Laughing Gull
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tufted Titmouse
Tree Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Veery
Wood Thrush
American Robin
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Yellow-breasted Chat
Red-winged Blackbird
Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Prairie Warbler

Great Bay Blvd 5/28--Black Skimmer

Black Skimmers

Normally, I wouldn't go down to Great Bay Blvd on a weekend--too many fishermen on the beach, too many Jet-skis roaring through the channels, scaring away the birds, but we've entered the time of year when it is hard to find any potentially productive spot that isn't also full of non-birders. Island Beach SP is going to be free this summer; my reaction was, "That's just great, more people in the way." 

There aren't many places in the county to find Black Skimmer. Tuckerton is one of the reliable spots, if the tide is right and if no one is motoring around in the cove north of the mitigation bulwark. Today, those conditions were met and a quick glance from the parking spot revealed a quartet of skimmers roosting on a sliver of beach. With them, I considered the trip a success. 

Ruddy Turnstone

The tide was higher than it was on Tuesday, but shorebirds, aside from Semipalmated Sandpipers, weren't as prevalent as earlier in the week. Maybe because of the aforementioned non-birders. I saw no Black-bellied Plovers, and the Red Knots were not on the beach, much to the disappointment of a birder from central Jersey who'd come down to see them, hoping to avoid a trip to Cape May. Short-billed Dowitchers were in short supply, as were Dunlins. 

Seaside Sparrow

It wasn't all dreary though. That central Jersey birder (from my hometown, no less), also needed Saltmarsh Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, and Least Tern. We found a few of the first, lots of the second, and couple of the third. So, he was happy. 

Willow Flycatcher

I took my walk up the road, checking the salt pans and mud flats along the way. Disappointingly, no night-herons of either flavor today in the cedar roosts. However, I did hear and see a Willow Flycatcher just south of the first wooden bridge. While yesterday, on Scott's trip to Island Beach, I'd heard a couple and gotten a crappy look at one, this bird made it official in my mind. I don't know why, but most of my county Willows have been in Tuckerton. I've always found them farther south than where I had one today, and I always superstitiously check the wires over the wind monitoring station for them, but we're talking a difference of 1/2 a mile here. 

42 species
Mallard  2     Middle of the road.
Mourning Dove  2
Clapper Rail  1     Heard
American Oystercatcher  1
Semipalmated Plover  4
Ruddy Turnstone  8
Dunlin  2
Least Sandpiper  2
White-rumped Sandpiper  2
Semipalmated Sandpiper  75
Short-billed Dowitcher  5
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Willet  6
Laughing Gull  100
Herring Gull  25
Great Black-backed Gull  5
Least Tern  3
Forster's Tern  6
Black Skimmer  5
Common Loon  1     Breeding plumage
Double-crested Cormorant  6
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  27
Snowy Egret  14
Tricolored Heron  1
Osprey  3
Willow Flycatcher  1
Eastern Kingbird  1     North of 2nd wooden bridge
Fish Crow  6
Tree Swallow  3     One of them coming out of hole in piling at boat launch
Barn Swallow  100
Marsh Wren  1     Heard
Gray Catbird  8
Seaside Sparrow  15
Saltmarsh Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  10
Red-winged Blackbird  75
Boat-tailed Grackle  50
Common Yellowthroat  10
Yellow Warbler  5
Northern Cardinal  1

Great Bay Blvd 5/24--White-rumped Sandpiper, Least Tern

White-rumped Sandpiper

Because I had an unpleasant appointment in the afternoon, I wanted to get some quality birding done in the morning. Despite the unpredicted rain, I drove down to Great Bay Blvd in Tuckerton. Once again, my high tide/low tide theory was put to the test and high tide, contrary to my beliefs, produced a lot of shorebirds fairly close to the road. My idea is that low tide provides more area for them to feed. But today, high tide forced them onto any little spit of land, and I found concentrations of them from the bulwark down to the inlet. 

Least Terns

I spent some time watching Forster's Terns fly around, hoping to pick out a smaller tern, but it wasn't until I crossed over the first wooden bridge and stopped to scan for shorebirds just on the other side that I finally found two Least Terns, nestled down in the marsh. Naturally, they had their backs to me, so all I could get was photos of their behinds, but still, a new year bird. 

