4 Counties 1/21--Trumpeter Swans + 8 Other Year Birds

Trumpeter Swans (with geese), Assunpink WMA
The goose at far right, foreground is probably a Cackling Goose

Mike & I ended up at Assunpink as our final stop after birding in 4 counties, starting at Whitesbog with Tundra Swans. The lake is still partially frozen, but there was a large stretch of open water to the east where we saw a small flock of swans. Scoping them, we knew immediately that they weren't Mute Swans, so, at that distance, we figured them as our 2nd flock of Tundra Swans for the day. Tundra Swans are considered "rare" in Monmouth County, but with so many bodies of water iced over, we didn't think it particularly odd to find these birds where there was open water. 

Trumpeter Swans, much, much rarer in the state and sometimes controversial as to provenance (read: countability) have been regular visitors to Assunpink for the last few years, but at most, there was a group of three. NINE Trumpeter Swans would be a real stretch, so we didn't really consider them. Unfortunately (and I never thought I'd say this about Mute Swans) there were no Mute Swans with which to compare these birds. If they had been smaller, than we'd know they were Tundra. Had they been more or less the same size as Pond Pigs, we'd start wondering about Trumpeter. 

Better birders than I (Scott & Linda), however, had already been there today and unbeknownst to us, had determined, judging from the shape and slope of the bill, that these were indeed Trumpeter Swans! My very distant pictures, when blown up, can, in some shots, show the tell-tale "Canvasback-like" bill. Another fine birder who I've dubbed the "Mayor of Assunpink" went to the lake late this afternoon and agreed with Scott & Linda. Tomorrow, I'm sure, more birders will seek out this flock and the arguments as to id and provenance can begin. The lesson here is probably a lesson I'll never learn: Don't assume.

One our of previous stops had been Mercer Corporate Park, that well-known rarity magnet. There had been a report of a Greater White-fronted Goose, as well as a Cackling Goose. Since we were in the vicinity (the Trenton Sewage Ponds on the Delaware River) we went over there, only to discover that the goose had been misidentified: it was, in fact, a Swan Goose, a good-looking but ultimately uncountable domestic bird. Meanwhile, while there was a smaller goose there that could be a Cackling Goose, when I reviewed my picture I didn't think it was convincing enough to take as my year bird. 

However, while pondering the pictures of the swans from Assunpink and trying to compare their size relative to the Canada Geese with the relative size of the Tundra Swans from Whitesbog, I noticed a much smaller goose in the pictures, and even allowing for parallax, it seemed to me to be a Cackling Goose. It is the small goose in the lower right corner of the top picture of this entry. This, of course, raises the existential question of whether I really saw the goose if I didn't know it was there until I looked at pictures but since eBird is supposed to be a survey of birds at various locations, I feel justified in listing it. I showed it to a friend of mine who sees lots of Cackling Geese in Central Jersey (for some reason, the farther north you go in the state, the easier they are to find) and he said it looks good for Cackler. 

As I said, we started the morning off in Whitesbog, ticked the Tundra Swans and heard the distinctive "cronk cronk" of a Common Raven. Ravens have been all over Whitesbog of late, but this morning we only heard two--one on either side of the county line, which was good for me as it helped build up my Ocean County list, as did the two Bald Eagles we found out by the very frozen Upper Reservoir.

We then drove over to the Burlington County Fairgrounds, hoping to find a Rough-legged Hawk. We found a hawk sitting on the ground at a great distant out on the old sod farm and spent quite some time debating its identity. Then it flew and turned out to be a Northern Harrier. We also saw the two nesting Bald Eagles there, and, best for me, added one of my favorite birds to the year list, Eastern Meadowlark. 

Then we drove over to the Delaware River at Florence. Ice floes were drifting south and on each one was a raft of gulls. Mike managed to pick out both a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 2 Iceland Gulls, both Burlington County lifers for me. 

Driving north up the Delaware to the aforementioned sewage ponds, nothing was flowing as the river was a catastrophe of ice blocks clogging it shore to shore, Jersey to Pennsy. Washington lucked out the day he crossed the Delaware not far from this spot. 

Panorama of the Delaware at Trenton

We were hoping for the out-of-season warblers that the warm ponds, with their ever-present bugs, attract, but aside from a slew of Yellow-rumped Warblers, there were none. Perhaps even these ponds couldn't compensate for the endless cold weather of the last month. Ruby-crowned Kinglet though was a good add. 

We then wound our way back west and north to Assunpink. My last year bird of the day was a Field Sparrow we found on the dirt road that runs along the perimeter of the lake. The FISP was my 50th bird of the day (not counting pigeons or the false alarm goose).

Snow Goose   3

Cackling Goose   1

Canada Goose   932

Trumpeter Swan   9

Tundra Swan   32

Mallard   29

American Black Duck   3

Redhead   1

Ring-necked Duck   14

Lesser Scaup   2

Bufflehead   3

Hooded Merganser   8

Common Merganser   19

Ruddy Duck   2

Black Vulture   3

Turkey Vulture   1

Northern Harrier   2

Cooper's Hawk   1

Bald Eagle   5

Ring-billed Gull   107

Herring Gull   45

Iceland Gull   2

Lesser Black-backed Gull   1

Mourning Dove   4

Red-bellied Woodpecker   2

Downy Woodpecker   1

Northern Flicker   2

Blue Jay   3

American Crow   5

Fish Crow   20

Common Raven   2

Carolina Chickadee   4

Tufted Titmouse   1

White-breasted Nuthatch   1

Carolina Wren   5

Golden-crowned Kinglet   2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   1

American Robin   2

Northern Mockingbird   1

European Starling   50

Yellow-rumped Warbler   25

American Tree Sparrow   1

Field Sparrow   1

Dark-eyed Junco   5

White-throated Sparrow   2

Song Sparrow   1

Swamp Sparrow   1

Northern Cardinal   1

Eastern Meadowlark   4

American Goldfinch   2

Snow Goose   3

Cackling Goose   1

Canada Goose   932

Trumpeter Swan   9

Tundra Swan   32

Mallard   29

American Black Duck   3

Redhead   1

Ring-necked Duck   14

Lesser Scaup   2

Bufflehead   3

Hooded Merganser   8

Common Merganser   19

Ruddy Duck   2

Black Vulture   3

Turkey Vulture   1

Northern Harrier   2

Cooper's Hawk   1

Bald Eagle   5

Ring-billed Gull   107

Herring Gull   45

Iceland Gull   2

Lesser Black-backed Gull   1

Mourning Dove   4

Red-bellied Woodpecker   2

Downy Woodpecker   1

Northern Flicker   2

Blue Jay   3

American Crow   5

Fish Crow   20

Common Raven   2

Carolina Chickadee   4

Tufted Titmouse   1

White-breasted Nuthatch   1

Carolina Wren   5

Golden-crowned Kinglet   2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   1

American Robin   2

Northern Mockingbird   1

European Starling   50

Yellow-rumped Warbler   25

American Tree Sparrow   1

Field Sparrow   1

Dark-eyed Junco   5

White-throated Sparrow   2

Song Sparrow   1

Swamp Sparrow   1

Northern Cardinal   1

Eastern Meadowlark   4

American Goldfinch   2