Month & Year Wrap-up

Nothing is going to top the Crestwood Village Celebrity Bird this month or even this year. Astoundingly, the RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL continues in its little area of brush, hollies, and rhododendron, where at this juncture conservatively a thousand birders have parked on Wranglebrook Road and walked in the 1 1/2 blocks to see it.  They have been greeted kindly and even enthusiastically by the residents of that section of the village; I would have thought that by now they would be sick of the scopes, binoculars, and cameras and by association the bird itself, but they don't seem to be (for the most part, at least). Instead, it has been embraced to the extent that the board of trustees has decided to make the Bluetail the Crestwood Village 5 mascot and is sponsoring a contest to name it. I suggested "Harry" after the guy who originally photographed it in his backyard, but as the bird has been identified as female...Harriet just doesn't seem appropriate. 

With my aversion to crowds, it took me until the 30th to go back (with Mike) where it made a nice showing, but Shari has seen it twice while visiting our friends who happen to live directly across the street from where the stakeout hotspot pin has been placed.

It is inexplicable how this rarity of rarities wound up in our obscure little community, but as Myron Cohen once said, "Everybody's gotta be someplace." 

But at least that "someplace" is relatively convenient. I used to say to Shari that I dreaded a rare bird ever turning up in our backyard (something I no longer have to worry about, odds against being even longer now) because of the chaos that would presumably ensue. However, this bird turned up where the parking is convenient--had something like this occurred in our yard, I doubt a lot of birders would be willing to walk the whole quarter mile that we are from Schoolhouse Road. 

I read an article this week about a French street artist who goes by the name "Invader." He has cemented more than 4000 mosaics to buildings, bridges, pillars, subway stations, benches, railing, pipes and so forth in 172 cities in 32 countries. He calls them "invaders." He has also created a game, sort of an artistic Pokemon Go, in which you photograph ("flash") the mosaic and list it on the site. There is an even a list of top 100 "flashers" on the site, just like on eBird. The writer follows a group of people who travel from France through Switzerland to Slovenia, stopping at various sites and taking pictures of his invades. She makes them out as slightly crazed, eccentric nerds, who go to extreme lengths to find all 40 mosaics in the city they're visiting. Frankly, it didn't seem any sillier to me than doing a big day or chasing a little bird from Finland that happened to plunk down in the Pine Barrens.   

Since it looks likely that the bird will winter here, it seems obligatory that I put it on my 2024 list. As to the rest of the month, there has been a lot of rain of late, so my new pair of muck boots has been put to almost constant use. The cranberry bogs on Dover Road are flooded, Whitesbog has pools where I've never seen them and, combined with the busy beavers, bogs are overflowing, pouring swift currents onto roads. Ditto with Reeves Bogs where the water coming out of the bogs is so rapid that I've considered that I might get knocked over by the force of the stream. I have 115 birds for the month, a little better than last year. Despite the Bluetail, the Black-headed Gull at Barnegat Light, and the Townsend's Warbler at Eno's Pond, the bird rarity that pleased me most was the Dickcissel I found at the Dover Road cranberry bogs. Why? Because I found it myself.  

For the year, 368 species, boosted up our Oregon trip. Only 9 lifebirds for the year, 7 in Oregon, and 2 in New Jersey--the Bluetail and Cory's Shearwater off of Island Beach SP. In addition to those two, I added 3 more birds to the state list--Gray Kingbird at Barnegat Lighthouse SP, Sandwich Tern at Point Pleasant, and the Limpkin (which was the celebrity bird of November) in Manasquan, another unlikely locale, especially for a bird that lives on apple snails. 

Lists:
Month

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean
Species             First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Brant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Canada Goose   Whitesbog
Mute Swan   Assunpink WMA
Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Northern Shoveler   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Gadwall   Bunker Hill Bogs
American Wigeon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Mallard   GSP MM 88
American Black Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Ring-necked Duck   Butterfly Bogs WMA
Greater Scaup   Great Bay Blvd
Lesser Scaup   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Bufflehead   Whitesbog
Hooded Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Common Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Red-breasted Merganser   Waretown
Ruddy Duck   Whitesbog
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Pied-billed Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Horned Grebe   Great Bay Blvd
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
American Coot   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Black-bellied Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Killdeer   Jackson Liberty HS
Wilson's Snipe   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd
Dunlin   Great Bay Blvd
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Bonaparte's Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black-headed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ring-billed Gull   Crestwood Village
Herring Gull   Whitesbog
Great Black-backed Gull   Lake of the Lilies
Common Loon   Assunpink WMA
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Lake of the Lilies
Black-crowned Night Heron   Brig
Great Egret   Lake of the Lilies
Great Blue Heron   Colliers Mills WMA
White-faced Ibis   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Black Vulture     Wawa Rt. 72
Turkey Vulture   Manchester
Osprey   Eno's Pond Park
Northern Harrier   Assunpink WMA
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Eno's Pond Park
Cooper's Hawk   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
Bald Eagle   Eno's Pond Park
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Crestwood Village

Eastern Screech-Owl   Beach Avenue

Great Horned Owl   Beach Avenue
Belted Kingfisher   Assunpink WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Whitesbog
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
Merlin   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Blue Jay   Crestwood Village
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Assunpink WMA
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Jackson Liberty HS
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Assunpink WMA
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper   35 Sunset Rd
Winter Wren   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Toms River
Gray Catbird   Eno's Pond Park
Northern Mockingbird   Crestwood Village
Eastern Bluebird   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL   Crestwood Village
Cedar Waxwing   Cranberry Bogs
House Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Purple Finch   Eno's Pond Park
Pine Siskin   Whitesbog
American Goldfinch   Whitesbog
Snow Bunting   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Chipping Sparrow   Patriots County Park
Field Sparrow   Whitesbog
American Tree Sparrow   Whitesbog
Fox Sparrow   Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco   Whitesbog
White-crowned Sparrow   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Savannah Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Song Sparrow   Whitesbog
Swamp Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Towhee   Bunker Hill Bogs
Baltimore Oriole   Eno's Pond Park
Red-winged Blackbird   Assunpink WMA
Common Grackle   Sloop & Potter Creek Marshes
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Blvd
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Crestwood Village
Townsend's Warbler   Eno's Pond Park
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Dickcissel   Cranberry Bogs

