September Wrap-up--All Over the Place

The month began with dozens of American Golden Plovers on a sod farm in Burlco and ended with a semi-nemesis bird for Ocean County--2 Pileated Woodpeckers at Colliers Mills (only my second county sighting of this local rarity).  Neither one was a year bird--the plovers were repeats from the last day of August and Shari & I saw two Pileated Woodpeckers at Bombay Hook in August. Still, nice bookends for the month. 

In between those days I ranged farther afield than I usually do in a month--my first trip up to Sandy Hook since New Year's Day, a day at Brig, a couple of forays into Monmouth County, one of them co-leading a field trip with some Brooklyn birders, a few trips over to Island Beach SP--and in all these places, there were rare birds. Of course, it helps that in most of these spots I was with really good birders which always increases your chances of seeing some cool birds. 

Drake & hen Wood Ducks, Cranberry Bogs

As the month wound up, I was walking around Reeves Bogs with my informant and his dog. I guess my mind hadn't made the transition from early fall migration to the end of fall migration, because I said possibly the dumbest thing I've ever said when trying to identify a bird. We saw a warbler flitting around a tree, and we couldn't get good looks at it, but then it flew a little higher and I caught a glimpse of a patch of yellow on its rump. My brain, still living in early September, went into what warblers have yellow-rumps--Magnolia? Cape May? "How about Yellow-rumped Warbler?" my friend said. Yeah, like duh, it's September 28, of course the Yellow-rumps are back! And this is why I am not qualified to lead field trips.

9 year birds in a  month where I tallied 143 species, which is quite a bit more than my usual count this time of year.

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species               First Sighting
Canada Goose   Whitesbog
Mute Swan   Lake Carasaljo
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Northern Shoveler   Brig
Mallard   Whitesbog
American Black Duck   Brig
Northern Pintail   Island Beach SP
Green-winged Teal   Brig
King Eider   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Ruddy Duck   Brig
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Shelter Cove Park
Mourning Dove   Whitesbog
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Lake Carasaljo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
American Coot   Lake of the Lilies
American Avocet   Brig
American Oystercatcher   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-bellied Plover   Sandy Hook
American Golden-Plover   Allen Sod Farms
Killdeer   Allen Sod Farms
Semipalmated Plover   Cattus Island County Park
Short-billed Dowitcher   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Spotted Sandpiper   Double Trouble SP
Solitary Sandpiper   Double Trouble SP
Lesser Yellowlegs   Double Trouble SP
Willet   Sandy Hook
Greater Yellowlegs   Double Trouble SP
Curlew Sandpiper   Brig
Buff-breasted Sandpiper   Reed Sod Farm
Dunlin   Brig
Baird's Sandpiper   Sandy Hook
White-rumped Sandpiper   Sandy Hook
Least Sandpiper   Double Trouble SP
Pectoral Sandpiper   Double Trouble SP
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Double Trouble SP
Laughing Gull   Cattus Island County Park
American Herring Gull   Shelter Cove Park
Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook
Least Tern   Sandy Hook
Caspian Tern   Brig
Forster's Tern   Sandy Hook
Royal Tern   Sandy Hook
Pied-billed Grebe   Whitesbog
Eared Grebe   Brig
Common Loon   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Double-crested Cormorant   Whitesbog
White Ibis   Lighthouse Center
Glossy Ibis   Brig
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-crowned Night Heron   Lighthouse Center
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret   Cattus Island County Park
Green Heron   Whitesbog
Great Egret   Cattus Island County Park
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Black Vulture   35 Sunset Rd
Turkey Vulture   Allen Sod Farms
Osprey   Shelter Cove Park
Cooper's Hawk   Sandy Hook
Northern Harrier   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Bald Eagle   Island Beach SP
Red-tailed Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Belted Kingfisher   Cattus Island County Park
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Cattus Island County Park
Downy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Pileated Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
American Kestrel   Colliers Mills WMA
Merlin   Cedar Bonnet Island
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Whitesbog
Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog
Say's Phoebe   Sandy Hook
Great Crested Flycatcher   Cattus Island County Park
Eastern Kingbird   Whitesbog
White-eyed Vireo   Double Trouble SP
Warbling Vireo   Lake Carasaljo
Red-eyed Vireo   Double Trouble SP
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Wawa South Toms River
Common Raven   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee   Whitesbog
Tufted Titmouse   Whitesbog
Horned Lark   Reed Sod Farm
Tree Swallow   Double Trouble SP
Barn Swallow   Whitesbog
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Double Trouble SP
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Whitesbog
Northern House Wren   Cranberry Bogs
Marsh Wren   Island Beach SP
Carolina Wren   Whitesbog
European Starling   Shelter Cove Park
Gray Catbird   Whitesbog
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP-
Northern Mockingbird   Whitesbog
Eastern Bluebird   Lighthouse Center
American Robin   Cattus Island County Park
Cedar Waxwing   Island Beach SP
House Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   Whitesbog
Chipping Sparrow   Whitesbog
Field Sparrow   Sandy Hook
White-throated Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Seaside Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Nelson's Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Brig
Savannah Sparrow   Brig
Song Sparrow   Whitesbog
Lincoln's Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Towhee   Whitesbog
Bobolink   Cedar Bonnet Island
Baltimore Oriole   Island Beach SP
Red-winged Blackbird   Cranberry Bogs
Brown-headed Cowbird   Sandy Hook
Common Grackle   Double Trouble SP
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Ovenbird   Lighthouse Center
Black-and-white Warbler   Assunpink WMA
Common Yellowthroat   Whitesbog
American Redstart   Cedar Bonnet Island
Cape May Warbler   Island Beach SP
Magnolia Warbler   Island Beach SP
Bay-breasted Warbler   Island Beach SP
Yellow Warbler   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Blackpoll Warbler   Island Beach SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Island Beach SP
Palm Warbler   Whitesbog
Pine Warbler   Whitesbog
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Prairie Warbler   Island Beach SP
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Indigo Bunting   Assunpink WMA