Cranberry Bogs | Brig 4/2--Short-billed Dowitcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The bright ruby-crown

Two very different habitats. I started the morning off in the cranberry bogs off Dover Road in South Toms River. We seem to still be in winter mode, with no spring migrants showing up and some of the winter ducks--Buffleheads, Ring-necked Ducks--still hanging in there in small numbers.  I did, finally, get a Ruby-crowned Kinglet there--two actually, one where the buildings used to be, and one way in the back on the trail that follows the large reservoir. Both were flitting madly from branch to branch in cedars, as kinglets are wont to do. I noticed the flitting first from a distance and when I got closer couldn't tell if it was just a Golden-crowned Kinglet or the year bird, but then it tilted its head and that big brilliant red crown was revealed, even in the less than perfect light. 

Then, mid-morning, Shari & I drove down to Brig where I'd just been on Friday, but it was her first real bird outing of the year, since recovering from knee surgery is practically a full-time job. The difference in the numbers of ducks was stark--maybe half of what I saw on Friday, with only Green-winged Teal still showing a large population.  Dunlin numbers were also way down, but it had the benefit of making the Short-billed Dowitchers (which Shari, naturally, spotted), easier to find. I knew today that they were short-billed, not long-billed, because I could hear them calling, which, according to some experts, is really the only reliable way of separating the two species. I once asked Scott if they hybridized and he replied, "God, I hope not." 

I was also looking for the first terns of the year and missed both Forster's and the rare for the time of year Caspian Tern. No biggie, I'll get those at some point, but I was disappointed to see in the rare bird alerts that we had managed to overlook a Black-necked Stilt. It was reported both before and after we got there, so I'm thinking it was feeding in some high vegetation when we passed markers 4 & 5. If I had been by myself, I would think it was just bad birding, but Shari really does pick out them birds. 

For the entire day, counting the Wild Turkey I heard when I first left the house and the Eastern Bluebird that flew into the bare tree in the front yard while I was watching the Mets game, I had 55 species for the cold spring day:

Species   First Sighting
Brant   Brig
Canada Goose   Cranberry Bogs
Mute Swan   Brig
Blue-winged Teal   Brig
Northern Shoveler   Brig
Gadwall   Brig
Mallard   Cranberry Bogs
American Black Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Ring-necked Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Bufflehead   Cranberry Bogs
Ruddy Duck   Brig
Wild Turkey   Crestwood Village
Mourning Dove   Cranberry Bogs
Killdeer   Cranberry Bogs
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Greater Yellowlegs   Brig
Dunlin   Brig
Ring-billed Gull   Brig
American Herring Gull   Brig
Great Black-backed Gull   Brig
Double-crested Cormorant   Brig
Great Egret   Cranberry Bogs
Great Blue Heron   Brig
Turkey Vulture   Cranberry Bogs
Osprey   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Harrier   Brig
Bald Eagle   Cranberry Bogs
Hairy Woodpecker   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Flicker   Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Phoebe   Cranberry Bogs
Blue Jay   Cranberry Bogs
American Crow   Cranberry Bogs
Fish Crow   Cranberry Bogs
Common Raven   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee   Cranberry Bogs
Tufted Titmouse   Cranberry Bogs
Tree Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Cranberry Bogs
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Cranberry Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch   Cranberry Bogs
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Wren   Brig
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
American Robin   Cranberry Bogs
House Finch   Cranberry Bogs
Chipping Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Field Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Song Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Red-winged Blackbird   Cranberry Bogs
Brown-headed Cowbird   Cranberry Bogs
Pine Warbler   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Cardinal   Cranberry Bogs

March Review--20 Year Birds

Immature Bald Eagle, Cranberry Bogs

March came in like a lion...and pretty much went out like one too. Cold and/or windy for most of the month, with only the last couple of days giving a hint of the warm weather to come...which everyone will start complaining about as soon as it arrives. 

