Cattus Island 5/8--Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren

The thing about Marsh Wrens is that you can feel like you're right on top of them when they're singing away in the phragmites and still not be able to see them. That's what it was like on the boardwalk leading to Scout Island at Cattus Island CP this morning. I heard Marsh Wrens on either side of me, as if they were competing to see who could be louder and more elusive. Short of throwing a rock into the reeds (which, of course, I would never do, even if there was one laying around in the mud), there was no way they were going to be dislodged. So I took my camera, aimed it more or less in the direction of the liquid singing and took pictures of the common reed (phragmites) and damned if I didn't get lucky--the lens found a bird buried in the brown. 

That was the only year bird for the day. I was hoping that the southwest winds would drop some warblers down in the woods, but the only warblers I saw and heard were the expected and already listed regulars. For the morning, 46 species--a good count, but only the Marsh Wrens (which I should have seen by now, truth be told) were new for the year. 

Canada Goose  5
Mallard  1
Mourning Dove  4
Semipalmated Plover  1     Peninsula
Spotted Sandpiper  3
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Least Sandpiper  1     Peninsula
Laughing Gull  5
American Herring Gull  15
Forster's Tern  3
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Little Blue Heron  1     Flyover
Great Egret  3
Osprey  10
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Northern Flicker  2
Great Crested Flycatcher  10
Eastern Kingbird  5
White-eyed Vireo  1
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  2
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  3
Tree Swallow  5
Barn Swallow  3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2
Northern House Wren  2
Marsh Wren  3
Gray Catbird  17
Northern Mockingbird  1
American Robin  1
American Goldfinch  4
Seaside Sparrow  4     Boardwalk, marsh, peninsula
Saltmarsh Sparrow  1     Peninsula
Song Sparrow  6
Eastern Towhee  1
Red-winged Blackbird  50
Common Grackle  2
Black-and-white Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  10
Northern Yellow Warbler  8
Pine Warbler  4
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  3

Forsythe-Barnegat | Great Bay Blvd | Backyard 5/7--Wilson's Phalarope, Stilt Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

There aren't a whole lot of birds I'm inclined to chase these days, but a county lifer qualifies. When I noticed that a Wilson's Phalarope was found yesterday afternoon down at the Forsythe-Barnegat viewing platform I decided I'd go down there first thing in the morning. If this phalarope had the same habits as the ones that show up at Brig, I thought there was a pretty good chance of it sticking around. Finding it, of course, was another story.

Of late that impoundment has been full of both flavors of yellowlegs, so I knew I'd have to pick through the feeding flock which was spread out about 180 degrees. Going early had the advantage that I beat the rush--I've been on that platform searching for a rarity rubbing shoulders with a crowd of birders and didn't enjoy it. On the other hand, someone to help would be appreciated. Just as I was about to give up, having scanned back and forth twice, that someone showed up, a good (in both senses) birder I know, who had seen the bird yesterday. Almost immediately he picked out the female phalarope, way in the back--here's my excuse: when I was looking for it was behind a dead cedar. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Funnily enough, just this weekend I was talking to Scott about how I'd never seen a Wilson's Phalarope in the county; neither had he. And now it turns up. Eerie. The phalarope was #332 for the county. Why that seems important to me remains an enduring mystery. 

What I don't have an excuse for missing, other than focusing on find the rarity, was to miss the Stilt Sandpiper that was close to the platform, feeding with the yellowlegs. Of course, the good birder pointed it out. 

After that I was on my own. I drove down to Great Bay Blvd in Tuckerton, which was my original plan for the day. I was just setting up the scope at Tuckerton Cove when I got a text from Shari with this picture:

Arghh! We annually get Rose-breasted Grosbeak in our backyard, but they usually only stay for the day. I had to hope that the safflower seeds were enticing enough to keep around until I got back home. 

The marshes were full of shorebirds and in contrast to Forsythe where the yellowlegs predominated, most of the sandpipers were Short-billed Dowitchers. But picking through them I did find a few Semipalmated Sandpipers, new for the year. I was also building up the state and county list with birds I'd already seen in Mexico, like Semipalmated Plover & Gull-billed Tern.

