Crestwood Village 2/2--Wild Turkey

I didn't get very far today. My weather app claimed it wasn't raining around Whitesbog, while it was just drizzling here. I drove two blocks and found my first Wild Turkeys of the year. Common in Crestwood Village, they wander all over. For a long time last summer & autumn I had my own posse of turkeys that would hang around the side door until I fed them.  These might have been from that gang, because as soon as I got out of the car to take their picture, they ran up to see me. Unfortunately, I had no seeds with me. 

I find it risible that people are afraid of turkeys and complain that they've been attacked by marauding gangs of turkeys, or trapped in the house because menacing turkeys stand ready to strike in their driveway. They're turkeys. They're dumb. And they tend to run away from anything bigger than them (or smaller if they're yappy little dogs). Which is more evidence that these guys (four jakes and a tom) knew me. 

While I was taking the pictures with my phone, the drizzle started to be real rain and my weather app changed its tune--suddenly it was raining at Whitesbog. And would continue all day. I turned the car around and went back home, having fulfilled the "one cool bird a day" requirement. 

Are you sure there's no food in there?

January Wrap-up--The Usual Suspects

Eastern Bluebirds w House Finch, Great Bay Blvd

There was one obligatory bird this month: the (now) long-staying Red-flanked Bluetail that seems to have made a permanent home in a backyard in the community I live in, one mile from where I write this. This remarkable little bird that has survived temperatures well below freezing and some seriously severe storms, not to mention the hostilities of mockingbirds and Hermit Thrushes, has been seen by well over a thousand birders and the photographs of it must number ten times that amount. It has been adopted by Crestwood Village as our mascot and named "Riker" after the homeowners who originally found it and in whose yard it has stayed, living on the meal worms they put out for it every day. On the second of the month, I stopped there and instead of the long wait I expected, saw the bird within 15 or 20 minutes. In the early days of its residency, it would disappear for hours on end, but now it seems to have become accustomed to its fans and puts on a show a few times an hour. 

Other than that bird, most of what I saw was the usual suspects, with some rarities chased as has been documented in the entries below. A few relatively close rarities I didn't chase either because I didn't feel like driving up to parks I don't know or because I really don't like the idea of standing around in someone's backyard waiting for the rare bird (in this case a Western Kingbird) to show up, no matter how gracious the homeowner is. 

Purple Sandpiper, Manasquan Inlet

On my last day of birding for the month I started at Whitesbog pre-dawn, scouting for owls for the Pinelands Winter Bird Count on Sunday. I tried 5 different spots, 4 of which have usually produced and the other a spot that seems like it should be a good owl spot, and I came up empty in all 5 places. Not a happy harbinger for Sunday. I did, however, hear, as the skies lightened, a Fox Sparrow low in the bushes, my 122nd species of the month and thus the year. Not really a satisfactory way to end the month's list, but I know I'll see Fox Sparrows aplenty in the months to come. 

In the back of my mind in January and through the first few months of the year, I have the notion that if I miss such and such a bird now, I get a second chance at the end of the year. You can't really say that about spring migration--the warblers in spring are a lot easier to deal with than whatever dull-plumaged birds straggle back in the autumn. 

Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, taken by our feeder camera.

Our feeders have pleased me so far this year--we're attracting some unusual yard birds--Pine Siskin most notably, though we've had bluebirds, waxwings, a kinglet, Brown Creepers and 2 winter warblers. 

As I said, 122 species. Rarities are underlined. 

Counties birded: Burlington, Mercer (incidentally), Monmouth, Ocean

Species             First Sighting
Snow Goose   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
Brant   Sandy Hook
Cackling Goose   Sunset Park
Canada Goose   Sandy Hook
Mute Swan   Waretown
Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Northern Shoveler   Marshall's Pond
Gadwall   Sandy Hook
American Wigeon   Marshall's Pond
Mallard   Sandy Hook
American Black Duck   Sandy Hook
Green-winged Teal   Assunpink WMA
Canvasback   Riverfront Landing
Redhead   Waretown
Ring-necked Duck   Bamber Lake
Greater Scaup   Waretown
Lesser Scaup   Assunpink WMA
Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Sandy Hook
White-winged Scoter   Sandy Hook
Black Scoter   Sandy Hook
Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook
Bufflehead   Sandy Hook
Common Goldeneye   Sandy Hook
Hooded Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Common Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Red-breasted Merganser   Sandy Hook
Ruddy Duck   Assunpink WMA
Pied-billed Grebe   Prospertown Lake
Horned Grebe   Sandy Hook
Red-necked Grebe   Sandy Hook
Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River
Mourning Dove   Whitesbog
American Coot   Sandy Hook
American Oystercatcher   Holgate
Killdeer   Lake Barnegat
Greater Yellowlegs   Lake Barnegat
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Sandy Hook
Dunlin   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Guillemot   Shark River Inlet
Razorbill   Sandy Hook
Bonaparte's Gull   Sandy Hook
Ring-billed Gull   Conines Millpond
Herring Gull   Sandy Hook
Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook
Glaucous Gull   Sandy Hook
Iceland Gull   Sandy Hook
Red-throated Loon   Sandy Hook
Common Loon   Sandy Hook
Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook
Great Cormorant   Sandy Hook
Double-crested Cormorant   Sandy Hook
Great Egret   Manahawkin WMA
Great Blue Heron   Sandy Hook
Black Vulture   BC Fairgrounds
Turkey Vulture   Sandy Hook
Northern Harrier   BC Fairgrounds
Cooper's Hawk   Assunpink WMA
Bald Eagle   Conines Millpond
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Crestwood Village
Rough-legged Hawk   BC Fairgrounds
Belted Kingfisher   Whitesbog
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   35 Sunset Rd
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker   Sandy Hook
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Franklin Parker Preserve
American Kestrel   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Merlin   Waretown
Peregrine Falcon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Shrike   Franklin Parker Preserve
Blue Jay   Whitesbog
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Riverfront Landing
Common Raven   Sandy Hook
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Black-capped Chickadee   Sandy Hook
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Assunpink WMA
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper   35 Sunset Rd
Winter Wren   Whitesbog
Carolina Wren   Sandy Hook
European Starling   Sandy Hook
Gray Catbird   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Mockingbird   Sandy Hook
Eastern Bluebird   Franklin Parker Preserve
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
Red-flanked Bluetail   Crestwood Village
Cedar Waxwing   Sandy Hook
House Sparrow   Waretown
American Pipit   Waretown
House Finch   Sandy Hook
Pine Siskin   Bamber Lake
American Goldfinch   Whitesbog
Snow Bunting   Sandy Hook
Chipping Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Field Sparrow   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
American Tree Sparrow   Shelter Cove Park
Fox Sparrow   Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco   Whitesbog
White-throated Sparrow   Whitesbog
Savannah Sparrow   Whitesbog
Song Sparrow   Sandy Hook
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Meadowlark   BC Fairgrounds
Red-winged Blackbird   Waretown
Brown-headed Cowbird   CR 526 Allentown
Common Grackle   Cattus Island County Park
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Sandy Hook
Western Tanager   Sandy Hook
Northern Cardinal   Sandy Hook