Red-headed Woodpecker, Colliers Mills

I wrapped up the month at Double Trouble SP this morning where I heard the familiar buzz of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, which after about 5 minutes I was able to get eyes on way high up in the just budding trees. That was my 20th year bird for the month, a not-bad number for a mostly winter month. As chronicled here previously, I went to Barnegat Lighthouse SP 3 times and visited my usual haunts like Whitesbog and Colliers Mills, Manahawkin and the cranberry bogs on Dover Road on several occasions. I had a few "rare" birds, mostly birds like Barn Swallow, Tricolored Heron, and Snowy Egret that were just early, though the Sandhill Cranes continued at Whitesbog well into the middle of the month and I think everyone who wanted a look at them got it. I was actually a bit relieved when they finally disappeared, because I was getting tired of trying to explain where Rome Pond or Ditch Meadow is to birders who only know the 3 main bogs. And don't get me started on trying to explain where the borderline between Ocean and Burlington counties is at Whitesbog. I know from looking at pictures that a lot of supposedly Ocean County listings of the crane were really in Burlington. (Am I bit possessive about Whitesbog...oh I don't think so.) 

I was thinking about titling this entry "March Madness," but there was no madness involved other than basic silliness of walking around every day looking at and listening to birds. And typing the phrase "March Madness" exhausts my knowledge of college basketball, which you could not find my interest in with an electron scanning microscope. 

120 species for the month:
Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean
Species   First Sighting
Brant   Bayview Ave Marina
Canada Goose   Lake Carasaljo
Mute Swan   Lake Carasaljo
Tundra Swan   Reeves Bogs
Wood Duck   Reeves Bogs
Blue-winged Teal   Brig
Northern Shoveler   Lake Carasaljo
Gadwall   Lake Shenandoah County Park
American Wigeon   Manahawkin WMA
Mallard   Lake Carasaljo
American Black Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Northern Pintail   Manahawkin WMA
Green-winged Teal   Cranberry Bogs
Redhead   Lake of the Lilies
Ring-necked Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Greater Scaup   Bayview Ave Marina
Lesser Scaup   Lake Carasaljo
Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck   Bayview Ave Marina
Bufflehead   Lake Carasaljo
Common Goldeneye   Brig
Hooded Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Common Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Red-breasted Merganser   Bayview Ave Marina
Ruddy Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Manahawkin Lake
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
American Coot   Little Silver Lake
Sandhill Crane   Whitesbog
American Oystercatcher   Bayview Ave Marina
Killdeer   Reeves Bogs
Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-billed Dowitcher   Brig
American Woodcock   Manahawkin WMA
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Greater Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull   Baltimore Avenue
Ring-billed Gull   Lake Carasaljo
American Herring Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Great Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pied-billed Grebe   Double Trouble SP
Red-throated Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White Ibis   Brig
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Tricolored Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Snowy Egret   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Great Egret   Lake of the Lilies
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Black Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA
Turkey Vulture   Lake Carasaljo
Osprey   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Cooper's Hawk   Whitesbog
Northern Harrier   Manahawkin WMA
Bald Eagle   Reeves Bogs
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Whitesbog
Eastern Screech-Owl   Whitesbog
Belted Kingfisher   Reeves Bogs
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Lake Carasaljo
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
American Kestrel   Robert J. Miller Air Park
Eastern Phoebe   Cranberry Bogs
Blue Jay   Lake Carasaljo
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Robert J. Miller Air Park
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Purple Martin   Brig
Barn Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Reeves Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch   Reeves Bogs
Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Double Trouble SP
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Lake Carasaljo
Gray Catbird   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Mockingbird   Lake Carasaljo
Eastern Bluebird   Reeves Bogs
Hermit Thrush   deCamp WildlifeTrail
American Robin   Whitesbog
House Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Field Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Fox Sparrow   Reeves Bogs
Dark-eyed Junco   Lake Carasaljo
White-throated Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee   Cattus Island County Park
Red-winged Blackbird   Lake Carasaljo
Brown-headed Cowbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Rusty Blackbird   Lake Carasaljo
Common Grackle   Lake Carasaljo
Boat-tailed Grackle   Bayview Ave Marina
Palm Warbler   Cranberry Bogs
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Lake Carasaljo
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Sandhill Cranes, Rome Pond, Whitesbog (Burlington County)

Great Bay Blvd 3/29--Black-crowned Night-Heron

You can find them all over but where is the most reliable area? Great Bay Blvd. So that's where I went. And while there's a very good chance of seeing them in the marsh, where is the most reliable place to find them? Any of the stands of cedar by the bridges. So that's where I looked. And just walking by, I flushed 4 Black-crowned Night-Herons, one adult, one immature, and two too obscured to tell. The flushing, though, was the problem. I couldn't find one perched in the roost. The immature in the photograph above kept looking like it wanted to land again but never could decide to do it and I finally lost it as it hunkered down int he marsh. 