Down at the end of the road on the beach, I was hoping for Red Knots but it is probably a little early for them. I did, however, see my first Saltmarsh Sparrows of the year. As always, they flushed up as I was walking in the marsh grass. I got great looks but neither one posed for me. It reminded me of last summer when my friend Lon was here and needed both Seaside Sparrow and Saltmarsh Sparrow to complete his photographic collection of the Norther American sparrows. We tried Tuckerton, we tried Brig, we even tried Bombay Hook, but it wasn't until we went to Cattus Island (where, I told, even I could get pictures of those sparrows) that he successfully added both to his collection. Hey kids, collect 'em all!

Indigo Bunting

I came off the beach and was walking to my car when I found the most unexpected bird of the day (save for the phalarope) --an Indigo Bunting feeding on the gravel. I spent most of yesterday at Colliers Mills looking for one and then went over to the Emson Preserve where they're usually easy to find with no success. But of course, when I'm not looking for one, there it is. That may be a new Law of Birding.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak female

When I got home, I took a look out the side window, figuring I'd start my vigil for the grosbeak. And there it was. Except it wasn't the male Shari saw. I had a female. That's the first time we've ever had two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in our yard. About a half hour later I looked out again, and the male was scarfing down the safflower seeds. So, a pretty good day.

For Great Bay Blvd I had 42 species: 

Brant  5
Canada Goose  2
American Black Duck  1
Mourning Dove  2
Clapper Rail  8
American Oystercatcher  2
Black-bellied Plover  40
Semipalmated Plover  11
Short-billed Dowitcher  230
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Willet  20
Greater Yellowlegs  7
Ruddy Turnstone  8
Dunlin  100
Least Sandpiper  12
Semipalmated Sandpiper  5
Laughing Gull  25
American Herring Gull  15
Black Skimmer  3
Gull-billed Tern  1
Forster's Tern  25
Common Loon  1
White Ibis  1     Immature
Glossy Ibis  2
Black-crowned Night Heron  11
Little Blue Heron  1
Snowy Egret  30
Great Egret  25
Osprey  6
Bald Eagle  1
Fish Crow  1
Tree Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  10
Gray Catbird  7
Seaside Sparrow  4
Saltmarsh Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  4
Red-winged Blackbird  50
Boat-tailed Grackle  40
Common Yellowthroat  4
Northern Cardinal  1
Indigo Bunting  1

Manahawkin WMA 4/30--Black-necked Stilt, Semipalmated Plover, Eastern Wood-Pewee and April Recap

Black-necked Stilt

It was starting to become my nemesis bird of the year. I had already made two trips to Brig and 4 loops of the Wildlife Drive with no luck. Yesterday, after our excursion to the Ocean City rookery, Shari & I stopped at Manahawkin to look for the Black-necked Stilt that had been seen in the front impoundment. It wasn't in the front impoundment. I suspected that it was in the back impoundment, but to get there you have to walk about a thousand feet through tick-infested tall grass and neither of us was dressed for that kind of trek, so we dipped. 

This morning, I was there at seven, wearing permethrin pants, sprayed and wiped with repellent, with my socks tucked into my pants. Again, the front impoundment was empty of anything I cared about but walking back with my scope to where I suspected the bird might be (and where I had seen one about 12 years ago) I quickly found the bird with the bubblegum pink legs feeding alongside both species of yellowlegs. Nemesis no more. 

I did add two more species there--Eastern Wood-Pewee in the upland section and saw a small flock of Semipalmated Plovers whizzing around the back impoundment, to bring the year bird total up to 40 for the month. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to track down the Yellow-breasted Chat that another birder had just heard "around the corner" and has subsequently been reported since I was there. I seem to be taking it personally that a bird that makes such a demented racket refused to sing while I was there. Ah well...

For the month I had 139 species. Already other birders are complaining to me about the warblers being late and migration being slow. I would have like to lived in those halcyon days when the birds flew over your head in waves but instead I'm here and my motto is "See 'em while you can." 

