May Review--Migration Madness & Rarities

Gray Kingbird, Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Thinking about the "best" bird of the month I at first thought it a tossup between the Gray Kingbird at Barnegat Lighthouse and the Kentucky Warbler at Island Beach, and while the kingbird, being southern species is certainly rarer than the warbler, I have to say it was the Kentucky that took the prize, since they are much more difficult to see and it was the first one I actually ever saw (heard the other). The best bird that I just bumped into has to be the Cerulean Warbler that Shari & I saw on Cedar Bonnet Island, and the two easiest rarities were just the other day at Brig with the Black-necked Stilt and the Red-necked Phalaropes. I'm still the only birder to see and photograph two down there, though I just heard from Steve that today he had three (!) in the surf at Island Beach. Wish I'd been there instead of getting the car worked on "between Lakewood and Brick." 

Migration was strong for a few days this month, though they were days I didn't happen to be on Reed's Road on Island Beach. I'm still missing a lot of warbler species. I can't, or really, don't want to, spend every day trudging up and down Reed's Road. I looked at BirdCast more than I usually do, and it just confirmed for me that the information, while interesting in an academic sense, doesn't correlate to big numbers of birds the next day. I don't care how many birds crossed over Ocean County (sometimes the numbers are astonishing). I want to know how many landed (and if possible, where) and BirdCast can't tell you that. 

Stubbornly, a lot of birds would not show up where I wanted to be. And a few times I went to places I didn't especially want to be, and the birds still didn't show up. But there is always the anticipation that today will be the day that you find a bird that shouldn't be there. It happens 4 or 5 times a year for me. 

As usual, I was mostly in Ocean County this month, with forays into Atlantic, Burlington, and Monmouth and even once incidental list in Mercer County. 172 species for the month, 53 of them year birds.