The cedars are also the place to look for Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, but then we're getting ahead of ourselves. They don't seem to appear before the summer, although they start nesting around this time down in Cape May County at the Ocean City Welcome Center roost, though last year it looked like they were getting pushed out by the White Ibises. Shari & I will make a trip down there soon and report back. 

It was moderately busy along the boulevard, though the shorebirds were limited to oystercatchers and yellowlegs. I was hoping some of the dowitchers from Brig would fly the short distance over the marsh but they hadn't. 

31 species
Brant  60
Canada Goose  2
American Black Duck  7
Green-winged Teal  30
Bufflehead  22
Red-breasted Merganser  16
Mourning Dove  3
American Oystercatcher  4
Greater Yellowlegs  6
American Herring Gull  15
Great Black-backed Gull  2
Red-throated Loon  1
Common Loon  3
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Black-crowned Night Heron  4
Snowy Egret  4
Great Egret  16
Great Blue Heron  2
Osprey  2
Northern Flicker  2
Eastern Phoebe  1
Fish Crow  2
Tree Swallow  5
Golden-crowned Kinglet  4
American Robin  5
Chipping Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco  1
Song Sparrow  7
Red-winged Blackbird  30
Boat-tailed Grackle  6
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2

Brig 3/28--Blue-winged Teal, Long-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, White Ibis, Purple Martin

Blue-winged Teal, drake & hen

It took 'til the end of March for me to make my first foray down to Brig today, going around the Wildlife Drive twice with my buddy Bob Auster.  I arrived before Bob and stopped at the entrance ponds where the first birds I saw were year birds--a drake and hen Blue-winged Teal. So, the day was off to a good start. Then, as I was driving down to the Gull Pond, I pulled over across from the visitor's center where two Purple Martins were flying around and perching on the poles, looking, if I can anthropomorphize here, confused as to where their gourd houses were. They were a few hours early, because later in the morning Bob & I saw the refuge workers hanging the gourds on the poles. 

Purple Martin

Common Goldeneye

Down at the Gull Pond the most interesting of the many ducks was a hen Common Goldeneye. When Bob & I started on the Wildlife Drive there were yellowlegs in the first pool and a few of them were Lesser Yellowlegs, another year bird for both of us. Then it got a little tricky. Between markers 4 & 5 there were lots and lots of shorebirds, a few yellowlegs but most of them were Dunlin.  We were looking for Short-billed Dowitchers, and since Dunlin feed with a similar sewing machine motion, we were almost persuaded that we had some (which would still be rare), until the number of birds made that unlikely. But there was one obvious dowitcher, only hump-backed, and after much hemming and hawing we finally landed on Long-billed Dowitcher, still rare, but not crazy rare in winter and despite the date, it's still winter to me.  

White Ibis

Of course, the Ospreys were all about, providing photo ops--whenever we saw a line of parked cars ahead of us, we knew we were approaching another Osprey platform. Bob needed the Blue-winged Teal as a year bird and hadn't stopped at the ponds before entering the refuge, but at the end of the loop you can see one of those ponds and the teal were still in there, so they were his bird of the day. After lunch we were starting on our 2nd loop with a quick look at the Gull Pond again where there was another pair of Blue-wings. Bob, ever helpful, saw a photographer and rolled down his window to tell her about the teal. She knew about them but returned his favor by telling us that there were 5 White Ibis at the start of the road in the trees where we'd seen herons & egrets earlier. We hadn't looked there the 2nd time down the road, concentrating on trying to find the single American Coot I had had earlier in the morning.  We drove up the road and easily found them. It used to be a White Ibis would be flagged as rare; today, only the number--5--was flagged as a high quantity. "Exact Count," I put on our eBird list. Five. I saw today that at the Ocean City Welcome Center this afternoon, someone counted 197 White Ibises in the rookery there, but 5 breaks the filter at Brig. Go figure.  

For the day I had 60 species, my highest total for the year.

Brant  50
Canada Goose  100
Mute Swan  8
Blue-winged Teal  4
Northern Shoveler  100
Gadwall  20
Mallard  25
American Black Duck  125
Northern Pintail  4
Green-winged Teal  175
Bufflehead  10
Common Goldeneye  1
Hooded Merganser  1
Ruddy Duck  135
Mourning Dove  3
American Coot  1
American Oystercatcher  2
Killdeer  1     Overlook
Long-billed Dowitcher  1     
Wilson's Snipe  1     Gull Pond
Lesser Yellowlegs  3
Greater Yellowlegs  15
Dunlin  350
Ring-billed Gull  20
American Herring Gull  25
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Double-crested Cormorant  20
White Ibis  5     
Snowy Egret  1
Great Egret  12
Great Blue Heron  11
Turkey Vulture  5
Osprey  11
Cooper's Hawk  1     Jen’s Trail
Northern Harrier  1
Bald Eagle  2
Northern Flicker  1
Eastern Phoebe  1
Blue Jay  2
American Crow  1
Fish Crow  16
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  4
Tree Swallow  15
Purple Martin  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Carolina Wren  2
European Starling  2
Eastern Bluebird  1
American Robin  4
House Finch  5
American Goldfinch  3
Chipping Sparrow  1
Field Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Pine Warbler  6
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  2                                                                                                                                            

Barnegat Lighthouse SP 3/25--Piping Plover

Piping Plover, with Brant

Why do I keep returning to Barnegat Light? Because, to paraphrase Willie Sutton, that's where the birds are. Potentially, at least. Of the birds on my shopping list this morning, I only found one, Piping Plovers in the mud around the pond, but that was the priority bird, since I don't much enjoy Barnegat Light in the summer when much of it is inaccessible. The other birds I was hoping for--Lesser Black-backed Gull and White-winged Scoter--were not in evidence and it looks like I'm going to have to wait for winter to roll around again (and maybe cadge a ride down the beach at IBSP) in order to put them on the county list. Last week, up at Point Pleasant Beach, I was finally able to see a small flock of Northern Gannets at Manasquan Inlet and 5 Laughing Gulls at Baltimore Avenue. I remember when Pete Bacinski ran an informal contest to see who could see the first Laughing Gull of the year, since he considered it a harbinger of summer. Nowadays, with climate change, you might be able to win the contest on New Year's Day. As it was, the first sighting in NJ this year was March 1. 

American Wigeon

Other notable birds there today were the continuing out-of-place American Wigeons (what are they finding to eat in sandy-bottomed pond?), noisy American Oystercatchers chasing one another around in disputes having to do with either territory or mating--or both, and a very sharp looking Savannah Sparrow of the Ipswich persuasion. 

Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich)

In a reversal from last week when there were 100+ Purple Sandpipers and only 1 Dunlin that I could find among them, today, there was a lone Purple Sandpiper picking at the rocks near the concrete walk and about 35 Dunlins roosting at the end of the jetty. Interesting, in a non-interesting way. 

The day list is similar to last week's:

34 Species:
Brant  150
American Wigeon  2     
Mallard  4
American Black Duck  7
Harlequin Duck  1
Surf Scoter  2
Black Scoter  40
Long-tailed Duck  15
Bufflehead  1
Red-breasted Merganser  10
Mourning Dove  1
American Oystercatcher  7
Piping Plover  3
Dunlin  35
Purple Sandpiper  1
Laughing Gull  1
American Herring Gull  100
Great Black-backed Gull  30
Red-throated Loon  4
Great Cormorant  10
Blue Jay  1     Heard
American Crow  1
Fish Crow  2
Carolina Chickadee  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1     Parking lot
Northern Mockingbird  3
House Sparrow  2
House Finch  5
Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich)  1
Song Sparrow  3
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Common Grackle  15
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  4

Barnegat Lighthouse SP 3/20--Dunlin, Snowy Egret, Osprey

Snowy Egret

Driving up interminable Central Ave on LBI to Barnegat Lighthouse this morning through what the weather report called "haze," and I call "rain," I thought, "This is not the day to be here." But by the time I pulled into the parking lot the haze stopped and behind the clouds the sun was a silver dollar. Still, I was not optimistic about scoping the ocean but there were other target birds that I thought I might find on the beach. I only found one of them, but I did come up with two surprise species, surprises only because I wasn't thinking about them on this first day of spring. 

