Ocean County 2/7--HETH, BEKI, & KILL

I went over to Cattus Island County Park for the first time this year, even though Bill Boyle in A Guide to Finding Birds in New Jersey says that winter is a slow time there. It has a few different habitats plus feeders by the Nature Center, so I was hoping for some avian diversity. The two new year birds were a Hermit Thrush in the parking lot (finally, I should have seen this bird in the WMA by now) and a Belted Kingfisher sitting on a sign on the far shore of Silver Bay.  Barnegat Bay had plenty of Buffleheads and a few Red-breasted Mergansers.

Again, lugging the scope and wearing gloves prevented me from positively identifying a raptor--this time I was pretty sure I saw an eagle fly overhead (dark body, white head), but I couldn't focus my binoculars before it disappeared behind the tree line. If I had seen a white tail, I'd be positive, but I didn't, so it could have just been a Great-black Backed Gull with it's bottom in shadow.

After a tuna on whole wheat at my favorite diner, I drove to Shelter Cove Park, a place that's been popping up on Ocean County eBird lists. There I was surprised to see Mute Swans out in the bay. I was kind of hoping they'd be Tundra Swans, but their orange bills were obvious even from across the bay. Lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers were in the trees that separate the bay from a marsh (and surround a soccer field) but the most interesting bird of the day (and #100 for the year) was spotted just as I was driving the car out of the parking lot (parking lots have been very productive of late): a Killdeer standing on a median separating the parking spaces. This little park looks like it might be good for warblers and waders in the spring.

2 lists:
Cattus Island County Park
21 species
Canada Goose  4
American Black Duck  5
Mallard  2
Bufflehead  150
Red-breasted Merganser  10
Great Blue Heron  2
Ring-billed Gull  4
Herring Gull  1
Great Black-backed Gull  2
Mourning Dove  3
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
American Crow  1
Carolina Chickadee  18
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Hermit Thrush  1    Parking lot
American Robin  15
European Starling  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2
Northern Cardinal  1
Shelter Cove Park
12 species
Canada Goose  50
Mute Swan  18
Mallard  2
Bufflehead  10
Red-breasted Merganser  1
Turkey Vulture  2
Killdeer  1    Parking lot
Ring-billed Gull  5
Herring Gull  2
Mourning Dove  3
Carolina Chickadee  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  10