Island Beach SP, Reed's Road 4/13--Forster's Tern, White-eyed Vireo

Forster's Tern (this one was at Spizzle Creek)

I'm determined to hit Reed's Road at Island Beach more this year and to do it unbidden; in other words, not just run over there a day late after great birds have been reported. I was there last week  and got my first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher of the year (there were 5 this morning) and today I had two new ones--one I was looking for and one that I hadn't really considered.

The surprise, a mild one it's true, was the White-eyed Vireo I found jumping around the brush. At first, seeing two white wing bars and some yellow on the bird, I thought it was yet another Pine Warbler, but then I got a look at its face with its yellow spectacles and knew I had my first one of the year. It is also, according to my research on eBird, the first one reported in the county this year. No picture of this skittish little bird.

The bird I thought I had a good chance for was Forster's Tern and after walking the beach to the the grove and back I heard its distinctive scratchy call and looked up to find one speeding by me with a fish in its beak. Again, no picture, though I did manage the awful one used here later in the day while walking at Spizzle Creek.

The pictures I would like you to see are of my favorite bird, the Cedar Waxwing, a small flock of which were on the "Blind Trail" just south of Reed's Road, eating, appropriately, cedar berries.

That is one handsome bird.

I also birded the beach briefly (a number of Northern Gannets were flying every which way), and Spizzle Creek, where the trail the to the blind is very difficult due to all the fallen trees that will probably never get cleared away.

A couple of lists:
Reed's Road
25 species
Brant 18
Mute Swan 6
Bufflehead 5
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Egret 8 Flyover
Laughing Gull 1
Herring Gull 7
Forster's Tern 1
Mourning Dove 1 Heard
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 10 Conservatively
Eastern Phoebe 2
White-eyed Vireo 1
Fish Crow 1 Heard
Carolina Chickadee 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5
American Robin 4
Palm Warbler 1
Field Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1 Heard
Song Sparrow 1 Heard
Eastern Towhee 1 Heard
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1 Heard
Common Grackle 3 end of trail
Blind Trail
15 species
Brant 10
Bufflehead 1 Bay
Great Egret 1
Osprey 3 Two in nest, one f/o
Belted Kingfisher 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 Heard
American Robin 1
Cedar Waxwing 5
Palm Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 15 Conservatively
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Song Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 1