Year

Species                                      First Sighting

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck   Cedar Point
Snow Goose   Holgate
Greater White-fronted Goose   Jackson Liberty HS
Brant   Sandy Hook
Canada Goose   Seven Presidents Park
Mute Swan   Bridge to Nowhere
Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Blue-winged Teal   Bombay Hook
Cinnamon Teal   Philomath Sewage Ponds
Northern Shoveler   Marshall's Pond
Gadwall   Ocean Acres Pond
Eurasian Wigeon   Marshall's Pond
American Wigeon   Marshall's Pond
Mallard   Sandy Hook
American Black Duck   Sandy Hook
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Canvasback   Brig
Redhead   Riley Pond
Ring-necked Duck   Manahawkin Lake
Greater Scaup   East Bay Av
Lesser Scaup   Lake of the Lilies
King Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Eider   Sandy Hook
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Sandy Hook
White-winged Scoter   Sandy Hook
Black Scoter   Island Beach SP
Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook
Bufflehead   Sandy Hook
Common Goldeneye   Sandy Hook
Hooded Merganser   Bridge to Nowhere
Common Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Red-breasted Merganser   Sandy Hook
Ruddy Duck   East Bay Av
California Quail   Philomath Sewage Ponds
Wild Turkey   Jumping Brook Preserve
Pied-billed Grebe   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Horned Grebe   Sandy Hook
Eared Grebe   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Western Grebe   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Clark's Grebe   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River
Band-tailed Pigeon   Reeher CCC Camp
Eurasian Collared-Dove   NW Salzwedel Rd
Mourning Dove Cedar Bridge Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Cranberry Bogs
Common Nighthawk   Double Trouble SP
Chuck-will's-widow   Collinstown Road
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Cranberry Bogs
Vaux's Swift   Country Inn
White-throated Swift   Fort Rock SP
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Black-chinned Hummingbird   Summer Lake Rest Area
Anna's Hummingbird   Summer Lake Rest Area
Rufous Hummingbird   Reeher CCC Camp
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Blvd
Virginia Rail   Beach Ave
Sora   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
American Coot   Lake of the Lilies
Limpkin   Manasquan
Sandhill Crane   Cascade Lakes Hwy
Black-necked Stilt   Brig
American Avocet   Bombay Hook
American Oystercatcher   Holgate
Black Oystercatcher   Haystack Rock
Black-bellied Plover   Sandy Hook
Killdeer   Lake Barnegat
Semipalmated Plover   Island Beach SP
Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Snowy Plover   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Upland Sandpiper   Reed Sod Farm
Whimbrel   Brig
Bar-tailed Godwit   Brig
Marbled Godwit   Holgate
Short-billed Dowitcher   Bombay Hook
Long-billed Dowitcher   Lake Barnegat
American Woodcock   Budd's Bogs
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Wilson's Phalarope   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Red-necked Phalarope   Brig
Spotted Sandpiper   IBSP Marina
Solitary Sandpiper   Manasquan River WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Island Beach SP
Willet   Great Bay Blvd
Greater Yellowlegs   Bridge to Nowhere
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
BLACK TURNSTONE   Seaside Cove
Red Knot   Great Bay Blvd
SURFBIRD   Seaside Cove
Stilt Sandpiper   Brig
Buff-breasted Sandpiper   Reed Sod Farm
Sanderling   Sandy Hook
Dunlin   Holgate
Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet
Baird's Sandpiper   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
White-rumped Sandpiper   Cedar Bonnet Island
Least Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pectoral Sandpiper   Brig
Western Sandpiper   Necanicum Estuary
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Parasitic Jaeger   Island Beach SP
Rhinoceros Auklet   Seal Rock
Tufted Puffin   Haystack Rock
Marbled Murrelet   Seal Rock
Pigeon Guillemot   Haystack Rock
Razorbill   Sandy Hook
Dovekie   Island Beach SP
Common Murre   Manasquan Inlet
Bonaparte's Gull   Sandy Hook
Black-headed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull   Island Beach SP--Reed's Road
Franklin's Gull   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Heermann's Gull   Seaside Cove
Ring-billed Gull   Wawa South Toms River
Western Gull   Necanicum Estuary
Herring Gull   Sandy Hook
Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
California Gull   Cascade Locks
Glaucous-winged Gull   Cascade Locks
Black Skimmer   Brig
Least Tern   Brig
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Caspian Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Black Tern   Silver Lake
Forster's Tern   IBSP Marina
Common Tern   Brig
Roseate Tern   IBSP Marina
Sandwich Tern   Baltimore Avenue
Royal Tern   Shark River Inlet
Red-throated Loon   Sandy Hook
Pacific Loon   Seal Rock
Common Loon   Sandy Hook
Wilson's Storm-Petrel   Manasquan Inlet
CORY'S SHEARWATER   Island Beach SP
Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook
Brandt's Cormorant   Haystack Rock
Pelagic Cormorant   Seaside Cove
Great Cormorant   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   East Bay Av
American White Pelican   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
American Bittern   Manahawkin WMA
Least Bittern   Reeves Bogs
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Shelter Cove Park
Snowy Egret   Island Beach SP
Green Heron   Pond on Schoolhouse Road
Great Egret   Bridge to Nowhere
Great Blue Heron   Beach Ave
White Ibis   Ocean City Welcome Center
Glossy Ibis   Bombay Hook
White-faced Ibis   Meadowedge Park
Black Vulture   Crestwood Village
Turkey Vulture   Sandy Hook
Osprey   Cattus Island County Park
Golden Eagle   Brothers
Northern Harrier   Bridge to Nowhere
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Cattus Island County Park
Cooper's Hawk   Ridge av
Bald Eagle   Beach Ave
Red-shouldered Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere
Broad-winged Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Swainson's Hawk   Fort Rock
Red-tailed Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere
Rough-legged Hawk   BC Fairgrounds
Ferruginous Hawk   Silver Lake
Eastern Screech-Owl   Beach Ave
Great Horned Owl   Beach Ave
Barred Owl   Beach Ave
Long-eared Owl   Imlaystown Rd
Short-eared Owl   Manahawkin WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Bridge to Nowhere
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Stafford
Red-breasted Sapsucker   Marys River Park
Lewis's Woodpecker   Whispering Pine Campground
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Acorn Woodpecker   NW Salzwedel Rd
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere
BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER   McKenzie Hwy
Downy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere
Hairy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere
WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER   Sisters Tie Trail
Northern Flicker   Manahawkin WMA
