Allaire Community Farm 12/8--Pink-footed Goose

I did some chasing today. Chasing isn't my favorite kind of birding--it's the proverbial missing the forest for the trees. I originally was going to go back to Parker Preserve and look for the Sedge Wren, but a bird I thought would be more "gettable" was reported yesterday while we were braving the 40 MPH winds at Barnegat Light, so I changed my itinerary.

I started out at Assunpink figuring that I could get the trio of Trumpeter Swans that have returned to the lake, even though I have them on my year list already--they're still cool birds and I also considered them compensation for wasting my time looking through all those Tundra Swans at Whitesbog last week.

I did stop at the farm driveway on the way in to see if I could pick up the always reliable White-crowned Sparrows and a just a little pishing brought two out. A Cooper's Hawk overhead may have explained why there were so few birds in the area.

At the lake I walked to the area where the swans had been hanging out according to Bob Dodelson. I was misled a couple of times as I walked there, looking through the trees, by first a trio, then a quintet of dumb old Mute Swans, but a little to the east of the quintet I the Trumpeters were in place. I managed some photographs with my new camera, which I'm still learning to use and suspect I will always be still learning to use:

Trumpeter Swans

One up, two down

Invoking the "I only need one good bird a day" rule I was satisfied already with my list so the next target was going to be gravy. Yesterday, a Pink-footed Goose was found with a flock of Canada Geese on the Allaire Community Farm (not to be confused with Allaire State Park), which is about a half hour ride from where I was. I had planned the day so as to give the geese some time to fly back in from wherever they spent the night. I had never been to this spot, so I followed the GPS instructions which took me east on I-195.

I was about 20 minutes away when I noticed a little white stuff swirling on the roadway. The more easterly I went, the more white stuff I found, not only on the road but in the air and then on my windshield. Tomorrow there is supposed be a big Nor'easter. Nobody said anything about snow today, but by the time I pulled into a little parking area across from a pond  which I saw 3 or 4 birders were scoping, big, puffy flakes were falling. That was going to make viewing conditions difficult. Fortunately, one of the birders was a guy I know; in fact, I had a feeling he'd be there today and he already had the bird in his scope so I took a quick look before finally locating it in my scope. Since it was swimming we couldn't see the eponymous feet, but the brown head, pink blotch on bill,  & gray back with barring were enough field marks to cinch the identification.

Last year, in January & Februrary, Pink-footed Geese seemed to be all over the place; this is the first one reported this year of this good which normally isn't found much closer to New Jersey than Greenland so it's a good bird to have for the year and I'm happy I chased. When the bird flew off, leading about a dozen geese to the north, it was the signal to get out of the surprising weather and go home

Here's my "quality over quantity" list for my morning in Monmouth County:

Species                         First Sighting Pink-footed Goose     Allaire Community Farm Canada Goose     Assunpink WMA Mute Swan     Assunpink WMA Trumpeter Swan     Assunpink WMA Mallard     Assunpink WMA Northern Shoveler     Allaire Community Farm Ruddy Duck     Assunpink WMA Cooper's Hawk     Assunpink WMA Mourning Dove     Assunpink WMA Northern Mockingbird     Assunpink WMA European Starling     Assunpink WMA White-throated Sparrow     Assunpink WMA White-crowned Sparrow     Assunpink WMA

June Birds

Black-crowned Night-Heron, Great Bay Blvd WMA

NJ Counties Birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean Warren

Species                First Sighting

Canada Goose     Wells Mills Park

Mute Swan     Cattus Island County Park

Wood Duck     Colliers Mills WMA

American Black Duck     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Mallard     Wells Mills Park

Bufflehead     Brigantine NWR

Wild Turkey     35 Sunset Rd

Red-necked Grebe     Ocean County Parks Offices

Double-crested Cormorant     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Great Blue Heron     Lakehurst NAES

Great Egret     Cattus Island County Park

Snowy Egret     Cattus Island County Park

Little Blue Heron     Cattus Island County Park

Tricolored Heron     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Green Heron     Whitesbog

Black-crowned Night-Heron     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Glossy Ibis     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Turkey Vulture     Bear Swamp IBA

Osprey     Cattus Island County Park

Cooper's Hawk     Colliers Mills WMA

Bald Eagle     Brigantine NWR

Broad-winged Hawk     Old Mine Road IBA

Red-tailed Hawk     Toms River

Clapper Rail     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

American Oystercatcher     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Black-bellied Plover     Brigantine NWR

Piping Plover     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Killdeer     Colliers Mills WMA

Spotted Sandpiper     Brigantine NWR

Greater Yellowlegs     Brigantine NWR

Willet     Cattus Island County Park

Lesser Yellowlegs     Brigantine NWR

Upland Sandpiper     Lakehurst NAES

Whimbrel     Brigantine NWR

Dunlin     Brigantine NWR

Semipalmated Sandpiper     Brigantine NWR

Short-billed Dowitcher     Brigantine NWR

Laughing Gull     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Ring-billed Gull     Brigantine NWR

Herring Gull     Cattus Island County Park

Glaucous Gull     Brigantine NWR

Great Black-backed Gull     Cattus Island County Park

Least Tern     Brigantine NWR

Gull-billed Tern     Brigantine NWR

Caspian Tern     Brigantine NWR

Common Tern     Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Forster's Tern     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Black Skimmer     Brigantine NWR

Mourning Dove      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Yellow-billed Cuckoo      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Black-billed Cuckoo     Brigantine NWR

Common Nighthawk     Lakehurst NAES

Chuck-will's-widow     Collinstown Rd

Eastern Whip-poor-will     35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift     Union Transportation Trail

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     35 Sunset Rd

Belted Kingfisher     Cattus Island County Park

Red-bellied Woodpecker     Bear Swamp IBA

Downy Woodpecker      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Hairy Woodpecker     Lakehurst NAES

Northern Flicker      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

American Kestrel     Lakehurst NAES

Peregrine Falcon     Brigantine NWR

Eastern Wood-Pewee      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Acadian Flycatcher     Double Trouble State Park

Willow Flycatcher     Cattus Island County Park

Least Flycatcher     Old Mine Road IBA

Eastern Phoebe     Wells Mills Park

Great Crested Flycatcher      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Eastern Kingbird     Cattus Island County Park

White-eyed Vireo      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Yellow-throated Vireo     Allaire State Park

Warbling Vireo     Rancocas Nature Center

Red-eyed Vireo      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Blue Jay     Colliers Mills WMA

American Crow     Lakehurst NAES

Fish Crow      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Common Raven     Lakehurst NAES

Horned Lark     Lakehurst NAES

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     Ocean County Parks Offices

Purple Martin     Brigantine NWR

Tree Swallow     Rancocas Nature Center

Barn Swallow     Cattus Island County Park

Carolina Chickadee     Rancocas Nature Center

Tufted Titmouse     Bear Swamp IBA

White-breasted Nuthatch     Wells Mills Park

House Wren     Cattus Island County Park

Marsh Wren     Cattus Island County Park

Carolina Wren      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Eastern Bluebird     Colliers Mills WMA

Veery     Rancocas Nature Center

Swainson's Thrush     Wells Mills Park

Wood Thrush      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

American Robin     Bear Swamp IBA

Gray Catbird     Wells Mills Park

Brown Thrasher     Colliers Mills WMA

Northern Mockingbird     Wells Mills Park

European Starling     Wells Mills Park

Cedar Waxwing     Rancocas Nature Center

Ovenbird      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Worm-eating Warbler     Old Mine Road IBA

Louisiana Waterthrush     Old Mine Road IBA

Blue-winged Warbler     Allaire State Park

Black-and-white Warbler      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Prothonotary Warbler      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Common Yellowthroat     Bear Swamp IBA

Hooded Warbler      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

American Redstart     Old Mine Road IBA

Cerulean Warbler     Old Mine Road IBA

Northern Parula     Old Mine Road IBA

Yellow Warbler     Cattus Island County Park

Pine Warbler      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Prairie Warbler     Bear Swamp IBA

Yellow-breasted Chat     Assunpink WMA

Eastern Towhee      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Chipping Sparrow     Wells Mills Park

Field Sparrow     Rancocas Nature Center

Grasshopper Sparrow     Colliers Mills WMA

Saltmarsh Sparrow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Seaside Sparrow     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Song Sparrow     Cattus Island County Park

