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 

Holgate 2/23--American Oystercatcher

Distant American Oystercatchers with Brant

"I'm gonna see 'em eventually, but I may as well see 'em today," was my philosophy for walking on the bayside of Holgate on the southern end of the aptly named Long Beach Island, because I was pretty certain I'd be able to find American Oystercatcher there--it's always been a good winter spot for them--and today's weather was the first time in a while that trekking down the beach didn't take on the aura of a polar expedition. At the first break in the dunes, I put down my scope and immediately found 6 oystercatchers probing for food on a sandbar. At the next break in the dunes there were more, and at the next one even more, until I decided to just count the ones I could see in one scope sweep--20, which is way more than the eBird filter accepts but is nothing compared to the numbers I've had in the past--years ago, from the end of Great Bay Blvd I was with Pete Bacinski when we counted around 400 of them!

I was hoping for more year birds, but I had to be content with just the oystercatchers. The problem with Holgate is that it is about 5 miles of FOMO. If you walk on the bayside, as I started out today, then you're continually wondering what you're missing on the ocean side and if you divert over to the ocean, you're afraid you're missing some wonderful birds in the dunes. And it doesn't help to walk south on the bayside then return north along the ocean, because there is still the very good chance that you're missing birds where you are not. It is an example of The Third Law of Birding to the max: Wherever you are, you should be somewhere else.

I walked down to the clamming trail and then turned around, a round trip of approximately 3 miles in which I listed 17 species:

Brant  60
Mallard  2
American Black Duck  15
Surf Scoter  7
Black Scoter  50
Long-tailed Duck  8
Bufflehead  25
American Oystercatcher  20     
Ring-billed Gull  1
American Herring Gull  100
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Red-throated Loon  1
Common Loon  3
Northern Mockingbird  1
House Finch  2
Song Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  1

Whitesbog (Ocean County) 2/20--Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes on Upper Reservoir with Tundra Swans

I finally tracked them down. And on the "right" side of the line. And in the last spot I'd expect to find them. "They," of course, are the Sandhill Cranes that I initially saw on February 7th flying out of Ditch Meadow on the Burlco side of Whitesbog, and again in flight on February 14th. On Monday I searched for them in Ditch Meadow without luck and looked for them in what I thought would be the most likely site on the Ocean County side in the grasslands of Otter Pond--if that sounds oxymoronic, it is--Otter Pond was drained of most of its water around 8 years ago when the Upper Reservoir breached and something like 17 million gallons of water tore through the old bogs and ponds that border Fort Dix. In fact, it was on the ice of the Upper Reservoir where I unexpectedly found them today, standing among a small flock of Tundra Swans. 

As has been usual of late, Whitesbog was pretty quiet today with all the water frozen. A lone Tundra Swan on the ice around the dog leg calling pathetically for company was the most interesting bird I saw until the cranes. I had walked back to the Antrim Bogs, where a few days ago I had seen swans, geese, and ducks in some open water, but they also were frozen. So, since I've never seen cranes standing on ice, I had given up on them when I was counting the swans on the Upper Reservoir which means the Second Law of birding had been invoked and of course, there they were at the left-hand side of the flock. Happily, that means I don't have to go searching for them in the smelly pastures of New Egypt this spring, where they used to be easy to find and now, not so much.

Bayview Ave Marshes 2/16--Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull with Ring-billed Gull and Mallards

I thought that a thoroughly unpleasant day was going to keep me housebound, but mid-morning there was a break in the rain, so I thought that I'd try, for the second time, the marshes on Bayview Avenue in Berkeley to look for the Black-headed Gull that has been there for last week or so.  Last week, when I tried on another rain-soaked day, the marshes there were devoid of any gulls. Today, when I pulled up, I saw a few Ring-billed Gulls floating in the high water and then, before I even got out of the car, I saw a smaller gull off to the right. Before I could form the thought, "There it is," it got up and flew, and before I could form the thought "*!&#!" it plunked down in the marsh next to a Ring-bill and a Mallard. It was pretty far away and the mist, murk, and generally lousy light give my camera much of a chance, but the field marks can be readily seen, especially the red bill and the patch behind the eye. 