American Kestrel   Budd’s Bogs
Merlin   Budd’s Bogs
Peregrine Falcon   Manasquan Inlet
Olive-sided Flycatcher   Reeher CCC Camp
Western Wood-Pewee   NW Salzwedel Rd
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Double Trouble SP
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher   Whitesbog
Acadian Flycatcher   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Willow Flycatcher   Cranberry Bogs
Least Flycatcher   Jumping Brook Preserve
Hammond's Flycatcher   Forest Service Road 5590
Gray Flycatcher   Cabin Lake
Dusky Flycatcher   Santiam Hwy
Western Flycatcher   Reeher CCC Camp
Black Phoebe   Philomath Sewage Ponds
Eastern Phoebe   Cranberry Bogs
Great Crested Flycatcher   Manasquan River WMA
Western Kingbird   McKenzie Hwy
Eastern Kingbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Kingbird   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Hutton's Vireo   Reeher CCC Camp
Yellow-throated Vireo   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
CASSIN'S VIREO   Marys River Park
Blue-headed Vireo   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Cedar Bonnet Island
Loggerhead Shrike   Fort Rock SP
Canada Jay   NW Cochran Rd
Pinyon Jay   Cabin Lake
Steller's Jay   NW Cochran Rd
Blue Jay   Wawa South Toms River
California Scrub-Jay   Radisson Hotel Lake
Black-billed Magpie   Three Sisters Viewpoint
Clark's Nutcracker   McKenzie Hwy
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   New Egypt
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   Bridge to Nowhere
Black-capped Chickadee   Sandy Hook
Mountain Chickadee   Best Western Lot
Chestnut-backed Chickadee   Reeher CCC Camp
Tufted Titmouse   Bridge to Nowhere
Horned Lark   Sandy Hook
Bank Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA
Tree Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Violet-green Swallow   Radisson Hotel Lake
Purple Martin   Jakes Branch County Park
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Great Bay Blvd
Barn Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake
Wrentit   Cummins Peak Rd
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Sandy Hook
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Pygmy Nuthatch   Best Western Lot
Brown-headed Nuthatch   Big Stone Beach Rd.
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Bridge to Nowhere
Brown Creeper   Budd’s Bogs
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Cranberry Bogs
Rock Wren   Picture Rock Pass
Canyon Wren   Picture Rock Pass
House Wren   Cranberry Bogs
PACIFIC WREN   Ellmaker SP
Winter Wren   Bridge to Nowhere
Sedge Wren   Beach Ave
Marsh Wren   Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
Bewick's Wren   Cummins Peak Rd
American Dipper   NW Cochran Rd
European Starling   Wawa South Toms River
Gray Catbird   Manahawkin WMA
Brown Thrasher   Manahawkin WMA
Sage Thrasher   Fort Rock SP
Northern Mockingbird   Wawa South Toms River
Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog
Western Bluebird   Round Top summit
Mountain Bluebird   Fremont Hwy,
Townsend's Solitaire   Round Top summit
Varied Thrush   Forest Service Road 5500
Veery   Manasquan River WMA
Gray-cheeked Thrush   Island Beach SP
Swainson's Thrush   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Hermit Thrush   Bridge to Nowhere
Wood Thrush   Double Trouble SP
American Robin   Sandy Hook
RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL   Crestwood Village
Cedar Waxwing   Island Beach SP
House Sparrow   Wawa South Toms River
American Pipit   Whitesbog
Evening Grosbeak   NW Cochran Rd
House Finch   Sisters
Purple Finch   Eno's Pond Park
Cassin's Finch   McKenzie Hwy
Red Crossbill   Stafford Forge WMA
Pine Siskin   Cascade Lakes Hwy
Lesser Goldfinch   Best Western Lot
American Goldfinch   Stafford
Lapland Longspur   Sandy Hook
Snow Bunting   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Grasshopper Sparrow   Laurel Run Park
Chipping Sparrow   Ocean County Fairgrounds
Clay-colored Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Field Sparrow   Assunpink WMA
Brewer's Sparrow   Fort Rock SP
Lark Sparrow   Island Beach SP
American Tree Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere
Fox Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Dark-eyed Junco   Stafford
White-crowned Sparrow   Hancock Field
Harris's Sparrow   Hancock Field
White-throated Sparrow   Stafford
SAGEBRUSH SPARROW   Fort Rock
Vesper Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Seaside Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Nelson's Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Lincoln's Sparrow   Union Transportation Trail
Swamp Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere
Green-tailed Towhee   Trout Creek Butte Rd
Spotted Towhee   Reeher CCC Camp
Eastern Towhee   Budd’s Bogs
Yellow-breasted Chat   Assunpink WMA
Yellow-headed Blackbird   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Bobolink   Cedar Bonnet Island
Western Meadowlark   Silver Lake
Eastern Meadowlark   Budd’s Bogs
Orchard Oriole   Jumping Brook Preserve
Baltimore Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-winged Blackbird   Bridge to Nowhere
Brown-headed Cowbird   Ridge av
Rusty Blackbird   Budd’s Bogs
Brewer's Blackbird   Cascade Locks
Common Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere
Boat-tailed Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere
Ovenbird   Whitesbog
Louisiana Waterthrush   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Northern Waterthrush   Cedar Bonnet Island
Blue-winged Warbler   Manasquan River WMA
Black-and-white Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Prothonotary Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Orange-crowned Warbler   Forest Service Road 2690,
Nashville Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Connecticut Warbler   Island Beach SP
MacGillivray's Warbler   Reeher CCC Camp
Kentucky Warbler   Island Beach SP
Common Yellowthroat   Colliers Mills WMA
Hooded Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
American Redstart   Double Trouble SP
Cape May Warbler   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Cerulean Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Northern Parula   Cedar Bonnet Island
Magnolia Warbler   Island Beach SP
Bay-breasted Warbler   Island Beach SP
Blackburnian Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Yellow Warbler   Meadowedge Park
Chestnut-sided Warbler   Island Beach SP
Blackpoll Warbler   Island Beach SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Island Beach SP
Palm Warbler   Jumping Brook Preserve
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Sandy Hook
Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)
Townsend's Warbler   Eno's Pond Park
Hermit Warbler   Reeher CCC Camp
Black-throated Green Warbler   Island Beach SP
Canada Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Wilson's Warbler   NW Cochran Rd
Scarlet Tanager   Island Beach SP
Western Tanager   Crestwood Village
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP
Black-headed Grosbeak   Reeher CCC Camp
Blue Grosbeak   Manasquan River WMA
Indigo Bunting   IBSP Marina
Dickcissel   Island Beach SP 

