February: Rare Geese

Raptors in high places: Bald Eagle, Double Trouble 

The highlights of February were a series of literal wild goose (and  one swan) chases. Mike and I, early in the month, got the Trumpeter Swan at Assunpink (my second look of the year, his first) then managed to pick out a Cackling Goose from well over a thousand Canada Geese at Corine's Millpond in Allentown.

Merlin, Cranberry Bogs

Cooper's Hawk, Cranberry Bogs

Later in the month we made an unfruitful foray down to Cape May, stopping twice at the Cape May Zoo. A couple of weeks later we tried again and on my fourth visit and his fifth (or possibly sixth) we finally found the Pink-footed Goose that had been wandering about that section of the county, sometimes at the zoo, sometimes on soccer fields, sometimes in a veteran's cemetery. I also went to the Mercer Corporate Park in Robbinsville this month when a Greater White-fronted Goose was reported and found it pretty easily. A few days later, I returned with Mike and again, it was right there, a drive up bird. So for the year I have all 11 geese and swans you might expect to find (and count) in New Jersey.

Immature Bald Eagle, Double Trouble 

I was also happy to get Northern Bobwhite onto the list for the year (and to have it "accepted" by the eBird reviewer). That's a bird I missed last year. I think I also missed Short-eared Owl last year and was glad to see that they have made their return to Cedar Run Dock Road, an historical location for them but one, that after Superstorm Sandy, they had disappeared from, presumably because all their little mammal food had been drowned. The biggest disappointment of the month was missing the Red Crossbills that spent a couple of days at nearby Double Trouble Park (practically my backyard). A flock has since been reported in Burlington County, answering the question of "where the heck did they all disappear to?"

For the month I had 121 species (one less than last month) and again, I did not venture outside of the state.

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean

Species                         First Sighting

Pink-footed Goose   Cape May Co. Zoo

Greater White-fronted Goose   Mercer Corporate Park

Snow Goose   Brig

Brant   Manasquan Inlet

Cackling Goose   Corines Millpond

Canada Goose   Wells Mills Park

Mute Swan   Forsythe--Barnegat

Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA

Tundra Swan   Double Trouble State Park

Wood Duck   Jumping Brook Preserve

Gadwall   Forsythe--Barnegat

Eurasian Wigeon   Sylvan Lake

American Wigeon   Forsythe--Barnegat

American Black Duck   Wells Mills Park

Mallard   Wells Mills Park

Northern Shoveler   Sylvan Lake

Northern Pintail   Forsythe--Barnegat

Green-winged Teal   Deer Head Lake

Canvasback   Assunpink WMA

Redhead   Brick

Ring-necked Duck   Wells Mills Park

Greater Scaup   Brig

Lesser Scaup   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Black Scoter   Cape May - Lewes Ferry Terminal

Long-tailed Duck   Manasquan Inlet

Bufflehead   Wells Mills Park

Common Goldeneye   Colliers Mills WMA

Hooded Merganser   Deer Head Lake

Common Merganser   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Red-breasted Merganser   Manasquan Inlet

Ruddy Duck   Deer Head Lake

Northern Bobwhite   Colliers Mills WMA

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Red-throated Loon   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Common Loon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Pied-billed Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Horned Grebe   Nummy Island

Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet

Double-crested Cormorant   Riverfront Landing

American Bittern   Brig

Great Blue Heron   Forsythe--Barnegat

Great Egret   Absecon

Black Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA

Turkey Vulture   Waretown

Northern Harrier   Assunpink WMA

Sharp-shinned Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA

Cooper's Hawk   Assunpink WMA

Bald Eagle   Wells Mills Park

Red-shouldered Hawk   Assunpink WMA

Red-tailed Hawk   Assunpink WMA

Rough-legged Hawk   Brig

American Coot   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

American Oystercatcher   Brigantine Island

Black-bellied Plover   Villas

Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA

Sanderling   Villas

Dunlin   Villas

Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet

Wilson's Snipe   Brig

American Woodcock   Crestwood Village

Willet   Brigantine Island

Razorbill   Manasquan Inlet

Bonaparte's Gull   Villas

Ring-billed Gull   Lake Barnegat

Herring Gull   Deer Head Lake

Great Black-backed Gull   Cattus Island County Park

Forster's Tern   Villas

Rock Pigeon   New Egypt

Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd

Short-eared Owl   Motts Creek

Belted Kingfisher   Corines Millpond

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Colliers Mills WMA

Downy Woodpecker   Deer Head Lake

Hairy Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA

Northern Flicker   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

American Kestrel   E. Colliers Mills Rd

Merlin   Mercer Corporate Park

Peregrine Falcon   Brig

Blue Jay   Deer Head Lake

American Crow   Deer Head Lake

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Horned Lark   Stafford

Carolina Chickadee   Wells Mills Park

Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd

Red-breasted Nuthatch   Wells Mills Park

White-breasted Nuthatch   Wells Mills Park

Brown Creeper   Colliers Mills WMA

Carolina Wren   Wells Mills Park

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Deer Head Lake

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Trenton Sewage Ponds

Eastern Bluebird   Assunpink WMA

Hermit Thrush   Cattus Island County Park

American Robin   Cattus Island County Park

Gray Catbird   Higbee Beach WMA

Brown Thrasher   Colliers Mills WMA

Northern Mockingbird   New Egypt

European Starling   35 Sunset Rd

Cedar Waxwing   Brig

Orange-crowned Warbler   Brig

Palm Warbler   Trenton Sewage Ponds

Pine Warbler   Trenton Sewage Ponds

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Trenton Sewage Ponds

American Tree Sparrow   Assunpink WMA

Field Sparrow   Mercer Corporate Park

Fox Sparrow   New England Rd

Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow   New Egypt

White-throated Sparrow   Wells Mills Park

Savannah Sparrow   New Egypt

Song Sparrow   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Eastern Towhee   Brig

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Red-winged Blackbird   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Common Grackle   Assunpink WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle   Motts Creek

Brown-headed Cowbird   New Egypt

House Finch   Double Trouble State Park

American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow   Asbury Park

Bald Eagle, Wells Mills Park

Immature Bald Eagle, Cranberry Bogs