The first surprise was a supposed rarity in the big pool--a Snowy Egret among the waterfowl. This is rare only because of the date and probably only by a couple of days. Still, a new bird for the year and one not at the top of my mind. The year bird I saw was another I wasn't considering--an Osprey that flew over me while I was at the ocean's edge, trying to scope ducks in the rolling waves.  At first, I was annoyed that I couldn't get a picture of this year bird and then I remembered, it's an Osprey, there are billions of pictures of Ospreys, the world doesn't need another photo of one. 

Dunlin

I was searching the beach for a Piping Plover, which I never found. I was hoping to get one early, before the beach is stringed-off for the breeding season. All the while I was scanning the two or three big flocks of Purple Sandpipers for something not a Purple Sandpiper. I listed 100 Purples only because that's as much as the eBird filter allows and I wasn't really counting, but I'm certain their numbers were double that. Finally, on my way back, I scanned a flock again and saw a bird with its head tucked in--but different color and clean breast told me it was a Dunlin, FOY. How I managed to go almost 3 months without a Dunlin I don't know--you'd think I'd run into one by accident, even not going to the shore very much. It spent all the time I was standing in front of it with its beak under its wings except for a few seconds when a Purple Sandpiper bothered it and I saw its curved beak, just to cinch the i.d.

I was hoping for Lesser Black-backed Gull today too, and thought I had a good candidate in an immature bird, but after I sent pix to better birders than me, it turned out to only be a Great Black-backed Gull. I like them better when they're adults with easily identifiable yellow legs and charcoal mantles. 

Because the waves were crashing up over the jetty, I couldn't look into the inlet to find the Harlequin Ducks that usually stay close to the rocks. I'll live with the disappointment. For the almost 3 hours I walked the beach I tallied 31 species.

Brant  120
Canada Goose  4
American Wigeon  2     Pool
Mallard  7
American Black Duck  11
Greater Scaup  2
Surf Scoter  4
Black Scoter  40
Long-tailed Duck  35
Red-breasted Merganser  15
Mourning Dove  3
American Oystercatcher  6
Dunlin  1
Purple Sandpiper  100     100+
American Herring Gull  50
Great Black-backed Gull  6
Common Loon  2
Great Cormorant  10
Double-crested Cormorant  2
Snowy Egret  1     Small white egret yellow feet black beak
Osprey  1
Blue Jay  1     Heard
American Crow  2
Carolina Wren  1
House Sparrow  2
House Finch  5
Song Sparrow  3
Red-winged Blackbird  5
Common Grackle  28
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2
Northern Cardinal  2

Barnegat Lighthouse SP 3/10--Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone

My reasoning for avoiding the shore during the cold windy months beginning the year was that "I can see those birds in March, when it's warmer." Well, it's March and today was warmish, so I went to Barnegat Lighthouse SP for a little winter cleanup of birds I didn't have for the year. I really only had two particularly in mind, and I found both within a few minutes of each other. 

Standing on the jetty I had a Great Cormorant fly by me.  I saw Great Cormorants on January 1 at Sandy Hook, but they were so distant, roosting on a channel marker, that they were "if you say so" birds. Today, I had much better looks at them (and they're my first in the county this year). Great Cormorants can be difficult to distinguish from their year-round relative, Double-crested Cormorants most of the time, but in March there is an easy field mark to look out for, a white brood patch on the bird's "hip." Today, scoping the birds lined across the inlet on the Island Beach jetty, these white patches were prominent. While I was standing there, a birder I see at Whitesbog sometimes came up with his son. I said that I'd just seen a Great Cormorant fly by, and his son pumped his fist because that was confirmation that he'd just got a life bird. That's always fun to witness. 

The bird that had eluded me on my rare trips to the shore, Ruddy Turnstone, was next. I had to keep checking a flock of about 100 Purple Sandpipers that were not shy about my presence, in order to find the one turnstone amongst them. Then it was a question of having it stay still long enough to get a usable picture of it. 

Harlequin Ducks

Of course, the Harlequin Ducks were still there, another species that seem to have gotten used to having people peering at it. And most of the other winter ducks were there, though no White-winged Scoter (another for the county list) and certainly no King Eider. I also wanted gannets for the county. I remember 5 years ago, just before everything shut down in mid-March because of Covid, being there with Mike and couple of other birders trying to guesstimate how many thousands of Northern Gannets were flying by that day. So, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, "I coulda done better but I don't mind." 