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Ocean

Species             First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Brant   Brig
Canada Goose   Whitesbog
Mute Swan   Brig
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Blue-winged Teal   Brig
Northern Shoveler   Brig
Gadwall   Brig
Mallard   Whitesbog
American Black Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Ring-necked Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Greater Scaup   Island Beach SP
Surf Scoter   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black Scoter   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Bufflehead   Whitesbog
Red-breasted Merganser   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Ruddy Duck   Brig
Wild Turkey   Crestwood Village
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Whitesbog
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-necked Stilt   Manahawkin WMA
American Oystercatcher   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Killdeer   Cranberry Bogs
Semipalmated Plover   Manahawkin WMA
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Long-billed Dowitcher   Forsythe-Barnegat
Wilson's Snipe   Brig
Solitary Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Willet   Cedar Bonnet Island
Greater Yellowlegs   Brig
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Dunlin   Brig
Bonaparte's Gull   Brig
Laughing Gull   Island Beach SP
Ring-billed Gull   35 Sunset Rd
American Herring Gull   Brig
Great Black-backed Gull   Brig
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Caspian Tern   Holly Lake
Forster's Tern   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Pied-billed Grebe   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Brig
White Ibis   Island Beach SP
Glossy Ibis   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Snowy Egret   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Great Egret   Cranberry Bogs
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Black Vulture   Whitesbog
Turkey Vulture   Manchester Dump
Osprey   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Harrier   Whitesbog
Bald Eagle   Cranberry Bogs
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Manchester Dump
Belted Kingfisher   Double Trouble SP
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Manchester Dump
American Kestrel   Colliers Mills WMA
Merlin   Island Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Manahawkin WMA
Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher   Lakehurst Railroad Tracks
Eastern Kingbird   Cloverdale Farm
White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Blue Jay   Manchester Dump
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Whitesbog
Common Raven   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Purple Martin   Jakes Branch County Park
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Double Trouble SP
Barn Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Cranberry Bogs
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Whitesbog
Northern House Wren   Island Beach SP
Winter Wren   Double Trouble SP
Marsh Wren   Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Catbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   Berkeley Island County Park
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Hermit Thrush   Double Trouble SP
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
House Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Whitesbog
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Seaside Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Savannah Sparrow   Brig
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd
Baltimore Oriole   Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird   Manchester Dump
Brown-headed Cowbird   Whitesbog
Common Grackle   Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Ovenbird   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Worm-eating Warbler   Evert Memorial Nature Trail
Louisiana Waterthrush   Double Trouble SP
Black-and-white Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Prothonotary Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Common Yellowthroat   Manahawkin WMA
Hooded Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Yellow Warbler   Cattus Island County Park
Palm Warbler   Whitesbog
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Prairie Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Oops! I accidentally took a photo of an Osprey (Cattus Island)

Marshall's Pond 10/24--Eurasian Wigeon

Eurasian Wigeon

I spent two weeks in Portugal and Spain--did I see a Eurasian Wigeon in its home waters among all the Mallards, Gadwalls, shovelers, and teal?  No I did not. Instead, I had to go to a retention pond next to a shopping center in Toms River to find my find Eurasian Wigeon of the year and frankly, I'm happier seeing it 10 miles from home than I would have been had I ticked it off in Europe. 

That rather elongated pond which runs the length of the parking lot and then back toward some private houses has an inexplicable history of attracting rarities; this isn't the first Eurasian Wigeon I've seen there, though it was my best sighting. In the past, the birds I've seen there have been at the east end of the pond where the viewpoint is not ideal, and the sun is directly in your eyes in the morning. Today, it was overcast and the bird was in the middle of the pond toward the west end. It took me about 3 minutes to find it--there weren't that many ducks or geese to sort through and its red head and gray flanks just popped out against the surrounding American Wigeon. 

I usually have seen a Eurasian Wigeon well before October. For a number of years, one was faithfully showing up on the Shark River where you could get distant but decent view of it. This year, the bird did not show up. Or sometimes one would be on one of the ponds around Belmar, Avon, or Spring Lake--again, not this year. 

After seeing the wigeons I drove over to Shelter Cove and then to Cattus Island. It was pretty windy at Cattus and I was debating whether, given the dearth of birds I was finding, assuming they were all hunkering down, whether it was worth a walk around Scout Island. I decided to go over the boardwalk there and it was a good decision, because one of the warblers I saw was not the expected Yellow-rump but a Blackpoll Warbler, a bird, that looks very different in non-breeding plumage than in the spring--but the little yellow feet were the dead giveaway and let me eliminate the very similar Bay-breasted Warbler as a possibility. It even stayed still long enough for one photograph. 

