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

Colliers Mills | Emson Preserve 5/3--Spotted Sandpiper, Orchard Oriole, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting

Blue Grosbeak

I got my two target birds this morning plus two bonus birds. Of the four, only one was really a surprise and it was a disturbing example of my sketchy memory. 

At this time of year, Colliers Mills is a good place for grassland birds--it used to be better when the Grasshopper Sparrows nested there, but it's been years since they've been there--too many dogs, I suppose. But you can be fairly certain of finding Blue Grosbeaks in the fields along Success Road and today I found four of them--two in the fields and two by the police firing range.  

Orchard Oriole

Moving on from the firing range area, I was on the berm that forms the southern edge of Turnmill Pond, when I heard a garbled song and saw my first Orchard Oriole of the year, a first-year male, with a black throat and yellow chest. I didn't remember seeing Orchard Oriole at Colliers Mills. I thought it might be a patch bird. When I got home and checked my eBird records, I found it was not a patch bird. I'd seen it there before. Forty-one times before! Why do I even bother birding when the experience is obviously evanescent? I guess in the moment I enjoy it; I just don't recall it all that well. 

Solitary Sandpiper

From there I walked back to the pond that's fed by Borden's Mill Branch. There, I suspected, I would find a Spotted Sandpiper on the mud and eventually I did find one in stiff-winged flight, landing too far out to be photographed, unlike the more cooperative Solitary Sandpiper, closer in. I also heard, closer to Hawkin Road, in the usual spot by the mountain laurels, a Hooded Warbler and finally was able to see this striking bird. Previously, walking through the woods, I saw something new to me--an Ovenbird carrying nesting material. Pete used to say that Ovenbird was the most common nesting warbler in NJ. Judging from the singing birds all along my route, they're pretty ensconced in Colliers Mills. 

Ovenbird

I was still missing one target bird, but I was fairly confident I could rectify that with a five-minute drive to the Emson Preserve. There, in the tree line that runs up the driveway to the parking lot, I was able to see and hear two Indigo Buntings. If I can't find them at Colliers, Emson is my fallback spot. 

Now a digression regarding "indigo." To begin, I don't know why these birds have "indigo" as their modifier. If you look at the color I've used for Indigo Bunting, it is more a purple than the deep blue the bird actually is. In short, Indigo Buntings are not indigo. Which is find because, as a color, indigo is a problem.

In my former life in the printing biz, I had to deal with color a lot. I know color theory. (And believe me, it is really a theory, not a law.) Many of you, in grade school, learned that the colors of the rainbow were ROY G. BIV--red orange yellow green blue indigo violet. That's how Newton described the colors he saw when he separated white light with a prism. There's only one flaw. Indigo doesn't exist in the rainbow. Newton only put it in there because he thought the colors had to have symmetry with the musical notes--there are seven musical notes, thus there had to be seven colors. Genius. 

Let me show you why indigo doesn't exist, using a box of Crayolas. If you put ROY G. BIV on a wheel, you will see that RED & YELLOW yield ORANGE, YELLOW & BLUE yield GREEN, BLUE & RED yield VIOLET. There is no room for indigo on the color wheel. While I love the Indigo Bunting, I hate the name. Let's not even get into the fact that it isn't truly a bunting either!

The Colliers Mills list of 42 species.

Canada Goose  6
Mallard  6
Mourning Dove  2
Chimney Swift  1     Lake
Killdeer  3
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Solitary Sandpiper  1
Laughing Gull  20     Flyover
Turkey Vulture  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Eastern Wood-Pewee  4
Eastern Phoebe  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  5
White-eyed Vireo  3
Warbling Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  3
Blue Jay  6
Tufted Titmouse  2
Barn Swallow  4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3
Carolina Wren  2
Gray Catbird  10
Northern Mockingbird  1
Wood Thrush  3
American Robin  7
Chipping Sparrow  3
Field Sparrow  1
White-throated Sparrow  1
Eastern Towhee  6
Orchard Oriole  1
Baltimore Oriole  1
Red-winged Blackbird  20
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Ovenbird  10
Black-and-white Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  7
Hooded Warbler  1    
Pine Warbler  3
Prairie Warbler  3
Blue Grosbeak  4

Colliers Mills WMA 4/27--Solitary Sandpiper, Warbling Vireo

Solitary Sandpiper, Colliers Mills Lake

It seemed to me time to get Warbling Vireo for the year.  For years, all I've had to do in spring is standing the parking lot of Colliers Mills and find one in the big tree by the lake. Not today. I was surprised, disconcerted. But at least I found my year Solitary Sandpiper at the north end of the lake. Not a place I usually see them. Unlike the 4 Wood Ducks, it didn't seem to mind my presence. 