Month & Year Wrap-up

Nothing is going to top the Crestwood Village Celebrity Bird this month or even this year. Astoundingly, the RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL continues in its little area of brush, hollies, and rhododendron, where at this juncture conservatively a thousand birders have parked on Wranglebrook Road and walked in the 1 1/2 blocks to see it.  They have been greeted kindly and even enthusiastically by the residents of that section of the village; I would have thought that by now they would be sick of the scopes, binoculars, and cameras and by association the bird itself, but they don't seem to be (for the most part, at least). Instead, it has been embraced to the extent that the board of trustees has decided to make the Bluetail the Crestwood Village 5 mascot and is sponsoring a contest to name it. I suggested "Harry" after the guy who originally photographed it in his backyard, but as the bird has been identified as female...Harriet just doesn't seem appropriate. 

With my aversion to crowds, it took me until the 30th to go back (with Mike) where it made a nice showing, but Shari has seen it twice while visiting our friends who happen to live directly across the street from where the stakeout hotspot pin has been placed.

It is inexplicable how this rarity of rarities wound up in our obscure little community, but as Myron Cohen once said, "Everybody's gotta be someplace." 

But at least that "someplace" is relatively convenient. I used to say to Shari that I dreaded a rare bird ever turning up in our backyard (something I no longer have to worry about, odds against being even longer now) because of the chaos that would presumably ensue. However, this bird turned up where the parking is convenient--had something like this occurred in our yard, I doubt a lot of birders would be willing to walk the whole quarter mile that we are from Schoolhouse Road. 

I read an article this week about a French street artist who goes by the name "Invader." He has cemented more than 4000 mosaics to buildings, bridges, pillars, subway stations, benches, railing, pipes and so forth in 172 cities in 32 countries. He calls them "invaders." He has also created a game, sort of an artistic Pokemon Go, in which you photograph ("flash") the mosaic and list it on the site. There is an even a list of top 100 "flashers" on the site, just like on eBird. The writer follows a group of people who travel from France through Switzerland to Slovenia, stopping at various sites and taking pictures of his invades. She makes them out as slightly crazed, eccentric nerds, who go to extreme lengths to find all 40 mosaics in the city they're visiting. Frankly, it didn't seem any sillier to me than doing a big day or chasing a little bird from Finland that happened to plunk down in the Pine Barrens.   

Since it looks likely that the bird will winter here, it seems obligatory that I put it on my 2024 list. As to the rest of the month, there has been a lot of rain of late, so my new pair of muck boots has been put to almost constant use. The cranberry bogs on Dover Road are flooded, Whitesbog has pools where I've never seen them and, combined with the busy beavers, bogs are overflowing, pouring swift currents onto roads. Ditto with Reeves Bogs where the water coming out of the bogs is so rapid that I've considered that I might get knocked over by the force of the stream. I have 115 birds for the month, a little better than last year. Despite the Bluetail, the Black-headed Gull at Barnegat Light, and the Townsend's Warbler at Eno's Pond, the bird rarity that pleased me most was the Dickcissel I found at the Dover Road cranberry bogs. Why? Because I found it myself.  

For the year, 368 species, boosted up our Oregon trip. Only 9 lifebirds for the year, 7 in Oregon, and 2 in New Jersey--the Bluetail and Cory's Shearwater off of Island Beach SP. In addition to those two, I added 3 more birds to the state list--Gray Kingbird at Barnegat Lighthouse SP, Sandwich Tern at Point Pleasant, and the Limpkin (which was the celebrity bird of November) in Manasquan, another unlikely locale, especially for a bird that lives on apple snails. 

Lists:
Month

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean
Species             First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Brant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Canada Goose   Whitesbog
Mute Swan   Assunpink WMA
Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Northern Shoveler   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Gadwall   Bunker Hill Bogs
American Wigeon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Mallard   GSP MM 88
American Black Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Ring-necked Duck   Butterfly Bogs WMA
Greater Scaup   Great Bay Blvd
Lesser Scaup   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Bufflehead   Whitesbog
Hooded Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Common Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Red-breasted Merganser   Waretown
Ruddy Duck   Whitesbog
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Pied-billed Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Horned Grebe   Great Bay Blvd
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
American Coot   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Black-bellied Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Killdeer   Jackson Liberty HS
Wilson's Snipe   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd
Dunlin   Great Bay Blvd
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Bonaparte's Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black-headed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ring-billed Gull   Crestwood Village
Herring Gull   Whitesbog
Great Black-backed Gull   Lake of the Lilies
Common Loon   Assunpink WMA
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Lake of the Lilies
Black-crowned Night Heron   Brig
Great Egret   Lake of the Lilies
Great Blue Heron   Colliers Mills WMA
White-faced Ibis   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Black Vulture     Wawa Rt. 72
Turkey Vulture   Manchester
Osprey   Eno's Pond Park
Northern Harrier   Assunpink WMA
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Eno's Pond Park
Cooper's Hawk   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
Bald Eagle   Eno's Pond Park
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Crestwood Village

