April Wrap-up--Tropics Edition

Plain Chachalaca, Puerto Morelos

Our trip to the Yucatan bolstered the year list of course. What strikes me looking at a list divided between a cold spring in New Jersey and 12 days in the tropics is the range of the list--it starts with a winter waterfowl (Brant) and ends with a tropical tanager (Black-headed Saltator). A lot of the birds on the month list are birds I might have seen migrating in New Jersey but saw them on their way up in Mexico. On the other hand, I might not have encountered them, since it seems this year, like every year, was a rather "lame" migration. I cannot recall ever, in the close to 50 years I've been birding, hearing anyone describe migration in the Northeast as "great." Everyone (except me, who, like the Rolling Stones "got no expectations") is always disappointed in the spring migration. It's like they forget all the dire reports of population plunges in myriad species and expect the trees to be dripping with warblers and vireos and the beaches crammed with shorebirds. Of course, migration still has a month to go, but I don't expect much change in the grumbling--the weather is too cold, the winds aren't right, it's raining, big rocks are falling out of the sky...there's always a reason that there aren't enough birds except for the real ones no one wants to face...we're exterminating them with our parking lots, housing developments, windmills, insecticides, and tall buildings. 

And, while I have limited experience, I suppose it isn't much different in other parts of the country. I remember years ago going to Magee Marsh in Ohio, one of the premier migration hot spots, and had no sooner stepped out of the car, saw a year bird, only to have a disgruntled birder next to me mumble that that was about as good as I could expect, because migration stunk that year. I was amazed. I didn't even have my right foot out of the car and already I was listening to complaints!

I added bird #180 for the month this morning on a long walk around Double Trouble SP--an Orchard Oriole back in the Sweetwater bogs where they can be reliably found every year. 

White-fronted Amazon, Puerto Morelos

For the month it was 180 species.

Counties Birded: 