After I walked the muddy flats of the inlet, happy to still see Red Knots feeding at the edges, the drizzle had stopped so I took my walk up the road. In one of the salt pans, close to the road, there were a small flock of Semipalmated Sandpipers and a couple of bigger peeps. I didn't think they were Western Sandpipers, but my mind went blank at any other possibilities. Maybe they were just oversized Semis. On the walk back, looking at them again, the penny, dime, quarter (inflation) dropped, and I realized, with a smack of the forehead that I was looking at my first White-rumped Sandpipers of the year. Usually, if I see them at all, I'm looking at them through a scope, not 20 feet away. 

Crossing the second wooden bridge I passed a couple of fishermen. We nodded. Then, as I passed, one called out, "Didja see any Red-breasted Sapsuckers?" In a world without consequences, I would have walked back and pushed him over the railing. I spent over 4 hours on the Boulevard. 12 species of shorebirds, 38 species altogether, not counting the swans and Glossy Ibis I saw up at Holly Lake. 

Then I drove up to Ocean Township and had a tooth yanked out of my head. 

Mallard  4
Clapper Rail  6     Heard
American Oystercatcher  4
Black-bellied Plover  27
Semipalmated Plover  7
Ruddy Turnstone  35
Red Knot  20
Dunlin  130
Least Sandpiper  1
White-rumped Sandpiper  2
Semipalmated Sandpiper  75
Short-billed Dowitcher  20
Greater Yellowlegs  2
Willet  16
Laughing Gull  80
Herring Gull  25
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Least Tern  2
Common Tern  25
Forster's Tern  20
Double-crested Cormorant  2
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  50
Snowy Egret  32
Black-crowned Night-Heron  10
Osprey  2
Tree Swallow  4
Barn Swallow  35
European Starling  1
Gray Catbird  4
Seaside Sparrow  7
Saltmarsh Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  9
Red-winged Blackbird  25
Boat-tailed Grackle  50
Common Yellowthroat  7
Yellow Warbler  4
Northern Cardinal  1

Red Knots with Dunlin

A Couple of Delaware Notes

This sign is at Broadkill Beach. Apparently, if the beach cleanup hadn't been cancelled, then they'd be down with littering.

Dover is home to Dover Air Force Base. This weekend, the Blue Angels (which are actually part of the Navy) were doing an air show there. While we were at Cape Henlopen on Friday, we saw one of the jets doing a practice run over the bay. It flew low enough so that as it headed away, we could see two orange circles, flames burning in the rear of the jet engines. All I could think of was how much gas cost. Saturday was the day of the show. Even from Bombay Hook we could see them flying in tight formation. It was especially impressive when the Blue Angels formed a pattern that read: 

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK. 

Delaware Specialties 5/19-5/21--Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Grasshopper Sparrow

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Clayton, DE

Shari & I celebrated our anniversary in Delaware this weekend, because

Dover is for Lovers

 (I just made that up, but if the Dover Tourism Bureau would like to get in touch with me...)

American Avocets

Naturally, before we even dropped off our bags, we did a spin around Bombay Hook. There are two shorebird species that are rare visitors to New Jersey yet are commonplace at BH. The first, American Avocet, we found a dozen of in the Raymond Pool, the first impoundment you come to. They were about the only shorebirds in the pool, in which the water was very high--good for the dozen swans in there, not so good for migrating shorebirds. The second shorebird, Black-necked Stilt, can be a little more elusive, even there, but we found a smattering of them around Shearness Pool, the biggest impoundment and usually the spot with most of the action. The excitement there, the last week or so, has been a pair of Sandhill Cranes. The Shearness Pool is not a place you'd expect to find cranes--they seem to gravitate more to fields full of corn stubble, although their close cousins, the Whooping Cranes, make their living in marshes. Knowing they were there we spent some time scanning the northern shore of the pool, quite a distance away. Eventually, Shari located them, loping along the edge of the marsh. They were really far away, but they are really big birds, so identification was not a problem. 

Black-necked Stilt

After a few hours there it was getting toward 5 o'clock, but I wanted to make one more stop before we headed for the place we were staying. Last year, at an obscure retention pond on the edge of subdivision in Clayton, about 10 miles west of Bombaby Hook, a flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks made themselves at home for a good part of the summer. We saw them in September of last year when we were down there. This year, they returned, a flock of 20 strong. I can't resist these goofy looking birds, so we drove 20 minutes to spend 4 minutes looking at them, then drove down to Dover. 