Blackpoll Warbler

June Recap--Rarities & Other Desiderata

The bird of the month, for me, was not one of the rarities I chased, nor was it one of the birds I deliberately sought out in Burlco, like the Grasshopper Sparrow or Pileated Woodpecker.  I was at Whitesbog in the middle of the month, walking on the Ocean County side. I hadn't seen anything of note that morning, though the list was respectable. I was heading back to the car and decided to take a "shortcut" through a wooded path that connects two of the sand roads. From one of the trees a large bird flew out--I knew immediately it was a raptor but had no idea what it was. I walked on and it flushed again and flew out of sight. Cooper's Hawk? Red-shouldered Hawk? No idea. I stood still and peered around. Again, it flew, but this time I caught sight of it as it landed on the branch of a pitch pine. It wasn't a hawk, but it was a raptor--a Great Horned Owl, staring at me with a look that said, "There's nothing more I'd like to do than to rip your face it off, but it's too much bother."  Of course, I hear owls whenever I do pre-dawn birding, but I very rarely get to see one in plain sight like that one. That certainly fulfilled the "one cool bird a day" goal. 

A bird I got tired of waiting around for was Common Nighthawk, so one late afternoon I drove over to Whitesbog and stood on the borderline between Ocean & Burlington and ticked it off for both counties. In August, they'll be flying over our house, but August seems a long way away. A bird I wasn't expected I heard on Scout Island at Cattus Island CP--a Virginia Rail, which I could hear clearly but couldn't find--it was probably under the boardwalk--I've flushed them from under boardwalks there in the past. And one day early in the month I made a concerted effort to find a Saltmarsh Sparrow, after not finding any in various marshes--I was finally successful at the Bridge to Nowhere. Subsequently, I got much better looks at Cattus Island where they can be found on the marshy peninsula that juts out into Barnegat Bay. 

In all the month produced 130 species, only10 of them year birds. It's June, it's slow. July will probably be slower--an article on eBird says that the least lists are posted in July of any month. It doesn't say that the most deer flies, greenhead flies, mosquitos, ticks, and chiggers can be found in July--I suspect an inverse correlation there. 

My month list:

