May Recap--Migration & Mexico

Prothonotary Warbler, Huber Preserve

I missed a big chunk of migration with our trip to Mexico. So a lot of warblers are not on my list--the really colorful ones at that like Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Bay-breasted, and Cape May. With luck, I'll get them on the rebound in autumn. If not, I guess sitting on the beach, drinking beer with your friends, watching the frigatebirds drift overhead, is a good trade-off.

In the 3 weeks we weren't in Mexico, I hit all my favorite spots, but I never had a really big day where I got 10 or 12 new species. I seemed to get one or two at time--a really productive day would be 4 new species.  One thing I noticed is that there don't seem to be big numbers of warblers around other than Ovenbirds and yellowthroats. I remember that Shari & I used to joke about YARs--Yet Another Redstart. Of course, this is one man's perception--I suppose someone somewhere was overwhelmed by Blackpoll Warblers. 

Tomorrow starts another doldrum month--it's a period when I'll allow myself to chase a little more than usual just to break up the routine of seeing the same birds day after day.

For the month: 183 species

Counties birded

New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Essex, Monmouth, Ocean, Union

Mexico: Quintana Roo, Yucatan

Species        First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Brant   Island Beach SP
Canada Goose   Meadowedge Park
Mute Swan   Forsythe--Barnegat
Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Mallard   Island Beach SP
American Black Duck   Whitesbog
Northern Pintail   Island Beach SP
Bufflehead   Island Beach SP
Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck   Brig
Plain Chachalaca   Casa Carolina
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Grebe   Island Beach SP
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
Eurasian Collared-Dove   Puerto Morelos
Common Ground Dove   Puerto Morelos
Ruddy Ground Dove   Puerto Morelos
White-winged Dove   Parque Principal Francisco Cantón Rosado
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Colliers Mills WMA
Chuck-will's-widow   Collinstown Road
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Island Beach SP
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Island Beach SP
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA
Semipalmated Plover   Waretown
Short-billed Dowitcher   Forsythe--Barnegat
Spotted Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Solitary Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Forsythe--Barnegat
Willet   Island Beach SP
Greater Yellowlegs   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Turnstone   Playa Puerto Morelos
Red Knot   Great Bay Blvd
Sanderling   Playa Puerto Morelos
Dunlin   Forsythe--Barnegat
Least Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Laughing Gull   Island Beach SP
Ring-billed Gull   Manahawkin Lake
Herring Gull   Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Black Skimmer   Great Bay Blvd
Least Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Caspian Tern   Manahawkin Lake
Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP
Common Tern   Island Beach SP
Sandwich Tern   Playa Puerto Morelos
Royal Tern   Playa Puerto Morelos
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Island Beach SP
Magnificent Frigatebird   Puerto Morelos
Anhinga   Casa Carolina
Double-crested Cormorant   Island Beach SP
American White Pelican   Brig
Brown Pelican   Playa Puerto Morelos
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret   Island Beach SP
Green Heron   Cranberry Bogs
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Reeves Bogs
White Ibis   Island Beach SP
Glossy Ibis   Island Beach SP
Black Vulture   Playa Puerto Morelos
Turkey Vulture   Whiting
Osprey   Island Beach SP
Bald Eagle   Double Trouble SP
Red-shouldered Hawk   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Screech-Owl   Cloverdale Farm
Turquoise-browed Motmot   Ek Balam
Belted Kingfisher   Whitesbog
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Golden-fronted Woodpecker   Puerto Morelos
Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Jumping Brook Preserve
Northern Flicker   Island Beach SP
White-fronted Parrot   Puerto Morelos
Rose-throated Becard   Ek Balam
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Colliers Mills WMA
Acadian Flycatcher   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Willow Flycatcher   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Colliers Mills WMA
Dusky-capped Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Great Crested Flycatcher   35 Sunset Rd
Brown-crested Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Great Kiskadee   Casa Carolina
Boat-billed Flycatcher   Ek Balam
Social Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Tropical Kingbird   Puerto Morelos
Couch's Kingbird   Puerto Morelos
Eastern Kingbird   Island Beach SP
Rufous-browed Peppershrike   Ek Balam
White-eyed Vireo   Island Beach SP
MANGROVE VIREO   Puerto Morelos
Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Green Jay   Ek Balam
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   Cloverdale Farm
Fish Crow   Island Beach SP
Common Raven   Colliers Mills WMA
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Bank Swallow   Burrs Mill Brook
Tree Swallow   Cloverdale Farm
Purple Martin   Waretown
Gray-breasted Martin   Propiedad Federal
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Playa Puerto Morelos
Barn Swallow   Island Beach SP
Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Island Beach SP
House Wren   Cloverdale Farm
Marsh Wren   Manahawkin WMA
Carolina Wren   Island Beach SP
Spot-breasted Wren   Ek Balam
European Starling   35 Sunset Rd
Gray Catbird   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Tropical Mockingbird   Puerto Morelos
Northern Mockingbird   Island Beach SP
Eastern Bluebird   Cloverdale Farm
Veery   Island Beach SP
Wood Thrush   Island Beach SP
American Robin   Island Beach SP
Cedar Waxwing   Reeves Bogs
House Sparrow   Newark Liberty International Airport
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Field Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
White-crowned Sparrow   IBSP Visitors Center
White-throated Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Seaside Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Savannah Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Song Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Collinstown Road
Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-breasted Chat   Brig
Orchard Oriole   Cranberry Bogs
Hooded Oriole   Casa Carolina
Yellow-backed Oriole   Puerto Morelos
Orange Oriole   Puerto Morelos
Altamira Oriole   Puerto Morelos
Baltimore Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-winged Blackbird   Island Beach SP
Brown-headed Cowbird   IBSP Visitors Center
Melodious Blackbird   Casa Carolina
Common Grackle   Island Beach SP
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Great-tailed Grackle   Aeropuerto Internacional de Cancun
Ovenbird   Island Beach SP
Northern Waterthrush   Double Trouble SP
Blue-winged Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Black-and-white Warbler   Island Beach SP
Prothonotary Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Common Yellowthroat   Island Beach SP
Hooded Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
American Redstart   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Parula   Island Beach SP
Magnolia Warbler   Island Beach SP
Yellow Warbler   Island Beach SP
Blackpoll Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Island Beach SP
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Island Beach SP
Prairie Warbler   Cloverdale Farm
Scarlet Tanager   Cloverdale Farm
Northern Cardinal   Island Beach SP
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP
Blue Grosbeak   Colliers Mills WMA
Indigo Bunting   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve