Whitesbog (Ocean County) 4/3--Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler

Another dreary morning turned brighter on the Ocean County side of Whitesbog when my informant, whom I hadn't seen since mid-December, pulled up behind me as I walked the road near Big Tank. Bad weather, icy roads, vacations, medical appointments, had conspired to keep us from running into each other for the entire winter. We both thought the worse. And both our wives bugged us to text the other to find out what was up, but we're guys and guys don't do that. After he parked at his spot we started to bird and immediately he pointed out a Palm Warbler in a budding red maple right in front of us. Not with the guy 5 minutes and I get a year bird. 

Common Loon, Big Tank

As we walked back toward the Upper Reservoir, we reviewed our sightings of the last couple of months--one of my most interesting ones had just occurred at Big Tank where I found a Common Loon in breeding plumage. My informant told me that he had seen them there occasionally, but usually on the reservoir. But here's the thing: he doesn't list so officially, this was the first Common Loon sighted on the Ocean County side of Whitesbog (to county birders it is an important distinction and there are records on the Burlco side). It's similar to describing a new species--it isn't necessarily the first person to find it; it is the person who describes it for science that gets the credit. I know this all sounds silly--it is--but silly is a large part of birding if you have any sense of humor. 

So to sum up, a year bird, a patch first record, and neither of us is dead. A good morning.

Coyote Scat.
One of the advantages of walking
 with my informant is the
 natural history lesson
you get with each step.

26 species

Canada Goose  14
Wood Duck  8
Mallard  7
Ring-necked Duck  2
Bufflehead  2
Greater Yellowlegs  2     Flyover
Common Loon  1     
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  5
Eastern Phoebe  1
Blue Jay  1
Fish Crow  3
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tree Swallow  10
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Dark-eyed Junco  15
Song Sparrow  4
Swamp Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Common Grackle  4
Palm Warbler  2
Pine Warbler  15