Surf Scoter

Day list:

33 species
Brant  120
Canada Goose  4
American Wigeon  2
Mallard  20
American Black Duck  5
Greater Scaup  60
Common Eider  15
Harlequin Duck  20
Surf Scoter  3
Black Scoter  30
Long-tailed Duck  85
Bufflehead  35
Red-breasted Merganser  35
Mourning Dove  1
American Oystercatcher  5
Ruddy Turnstone  1
Sanderling  8
Purple Sandpiper  100
American Herring Gull  125
Great Black-backed Gull  2
Red-throated Loon  1
Common Loon  1
Great Cormorant  18
Double-crested Cormorant  1
American Crow  1
House Sparrow  2
House Finch  1
Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich)  2
Song Sparrow  3
Red-winged Blackbird  5
Common Grackle  20
Yellow-rumped Warbler  3
Northern Cardinal  2

Obligatory American Oystercatcher photo for Shari

Manahawkin WMA 3/6--Tricolored Heron

Rare today, common next month. Tricolored Heron is a seasonal rarity in these parts. For the last 5 or 6 years a few have overwintered (or returned really early) on Long Beach Island and this winter there have been reports from Spizzle Creek on Island Beach, but the two birds I saw flying in at the Manahawkin WMA this morning, which I initially took for Great Blue Herons, are the first I know of on the mainland.  These two birds flew into the back impoundment, stood there for a few minutes then left. To see them standing belly deep in water is unusual. 

It was a good walk with 25 species seen or heard on a wicked windy day.

Canada Goose  13
Mute Swan  2
American Wigeon  3
American Black Duck  18
Northern Pintail  17
Bufflehead  1
Hooded Merganser  47
Greater Yellowlegs  1     Heard
American Herring Gull  2
Tricolored Heron  2     
Great Blue Heron  4
Turkey Vulture  3
Northern Harrier  1
Belted Kingfisher  2
Northern Flicker  2
American Crow  4
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  1
Carolina Wren  2
Northern Mockingbird  1     Circular field
American Robin  4
House Finch  10
Song Sparrow  4
Red-winged Blackbird  8
Northern Cardinal  2

American Wigeons & Northern Pintails

Lake Carasaljo 3/1--Rusty Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird

The first of March and feeling like a spring day, I started thinking that it was getting late for some birds that I'd missed, and I might have to wait until winter rolled around again before I could get them on the list. The thought came to me about half-way around Lake Carasaljo which was of course ice-free but surprisingly, rather low on ducks. There were all the usual species, but not big numbers of them. Even the geese, which might number in the hundreds on the ice were down to a paltry estimate of 75. 

After my first circuit I decided to investigate the muddy areas along the shore where birds like to feed and hide in the woody tangles. One area attracted my attention with a lot of bird activity flitting in and out of the stalks, making it difficult to figure out just what was in there. But I had a feeling that one of those birds I was already pushing off to next winter might just be in there. I was trying to listen for a squeaky gate call, but the grackles and blackbirds all around were making such a racket that I couldn't distinguish it. Then beneath a jay I saw a mottled bird with a pale eye shining--that somewhat elusive icterid, Rusty Blackbird. It was screened by bushes in front of me and thick brush in the mud. Trying to take a photo the camera just focused on branches. Then, very cooperatively, it flew up into a tree in front of me where I was able to take some backlit photos of it. Always a hard bird for me to find, but Lake Unpronounceable just keeps on producing for me. I also added Northern Shoveler today to my patch list there, an infrequent bird for Ocean County. 30 species in all:

Canada Goose  75
Mute Swan  4
Northern Shoveler  1     
Mallard  14
American Black Duck  1
Ring-necked Duck  12
Lesser Scaup  15
Bufflehead  2
Hooded Merganser  5
Common Merganser  2
Ruddy Duck  7
Mourning Dove  5
Ring-billed Gull  65
Turkey Vulture  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  1
Carolina Chickadee  1
Carolina Wren  1
European Starling  4
Northern Mockingbird  1
House Sparrow  5
Dark-eyed Junco  10
White-throated Sparrow  6
Song Sparrow  7
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Rusty Blackbird  1
Common Grackle  15
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  4

Northern Shoveler, hen

February Summary--Rarities

Sandhill Cranes in Ditch Meadow

For a dreary month with under a hundred species I am pretty happy with my February birding mainly because of the three rarities on the list (chronicled here, here, & here). Two of them I found on my own, always more exciting than chasing after a bird, and the Sandhill Cranes at Whitesbog that I found have always been my dream bird for that spot. Although my listing is the first for Whitesbog that record has to have an asterisk attached since my informant, who does not list, has seen them there previously. 