Eastern Screech-Owl   Beach Avenue

Great Horned Owl   Beach Avenue
Belted Kingfisher   Assunpink WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Whitesbog
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
Merlin   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Blue Jay   Crestwood Village
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Assunpink WMA
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Jackson Liberty HS
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Assunpink WMA
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper   35 Sunset Rd
Winter Wren   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Toms River
Gray Catbird   Eno's Pond Park
Northern Mockingbird   Crestwood Village
Eastern Bluebird   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL   Crestwood Village
Cedar Waxwing   Cranberry Bogs
House Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Purple Finch   Eno's Pond Park
Pine Siskin   Whitesbog
American Goldfinch   Whitesbog
Snow Bunting   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Chipping Sparrow   Patriots County Park
Field Sparrow   Whitesbog
American Tree Sparrow   Whitesbog
Fox Sparrow   Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco   Whitesbog
White-crowned Sparrow   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Savannah Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Song Sparrow   Whitesbog
Swamp Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Towhee   Bunker Hill Bogs
Baltimore Oriole   Eno's Pond Park
Red-winged Blackbird   Assunpink WMA
Common Grackle   Sloop & Potter Creek Marshes
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Blvd
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Crestwood Village
Townsend's Warbler   Eno's Pond Park
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Dickcissel   Cranberry Bogs