With hen Hooded Merganser

The bird flew off toward Brennan Concourse, so I took the opportunity to walk the length of the marsh, picking up a few more species, including four noisy Greater Yellowlegs. I found the Black-headed Gull again, swimming along with a hen Hooded Merganser. When I turned around and went back to my car the section of the marsh where I first saw the gull, Mallards, Ring-bills, and Great Blue Heron, was completely empty. Only a Mourning Dove cooed on a power line. Maybe a raptor did a flyby while I was on the other side.  Which shows how much timing (called "luck") is involved in this birding stuff. 

Of course, in winter, and most of the year, I suppose, Black-headed Gulls don't have black heads. Of course, in breeding plumage, Black-headed Gulls don't have black heads either. They're a distinct chocolate brown. So why aren't they called Brown-headed Gulls? You'll have to ask the guy who described them in a badly lit lab. 

Lake Carasaljo 2/15--Greater White-fronted Goose

Greater White-fronted Goose

Another Saturday perambulation around Lake Unpronounceable, with waterfowl the focus.  I was hoping to add Pied-billed Grebe to my list but wound up with something much more interesting. As it happens, where I park, on the south side of the lake is where most of the waterfowl congregate, so I quickly ticked off a bunch of common ducks and of course scads of Canada Geese. I have found that after strolling up to the pontoon bridge that crosses the lake and looking through the amusing variety of domestic ducks that gather in the shallows there, including the resident uncountable Muscovy Duck, the waterfowl thin out and mostly what you find are Ring-bill Gulls standing on the ice. So, when I saw a smaller goose/duck with around 30 Canada Geese, I thought it was probably another domestic duck, but a quick look with the bins showed otherwise--it was a Greater White-fronted Goose, a rarity around here, and probably the most cooperative one I've seen. Not as confiding as the Muscovy, which will walk right up to you and try to eat your shoelaces, but it didn't immediately swim away to the middle of the lake as most geese will do when approached. In fact, after informing a couple of friends by text, I looked up to see that I it wasn't in the water anymore. Thinking it was gone, I turned around and found it on the shore, showing all its field marks. I continued my loop around the lake, and while I didn't have as many species as last week, it was still a respectable number for gray winter's morning.

26 species (+1 other taxa)
Greater White-fronted Goose  1     
Canada Goose  100
Mute Swan  4
Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)  1     
Mallard  4
Mallard (Domestic type)  15
Ring-necked Duck  14
Lesser Scaup  7
Bufflehead  2
Hooded Merganser  21
Mourning Dove  2
Ring-billed Gull  100
American Herring Gull  10
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  6
American Crow  1
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Carolina Wren  1
American Robin  1
House Sparrow  5
Dark-eyed Junco  8
White-throated Sparrow  10
Song Sparrow  4
Red-winged Blackbird  3
Common Grackle  5

Northern Cardinal  4 

Muscovy Duck

Lake Carasaljo | Jackson Liberty HS 2/8--Wood Duck, Horned Lark

Wood Duck

I circumambulated Lake Unpronounceable this morning. One advantage to having a large lake half-frozen is that it concentrates the waterfowl. Of course, most of the waterfowl is comprised of uninteresting Canada Geese, but floating in and out of all those jammed up geese I found my first Wood Ducks of the year, as well as Ring-neck Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal, a hen Canvasback and even a couple of big drake Common Mergansers, a first for me at that site and notable to me because the only other example of the species I've seen in county this year was a look at a distant hen on Manahawkin Lake last month.  

Along the areas where the water is frozen, you can concentrate on finding land birds which were comparatively abundant. In all, 3.3 miles yielded 36 species, a veritable bonanza of winter birds for me. 

Canada Goose  200
Mute Swan  2
Wood Duck  2
Mallard  17
Green-winged Teal  3     Drakes
Canvasback  1     
Ring-necked Duck  14
Lesser Scaup  4
Bufflehead  1
Hooded Merganser  14
Common Merganser  2
Mourning Dove  3
Ring-billed Gull  100
American Herring Gull  5
Great Blue Heron  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Downy Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  8
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Brown Creeper  1
Carolina Wren  5
European Starling  4
Northern Mockingbird  3
American Robin  20
House Sparrow  5
House Finch  1     Heard
Dark-eyed Junco  15
White-throated Sparrow  6
Song Sparrow  8
Red-winged Blackbird  1
Common Grackle  3
Pine Warbler  1     Ground feeding with juncos
Northern Cardinal  4

Then, for the third time this year, I drove over to Jackson Liberty HS to scan the soccer fields. Finally, I found my Horned Larks for the year. As always, it is a wonderment that these fields, and not others all around, attract Horned Larks in large numbers each year. I counted 36 today, which explodes the eBird filter, but I have counted twice that number in the past. Unfortunately, my camera battery died up at the lake when I was trying to document the Canvasback, so I couldn't take any photos of the larks, but then, I have never been able to get a satisfactory picture of those very active birds on those fields. They take off en masse, then settle down just out of camera range and blend in with the brown grass. Walk the field toward them and see previous sentence. 

Common Mergansers

Hooded Mergansers

Whitesbog 2/7--Sandhill Cranes

 Where were you when I needed you?

                                                                                                    --The Grass Roots

I went to Whitesbog this morning for the first time since the PWBC. With the warmer weather of late, I was hoping for more waterfowl and the 75 Canada Geese on Rome Pond gave me some hope. And I was heartened to find 32 Tundra Swans on Union Pond, by far the highest number I've had there this winter. As to ducks, I only had Mallards and couple of flocks of American Black Ducks. But it was when I walked behind Union Pond into Ditch Meadow (don't ask me how these spots got their names, they're artefacts of Whitesbog's former geography) that I recalled the epigraph to this entry. Two big birds leaped out of the middle pond. At first my reaction was herons, but then I look at them as they flew overhead by me, I got excited because I saw that not only were they much larger than herons or egrets, but that they're necks were fully extended, not pulled into an S-shape as you'll typically see on those waders. They were...Sandhill Cranes! If only I had seen them on Sunday, what a great bird for the winter census. I watched the cranes as they flew back over Union Pond, then swing around and fly off in the direction of Fort Dix (where I suspect they roost and possibly breed). 

And that is why I frequent these out-of-the way spots at Whitesbog, because every 100 times or so, I find something spectacular. Suffice it to say that I've never had Sandhill Cranes at Whitesbog. In fact, they've never been listed there, though my informant (who doesn't list on eBird) has seen them there and even once called me to tell they were standing in Rome Pond--unfortunately, I was in Tuckerton at the time. And then, just to cinch the i.d., I flushed up a Great Blue Heron from the reeds and watched its ungainly flight from one spot on old pond to another. The birds in the air were definitely not herons.  And thinking about it, I've never seen herons fly together, either. Doesn't mean they don't, but I've never witnessed it. 

Tundra Swans on Union Pond

I walked back to Union Pond on the off chance that they had circled back and settled down there and I walked back to the hidden pond off the landing strip, hoping I'd find them there, but only black ducks were mucking about in the mud. 

So, in terms of quantity, I did slightly better today than Sunday--25 species against 22 (and in a lot less time) but in terms of quality one species made a huge difference. 

Canada Goose  75
Tundra Swan  32
Mallard  4
American Black Duck  18
Mourning Dove  2
Sandhill Crane  2  
Great Blue Heron  1     
Turkey Vulture  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  1     Village
Hairy Woodpecker  1     Heard
Blue Jay  1     Heard
American Crow  2
Carolina Chickadee  4
Tufted Titmouse  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
European Starling  1
Northern Mockingbird  1
Eastern Bluebird  4
American Robin  6
House Finch  2
American Goldfinch  6
Dark-eyed Junco  14
Swamp Sparrow  1     Heard entrance field
Northern Cardinal  6

Cardinal in the village

Lake of the Lilies 2/5--American Coot

American Coot

A little jaunt up to Pt. Pleasant Beach yesterday. For a moment, it was a head-scratcher how American Coot came up as a year-bird on my eBird list so late in the year until I realized that I hadn't been to either Pt Pleasant or the Manasquan Reservoir (the other site I'm sure to see flocks of them) this year. There were plenty of them there, more than the 75 the eBird filter would swallow, but I had no interest in making a 1 x 1 count of diving birds. With diving ducks, grebes, loons, or coots, I always figure that at any given time, about 1/3 of them are under water. 

Redheads (drakes & hens) with coots

Last month, when I was at Lake Carasaljo, I saw one Redhead and I was very happy to find it. Redheads can be a hard get in-county. Ironically, the first ducks I saw at LotL were Redheads, lots of them. Again, diving ducks, but I figured at least 50. But the quantity didn't surpass the quality of the initial find. I was more interested, though, in the 10 Canvasbacks, drakes and hens, that were in the middle of the lake. That's another duck you have to seek out, and LotL isn't usually one of the seeking sites. 

