Brig 7/13--Whimbrel, Stilt Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Bittern

Finally, some new year birds, and a lesson on the unreliability of weather reports. Shari & I went on Scott's Brig trip this morning, driving down the parkway in a teeming downpour. The forecast called for "light rain" for most of the day, but the windshield wipers going full speed seemed to belie that. However, when got off the highway, the rain did turn to drizzle. At Wawa, the rain had stopped. 10 minutes later, in the parking lot it was raining yet again. 

But then it stopped. And instead of an annoying drizzle, we had cloudy, breezy weather, giving way to sunny, humid conditions. And there were lots of shorebirds to sort through--frankly, too many for my liking, because it is hard to sift through an ever-shuffling flock of  peeps, looking for the outliers. Some in our group are much better at it and way more patient than I am. It thrilled me to see, at the Gull Pond, my first Least Bittern of the year flying over the phragmites, coming from who knows where and disappearing a little farther on. Whimbrels, which I missed while we were in Mexico, were the next year birds and they're pretty obvious. Even the Pectoral Sandpipers on the east dike among the thousand or so Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers, were easy to see once someone with sharper eyes found them in the flock. But the Stilt Sandpipers were frustrating--their position in the flock seemed to change whimsically and I only ever got a good look at one--until we got to the dogleg where the light was lousy but where six of them could be easily seen feeding like (pick your simile) an oil derrick or like the "perpetual motion" drinky bird of my youth. I know the experts in the group were looking & hoping for a stint, but my attitude was, even if you find one, 40 yards out, the chances of me seeing are small. Some people saw Western Sandpipers among the peeps, but I didn't even bother to try to find them--unless I'm right on top of one, I have no chance. 

American Avocet

The coolest bird we saw today was not a year bird, but a rarity, most of the time, in NJ--American Avocet, which we saw early in the year in Bombay Hook where they're common. No one has ever been able to explain to me why Brig, which is farther south than Bombay Hook to the west, gets only the occasional avocet, while at Bombay Hook you find huge flocks. The habitats appear to be exactly the same yet today two avocets, widely separated, were the highlight for me, while down in the Delaware they're expected.

The group, after lunch, was going to do a second loop to find a Black-necked Stilt (another Delaware specialty) but Shari had a commitment for later in the day, so we were the sacrificial birders. Still, without much walking or exploring the upland portion of the refuge, we managed 56 species:

Canada Goose  200
Mute Swan  100
Mallard  5
Mourning Dove  1     Heard
Clapper Rail  2
American Avocet  2     
American Oystercatcher  2
Black-bellied Plover  6
Killdeer  2
Whimbrel  15
Short-billed Dowitcher  1000
Lesser Yellowlegs  50
Willet  4
Greater Yellowlegs  100
Stilt Sandpiper  7
Least Sandpiper  100
Pectoral Sandpiper  2
Semipalmated Sandpiper  500
Laughing Gull  80
Herring Gull  10
Great Black-backed Gull  1
Black Skimmer  10
Least Tern  2
Gull-billed Tern  4
Forster's Tern  12
Double-crested Cormorant  100
Least Bittern  1     Gull pond
Yellow-crowned Night Heron  1
Black-crowned Night Heron  4
Snowy Egret  20
Great Egret  25
Great Blue Heron  8
Glossy Ibis  40
Osprey  19
Bald Eagle  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  1   Heard
Eastern Kingbird  2
Blue Jay  1     Heard
American Crow  2
Tufted Titmouse  1
Bank Swallow  3
Tree Swallow  10
Purple Martin  20
Barn Swallow  3
Marsh Wren  6
Carolina Wren  1     Heard
European Starling  15
Gray Catbird  1
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  3
Chipping Sparrow  1     Heard
Field Sparrow  1     Heard
Seaside Sparrow  6
Song Sparrow  1     Heard
Red-winged Blackbird  25

Blue Grosbeak  1