April Recap--Migration Begins

Common Yellowthroat, Double Trouble SP

 I thought my last new bird for the year this month was going to be the Blue-winged Warbler (chased by a very territorial Prairie Warbler) that I saw this morning at the Manasquan River WMA (where they are the house specialty), but this afternoon Shari called me to come outside and finally I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, which she has been seeing, periodically, for the last two weeks. That made 135 for the cruelest month, and 36 year birds.

Judging from the reports the last couple of days from the migration traps like Reed's Road on Island Beach and Cedar Bonnet Island, migration has begun in earnest. I think I'm doing pretty good with 40+ species in my favorite spots and then I see friends of mine tallying numbers in the 80's. It recalls the Third Law of Birding:

    Wherever you are, you should be someplace else.

In our backyard we have had Pine Siskins at the tube feeders every day, and every day I list them--up until today they were flagged as "infrequent" on eBird (meaning that in a 3 week window--2 back, 1 forward--they aren't listed much), but today they popped up as "rare." Considering that most years we go without seeing any siskins, having them in the spring is kind of treat. The whip-poor-will is a constant presence, and the other day I went into the kitchen to find a turkey standing on the stoop, looking through the screen door, waiting to be fed. Shari got so annoyed with me feeding them that she went out and bought "cheap" seed for them. When I think of how much money we spend feeding these birds, it goes dark behind my eyes. 

Counties birded: Burlington, Cape May, Ocean
Species        First Sighting
Brant   Island Beach SP
Canada Goose   Double Trouble SP
Mute Swan   Golden Drive
Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Shoveler   Great Bay Bvld
Mallard   Cranberry Bogs
American Black Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Pintail   Island Beach SP
Green-winged Teal   Island Beach SP
Ring-necked Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Greater Scaup   Island Beach SP
Lesser Scaup   Island Beach SP
Long-tailed Duck   Island Beach SP
Bufflehead   Cranberry Bogs
Hooded Merganser   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Pied-billed Grebe   Cranberry Bogs
Horned Grebe   Island Beach SP
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Cranberry Bogs
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Ocean City Welcome Center
Sora   Whitesbog
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   Cranberry Bogs
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Solitary Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Double Trouble SP
Willet   Cedar Bonnet Island
Greater Yellowlegs   Double Trouble SP
Dunlin   Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull   Mathis Veteran's Memorial Park
Ring-billed Gull   Mathis Veteran's Memorial Park
Herring Gull   Double Trouble SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Caspian Tern   Great Bay Bvld
Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Mathis Veteran's Memorial Park
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Black-crowned Night Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Cattus Island County Park
Snowy Egret   Cattus Island County Park
Green Heron   Reeves Bogs
Great Egret   Cranberry Bogs
Great Blue Heron   Colliers Mills WMA
White Ibis   Island Beach SP
Glossy Ibis   Island Beach SP
Black Vulture   Cranberry Bogs
Turkey Vulture   Whitesbog
Osprey   Shelter Cove Park
Northern Harrier   Whitesbog
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Cedar Bonnet Island
Cooper's Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Bald Eagle   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-shouldered Hawk   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-tailed Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Belted Kingfisher   Whitesbog
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Double Trouble SP
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Double Trouble SP
Northern Flicker   Cranberry Bogs
American Kestrel   Colliers Mills WMA
Merlin   Cranberry Bogs
Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Cranberry Bogs
Great Crested Flycatcher   Reeves Bogs
Eastern Kingbird   Cranberry Bogs
White-eyed Vireo   Island Beach SP
Blue-headed Vireo   Cedar Bonnet Island
Red-eyed Vireo   Island Beach SP
Blue Jay   Cranberry Bogs
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Double Trouble SP
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Tree Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Purple Martin   Jumping Brook Preserve
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Barn Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Cranberry Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch   Double Trouble SP
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Double Trouble SP
House Wren   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   35 Sunset Rd
Gray Catbird   Island Beach SP
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   Shelter Cove Park
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Hermit Thrush   Island Beach SP
Wood Thrush   Colliers Mills WMA
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
Cedar Waxwing   Island Beach SP
House Sparrow   Mathis Veteran's Memorial Park
House Finch   Cranberry Bogs
Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Fox Sparrow   Double Trouble SP
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld
Savannah Sparrow   Shelter Cove Park
Song Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Swamp Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Towhee   Colliers Mills WMA
Baltimore Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-winged Blackbird   Cranberry Bogs
Brown-headed Cowbird   Double Trouble SP
Common Grackle   Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Ovenbird   Double Trouble SP
Worm-eating Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Blue-winged Warbler   Manasquan River WMA
Black-and-white Warbler   Jumping Brook Preserve
Common Yellowthroat   Whitesbog
Hooded Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Parula   Manasquan River WMA
Yellow Warbler   Whitesbog
Palm Warbler   Jumping Brook Preserve
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Cranberry Bogs
Prairie Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   35 Sunset Rd

Palm Warbler, Island Beach SP