Species                                         First Sighting
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck   Lake of the Lilies
Canada Goose   Bridge to Nowhere
Mute Swan   Bridge to Nowhere
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Mallard   Bridge to Nowhere
American Black Duck   Whitesbog
Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck   Lake of the Lilies
Wild Turkey   Whiting
Rock Pigeon   Lake of the Lilies
Mourning Dove   Beach Ave
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   South Park Rd
Common Nighthawk   Whitesbog
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Laurel Run Park
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Bridge to Nowhere
Virginia Rail   Cattus Island County Park
American Oystercatcher   Waretown
Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   Whitesbog
Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Wilson's Phalarope   Brig
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Willet   Beach Ave
Greater Yellowlegs   Brig
Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin   Brig
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull   Bridge to Nowhere
Herring Gull   Bridge to Nowhere
Great Black-backed Gull   Waretown
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Black Skimmer   Island Beach SP
Least Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Caspian Tern   Brig
Forster's Tern   Bridge to Nowhere
Common Tern   Island Beach SP
Royal Tern   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Island Beach SP
Brown Booby   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Double-crested Cormorant   Waretown
Black-crowned Night Heron   Island Beach SP
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Bridge to Nowhere
Snowy Egret   Bridge to Nowhere
Green Heron   Whitesbog
Great Egret   Bridge to Nowhere
Great Blue Heron   Bridge to Nowhere
White Ibis   Waretown
Glossy Ibis   Bridge to Nowhere
Black Vulture   New Egypt
Turkey Vulture   35 Sunset Rd
Osprey   Eno’s Pond
Cooper's Hawk   South Park Rd
Bald Eagle   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Red-shouldered Hawk   Bunker Hill Bogs
Red-tailed Hawk   Waretown
Great Horned Owl   Whitesbog
Belted Kingfisher   Cranberry Bogs
Red-headed Woodpecker   South Park Rd
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Beach Ave
Downy Woodpecker   Meadowview Lane
Hairy Woodpecker   Huber Preserve
Pileated Woodpecker   Meadowview Lane
Northern Flicker   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Beach Ave
Willow Flycatcher   Beach Ave
Eastern Phoebe   Bamber Lake
Great Crested Flycatcher   Beach Ave
Eastern Kingbird   Eno's Pond
White-eyed Vireo   Whitesbog
Warbling Vireo   Laurel Run Park
Red-eyed Vireo   Beach Ave
Blue Jay   Beach Ave
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Bridge to Nowhere
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   Beach Ave
Tree Swallow   Bridge to Nowhere
Purple Martin   Bamber Lake
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Laurel Run Park
Barn Swallow   Waretown
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Beach Ave
House Wren   Bamber Lake
Marsh Wren   Bridge to Nowhere
Carolina Wren   Beach Ave
European Starling   35 Sunset Rd
Gray Catbird   Beach Ave
Brown Thrasher   Bamber Lake
Northern Mockingbird   Waretown
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Veery   Beach Ave
Wood Thrush   Beach Ave
American Robin   Beach Ave
Cedar Waxwing   Whitesbog
House Sparrow   Waretown
House Finch   Beach Ave
American Goldfinch   Beach Ave
Grasshopper Sparrow   Laurel Run Park
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Laurel Run Park
Seaside Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere
Song Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere
Swamp Sparrow   Reeves Bogs
Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd
Orchard Oriole   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Red-winged Blackbird   Beach Ave
Brown-headed Cowbird   Eno's Pond Park
Common Grackle   Waretown
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Ovenbird   Beach Ave
Louisiana Waterthrush   Evert Trail
Blue-winged Warbler   Huber Preserve
Black-and-white Warbler   Bamber Lake
Prothonotary Warbler   Beach Ave
Common Yellowthroat   Beach Ave
Hooded Warbler   Bamber Lake
American Redstart   Beach Ave
Yellow Warbler   Beach Ave
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog
Summer Tanager   Meadowview Lane
Scarlet Tanager   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Cardinal   Beach Ave
Blue Grosbeak   South Park Rd
Indigo Bunting   Laurel Run Park

September: Stumbled Upon Birds...& Just Plain Stumbling

Great Blue Heron watching cranberry harvest at Whitesbog

Of the measly 6 new species I added to my year list in September, 5 of them were "stumble upon" birds--birds I wasn't even thinking about when I just happened to find them. I don't expect to see a Clay-colored Sparrow beneath the feeders at Cattus Island (there's never been one reported there before), nor do I expect to see a Lincoln's Sparrow jump up from a pile of pallets in an equipment yard along the Union Transportation Trail.  Yet, there they were. A Connecticut Warbler in the road to the Winter Anchorage? Not likely. Broad-winged Hawk was so far from my mind that it took me a moment to register the one flying right over me at the cranberry bogs in South Toms River. I will admit I wasn't completely surprised when I found a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher on the Ocean County side of Whitesbog--I'd seen one before, two years ago very close to where I found it this year, and birding superstition compels one to look for what you've seen before in the same spot, no matter how unlikely the prospect. Sometimes it works. While it wasn't a year bird, I did stumble upon an Orange-crowned Warbler way back in an unnamed pond at Colliers Mills--another bird that was far from my thoughts when I set out that morning. The only bird that I didn't find on my own was a Bay-breasted Warbler at Island Beach on Scott's trip there and I was mildly surprised to find that it was new for year. 

Scarlet Tanager, Colliers Mills

I don't know if migration was good or bad this month. Probably bad if you talk to any birder who looks at BirdCast and takes it seriously. I look at BirdCast occasionally and it only provokes frustration. It will say something like "176,000 birds have crossed Ocean County this evening." I don't care how many birds have crossed Ocean County. Tell me how many have landed. Whatever migration was, I didn't see much of it, stubbornly sticking to my routine of going to places I like and hoping the birds will likewise find it appealing. 

