May 2019--34 Year Birds

Short-billed Dowitcher, Great Bay Blvd WMA

And just like that, in the last week  it seemed, migration was over leaving me feeling a bit unfulfilled having missed a lot of birds that I might not get on their return migration--warblers like Bay-breasted (I get a Cerulean Warbler in Ocean County but not a Bay-breasted?), flycatchers like Least, Alder, Yellow-bellied, and I even missed Swainson's Thrush, though I have been assured I can get them at Reed's Road when they're going south. We'll see. There's still a chance to get a Yellow-breasted Chat--I've only walked the tick-infested fields of Assunpink twice and it usually takes a minimum of three trips for me to get them.

A lot of the problem was that I wasn't too interested in going to places where I might find these birds a bit more easily, sticking around locally more than I usually do. It's not that I was foolish and demanding that birds be where I wanted them to be, it's just that while you can find the above birds at Double Trouble or Cloverdale or Great Bay Blvd, they are a lot more populous in other locations. I did make two trips to Sandy Hook, but to really assure myself of a big list, I should have been there 10 times this month.

But, to stop dwelling on the negative, I did have a good month with a number of rarities besides the Cerulean, including Wilson's Plover, American Avocet, White Ibis, the returning Mississippi Kite in Waretown, and the Olive-sided Flycatcher at Double Trouble which I happened upon for the 2nd time this morning. It was a good month for nightjars with our whip-poor-will singing every night (even singing in the rain, which has been constant this month), plus I stumbled upon a Chuck-Will's-Widow at Island Beach and had a flyover Common Nighthawk there as well. Warblers for most of the month were abundant and Great Bay Blvd had more shorebirds in the marshes than I have ever seen before. Cedar Bonnet Island has become a very productive and popular hot spot over the last 6 months or so, though now that the summer season has begun, going over the causeway to get there might give me pause.

For the month I listed 177 species with 34 of them being year birds. We are now entering the summer doldrums when new birds will be much harder to find (though those that do appear will probably be really cool), but I'll keep plugging away, if only for the 4 miles of walking I try to get in every day.

It's only a Fish Crow at Double Trouble, but it's probably the best picture I took all month

Species   First Sighting

Brant   Sandy Hook

Canada Goose   Colliers Mills WMA

Mute Swan   Double Trouble State Park

Wood Duck   Wells Mills Park

Blue-winged Teal   Cedar Bonnet Island

Mallard   Colliers Mills WMA

American Black Duck   Forsythe-Barnegat

Green-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA

Lesser Scaup   Sandy Hook

Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook

Red-breasted Merganser   Cedar Bonnet Island

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Rock Pigeon   New Egypt

Mourning Dove   Manasquan River WMA

Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black-billed Cuckoo   Sandy Hook

Common Nighthawk   Island Beach SP

Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift   Allaire State Park

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd

Clapper Rail   Cedar Bonnet Island

American Avocet   Sandy Hook

American Oystercatcher   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Wilson's Plover   Sea Bright

Semipalmated Plover   Forsythe-Barnegat

Piping Plover   Sea Bright

Killdeer   Natco Lake

Whimbrel   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Ruddy Turnstone   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Red Knot   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Dunlin   Forsythe-Barnegat

Least Sandpiper   Whitesbog

White-rumped Sandpiper   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Pectoral Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Forsythe-Barnegat

Short-billed Dowitcher   Cedar Bonnet Island

American Woodcock   Brig

Spotted Sandpiper   Cloverdale Farm

Solitary Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Greater Yellowlegs   Sandy Hook

Willet   Cedar Bonnet Island

Lesser Yellowlegs   Cedar Bonnet Island

Laughing Gull   Colliers Mills WMA

Ring-billed Gull   Brig

Herring Gull   Manasquan River WMA

Lesser Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook

Least Tern   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Gull-billed Tern   Forsythe-Barnegat

Caspian Tern   Double Trouble State Park

Common Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Forster's Tern   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black Skimmer   Forsythe-Barnegat

