Forked River 8/4--Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbills with Great Egret

The probability of a Roseate Spoonbill turning up in New Jersey is low, but with at least 15 past sightings, not that remarkable. Narrow it down to Ocean County and the odds get longer, but it has happened a few times--Island Beach and Manahawkin stand out in my memory. But the odds of three Roseate Spoonbills turning up in Forked River in the lagoon just off Spoonbill Court? Astronomical.  And yet, for the last couple of weeks or more, that has been the place to go to put this species on your year list--if you can time the tide right. Which the first three times I went to this obscure section of Barnegat Bay I wasn't able to do and left frustrated. 

But today, after I passed Albatross, Egret, Grebe, Plover, Penguin, Skimmer, and Gannet Courts and arrived at Spoonbill, there they were, with the customary M.obs facing west as they fed just at the edge of the reeds to where, when the tide gets higher, they apparently retreat. 

Immature Roseate Spoonbills are known to widely disperse, perhaps pushed out by adults who don't want them impinging on their territories, so these birds were not as pink as the adults would be, but still amusing birds to observe. For 15 minutes. I have a wise birding friend who has (or had, I don't know if he still keeps it) a rule that he had to stay at a spot at least as long as it took to drive there, and since I had come down from Double Trouble SP I only shaved off a few minutes from that edict. I don't like standing around a private neighborhood with a large group of birders, no matter how well-behaved they are; I really feel like I'm intruding. So, I took some photos, listed the obvious birds around the spoonbills and had my one cool species for the day

Cedar Bonnet Island 5/17--Willow Flycatcher, Northern Waterthrush, Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler

Willow Flycatcher

 According to BirdCast, 903,500 birds passed over Ocean County during the night, quite a contrast from the 500 it recorded the night before. Of course, this information doesn't relay how many birds actually landed in Ocean County, but it seemed a good bet that a decent number alighted in county, so just after sunrise I was at Cedar Bonnet Island, walking back and forth on the entrance trail which is an allée of oaks and evergreens. 

At first, I only found the most common of birds there--yellowthroats, Yellow Warblers, catbirds, blackbirds...once again I felt like a walking bird-freeze zone. There was one other birder there and I could tell from his body language that he wasn't finding much either but that was no consolation. Walking back to the start of the trail I started seeing activity. Two Chestnut-sided Warblers were chasing each other in an oak and then a couple of Magnolia Warblers were in the same tree, a little lower down. Another birder came up and she saw a Bay-breasted Warbler, but I couldn't find it. And thus started warbler frustration. As more people arrived with the cameras and conversation, I started getting antsy and decided to walk around the open areas of marsh and grass. I heard a sharp call that I had to stop and think about for a moment until I realized it was a Willow Flycatcher, a bird, with warblers on my mind, that I had forgotten about.  I was finally able to track it down and get a photo--I don't even try with the flitty flighty warblers. 

As I ran into more people I knew, I heard more reports of warblers I didn't see--Canada, Tennessee, Cape May--it was like a geography lesson. Going back to the entrance groves a third time I heard a bird I couldn't identify. Another birding acquaintance identified it as a Northern Waterthrush, a warbler I'd given up on this spring and one whose song is not in memory because I usually see them and because my memory is shot. By now, after 4 walks up and down the trail it was getting way too crowded for me--I don't enjoy being in a crowd of cross-talking birders all calling out birds they might be seeing or else talking about birds other birders have seen, so I took my four year birds and went to Manahawkin WMA. 

I didn't expect to see anything new, though I sort of hoped that the Ruff from last week was still around, or at least a Stilt Sandpiper. Instead, I found that the Black-necked Stilt population had tripled since my last visit. Coming up to the back impoundment with my scope, I immediately flushed one from the bank. I'd never heard one call before, and that shouldn't have given me a hint that it wasn't alone. Later, walking back after depositing my scope in the car, I found two in the same spot--I recalled that two had been reported last week. Then I looked to my left and found a third. One more stilt and I think that qualifies as a flock. All three seemed skittish as they flew to the middle of the impoundment next to where a large flock of Lesser Yellowlegs was feeding. Safety in numbers. It was there that I was able to get the doc shot of the trio. I believe that it the largest number of stilts I have seen in NJ. 

