Laurel Run Park 6/11--Dickcissel

Dickcissel

It's the time of the year to look for avian anomalies. For the last few days a Dickcissel has been reported at Laurel Run Park in Burlco, but today was the first day I had a chance to get over there. It's a grasslands bird and there aren't a lot of grasslands left in NJ for vagrants to plunk down in, but Laurel Run, which used to be part of an adjacent farm, is one such spot. 3 years ago, to the day, I saw a Dickcissel there.

The bird was reported to be in "the phragmites near the creek," the creek being the Rancocas. I thought it a little odd that a grasslands bird would be in reeds, but if that's where it wanted to be, fine. I started down the path toward the creek--the grasslands were wonderfully overgrown especially with a plant with purple blossoms that another birder there called "cow vetch." It was in this area 3 years previous that I saw the Dickcissel. A photographer there was being coy about whether or not I knew about the rare bird there, so when I told her I did know and come to look for it down by the creek, she told me that it was actually not there, but in the phragmites in the field. Sure enough, there was a big patch of reeds growing up in the grasslands, which struck me as exceedingly odd. Why allow an invasive plant like phragmites to propagate in a grasslands? Left on its own, it will soon take over the field.

She and her friend told me that they couldn't find the bird today because it was too windy. I didn't think much of that, considering how many other birds were up and about, but I walked to the other side of the patch, out of the wind to look. It wasn't there. I doubled back and heard it singing. Dickcissel is one of those birds, like phoebe, or pewee, that is named after its song, but it doesn't like dick-dick-cissel to me. Still, it didn't take me long to find it, perched up on a stick, away from the phrags.


I admired it for a while then, seeing another birder down the trail, waved her over. She was looking for it too, so naturally, just as I was pointing it out, it flew. However, this bird was more than cooperative and popped up a few moments later where she was able to get great views of it. Turned out to be a lifer for her, so I did my good deed for the day.

I did two circuits around the field. I wanted to get a good look at Grasshopper Sparrow. I saw a lot sparrows diving into the deep grass with starlings, but none of them perched up on top to be seen and none of them were singing. I saw a couple of birds fly by giving me okay looks, but it wasn't until the end of the second loop that I heard the buzzy little song and then, looking at a sign post, saw the sparrow perched atop, singing.

Grasshopper Sparrow

Finally a successful foray--my last couple of trips seeking out target birds have been dips. Because the habitat isn't too varied there and we're in the doldrums already, I "only" found 22 species for the spot. I later went over to Boundary Creek Park, about a mile away, and added a few more birds to the day list, the most interesting ones being Marsh Wren and Orchard Oriole.

The Laurel Run list:

Mourning Dove  15

Chimney Swift  1

Turkey Vulture  1

Willow Flycatcher  1

Blue Jay  2

Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2

Bank Swallow  1

Barn Swallow  5

Carolina Wren  1    Heard

American Robin  2

European Starling  50

American Goldfinch  2

Grasshopper Sparrow  3    singing

Field Sparrow  3    Heard

Song Sparrow  2

Red-winged Blackbird  15

Yellow Warbler  1

Northern Cardinal  1    Heard

Blue Grosbeak  1    Singing near parking lot

Indigo Bunting  1    Singing

Dickcissel  1    

House Sparrow  2