Barnegat Lighthouse SP 12/16--Black-headed Gull

The only thing I like about winter is the second chance I get at birds I missed earlier in the year. I didn't get up to Manasquan Inlet early in the year to check off Black-headed Gull, which seems to appear annually up there. I don't remember why I didn't go, but it probably had something to do with not enjoying standing around on a jetty in a cold wind. So this week, when I saw that one had been reported at Barnegat Lighthouse, I decided that I may as well get over there before the year runs out on me. Besides, it would be a new patch bird for the park. 

I have some friends who like nothing more than to stand in one spot and scan big flocks of gulls, looking for the oddity. But I don't. At least I knew where the gull had been spotted--in the relatively new Plover Pond back where there used to be only dunes. When I climbed over the embankment I was glad to see that there were only about a dozen or so Bonaparte Gulls in the pond. Since a Black-headed Gull looks very much like a Bonaparte's I knew it would probably be short work in either finding the bird or shrugging my shoulders. The little flock of Bonaparte's did not yield the desired bird. But there seem to be a few more of these little gulls scattered around the pond. I scoped each one and, as the proverb goes, what you are looking for will be in the last place you look, when I found a gull with a bicolored bill, I stopped searching. It was on the other side of the pond. I walked over and managed a few pictures. Then the Bonies from the other side of the pond flew over. When I looked up from reviewing my photos on the back of the camera, the Black-headed was gone. 20+ Bonaparte's and no Black-headed. It had flown to the west end of the pond--apparently it doesn't enjoy the company of its American cousins. 

And I found it by myself, which is always a satisfaction. I walked around the pond & out to the ocean, where I stepped up on the jetty, just to get an obligatory look at the Harlequin Ducks and Purple Sandpipers that are the Barnegat Lighthouse spécialités. I walked along the beach and scoped the ocean a few times, coming up with a decent number of duck species--not huge numbers, but enough to keep me interested. Just as I walked back to the pond area, I flushed a big flock of Snow Buntings. Climbing up onto the embankment that runs along the pond I looked again for the Black-headed and found it, this time across water, on the sand--again, all by itself. Very unsociable. 

I listed 26 species for my 3 hours there. Looking at the lists of other birders today, I'm way short of them both in number of species and, in many cases, the numbers of birds. But I don't walk to the end of the jetty anymore. Not worth risking my skull or my optics for a couple of more ducks. 

Brant  100
Canada Goose  50
Mallard  31
American Black Duck  3
Lesser Scaup  5     Plover pond
Harlequin Duck  7
Surf Scoter  2
Black Scoter  4
Long-tailed Duck  3
Bufflehead  40
Red-breasted Merganser  9
Black-bellied Plover  1
Dunlin  25
Purple Sandpiper  4
Bonaparte's Gull  25
Black-headed Gull  1     
Ring-billed Gull  2
Herring Gull  300
Great Black-backed Gull  7
Common Loon  6
Great Cormorant  1
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  1     Plover Pond
Snow Bunting  25
Song Sparrow  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1

Eno's Pond Park 12/12--Townsend's Warbler

© Steve Weiss
Many thanks for permission to use. 

For the third time in an as many weeks, I went down to Eno's Pond Park, a relatively obscure park in Forked River where the front end is a county park and the back part a section of Forsythe NWR. It is the front part, a lawn and paved path just before the woods, where 2 Townsend's Warblers have been hanging out, one a male and the other either an immature male or a female (they look similar).  The normal range for these birds is out west. On Sunday, I'd spent 4 hours walking around this very small park in intermittent rain and drizzle looking for either one of these birds without any luck, although I did see my first Purple Finches of the year, as well as a very late Osprey & Baltimore Oriole. When I arrived, I met a photographer/birder I know who'd seen the male around a half hour before. He pointed out the area, maybe half a football field away. I resigned myself to staring into cedars and waiting. 