The other (ahem) interesting sight was of two Forster's Terns in the front impoundment. As far as I know, Forster's Terns don't nest in Ocean County, and certainly not in Manahawkin, but that didn't seem to stop one of the terns from standing on the back of the other (which had been calling that harsh rattling cry) and...ahem. 

My list for Cedar Bonnet Island. I actually had more birds at Manahawkin, but there was a lot of overlap as you would expect. 

41 species
Brant  1     Channel
Canada Goose  1
Mallard  2
Mourning Dove  9
Clapper Rail  3
Semipalmated Plover  1
Short-billed Dowitcher  30
Willet  2
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Least Sandpiper  4
Semipalmated Sandpiper  6
Laughing Gull  2
Forster's Tern  2
Glossy Ibis  6
Green Heron  2     Flyover channel
Osprey  2
Belted Kingfisher  1     Flyover
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Willow Flycatcher  2
Eastern Kingbird  2
Red-eyed Vireo  3
American Crow  1
Barn Swallow  1
Carolina Wren  1
Gray Catbird  3
American Robin  8
Cedar Waxwing  4
House Finch  4
Seaside Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  6
Red-winged Blackbird  20
Common Grackle  1
Boat-tailed Grackle  6
Northern Waterthrush  1     Heard
Common Yellowthroat  6
American Redstart  1
Magnolia Warbler  2
Yellow Warbler  4
Chestnut-sided Warbler  2     Entrance
Black-throated Green Warbler  2     Entrance
Northern Cardinal  4

Manahawkin WMA 4/30--Black-necked Stilt, Semipalmated Plover, Eastern Wood-Pewee and April Recap

Black-necked Stilt

It was starting to become my nemesis bird of the year. I had already made two trips to Brig and 4 loops of the Wildlife Drive with no luck. Yesterday, after our excursion to the Ocean City rookery, Shari & I stopped at Manahawkin to look for the Black-necked Stilt that had been seen in the front impoundment. It wasn't in the front impoundment. I suspected that it was in the back impoundment, but to get there you have to walk about a thousand feet through tick-infested tall grass and neither of us was dressed for that kind of trek, so we dipped. 

This morning, I was there at seven, wearing permethrin pants, sprayed and wiped with repellent, with my socks tucked into my pants. Again, the front impoundment was empty of anything I cared about but walking back with my scope to where I suspected the bird might be (and where I had seen one about 12 years ago) I quickly found the bird with the bubblegum pink legs feeding alongside both species of yellowlegs. Nemesis no more. 

I did add two more species there--Eastern Wood-Pewee in the upland section and saw a small flock of Semipalmated Plovers whizzing around the back impoundment, to bring the year bird total up to 40 for the month. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to track down the Yellow-breasted Chat that another birder had just heard "around the corner" and has subsequently been reported since I was there. I seem to be taking it personally that a bird that makes such a demented racket refused to sing while I was there. Ah well...

For the month I had 139 species. Already other birders are complaining to me about the warblers being late and migration being slow. I would have like to lived in those halcyon days when the birds flew over your head in waves but instead I'm here and my motto is "See 'em while you can." 