Thursday, we drove south. Last year in September we discovered Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, right next to the ferry and liked it, so we started there. The real attraction at that park is Brown-headed Nuthatch. Delaware is just about the northernmost end of its range. Occasionally, some are reported in Kent County (the middle one of Delaware's 3), but they're rare there, while in Sussex, the southern county, they're listed as expected. When we first went to look for them in Kent a few years ago, someone told me the road to go on and then to look in the loblolly pines. Man, I thought, I'm no arborist, what's a loblolly pine look like? I didn't realize that in Delaware, all the pine trees are loblolly pines. We found the nuthatches that day. The problem with the nuthatch is that it likes to be very high up in the trees and loblolly pines, unlike the more stunted pitch pines we have around us, are very tall trees. You more often hear them than see them. That was the case at Henlopen. We walked on the same trail as we had last year, but it took us a little longer to hear the distinct squeaky toy call than it did previously. At first, Shari heard them (of course), and then I was able to hear them, but although it sounded like they were right in front of us, we couldn't get eyes on them. 

We worked our way back to Dover, stopping at a couple of favorite spots--Broadkill Marsh, which is part of Prime Hook, and the DuPont Nature Center in Mispillion. Scoping the jetty from the deck of the nature center we saw an overwhelming number of shorebirds feeding along the narrow shore, where dozens of horseshoe crabs were washed up on the sand. There were easily 10,000 Dunlins, and Ruddy Turnstones, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Black-bellied Plovers in the hundreds. It was like a pulsating carpet of birds. Out of all of them I was able to pick out one Red Knot, which impressed me, since I'm not one for standing around scoping, looking for what does not belong.  

Today, we returned to Bombay Hook, looking for whatever we hadn't send or heard before. We started out on the Boardwalk Trail and almost immediately got Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and then out on the marsh, we heard a Seaside Sparrow. Marsh Wrens were singing their bubbly song everywhere. The Raymond Pool's levels hadn't changed--still full of swans, and the dozen avocets of Thursday continued.  On our way toward the exit, Shari heard a Grasshopper Sparrow. They're pretty hard to hear, at least for me, but I got out of the car, cocked my head, and heard the thin, insect call. Sadly, these birds have disappeared from my local spot. I used to be able to go to Colliers Mills, walk along Success Road, and see hear a few sparrows. No longer. Probably too many dogs being trained to hunt in those fields. The best part, though, was coming back after our second loop, we stopped to listen and couldn't hear any GRSPs but, just as Shari restarted the car, one flew out of the field to our left, zipped in front our windshield, and helicoptered down into the middle of the field across the road.  

Green Heron

At the turnoff from Raymond to Shearness, there's a little muddy area. This morning we saw a photographer intently looking down into the space, but we didn't think much of it, since what interests a photographer is necessarily interesting to us. But coming back toward the visitor's center, we saw more people staring in, so we pulled over. It just looked like mud and grass until I saw the Green Heron skulking around. Not a rarity or a year bird (well, it was for Shari), but a great looking bird and a family fave. 

Our 3 days' list total is 88. Amazingly, it does not include Song Sparrow. How that got missed is a total mystery. Sometimes you are unaware of a gap in the list until after it is compiled, but on the 2nd day I'd mentioned to Shari we hadn't heard or seen any, so I was on the lookout and still came up empty.