I reversed my route today, going into the woods along Hawkin Road first, primarily to find birds in the early morning, but also to get out of the fierce wind. In a tree full of birdy activity, I got a quick glance at a very plain bird that was immediately gone--and then I heard the song and knew I had my Warbling Vireo. Again, not a place I usually see them. Pete had mnemonic for the Warbling Vireo's song which went something like, "If I sees you I will squeeze you 'til you squeak." I used to tell him I needed a mnemonic to remember the mnemonic. 

Pond on Hawkin Road

Continuing up Hawkin Road I came to the pond on the west side of the road where I flushed 3 Wilson's Snipe and a fourth bird which turned out to be another Solitary Sandpiper. Making the left about quarter mile up the road toward the Borden's Mill Branch Pond I stopped by the mountain laurel and with a great deal of encouragement was able to get a Hooded Warbler to sing--the usual place where I get my county Hooded. At the pond itself I found another Solitary Sandpiper. This broke the eBird filter of 2. It's not like I had an oxymoronic flock of Solitary Sandpipers. They're solitary and at least a half mile away from each other. 

Borden's Mill Branch Pond

Once I got onto the berm the wind was gusting over 30 mph, so my hopes for new birds were dashed--I couldn't wait to get out of the wind, as the birds already had. In all, I managed to stay on my feet long enough to tally 44 species. 

Canada Goose  11
Wood Duck  4
Mallard  5
Mourning Dove  2
Killdeer  2
Wilson's Snipe  3     
Solitary Sandpiper  3     
Laughing Gull  49     Flyovers: 9, 21, 6, 13
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  2
Eastern Phoebe  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
White-eyed Vireo  6
Warbling Vireo  1
Blue Jay  5
American Crow  1
Carolina Chickadee  1
Tufted Titmouse  6
Tree Swallow  4
Barn Swallow  5
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  7
Carolina Wren  1
Gray Catbird  7
Northern Mockingbird  1
Eastern Bluebird  2
American Robin  4
American Goldfinch  2
Chipping Sparrow  7
Song Sparrow  2
Eastern Towhee  12
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Brown-headed Cowbird  6
Ovenbird  8
Black-and-white Warbler  4
Common Yellowthroat  6
Hooded Warbler  1    
Pine Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Prairie Warbler  2
Northern Cardinal  5

March Review--20 Year Birds

Immature Bald Eagle, Cranberry Bogs

March came in like a lion...and pretty much went out like one too. Cold and/or windy for most of the month, with only the last couple of days giving a hint of the warm weather to come...which everyone will start complaining about as soon as it arrives. 

Red-headed Woodpecker, Colliers Mills

I wrapped up the month at Double Trouble SP this morning where I heard the familiar buzz of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, which after about 5 minutes I was able to get eyes on way high up in the just budding trees. That was my 20th year bird for the month, a not-bad number for a mostly winter month. As chronicled here previously, I went to Barnegat Lighthouse SP 3 times and visited my usual haunts like Whitesbog and Colliers Mills, Manahawkin and the cranberry bogs on Dover Road on several occasions. I had a few "rare" birds, mostly birds like Barn Swallow, Tricolored Heron, and Snowy Egret that were just early, though the Sandhill Cranes continued at Whitesbog well into the middle of the month and I think everyone who wanted a look at them got it. I was actually a bit relieved when they finally disappeared, because I was getting tired of trying to explain where Rome Pond or Ditch Meadow is to birders who only know the 3 main bogs. And don't get me started on trying to explain where the borderline between Ocean and Burlington counties is at Whitesbog. I know from looking at pictures that a lot of supposedly Ocean County listings of the crane were really in Burlington. (Am I bit possessive about Whitesbog...oh I don't think so.) 