Common Loon   Cedar Bonnet Island

Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook

Double-crested Cormorant   Natco Lake

Great Blue Heron   Manasquan River WMA

Great Egret   Sandy Hook

Snowy Egret   Sandy Hook

Little Blue Heron   Forsythe-Barnegat

Tricolored Heron   Cedar Bonnet Island

Green Heron   Sandy Hook

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Manahawkin WMA

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center

White Ibis   Ocean City Welcome Center

Glossy Ibis   Cedar Bonnet Island

Black Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA

Turkey Vulture   Manasquan River WMA

Osprey   Manasquan River WMA

Mississippi Kite   Waretown

Cooper's Hawk   Sandy Hook

Bald Eagle   Natco Lake

Red-shouldered Hawk   Double Trouble State Park

Broad-winged Hawk   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Red-tailed Hawk   Manasquan River WMA

Barred Owl   Metedeconk Preserve

Belted Kingfisher   Natco Lake

Red-headed Woodpecker   Sandy Hook

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Manasquan River WMA

Downy Woodpecker   Manasquan River WMA

Hairy Woodpecker   Allaire State Park

Northern Flicker   Colliers Mills WMA

Merlin   New Egypt

Peregrine Falcon   Cedar Bonnet Island

Olive-sided Flycatcher   Double Trouble State Park

Eastern Wood-Pewee   Cedar Bonnet Island

Acadian Flycatcher   Double Trouble State Park

Willow Flycatcher   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Eastern Phoebe   Double Trouble State Park

Great Crested Flycatcher   Manasquan River WMA

Eastern Kingbird   Manasquan River WMA

White-eyed Vireo   Manasquan River WMA

Blue-headed Vireo   Manasquan River WMA

Warbling Vireo   Metedeconk Preserve

Red-eyed Vireo   Manasquan River WMA

Blue Jay   Manasquan River WMA

American Crow   Metedeconk Preserve

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Colliers Mills WMA

Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA

Purple Martin   W Colliers Mill Rd

Tree Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA

Bank Swallow   Whitesbog

Barn Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA

Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse   Manasquan River WMA

Red-breasted Nuthatch   Manasquan River WMA

White-breasted Nuthatch   Manasquan River WMA

House Wren   Manasquan River WMA

Marsh Wren   Manahawkin WMA

Carolina Wren   Metedeconk Preserve

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Manasquan River WMA

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Sandy Hook

Eastern Bluebird   Forest Resource Education Center

Veery   Double Trouble State Park

Wood Thrush   Manasquan River WMA

American Robin   Manasquan River WMA

Gray Catbird   Manasquan River WMA

Brown Thrasher   Manahawkin WMA

Northern Mockingbird   Colliers Mills WMA

European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA

Cedar Waxwing   Sandy Hook

House Finch   Manasquan River WMA

Purple Finch   Sandy Hook

Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch   Manasquan River WMA

Grasshopper Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA

Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow   Manasquan River WMA

White-crowned Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island

White-throated Sparrow   Manasquan River WMA

Seaside Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island

Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld WMA

Savannah Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island

Song Sparrow   New Egypt

Eastern Towhee   Manasquan River WMA

Bobolink   Cedar Bonnet Island

Eastern Meadowlark   Colliers Mills WMA

Orchard Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA

Baltimore Oriole   New Egypt

Red-winged Blackbird   Colliers Mills WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird   35 Sunset Rd

Common Grackle   E. Colliers Mill Rd

Boat-tailed Grackle   Cedar Bonnet Island

Ovenbird   Manasquan River WMA

Worm-eating Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Northern Waterthrush   Ernest L. Oros Wildlife Preserve

Blue-winged Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Black-and-white Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Prothonotary Warbler   Wells Mills Park

Common Yellowthroat   Manasquan River WMA

Hooded Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

American Redstart   Double Trouble State Park

Cape May Warbler   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Cerulean Warbler   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Northern Parula   Sandy Hook

Magnolia Warbler   Ocean County Park

Blackburnian Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Yellow Warbler   New Egypt

Chestnut-sided Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Blackpoll Warbler   Cloverdale Farm

Black-throated Blue Warbler   William Warren County Park

Pine Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Yellow-throated Warbler   Cloverdale Farm

Prairie Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Black-throated Green Warbler   Manasquan River WMA

Wilson's Warbler   Double Trouble State Park

Scarlet Tanager   Sandy Hook

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Metedeconk Preserve

Blue Grosbeak   Manasquan River WMA

Indigo Bunting   Sandy Hook

House Sparrow   Metedeconk Preserve

Migration May

Piping Plover on nest, Barnegat Light SP

May is the peak of spring migration and I made it my business to put myself where the birds were--for the most part. A few time I went somewhere just because I like it even though I knew the possibility of finding anything new was remote. Today was an example of that--I went to Barnegat Light SP to walk on the beach and hoped to find a Piping Plover, even though I "have" them for the year. I finally found one on my way back, sitting on a nest within a protect cage.

