January Wrap-up--126 Species

Red-shouldered Hawk, New Egypt

 It's the usual drill: Run around to all the hot spots and pick up the common rarities and the winter birds (mostly ducks), because you "need" all these birds for the year. Why you need them is best left unquestioned. 

So, Barnegat Light, for the King Eider, Assunpink for the Trumpeter Swans. Luckily, Marshall's Pond had a Eurasian Wigeon, so I didn't have to go all the way up to the Shark River. The Barnegat CBC on the 2nd got me a couple of cool birds (in addition to my owl fix) like Virginia Rail and Sedge Wren. There was a Dovekie incursion earlier in the month and I was able to spot one (while others were making my teeth grind with multiple sightings). 

Greater White-fronted Goose, Jackson

The big chase was the Greater White-fronted Goose that decided to plunk itself down on a high school foot
ball field in Jackson. I went back a week later (to "get" Green-winged Teal in the retention pond) and it was still there along with the always entertaining, eBird filter-busting flock of Horned Larks. 

I have left a few birds that I got last January for the upcoming month, which might have been inadvertently smart, since February is such a dreary month, especially if the ponds freeze, that it will be good to have some targets to keep me interested. 

The winter months can be a slog as the excitement of the new year wears off. With birders the conversation always comes around to the dearth of birds lately, both ducks and land birds. The ducks are understandable, since they don't migrate unless they have to, and with the warmer weather up north becoming the norm, they don't have to. The land birds, I think, are analogous to the frog in a pot of water brought slowly to a boil. Their numbers have been declining for years (remember the 3 billion birds missing articles from a couple of years ago?) and it is only now that we realize the frog has been cooked. 

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species   First Sighting

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

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

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

Ring-necked Pheasant   Assunpink WMA

Pied-billed Grebe   Lake Shenandoah County Park

Horned Grebe   Sandy Hook

Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River

Mourning Dove  Cedar Bridge Rd

Virginia Rail   Beach Av

American Coot   Lake of the Lilies

American Oystercatcher   Holgate

Black-bellied Plover   Sandy Hook

Killdeer   Lake Barnegat

Marbled Godwit   Holgate

Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Sanderling   Sandy Hook

Dunlin   Holgate

Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet

Least Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Long-billed Dowitcher   Lake Barnegat

American Woodcock   Budd’s Bogs

Greater Yellowlegs   Bridge to Nowhere

Dovekie   Island Beach SP

Razorbill   Sandy Hook

Bonaparte's Gull   Sandy Hook

Ring-billed Gull   Wawa South Toms River

Herring Gull   Sandy Hook

Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook

Red-throated Loon   Sandy Hook

Common Loon   Sandy Hook

Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook

Great Cormorant   Island Beach SP

Double-crested Cormorant   East Bay Av

Great Blue Heron   Beach Av

Great Egret   Bridge to Nowhere

Black Vulture   Crestwood Village

Turkey Vulture   Sandy Hook

Northern Harrier   Bridge to Nowhere

Sharp-shinned Hawk   Cattus Island County Park

Cooper's Hawk   Ridge Av

Bald Eagle   Beach Av

Red-shouldered Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere

Red-tailed Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere

Eastern Screech-Owl   Beach Av

Great Horned Owl   Beach Av

Barred Owl   Beach Av

Long-eared Owl   Undisclosed Location

Belted Kingfisher   Bridge to Nowhere

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Levi's Rd

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere

Downy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere

Hairy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere

Northern Flicker   Manahawkin WMA

American Kestrel   Budd’s Bogs

Merlin   Budd’s Bogs

Peregrine Falcon   Manasquan Inlet

Blue Jay   Wawa South Toms River

American Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Whitesbog

Carolina Chickadee   Bridge to Nowhere

Tufted Titmouse   Bridge to Nowhere

Horned Lark   Sandy Hook

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Sandy Hook

Red-breasted Nuthatch   Bridge to Nowhere

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper   Budd’s Bogs

Winter Wren   Bridge to Nowhere

Sedge Wren   Beach Av

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

European Starling   Wawa South Toms River

Gray Catbird   Manahawkin WMA

Northern Mockingbird   Wawa South Toms River

Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog

Hermit Thrush   Bridge to Nowhere

American Robin   Sandy Hook

House Sparrow   Wawa South Toms River

House Finch   Bridge to Nowhere

American Goldfinch   Levi's Rd

Lapland Longspur   Sandy Hook

Field Sparrow   Assunpink WMA

American Tree Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere

Fox Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA

Dark-eyed Junco   Levi's Rd

White-throated Sparrow   Levi's Rd

Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Swamp Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere

