June Review--Doldrums Edition

Snowy Egret, Forsythe-Barnegat

Six, count 'em, six year birds for the month.  June is a doldrums month, granted, but even last year, when I had COVID, I managed eight new birds for the year. The birds I decided to seek, I found--Cliff Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Brown Pelican, and of course, the rarity for the month Bar-tailed Godwit at Brig. The effort I made to find Worm-eating Warbler this year, at the Evert Trail on Ong's Hat Road, was a failure because a tornado had come through a few days earlier and knocked trees down there, blocking the boardwalk. I was unaware of that before I went there. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 

I found myself gravitating to the same few spots this month, places I like to walk and places that I hope (hope is a thing with feathers according to Emily Dickinson) will have something rare or at least unexpected. The only bird qualifying this month was the Least Bittern at Reeves Bogs and that was thanks to my informant who'd heard it and relayed the location to me. 

July doesn't look like it's going to be much better. It is a strange time when I have to consult the air quality index to find the least polluted place in the area--today it was Tuckerton, where the AQ was "moderate" as opposed to here, where it was "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" or Pemberton, where it was just plain "Unhealthy." 

Red-headed Woodpecker, Cloverdale Farm

123 species for the month. 

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean
Species    First Sighting
Canada Goose   Colliers Mills WMA
Mute Swan   Lake Como
Wood Duck   Jumping Brook Preserve
Mallard   Laurel Run Park
American Black Duck   Whitesbog
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Seaside Park
Mourning Dove   Island Beach SP
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Nighthawk   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Laurel Run Park
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Blvd
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Blvd
Semipalmated Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   South Park Rd
Bar-tailed Godwit   Brig
Red Knot   Island Beach SP
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Dunlin   Brig
White-rumped Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Spotted Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Brig
Willet   Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull   Wawa South Toms River
Ring-billed Gull    Belmar
Herring Gull   Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Least Tern   Brig
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Common Tern   Island Beach SP
Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP
Royal Tern   Shark River Inlet
Black Skimmer   Great Bay Blvd
Double-crested Cormorant   Island Beach SP
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Least Bittern   Reeves Bogs
Great Blue Heron   Colliers Mills WMA
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret   Island Beach SP
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Green Heron   Whitesbog
Black-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Glossy Ibis   Island Beach SP
Black Vulture   Meadowview Lane
Turkey Vulture   Laurel Run Park
Osprey   Island Beach SP
Bald Eagle   Great Bay Blvd
Red-shouldered Hawk   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Burrs Mill Brook
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Burrs Mill Brook
Northern Flicker   Jumping Brook Preserve
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Colliers Mills WMA
Acadian Flycatcher   Whitesbog
Willow Flycatcher   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Colliers Mills WMA
Great Crested Flycatcher   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Kingbird   Island Beach SP
White-eyed Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Laurel Run Park
Purple Martin   Laurel Run Park
Tree Swallow   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Bank Swallow   Burrs Mill Brook
Barn Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA
Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   South Park Rd
House Wren   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Marsh Wren   Island Beach SP
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Wawa South Toms River
Gray Catbird   Island Beach SP
Brown Thrasher   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Mockingbird   Wawa South Toms River
Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA
Wood Thrush   Colliers Mills WMA
American Robin   Island Beach SP
Cedar Waxwing   Cedar Bridge Tavern County Park
House Sparrow   Laurel Run Park
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   Island Beach SP
Grasshopper Sparrow   Laurel Run Park
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Song Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Jumping Brook Preserve
Eastern Towhee   Island Beach SP
Orchard Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA
Baltimore Oriole   Burrs Mill Brook
Red-winged Blackbird   Island Beach SP
Brown-headed Cowbird   Jumping Brook Preserve
Common Grackle   Island Beach SP
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Ovenbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Black-and-white Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Prothonotary Warbler   Dot and Brooks Evert Trail
Common Yellowthroat   Island Beach SP
Hooded Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
American Redstart   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow Warbler   Island Beach SP
Pine Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Prairie Warbler   Laurel Run Park
Scarlet Tanager   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Cardinal   Island Beach SP
Blue Grosbeak   South Park Rd
Indigo Bunting   Colliers Mills WMA

Double-crested Cormorant, Wesley Lake