August Wrap-up--3 States, 7 Year Birds

Shari with a Rumble Pig

Shari & I birded three states this month (four, technically, if you count the House Sparrows I listed at two rest stops in Pennsylvania). Beside New Jersey and Delaware, we spent a couple of days in the Binghamton, NY area where birding was a secondary consideration. Binghamton is the carousel capitol of the country (six in the area, all free), and the Mets have a Double A minor league team there (the Rumble Ponies, which are what merry-go-round horses are called there), plus a funny little zoo. A late friend of mine & I had a theory that any city is interesting for two days, and so it was for Binghamton. But we did get some birding in. Our hotel was on the Chenango River, not far from its confluence with the Susquehanna River. It was peculiar to see Common Mergansers in August on the river, and one morning we spent birding the Binghamton University Nature Refuge where we found Shari's year Pileated Woodpecker and saw a Red-tailed Hawk with a snake in its talons streaming behind it as it flew before landing in a snag and having a meal of it.

I bookended the month with year birds not documented in the blog--a White-faced Ibis at Manahawkin which I probably would never have found in the huge Glossy Ibis flock without some kindly help, and this morning, at Whitesbog, birding with eyes sharper than mine, a Tennessee Warbler, which is just the second one I've seen there.   

In years past I would have spent virtually every day at Whitesbog with the bogs drawn down, but drought & beavers have made it impossible for the farmer to accommodate the birders. However, Union Pond, to which the water has been cut off, has dried up nicely and over the last few days many rare shorebirds have made an appearance there, including, while I was in Delaware, two flyover Hudsonian Godwits! Yesterday, I went there and was lucky enough to see a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, the second one reported there this month, so my wish to see one at Whitesbog was fulfilled. Now the Lower Bog is being pumped out in anticipation of the cranberry harvest mid-month, so I'll be spending more time there, hoping for a September to remember.    

For the month, 144 species:

Counties birded:

Delaware: Kent

New Jersey: Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

New York: Broome

Sandhill Cranes, Bear Swamp Pool, Bombay Hook
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Species                 First Sighting
Canada Goose   Manahawkin WMA
Mute Swan   Manahawkin WMA
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Blue-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Shoveler   Bombay Hook
Gadwall   Bombay Hook
Mallard   Manahawkin WMA
American Black Duck   Manahawkin WMA
Green-winged Teal   Bombay Hook
Common Eider   Island Beach SP
Common Merganser   Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Promenade
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Promenade
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Whitesbog
Common Nighthawk   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Whitesbog
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Bombay Hook
Sora   Bombay Hook
Sandhill Crane   Bombay Hook
Black-necked Stilt   Bombay Hook
American Avocet   Bombay Hook
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   Whitesbog
Semipalmated Plover   Manahawkin WMA
Marbled Godwit   Bombay Hook
Short-billed Dowitcher   Manahawkin WMA
Long-billed Dowitcher   Manahawkin WMA
Wilson's Snipe   Bombay Hook
Spotted Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Solitary Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Lesser Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Willet   Island Beach SP
Greater Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Ruddy Turnstone   Island Beach SP
Stilt Sandpiper   Manahawkin WMA
Buff-breasted Sandpiper   Reed Sod Farm
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Least Sandpiper   Manahawkin WMA
Pectoral Sandpiper   Manahawkin WMA
Western Sandpiper   Bombay Hook
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Laughing Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Ring-billed Gull   Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Promenade
Herring Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Great Black-backed Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Caspian Tern   Island Beach SP
Forster's Tern   Manahawkin WMA
Common Tern   Island Beach SP
Royal Tern   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Reeves Bogs
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
American Bittern   Bombay Hook
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Bombay Hook
Little Blue Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Tricolored Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Snowy Egret   Manahawkin WMA
Green Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Great Egret   Manahawkin WMA
Great Blue Heron   Manahawkin WMA
White Ibis   Manahawkin WMA
Glossy Ibis   Manahawkin WMA
White-faced Ibis   Manahawkin WMA
Black Vulture   Union Transportation Trail
Turkey Vulture   Whitesbog
Osprey   Double Trouble SP
Northern Harrier   Bombay Hook
Cooper's Hawk   Reeves Bogs
Bald Eagle   Reeves Bogs
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Broad-winged Hawk   Bombay Hook
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Whitesbog
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Pileated Woodpecker   Binghamton University Nature Preserve
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
Merlin   Whitesbog
Peregrine Falcon   Bombay Hook
Eastern Wood-Pewee   35 Sunset Rd
Acadian Flycatcher   Manahawkin WMA
Willow Flycatcher   Whitesbog
Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher   Manahawkin WMA
Eastern Kingbird   Manahawkin WMA
White-eyed Vireo   Whitesbog
Red-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Black-capped Chickadee   Ross Park Zoo
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Reed Sod Farm
Bank Swallow   Bombay Hook
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Purple Martin   Whitesbog
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Whitesbog
Barn Swallow   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Beach Ave
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Whitesbog
House Wren   Whitesbog
Marsh Wren   Manahawkin WMA
Carolina Wren   Whitesbog
European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Catbird   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Thrasher   Double Trouble SP
Northern Mockingbird   Manahawkin WMA
Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
Cedar Waxwing   Reeves Bogs
House Sparrow   Island Beach SP
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Whitesbog
Seaside Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee   Whitesbog
Bobolink   Bombay Hook
Orchard Oriole   Manahawkin WMA
Baltimore Oriole   Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird   Manahawkin WMA
Common Grackle   35 Sunset Rd
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Northern Waterthrush   Whitesbog
Black-and-white Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Tennessee Warbler   Whitesbog
Common Yellowthroat   Manahawkin WMA
American Redstart   Reeves Bogs
Yellow Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Pine Warbler   Whitesbog
Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Blue Grosbeak   Colliers Mills WMA