At least on Sunday there were a lot of birds to sort through including dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers, each of which had to be glassed as one of them could actually be the Townsend's. Today's activity was not nearly as lively. Other birders and photographers appeared, and I paced back and forth with them for about an hour, which is stretching the limits of my patience. The Osprey flew overhead, so I had one rare bird to report, but then I decided to go toward the entrance of the park where I'd spent most of Sunday, just to find some birds, tired as I was at staring at cedar trees. When I got toward the parking lot, Steve showed up, so I walked back through the lawn with him, hoping my luck would change. But I couldn't bear just standing there anymore, so the wacky idea of actually walking into the cedar grove occurred to me. I didn't walk in more than 20 feet when I saw and heard some action in the trees--yellow-rumps, naturally, as well as a titmouse chattering. I looked at the 5 or 6 yellow-rump above me when one of them, in a skinny cedar was not a yellow-rump but, finally, the male Townsend's with its very distinct black mask and heavy barring on the flanks. I called for the group, but the bird moved off, leaving in its wake a Blue-headed Vireo which everyone else managed to see but all I got was a non-countable silhouette for a brief second. 

I hate when, on rare occasions, I'm the only one to spot the bird. Even though I'm positive of my sighting, I still feel both like a phony and undeservedly lucky, so I was happy & relieved when after about another half hour (I just couldn't bring myself to leave), Steve spotted the warbler high up in some cedars, on the left side of the path that goes into the wooded section of the park. It wasn't too far away from where I'd made my initial sighting and in the direction that both the Townsend's and vireo had gone. Steve again saw the vireo and Larry again missed it, but we all did get much better, if brief looks, at the Townsend's. Steve kindly provided the photograph above, since I don't do well at multi-tasking. My camera is way too slow to photograph a flitting warbling at a distance.

I thought this was just a county lifer and state year bird, assuming that I'd seen the species on our Oregon trip but it turns out that while I did have a have a few western warblers on the trip, I missed Townsend's a couple of times, so this turned out to be year bird too. 

It's a Townsend's Warbler for the time being, but since the American Ornithological Society has resolved to rename all "eponymous species" this bird will eventually have a new "common" name. Ostensibly, the rationale is that an eponymous common name tells you nothing about the species whereas something like "Black-and-white Warbler" does, but that is a very thin reed since it is hard to see the red belly of a Red-bellied Woodpecker, virtually no one has ever seen the orange crown of an Orange-crowned Warbler, and many, many species have place names that are wildly irrelevant to the bird like Cape May Warbler, Philadelphia Vireo, or Carolina Wren.  The real reason is "inclusiveness" because a lot of these birds have been named after people whose lives we don't approve of anymore. (Townsend, from what I can tell, led a relatively blameless and impoverished life--although he did study to be a dentist so I can imagine someone hating him for that--but he never practiced.) It is hard for me to imagine someone developing an aversion to birding because of the names of birds--bird names are just sounds after a while--it's hard enough to distinguish a Cooper's Hawk from a Sharp-shinned without worrying about who Cooper was. 

So I was wondering today what the Townsend's new name might be. Black-masked Warbler? Black-striped Yellow Warbler? Sometimes the binomial scientific names are descriptions of the bird, but in this case it is no help since the scientific name for Townsend's Warbler is Setophaga townsendii. And there's the irony. Since the real name is the binomial, and since the binomial is sacrosanct, the birds will still retain their bad guy eponyms in many cases. 

Example: 

McCown's Longspur. McCown was a confederate officer and Native American killer who happened to come upon this species in the west while taking a break from his genocidal activities and had it named for him. Recently the name was changed to the descriptive Thick-billed Longspur. Good, it does have a very heavy beak. However, the binomial scientific name: Rhynchophanes mccownii. If you bother to translate that into English it means McCown's Thick-billed Longspur. The name isn't really changed at all. So if this isn't patronizing, I don't know what is--what the AOS is essentially saying is--get interested in birds, but don't study them too hard, or you might find how what they're really called. 

Manasquan Reservoir 12/8--White-faced Ibis (Monmouth County Bird)

Yesterday, the Mayor of Assunpink asked me if I "had" White-faced Ibis for the year, because there was one at Manasquan Reservoir that had originally been identified as a Glossy Ibis. A Glossy Ibis this late would be very unusual, but a White-faced Ibis, in Monmouth County, in December, is just weird. I told him that actually, I did have the species this year, at Meadowedge Park in Barnegat. Birding is sort of like collecting baseball cards--Do you have a Willie Mays? How about a Pete Rose? 

But then I got to thinking that I didn't have a White-faced Ibis in Monmouth County. In fact, practically no one did, because this was only the second report of the species in that county, and the first one was inaccessible, it being on a private golf course. So, this morning, with the forecast for cold but calm weather (hate the wind off the water), I went up the reservoir. 

I had an idea of where the bird was but when I looked there, I had no luck. Oh well, I'll just walk the perimeter, five miles around, and find what I find. I like all the ducks, coots, and grebes there. Coming back to my car to put away my scope I ran into another birder who was also on the quest. He told me the bird had been reported recently, so I doubled back with him. Still, no luck, until another guy, looking for the bird, read a text from some alert app that the bird was near the Chestnut Point parking lot. Not far, but not where we were. So, since my new acquaintance didn't know where that was and I did, we walked up there together. We were approaching the causeway when suddenly the bird flew up and around us and landed in the little cove in front of us. The light was bad but an ibis has a distinct silhouette so there was the bird. If you had asked me what it was, I'd have said glossy because that's the default species, and it's hard enough to tell a White-faced Ibis from a Glossy when the light is good. I took some photos, which would prove nothing, but this was an "if you say so" bird anyway. 

Happy that he'd gotten his bird, my new friend and I shook hands--he went back to work, and I started the loop around the reservoir. By the time I got almost all the way around, I ticked off more than 30 species. I was back to where I originally had started when I saw my friends Bob & Bruce peering into the low water. "You're in the wrong place," I told them and they said, "No, it's right there." Sure enough, the bird had move yet again, and this time was in decent light. I still wouldn't have called it a White-faced Ibis--I guess, looking at my photos, I could convince myself that the eye is red and that legs are faintly pink, but again, if you say so. 