Species                                           First Sighting
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck  Amalfi Dr. Retention Pond
Canada Goose  Bombay Hook
Mute Swan  Bombay Hook
Mallard  Bombay Hook
Mourning Dove  Cape Henlopen State Park
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  Bombay Hook
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  Cape Henlopen State Park
Clapper Rail  Bombay Hook
Sandhill Crane  Bombay Hook
Black-necked Stilt  Bombay Hook
American Avocet  Bombay Hook
American Oystercatcher  Broadkill Marsh
Black-bellied Plover  Bombay Hook
Semipalmated Plover  Bombay Hook
Killdeer  Bombay Hook
Ruddy Turnstone  DuPont Nature Center
Red Knot  DuPont Nature Center
Dunlin  Bombay Hook
Least Sandpiper  Bombay Hook
Semipalmated Sandpiper  Bombay Hook
Short-billed Dowitcher  Bombay Hook
Greater Yellowlegs  Bombay Hook
Willet  Bombay Hook
Lesser Yellowlegs  Bombay Hook
Laughing Gull  Bombay Hook
Herring Gull  Broadkill Marsh
Great Black-backed Gull  DuPont Nature Center
Caspian Tern  Bombay Hook
Forster's Tern  Bombay Hook
Royal Tern  DuPont Nature Center
Double-crested Cormorant  Bombay Hook
Great Blue Heron  Bombay Hook
Great Egret  Bombay Hook
Snowy Egret  Bombay Hook
Green Heron  Broadkill Marsh
Glossy Ibis  Broadkill Marsh
Turkey Vulture  Bombay Hook
Osprey  Cape Henlopen State Park
Bald Eagle  Bombay Hook
Red-bellied Woodpecker  Dover
Downy Woodpecker  Bombay Hook
Northern Flicker  Bombay Hook
Eastern Wood-Pewee  Bombay Hook
Great Crested Flycatcher  Bombay Hook
Eastern Kingbird  Bombay Hook
White-eyed Vireo  Bombay Hook
Red-eyed Vireo  Bombay Hook
Blue Jay  Cape Henlopen State Park
Fish Crow  Bombay Hook
Carolina Chickadee  Cape Henlopen State Park
Tufted Titmouse  Cape Henlopen State Park
Purple Martin  Bombay Hook
Tree Swallow  Bombay Hook
Barn Swallow  Bombay Hook
Brown-headed Nuthatch  Cape Henlopen State Park
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  Bombay Hook
House Wren  Bombay Hook
Marsh Wren  Bombay Hook
Carolina Wren  Bombay Hook
European Starling  Dover
Gray Catbird  Bombay Hook
Brown Thrasher  Bombay Hook
Northern Mockingbird  Lewes
Eastern Bluebird  Bombay Hook
Wood Thrush  Bombay Hook
American Robin  Bombay Hook
Cedar Waxwing  Dover
House Sparrow  Bombay Hook
House Finch  Dover
American Goldfinch  Bombay Hook
Grasshopper Sparrow  Bombay Hook
Chipping Sparrow  Cape Henlopen State Park
Field Sparrow  Bombay Hook
Seaside Sparrow  Bombay Hook
Eastern Towhee  Bombay Hook
Eastern Meadowlark  Whitehall Crossroads
Red-winged Blackbird  Bombay Hook
Brown-headed Cowbird  Cape Henlopen State Park
Common Grackle  Bombay Hook
Ovenbird  Bombay Hook
Common Yellowthroat  Bombay Hook
Yellow Warbler  Bombay Hook
Blackpoll Warbler  Bombay Hook
Pine Warbler  Cape Henlopen State Park
Scarlet Tanager  Bombay Hook
Northern Cardinal  Bombay Hook
Blue Grosbeak  Bombay Hook
Indigo Bunting  Bombay Hook

Island Beach SP 5/17--Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Canada Warbler

Canada Warbler
Photo © Steve Weiss

Bay-breasted Warbler (female)
Photo © Steve Weiss

I went to Reed's Road this morning, hoping to fill in some of the gaps on my warbler list. After meeting up with Steve and bushwhacking through some of the more remote areas of The Bowl, I had a pretty successful day. The first new one was a Bay-breasted Warbler Steve found high in an oak (if memory serves) that I got a crappy look at. However, there were a few mystery birds along the way that Steve took photos of (my camera is way to slow for active warblers) and one of them turned out to be a female Bay-breasted. The most common warbler of the morning was American Redstart, but the runner-up had to be Blackpoll Warbler. We saw a lot of them, including a couple of the mystery birds which also turned out to females. Since Blackpoll Warbler's song is much too high, thin, and soft for my old ears, my only chance to add them to the list is through sight. To see more than one flitting around in the trees was delightful. 

The best bird for us was finding, deep in a tangle, a Canada Warbler. We'd been alerted to the presence of the species by another birder who'd been there earlier, but I didn't really hold out much hope for actually seeing one. While not unexpected in migration, they are flagged as "infrequent" on the eBird checklist. I'll say! Years go by without me seeing one. Happily, Steve managed to get a picture of the bird which did its best to elude us. As almost a by the by, there were a few Magnolia Warblers also around; while not a year bird for me (Mexico, Burlco), it was a county bird.

Other cool birds: Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Least Flycatcher, and 5 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, 4 males and 1 femme. All the while we were there, we were keeping an eye on the rare bird reports to see if anyone else found the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher that was photographed at Jakes Branch Park in South Toms River. As these birds tend to be fleeting (the one that stayed on Whitesbog for 3 or 4 days a ways back was a real anomaly), it wasn't a big surprise to us that it wasn't rediscovered and we were happy we didn't waste the gas to go find it. 

After we split up, I took a walk along the Spizzle Creek Trail. The marsh was inundated, but there were  a few species of shorebirds and waders around. Nothing new or of note, though.