Eastern Towhee   Budd’s Bogs

Eastern Meadowlark   Budd’s Bogs

Red-winged Blackbird   Bridge to Nowhere

Brown-headed Cowbird   Ridge Av

Rusty Blackbird   Budd’s Bogs

Common Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere

Boat-tailed Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Sandy Hook

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Barnegat Lighthouse SP | Jackson Liberty HS 1/22--Greater White-fronted Goose, King Eider

I was feeling pretty good this morning; I had just found, finally, the hen King Eider that has been bobbing in the sea with the skimpy flock of Common Eiders for what seems like a month now.  The last couple of times I'd looked for it, conditions were against me, with heavy seas making swelling over the ducks, making identification of eiders other than full adult drakes impossible. But today, the ocean was relatively calm, and, once I'd located the little flock of eiders down at the south end of the old jetty, I was able to locate the hen and get decent enough looks enough times to convince myself that I had the right duck. I didn't want to feel like I was cheating because, really, who am I cheating? So, I'd let the flock move around a little then look again in the scope and see if I could find the same bird again. After 3 or 4 attempts, and after getting a hint of the hen's diagnostic "smile" I felt confident enough to list the bird. Interestingly, it wasn't until I said to myself, standing on the jetty scoping the water, "I guess I'm not going to get a King Eider this season," that I saw the eiders a football field away. 

Then I got an eBird alert that a Greater White-fronted Goose had been spotted at Jackson Liberty HS, 44 miles away, followed by a text message from a birder friend telling me the same. I really didn't feel like driving all the way up to Jackson after walking up and down the beach, but the only time it is okay to walk school grounds with optics and camera is on the weekend. Otherwise, the authorities take a dim view. It wasn't until I was about to make the turn onto the Parkway north that I decided to drive up there. I figured, worst case scenario, I could add Horned Larks to the county list. For some mysterious reason, the soccer fields at Jackson Liberty are the best place to find Horned Larks and not just a few but numbering in the dozens. 

It took just about an hour to get there and when I drove past the little retention pond, I saw a small flock of geese on the grass. None of them were the rarity. I looked in the pond itself; a few more geese and some gulls. Oh well, look for the larks. I walked on to soccer fields, which are studded with goose shit, looking for the larks. The fields have a slight undulation to them (must make playing interesting, especially with the goose shit) so sometimes the larks will be a in a kind of swale. After a few minutes, I found a flock, very well camouflaged on the lawn. They immediately picked up and flew around the field. Each time I turned to where they landed, they'd fly again. I walked over to some metal stands, and I guess that was enough to hide me from them because I was able to count 63 larks before they once again took off and landed behind me.

I was about to walk back to my car when I saw a birder I know. I told him my count, to save him the trouble and he told me that the GWFG was back on the football field about a quarter of a mile away. I moved my car to the closest parking lot and walked over to the field where there were about 250 geese, which, as soon as they noticed me, started to amble away. Again, none of them were the bird I was looking for. I walked on the running track and then out of nowhere, the bird appeared. As the eBird description goes: Unmistakable. 

It kept walking away from me, along with the other geese but I was able to get close enough for some decent pictures. I'm a little annoyed that this rarity showed up there though, since I have a somewhat proprietary feel for Jackson Liberty; Mike & I used to go there once a year to get the larks and whatever else might be interesting in the retention pond. Now everyone knows about it, judging from the number of eBird reports pinging my phone. 

Marshall's Pond 1/16--Eurasian Wigeon

Procrastination pays. 

I went to Marshall's Pond this morning. This unprepossessing retention pond on the side of a third rate shopping center (guess what store you park near) is famous in Ocean County for attracting rare waterfowl. There is no rational explanation for this phenomenon; it isn't as if it's the only water around. And yet, almost every year some duck or goose of note turns up along with the usual denizens. 