After a while we had our fill of the bird and started walking back to the parking lot. It was time, I thought, for me to get home, but then we saw Scott coming down the path. Scott had originally looked at the pictures of the bird and determined that it wasn't a glossy and now he was there to get the bird in person and onto his list. Except the directions, as they almost always are, were confusing. Good thing we were there to show him the way. We found the bird again and Scott...said so. 

Lots of out of place birds this season...Limpkin, White-faced Ibis, the common rarity of the Trumpeter Swans at Assunpink, and of course, the Red-flanked Bluetail which persists 1 mile from here and has attracted birds from near and far--Maine, Michigan, Maryland...hundreds of birders walking the winding streets of Internment Camp #5 to the bemusement of fellow villagers. 

My list for Manasquan Reservoir today:

33 species
Canada Goose  140
Mute Swan  5
Northern Shoveler  5
American Wigeon  2
Mallard  105
American Black Duck  100
Lesser Scaup  3
Bufflehead  15
Hooded Merganser  30
Common Merganser  1
Ruddy Duck  60
Pied-billed Grebe  5
Rock Pigeon  55
American Coot  100
Ring-billed Gull  10
Great Blue Heron  1
White-faced Ibis  1     
Belted Kingfisher  3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1     Heard Wetlands #2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  5
Downy Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Merlin  1     Cove trail
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  1
Carolina Chickadee  5
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Carolina Wren  5
American Goldfinch  1
White-throated Sparrow  25
Song Sparrow  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2

Crestwood Village 12/6--RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL

RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL
© Josh Gant (many thanks)

Last night, late, I got a text from a birder friend asking me if I knew someone who lived in Crestwood Village who had just posted a pic, on Facebook, where I have no account, of a RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL. 

To which I responded: WHAT?

To which she responded: Exactly.

Now, the address given is exactly 1.1 miles from this house. What are the odds of me seeing a life bird, from Eurasia, 1.1 miles from my house? Well, I can't calculate those odds, but they are enormous. I don't really like to chase birds, but this Old World flycatcher made the recent Limpkin in Monmouth look like a House Sparrow. I have to say, I spent an agitated night trying to sleep. 

Crestwood Village is not a birding mecca. The resident who listed it, didn't realize the rarity of the bird. He wasn't expecting the hordes of birders that showed up there this morning. I didn't even bother driving there, but left the house just before dawn and walked over, arriving just at a cloudy sunrise. And for the next 2 something hours, spent time walking up and down the winding streets of Village 5, looking for a little gray bird (this is a female) with red flanks. More and more eyes showed up. At one point, so intent was I on the search, that when a charcoal Subaru pulled up, I didn't even recognize it as our car. Shari, whose recovery is going well, had driven over in case the bird showed up. It happens that the bird's location was across the street from one our friends' house, so we told her to be on the lookout for the bird too. I was pretty far up Spring St with my birder friend when we got the word that the bird had been located again. I don't run. I ran. I ran around the block and the bird had skulked away. 

But it didn't seem to have gone far in the hedge row that separated the houses on Spring & Juniper. Occasional quick sightings were made, and I had a perfect streak of missing them. When I was on Spring, it was seen from Juniper. When I was on Juniper...

I was getting frustrated and cold on Juniper listening to conflicting directions about where you couldn't see the bird, but it was there, when Shari texted me from Spring that she had seen the bird. I ran, again. More confusing instructions until, somehow, probably randomly, my binoculars landed on the bird, about a foot off the ground. With frozen fingers, an overcast sky, and a jumpy bird, I didn't even attempt to take a photo. However, Josh Gant & Peggy Cadigan were kind enough to share their photos with me (and you). 

© Peggy Cadigan
Peggy, a much more dedicated birder than me, stayed for hours until she was able to get this photo

Maybe the bird will stick around (there was one in California, I'm informed, that stuck for months) and I'll wander over there again. Happily, the neighborhood hasn't produced any "get off my lawn" people, but then, happily, everyone has been respectful of property, so far. The bird can be seen from the street. 

And, as it always does when a rarity like this shows up in a completely unexpected locale, it makes me wonder how many rare birds are overlooked on lawns, in bushes, on roadsides by people who don't know or don't care. Who would have recognized the Mississippi Kites that nested in Waretown if a birder hadn't happened to live across the street? And how did the bird get here? No storm seems to have blown it over, like the lapwings of New Egypt, 10 years ago. Maybe it hitched a ride on a boat and flew south from Port Newark. We'll never know. Now. If it can only stay out of the talons of a Cooper's Hawk. 

November in Review--A Make-do Month

Or catch as catch can, not to be confused with Ketchikan in Alaska. Because my uxorious duties came first this month, ferrying Shari to doctor appointments, physical therapy, and outings to friends, as well as staying close to home to assist her with quotidian tasks, I had to squeeze in my birding with make do spots, like the pond on Stonybrook, or the Whiting WMA behind the house. Even when I felt comfortable enough to leave her, early in the morning, I didn't want to stray too far from home in case I had to get back fast (which, happily, never happened). 

Hooded Mergansers, Pond on Stonybrook

Belted Kingfisher, Pond on Stonybrook

Great Egret, Pond on Stonybrook

So, I found my amusements where I could, whether it was Hooded Mergansers, a late Great Egret, and a Belted Kingfisher on the Stonybrook retention pond, or fighting young tom turkeys this afternoon in the back yard. Of the four year-birds added this month, the most spectacular was New Jersey's first Limpkin, which I was lucky enough to see just two days before the Monmouth SPCA determined it was malnourished (no apple snails hereabouts) and dehydrated and brought it to an avian rehabilitator. (What the rehabilitator will do if the bird gets well is an open question. I doubt there are funds to fly it back to Florida. Mike's suggestion was to donate it to a zoo.)

Young toms fighting in the backyard.