Mexico: Quintana Roo, Yucatan

New Jersey: Burlington, Ocean

Species   First Sighting
Brant   Waretown
Canada Goose   Colliers Mills WMA
Mute Swan   Waretown
Wood Duck   Colliers Mills WMA
Mallard   Colliers Mills WMA
American Black Duck   Double Trouble SP
Green-winged Teal   Eno’s Pond
Ring-necked Duck   Colliers Mills WMA
Bufflehead   Waretown
Red-breasted Merganser   Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Plain Chachalaca   Puerto Morelos
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
RED-BILLED PIGEON   Puerto Morelos
Eurasian Collared-Dove   Puerto Morelos
Ruddy Ground Dove   Puerto Morelos
White-tipped Dove   Yaax Che
White-winged Dove   Parque Cancun
Mourning Dove   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Squirrel-Cuckoo   Yaax Che
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos
Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA
Semipalmated Plover   Playa Puerto Morelos
Short-billed Dowitcher   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Wilson's Snipe   Whitesbog
Spotted Sandpiper   Playa Bonita
Solitary Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Lesser Yellowlegs   Forsythe--Barnegat
Willet   Cooperativa Pescadores de Rio Lagartos
Greater Yellowlegs   Eno’s Pond
Ruddy Turnstone   Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos
Sanderling   Playa Puerto Morelos
Dunlin   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Least Sandpiper   Playa Bonita
Laughing Gull   Wawa Rt 70 & CR 530
Ring-billed Gull   Colliers Mills WMA
American Herring Gull   Eno’s Pond
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Black Skimmer   Cooperativa Pescadores de Rio Lagartos
Gull-billed Tern   Cooperativa Pescadores de Rio Lagartos
Forster's Tern   Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos
Sandwich Tern   Playa Puerto Morelos
Royal Tern   Playa Puerto Morelos
AMERICAN FLAMINGO   Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos
Horned Grebe   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Loon   Whitesbog
Magnificent Frigatebird   Playa Puerto Morelos
Anhinga   Playa Puerto Morelos
Double-crested Cormorant   Whitesbog
Neotropic Cormorant   Rio Lagartos
White Ibis   Waretown
Glossy Ibis   Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Roseate Spoonbill   Puerto Morelos
BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERON   Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos
BOAT-BILLED HERON   Playa Bonita
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Playa Bonita
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Little Blue Heron   Waretown
Tricolored Heron   Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Reddish Egret   Cooperativa Pescadores de Rio Lagartos
Snowy Egret   Eno’s Pond
Green Heron   Cooperativa Pescadores de Rio Lagartos
Western Cattle-Egret   Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos
Great Egret   Waretown
Great Blue Heron   Colliers Mills WMA
American White Pelican   Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos
Brown Pelican   Playa Puerto Morelos
Black Vulture   Cooperativa Pescadores de Rio Lagartos
Turkey Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA
LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE   Playa Puerto Morelos
Osprey   Eno’s Pond
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Common Black Hawk   Cenote Kambulnah
ROADSIDE HAWK   Parque Cancun
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl   Casa Carolina
Black-headed Trogon   Yaax Che
Belted Kingfisher   Colliers Mills WMA
American Pygmy Kingfisher   Cenote Kambulnah
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Yucatan Woodpecker   Puerto Morelos
Golden-fronted Woodpecker   Puerto Morelos
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Colliers Mills WMA
American Kestrel   Robert J. Miller Air Park
Merlin   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
White-fronted Amazon   Casa Carolina
Olive-throated Parakeet   Cenote Kambulnah
GRAY-COLLARED BECARD   Parque Cancun
Eastern Phoebe   Colliers Mills WMA
Dusky-capped Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Great Crested Flycatcher   Manasquan River WMA
Brown-crested Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Great Kiskadee   Casa Carolina
Social Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Tropical Kingbird   Puerto Morelos
Couch's Kingbird   Puerto Morelos
Eastern Kingbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Rufous-browed Peppershrike   Parque Cancun
Lesser Greenlet   Yaax Che
White-eyed Vireo   Yaax Che
Mangrove Vireo   Cooperativa Pescadores de Rio Lagartos
Blue-headed Vireo   Island Beach SP
Red-eyed Vireo   Sooy Pl Road
Green Jay   Playa Bonita
YUCATAN JAY   Puerto Morelos
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Island Beach SP
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Bank Swallow   Hotel Rio Lagartos
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Purple Martin   Woodmansee Blvd
Gray-breasted Martin   Aeropuerto Internacional de Cancun
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Double Trouble SP
Barn Swallow   Puerto Morelos
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Reeves Bogs
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Island Beach SP
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Island Beach SP
Northern House Wren   Manasquan River WMA
Carolina Wren   Eno’s Pond
White-bellied Wren   Yaax Che
European Starling   35 Sunset Rd
Gray Catbird   Puerto Morelos
Brown Thrasher   Colliers Mills WMA
Tropical Mockingbird   Puerto Morelos
Northern Mockingbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Hermit Thrush   Eno’s Pond
Wood Thrush   Manasquan River WMA
American Robin   Colliers Mills WMA
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   Eno’s Pond
Field Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Dark-eyed Junco   Colliers Mills WMA
White-throated Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Towhee   Colliers Mills WMA
Orchard Oriole   Double Trouble SP
Hooded Oriole   Puerto Morelos
Yellow-tailed Oriole   Parque Cancun
Orange Oriole   Parque Cancun
Altamira Oriole   Parque Cancun
Red-winged Blackbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Bronzed Cowbird   Puerto Morelos
Brown-headed Cowbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Melodious Blackbird   Puerto Morelos
Common Grackle   Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP--Reed's Road
Great-tailed Grackle   Puerto Morelos
Ovenbird   Double Trouble SP
Worm-eating Warbler   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Waterthrush   Puerto Morelos
Blue-winged Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Black-and-white Warbler   Puerto Morelos
Prothonotary Warbler   Yaax Che
Common Yellowthroat   Puerto Morelos
Hooded Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
American Redstart   Playa Bonita
Northern Parula   Manahawkin WMA
Magnolia Warbler   Puerto Morelos
Northern Yellow Warbler   Parque Cancun
MANGROVE YELLOW WARBLER   Cooperativa Pescadores de Rio Lagartos
Palm Warbler   Whitesbog
Pine Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Island Beach SP
Prairie Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Cardinal   Colliers Mills WMA
Black-headed Saltator   Parque Cancun