Canvasbacks

Surprisingly, there were no wigeon there, which means I may have lost my opportunity for Eurasian Wigeon which had been a long-staying visitor there since early in the winter. After viewing the lake from 3 sides, I steeled myself for some time on the jetty at Manaquan Inlet. I managed an hour of seawatching, enough time to prove to myself, yet again, that I am either a bad at standing still in one place or that I am unlucky at finding birds on the water--probably a combination of both since what I saw (aside from Red-throated Loon which went as a county bird) was dull compared to the alcids (Razorbills & Dovekies) that another (better/luckier) birder found flying by the jetty earlier that morning. 

My list from Lake of the Lilies, the more interesting of the two:

21 species
Canada Goose  50
Mute Swan  40
Gadwall  15
Mallard  60
American Black Duck  5
Canvasback  10
Redhead  50
Lesser Scaup  49
Hooded Merganser  30
Ruddy Duck  25
Mourning Dove  10
American Coot  75
American Herring Gull  15
Great Black-backed Gull  5
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Egret  1
European Starling  10
Northern Mockingbird  3
House Sparrow  20
Song Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  1

Double Trouble SP 2/3--Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup

Lesser Scaup

After yesterday's PWBC, a relatively short walk at Double Trouble SP seemed like the thing to do. I made my way up to the Mill Pond Reservoir in the hopes that the recent thaw would have worked on the ice, and I was happy to see immediately find ducks on the water. At first it looked like just two Hooded Mergansers, but scanning with my bins I could see lots of ducks along the western edge. The two big flocks appeared to be American Black Ducks and Ring-necked Ducks, but I within the flock of Ring-necks I saw white flanks on a couple of ducks. I walked across the dry spillway and along the trail to get  closer look. Those different ducks were Lesser Scaup. After all these years, I'm still not good with scaup but I know that Lesser prefer lakes and ponds (check) and that they're heads are peaked at the back. I took some photos and enlarged them on the view screen--check. That was a year bird I wasn't expecting. 

Northern Pintail

I continued along the path to get better looks and a decent count of the black ducks. There were a few Mallards mixed in with them, but I didn't "care" about them. What interested me were the dabbling ducks with their butts up in the air--they were lighter than the black ducks and the Mallards. Finally, one came up for air and I was pretty certain that it was Northern Pintail, not a duck you often find at Double Trouble, but open water is scarce around here. A long-range photo confirmed my i.d.  I should have been able to tell just by the pintails sticking up in the air, but they were too far away for that field mark to show up against background. There was a year-duck I certainly wasn't expecting to find today.

After 8 waterfowl on the reservoir, the rest of the walk was slow birding. My two highlights were on the back bogs where the Sweetwater Reservoir is located. There I found a Swamp Sparrow in the overgrown bog and a Northern Harrier making sweeps over the two abandoned bogs. 

In all, 17 species for my walk through another former cranberry bog. Two year birds made me incrementally happy.

Canada Goose  34
Mallard  8
American Black Duck  54
Northern Pintail  4
Ring-necked Duck  22
Lesser Scaup  2
Bufflehead  2
Hooded Merganser  2
Mourning Dove  2
Turkey Vulture  1
Northern Harrier  1     Back bogs
Blue Jay  3
Tufted Titmouse  2
American Goldfinch  8
Dark-eyed Junco  1
Song Sparrow  1
Swamp Sparrow  1     Back bogs

PWBC 2/2--American Kestrel

Tundra Swans, pre-dawn, Union Pond

Yesterday, after scouting Whitesbog in preparation for today's 10th (!) Annual Pinelands Winter Bird Census, I told Shari I'd be lucky if I got half the species I did last year. What water there is in Whitesbog is frozen and what water there isn't is frozen mud, so not attractive to either waterfowl or passerines that might pick in the muck for worms or seeds. Of course, last year I also had the company of experts in Scott and Debra while this year I went it alone, as I usually do. But I guess I was lucky because I had more like 3/4 of last year's species instead of half. 

As always, I started off way before dawn, on Whitesbog Road, playing owl calls at 5 AM and not hearing any. I then drove into Whitesbog and started playing screech owl calls at spot near the Triangle Field. What I got in response was a very distant Great Horned Owl. I then drove out through the village to the bogs and played screech owl in another usually reliable spot. Great Horned Owl again. And again, distant. 

