Brig 9/1--Baird's Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope

Wilson's Phalarope

Red-necked Phalarope (digiscope)

Like hitting for the cycle in baseball, or getting a hat trick in hockey, today I (along with everyone else on Scott's NJAS field trip at Brig) accomplished a rare birding feat; a Peep Sweep. In one day we found all 5 of the difficult to tell apart shorebirds: Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, and Baird's Sandpiper in ascending order of difficulty. In addition, we had 8 other shorebird species, including two rarities, Wilson's Phalarope and Red-necked Phalarope.

I got onto the Wildlife Drive about an hour before the trip was scheduled to start, having seen that the Wilson's Phalaropes (3) were at Marker 4, where most of the interesting birds have been this year. Because I didn't want to drive the entire circuit, I parked my car at the beginning & walked up to Goose Marker 4, about a 1/4 of a mile. There were two other birders there and just as I set down my scope, one of them cried out, "There they are, there they go!" and I saw 3 pale sandpipers fly away. I did not despair. First of all, I had seen enough of them to know they were phalaropes and secondly, I figured the chances of them returning were pretty good.

When the trip officially got under way, we didn't dawdle too long at the Gull Pond, which, this year has been peculiarly uninteresting, but instead made our way up to the current hot spot. There was a good mix of sandpipers on the flat (though nothing to compare with Bombay Hook last week) and we spent some time separating the semis from the least from the westerns  from the white-rumps until the 3 Wilson's Phalaropes made their appearance.

It took us a good 4 hours or more to make our way around the dikes and I, by the end of the first loop, I had about 55 species on my list--not a huge count, but there were a lot of good lessons regarding the various peeps. It was the 2nd trip around, where theoretically we go a little faster, just stopping for new day birds, that cemented the day as one of the year's best.

I always say, that if you want to see good birds, go out with good birders, and we had some fantastic eyes with us today, including Jason who seems to be able to magically pick out the rarity from the dross. But the first cool bird we had on the 2nd loop was a Least Bittern, hidden in the phrags that Scott somehow was able to pick out. It took a while for everyone to get on the bird, which like most bitterns, kept itself well hidden, but eventually everyone saw at least part of the bird. I was lucky in that I was able to see face, eye, beak, and chest. Some only saw flanks and feet.

Back at marker #4 the Wilson's were still running around like pale, crazy yellowlegs, but then Jason found the Red-necked Phalarope that had been reported since yesterday. Not a year bird for me (Shari & I had one in Delaware in May) but a state year bird and much better looks than the one in May which we saw in a driving rainstorm. I wish my photos were better, but that's the best I can do digiscoping.

Baird's Sandpiper

We drove another 1/4 mile almost up to marker #5 where there was again a fairly large flock of sandpipers. We were discussing grasspipers and I said that this pool wasn't a great habitat for them because they usually don't like to get their feet wet (hence the name) when Jason said, "And I've got a Baird's." You gotta be kidding was my reaction, but sure enough, Scott took a look and confirmed it, and even better put it in my scope (Jason and Scott are both way taller than me and without a step stool I can't use their scopes). I was able to see the scaly back, the brownish back and head, the black legs. We observed it for 5 minutes or so and then it got up and flew, seemingly toward Atlantic City.

Not that you'd know it but the Baird's is the flying bird. 

We moved on up to Marker #5 which right over one of the sluice gates. More peeps and then Jason called out "There it is, right in front of us." This time the Baird's was only a few yards away instead of across the pool and everyone was scrambling to either get their bins on it, scope it, or photograph it. I tried all 3 simultaneously at the same time and saw it briefly before it flew again and managed one picture of it flying. Having the Baird's completed the sweep and also eased the pressure to go sod farming this month to look for one. The only grasspiper I "need" for the year is Buff-breasted and I think there are other, more pleasant spots, where I may find one.

The last bird of the day, for me, was in the parking lot, when the trip was over--there was a Baltimore Oriole in the cedars near the disgusting outhouses. Some saw it, others, like me, only heard it. The oriole was my 60th bird of the day. It was a very good way to start off the month.

Canada Goose 35
Mute Swan 77
Wood Duck 4
Blue-winged Teal 4
Mallard 25
American Black Duck 1
Green-winged Teal 4
Ruddy Duck 1 Been here most of the summer. Small duck with white cheeks, blue bill.
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Clapper Rail 1
Virginia Rail 1
Semipalmated Plover 100
Stilt Sandpiper 5
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 25
White-rumped Sandpiper 4
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 250
Western Sandpiper 4
Short-billed Dowitcher 15
Wilson's Phalarope 3 Continuing. Pale back, thin bill
Red-necked Phalarope 1 Active. thin bill and black eye patch. Red streaking.
Greater Yellowlegs 22
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Laughing Gull 275
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 50
Great Black-backed Gull 5
Least Tern 8 Exact count
Caspian Tern 7
Forster's Tern 70
Black Skimmer 50
Double-crested Cormorant 350
Least Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 11
Great Egret 100
Snowy Egret 80
Tricolored Heron 1
Green Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 4
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 2
Glossy Ibis 27
Osprey 6
Bald Eagle 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 1 Road to Gull Pond.
American Crow 2 Heard
Fish Crow 14 Undercount. These are just the ones over the parking lot during lunch
Tree Swallow 50
Bank Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 1
Carolina Wren 2 Heard
European Starling 25
American Goldfinch 6 Feeder
Baltimore Oriole 1 Heard parking lot
Red-winged Blackbird 200
Pine Warbler 1 Heard parking lot
Blue Grosbeak 1 Top of tree on the side of visitor's center