I got more warblers than I usually do and of course, as the previous post recounts, I finally got my life KENTUCKY WARBLER even if it was a heard only bird. I also had some rarities for the month, that is birds that are rare for the location or time, not real rarities like the Roseate Spoonbill that is up in northern NJ. The last rarity I listed was today--2 Common Eiders in the surf off the beach at Barnegat Light. These are probably the 2 birds that have been reported off the tip of Island Beach SP.

Here it is the end of May and I have yet to have visited Cape May. And Cape May in the summer, what with traffic can be daunting, so unless something amazing shows up, it may be fall migration until I get there.

Aside from my Jersey birding, I spent parts of 2 days in Central Park, where I didn't find much in my rushing around, and 2 days with Shari in Delaware where, despite the weather, we got our avocets, stilts, and other hard to find birds.

I listed 174 species this month and 53 year birds, by far the most this year in the United States--last month's list included a lot of Mexican birds. June & July are historically "slow" months--I'll get my walks in and hope for odd birds to show up, but I don't expect any more large lists until the birds start heading south again.

Counties birded:
Delaware: Kent
New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean
New York: New York

Species   First Sighting Brant   Island Beach SP Canada Goose   Forsythe-Barnegat Mute Swan   Island Beach SP Wood Duck   Forest Resource Education Center Blue-winged Teal   Forsythe-Barnegat Northern Shoveler   Brig Gadwall   Forsythe-Barnegat Mallard   Forsythe-Barnegat American Black Duck   Forsythe-Barnegat Green-winged Teal   Forsythe-Barnegat Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP Red-breasted Merganser   Forsythe-Barnegat Ruddy Duck   Brig Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd Common Loon   Sandy Hook Horned Grebe   Bombay Hook Double-crested Cormorant   Forsythe-Barnegat Least Bittern   Mercer Corporate Park Great Blue Heron   Forsythe-Barnegat Great Egret   Forsythe-Barnegat Snowy Egret   Forsythe-Barnegat Little Blue Heron   Forsythe-Barnegat Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Bvld Green Heron   Oros Preserve Black-crowned Night-Heron   Oros Preserve Glossy Ibis   Forsythe-Barnegat White-faced Ibis   Brig Black Vulture   Sandy Hook Turkey Vulture   Island Beach SP Osprey   Forsythe-Barnegat Mississippi Kite   Waretown Sharp-shinned Hawk   Sandy Hook Cooper's Hawk   Island Beach SP Bald Eagle   Sandy Hook Red-shouldered Hawk   Reeves Bogs Red-tailed Hawk   Forest Resource Education Center Clapper Rail   Great Bay Bvld Sora   Mercer Sod Farm IBA Common Gallinule   Bombay Hook Black-necked Stilt   Bombay Hook American Avocet   Bombay Hook American Oystercatcher   Sandy Hook Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP Semipalmated Plover   Great Bay Bvld Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP Killdeer   Sandy Hook Whimbrel   Brig Ruddy Turnstone   Great Bay Bvld Red Knot   Great Bay Bvld Dunlin   Island Beach SP Least Sandpiper   Forsythe-Barnegat White-rumped Sandpiper   Brig Semipalmated Sandpiper   Island Beach SP Short-billed Dowitcher   Great Bay Bvld Red-necked Phalarope   Whitehall Neck Rd. Spotted Sandpiper   Oros Preserve Solitary Sandpiper   Cloverdale Farm Greater Yellowlegs   Forsythe-Barnegat Willet   Forsythe-Barnegat Lesser Yellowlegs   Forsythe-Barnegat Bonaparte's Gull   Brig Laughing Gull   Wawa South Toms River Herring Gull   Forsythe-Barnegat Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP Least Tern   Great Bay Bvld Gull-billed Tern   Brig Caspian Tern   Brig Common Tern   Sandy Hook Forster's Tern   Forsythe-Barnegat Black Skimmer   Brig Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River Mourning Dove   Forsythe-Barnegat Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd Black-billed Cuckoo   Manasquan River WMA Chuck-will's-widow   Collinstown Rd Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd Chimney Swift   William Warren County Park Ruby-throated Hummingbird   Double Trouble State Park Belted Kingfisher   Island Beach SP Red-bellied Woodpecker   Oros Preserve Downy Woodpecker   Manasquan River WMA Hairy Woodpecker   Forest Resource Education Center Northern Flicker   Double Trouble State Park Pileated Woodpecker   William Warren County Park Merlin   Double Trouble State Park Peregrine Falcon   Brig Eastern Wood-Pewee   Huber Preserve Acadian Flycatcher   Evert Trail Alder Flycatcher   Assunpink WMA Willow Flycatcher   Brig Eastern Phoebe   Island Beach SP Great Crested Flycatcher   Island Beach SP Eastern Kingbird   Island Beach SP White-eyed Vireo   Island Beach SP Yellow-throated Vireo   Baldpate Mt Blue-headed Vireo   Island Beach SP Warbling Vireo   Sandy Hook Red-eyed Vireo   Forest Resource Education Center Blue Jay   Oros Preserve American Crow   Island Beach SP Fish Crow   Forsythe-Barnegat Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA Purple Martin   Forsythe-Barnegat Tree Swallow   Oros Preserve Bank Swallow   Reeves Bogs Barn Swallow   Island Beach SP Carolina Chickadee   Forsythe-Barnegat Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd White-breasted Nuthatch   Forest Resource Education Center House Wren   Sandy Hook Marsh Wren   Island Beach SP Carolina Wren   Forsythe-Barnegat Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Island Beach SP Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP Eastern Bluebird   Forest Resource Education Center Veery   Island Beach SP Swainson's Thrush   Sandy Hook Hermit Thrush   Oros Preserve Wood Thrush   Oros Preserve American Robin   Oros Preserve Gray Catbird   Oros Preserve Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP Northern Mockingbird   18 Aberdeen Avenue European Starling   Oros Preserve American Pipit   Sandy Hook Cedar Waxwing   William Warren County Park Ovenbird   Island Beach SP Worm-eating Warbler   Huber Preserve Northern Waterthrush   Sandy Hook Blue-winged Warbler   Manasquan River WMA Black-and-white Warbler   Island Beach SP Prothonotary Warbler   Huber Preserve Nashville Warbler   Manasquan River WMA KENTUCKY WARBLER   Baldpate Mt Common Yellowthroat   Island Beach SP Hooded Warbler   Forest Resource Education Center American Redstart   Island Beach SP Northern Parula   Island Beach SP Magnolia Warbler   Sandy Hook Bay-breasted Warbler   Double Trouble State Park Yellow Warbler   Island Beach SP Chestnut-sided Warbler   Sandy Hook Blackpoll Warbler   Brig Black-throated Blue Warbler   Sandy Hook Palm Warbler   Oros Preserve Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd Yellow-rumped Warbler   Oros Preserve Prairie Warbler   Oros Preserve Black-throated Green Warbler   Forest Resource Education Center Wilson's Warbler   William Warren County Park Grasshopper Sparrow   Bombay Hook Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld Seaside Sparrow   Island Beach SP Chipping Sparrow   Island Beach SP Field Sparrow   Wawa South Toms River White-crowned Sparrow   Sandy Hook White-throated Sparrow   Oros Preserve Savannah Sparrow   Manasquan River WMA Song Sparrow   Forsythe-Barnegat Swamp Sparrow   Sandy Hook Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd Scarlet Tanager   Sandy Hook Northern Cardinal   Oros Preserve Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP Blue Grosbeak   Manasquan River WMA Indigo Bunting   Sandy Hook Bobolink   Mercer Sod Farm IBA Eastern Meadowlark   Mercer Sod Farm IBA Orchard Oriole   Island Beach SP Baltimore Oriole   Island Beach SP Red-winged Blackbird   Forsythe-Barnegat Brown-headed Cowbird   Forsythe-Barnegat Common Grackle   Sandy Hook Boat-tailed Grackle   Forsythe-Barnegat House Finch   Island Beach SP American Goldfinch   Forsythe-Barnegat House Sparrow   Oros Preserve