I was thinking about titling this entry "March Madness," but there was no madness involved other than basic silliness of walking around every day looking at and listening to birds. And typing the phrase "March Madness" exhausts my knowledge of college basketball, which you could not find my interest in with an electron scanning microscope. 

120 species for the month:
Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean
Species   First Sighting
Brant   Bayview Ave Marina
Canada Goose   Lake Carasaljo
Mute Swan   Lake Carasaljo
Tundra Swan   Reeves Bogs
Wood Duck   Reeves Bogs
Blue-winged Teal   Brig
Northern Shoveler   Lake Carasaljo
Gadwall   Lake Shenandoah County Park
American Wigeon   Manahawkin WMA
Mallard   Lake Carasaljo
American Black Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Northern Pintail   Manahawkin WMA
Green-winged Teal   Cranberry Bogs
Redhead   Lake of the Lilies
Ring-necked Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Greater Scaup   Bayview Ave Marina
Lesser Scaup   Lake Carasaljo
Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck   Bayview Ave Marina
Bufflehead   Lake Carasaljo
Common Goldeneye   Brig
Hooded Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Common Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Red-breasted Merganser   Bayview Ave Marina
Ruddy Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Manahawkin Lake
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
American Coot   Little Silver Lake
Sandhill Crane   Whitesbog
American Oystercatcher   Bayview Ave Marina
Killdeer   Reeves Bogs
Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-billed Dowitcher   Brig
American Woodcock   Manahawkin WMA
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Greater Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull   Baltimore Avenue
Ring-billed Gull   Lake Carasaljo
American Herring Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Great Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pied-billed Grebe   Double Trouble SP
Red-throated Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White Ibis   Brig
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Tricolored Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Snowy Egret   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Great Egret   Lake of the Lilies
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Black Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA
Turkey Vulture   Lake Carasaljo
Osprey   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Cooper's Hawk   Whitesbog
Northern Harrier   Manahawkin WMA
Bald Eagle   Reeves Bogs
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Whitesbog
Eastern Screech-Owl   Whitesbog
Belted Kingfisher   Reeves Bogs
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Lake Carasaljo
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
American Kestrel   Robert J. Miller Air Park
Eastern Phoebe   Cranberry Bogs
Blue Jay   Lake Carasaljo
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Robert J. Miller Air Park
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Purple Martin   Brig
Barn Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Reeves Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch   Reeves Bogs
Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Double Trouble SP
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Lake Carasaljo
Gray Catbird   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Mockingbird   Lake Carasaljo
Eastern Bluebird   Reeves Bogs
Hermit Thrush   deCamp WildlifeTrail
American Robin   Whitesbog
House Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Field Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Fox Sparrow   Reeves Bogs
Dark-eyed Junco   Lake Carasaljo
White-throated Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow   Lake Carasaljo
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee   Cattus Island County Park
Red-winged Blackbird   Lake Carasaljo
Brown-headed Cowbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Rusty Blackbird   Lake Carasaljo
Common Grackle   Lake Carasaljo
Boat-tailed Grackle   Bayview Ave Marina
Palm Warbler   Cranberry Bogs
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Lake Carasaljo
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Sandhill Cranes, Rome Pond, Whitesbog (Burlington County)

January Summary

Red-headed Woodpecker, Colliers Mills

It has to be pretty cold in the morning for me not to go out birding. This month there were five days in a row when hypothermia was a potential problem, so I did a lot of feederwatching those days.  And the days when the weather was bearable, I felt I had to walk around, so I didn't spend any time watching the ocean for alcids which appear to have been abundant up by Manasquan Inlet. 

Some of my other notable sightings not previously narrated here were tracking down the Red-headed Woodpecker(s) at Colliers Mills, one time in a grove where I hadn't seen them before; finding a few Savannah Sparrows of the Ipswich persuasion at Barnegat Light yesterday; having 16 turkeys visit us this morning; and finally, perhaps most surprising, was glancing out the window to see a V of Snow Geese fly overhead. Snow Geese have become harder to find in county recently. Time was you could go out to New Egypt and always come across a big flock of them but not no more. So to have them as a backyard bird was a coup for the month. 

A visit to our backyard.