Reed's Road list:

48 species
Mallard  4
Mourning Dove  1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  2
Laughing Gull  50
Herring Gull  5
Great Black-backed Gull  1
Forster's Tern  1
Double-crested Cormorant  55
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Merlin  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  2
Least Flycatcher  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  5
Eastern Kingbird  2
White-eyed Vireo  2     Heard
Yellow-throated Vireo  1
Blue-headed Vireo  2
Red-eyed Vireo  5
American Crow  1
Fish Crow  3
Carolina Chickadee  5
Tree Swallow  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  1
House Wren  1     Heard
Carolina Wren  2     Heard
Gray Catbird  30
American Robin  1
Cedar Waxwing  3
House Finch  1     Heard
White-throated Sparrow  2     Late. One brighter than the other.
Song Sparrow  2
Eastern Towhee  20
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Black-and-white Warbler  5
Common Yellowthroat  10
American Redstart  20
Northern Parula  2
Magnolia Warbler  3
Bay-breasted Warbler  2
Yellow Warbler  6
Blackpoll Warbler  7
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Canada Warbler  2
Northern Cardinal  2     Heard
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  5
Indigo Bunting  1     Heard

Barnegat Light SP 5/16--Wilson's Storm-Petrel

Petrel at bottom gulls on top for size comparison

Whatever weather event out over the Atlantic that pushed in all the Arctic Terns over the weekend, seems to have also affected a large number of Wilson's Storm-Petrels, pushing flocks of them much closer to shore than normal. This morning, at Barnegat Light, I was amazed to see one immediately upon climbing up to the concrete walkway, dancing on the water as they will, in the middle of the inlet. I had prepared myself to spend a fair amount of time seawatching, and I while I had heard they were between the jetties, I expected them to be out at the mouth of the inlet, not a mile in. When I saw a second one there, with the diagnostic white rump and caught some good looks at their funny tubenoses. It was great to see them so close in--they're only about the size of a crow, so trying to scope them as they skip around far out on the waves is no fun. I did that last year at Manasquan Inlet. These were much better looks. 

I then walked the beach, which this time of year has the inland pond cordoned off to protect nesting birds, particularly the Piping Plovers. Again, instead of having to search for these perfectly camouflaged, sand-colored plovers, I found one practically at my feet as soon as I got near the protected area.  When I got to the shore and looked out over the jetty, there were, as I had originally hoped, a small flock of petrels hopping around on the water--I counted 6 which I thought was a pretty good number until I saw reports later in the day from Point Pleasant of counts above 70. I didn't even try to photograph those birds with my slow-focusing camera, but when I walked south along the beach, I saw another petrel much closer to the beach and said what the heck, pulled out the camera, and just aimed the camera in the direction of the petrel. Amazingly, I captured a couple of images, demonstrating the old blind squirrel/acorn trope. 

Maybe because I had more time to pay attention to non-shorebirds, I found some species of birds that were new for me as patch birds at Barnegat Light, like Northern Rough-winged Swallow, American Redstart, and Eastern Pewee. In all I counted 43 species.

Brant  4
Canada Goose  3
Mallard  3
Mourning Dove  2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2
American Oystercatcher  4
Black-bellied Plover  1
Piping Plover  4
Ruddy Turnstone  6
Sanderling  21
Willet  1
Laughing Gull  80
Herring Gull  100
Great Black-backed Gull  75
Common Tern  50
Wilson's Storm-Petrel  7     
Double-crested Cormorant  20
Osprey  3
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1     Seen & heard Maritime Forest
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
White-eyed Vireo  2     Heard
Red-eyed Vireo  1
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  1     Heard
Carolina Chickadee  1     Heard
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2     Construction area
Tree Swallow  2
Barn Swallow  1
Carolina Wren  1     Heard
European Starling  4
Gray Catbird  2
Northern Mockingbird  1
American Robin  1
House Sparrow  8
Song Sparrow  5
Eastern Towhee  2
Red-winged Blackbird  20
Boat-tailed Grackle  15
Common Yellowthroat  4
American Redstart  1
Yellow Warbler  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler   1
Northern Cardinal  3

Assunpink 5/14--Arctic Tern

The silver lining in the seemingly constant stormy, cloudy weather of late was an irruption yesterday of Arctic Terns on inland lakes and reservoirs.  When I saw the first report at Spruce Run Reservoir in Hunterdon, I said to myself that I'm not going there. Then another came in from DeKorte, in Bergen, even farther north. No way. But when I got an alert late in the afternoon that one was found at Franklin Parker Preserve in Burlco, I planned to go there early this morning. But when I got up and looked at my phone, I was stunned to see more reports, from all over the state, including Assunpink. I know Assunpink better than I do FPP and I figured it would be easier to determine yay or nay on the terns from the boat launch than at Parker. Besides, Assunpink probably offers a bigger variety of birds in case the terns were a one-day wonder.