Normally, by this time of year, I've gone up to MacLearie Park in Belmar to play Where's Waldo with a distant flock of American Wigeon, looking for the Eurasian Wigeon, a fairly rare duck which seems to show up annually. But I've been putting it off--it seemed more like obligation than fun, and I wasn't anxious to make another contribution to the Year of Lousy Looks, since you never really get a good look at this pretty bird from that vantage. Apparently, if you scope from the parking lot of the Shell Station down the road, the look is better, but I'm not that bold, and did you notice the word "scope" at the beginning of the sentence? 

So, when I saw late yesterday afternoon a report of a Eurasian Wigeon at that shopping cart filled puddle, I knew where I was starting the birding day. I arrived at 7:14. By 7:20 I'd seen the duck, close by, (no scope required) and took some photos just as dawn was breaking. And the bird is in Ocean County too. 

It isn't the first time I've seen Eurasian Wigeon at this pond, but it was the easiest time I've ever had finding it. Usually, I get there later in the day and sun glare, especially towards the east end of the pond, is always a problem. Not today though. 

And think of all the gas I saved. Makes me feel positively green. 

Barnegat Lighthouse SP 1/12--Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpipers

I went looking for LBI specialties this morning and had a fairly successful trip. A quick walk around Cedar Bonnet Island had nothing of interest and I was disappointed that the Black-crowned Night-Heron roost on Bayview Avenue seems to have been abandoned by the birds, probably because someone cut a path into the pines and made it too accessible for the birds to countenance. When I went in late December they weren't there either, so two times in a row, and I get the message. 

Barnegat Lighthouse SP (I just noticed that it is "Lighthouse" not "Light" as the official designation; "Barnegat Light" is the town) was the real goal anyway. The tide was high and coming in, crashing against the jetty, which I had no intention of walking on anyway, but the incoming tide also runs into the plover pond that was created in the dunes a few years ago. Since I wasn't wearing my wading boots, I couldn't get across the stream, so I was forced to walk along the back edge of the pond. Which led to my first happy find of the morning, 5 Least Sandpipers feeding at the east end of the pond. My first thought was Semipalmated Sandpiper, but I knew they would be ridiculously rare. I then considered Western Sandpiper, which does occur in the winter, but they didn't look right for that either once I sent some pix to Steve and consulted with him via text. I knew they weren't Dunlin (I studied some Dunlin later on the jetty, and the bills were much longer than my peeps. I ran one of my photos through my Seek app and it came up Least Sandpiper. Then I remembered that in December a small number of Least Sandpipers had been reported for a few days but none had shown up this year so far. They had all the characteristics of Leasts, save for the yellow legs, but in the gray light and standing in mud, that really wasn't a disqualification. So, I went with Least and no one's told me different. 

Harlequin Ducks

Once out at the beach, I gingerly climbed up on the jetty with my scope. I was willing to maneuver on 3 relatively flat and dry rocks. Everything else looked precarious. Down at the far end of the jetty I found one Brant sitting on the rocks, surrounded by a small flock of Purple Sandpiper (one of the specialties, though I'd already ticked this species off at Manasquan Inlet) and closer to me a larger flock of Ruddy Turnstones, next to said Dunlin. The waves were hitting the jetty and splashing up pretty high and even the interior rocks I was standing on were getting the spume, so when I finally spotted one Harlequin Duck, I was more than happy to climb down intact. While I was going back & forth with Steve about the peeps I scanned the ocean for ducks and after a while found a small flock of Common Eiders. Eiders have been scarce this winter; I know Steve has commented on the paucity of the flocks--I counted 8 eiders, where in usual times a flock of 50 or 100 wouldn't be uncommon. I looked as long as I could stand looking at the ducks bobbing in the rough surf for one smiling eider which would indicate the hen King Eider that has been seen off and on there, but distance and light and constant motion were all arrayed against me. I also spotted a few Harlequins sitting on the far end of the jetty, as well as some Black Scoters, one Surf Scoter, and lots of Long-tailed Ducks. 

My last stop, as it usually is in the winter, was Sunset Park in Harvey Cedars. For some peculiar reason, this is the best place to find a specific duck and when I plunked my scope down to look at the bay, I immediately found that duck, a Common Goldeneye. Then I quickly found 5 more. Much better looks that I got on the first at Sandy Hook, and besides, they're now on the Ocean County list. And having seen the goldeneyes, I figured I'd exhausted the entertainment value of LBI for the day.