And while we're on the subject of stumbling...One place I really like, but have to think twice, thrice about, from here on out, is Jumping Brook Preserve. Not only have the trails become rivers, thanks to the busy beavers, but with all the rain this month, ditches that were once easy to step over have widened to a precarious width. A couple of weeks ago I was walking around one of the bogs, carefully stepping over the little breaches, when I came to one that has always given me pause. It has been wider than the others, but I could make it across pretty easily with one bold step. However, this time, it appeared even more of a breach than previous, and the hard vegetation that I used to step on, looked soft from the rain. I had just said to myself, "Nope, don't think I can make it across this time," when the bank gave out under my foot and I slipped into the bog, almost up to my waist. My Muck Boots were flooded. I hauled myself out and slapped my left pocket--good, wallet and car fob were dry. Slapped my right pocket: phone was gone. Somehow, it had slipped or floated out of my pocket when I hit the water and was now down in 3 or 4 feet of mud. Let me tell you, folks, even with insurance, replacing a phone is not fun and not easy. And, if you're like me, and have outsourced most of your brain to your phone, for 3 days you feel pretty stupid, if you didn't feel like a complete dope already having skidded into a ditch. 

For the month: 137 species

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species                First Sighting
Canada Goose   Cranberry Bogs
Mute Swan   Manahawkin WMA
Wood Duck   Whitesbog
Blue-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA
Mallard   Reeves Bogs
American Black Duck   Brig
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Pied-billed Grebe   Double Trouble SP
Eared Grebe   Brig
Rock Pigeon   Jarvis Sound
Mourning Dove   Whitesbog
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Island Beach SP
Common Nighthawk   Whitesbog
Chimney Swift   Whitesbog
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Blvd
Sora   Brig
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Blvd
Semipalmated Plover   Great Bay Blvd
Killdeer   Whitesbog
Ruddy Turnstone   Great Bay Blvd
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Least Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
White-rumped Sandpiper   Brig
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Island Beach SP
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Long-billed Dowitcher   Great Bay Blvd
Spotted Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Solitary Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Whitesbog
Willet   Island Beach SP
Lesser Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd
Bonaparte's Gull   Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull   Great Bay Blvd
Ring-billed Gull   Island Beach SP
Herring Gull   Great Bay Blvd
Great Black-backed Gull   Great Bay Blvd
Caspian Tern   Island Beach SP
Common Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Forster's Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Royal Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Black Skimmer   Brig
Common Loon   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Whitesbog
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Cranberry Bogs
Great Egret   Great Bay Blvd
Snowy Egret   Great Bay Blvd
Little Blue Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Green Heron   Whitesbog
Black-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd
White Ibis   Brig
Glossy Ibis   Brig
Black Vulture   Bay Pkwy
Turkey Vulture   Whitesbog
Osprey   Great Bay Blvd
Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Bald Eagle   Brig
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Broad-winged Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Red-tailed Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Belted Kingfisher   Reeves Bogs
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Cranberry Bogs
Downy Woodpecker   Cranberry Bogs
Hairy Woodpecker   Cattus Island County Park
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
Merlin   Reeves Bogs
Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Whitesbog
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher   Whitesbog
Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher   Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Kingbird   Cranberry Bogs
White-eyed Vireo   Island Beach SP
Yellow-throated Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Cattus Island County Park
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Whitesbog
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   Whitesbog
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Purple Martin   Cranberry Bogs
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Barn Swallow   Reeves Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Cranberry Bogs
House Wren   Cranberry Bogs
Marsh Wren   Great Bay Blvd
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Great Bay Blvd
Gray Catbird   Whitesbog
Brown Thrasher   Whitesbog
Northern Mockingbird   Island Beach SP
Eastern Bluebird   Cranberry Bogs
Veery   Jumping Brook Preserve
American Robin   Whitesbog
Cedar Waxwing   Cedar Bonnet Island
House Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Clay-colored Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Field Sparrow   Union Transportation Trail
Seaside Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Savannah Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Lincoln's Sparrow   Union Transportation Trail
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd
Baltimore Oriole   Island Beach SP
Red-winged Blackbird   Great Bay Blvd
Common Grackle   35 Sunset Rd
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Blvd
Northern Waterthrush   Island Beach SP
Black-and-white Warbler   Island Beach SP
Orange-crowned Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Connecticut Warbler   Island Beach SP
Common Yellowthroat   Whitesbog
American Redstart   Cedar Bonnet Island
Cape May Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Northern Parula   Double Trouble SP
Bay-breasted Warbler   Island Beach SP
Yellow Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Blackpoll Warbler   Island Beach SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Palm Warbler   Cranberry Bogs
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Whitesbog
Prairie Warbler   Cranberry Bogs
Scarlet Tanager   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Cardinal   Cranberry Bogs