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Ocean

Species             First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Brant   Brig
Canada Goose   Whitesbog
Mute Swan   Brig
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Blue-winged Teal   Brig
Northern Shoveler   Brig
Gadwall   Brig
Mallard   Whitesbog
American Black Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Ring-necked Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Greater Scaup   Island Beach SP
Surf Scoter   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black Scoter   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Bufflehead   Whitesbog
Red-breasted Merganser   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Ruddy Duck   Brig
Wild Turkey   Crestwood Village
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Whitesbog
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-necked Stilt   Manahawkin WMA
American Oystercatcher   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Killdeer   Cranberry Bogs
Semipalmated Plover   Manahawkin WMA
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Long-billed Dowitcher   Forsythe-Barnegat
Wilson's Snipe   Brig
Solitary Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Willet   Cedar Bonnet Island
Greater Yellowlegs   Brig
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Dunlin   Brig
Bonaparte's Gull   Brig
Laughing Gull   Island Beach SP
Ring-billed Gull   35 Sunset Rd
American Herring Gull   Brig
Great Black-backed Gull   Brig
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Caspian Tern   Holly Lake
Forster's Tern   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Pied-billed Grebe   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Brig
White Ibis   Island Beach SP
Glossy Ibis   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Snowy Egret   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Great Egret   Cranberry Bogs
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Black Vulture   Whitesbog
Turkey Vulture   Manchester Dump
Osprey   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Harrier   Whitesbog
Bald Eagle   Cranberry Bogs
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Manchester Dump
Belted Kingfisher   Double Trouble SP
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Manchester Dump
American Kestrel   Colliers Mills WMA
Merlin   Island Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Manahawkin WMA
Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher   Lakehurst Railroad Tracks
Eastern Kingbird   Cloverdale Farm
White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Blue Jay   Manchester Dump
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Whitesbog
Common Raven   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Purple Martin   Jakes Branch County Park
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Double Trouble SP
Barn Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Cranberry Bogs
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Whitesbog
Northern House Wren   Island Beach SP
Winter Wren   Double Trouble SP
Marsh Wren   Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Catbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   Berkeley Island County Park
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Hermit Thrush   Double Trouble SP
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
House Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Seaside Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Savannah Sparrow   Brig
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd
Baltimore Oriole   Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird   Manchester Dump
Brown-headed Cowbird   Whitesbog
Common Grackle   Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Ovenbird   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Worm-eating Warbler   Evert Memorial Nature Trail
Louisiana Waterthrush   Double Trouble SP
Black-and-white Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Prothonotary Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Common Yellowthroat   Manahawkin WMA
Hooded Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Yellow Warbler   Cattus Island County Park
Palm Warbler   Whitesbog
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Prairie Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Oops! I accidentally took a photo of an Osprey (Cattus Island)

Cedar Bonnet Island | Manahawkin WMA 4/18--Willet, White-eyed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat

Willet, Cedar Bonnet Island

Yesterday I went to Island Beach, this time working my way north from Spizzle Creek. And while I added two county birds (White Ibis at Spizzle Creek and Blue-winged Teal at the Kayak Launch), I missed the three likely year birds I thought I might find, so this morning I tried for them at Cedar Bonnet Island and then the Manahawkin WMA and made a sweep. 

At the end of one of the trails at Cedar Bonnet, I looked out to a distant mud flat and saw 7 shorebirds feeding. From that distance they looked bigger than yellowlegs, but I couldn't really tell, and the scope was in the car. It always seems that birds fly away when you're trying to get a look at them, but this time, mirabile dictu, instead the flock got up, circled a moment and flew toward me showing those big W patterns on their wings and landing virtually at my feet--FOY Willets. Cedar Bonnet is a good migrant trap but not today--perhaps just a bit early for migration, so after a quick swing around the other trail, I left for Manahawkin WMA.

I parked at the Hilliard lot and started walking in the woods. I wrote the other day how each year I have to rememorize most of the warbler songs; it apparently true of the vireos too because I didn't at first recognize the White-eyed Vireo I was hearing--never got eyes on it, but that will come sometime this year.  One of the warblers I don't have to refresh my memory with the Common Yellowthroat (witchety witchety witch), three of which were singing as I walked the upland trails. Again, no eyes on them, but it has been my experience that the first 5 or so listing of yellowthroats are by ear and then finally I get fed up with just hearing them and make an effort to actually see one of the little bandits. 