Year

Species                                      First Sighting

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck   Cedar Point
Snow Goose   Holgate
Greater White-fronted Goose   Jackson Liberty HS
Brant   Sandy Hook
Canada Goose   Seven Presidents Park
Mute Swan   Bridge to Nowhere
Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Blue-winged Teal   Bombay Hook
Cinnamon Teal   Philomath Sewage Ponds
Northern Shoveler   Marshall's Pond
Gadwall   Ocean Acres Pond
Eurasian Wigeon   Marshall's Pond
American Wigeon   Marshall's Pond
Mallard   Sandy Hook
American Black Duck   Sandy Hook
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Canvasback   Brig
Redhead   Riley Pond
Ring-necked Duck   Manahawkin Lake
Greater Scaup   East Bay Av
Lesser Scaup   Lake of the Lilies
King Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Eider   Sandy Hook
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Sandy Hook
White-winged Scoter   Sandy Hook
Black Scoter   Island Beach SP
Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook
Bufflehead   Sandy Hook
Common Goldeneye   Sandy Hook
Hooded Merganser   Bridge to Nowhere
Common Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Red-breasted Merganser   Sandy Hook
Ruddy Duck   East Bay Av
California Quail   Philomath Sewage Ponds
Wild Turkey   Jumping Brook Preserve
Pied-billed Grebe   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Horned Grebe   Sandy Hook
Eared Grebe   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Western Grebe   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Clark's Grebe   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River
Band-tailed Pigeon   Reeher CCC Camp
Eurasian Collared-Dove   NW Salzwedel Rd
Mourning Dove Cedar Bridge Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Cranberry Bogs
Common Nighthawk   Double Trouble SP
Chuck-will's-widow   Collinstown Road
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Cranberry Bogs
Vaux's Swift   Country Inn
White-throated Swift   Fort Rock SP
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Black-chinned Hummingbird   Summer Lake Rest Area
Anna's Hummingbird   Summer Lake Rest Area
Rufous Hummingbird   Reeher CCC Camp
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Blvd
Virginia Rail   Beach Ave
Sora   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
American Coot   Lake of the Lilies
Limpkin   Manasquan
Sandhill Crane   Cascade Lakes Hwy
Black-necked Stilt   Brig
American Avocet   Bombay Hook
American Oystercatcher   Holgate
Black Oystercatcher   Haystack Rock
Black-bellied Plover   Sandy Hook
Killdeer   Lake Barnegat
Semipalmated Plover   Island Beach SP
Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Snowy Plover   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Upland Sandpiper   Reed Sod Farm
Whimbrel   Brig
Bar-tailed Godwit   Brig
Marbled Godwit   Holgate
Short-billed Dowitcher   Bombay Hook
Long-billed Dowitcher   Lake Barnegat
American Woodcock   Budd's Bogs
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Wilson's Phalarope   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Red-necked Phalarope   Brig
Spotted Sandpiper   IBSP Marina
Solitary Sandpiper   Manasquan River WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Island Beach SP
Willet   Great Bay Blvd
Greater Yellowlegs   Bridge to Nowhere
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
BLACK TURNSTONE   Seaside Cove
Red Knot   Great Bay Blvd
SURFBIRD   Seaside Cove
Stilt Sandpiper   Brig
Buff-breasted Sandpiper   Reed Sod Farm
Sanderling   Sandy Hook
Dunlin   Holgate
Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet
Baird's Sandpiper   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
White-rumped Sandpiper   Cedar Bonnet Island
Least Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pectoral Sandpiper   Brig
Western Sandpiper   Necanicum Estuary
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Parasitic Jaeger   Island Beach SP
Rhinoceros Auklet   Seal Rock
Tufted Puffin   Haystack Rock
Marbled Murrelet   Seal Rock
Pigeon Guillemot   Haystack Rock
Razorbill   Sandy Hook
Dovekie   Island Beach SP
Common Murre   Manasquan Inlet
Bonaparte's Gull   Sandy Hook
Black-headed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull   Island Beach SP--Reed's Road
Franklin's Gull   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Heermann's Gull   Seaside Cove
Ring-billed Gull   Wawa South Toms River
Western Gull   Necanicum Estuary
Herring Gull   Sandy Hook
Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
California Gull   Cascade Locks
Glaucous-winged Gull   Cascade Locks
Black Skimmer   Brig
Least Tern   Brig
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Caspian Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Black Tern   Silver Lake
Forster's Tern   IBSP Marina
Common Tern   Brig
Roseate Tern   IBSP Marina
Sandwich Tern   Baltimore Avenue
Royal Tern   Shark River Inlet
Red-throated Loon   Sandy Hook
Pacific Loon   Seal Rock
Common Loon   Sandy Hook
Wilson's Storm-Petrel   Manasquan Inlet
CORY'S SHEARWATER   Island Beach SP
Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook
Brandt's Cormorant   Haystack Rock
Pelagic Cormorant   Seaside Cove
Great Cormorant   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   East Bay Av
American White Pelican   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
American Bittern   Manahawkin WMA
Least Bittern   Reeves Bogs
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Shelter Cove Park
Snowy Egret   Island Beach SP
Green Heron   Pond on Schoolhouse Road
Great Egret   Bridge to Nowhere
Great Blue Heron   Beach Ave
White Ibis   Ocean City Welcome Center
Glossy Ibis   Bombay Hook
White-faced Ibis   Meadowedge Park
Black Vulture   Crestwood Village
Turkey Vulture   Sandy Hook
Osprey   Cattus Island County Park
Golden Eagle   Brothers
Northern Harrier   Bridge to Nowhere
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Cattus Island County Park
Cooper's Hawk   Ridge av
Bald Eagle   Beach Ave
Red-shouldered Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere
Broad-winged Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Swainson's Hawk   Fort Rock
Red-tailed Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere
Rough-legged Hawk   BC Fairgrounds
Ferruginous Hawk   Silver Lake
Eastern Screech-Owl   Beach Ave
Great Horned Owl   Beach Ave
Barred Owl   Beach Ave
Long-eared Owl   Imlaystown Rd
Short-eared Owl   Manahawkin WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Bridge to Nowhere
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Stafford
Red-breasted Sapsucker   Marys River Park
Lewis's Woodpecker   Whispering Pine Campground
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Acorn Woodpecker   NW Salzwedel Rd
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere
BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER   McKenzie Hwy
Downy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere
Hairy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere
WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER   Sisters Tie Trail
Northern Flicker   Manahawkin WMA
American Kestrel   Budd’s Bogs
Merlin   Budd’s Bogs
Peregrine Falcon   Manasquan Inlet
Olive-sided Flycatcher   Reeher CCC Camp
Western Wood-Pewee   NW Salzwedel Rd
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Double Trouble SP
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher   Whitesbog
Acadian Flycatcher   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Willow Flycatcher   Cranberry Bogs
Least Flycatcher   Jumping Brook Preserve
Hammond's Flycatcher   Forest Service Road 5590
Gray Flycatcher   Cabin Lake
Dusky Flycatcher   Santiam Hwy
Western Flycatcher   Reeher CCC Camp
Black Phoebe   Philomath Sewage Ponds
Eastern Phoebe   Cranberry Bogs
Great Crested Flycatcher   Manasquan River WMA
Western Kingbird   McKenzie Hwy
Eastern Kingbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Kingbird   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Hutton's Vireo   Reeher CCC Camp
Yellow-throated Vireo   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
CASSIN'S VIREO   Marys River Park
Blue-headed Vireo   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Cedar Bonnet Island
Loggerhead Shrike   Fort Rock SP
Canada Jay   NW Cochran Rd
Pinyon Jay   Cabin Lake
Steller's Jay   NW Cochran Rd
Blue Jay   Wawa South Toms River
California Scrub-Jay   Radisson Hotel Lake
Black-billed Magpie   Three Sisters Viewpoint
Clark's Nutcracker   McKenzie Hwy
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   New Egypt
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   Bridge to Nowhere
Black-capped Chickadee   Sandy Hook
Mountain Chickadee   Best Western Lot
Chestnut-backed Chickadee   Reeher CCC Camp
Tufted Titmouse   Bridge to Nowhere
Horned Lark   Sandy Hook
Bank Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA
Tree Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Violet-green Swallow   Radisson Hotel Lake
Purple Martin   Jakes Branch County Park
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Great Bay Blvd
Barn Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake
Wrentit   Cummins Peak Rd
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Sandy Hook
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Pygmy Nuthatch   Best Western Lot
Brown-headed Nuthatch   Big Stone Beach Rd.
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Bridge to Nowhere
Brown Creeper   Budd’s Bogs
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Cranberry Bogs
Rock Wren   Picture Rock Pass
Canyon Wren   Picture Rock Pass
House Wren   Cranberry Bogs
PACIFIC WREN   Ellmaker SP
Winter Wren   Bridge to Nowhere
Sedge Wren   Beach Ave
Marsh Wren   Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
Bewick's Wren   Cummins Peak Rd
American Dipper   NW Cochran Rd
European Starling   Wawa South Toms River
Gray Catbird   Manahawkin WMA
Brown Thrasher   Manahawkin WMA
Sage Thrasher   Fort Rock SP
Northern Mockingbird   Wawa South Toms River
Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog
Western Bluebird   Round Top summit
Mountain Bluebird   Fremont Hwy,
Townsend's Solitaire   Round Top summit
Varied Thrush   Forest Service Road 5500
Veery   Manasquan River WMA
Gray-cheeked Thrush   Island Beach SP
Swainson's Thrush   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Hermit Thrush   Bridge to Nowhere
Wood Thrush   Double Trouble SP
American Robin   Sandy Hook
RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL   Crestwood Village
Cedar Waxwing   Island Beach SP
House Sparrow   Wawa South Toms River
American Pipit   Whitesbog
Evening Grosbeak   NW Cochran Rd
House Finch   Sisters
Purple Finch   Eno's Pond Park
Cassin's Finch   McKenzie Hwy
Red Crossbill   Stafford Forge WMA
Pine Siskin   Cascade Lakes Hwy
Lesser Goldfinch   Best Western Lot
American Goldfinch   Stafford
Lapland Longspur   Sandy Hook
Snow Bunting   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Grasshopper Sparrow   Laurel Run Park
Chipping Sparrow   Ocean County Fairgrounds
Clay-colored Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Field Sparrow   Assunpink WMA
Brewer's Sparrow   Fort Rock SP
Lark Sparrow   Island Beach SP
American Tree Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere
Fox Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Dark-eyed Junco   Stafford
White-crowned Sparrow   Hancock Field
Harris's Sparrow   Hancock Field
White-throated Sparrow   Stafford
SAGEBRUSH SPARROW   Fort Rock
Vesper Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Seaside Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Nelson's Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Lincoln's Sparrow   Union Transportation Trail
Swamp Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere
Green-tailed Towhee   Trout Creek Butte Rd
Spotted Towhee   Reeher CCC Camp
Eastern Towhee   Budd’s Bogs
Yellow-breasted Chat   Assunpink WMA
Yellow-headed Blackbird   Summer Lake Wildlife Area
Bobolink   Cedar Bonnet Island
Western Meadowlark   Silver Lake
Eastern Meadowlark   Budd’s Bogs
Orchard Oriole   Jumping Brook Preserve
Baltimore Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-winged Blackbird   Bridge to Nowhere
Brown-headed Cowbird   Ridge av
Rusty Blackbird   Budd’s Bogs
Brewer's Blackbird   Cascade Locks
Common Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere
Boat-tailed Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere
Ovenbird   Whitesbog
Louisiana Waterthrush   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Northern Waterthrush   Cedar Bonnet Island
Blue-winged Warbler   Manasquan River WMA
Black-and-white Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Prothonotary Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Orange-crowned Warbler   Forest Service Road 2690,
Nashville Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Connecticut Warbler   Island Beach SP
MacGillivray's Warbler   Reeher CCC Camp
Kentucky Warbler   Island Beach SP
Common Yellowthroat   Colliers Mills WMA
Hooded Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
American Redstart   Double Trouble SP
Cape May Warbler   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Cerulean Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Northern Parula   Cedar Bonnet Island
Magnolia Warbler   Island Beach SP
Bay-breasted Warbler   Island Beach SP
Blackburnian Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Yellow Warbler   Meadowedge Park
Chestnut-sided Warbler   Island Beach SP
Blackpoll Warbler   Island Beach SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Island Beach SP
Palm Warbler   Jumping Brook Preserve
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Sandy Hook
Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog (Ocean Co.)
Townsend's Warbler   Eno's Pond Park
Hermit Warbler   Reeher CCC Camp
Black-throated Green Warbler   Island Beach SP
Canada Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Wilson's Warbler   NW Cochran Rd
Scarlet Tanager   Island Beach SP
Western Tanager   Crestwood Village
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP
Black-headed Grosbeak   Reeher CCC Camp
Blue Grosbeak   Manasquan River WMA
Indigo Bunting   IBSP Marina
Dickcissel   Island Beach SP 

