Huber Preserve | Waretown | Collinstown Road 5/19--Chuck-will's-widow, Semipalmated Plover, Acadian Flycatcher, Prothonotary Warbler

Semipalmated Plover, Waretown

Shari & I have a springtime tradition where we eat dinner at a little restaurant in Forked River, then drive down to Collinstown Road in Barnegat to listen for our yearly Chuck-will's-widow.  Because of our Mexico vacation, our trip was delayed this year (to our 17th wedding anniversary as it happens) and consequently sundown was a little later. To kill some time, we first stopped at Bay Parkway in Waretown, which this time of year can have wading and shorebirds and did. The very first bird we saw was a new one for year--Semipalmated Plover flushed from the roadside. There was a small flock of them interspersed with another small flock of Least Sandpipers (it kind of looked like a gang fight at moments) and a few very noisy Willets flying about, along with both white egrets and a half dozen flyover Glossy Ibis. 

When we got down to Collinstown Road it was one minute before sundown and we were prepared to wait for a while until it got dark, our experience being that this species takes its crepuscular reputation seriously, but we got lucky, since one minute after sundown one began repeating its incessant eponymous call very loudly and very close, though of course, we didn't get eyes on one. It wasn't even dark enough to hope that driving along the road we'd get some eyeshine.  

That ended a very interesting day for me, which started out in Burlington County this morning with a walk through the woods at Reeves Bogs and then a walk along the white trail at the lengthily named Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve where I go each year to look for two species. I had no trouble at all finding Prothonotary Warblers--there were at least three of them, one of which I got good looks at while it hopped around the upper reaches of trees, but I had all but given up on my second target, since I couldn't find it at the bridge where I usually do, nor along the mile or so that I covered along the trail. It wasn't until I was heading out that I finally heard the sharp "Peet-sa!" call of an Acadian Flycatcher. Another bird that didn't want to show itself in the now thick foliage--one of the disadvantages of waiting to go looking for new birds when the trees have leafed out. 

For the day 61 species:

Species                First Sighting
Canada Goose    Reeves Bogs
Wood Duck    Reeves Bogs
Mallard    Reeves Bogs
Mourning Dove    Reeves Bogs
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    Reeves Bogs
Chuck-will's-widow    Collinstown Road
Eastern Whip-poor-will    35 Sunset Rd
Ruby-throated Hummingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Killdeer    Reeves Bogs
Semipalmated Plover    Waretown
Willet    Waretown
Least Sandpiper    Waretown
Laughing Gull    Reeves Bogs
Herring Gull    Waretown
Snowy Egret    Waretown
Great Egret    Waretown
Great Blue Heron    Reeves Bogs
Glossy Ibis    Waretown
Red-bellied Woodpecker    Huber Preserve
Eastern Wood-Pewee    Reeves Bogs
Acadian Flycatcher    Huber Preserve
Eastern Phoebe    Huber Preserve
Great Crested Flycatcher    Reeves Bogs
Eastern Kingbird    Reeves Bogs
White-eyed Vireo    Huber Preserve
Warbling Vireo    Reeves Bogs
Red-eyed Vireo    Reeves Bogs
Blue Jay    Huber Preserve
American Crow    Huber Preserve
Carolina Chickadee    Reeves Bogs
Tufted Titmouse    Reeves Bogs
Tree Swallow    Reeves Bogs
Barn Swallow    Reeves Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch    Huber Preserve
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    Reeves Bogs
Carolina Wren    Huber Preserve
European Starling    Waretown
Gray Catbird    Reeves Bogs
Eastern Bluebird    Reeves Bogs
Wood Thrush    Huber Preserve
American Robin    Collinstown Road
Cedar Waxwing    Reeves Bogs
Chipping Sparrow    Reeves Bogs
Field Sparrow    Huber Preserve
Song Sparrow    Reeves Bogs
Swamp Sparrow    Collinstown Road
Eastern Towhee    Reeves Bogs
Red-winged Blackbird    Reeves Bogs
Brown-headed Cowbird    Huber Preserve
Common Grackle    Reeves Bogs
Ovenbird    Reeves Bogs
Blue-winged Warbler    Huber Preserve
Black-and-white Warbler    Reeves Bogs
Prothonotary Warbler    Huber Preserve
Common Yellowthroat    Reeves Bogs
Hooded Warbler    Huber Preserve
American Redstart    Reeves Bogs
Yellow Warbler    Waretown
Pine Warbler    Reeves Bogs
Prairie Warbler    Huber Preserve
Northern Cardinal    Huber Preserve