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