George Johnson Park

Bombay Hook 8/27-8/29--Black-necked Stilt, Marbled Godwit, American Bittern, Bobolink

Black-necked Stilt
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Shari & I drove down to Delaware on Tuesday, so we'd be on time for Scott's Delaware trip which met early on Wednesday morning at Bombay Hook.  On Tuesday afternoon we made a quick run around three of the impoundments with discouraging results, which is why Scott times the trips to the tides, because Wednesday morning the shorebirds were abundant in Raymond and Shearness Pools.  

It is dizzying to be confronted with a couple of thousand shorebirds. I can tick off the easy ones--Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers, and I'm pretty sure those are all Short-billed Dowitichers, but no, hear that "Keek?" That's a Long-billed Dowitcher and I'll let Scott find it, because unless I'm right on top of one, I'm blind to the subtle field marks that distinguish one dowitcher from the other. Same story, only more so, with Western Sandpipers versus the much more common Semipalmated. 

And that's how we spent the first hour or so of the trip. But I did get my first year bird there as a couple of Bobolinks were popping in and out of the vegetation along the edge of the pool. At this time of year, Bobolinks have molted and are not particularly interesting birds, but I'll take it. 

The second year bird was much more exciting.  On the return trip riding along the edge of Shearness, Shari and I saw a big brown bird flying along toward us and before we could get a good look at it, it dived down into the reeds. The whole caravan halted, and Scott came back to say that it was an American Bittern. "What a lousy look," I thought to myself, but as it happened, the bird had landed right where we had stopped the car and someone was able to find it among the reeds--almost perfectly camouflaged, but not quite.  Not only was it a year bird, but it is also flagged as rare, and it was the first American Bittern Shari or I had ever seen in Delaware, adding to our state list (Delaware is #3 behind NJ & NY, of course.) That day we also added to our state list with a Broad-winged Hawk (also rare) seen hovering above the parking lot and, on a trip to Port Mahon Road a little south of the refuge, we saw a Lesser Black-backed Gull, also a state bird. It is surprising that lacunae you can have on your list in a place you go to fairly often.  And of course, we had American Avocets in good numbers and killer looks
at two Sandhill Cranes in Bear Swamp Pool, so it was a pretty successful day. 

American Avocets, Semipalmated Plovers

Sandhill Crane
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Greater Yellowlegs, Sora
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Today was even more productive. After another hour or so sorting through thousands of shorebirds and dipping on a reported Baird's Sandpiper (rare and to me, totally unexciting because of its blandness) we made our way to Shearness Pool where someone pointed out a little bird foraging next to a Greater Yellowlegs at the edge of a mudflat. The little bird turned out to be a Sora, and elusive rail that is always a treat to see. The Sora kept disappearing around a point of grass and no one could get a decent picture of it. Shari, trying to get a better angle, saw another bird standing in a gap in the vegetation, pointed it out to Carol who confirmed her suspicion that it was a Black-necked Stilt--Shari wasn't sure because the legs weren't bubble-gum pink due to it being an immature bird--but still, a year bird and one we always hope to see at Bombay Hook, though they aren't nearly as easy to find as the avocets.