The impoundments weren't really very active, but in the front one were two Blue-winged Teal. Ironic, because Blue-winged Teal is a hard county bird to get and I was excited to stumble upon two yesterday at Island Beach. Something about that crescent on the face of the drake makes them very appealing, or maybe it's because the crescent makes them easy to identify that makes them appealing.

For the two spots 54 species
Species    First Sighting
Brant   Cedar Bonnet Island
Canada Goose   Cedar Bonnet Island
Mute Swan   Manahawkin WMA
Blue-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA
Mallard   Manahawkin WMA
American Black Duck   Cedar Bonnet Island
Green-winged Teal   Cedar Bonnet Island
Red-breasted Merganser   Cedar Bonnet Island
Mourning Dove   Manahawkin WMA
Killdeer   Manahawkin WMA
Willet   Cedar Bonnet Island
Greater Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Laughing Gull   Cedar Bonnet Island
American Herring Gull   Cedar Bonnet Island
Forster's Tern   Cedar Bonnet Island
Double-crested Cormorant   Cedar Bonnet Island
Glossy Ibis   Cedar Bonnet Island
Little Blue Heron   Cedar Bonnet Island
Snowy Egret   Cedar Bonnet Island
Great Egret   Cedar Bonnet Island
Great Blue Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Black Vulture   Manahawkin WMA
Turkey Vulture   Manahawkin WMA
Osprey   Cedar Bonnet Island
Northern Harrier   Manahawkin WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Cedar Bonnet Island
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Manahawkin WMA
Hairy Woodpecker   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Flicker   Cedar Bonnet Island
White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Blue Jay   Manahawkin WMA
Carolina Chickadee   Manahawkin WMA
Tufted Titmouse   Manahawkin WMA
Tree Swallow   Manahawkin WMA
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Manahawkin WMA
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Manahawkin WMA
Winter Wren   Manahawkin WMA
Carolina Wren   Cedar Bonnet Island
Northern Mockingbird   Manahawkin WMA
Hermit Thrush   Manahawkin WMA
American Robin   Cedar Bonnet Island
House Finch   Cedar Bonnet Island
American Goldfinch   Manahawkin WMA
Field Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Dark-eyed Junco   Cedar Bonnet Island
White-throated Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Song Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Swamp Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Eastern Towhee   Cedar Bonnet Island
Red-winged Blackbird   Cedar Bonnet Island
Boat-tailed Grackle   Cedar Bonnet Island
Common Yellowthroat   Manahawkin WMA
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Cardinal   Cedar Bonnet Island

March Review--20 Year Birds

Immature Bald Eagle, Cranberry Bogs

March came in like a lion...and pretty much went out like one too. Cold and/or windy for most of the month, with only the last couple of days giving a hint of the warm weather to come...which everyone will start complaining about as soon as it arrives. 

Red-headed Woodpecker, Colliers Mills

I wrapped up the month at Double Trouble SP this morning where I heard the familiar buzz of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, which after about 5 minutes I was able to get eyes on way high up in the just budding trees. That was my 20th year bird for the month, a not-bad number for a mostly winter month. As chronicled here previously, I went to Barnegat Lighthouse SP 3 times and visited my usual haunts like Whitesbog and Colliers Mills, Manahawkin and the cranberry bogs on Dover Road on several occasions. I had a few "rare" birds, mostly birds like Barn Swallow, Tricolored Heron, and Snowy Egret that were just early, though the Sandhill Cranes continued at Whitesbog well into the middle of the month and I think everyone who wanted a look at them got it. I was actually a bit relieved when they finally disappeared, because I was getting tired of trying to explain where Rome Pond or Ditch Meadow is to birders who only know the 3 main bogs. And don't get me started on trying to explain where the borderline between Ocean and Burlington counties is at Whitesbog. I know from looking at pictures that a lot of supposedly Ocean County listings of the crane were really in Burlington. (Am I bit possessive about Whitesbog...oh I don't think so.) 