Manasquan Reservoir 12/8--White-faced Ibis (Monmouth County Bird)

Yesterday, the Mayor of Assunpink asked me if I "had" White-faced Ibis for the year, because there was one at Manasquan Reservoir that had originally been identified as a Glossy Ibis. A Glossy Ibis this late would be very unusual, but a White-faced Ibis, in Monmouth County, in December, is just weird. I told him that actually, I did have the species this year, at Meadowedge Park in Barnegat. Birding is sort of like collecting baseball cards--Do you have a Willie Mays? How about a Pete Rose? 

But then I got to thinking that I didn't have a White-faced Ibis in Monmouth County. In fact, practically no one did, because this was only the second report of the species in that county, and the first one was inaccessible, it being on a private golf course. So, this morning, with the forecast for cold but calm weather (hate the wind off the water), I went up the reservoir. 

I had an idea of where the bird was but when I looked there, I had no luck. Oh well, I'll just walk the perimeter, five miles around, and find what I find. I like all the ducks, coots, and grebes there. Coming back to my car to put away my scope I ran into another birder who was also on the quest. He told me the bird had been reported recently, so I doubled back with him. Still, no luck, until another guy, looking for the bird, read a text from some alert app that the bird was near the Chestnut Point parking lot. Not far, but not where we were. So, since my new acquaintance didn't know where that was and I did, we walked up there together. We were approaching the causeway when suddenly the bird flew up and around us and landed in the little cove in front of us. The light was bad but an ibis has a distinct silhouette so there was the bird. If you had asked me what it was, I'd have said glossy because that's the default species, and it's hard enough to tell a White-faced Ibis from a Glossy when the light is good. I took some photos, which would prove nothing, but this was an "if you say so" bird anyway. 

Happy that he'd gotten his bird, my new friend and I shook hands--he went back to work, and I started the loop around the reservoir. By the time I got almost all the way around, I ticked off more than 30 species. I was back to where I originally had started when I saw my friends Bob & Bruce peering into the low water. "You're in the wrong place," I told them and they said, "No, it's right there." Sure enough, the bird had move yet again, and this time was in decent light. I still wouldn't have called it a White-faced Ibis--I guess, looking at my photos, I could convince myself that the eye is red and that legs are faintly pink, but again, if you say so. 

After a while we had our fill of the bird and started walking back to the parking lot. It was time, I thought, for me to get home, but then we saw Scott coming down the path. Scott had originally looked at the pictures of the bird and determined that it wasn't a glossy and now he was there to get the bird in person and onto his list. Except the directions, as they almost always are, were confusing. Good thing we were there to show him the way. We found the bird again and Scott...said so. 

Lots of out of place birds this season...Limpkin, White-faced Ibis, the common rarity of the Trumpeter Swans at Assunpink, and of course, the Red-flanked Bluetail which persists 1 mile from here and has attracted birds from near and far--Maine, Michigan, Maryland...hundreds of birders walking the winding streets of Internment Camp #5 to the bemusement of fellow villagers. 