But the bird that pleased me the most was the American Pipit I found one morning last week at Whitesbog on the dam between the Lower & Middle Bogs. I was driving along when I saw a bird in front of me bobbing its tail. My first thought was Palm Warbler (tail bobbing) but I immediately saw it was too big and not yellow and said "Pipit" to myself just as it flew away, flashing its white outer tail feathers. I go long periods between pipit sightings, and to find one "on my own" is much more pleasurable than having it pointed out to me, or, more typically, have its call identified as it zips overhead. 

The dearth of waterfowl at Whitesbog, Reeves Bogs, Double Trouble, and Colliers Mills has been extremely disappointing, and the tiny numbers of Tundra Swans disturbing. I found I was only listing about half the number of species that I would expect of whatever kind of bird in all these places. Even our feeders have not been very active of late. So, with those conditions, it doesn't surprise me that my 107 species this month is the lowest November number I've had since 2012, and back then, I'd skip a day or two of birding. 

Counties birded: Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species   First Sighting
Brant   Island Beach SP
Canada Goose   Berkeley Island County Park
Mute Swan   Wrangle Brook
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Shoveler   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Gadwall   Colliers Mills WMA
Mallard   Horicon Lake
American Black Duck   Double Trouble SP
Green-winged Teal   Double Trouble SP
Canvasback   Whitesbog
Ring-necked Duck   Whitesbog
Black Scoter   Island Beach SP
Bufflehead   Colliers Mills WMA
Hooded Merganser   Crestwood Village
Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck   Whitesbog
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Ring-necked Pheasant   Colliers Mills WMA
Pied-billed Grebe   Whitesbog
Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River
Mourning Dove   Berkeley Island County Park
American Coot   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Limpkin   Manasquan
Killdeer   Horicon Lake
Greater Yellowlegs   Cranberry Bogs
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Dunlin   Island Beach SP
Pectoral Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Parasitic Jaeger   Island Beach SP
Bonaparte's Gull   Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull   Berkeley Island County Park
Ring-billed Gull   Monmouth Medical Center
Herring Gull   Berkeley Island County Park
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP
Royal Tern   Island Beach SP
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Berkeley Island County Park
Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Berkeley Island County Park
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Berkeley Island County Park
Black Vulture   Crestwood Village
Turkey Vulture   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Northern Harrier   Island Beach SP
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Island Beach SP
Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Bald Eagle   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Rough-legged Hawk   BC Fairgrounds
Great Horned Owl   35 Sunset Rd
Belted Kingfisher   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Double Trouble SP
Northern Flicker   Double Trouble SP
Merlin   Island Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Double Trouble SP
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   BC Fairgrounds
Common Raven   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Colliers Mills WMA
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Double Trouble SP
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Island Beach SP
Brown Creeper   35 Sunset Rd
Winter Wren   Double Trouble SP
Carolina Wren   Double Trouble SP
European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Catbird   Island Beach SP
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   Berkeley Island County Park
Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA
Hermit Thrush   Double Trouble SP
American Robin   Double Trouble SP
Cedar Waxwing   Colliers Mills WMA
House Sparrow   Monmouth Medical Center
American Pipit   Whitesbog
House Finch   Berkeley Island County Park
Pine Siskin   Cranberry Bogs
American Goldfinch   Colliers Mills WMA
Chipping Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Field Sparrow   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Dark-eyed Junco   Berkeley Island County Park
White-throated Sparrow   Berkeley Island County Park
Savannah Sparrow   Double Trouble SP
Song Sparrow   Berkeley Island County Park
Swamp Sparrow   Berkeley Island County Park
Eastern Towhee   Double Trouble SP
Eastern Meadowlark   BC Fairgrounds
Baltimore Oriole   Eno's Pond
Red-winged Blackbird   Berkeley Island County Park
Brown-headed Cowbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Grackle   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Yellowthroat   Island Beach SP
Palm Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Pine Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Northern Cardinal   Double Trouble SP

Kvetching

It is better to light one candle

Than to curse the darkness...

But not as much fun.

Manasquan 11/15--Limpkin

On one shoulder, Rational Larry kept whispering in my ear, "It's just a bird. It's not a life bird. You've seen plenty of them." On the other shoulder, Birder Larry (a.k.a Irrational Larry), was shouting, "It's a GREAT bird. FIRST in the fricking state! It's only 23 miles away!" They were both talking about the Limpkin, of course, which was first found on Sunday, then seen by multitudes the last couple of days while I stuck close to home as Shari recovers from knee surgery. 

There seems to be two schools of thought on this bird. Some people report that it doesn't look well and just stands around without eating. Others, including me this afternoon, saw it constantly picking at the ground, presumably eating.  What it is eating is another question, since its main food source in Florida is apple snails of which there is a dearth in New Jersey. Worms? Slugs? Whatever it's eating, there must be a lot of them in that neighborhood in Manasquan because for the fourth day the Limpkin was still around. So, when Shari's friend came to visit around noon, Birder Larry said hello/goodbye and drove 45 minutes up Routes 70 & 35 to see if he could add this bird to his Year/Monmouth County/New Jersey lists. 

The bird, I was glad to hear, had moved from the backyards of the neighborhood (I hate walking around a residential neighborhood looking for a bird, even if the homeowners are friendly) and to a field very close to Route 35. In fact, 100 more feet and the bird would've been in the middle of the highway. I made a right off the highway and immediately saw two birders with scope and camera, looking and shooting, so I knew I'd at least see the bird. I didn't think the bird would be right in front of me when I crossed the street. It seemed to have no fear or interest in onlookers, as it constantly picked at the soil. I knew one of the birders, otherwise I probably wouldn't have stayed there as long as I did--7 minutes. It is a great bird, it is a great addition to the lists, but, that was driving, not birding.  

As to the Western Cattle Egret seen nearby at the National Guard Training Center, no thanks, seen plenty of Cattle Egrets in my time (though not since they got split into Western & Eastern species). As to the Sage Thrasher at Brig--it would be a good addition to the Jersey list, but it's not even a year bird (Oregon) and, under the circumstances, just too far. 