For the month I only managed 105 species. That's what happens when you stay away from the Ocean in Ocean County. But I don't have frost bite either.

Species    First Sighting
Snow Goose    35 Sunset Rd
Brant    Sandy Hook
Canada Goose    35 Sunset Rd
Mute Swan    Manahawkin Lake
Tundra Swan    Whitesbog
Northern Shoveler    Marshall's Pond
Gadwall    Ocean Acres Pond
American Wigeon    Marshall's Pond
Mallard    Whitesbog
American Black Duck    Sandy Hook
Green-winged Teal    Ocean Acres Pond
Canvasback    Riverfront Landing
Redhead    Lake Carasaljo
Ring-necked Duck    Butterfly Bogs WMA
Greater Scaup    Sandy Hook
Common Eider    Sandy Hook
Harlequin Duck    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter    Sandy Hook
White-winged Scoter    Sandy Hook
Black Scoter    Sandy Hook
Long-tailed Duck    Sandy Hook
Bufflehead    Sandy Hook
Common Goldeneye    Harvey Cedars
Hooded Merganser    Bunker Hill Bogs
Common Merganser    Pemberton Lake WMA
Red-breasted Merganser    Sandy Hook
Ruddy Duck    Stafford Township
Wild Turkey    35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon    Manahawkin Lake
Mourning Dove    35 Sunset Rd
Killdeer    Manahawkin Lake
Greater Yellowlegs    Bridge to Nowhere
Sanderling    Sandy Hook
Purple Sandpiper    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ring-billed Gull    Bunker Hill Bogs
American Herring Gull    Sandy Hook
Great Black-backed Gull    Sandy Hook
Horned Grebe    Sandy Hook
Red-throated Loon    Sandy Hook
Common Loon    Sandy Hook
Northern Gannet    Sandy Hook
Great Cormorant    Sandy Hook
Double-crested Cormorant    Sandy Hook
American Bittern    Manahawkin WMA
Great Egret    Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron    Sandy Hook
Black Vulture    New Egypt
Turkey Vulture    Sandy Hook
Sharp-shinned Hawk    Whitesbog
Cooper's Hawk    35 Sunset Rd
Northern Harrier    Sandy Hook
Bald Eagle    Sandy Hook
Red-shouldered Hawk    Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk    Forest Resource Education Center
Eastern Screech-Owl    Stafford Avenue
Great Horned Owl    Beach Ave
Long-eared Owl    Redacted
Belted Kingfisher    Manahawkin WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker    Bridge to Nowhere
Red-headed Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker    Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker    Sandy Hook
Hairy Woodpecker    Whitesbog
Northern Flicker    BC Fairgrounds
Eastern Phoebe    Whitesbog
Blue Jay    Forest Resource Education Center
American Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven    Sandy Hook
Carolina Chickadee    35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse    35 Sunset Rd
Golden-crowned Kinglet    Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch    35 Sunset Rd
Red-breasted Nuthatch    35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper    Colliers Mills WMA
Winter Wren    Whitesbog
Carolina Wren    35 Sunset Rd
European Starling    BC Fairgrounds
Gray Catbird    Manahawkin WMA
Northern Mockingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Bluebird    Whitesbog
Hermit Thrush    Whitesbog
American Robin    35 Sunset Rd
Cedar Waxwing    Island Beach SP
House Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
House Finch    Sandy Hook
American Goldfinch    Sandy Hook
Snow Bunting    Sandy Hook
Chipping Sparrow    Forest Resource Education Center
Field Sparrow    New Egypt
American Tree Sparrow    Whitesbog
Fox Sparrow    Beach Ave
Dark-eyed Junco    35 Sunset Rd
White-crowned Sparrow    New Egypt
White-throated Sparrow    Forest Resource Education Center
Savannah Sparrow    Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Song Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow    Cranberry Bogs
Red-winged Blackbird    Bridge to Nowhere
Brown-headed Cowbird    New Egypt
Common Grackle    BC Fairgrounds
Boat-tailed Grackle    Bridge to Nowhere
Pine Warbler    35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler    Sandy Hook
Western Tanager    Sandy Hook
Northern Cardinal    Whitesbog

Ring-necked Duck, Colliers Mills

November Kneecap I Mean Recap

American Bittern, Great Bay Blvd

For the second year in a row, Shari had knee surgery in November which limited my birding for more than half of the month, as she needed my assistance during her recovery, which is going all right now, thank you, but has been much rougher (read "painful") than last year's knee. Even when I felt it was safe enough to leave her for a while, I didn't go very far (Whitesbog, the Cranberry Bogs on Dover Rd, Colliers Mills) as I wanted to be fairly close in case of an emergency. 