My list for Manasquan Reservoir today:

33 species
Canada Goose  140
Mute Swan  5
Northern Shoveler  5
American Wigeon  2
Mallard  105
American Black Duck  100
Lesser Scaup  3
Bufflehead  15
Hooded Merganser  30
Common Merganser  1
Ruddy Duck  60
Pied-billed Grebe  5
Rock Pigeon  55
American Coot  100
Ring-billed Gull  10
Great Blue Heron  1
White-faced Ibis  1     
Belted Kingfisher  3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1     Heard Wetlands #2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  5
Downy Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Merlin  1     Cove trail
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  1
Carolina Chickadee  5
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Carolina Wren  5
American Goldfinch  1
White-throated Sparrow  25
Song Sparrow  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2

Crestwood Village 12/6--RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL

RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL
© Josh Gant (many thanks)

Last night, late, I got a text from a birder friend asking me if I knew someone who lived in Crestwood Village who had just posted a pic, on Facebook, where I have no account, of a RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL. 

To which I responded: WHAT?

To which she responded: Exactly.

Now, the address given is exactly 1.1 miles from this house. What are the odds of me seeing a life bird, from Eurasia, 1.1 miles from my house? Well, I can't calculate those odds, but they are enormous. I don't really like to chase birds, but this Old World flycatcher made the recent Limpkin in Monmouth look like a House Sparrow. I have to say, I spent an agitated night trying to sleep. 

Crestwood Village is not a birding mecca. The resident who listed it, didn't realize the rarity of the bird. He wasn't expecting the hordes of birders that showed up there this morning. I didn't even bother driving there, but left the house just before dawn and walked over, arriving just at a cloudy sunrise. And for the next 2 something hours, spent time walking up and down the winding streets of Village 5, looking for a little gray bird (this is a female) with red flanks. More and more eyes showed up. At one point, so intent was I on the search, that when a charcoal Subaru pulled up, I didn't even recognize it as our car. Shari, whose recovery is going well, had driven over in case the bird showed up. It happens that the bird's location was across the street from one our friends' house, so we told her to be on the lookout for the bird too. I was pretty far up Spring St with my birder friend when we got the word that the bird had been located again. I don't run. I ran. I ran around the block and the bird had skulked away. 

But it didn't seem to have gone far in the hedge row that separated the houses on Spring & Juniper. Occasional quick sightings were made, and I had a perfect streak of missing them. When I was on Spring, it was seen from Juniper. When I was on Juniper...

I was getting frustrated and cold on Juniper listening to conflicting directions about where you couldn't see the bird, but it was there, when Shari texted me from Spring that she had seen the bird. I ran, again. More confusing instructions until, somehow, probably randomly, my binoculars landed on the bird, about a foot off the ground. With frozen fingers, an overcast sky, and a jumpy bird, I didn't even attempt to take a photo. However, Josh Gant & Peggy Cadigan were kind enough to share their photos with me (and you). 

© Peggy Cadigan
Peggy, a much more dedicated birder than me, stayed for hours until she was able to get this photo

Maybe the bird will stick around (there was one in California, I'm informed, that stuck for months) and I'll wander over there again. Happily, the neighborhood hasn't produced any "get off my lawn" people, but then, happily, everyone has been respectful of property, so far. The bird can be seen from the street. 

And, as it always does when a rarity like this shows up in a completely unexpected locale, it makes me wonder how many rare birds are overlooked on lawns, in bushes, on roadsides by people who don't know or don't care. Who would have recognized the Mississippi Kites that nested in Waretown if a birder hadn't happened to live across the street? And how did the bird get here? No storm seems to have blown it over, like the lapwings of New Egypt, 10 years ago. Maybe it hitched a ride on a boat and flew south from Port Newark. We'll never know. Now. If it can only stay out of the talons of a Cooper's Hawk. 

November in Review--A Make-do Month

Or catch as catch can, not to be confused with Ketchikan in Alaska. Because my uxorious duties came first this month, ferrying Shari to doctor appointments, physical therapy, and outings to friends, as well as staying close to home to assist her with quotidian tasks, I had to squeeze in my birding with make do spots, like the pond on Stonybrook, or the Whiting WMA behind the house. Even when I felt comfortable enough to leave her, early in the morning, I didn't want to stray too far from home in case I had to get back fast (which, happily, never happened). 

Hooded Mergansers, Pond on Stonybrook

Belted Kingfisher, Pond on Stonybrook

Great Egret, Pond on Stonybrook

So, I found my amusements where I could, whether it was Hooded Mergansers, a late Great Egret, and a Belted Kingfisher on the Stonybrook retention pond, or fighting young tom turkeys this afternoon in the back yard. Of the four year-birds added this month, the most spectacular was New Jersey's first Limpkin, which I was lucky enough to see just two days before the Monmouth SPCA determined it was malnourished (no apple snails hereabouts) and dehydrated and brought it to an avian rehabilitator. (What the rehabilitator will do if the bird gets well is an open question. I doubt there are funds to fly it back to Florida. Mike's suggestion was to donate it to a zoo.)

Young toms fighting in the backyard.

But the bird that pleased me the most was the American Pipit I found one morning last week at Whitesbog on the dam between the Lower & Middle Bogs. I was driving along when I saw a bird in front of me bobbing its tail. My first thought was Palm Warbler (tail bobbing) but I immediately saw it was too big and not yellow and said "Pipit" to myself just as it flew away, flashing its white outer tail feathers. I go long periods between pipit sightings, and to find one "on my own" is much more pleasurable than having it pointed out to me, or, more typically, have its call identified as it zips overhead. 

The dearth of waterfowl at Whitesbog, Reeves Bogs, Double Trouble, and Colliers Mills has been extremely disappointing, and the tiny numbers of Tundra Swans disturbing. I found I was only listing about half the number of species that I would expect of whatever kind of bird in all these places. Even our feeders have not been very active of late. So, with those conditions, it doesn't surprise me that my 107 species this month is the lowest November number I've had since 2012, and back then, I'd skip a day or two of birding. 