Northern Cardinal      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Blue Grosbeak     Colliers Mills WMA

Indigo Bunting     Rancocas Nature Center

Red-winged Blackbird     Rancocas Nature Center

Eastern Meadowlark     Lakehurst NAES

Common Grackle      Evert Memorial Nature Trail

Boat-tailed Grackle     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird     Wells Mills Park

Orchard Oriole     Brigantine NWR

Baltimore Oriole     Rancocas Nature Center

House Finch     Wells Mills Park

American Goldfinch     Cattus Island County Park

House Sparrow     Toms River

Allaire SP 6/19--Yellow-throated Vireo

I went to Allaire State Park with my friend Greg this morning. Shari & I used to go there a fair amount when we lived in Brooklyn, because it was relatively close, but since we moved it seemed out of the way, which is borderline ridiculous. Greg, on the other hand, has been birding it steadily since he moved to NJ, so I was curious to see where he birded in the park.

We started out on the eastern side of the park, not in the middle by the main entrance as Shari & I usually do. I'd been to this section once, but had only a vague memory of its geography. The multi-use path was abuzz with birds, but aside from a White-eyed Vireo, nothing really "interesting." Greg & I both had target birds. His we found after a short while. First he heard the "bee-buzz" song (which, for some perverse reason I hear as "buzz-kill") then we found his bird, a Blue-winged Warbler. A relatively hard bird to find. Greg suspects that they breed in the park, and if they're still singing at this date, I'd say that's a well-founded suspicion.

My bird took a little longer. We walked through Allaire Village (Allaire is the site of a very old iron manufacturing town) down onto the flood plain trail. It was odd to be walking on dirt and slippery clay instead of the usual sand of the Pine Barrens. Down there we heard "Pizza!" and after a bit found an Acadian Flycatcher. That makes two this week for me. Doubling back, we walked through the woods and down near the stream again when Greg heard "my" bird sing. At first, because it was doing a buzzy, scolding call too, we thought it might be a wren, but Greg excitedly pointed out and finally, after almost heroic efforts, got me the Yellow-throated Vireo I wanted. This was not only a year bird for me, but a state bird. I'd only seen them a couple of times last year in Ohio.  They apparently only make a brief stopover in central Jersey, because this bird was flagged as "rare" on eBird. After that bird everything was gravy. In the gravy were Ovenbirds, Indigo Buntings, and on the Jersey Coast Radio Control Club field, a couple of Wild Turkeys.  This last spot is a separate section of Allaire, one that neither Greg nor I had explored before. It bears more investigation, probably earlier in the day than we were there. A large grassland surrounded by woods has plenty of potential.

36 species
Wild Turkey  2     
Turkey Vulture  5
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  1     Heard
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2     Heard
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  3     Heard
Acadian Flycatcher  1
Eastern Phoebe  5
Great Crested Flycatcher  3
Eastern Kingbird  1
White-eyed Vireo  2
Yellow-throated Vireo  1     
Red-eyed Vireo  1     Heard
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  5
Carolina Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  5
White-breasted Nuthatch  4
Carolina Wren  1     Heard
Eastern Bluebird  2
Wood Thrush  2     Heard
American Robin  4
Gray Catbird  20
European Starling  5
Cedar Waxwing  1
Ovenbird  4
Blue-winged Warbler  3
Common Yellowthroat  5     Heard
Pine Warbler  1     Heard
Eastern Towhee  1     Heard
Chipping Sparrow  5
Field Sparrow  1     Heard
Northern Cardinal  1     Heard
Indigo Bunting  5
Brown-headed Cowbird  2

Yesterday, while exploring a section of Cattus Island I'd never been to, I found, to my surprise, a Red-necked Grebe, a bird that is rare here in winter and completely out of season now. I didn't report it to Jerseybirds, figuring that no one was going to be able to refind this bird way out in the bay. Of course I did put it on eBird. But Shawn Wainwright, who keeps tracks of Ocean County birds sent a message to Jerseybirds noting my find.  Sure enough, someone went back there today and found the bird again, which made me happy to have my sighting confirmed. I was never really in doubt about it, though; some birds you look at and your first reaction is "What is that?!" This bird, as soon as I had it in my binoculars just said "I'm a Red-necked Grebe, I don't care how weird that seems."