Great Egret, Cedar Bonnet Island

Cattus Island CP 9/21--Clay-colored Sparrow

I hate being told what to do, to the point where I can't stand it even when I'm the one telling myself what to do. So, even though I told myself what I should do is go to Island Beach, my inner adolescent rebelled--it just wasn't in the right frame of mind to slow walk all those bayside trails peering into leaves at confusing fall warblers. Instead, as a "compromise," I went to Cattus Island CP where I knew I could take a vigorous walk through the marshes and woods and maybe find an interesting bird.   

Well, up until the end of my walk, the last part of that sentence didn't work out very well. In fact, I was astounded that in my 3 1/2 hours there I didn't even see robins or towhees, never mind warblers (though, they were there, according to another list contemporaneous with my visit--I just missed them, of course). On my way out, I stopped again at the feeding station by the Cooper Environmental Center. It doesn't look like anyone is filling the feeders, but there is a little water hole. Earlier in the morning, the area was empty, but I saw as I walked along the deck, that a few birds were now around the water. I spotted the usual finches, a catbird, and, somewhat surprisingly, a Red-eyed Vireo (I guess they gotta drink too), and what I at first took to be a Chipping Sparrow in a bush. However, when the sparrow came out to the water I saw that it was no chippie. There aren't too many other choices for a small sparrow in the Spizzela genus--it wasn't a Field Sparrow--so I was pretty sure I had my first Clay-colored Sparrow of the year. 

But I wasn't certain. Luckily, it was cooperative enough, or thirsty enough, to hang around the water hole while I took some photos. Because of the bright sunlight they were somewhat overexposed, but the more I looked at the bird, the more confident I became--which I consider a danger signal. In the fall, Chipping Sparrows can look a lot different than they do in the summer. I photographed the preview screen of my camera with my phone and sent the crappy photo to Steve, who said it was hard to tell but looked like it might be. 

When I got home, I was able to look at the pictures on the computer and it still looked pretty good to me, but sparrows can be almost as infuriating as warblers or gulls, so I sent 3 pictures to Steve and Scott and when both agreed it was a Clay-colored, I submitted my list. It turns out that the other birder who was there today (somehow our paths didn't cross) also saw the bird in the same spot I did. It isn't rare this time of year, just "infrequent." Interestingly, to me, it was the first time a Clay-colored Sparrow has been listed at Cattus Island. I always enjoy bumping up the list of a hot spot. 

I'm glad I saw it, because if I had looked at the other list that was made while I was there, I would have been really frustrated at what I missed, instead of mildly satisfied with what I saw. 

32 species
Canada Goose  1
Mourning Dove  3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Laughing Gull  2
Herring Gull  15
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  7
Osprey  1
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  5
Downy Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1     Boardwalk
Merlin  1
Red-eyed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  4
Carolina Chickadee  5
House Wren  1
Marsh Wren  1     Red trail
Carolina Wren  6
Gray Catbird  8
Brown Thrasher  1
Eastern Bluebird  1     First marsh on left
Cedar Waxwing  5
House Finch  6
American Goldfinch  4
Clay-colored Sparrow  1     Feeders
Song Sparrow  5
Swamp Sparrow  1
Common Grackle  16
Common Yellowthroat  8
Pine Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  3

Shelter Cove 4/14--Tricolored Heron

I put in way too much effort for this bird. 

Sometimes, a supposedly "easy" bird just eludes you--I think of it as your life line not intersecting with its life line, except that there are so many life lines not crossing your path. It isn't like finding a rarity which is a "Dr John event"--right place, right time. Tricolored Herons are in virtually every marsh in Ocean County starting in the spring (one or two even spend a warm winter on LBI), so I usually don't have to actively go looking for them. In the past, it's played out like this: I got to Cattus Island CP, look to the left when I hit the first marsh, and boom, I have my Tricolored Heron. Then I'd email a friend in North Jersey (where they are distinctly rare), that the tricolors have returned to Cattus and go on to the next bird. 