I was thinking about titling this entry "March Madness," but there was no madness involved other than basic silliness of walking around every day looking at and listening to birds. And typing the phrase "March Madness" exhausts my knowledge of college basketball, which you could not find my interest in with an electron scanning microscope. 

120 species for the month:
Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean
Species   First Sighting
Brant   Bayview Ave Marina
Canada Goose   Lake Carasaljo
Mute Swan   Lake Carasaljo
Tundra Swan   Reeves Bogs
Wood Duck   Reeves Bogs
Blue-winged Teal   Brig
Northern Shoveler   Lake Carasaljo
Gadwall   Lake Shenandoah County Park
American Wigeon   Manahawkin WMA
Mallard   Lake Carasaljo
American Black Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Northern Pintail   Manahawkin WMA
Green-winged Teal   Cranberry Bogs
Redhead   Lake of the Lilies
Ring-necked Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Greater Scaup   Bayview Ave Marina
Lesser Scaup   Lake Carasaljo
Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck   Bayview Ave Marina
Bufflehead   Lake Carasaljo
Common Goldeneye   Brig
Hooded Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Common Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Red-breasted Merganser   Bayview Ave Marina
Ruddy Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Manahawkin Lake
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
American Coot   Little Silver Lake
Sandhill Crane   Whitesbog
American Oystercatcher   Bayview Ave Marina
Killdeer   Reeves Bogs
Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-billed Dowitcher   Brig
American Woodcock   Manahawkin WMA
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Greater Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull   Baltimore Avenue
Ring-billed Gull   Lake Carasaljo
American Herring Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Great Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pied-billed Grebe   Double Trouble SP
Red-throated Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White Ibis   Brig
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Tricolored Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Snowy Egret   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Great Egret   Lake of the Lilies
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Black Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA
Turkey Vulture   Lake Carasaljo
Osprey   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Cooper's Hawk   Whitesbog
Northern Harrier   Manahawkin WMA
Bald Eagle   Reeves Bogs
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Whitesbog
Eastern Screech-Owl   Whitesbog
Belted Kingfisher   Reeves Bogs
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Lake Carasaljo
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
American Kestrel   Robert J. Miller Air Park
Eastern Phoebe   Cranberry Bogs
Blue Jay   Lake Carasaljo
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Robert J. Miller Air Park
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Purple Martin   Brig
Barn Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Reeves Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch   Reeves Bogs
Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Double Trouble SP
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Lake Carasaljo
Gray Catbird   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Mockingbird   Lake Carasaljo
Eastern Bluebird   Reeves Bogs
Hermit Thrush   deCamp WildlifeTrail
American Robin   Whitesbog
House Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Field Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Fox Sparrow   Reeves Bogs
Dark-eyed Junco   Lake Carasaljo
White-throated Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee   Cattus Island County Park
Red-winged Blackbird   Lake Carasaljo
Brown-headed Cowbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Rusty Blackbird   Lake Carasaljo
Common Grackle   Lake Carasaljo
Boat-tailed Grackle   Bayview Ave Marina
Palm Warbler   Cranberry Bogs
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Lake Carasaljo
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Sandhill Cranes, Rome Pond, Whitesbog (Burlington County)

Manahawkin WMA 3/6--Tricolored Heron

Rare today, common next month. Tricolored Heron is a seasonal rarity in these parts. For the last 5 or 6 years a few have overwintered (or returned really early) on Long Beach Island and this winter there have been reports from Spizzle Creek on Island Beach, but the two birds I saw flying in at the Manahawkin WMA this morning, which I initially took for Great Blue Herons, are the first I know of on the mainland.  These two birds flew into the back impoundment, stood there for a few minutes then left. To see them standing belly deep in water is unusual. 

It was a good walk with 25 species seen or heard on a wicked windy day.