Rome Pond

I was glad to get them on both sides of the county line and I was also happy this week to get close enough to them in Ditch Meadow to get decent photos. Yesterday I searched Ditch Meadow again, twice, and didn't find them, but when I was driving out on the road along Rome Pond I scanned for waterfowl and found them feeding there. Whitesbog is big and these birds seem determined to use as much of it as they can. 

Greater White-fronted Goose, Lake Carasaljo

A couple of days after I found the Greater White-fronted Goose at Lake Carasaljo I got a text from Steve that there were three of them at Shelter Cove, no, make that 10, then another text that there were over 20. He and some other birders finally settled on 24, which is a record flock for New Jersey. I didn't make the drive to Toms River for this spectacle because "you only need one." Steve's amusing tale of the rapidly expanding flock can be found here.

Today I ended my birding activities for the month at the Manasquan Reservoir. I still needed Pied-billed Grebe for the year and that's usually a reliable spot to get one or two. I got two. It has been a long time since I tallied under a 100 species for a month but sometimes weather and life work against you. 95 species this month but the list is sprinkled with year birds, including a backyard Pine Siskin and the rare goose, gull, and cranes.

Species                                       First Sighting
Greater White-fronted Goose   Lake Carasaljo
Brant   Manasquan Inlet
Canada Goose   Whitesbog
Mute Swan   Lake of the Lilies
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Gadwall   Lake of the Lilies
Mallard   Country Lake Estates
American Black Duck   Whitesbog
Northern Pintail   Double Trouble SP
Green-winged Teal   Lake Carasaljo
Canvasback   Lake of the Lilies
Redhead   Lake of the Lilies
Ring-necked Duck   Country Lake Estates
Greater Scaup   Manasquan Inlet
Lesser Scaup   Double Trouble SP
Surf Scoter   Holgate
Black Scoter   Manasquan Inlet
Long-tailed Duck   Manasquan Inlet
Bufflehead   Double Trouble SP
Common Goldeneye   Hideaway Cove
Hooded Merganser   Double Trouble SP
Common Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Red-breasted Merganser   Manasquan Inlet
Ruddy Duck   Lake of the Lilies
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
American Coot   Lake of the Lilies
Sandhill Crane   Whitesbog
American Oystercatcher   Holgate
Killdeer   Whitesbog
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Greater Yellowlegs   Bayview Ave Marshes
Sanderling   Manasquan Inlet
Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet
Black-headed Gull   Bayview Ave Marshes
Ring-billed Gull   Country Lake Estates
American Herring Gull   Whitesbog
Great Black-backed Gull   Lake of the Lilies
Pied-billed Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Horned Grebe   Berkeley Island County Park
Red-throated Loon   Manasquan Inlet
Common Loon   Manasquan Inlet
Double-crested Cormorant   Lake of the Lilies
Great Egret   Lake of the Lilies
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Black Vulture   Winding River Park
Turkey Vulture   35 Sunset Rd
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Whitesbog
Cooper's Hawk   Whitesbog
Northern Harrier   Double Trouble SP
Bald Eagle   Lake Carasaljo
Red-tailed Hawk   Pemberton
Eastern Screech-Owl   Whitesbog
Great Horned Owl   Whitesbog
Belted Kingfisher   Waretown
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Cranberry Bogs
American Kestrel   Pasadena Road
Blue Jay   Whitesbog
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   Whitesbog
Horned Lark   Jackson Liberty HS
Tree Swallow   Great Bay Blvd
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Cranberry Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog Road
Brown Creeper   Winding River Park
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Mockingbird   Whitesbog
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
American Robin   Whitesbog
House Sparrow   Lake of the Lilies
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   Whitesbog
Fox Sparrow   Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco   Whitesbog
White-throated Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
Song Sparrow   Whitesbog
Swamp Sparrow   Double Trouble SP
Red-winged Blackbird   Lake of the Lilies
Common Grackle   Lake Carasaljo
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Bvld
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Union Transportation Trail
Northern Cardinal   Whitesbog