PWBC 2/6--Eastern Screech-Owl

Tundra Swans at dawn

After a week's weather delay, today was the 7th (I believe) Pinelands Winter Bird Census and I, as usual, did my section which centers on Whitesbog and takes in some surrounding bogs, roads, and Country Lakes Estates. This count, Jim Schill's idea, is done because great swaths of the Pinelands--oh please, "Pinelands" is a real estate euphemism--because great swaths of the Pine Barrens lay outside any Christmas Count circles, so a bunch of us run around the bogs, farm fields, ponds and forests of Burlington County (with a tiny slice of Ocean included because of Whitesbog) counting birds. I do my area solo, even though it is pretty large. That's why I scout beforehand, so I'll have an idea where the birds are and where I don't have to waste my time.

The highlights of the day were done by just after dawn. I started at 5 AM listening for owls. I wasn't too optimistic because in January I'd gone there a few times pre-dawn and never heard a hoot or a whinny. I took along Shari's Bluetooth speaker on the theory that my phone wasn't loud enough to attract an owl's attention but, as it turned out it, I didn't really need it. As soon as I got out of the car in the village parking lot, I heard two Great Horned Owls duetting without any prompting from me. Then I drove over to one of my owl spots in the Triangle Field and played an ESO call. I heard two more GHOs calling to each other, then, on the other side of the field, an Eastern Screech-Owl whinnied. At the entrance to the bogs, just as you come out of the village, another reliable spot, I heard another screech-owl. So maybe I wasn't getting there early enough, or maybe I just got lucky. 

I drove back through the Triangle Field hoping to flush a woodcock in the false dawn but was unsuccessful. Then I drove out to Union Pond, just as the sky was lightening. I could see the 5 Tundra Swans on the ice. There is a small area of open water on the pond where yesterday there were quite a few ducks were concentrated, but today, only the swans, and a very small number at that. Even though the "flock" built up to 9 by mid-day, it is a very disconcerting number. I used to get swans in the dozens there, now I can count them on two hands. On the bright side, 9 Tundra Swans is 9 more than I got last year, when I was completely skunked on the swans. 

After that it was drive to a previous hot spot and walk around. Some places where birds were yesterday were barren, some spots were very active. The tweety birds were in the village, one immature Bald Eagle flew over Union Pond at dawn while another was atop the water tower where the vultures usually rest. 

Digiscoped Northern Harrier

A drive around the Ocean County section of Whitesbog was almost a complete washout--4 lousy juncos that I could find. Then I drove over to Pasadena Road along the bogs and was surprised to see one Herring Gull. I lost it in the bogs then drove along and thought I saw it fly up and land farther out. However, that bird, while gray, didn't strike me as the gull. With the scope the bird turned out to be a gray ghost Northern Harrier with prey between its talons that it was tearing apart with its beak. Don't think I've ever seen a gray ghost on the ground and eating. 

A stop at Country Lake Estates got me my only ducks of the day--Mallard and Hooded Merganser. And a solitary Ring-billed Gull. I ate lunch at Whitesbog in the village and I could tell that things had quieted down substantially. My last list came from Whitesbog Road and it didn't have much on it. 

For the day I tallied 35 species, 8 more than last year. I'll be curious to see the final numbers for the whole group. 

Canada Goose  Whitesbog
Tundra Swan  Whitesbog
Mallard  Country Lake Estates
Hooded Merganser  Country Lake Estates
Mourning Dove  Whitesbog
Ring-billed Gull  Country Lake Estates
Herring Gull  Pasadena Road
Great Blue Heron  Whitesbog
Turkey Vulture  Whitesbog
Northern Harrier  Pasadena Road
Bald Eagle  Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk  Whitesbog
Eastern Screech-Owl  Whitesbog
Great Horned Owl  Whitesbog
Red-bellied Woodpecker  Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker  Whitesbog
Hairy Woodpecker  Whitesbog
American Crow  Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee  Whitesbog
Tufted Titmouse  Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch  Whitesbog Road
Carolina Wren  Whitesbog
European Starling  Whitesbog
Eastern Bluebird  Whitesbog
Hermit Thrush  Whitesbog
American Robin  Whitesbog
House Sparrow  Country Lake Estates
House Finch  Whitesbog
American Goldfinch  Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco  Whitesbog
White-throated Sparrow  Whitesbog
Song Sparrow  Whitesbog
Swamp Sparrow  Whitesbog Road
Yellow-rumped Warbler  Whitesbog
Northern Cardinal  Whitesbog