Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve 5/25--Yellow-throated Vireo

Red-headed Woodpecker

I was due to meet my friend Peter at 8 at the Huber Preserve, but since I wake up at 5 these days, I was way early, so I drove down Sooy Place Road about a half mile to the new parcel that Huber has acquired which is a swamp that feeds into Burrs Mill Brook. I stood there for a little over a half hour--not my usual kind of birding but since I had so much time to kill I didn't really mind. In that time I came up with two rarities for the county--Red-headed Woodpecker and Yellow-throated Vireo. The vireo was a year bird. 

I heard the woodpecker in the woods to west of the swamp. I didn't expect to get eyes on it, as it sounded fairly distant, but then, looking atop a dead tree, I saw another (I could still hear the first one calling). This is a striking woodpecker, and I'm always happy to see one. I've probably mentioned this before, but I can think of 4 or 5 places in Burlington County where you can expect to find Red-headed Woodpecker (where it is flagged as "rare") and only two places (Colliers Mills and Cloverdale Farm) in Ocean County where you can find them (easy at Colliers, more sporadic at Cloverdale) and yet in Ocean they're "expected." You figure it out. 

The Yellow-throated Vireo I only heard; it was somewhere over the brook "singing" Three Eight! I was looking for it when I got distracted by a trio of Cedar Waxwings. I'll take waxwings over vireos any day. I did manage to record the vireo for proof of my rarity listing. 

I then drove back to the parking area by the Huber entrance. There was a car there parked sideways taking up a lot of room, which immediately set off my irritation reaction, but when I got out of the car, the driver told me that they weren't sure if they were in the right place. They were looking for the Huber Preserve. I told them they'd found it. Since they'd never been there before, and they quickly perceived I had, they asked a lot questions, which I, having stifled myself, answered--like where the bridge was (White Trail about 3/4 of mile), where the Red-headed Woodpeckers were (Gum Spring), where the Hooded Warblers were (all over). They set off and I hung around the entrance, waiting for Peter. Another car pulled in. The driver got out and said, "I'm lost." What are you looking for? I asked. "The Huber Preserve." This is it, so you're not lost. He was very relieved, having come all the way from Pennsylvania. His GPS was giving him weird directions, not that unusual when looking for the Preserve. The first time I tried to go there, Google sent me up a dirt road that led to a sand quarry. 

He then asked me the same questions. I felt like I should have an "INFORMATION" placard around my neck. I told him where the bridge was, where the woodpeckers were, and so on. Finally, Peter and his two friends arrived. I know Peter a long time, from when I lived in Brooklyn and birded Prospect Park where Peter works. This was officially a small field trip for the Brooklyn Bird Club. Peter had written me months ago, asking where he could find Prothonotary Warbler and I told him Huber was the most reliable spot. I didn't understand what was so special about that warbler until he explained to me today that this year is his 50th as a birder so he is seeking out all the "golden" birds (goldeneye, golden plover, Golden Eagle...get it?). And an alternate name for Prothonotary Warbler is "Golden Swamp Warbler." This, I did not know. 

We proceeded up the White Trail to the bridge. Along the way we heard many Hooded Warblers and Prairie Warblers, but for them I made an effort to get bins on the birds. We were very successful with those warblers, as well as a Blue-winged Warbler later on. Usually, it is enough for me to hear them, but if you're coming from Brooklyn, I think it is more rewarding to actually see them. When we got to the bridge, it wasn't 10 seconds before I heard a "Golden Swamp Warbler," but again, I wanted them to see it. As much as I don't like doing this, I played the song, because pishing only works with yellowthroats. The bird came up out of the bushes of Burnt Bridge Brook and preened itself on branch over the water. Success! I was a bit nervous about getting them the bird since it was fairly late in the morning for warblers and I was afraid they just might be tending their nest in the understory. 

Fly Agaric

Peter was working a fairly tight schedule--he was meeting another friend at Brig around 11:30--so we didn't have time to walk up to Gum Spring for the woodpeckers, but since he'd gotten their target bird, he was very happy. A golden bonus came in a beautiful specimen of Fly Agaric, a mushroom you don't want to eat but one that looks like a ball of burnished gold. 

After we left, I still had some energy, so I drove up to Reeves Bogs and did a circuit around the bogs and the woods--nothing much of note there except for an American Black Duck, which is flagged as rare, even though they breed at nearby Whitesbog. 

For the day I had 51 species and a good reunion with an old friend. 

Canada Goose    17
American Black Duck    1
Wild Turkey    2
Mourning Dove    1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    2
Great Egret    1
Great Blue Heron    3
Turkey Vulture    2
Red-tailed Hawk    1
Red-headed Woodpecker    2
Red-bellied Woodpecker    1
Northern Flicker    1
Eastern Wood-Pewee    5
Acadian Flycatcher    1
Eastern Phoebe    2
Great Crested Flycatcher    4
Eastern Kingbird    2
White-eyed Vireo    3
Yellow-throated Vireo    1
Red-eyed Vireo    2
Blue Jay    1
Fish Crow    1
Carolina Chickadee    3
Tufted Titmouse    3
Tree Swallow    15
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    1
Barn Swallow    1
White-breasted Nuthatch    2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    2
Gray Catbird    1
Wood Thrush    3
American Robin    1
Cedar Waxwing    3
American Goldfinch    2
Chipping Sparrow    2
Field Sparrow    1
Eastern Towhee    3
Red-winged Blackbird    7
Brown-headed Cowbird    2
Common Grackle    2
Ovenbird    10
Blue-winged Warbler    1
Black-and-white Warbler    3
Prothonotary Warbler    2
Common Yellowthroat    7
Hooded Warbler    10
American Redstart    1
Yellow Warbler    1
Pine Warbler    6
Prairie Warbler    14
Northern Cardinal   1