Canada Goose  13
Mute Swan  2
American Wigeon  3
American Black Duck  18
Northern Pintail  17
Bufflehead  1
Hooded Merganser  47
Greater Yellowlegs  1     Heard
American Herring Gull  2
Tricolored Heron  2     
Great Blue Heron  4
Turkey Vulture  3
Northern Harrier  1
Belted Kingfisher  2
Northern Flicker  2
American Crow  4
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  1
Carolina Wren  2
Northern Mockingbird  1     Circular field
American Robin  4
House Finch  10
Song Sparrow  4
Red-winged Blackbird  8
Northern Cardinal  2

American Wigeons & Northern Pintails

Lake Carasaljo | Jackson Liberty HS 2/8--Wood Duck, Horned Lark

Wood Duck

I circumambulated Lake Unpronounceable this morning. One advantage to having a large lake half-frozen is that it concentrates the waterfowl. Of course, most of the waterfowl is comprised of uninteresting Canada Geese, but floating in and out of all those jammed up geese I found my first Wood Ducks of the year, as well as Ring-neck Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal, a hen Canvasback and even a couple of big drake Common Mergansers, a first for me at that site and notable to me because the only other example of the species I've seen in county this year was a look at a distant hen on Manahawkin Lake last month.  

Along the areas where the water is frozen, you can concentrate on finding land birds which were comparatively abundant. In all, 3.3 miles yielded 36 species, a veritable bonanza of winter birds for me. 

Canada Goose  200
Mute Swan  2
Wood Duck  2
Mallard  17
Green-winged Teal  3     Drakes
Canvasback  1     
Ring-necked Duck  14
Lesser Scaup  4
Bufflehead  1
Hooded Merganser  14
Common Merganser  2
Mourning Dove  3
Ring-billed Gull  100
American Herring Gull  5
Great Blue Heron  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Downy Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  8
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Brown Creeper  1
Carolina Wren  5
European Starling  4
Northern Mockingbird  3
American Robin  20
House Sparrow  5
House Finch  1     Heard
Dark-eyed Junco  15
White-throated Sparrow  6
Song Sparrow  8
Red-winged Blackbird  1
Common Grackle  3
Pine Warbler  1     Ground feeding with juncos
Northern Cardinal  4

Then, for the third time this year, I drove over to Jackson Liberty HS to scan the soccer fields. Finally, I found my Horned Larks for the year. As always, it is a wonderment that these fields, and not others all around, attract Horned Larks in large numbers each year. I counted 36 today, which explodes the eBird filter, but I have counted twice that number in the past. Unfortunately, my camera battery died up at the lake when I was trying to document the Canvasback, so I couldn't take any photos of the larks, but then, I have never been able to get a satisfactory picture of those very active birds on those fields. They take off en masse, then settle down just out of camera range and blend in with the brown grass. Walk the field toward them and see previous sentence. 

Common Mergansers

Hooded Mergansers

Manahawkin 1/29--American Bittern

American Bittern

Stafford Avenue in Manahawkin divides two birding areas--the Manahawkin WMA and the Bridge to Nowhere section of Forsythe.  If you are walking southeast, then the Bridge to Nowhere marsh is to your left and Manahawkin is to the right and if you are interested in keeping assiduous eBird lists then down that potholed road lies madness because you would have to keep two concurrent lists as you walked along, noting the birds to the east and noting the birds to the west and then keeping track of which birds flew across the road and in which direction, not to mention the birds that are on the road and not in either of the marshes, so you would conceivably want to start a third list for Stafford Avenue itself or you could do what I do which is start the list with either one depending upon where you begin and throw everything onto that list since eBird protocol is that the list is a survey of where your feet are when you see or hear the bird and not where the bird actually is, anyway.

I bring up this "inside baseball" topic because this morning I started from the Manahawkin WMA's parking lot off Hilliard, walked through the woods and out onto the impoundments came out on Stafford and walked down to the Bridge to Nowhere. From the little hill there I saw off in the marsh something that didn't look like phragmites. Short-eared Owls are known to winter here, but since it was well past sunrise, I didn't think I'd be that lucky, and I wasn't. Instead, it was an American Bittern, craning its neck in the reeds. Always a great find and always amusing as the bittern merges in and out of the background, sometimes completely hidden and sometimes in plain sight and seemingly not knowing the difference. 