I only added one year bird this month, a surprising female Purple Finch at our bird bath one morning. There have been a couple of very cool species along the shore this month--Cave Swallows in Point Pleasant and a Pomarine Jaeger flying back and forth between Barnegat Light & Island Beach, but I couldn't make the trips. It may be sour grapes, but often when I hear about a rarity and consider chasing, I think, "That's not birding, that's driving." It also helps to have a spotty memory. The last day of our October trip to Portugal and Spain there was a great rarity reported at Whitesbog that absolutely had me crippled with despair; the other day I couldn't even remember what the bird was, I had to look it up (Sage Thrasher). 

But I did have two happy sightings early in the month before Shari had to go under the knife (what an expression!). The day before the surgery I was down on Great Bay Blvd in Tuckerton having a relatively uneventful yet pleasant morning when, as I was walking back to my car I glanced to my left, and there, across a little stream, was an American Bittern in classic beak-up pose, trying unsuccessfully to blend in with the reeds. It wasn't my first bittern of the year, but it was definitely the one I saw best and the only one I was able to photograph. 

The day after the election, I was moping around Whitesbog when I ran into my informant. We commiserated for a while then got back to the much more interesting topic of what we'd seen that day. He mentioned that in one of the old blueberry fields, which was now an empty reservoir, he'd seen an interesting sandpiper along with the Killdeer, snipe, and yellowlegs feeding there, but as he didn't have a scope, he couldn't make an ID. Since that field was only a few minutes from where I was parked, I drove up to it, set up my scope and found a very late White-rumped Sandpiper among the now-exposed blueberry bush stumps. It was the only "rarity" I listed this month, but satisfying as I (sort of) found it by myself. 

The bogs and reservoirs at Whitesbog remain drained for the most part but this morning as I passed the Lower Bog which does have some water in it, I saw my first Tundra Swans of the season. Normally, this time of year, with water in Union Pond and the other 3 bogs, you might find 20 or 30 of them. This year does not look promising for them. I almost felt bad for the 7 swans I later saw flying over the Ocean County side, looking for water and not finding it.

For the month 102 species--a very low count for November but sometimes the serious gets in the way of the silly. 

Counties birded: Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species            First Sighting
Brant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Canada Goose   Jumping Brook Preserve
Mute Swan   Assunpink WMA
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Jumping Brook Preserve
Gadwall   Lake Carasaljo
Mallard   Jumping Brook Preserve
American Black Duck   Reeves Bogs
Green-winged Teal   Jumping Brook Preserve
Ring-necked Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Lesser Scaup   Lake Carasaljo
Surf Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White-winged Scoter   Great Bay Bvld
Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Bufflehead   Cedar Bonnet Island
Hooded Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Ruddy Duck   Assunpink WMA
Mourning Dove   Whiting WMA
American Coot   Lake Carasaljo
American Oystercatcher   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Bvld
Killdeer   Reeves Bogs
Wilson's Snipe   Reeves Bogs
Lesser Yellowlegs   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Whitesbog
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin   Great Bay Bvld
White-rumped Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Laughing Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ring-billed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
American Herring Gull   Cedar Bonnet Island
Great Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Forster's Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Royal Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pied-billed Grebe   Jumping Brook Preserve
Horned Grebe   Great Bay Bvld
Common Loon   Great Bay Bvld
Double-crested Cormorant   Assunpink WMA
American Bittern   Great Bay Bvld
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld
Great Egret   Great Bay Bvld
Great Blue Heron   Whiting WMA
Black Vulture   Jumping Brook Preserve
Turkey Vulture   Whiting WMA
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Cedar Bonnet Island
Cooper's Hawk   Jumping Brook Preserve
Northern Harrier   Reeves Bogs
Bald Eagle   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-shouldered Hawk   Reeves Bogs
Red-tailed Hawk   Assunpink WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Whiting WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Pine Park
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whiting WMA
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Jumping Brook Preserve
Northern Flicker   Reeves Bogs
American Kestrel   Cranberry Bogs
Merlin   Whitesbog
Eastern Phoebe   Jumping Brook Preserve
Blue Jay   Whiting WMA
American Crow   Whiting WMA
Fish Crow   Bayview Ave Marina
Common Raven   Whiting WMA
Carolina Chickadee   Whiting WMA
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whiting WMA
White-breasted Nuthatch   Whiting WMA
Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper   Lake Carasaljo
Winter Wren   Jumping Brook Preserve
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   New Egypt
Gray Catbird   Assunpink WMA
Northern Mockingbird   Jumping Brook Preserve
Eastern Bluebird   Whiting WMA
Hermit Thrush   Whiting WMA
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
House Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
House Finch   Whiting WMA
Purple Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   Jumping Brook Preserve
Snow Bunting   Great Bay Bvld
Chipping Sparrow   Whitesbog
Field Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Fox Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-throated Sparrow   Jumping Brook Preserve
Savannah Sparrow   Assunpink WMA
Song Sparrow   Whiting WMA
Swamp Sparrow   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-winged Blackbird   Jumping Brook Preserve
Brown-headed Cowbird   Lake Carasaljo
Rusty Blackbird   Reeves Bogs
Common Grackle   Lake Carasaljo
Boat-tailed Grackle   Bayview Ave Marina
Palm Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Jumping Brook Preserve
Northern Cardinal   Jumping Brook Preserve