Whitesbog 11/13--Canvasback (Patch Bird)

Canvasback, Union Pond

For the last week I have been, as my ex-Marine friend would say, "confined to quarters," attending to Shari after her knee replacement surgery. (A note of advice: Take care of your knees. The recovery from this surgery involves excruciating pain. "Some discomfort" my ass.) Aside from trips to CVS for her drugs and Wawa for ice, I haven't been able to leave the house, so my birding has been limited to our backyard, but today I was able to get out for a bit and go to Whitesbog. I wanted to see if the Tundra Swans had come back yet. The answer is a qualified "yes" as there was only one swan in the lower bog. As the sixth law of birding states: "You only need one," but that is a disappointing number for this time of year.

However, I did add a patch bird to my list. Since, aside from my backyard, I have more lists from Whitesbog (both sides, Burlington and Ocean Counties combined) than any other spot, this is not an insignificant event. It was also my 200th bird for the combined patch list. I intended to just walk around Union Pond given my limited time. I was on the dam between it and the Middle Bog when a guy (who had used "my" parking spot at the double-laned road) stopped and asked me why no birds were singing. I was explaining that most birds don't sing in November, when I saw that the white lump in the middle of the pond was not just a weird reflection, but the body of a Canvasback. I told him I couldn't talk to him anymore as there was a rare duck in the water and walked to the edge to get a better look. Canvasbacks aren't really rare in Burlington, but they are scarce at Whitesbog. I didn't know it at the time, but this one turned up yesterday. I haven't been keeping track of the birds around lately--why torture myself?--so this duck was a complete surprise to me. I was able to get a doc shot of the duck. I then walked around the pond to the other side, hoping for a better angle. I should have known better, since I was facing into the sun then, but, I did see a large flock of Ring-necked Ducks from that side, with the Canvasback, in the silly phrase often used on eBird, "loosely associating" with them. I guess that is supposed to indicate that the duck was more or less in the vicinity of the flock of its aythya cousins. At one point the whole flock got up and flew briefly, and the huge Canvasback, compared to the Ring-necks, was obvious. Also, "loosely associating" with a flock of American Goldfinches on the back side of the pond and in Ditch Meadow, were a few Pine Siskins, my first of the year in Burlco. So, in all, a productive 65 minutes before I had to leave to buy more ice at Wawa, even if my count was a mere 19 species.

Tundra Swan  1
Mallard  2
Canvasback  1    
Ring-necked Duck  35
Bufflehead  3
Ruddy Duck  8     Middle Bog
Pied-billed Grebe  1
Killdeer  1
Bald Eagle  2
Northern Flicker  1
American Crow  3
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Hermit Thrush  2
Pine Siskin  3     
American Goldfinch  15
Dark-eyed Junco  1
Song Sparrow  2

Tundra Swan, Lower Bog

My Latest Favorite Bird Names

Sometimes I just hit the "Surprise Me" button on the species pages of eBird to get a random bird. I might find all the funny names of cisticolas (bubbling, chattering, chirping, churring, croaking, etc. all the way to zitting) or species like the Inaccessible Island Finch or the Inaccessible Island Rail which leads one to wonder how anyone ever found them if they're so inaccessible. 

Perplexing Scrubwren was a recent favorite of mine but the two best, so far, have to be:

Mysterious Starling

Conservation status: Extinct

Invisible Rail

Number of sightings: 0

BC Fairgrounds 11/5--Rough-legged Hawk

I have been informed that
this is actually a Red-tailed Hawk.
However, I did see the real
Rough-legged in flight later

The universe went back into sync the other day when a Rough-legged Hawk showed up at the Burlington County Fairgrounds. Every year the grasslands of the former Mercer Sod Farm hosts this tundra breeding species, but this winter, one didn't show up. The Fairgrounds are where Shari & I got our lifer Rough-leg, after numerous trips, and almost every year since then, I've stopped by to find one, a kind of sentimental journey. 

This morning, early, I made the trip out there and immediately ran into a couple of birders I know that I hadn't seen in quite a while. I was hanging around the little pond (which has signage around it that says "Meadow Habitat" which is like labeling my lawn a forest), hoping to see the American Bittern that had also been reported. I thought it might be a little early for the hawk to be up and about as there were no thermals yet. We exchanged phone numbers and they went off to search out the hawk while I circled the pond. Just as I had made one turn around it I got a call that they thought they had the bird. I drove over and looked in their scope and saw a preening hawk with a dark belly and the distinctive white at the base of the tail. I put the bird in my scope (ain't official until it's in my scope) and managed a decent digiscope. Great, a really good-looking hard-to-find bird on the list.  (That makes 2 for the month; yesterday the sharp eyes & identification skills of Jason D found a Parasitic Jaeger at IBSP on Scott's NJA trip). 

I then walked the fence line, looking for more hawks and what-not (the what-not turned out to be a couple of Eastern Meadowlarks, always a nice bird to see). A birder stopped and said that the bittern had been showing nicely a few minutes ago, so I quick-stepped it back there only to hear that it had slunk back into the reeds. Then I got a phone call from another birder who told me that he had just seen it--he drove up and said we were in the right place (but it was the wrong time). I hung out for a while, walked halfway around the pond, and the bittern still didn't come out. 

I went back to my car, scoped some more, saw the Rough-legged Hawk soaring over Rt 206, found a Merlin on the weather station tower, then drove back to the pond for a third try at the bittern. While I stood there I thought, "I've seen a couple of bitterns this year. I've seen bittern in Burlington County in the past. Is it going to make a difference in my life if I see an American Bittern in Burlington County this year? Did it make a difference in my life that last time I saw an American Bittern in Manahawkin? In Budd's Bogs?" When you start having these kinds of thoughts, the only thing to do is what I did next: get in the car and go.