Meadowview Lane | Evert Trail 6/8--Pileated Woodpecker, Louisiana Waterthrush, Summer Tanager

 A number of years ago, my informant told me about the power line right-of-way in Pemberton, an extension of Meadowview Lane. It has woods on one side and wetlands on the other and is a good place to find Pileated Woodpecker. I don't go there too often, but a few days ago, on S. Park Road, I ran into a Burlco birder and we talked about the spot, especially because we heard what we suspected was a Pileated, but it didn't call long enough for us to be certain. So, this morning, early, I was there, starting at the parking lot of Pemberton Lake and walking about two miles and back. In that walk I found most of the birds I'd expect and did indeed track down a very noisy Pileated which cooperatively flew over my head twice, but non-cooperatively, didn't land on tree for a photo. 

Indigo Bunting

While I was listening to the woodpecker, I also heard a somewhat familiar song which I was pretty certain was a Summer Tanager. The non-always reliable Merlin confirmed this, but listening to other songs on my phone clinched it. Which was good because I could never put eyes on the damn bird--you'd think a fairly large all red bird would stand out in the greenery, but you would be wrong. I was also pleased to find at least 3 Indigo Buntings along the way. In all, 34 species. 

I had a funny email exchange with the Burlco birder. I told him that after listening, recording, and seeing the Pileated, I was pretty certain the woodpecker we heard on S. Park was also the same species. I also told him about the Summer Tanager. He asked where it was, and I said that if you start at the parking lot and walked past the pump house that was the area where both the woodpecker and tanager were. He responded, "You walk from the Pemberton Lake parking lot?" I didn't realize it was odd--there are closer places to park your car on Coleman's Bridge Road, but then I wouldn't get my four miles in. 

Prothonotary Warbler

Afterwards, I headed a few miles back to Ong's Hat Road (who Ong was and what his hat was doing in the road is the source of many apocryphal stories) and decided to walk on the Dot & Brooks Evert Nature Trail through which Stop the Jade Run flows (what a Jade is and why you'd want to stop it is another font of dubious folklore). It was both late in the season and late in the day for this spot famous for its skulking warblers, and there is sign saying that the trail was closed because of high water--the trail is mostly wooden slats covered in chicken wire. But I decided to see how bad it was--answer: for the first half mile it was fine, though the only interesting singing birds were a couple of Prothonotary Warblers and my first Louisiana Waterthrush of the year; then the undergrowth became overgrowth and the wooden slats seem to sink just below the water and I turned around--it's all pretty much the same habitat so I'm just as likely to find a bird going backwards as I am forwards. I think Burlington County is more interesting to me this time of year because I sense that more birds breed in the forests there than they do in Ocean, plus I don't have to "share" the space with cyclists and dog walkers. 

The Meadowview Lane list:

Canada Goose  3
Wood Duck  1
Mourning Dove  6
Turkey Vulture  3
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Downy Woodpecker  1
Pileated Woodpecker  1     
Northern Flicker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  2
Eastern Phoebe  2
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
White-eyed Vireo  2
Red-eyed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  5
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  3
Tree Swallow  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  5
Wood Thrush  3
Cedar Waxwing  3
Chipping Sparrow  1
Red-winged Blackbird  1
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Common Grackle  1
Ovenbird  4
Common Yellowthroat  3
Pine Warbler  4
Summer Tanager  1     
Northern Cardinal  4
Indigo Bunting  3