The Rest of the Month

Greater White-front Goose (center) with Canada Geese, Mercer Corporate Park

After our Iberian sojourn, I spent the last half of October birding my favorite, close-by spots, knowing that I'd missed most of migration. The first day back I went to Whitesbog to find that almost every drop of water had been drained from the bogs--there were very few shorebirds there, but raptors big (Bald Eagle) and small (kestrel) were easy to find.  I returned to Whitesbog quite often the last two weeks, but finally had to admit I was getting diminishing returns.

Solitary Sandpiper, Colliers Mills

Mostly I went to old cranberry bogs and looked for what wasn't supposed to be there and most of the time I only found what was supposed to be there. A walk around Colliers Mills though, did make me happy, when I was able to find my old friend the Red-headed Woodpecker without having to look hard, a big flock of Rusty Blackbirds in a dried-up pond, and a very late, not supposed to be there, Solitary Sandpiper in yet another body of non-water.  

Everywhere I went, whether it was the cranberry bogs in South Toms River, Double Trouble, Cloverdale Farm, or even the Manasquan Reservoir, water was either low or pretending to be mud--obviously we're in a severe drought that will seemingly take a month of heavy rain to alleviate. 

Today, the last day of the month, I found my latest year bird, a Greater White-fronted Goose in the Mercer Corporate Park. I'd spent the morning at Assunpink (again, nothing out of the ordinary) and then swung by the MCP. This used to be a great place to stop off and look for rarities, but a couple of years ago the owners put up No Trespassing signs and the hot spot fell off the rarity radar, so I was surprised to see this bird show up on one of the alerts. I've seen Greater White-fronted there in the past, so it wasn't that unusual. I pulled into the driveway and stopped just before the Keep Out signs and scanned the first pond, which had about 500 Canada Geese in it. That's always discouraging, but the Greater White-fronted's pink/orange bill popped out of the surrounding geese and I was able to get one mediocre photo before a security guard pulled up and politely told me to scram. 

With the Eurasian Wigeon and the Nelson's Sparrow found earlier, that made 3 year-birds for the 17 days of NJ birding. After wandering around Spain and Portugal for two weeks, I couldn't work up a lot of interest in local rarities.

For the rest of the month, I found 106 species spread out over Atlantic, Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties. 