I drove to the double-laned road and walked to the other side of the bogs and played both owls again. I was disappointed to hear nothing until I was halfway back to the car when I heard and Eastern Screech-Owl whinnying behind me and then another responding in front of me. They were probably about an 1/8 of a mile apart and I was getting them in stereo. So, I was one bird ahead of last year and it was only 6 o'clock. 

I drove to the "landing strip" behind Union Pond, hoping for more owls as the sky was turning from black to mauve. I walked toward Union Pond and heard whooping. As I had hoped, there were 8 Tundra Swans standing on the ice. I had just enough time to walk back to the car, get the camera, walk to the pond edge and take a couple of photos before they took off to where there might be some open water. 

I walked all around Union Pond and found no birds, walked back through Ditch Meadow and found no birds, walked around Union Pond again and finally had a Sharp-shinned Hawk buzz over me. I could see that the bogs were not going to be very productive, so I drove back to the edge of the Triangle Field and things began to pick up just a little bit. A Cooper's Hawk flew into a tree and posed, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches called, and a Hermit Thrush chucked in the tangles. 

Fox Sparrow

Yesterday I filled the feeders near the General Store in the village and that paid off with juncos, House Finches, Blue Jays, cardinals, and best of all, a Fox Sparrow. I walked through the village, then through the fields on the entrance road, then out onto the bogs and really found very little. I drove over to Rome Pond and of course, it too was frozen and had nothing standing on the ice. Even though I suspected it would be fruitless based on yesterday's foray, I drove all around the Ocean County side of Whitesbog and had ZERO birds, which was two less than I had yesterday

With about 5 hours spent at Whitesbog, I was pretty sure was in the diminishing returns phase, so I left there and walked Whitesbog Road from Rt 530 to Rt 70. The happy find there was Red-breasted Nuthatch calling within a flock of chickadees, titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches. I never could locate the bird in the pines but recorded it. Red-breasted Nuthatches are flagged as rare in Burlington County, while in my backyard, 9 miles away, they're feeder birds. Go figure. 

American Kestrel, Pasadena Road

Last year, when we birded the JJ White bogs on Pasadena Road, Deb found an American Kestrel atop one of the pump houses, so when I drove the road today, I looked at the roof of each pumping station and sure enough, there was a kestrel on a roof peak. My only year bird for the day. 

Finally, I drove over to Country Lake Estates, a development where I don't expect to find much but have to give it a look because of its artificial lake. Half of it was ice, but surprisingly, half of it was open. I supposed the big flock of geese there have managed to act as bubblers and keep the water moving. Those were my only geese of the day, along with my only Mallards, my only Ring-necked Duck, and my only Ring-billed Gulls, which were standing on the ice. The Ring-necked was #30 on the day and as it was about 1 o'clock, I felt that 8 hours of solid birding was enough. I've never kept track of my numbers for the census year over year, but I suspect that 30 is just slightly below average. 

Species               First Sighting
Canada Goose   Country Lake Estates
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Mallard   Country Lake Estates
Ring-necked Duck   Country Lake Estates
Mourning Dove   Whitesbog
Ring-billed Gull   Country Lake Estates
American Herring Gull   Whitesbog
Turkey Vulture   Whitesbog
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Whitesbog
Cooper's Hawk   Whitesbog
Eastern Screech-Owl   Whitesbog
Great Horned Owl   Whitesbog
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
American Kestrel   Pasadena Road
Blue Jay   Whitesbog
American Crow   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   Whitesbog
Tufted Titmouse   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog Road
Carolina Wren   Whitesbog
Northern Mockingbird   Whitesbog
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
American Robin   Whitesbog
House Finch   Whitesbog
American Goldfinch   Whitesbog
Fox Sparrow   Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco   Whitesbog
Northern Cardinal   Whitesbog

Tundra Swans about to take flight.

January Summary

Red-headed Woodpecker, Colliers Mills

It has to be pretty cold in the morning for me not to go out birding. This month there were five days in a row when hypothermia was a potential problem, so I did a lot of feederwatching those days.  And the days when the weather was bearable, I felt I had to walk around, so I didn't spend any time watching the ocean for alcids which appear to have been abundant up by Manasquan Inlet. 

Some of my other notable sightings not previously narrated here were tracking down the Red-headed Woodpecker(s) at Colliers Mills, one time in a grove where I hadn't seen them before; finding a few Savannah Sparrows of the Ipswich persuasion at Barnegat Light yesterday; having 16 turkeys visit us this morning; and finally, perhaps most surprising, was glancing out the window to see a V of Snow Geese fly overhead. Snow Geese have become harder to find in county recently. Time was you could go out to New Egypt and always come across a big flock of them but not no more. So to have them as a backyard bird was a coup for the month. 