Technically, though, the bittern was in the Forsythe section. What a quandary, especially since I don't have bittern on my Bridge to Nowhere patch list, while I have it a number of times in Manahawkin. Tempting to finagle the data or in this case to untangle the data and make a separate list but in the end, I decided to let one more flaw in the database sit there undisturbed. (By the way, most of the 68 Hooded Mergansers I counted were also in Forsythe as well as half the Great Blue Herons. The Northern Harrier flew from one side to the other.  Shh. Don't tell anyone.)

25 species
Canada Goose  14
Mallard  2
American Black Duck  26
Hooded Merganser  68
Killdeer  2
Greater Yellowlegs  17
Ring-billed Gull  30
American Herring Gull  1
American Bittern  1
Great Blue Heron  6
Turkey Vulture  3
Northern Harrier  1
Belted Kingfisher  3
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  4
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  1
Carolina Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  5
Northern Mockingbird  1
Hermit Thrush  1
American Robin  2
House Finch  10
Swamp Sparrow  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1

Greater Yellowlegs

Barnegat CBC 1/5/2025--16 Year Birds

First bird, best bird. I met Mike yesterday morning at 5 A.M down on Beach Avenue in Manahawkin, where we have started our section of the Barnegat Christmas Bird Count ever since the days when Pete Bacinksi was still with us. Owling is the goal and we're happy if we hear a few Great Horned Owls or Eastern Screech-Owls. But nothing was calling down at the end of the road, so we drove about a quarter mile up the broken asphalt. As soon as we both got out of our cars we said, simultaneously, "Did you hear that?!"  What we had heard, as if it was right next to us, was a harsh hoot, which we were pretty certain was a Long-eared Owl. Playing the call on my phone confirmed it. We heard it again, but this time much farther away in the woods to the north. Still, Long-eared Owl, a "sensitive" species, is a great bird for the year. It is the second time I've heard one there. The first time was with the aforementioned Pete on the CBC of 2016.  

Mike heard a screech-owl on Beach, but I missed it, so it wasn't until we moved over to Stafford Avenue which runs between the state's Manahawkin WMA and Forsythe's Bridge to Nowhere section (which is crazy-making when you're trying to keep accurate lists), that I heard one, along with a couple of Great Horneds. 

As it was just about dawn, we moved down Stafford to its end where the actual Bridge to Nowhere sits. Once, on a previous CBC, Mike and I saw hundreds, if not a thousand, Boat-tailed Grackles levitate from the marsh at sun-up. We didn't get that show yesterday, but we did have a big flock fly across. Because all the water on either side of Stafford was stiff, ducks were at a premium, but we did have a few mergansers, both hooded and red-breasted. Mike spotted a Peregrine Falcon, and that, along with a Red-tailed Hawk I saw in Mud City, stands as the only two possible year-birds we both didn't see during the day. 

Our section includes a part of Barnegat Bay, but viewing it is a problem since our original lookout spot is now posted as private, with warnings about security cameras and dire consequences for trespassers. But, from a couple of spots we were able to see Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, a Greater Scaup, and the usual Mallards. However, we didn't find any cormorants sitting on a concrete structure in the bay, where they usually are. 

Because we were trying to hit as many spots as possible, and because the weather was impossibly cold and windy, we tended to do a lot of birding by car. The only real walking we did was in the Manahawkin WMA. There we found a Gray Catbird, one of those half-hearty species that sometimes winter in the area. Given the weather conditions, I'd say this bird was 3/4 hearty. Trying hard, we scanned a big flock of House Finches hoping for a Purple Finch, but they were all the same. Not even one we could ponder. 

