I spent the morning with Pete scouting out locations around Waretown, Barnegat, and Manahawkin for our World Series of Birding big day tomorrow. We didn't find anything that surprised us, so Pete's ambitious itinerary will remain pretty much intact with a few possible additions.
After a drive down Cedar Run Dock Road (where we probably won't waste time tomorrow) Pete suggested a spin around Brig--so I went out of county for the first time this week. We didn't linger and we didn't pull out the scope (and I didn't bother with the camera) but we found a decent number of birds. Highlights for me:
A handsome breeding plumaged Ruddy Turnstone, my first since the winter, in its customary spot among the terns a pier on the south dike.
A Caspian Tern, gigantic among the Forster's Tern off the north dike.
In among that group, my FOY Black Skimmers.
And at the exit ponds, the only lingering ducks we found, 4 hen Buffleheads.
Now, I think I should take a nap; they're picking me up at 3 AM.
List:
40 species
Brant 5
Canada Goose 10
Mallard 2
Bufflehead 4
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 5
Glossy Ibis 4
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 3
American Oystercatcher 2
Black-bellied Plover 10
Semipalmated Plover 5
Greater Yellowlegs 10
Willet 5
Whimbrel 1
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Dunlin 1000
Least Sandpiper 50
Short-billed Dowitcher 500
Laughing Gull 5
Herring Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 5
Gull-billed Tern 2
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 25
Black Skimmer 3
White-eyed Vireo 1 Heard
Fish Crow 2
Purple Martin 5
Tree Swallow 4
Gray Catbird 3
European Starling 1
Common Yellowthroat 5 Heard
Yellow Warbler 4 Heard
Seaside Sparrow 4 Heard
Song Sparrow 2 Heard
Red-winged Blackbird 25
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
House Sparrow 1
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