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