Manahawkin Lake was surprisingly open and, as has been its history lately, unsurprisingly devoid of interesting birds. Gulls and geese were all we saw on the water, but, luckily, they have warm facilities, and as we about to make use of them I heard a Killdeer, and Mike found it, along with two others on the beach. Amusingly, we had just discussed how we used to see Killdeer there in the parking lot. We also padded our list with Rock Pigeons. 

Before lunch we stopped at a spot, Levi's Road, in Stafford, that is usually good for passerines, but it too was full of private property notices, so we didn't find much there aside from our first juncos of the day. 

After lunch we drove down Beach Avenue in the daylight and added Fox Sparrow and Eastern Bluebirds to the list. We then drove up 72 to the edge of our territory, a little pond behind a medical facility where there are always ducks. We were hoping the water wasn't frozen, and aside from the edges, it was open and there we added Green-winged Teal and Gadwall. I had an interesting looking duck that I thought might be a Eurasian Wigeon, but the light was horrible and then the flock it was in flew away to the far corner of the pond and I had to let it go. Mike was pretty sure that I was just seeing a teal in bad light. 

We returned for one more run down Stafford Avenue, checking both sides, but by then were getting diminishing returns. I was hoping for a Short-eared Owl early in the morning there, which we didn't see, and I wasn't inclined to hang out until dusk for a second chance. When I got home, I saw that on Beach Avenue at dawn, another birder, not part of the count, had heard a Sedge Wren in the spot we have had them in the past. That annoyed me, but, as the Firesign Theatre sang, "How can you be two places at once when you're not anywhere at all?"

For the day we listed 54 species for the Barnegat Count; I had 51. Surprisingly, I heard from the compiler, our Long-eared Owl was not the only one for the day. Someone else had one at a, naturally, undisclosed location. 

Species                First Sighting
Canada Goose   Mud City
Mute Swan   Manahawkin Lake
Gadwall   Ocean Acres Pond
Mallard   1355 E Bay Ave, Manahawkin
American Black Duck   Mud City
Green-winged Teal   Ocean Acres Pond
Greater Scaup   1355 E Bay Ave, Manahawkin
Bufflehead   1355 E Bay Ave, Manahawkin
Hooded Merganser   Bridge to Nowhere
Red-breasted Merganser   1355 E Bay Ave, Manahawkin
Ruddy Duck   East Bay Av, Stafford Township
Rock Pigeon   Manahawkin Lake
Mourning Dove   Bridge to Nowhere
Killdeer   Manahawkin Lake
Greater Yellowlegs   Bridge to Nowhere
Ring-billed Gull   Manahawkin Lake
American Herring Gull   Bridge to Nowhere
Great Blue Heron   Bridge to Nowhere
Turkey Vulture   Manahawkin Lake
Northern Harrier   Bridge to Nowhere
Bald Eagle   Manahawkin WMA
Red-tailed Hawk   Mud City
Eastern Screech-Owl   Stafford Avenue
Great Horned Owl   Beach Ave
Long-eared Owl   Beach Ave
Belted Kingfisher   Manahawkin WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Bridge to Nowhere
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Manahawkin WMA
Downy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere
Blue Jay   Bridge to Nowhere
American Crow   Manahawkin Lake
Carolina Chickadee   Bridge to Nowhere
Tufted Titmouse   Bridge to Nowhere
White-breasted Nuthatch   Bridge to Nowhere
Carolina Wren   Manahawkin WMA
European Starling   Manahawkin WMA
Gray Catbird   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Mockingbird   1355 E Bay Ave, Manahawkin
Eastern Bluebird   Beach Ave
Hermit Thrush   Manahawkin WMA
American Robin   Bridge to Nowhere
House Finch   Manahawkin WMA
American Goldfinch   Manahawkin WMA
Fox Sparrow   Beach Ave
Dark-eyed Junco   Levi's Rd--Stafford
White-throated Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Song Sparrow   Mud City
Red-winged Blackbird   Bridge to Nowhere
Boat-tailed Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Cardinal   Manahawkin WMA

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