Counties birded: Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species   First Sighting
Brant   Island Beach SP
Canada Goose   Berkeley Island County Park
Mute Swan   Wrangle Brook
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Shoveler   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Gadwall   Colliers Mills WMA
Mallard   Horicon Lake
American Black Duck   Double Trouble SP
Green-winged Teal   Double Trouble SP
Canvasback   Whitesbog
Ring-necked Duck   Whitesbog
Black Scoter   Island Beach SP
Bufflehead   Colliers Mills WMA
Hooded Merganser   Crestwood Village
Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck   Whitesbog
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Ring-necked Pheasant   Colliers Mills WMA
Pied-billed Grebe   Whitesbog
Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River
Mourning Dove   Berkeley Island County Park
American Coot   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Limpkin   Manasquan
Killdeer   Horicon Lake
Greater Yellowlegs   Cranberry Bogs
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Dunlin   Island Beach SP
Pectoral Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Parasitic Jaeger   Island Beach SP
Bonaparte's Gull   Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull   Berkeley Island County Park
Ring-billed Gull   Monmouth Medical Center
Herring Gull   Berkeley Island County Park
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP
Royal Tern   Island Beach SP
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Berkeley Island County Park
Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Berkeley Island County Park
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Berkeley Island County Park
Black Vulture   Crestwood Village
Turkey Vulture   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Northern Harrier   Island Beach SP
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Island Beach SP
Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Bald Eagle   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Rough-legged Hawk   BC Fairgrounds
Great Horned Owl   35 Sunset Rd
Belted Kingfisher   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Double Trouble SP
Northern Flicker   Double Trouble SP
Merlin   Island Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Double Trouble SP
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   BC Fairgrounds
Common Raven   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Colliers Mills WMA
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Double Trouble SP
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Island Beach SP
Brown Creeper   35 Sunset Rd
Winter Wren   Double Trouble SP
Carolina Wren   Double Trouble SP
European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Catbird   Island Beach SP
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   Berkeley Island County Park
Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA
Hermit Thrush   Double Trouble SP
American Robin   Double Trouble SP
Cedar Waxwing   Colliers Mills WMA
House Sparrow   Monmouth Medical Center
American Pipit   Whitesbog
House Finch   Berkeley Island County Park
Pine Siskin   Cranberry Bogs
American Goldfinch   Colliers Mills WMA
Chipping Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Field Sparrow   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Dark-eyed Junco   Berkeley Island County Park
White-throated Sparrow   Berkeley Island County Park
Savannah Sparrow   Double Trouble SP
Song Sparrow   Berkeley Island County Park
Swamp Sparrow   Berkeley Island County Park
Eastern Towhee   Double Trouble SP
Eastern Meadowlark   BC Fairgrounds
Baltimore Oriole   Eno's Pond
Red-winged Blackbird   Berkeley Island County Park
Brown-headed Cowbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Grackle   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Yellowthroat   Island Beach SP
Palm Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Pine Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Northern Cardinal   Double Trouble SP

Crestwood Village 2/15--Western Tanager

 At about 4:45 this afternoon, I got an alert on my phone about a Western Tanager in my neighborhood. Below is the text of my eBird report:

The address where the Western Tanager was reported is literally around the corner from my house--.4 miles. I immediately walked over there. I was dubious, thinking perhaps it was an oriole (which would still be good). I walked in the woods first, thinking the bird might be there, then came out and walked down Milford to the address listed. Naturally, no bird was there, but two doors down I heard, "Pit-rick" loud, 3 times. I couldn't locate the bird before it flew out of a small tree and back into much taller trees where I lost it. If the bird had alighted in the tree where I thought it went, it would have been pushed out by the 20 robins that suddenly landed in it.

 According to a fellow birder whom I've been texting, this is the third Western Tanager sighting in the county this winter, all widely separated. All have been one day wonders. What kills me is that the house where the bird was spotted has one cylinder feeder and gets the rarity, while we, much less than .4 miles away as the tanager flies, have 7 or 8 feeders and 2 birdbaths and the bird doesn't show up here. And I've been looking because today is a Feederwatch day. 

County bird. Not the most satisfying sighting, but county bird nevertheless. 

Skunk

When I have to kill time waiting for a prescription at Walgreen's, I usually drive about a half mile away to a little pond on Schoolhouse Road, where, over the years, I have seen quite a few interesting birds, especially ducks. Today, there wasn't much--3 Hooded Mergansers and a Turkey Vulture--but while I was walking toward the back of the pond, I smell a hint, a whiff, of skunk. Either that or someone had spilled a lot of Heineken beer, which wouldn't be too surprising back there where some of the locals like to go and "relax" out of sight. 

But walking back, after confirming that there were no more waterfowl hiding in the reeds, I saw to my right a large, almost all white mammal. In the harsh sunlight, I thought at first it was a groundhog, moving pretty fast, snuffling along the ground, but another look told me it was a skunk. I've never actually seen a skunk around here and with them being nocturnal, that makes sense. But this skunk did not look like Pepe LePew. Instead of the classic white stripe up the middle of the back, this skunk was all white from the nape of its neck to the tip of its tail, and the long fur hung over the sides. At home, Shari & I researched skunks, and at first we thought it might be an American Hog-nosed Skunk. But that is a southwestern and western species, so that seemed unlikely unless it hitched a ride here. With the scent, I didn't figure it to be an escaped pet. A little more research revealed that the skunk of these parts, the Striped Skunk, can be variable in coloration, and there were even some photos showing similar looking skunks, so that's what I landed on. 

The whole time I was following the skunk back toward my car was a push-pull experience. I wanted to get close enough to get some pictures with my phone (naturally, the camera was in the car) while at the same time, I didn't want to be close enough to attract its attention and get, you know...  In that I was successful, and as my car came into sight, the skunk made a left back into the woods. Pretty neat, and I hope those folks in that section of Crestwood Village have tight lids on their garbage cans. 

The Incidental Day 5/23

4:52 AM: Whip-poor-will wakes us up. Shari, in her half-sleep, thinks it's a car alarm going off. The tendrils of the city never truly release their grasp.

5:43 AM: Shari thinks she hears an owl. "No, that's a cuckoo." "What kind?" "Yellow-billed."