34 species on the Island:

Species  First Sighting
Brant  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Canada Goose  Cedar Bonnet Island
Mallard  Cedar Bonnet Island
American Black Duck  Cedar Bonnet Island
Greater Scaup  Bayview Ave Marina
Common Eider  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Bufflehead  Cedar Bonnet Island
Common Goldeneye  Sunset Park-
Hooded Merganser  Cedar Bonnet Island
Red-breasted Merganser  Cedar Bonnet Island
Ruddy Duck  Sunset Park-
Rock Pigeon  Bayview Ave Marina
Ruddy Turnstone  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Purple Sandpiper  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Least Sandpiper  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Herring Gull  Cedar Bonnet Island
Great Black-backed Gull  Cedar Bonnet Island
Common Loon  Bayview Ave Marina
Great Cormorant  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Great Blue Heron  Cedar Bonnet Island
Belted Kingfisher  Bayview Ave Marina
American Crow  Bayview Ave Marina
Carolina Wren  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
American Robin  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White-throated Sparrow  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Savannah Sparrow  Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow  Cedar Bonnet Island

Assunpink 1/8--Trumpeter Swan

Trumpeter Swans (left), Tundra Swan (right)

If there is such an oxymoron as a "Common Rarity" then the Trumpeter Swans, that have been wintering at Assunpink for about the last 10 years, qualify. Where they come from is a mystery, and why only Assunpink, in the entire state, the only place to find them is also unknown. The only question is just where they'll--west end of the lake, east end of the lake, or Stone Tavern Lake (which is part of Assunpink.) 

Today I started on the west end of Assunpink Lake, which I imagine as shaped like an asymmetrical dumb bell, the wider part on the west, then a long handle that connect to a smaller cove in the east. I'd heard that the swans had been seen behind the island on the main part of the lake, so I walked over there, but they weren't around. Not much was around, in fact. 30 Ruddy Ducks when there are usually hundreds, a few Buffleheads, 3 hen Hooded Mergansers...not much at all. 

I started walking the dirt road towards the east end, stopping at all the cuts to view the lake. It wasn't until I got to the last one, on the east side that I finally found them, at the extreme east end, sleeping, naturally, with a smaller swan. I texted Bob Auster, who got there a little after me, that I'd found them, but a scope would be helpful. Fortunately, he was on his way, and was carrying his scope. The only way I could identify them as Trumpeters from that distance and in that posture was by looking at their butts, which weren't pointy, as Mute Swans would be. I met Bob on the road, and we walked down the trail where he set up his scope. A few times one or the other of the swans would lift its head so that we could see the black (not orange) bill and confirm the distant id. The 3rd bird Bob determined was a Tundra Swan, also rare, if you're in Monmouth County. I probably would have skipped that bird if it wasn't for Bob; it was smaller than the other two, and a Tundra Swan had been reported in company with the Trumpeters, and it wasn't the first time I'd had both species on that lake, so I took the check mark. Meanwhile, I was thinking, "Another year of lousy looks." 

Red-shouldered Hawk

With that tiny achievement on our record, Bob & I birded our way back to the main part of the lake and then around to the north side. We spotted a few interesting birds like Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Hermit Thrush and spotted the Red-shouldered Hawk that was incessantly calling as we walked the road. It was loud. We could hear it still when we were about 1/2 mile away on the berm of the lake. 

While I was happy to get the Trumpeter Swans "out of the way," the most satisfying sighting of the day was the "stumble-upon" flock of Snow Geese that I found on the way up there, on Rt 539 in New Egypt. They were in a corn stubble field. Of the literally hundreds of times that I have passed that field going to Assunpink or Colliers Mills, this was only the second time I have seen Snow Geese there. 

When I passed by later in the day, they were still there, in almost a perfect square in the middle of the field. 

Island Beach SP 1/6--Dovekie

It's been alcidpalooza lately along the coast and today I finally got a chance to try for the more elusive of the two species in the big push--Dovekie. It was an extremely frustrating search, not helped by the texts I was getting from my buddy Steve who was driving the beach and telling me locations of Dovekies he had seen, proving the Third Law of Birding--Wherever you are, you should be somewhere else. (I think he had 18 for the day).