 Species   First Sighting
Brant    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Canada Goose    Whitesbog
Mute Swan    Cedar Bonnet Island
Wood Duck    Colliers Mills WMA
Mallard    Whitesbog
American Black Duck    Cedar Bonnet Island
Bufflehead    Island Beach SP
Red-breasted Merganser    Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck    Assunpink WMA
Wild Turkey    35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Mourning Dove    Whitesbog
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Common Nighthawk    Double Trouble SP
Chuck-will's-widow    Collinstown Road
Eastern Whip-poor-will    35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift    Jumping Brook Preserve
Ruby-throated Hummingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail    Island Beach SP
Virginia Rail    Island Beach SP
Black-necked Stilt    Brig
American Oystercatcher    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black-bellied Plover    Island Beach SP
Semipalmated Plover    Island Beach SP
Piping Plover    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Killdeer    Jumping Brook Preserve
Whimbrel    Brig
Ruddy Turnstone    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Red Knot    Great Bay Blvd
Sanderling    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin    Brig
Purple Sandpiper    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Least Sandpiper    Colliers Mills WMA
White-rumped Sandpiper    Cedar Bonnet Island
Semipalmated Sandpiper    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Short-billed Dowitcher    Brig
Red-necked Phalarope    Brig
Spotted Sandpiper    Whitesbog
Solitary Sandpiper    Manasquan River WMA
Greater Yellowlegs    Island Beach SP
Willet    Cedar Bonnet Island
Lesser Yellowlegs    Cedar Bonnet Island
Bonaparte's Gull    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull    Manasquan River WMA
Ring-billed Gull    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Herring Gull    Cedar Bonnet Island
Lesser Black-backed Gull    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Great Black-backed Gull    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Least Tern    Brig
Gull-billed Tern    Brig
Common Tern    Brig
Forster's Tern    Cedar Bonnet Island
Black Skimmer    Brig
Common Loon    Manasquan Inlet
Wilson's Storm-Petrel    Manasquan Inlet
Northern Gannet    Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant    Cedar Bonnet Island
Great Blue Heron    Colliers Mills WMA
Great Egret    Cedar Bonnet Island
Snowy Egret    Island Beach SP
Little Blue Heron    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Tricolored Heron    Island Beach SP
Green Heron    Island Beach SP
Black-crowned Night-Heron    Great Bay Blvd
Glossy Ibis    Cedar Bonnet Island
Black Vulture    Manasquan River WMA
Turkey Vulture    Monmouth Medical Center
Osprey    Colliers Mills WMA
Cooper's Hawk    Island Beach SP
Bald Eagle    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-shouldered Hawk    Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk    Colliers Mills WMA
Barred Owl    New Egypt
Belted Kingfisher    Cedar Bonnet Island
Red-headed Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker    35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker    Whitesbog
Hairy Woodpecker    Beach Ave
Northern Flicker    Manasquan River WMA
Merlin    Island Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon    Cedar Bonnet Island
Eastern Wood-Pewee    Double Trouble SP
Acadian Flycatcher    Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Willow Flycatcher    Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Eastern Phoebe    Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher    Manasquan River WMA
Eastern Kingbird    Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Kingbird    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White-eyed Vireo    Manasquan River WMA
Yellow-throated Vireo    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Blue-headed Vireo    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Warbling Vireo    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo    Cedar Bonnet Island
Blue Jay    35 Sunset Rd
American Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven    Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee    35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse    Whitesbog
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    Brig
Purple Martin    Island Beach SP
Tree Swallow    Whitesbog
Bank Swallow    Colliers Mills WMA
Barn Swallow    Whitesbog
Red-breasted Nuthatch    Colliers Mills WMA
White-breasted Nuthatch    Whitesbog
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    Whitesbog
House Wren    Manasquan River WMA
Marsh Wren    Island Beach SP
Carolina Wren    Whitesbog
European Starling    35 Sunset Rd
Gray Catbird    Whitesbog
Brown Thrasher    Manasquan River WMA
Northern Mockingbird    Lake Takanassee
Eastern Bluebird    Whitesbog
Veery    Manasquan River WMA
Gray-cheeked Thrush    Island Beach SP
Swainson's Thrush    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Hermit Thrush    Island Beach SP
Wood Thrush    Manasquan River WMA
American Robin    35 Sunset Rd
Cedar Waxwing    Island Beach SP
House Sparrow    Lake Takanassee
House Finch    35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch    Whitesbog
Chipping Sparrow    Whitesbog
Field Sparrow    Manasquan River WMA
White-crowned Sparrow    Whitesbog
White-throated Sparrow    Whitesbog
Seaside Sparrow    Cedar Bonnet Island
Saltmarsh Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Savannah Sparrow    Whitesbog
Song Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow    Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee    Whitesbog
Yellow-breasted Chat    Assunpink WMA
Orchard Oriole    Jumping Brook Preserve
Baltimore Oriole    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-winged Blackbird    Whitesbog
Brown-headed Cowbird    35 Sunset Rd
Common Grackle    Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle    Cedar Bonnet Island
Ovenbird    Whitesbog
Louisiana Waterthrush    Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Northern Waterthrush    Cedar Bonnet Island
Blue-winged Warbler    Manasquan River WMA
Black-and-white Warbler    Whitesbog
Prothonotary Warbler    Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Kentucky Warbler    Island Beach SP
Common Yellowthroat    Whitesbog
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
Blackburnian Warbler    Cedar Bonnet Island
Yellow Warbler    Manasquan River WMA
Chestnut-sided Warbler    Island Beach SP
Blackpoll Warbler    Island Beach SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler    Island Beach SP
Palm Warbler    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pine Warbler    Whitesbog
Yellow-rumped Warbler    Whitesbog
Prairie Warbler    Whitesbog
Black-throated Green Warbler    Island Beach SP
Canada Warbler    Reeves Bogs
Scarlet Tanager    Island Beach SP
Northern Cardinal    35 Sunset Rd
Rose-breasted Grosbeak    Island Beach SP
Blue Grosbeak    Manasquan River WMA
Indigo Bunting    Island Beach SP

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, our backyard