7:06 AM: I step outside onto the patio as the hummingbird buzzes by.

1:35 PM: Wild Turkeys in the middle of the road on our way back from the drugstore--the notorious "Gang of Four."

3:59 PM: 2 Great Crested Flycatchers in the side yard. One is a male, the other I don't know--either male & female looking for a nesting hole (plenty of dead trees nearby) or two males vying for territory?

April Birding During a Pandemic

Ovenbird, Whiting WMA

Birding ethically and legally during a pandemic was hard enough; the weather this month made it doubly difficult. I remember April that started out with snowstorms heavy enough to cancel baseball's Opening Day, but I don't recall an April as relentlessly cold, windy, and rainy as this past month. Many days I awoke to miserable conditions and many days I forced myself to go out in less than ideal weather for my walk. I can never tell if the winds are propitious for migration. All I know is that there were winds and winds keep the birds down.

The only real bright spot was our backyard where the turkeys, the whip-poor-will, and, toward the end of the month, the hummingbird, kept us entertained. Especially the turkeys which we found strutting around our yard almost every day, the big Toms displaying, while a gang of four "Terror Turkeys" would stand in the middle of the street and stop traffic, two standing in the road while the other two would rush over from the side and attack a car's tires. Very amusing, even when it happened to me.

I, for the most part, stuck close to the house, either exploring parts of the WMA that, even after 8 years here, I'd never bothered to walk to, or else edge birding along the power line cut that runs along the edge of the development.

I did make a few forays farther afield, to other WMAs around the county and once to Brig with Shari, but avoided the parks, even when they were open. Not only is it hard to social distance on the narrow park trails, but all those people discourage any kind of serious birding.

So, what did I find? 26 new species for the year, a couple right here in the back yard, but about half of them in our one loop around Brig. From what I can glean from my sporadic reading of others' reports (I've turned off the alerts app on my phone because I got tired of the ceaseless chatter about next to nothing), migration has been slow this year. However, every year, it seems, migration is slow. Might that be because of the supposedly billions of birds that no longer exist? Seems logical to me.

For the month I recorded 106 species. As a comparison, last year I listed 172 species. Going all the way back to 2016, my worst April was 137 species. So, Covid-19, wind and rain, not mention occasional car trouble, all managed to reduce me to a pitiable number.  But, on the other hand, I am healthy, Shari is healthy. I assume, if you're reading this, you are too. Stay that way.

Species         First Sighting

Brant   Brig

Canada Goose   Meadow View Ln

Mute Swan   Double Trouble State Park

Wood Duck   Meadow View Ln

Blue-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA

Mallard   Meadow View Ln

American Black Duck   Brig

Green-winged Teal   Brig

Ring-necked Duck   Colliers Mills WMA

Hooded Merganser   Crestwood Village

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd

Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd

American Coot   Brig

American Oystercatcher   East Bay Av

Black-bellied Plover   Brig

Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA

Whimbrel   Brig

Red Knot   Brig

Stilt Sandpiper   Brig

Dunlin   Brig

White-rumped Sandpiper   Brig

Pectoral Sandpiper   Brig

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Brig

Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig

Greater Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA

Willet   Brig

Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig

Laughing Gull   Brig

Ring-billed Gull   Brig

Herring Gull   Manahawkin WMA

Great Black-backed Gull   Brig

Gull-billed Tern   Brig

Forster's Tern   Brig

Double-crested Cormorant   Manahawkin WMA

Great Blue Heron   Meadow View Ln

Great Egret   Double Trouble State Park

Snowy Egret   Manahawkin WMA

Green Heron   Manahawkin WMA

Glossy Ibis   Manahawkin WMA

Black Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA

Turkey Vulture   Crestwood Village

Osprey   Whiting WMA

Northern Harrier   Rt 539 New Egypt

Cooper's Hawk   Meadow View Ln

Bald Eagle   Meadow View Ln

Red-shouldered Hawk   Meadow View Ln

Red-tailed Hawk   Crestwood Village

Belted Kingfisher   Meadow View Ln

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Meadow View Ln

Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Meadow View Ln

Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker   Whiting WMA

Pileated Woodpecker   Meadow View Ln

Northern Flicker   Meadow View Ln

American Kestrel   Rt 539 New Egypt

Eastern Phoebe   Meadow View Ln

Eastern Kingbird   Manasquan River WMA

White-eyed Vireo   Meadow View Ln

Blue Jay   Meadow View Ln

American Crow   Whiting WMA

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Carolina Chickadee   Meadow View Ln

Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd

Purple Martin   Meadow View Ln

Tree Swallow   Meadow View Ln

Barn Swallow   Brig

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Colliers Mills WMA

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Double Trouble State Park

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Double Trouble State Park

House Wren   Whiting WMA

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA

Gray Catbird   Manasquan River WMA

Brown Thrasher   Manahawkin WMA

Northern Mockingbird   Colliers Mills WMA

Eastern Bluebird   Meadow View Ln

Hermit Thrush   Meadow View Ln

Wood Thrush   Manasquan River WMA

American Robin   Crestwood Village

House Sparrow   Crestwood Village

House Finch   Meadow View Ln

American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd

Chipping Sparrow   Meadow View Ln

Field Sparrow   Double Trouble State Park

Dark-eyed Junco   Meadow View Ln

White-throated Sparrow   Meadow View Ln

Seaside Sparrow   Brig

Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Swamp Sparrow   Double Trouble State Park

Eastern Towhee   Double Trouble State Park

Red-winged Blackbird   Meadow View Ln

Brown-headed Cowbird   35 Sunset Rd

Common Grackle   Crestwood Village

Boat-tailed Grackle   East Bay Av, Stafford Township

Ovenbird   Manahawkin WMA

Common Yellowthroat   Colliers Mills WMA

Palm Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Pine Warbler   Meadow View Ln

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Meadow View Ln

Prairie Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Northern Cardinal   Meadow View Ln Blue Grosbeak   Manasquan River WMA

Palm Warbler, Whiting WMA