Photo © Steve Weiss

I saw a long line of Razorbills when I first started scanning at Bathing Beach 1, and much more satisfying looks at a trio of birds at A23, the start of the long march down to the jetty. But I couldn't find any Dovekies. Eventually, Steve caught up with me and showed me a deceased Dovekie he picked up out of the surf. They are so tiny, probably no bigger than a Mourning Dove. It made me feel slightly better that I wasn't able to find such a diminutive bird in such a big ocean. Steve had been finding quite a few about a mile north of where I met him, so I drove up there and started walking the beach from A15 up to a little north of A13. I found more Razorbills, but still no Dovekies. 

An interesting trick that both Scott & Steve told me was to look for a flock of Bonaparte's Gull hovering over the water--chances are they've spotted a Razorbill and are waiting for it to surface with food in order to steal a meal. A few times I saw this behavior and at least twice I was able to spot a Razorbill surrounded by Bonies. I don't know if this works for Dovekies too, but I was hoping. 

Finally, a little north of A13, having put in over 4 miles of beach walking, I gave up and turned around. I not only gave up, I gave up in disgust, so naturally, a few minutes later, when I put down my scope, I finally found a little alcid with a short beak, unlike the honker on a Razorbill. Thus, the Second Law of Birding had been proved: You won't see the bird until you truly give up. 

This marks only the second time I've seen Dovekie, and both times have been at Island Beach. The first time, a couple of years ago when there was another alcid incursion like this one, I was literally jumping up and down, so happy to get a life bird I never thought I'd see from land. Today, I was just happy to end the embarrassing ordeal with one little bird. 

Holgate 1/4--Marbled Godwit

A philosophical conundrum: 

I walked 2.1 miles of Holgate, at the south end of LBI, specifically looking for Marbled Godwits, scoping the bayside through all the cuts in the dunes. Holgate is where I go for my annual godwits and Snowy Owl. With the warm weather, today seemed like the perfect time to take that look walk I wasn't expecting the owl today, since on Monday's Christmas Count, one was listed as dead. No explanation as to the cause of its demise, but as that Jersey philosopher Bruce Springsteen has pointed out, "Everything dies, baby, that's a fact." I'll eschew the mysticism of the next line. 

But the godwits had been seen in decent numbers. I saw a few American Oystercatchers, which I would expect there too, along with the other winter shorebirds--Sanderlings, Dunlins, Black-bellied Plover, but I couldn't come across the godwits...I thought. I did see, first on the Clamming Trail and then later in flight with a huge flock of Brants, 5 Snow Geese (3,2), which is very unusual for Holgate. When the Brant flock settled down in the bay, I took a digiscope of the two Snow Geese sitting in the middle of all that black & white. Just for documentation since Snow Geese is "infrequently reported" locally, according to eBird. 

When I got home and transferred the photo to my computer, what did I find but a big brown shorebird standing to the left of the Snow Geese--a Marbled Godwit. My lousy photo is very much like much better ones that were taken during the CBC, with the godwits mixed in with the Brant. 

Can I count it? I knew that was where the godwits would be. And I could argue that I saw it through my scope without it registering in my brain. But the real rationale is that I'm doing a survey, recording the birds at a specific site at a specific time and today, 1/4/2023, at 11:36 A.M. there was one Marbled Godwit at Holgate, a unit of the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR. Once, I declined to count a White-faced Ibis that turned up in the photo of a flock of flyby ibises, but I told my friend, who took the photo, that he should count it. I'm taking my same advice. 

23 species
Snow Goose  5     3 on clamming trail 2 mixed in with huge flock of Brants
Brant  1500
Canada Goose  75
Mallard  1
American Black Duck  80
Surf Scoter  3
Long-tailed Duck  15
Bufflehead  7
Red-breasted Merganser  1
American Oystercatcher  4     Bayside
Black-bellied Plover  1
Marbled Godwit  1     
Sanderling  40
Dunlin  50
Bonaparte's Gull  15     Ocean & bay
Ring-billed Gull  1
Herring Gull  100
Great Black-backed Gull  10
Red-throated Loon  5
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  1     Clamming trail
American Crow  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  13