The weather, no surprise, was foggy when I got to the lake. The dim silhouettes of lingering Ruddy Ducks were all I could make out with my scope. I decided to walk the road along the lake, hoping that the terns would be hunting either along the narrow stretch or at the east end. Along the way, I came across another birder who asked if I'd seen the terns. When I answered in the negative, he said he had seen one, with his scope, on the far shore of the lake by the dam. I was torn. Should I go back to the parking lot and try again based on a report from a birder I didn't know, or should I keep to my plan? I opted for the plan, which, of course, turned up no terns, but did get me a good look at a beautiful Scarlet Tanager. Indigo Buntings abounded.

I retraced my steps and got back to the boat launch. Before hauling out my scope, I scanned the lake with my binoculars. The fog had lifted, and it was just overcast. Suddenly I saw, in the distance, a tern. It flew about halfway across the lake and I could tell it was very gray and I could see the long streamers on its tail. Couldn't get anything on the beak. Another guy I know pulled up and we looked at the bird for a minute or so, fairly certain we had the bird. Then another one, out of nowhere, appeared. They both seemed to be going back to the north side of the lake, and when I scoped that side, I saw, on the berm, a host of birders. Then I knew we had the birds and knew where I was going next. 

Mr. Oblivious
Photo © Alex Bernzweig

A short drive and short walk brought me to the dam overlooking the outflow structure upon which one of the terns was roosting. Now I could get truly good looks at the bird and tick off all the field marks, including its short legs. Honestly, it is easier to tell an Arctic Tern from a Common Tern, than it is a Common Tern from a Forster's. I knew most of the people congregating on the dam. One of them, a good photographer, showed me a picture he'd just taken of the bird flying unnoticed right in front of oblivious me as I was walking along the shore.

Arctic Tern is a state bird for me. Why did I chase this state bird and not the recent Western Meadowlark at Brig? For one thing, I thought the odds of finding the tern were better than the meadowlark, which was hunkered down in an expanse of grass in one of Brig's impoundments and for another, if I saw an Arctic Tern, I would be pretty certain of its identity while the meadowlark, which looks almost identical to its eastern counterpart, would be an "if you say so" bird. In summary: Find tern, a good birding experience. Find meadowlark, not so much. 

We left the dam when the radar said a storm was approaching but after a brief shower, I decided to walk the fields of the Navigation Beacon in the vague hopes of coming across a chat. That field used to be a reliable spot for them, and Grasshopper Sparrows as well. The fields look cut down and recently burnt. I did come across some Brown Thrashers and an Orchard Oriole, so the walk wasn't completely unproductive. 

50 species for the day; aside from the senior moment I had in which I confused one birder with another (both, interestingly, followers of this blog), it was a good day, one that makes up for all those walks through bird-free zones.

Canada Goose  37
Mute Swan  1
Wood Duck  1
Mallard  2
Ruddy Duck  5     Main part of lake
Mourning Dove  2
Chimney Swift  1
Greater Yellowlegs  1     Flyover

Laughing Gull  10
Arctic Tern  2     
Double-crested Cormorant  2
Great Blue Heron  2
Green Heron  1     Flyover lake
Turkey Vulture  3
Osprey  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4

Northern Flicker 2
Merlin  1     Flyover berm
Eastern Kingbird  1
White-eyed Vireo  9
Warbling Vireo  1     Heard
Blue Jay  4  Heard
Carolina Chickadee  1     Heard
Tree Swallow  1

Barn Swallow  3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  1
House Wren  5
Carolina Wren  7     Heard
European Starling  1
Gray Catbird  30

Brown Thrasher  3

Northern Mockingbird  2
Eastern Bluebird  1     Heard
Wood Thrush  2     Heard
American Robin  13

House Sparrow  2
House Finch  1     Heard
Chipping Sparrow  3
Field Sparrow  8    
Song Sparrow  4
Eastern Towhee  7

Orchard Oriole   1
Red-winged Blackbird  80
Brown-headed Cowbird  6
Common Yellowthroat  24
Northern Parula  4     Heard
Yellow Warbler  3
Scarlet Tanager  1
Northern Cardinal 7
Indigo Bunting  10