After lunch the tide had gone out, which meant that the shorebirds had dispersed from the impoundments, but there was some action on the Leatherberry Flats across from Shearness. Linda had a peculiar bird but before she could get a good look at it the bird took off--Scott called out Marbled Godwit and I eventually saw it flying and again thought "What a lousy look," but happily the bird set down and, though it was distant, we all get good scope views of it. That was another bird that managed to avoid me this year.  

Three trips to Bombay Hook and an excursion to Port Mahon Road (advice: be careful of the utility pole in the middle of the road) got us 77 species. They were:

Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Clapper Rail
Sora
Sandhill Crane
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Marbled Godwit
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Bank Swallow
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Field Sparrow
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Yellowthroat
Blue Grosbeak

Reed's Sod Farm 8/25--Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Buff-breasted Sandpiper with Semipalmated Plover

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it.

                  --W.C. Fields

I've always found Fields' advice to be sensible, especially when it comes to chasing birds (which are, after all, I keep reminding myself, just birds), so I must have been feeling damn foolish this morning since I drove up to Reed's Sod Farm for the third time in a little over a week, looking for elusive "grasspipers." My first two tries last week were fruitless, and on my third try this morning the only "interesting" birds I found was a small flock of Horned Larks, on the dirt, no surprising for a species that seems to love the crappiest ground available. I walked the length of Herbert Road and up York Road to look at more harvested dirt when the local bird maven pulled up and told me I was searching the wrong place. The bird I was looking for had been seen most of the time behind me, at the corner of Herbert & York. I walked back there and found a photographer who had seen the bird earlier and was waiting for it to reappear. 

If there is one thing I really hate doing, it's standing on York Road with traffic whizzing within inches of my ass, waiting for a bird to show up. I stood there as long as I could stand it then hoisted my scope and left. "It is only a bird," I said aloud. I walked back to my car, which was parked in the Union Transportation Trail lot on Sharon Road, stowed the scope and walked the trail for a while. Sometimes I find notable birds along that converted railbed, but today was not one of those days. 

So I decided to look again--four times, I'm not usually that persistent. I drove down to the corner of Herbert & York and saw, once again, many, many Killdeer, but not my desired species. But I had passed two birders on Herbert, one with a scope, one with a camera. Looking at the photographer I could tell they had the bird--there is a way photographers look at the preview screens on their cameras that signals a good bird--they peer at the screen and fiddle with the controls. So, I drove back up there and asked the guy with the scope if they'd had any luck--he waved me back toward where I'd been standing. "It must be an angle thing," I thought. The photographer was a little more helpful and with my scope I found the Buff-breasted Sandpiper running along in the relatively high grass--it was an angle thing, since the slightly higher ground I was standing on gave me a view above the sod. But it was too far away for a picture, so I walked down almost to York, again, and there I was able to take the poor photographs you see here. 

With Killdeer in upper left corner.

Now, I would rather have seen this bird at Whitesbog (where, when the bogs are drawn down, they appear annually), but this year the bogs are full because of water worries. Actually, I rather have seen this bird in Ocean County, where I have only recorded it once (on the Ocean County side of Whitesbog when Big Tank was empty). Actually, I'd rather see this bird in my backyard, because, frankly, chasing after birds is losing its appeal. But, with all that, I'm still glad I got the bird, damn fool that I am. 

#100

I went outside to check for the mail (still not here) and heard an unfamiliar cheeping above me. I looked up and saw 3 Purple Martins flying overhead, which explained my confusion, since those are the first martins I've seen or heard at our house in the almost 13 years (August 15) that we've been living here and our 100th backyard bird. Martins like water and the closest water to us is about a mile away in the WMA. We'd been stuck on 99 for more than 2 years since a couple of Laughing Gulls flew over the house in May of '22. It's Even Number Syndrome; #101 won't seem nearly as significant.