But last week a walk around Cattus' marshes turned up no tricolors. Four miles of marsh along Great Bay Blvd on Tuesday was bereft of the species. I missed them at Spizzle at IBSP the last time I was there. Today, I checked every marsh from every angle again at Cattus, going so far as to walk through the marsh all the way to the Ocean County Parks Headquarters' Yellowbank Trail and failed to find one. What is going on here?

Finally, with time to kill before meeting Shari for an appointment, I ate a quick lunch then went over to Shelter Cove, which is about a mile from Cattus. I never bird Shelter Cove in the warmer weather because it is then that the soccer and baseball fields are actually used and the beach is full of kids and their parents. But it has a marsh. 

I tiptoed through the goose shit on the soccer field and came to an opening in the phragmites that looks out on the marsh, which is just a continuation of the same habitat at Cattus & OCPHQ. Framed by phragmites was a Little Blue Heron. A disappointment. I took a few more steps, shifted my viewpoint slightly right (geographically, not politically), and there, there, finally, was a Tricolored Heron, staring off into space, posing, as if to say, take my picture already so I can get out of here, which I did and it did. 

Great Bay Blvd 4/7--Caspian Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron

Caspian Terns

Usually, I start my trip at Great Bay Blvd at the bulwark just over the first bridge, but a few years ago, a couple of good birders I know showed me a place along the alley of cedars that you drive through before the road opens up into marsh. Last time I was there, in March with Mike, we stopped there and found large flocks of shovelers and Green-winged Teal, so this morning I made that my first stop, reasoning that I'd be too tired to hit it on the drive out. The flocks of teal and shovelers were still there, along with black ducks, but the semi-surprise was the two Caspian Terns sitting on a sandbar. I write "semi-surprise" because, 1) it's early for these big terns around here but 2) this is the spot where they were a few years ago when I was first shown the spot--the reason we were looking in there on much the same kind of day, cool, blustery, and overcast. I took a few digiscope doc shots. Happily, aside from a little preening, the terns didn't move the entire time I was there.

Would that I could say as much about the next new species for the year. If you walk along the cedars that bracket most of the bridges along Great Bay, you're almost guaranteed to flush a Black-crowned Night-Heron or twenty. Today, at the 2nd bridge I flushed 3, and then at what is the usually the most populated grove, 15 or 20 more came flying out of the trees as I walked along. None of them were in a roosting mood, or even, it appears, in a landing mood. They just kept flying around, coming back to the cedars for a moment, then taking off again, squawking the entire time. 

Black-crowned Night-Herons

During the last few years, I'd have night-heron by now, because there was a great roost of them all winter on LBI. Unfortunately, that roost is gone, because someone (more likely, some agency) cut a path into the woods there and made a clearing. It seems the birds didn't take to the disturbance. 

I was actually hoping for a couple of birds that I didn't find today--Clapper Rail and/or Tricolored Heron. I missed Tricolored Heron at Cattus Island yesterday, which, this time of year, is almost impossible. Ah well, gotta leave something interesting for the next trip. 

For the day, 32 species. 

Brant  38
Canada Goose  2
Mute Swan  1
Northern Shoveler  50
Mallard  2
American Black Duck  85     85+
Green-winged Teal  25
Black Scoter  1
Bufflehead  75
Red-breasted Merganser  11
Mourning Dove  1
Black-bellied Plover  21
Killdeer  1
Dunlin  130
Greater Yellowlegs  13
Herring Gull  150
Great Black-backed Gull  25
Caspian Tern  2     
Forster's Tern  14
Common Loon  1
Double-crested Cormorant  7
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  24
Snowy Egret  32
Black-crowned Night-Heron  20    
Osprey  6
Northern Harrier  1
Bald Eagle  1
Merlin  1
American/Fish Crow  2
Song Sparrow  13
Red-winged Blackbird  50
Boat-tailed Grackle  45