A visit to our backyard.

For the month I only managed 105 species. That's what happens when you stay away from the Ocean in Ocean County. But I don't have frost bite either.

Species    First Sighting
Snow Goose    35 Sunset Rd
Brant    Sandy Hook
Canada Goose    35 Sunset Rd
Mute Swan    Manahawkin Lake
Tundra Swan    Whitesbog
Northern Shoveler    Marshall's Pond
Gadwall    Ocean Acres Pond
American Wigeon    Marshall's Pond
Mallard    Whitesbog
American Black Duck    Sandy Hook
Green-winged Teal    Ocean Acres Pond
Canvasback    Riverfront Landing
Redhead    Lake Carasaljo
Ring-necked Duck    Butterfly Bogs WMA
Greater Scaup    Sandy Hook
Common Eider    Sandy Hook
Harlequin Duck    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter    Sandy Hook
White-winged Scoter    Sandy Hook
Black Scoter    Sandy Hook
Long-tailed Duck    Sandy Hook
Bufflehead    Sandy Hook
Common Goldeneye    Harvey Cedars
Hooded Merganser    Bunker Hill Bogs
Common Merganser    Pemberton Lake WMA
Red-breasted Merganser    Sandy Hook
Ruddy Duck    Stafford Township
Wild Turkey    35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon    Manahawkin Lake
Mourning Dove    35 Sunset Rd
Killdeer    Manahawkin Lake
Greater Yellowlegs    Bridge to Nowhere
Sanderling    Sandy Hook
Purple Sandpiper    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ring-billed Gull    Bunker Hill Bogs
American Herring Gull    Sandy Hook
Great Black-backed Gull    Sandy Hook
Horned Grebe    Sandy Hook
Red-throated Loon    Sandy Hook
Common Loon    Sandy Hook
Northern Gannet    Sandy Hook
Great Cormorant    Sandy Hook
Double-crested Cormorant    Sandy Hook
American Bittern    Manahawkin WMA
Great Egret    Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron    Sandy Hook
Black Vulture    New Egypt
Turkey Vulture    Sandy Hook
Sharp-shinned Hawk    Whitesbog
Cooper's Hawk    35 Sunset Rd
Northern Harrier    Sandy Hook
Bald Eagle    Sandy Hook
Red-shouldered Hawk    Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk    Forest Resource Education Center
Eastern Screech-Owl    Stafford Avenue
Great Horned Owl    Beach Ave
Long-eared Owl    Redacted
Belted Kingfisher    Manahawkin WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker    Bridge to Nowhere
Red-headed Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker    Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker    Sandy Hook
Hairy Woodpecker    Whitesbog
Northern Flicker    BC Fairgrounds
Eastern Phoebe    Whitesbog
Blue Jay    Forest Resource Education Center
American Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven    Sandy Hook
Carolina Chickadee    35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse    35 Sunset Rd
Golden-crowned Kinglet    Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch    35 Sunset Rd
Red-breasted Nuthatch    35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper    Colliers Mills WMA
Winter Wren    Whitesbog
Carolina Wren    35 Sunset Rd
European Starling    BC Fairgrounds
Gray Catbird    Manahawkin WMA
Northern Mockingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Bluebird    Whitesbog
Hermit Thrush    Whitesbog
American Robin    35 Sunset Rd
Cedar Waxwing    Island Beach SP
House Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
House Finch    Sandy Hook
American Goldfinch    Sandy Hook
Snow Bunting    Sandy Hook
Chipping Sparrow    Forest Resource Education Center
Field Sparrow    New Egypt
American Tree Sparrow    Whitesbog
Fox Sparrow    Beach Ave
Dark-eyed Junco    35 Sunset Rd
White-crowned Sparrow    New Egypt
White-throated Sparrow    Forest Resource Education Center
Savannah Sparrow    Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Song Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow    Cranberry Bogs
Red-winged Blackbird    Bridge to Nowhere
Brown-headed Cowbird    New Egypt
Common Grackle    BC Fairgrounds
Boat-tailed Grackle    Bridge to Nowhere
Pine Warbler    35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler    Sandy Hook
Western Tanager    Sandy Hook
Northern Cardinal    Whitesbog

Ring-necked Duck, Colliers Mills