Species                         First Sighting
Greater White-fronted Goose   Mercer Corporate Park
Canada Goose   Whitesbog
Mute Swan   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Shoveler   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Gadwall   Holly Lake
Eurasian Wigeon   Marshall's Pond
American Wigeon   Marshall's Pond
Mallard   Cranberry Bogs
American Black Duck   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Whitesbog
Ring-necked Duck   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Bufflehead   Browns Woods
Hooded Merganser   Brig
Ruddy Duck   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Rock Pigeon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Mourning Dove   Cranberry Bogs
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Blvd
American Coot   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Blvd
Killdeer   Whitesbog
Semipalmated Plover   Whitesbog
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Solitary Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Whitesbog
Ruddy Turnstone   Great Bay Blvd
Dunlin   Great Bay Blvd
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Brig
Laughing Gull   Barnegat Municipal Dock
Ring-billed Gull   Brig
American Herring Gull   Whitesbog
Forster's Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Royal Tern   Barnegat Municipal Dock
Pied-billed Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Double-crested Cormorant   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Tricolored Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Snowy Egret   Great Bay Blvd
Great Egret   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Great Blue Heron   Whitesbog
Black Vulture   35 Sunset Rd
Turkey Vulture   Whitesbog
Osprey   Whitesbog
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Whitesbog
Cooper's Hawk   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Harrier   Double Trouble SP
Bald Eagle   Whitesbog
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Whitesbog
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Double Trouble SP
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Cranberry Bogs
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
American Kestrel   Whitesbog
Merlin   Cranberry Bogs
Peregrine Falcon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog
Blue-headed Vireo   Great Bay Blvd
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Brig
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Tree Swallow   Whitesbog
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Whitesbog
Winter Wren   Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Whitesbog
Gray Catbird   Whitesbog
Northern Mockingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog
Hermit Thrush   Great Bay Blvd
American Robin   Whitesbog
House Sparrow   Assunpink WMA
House Finch   Whitesbog
American Goldfinch   Whitesbog
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Dark-eyed Junco   Cranberry Bogs
White-throated Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Nelson's Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Savannah Sparrow   Whitesbog
Song Sparrow   Whitesbog
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee   Whitesbog
Eastern Meadowlark   Brig
Baltimore Oriole   35 Sunset Rd
Red-winged Blackbird   Whitesbog
Rusty Blackbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Grackle   Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Blvd
Blackpoll Warbler   Cattus Island County Park
Palm Warbler   Whitesbog
Pine Warbler   Whitesbog
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Whitesbog
Northern Cardinal   Whitesbog

Peregrine Falcon, Brig

Great Bay Blvd 10/21--Nelson's Sparrow

                                               Gee, but it's great to be back home!

                                                                                                         --Paul Simon

Nelson's Sparrow (for the moment)

For the last week or so I've been very happy to go to my usual birding haunts like Whitesbog, Colliers Mills, and the old cranberry bogs in South Toms River (where I was surprised to find all the derelict buildings had been torn down--my first thought, "Where will the Barn Swallows nest?). Today, I took a little longer drive down to Great Bay Blvd in Tuckerton. Autumn is a good time down there to look for odd sparrows and probably the best place around to find Nelson's Sparrow, though it isn't easy. (Aside: Poor Nelson, whoever he was, is going to lose his eponymous bird which was only recently split off from Saltmarsh Sparrow because of the silly "No Eponyms" rule that is being introduced though no announcements of any new names have been made yet. Fame is fleeting.)

The place to look for them is at the inlet and the best time is when the tide is high, giving the little buggers less acreage to inhabit. The tide seemed pretty high when I got there, and sparrows were diving into the spartina wherever I walked but I couldn't get even a lousy look at them to see if they were Nelson's. The sparrows that did stay still were all Song Sparrows so my trudging back and forth on the sand yielded no target bird or even its cousins like Seaside Sparrow or Saltmarsh. 

It is my custom after walking on the beach to walk the road north, usually up to the first wooden bridge. It's a better way to find birds than cruising along in the car. I found plenty of Black-bellied Plovers and Greater Yellowlegs, a couple of Palm Warblers, and the common sparrows. I even found one Seaside Sparrow out in the marsh. But it was a total accident when, looking a couple of Great Egrets and a Great Blue Heron out in the marsh, I saw in the reeds about half the distance to the big birds a sparrow with an orange and gray face--I took pictures but they didn't show the field mark I was looking for (a blurry chest) but I did manage to see it once when the wind turned the sparrow, clinging to a stalk, my way. I was pretty surprised since I can't recall ever finding a Nelson's that wasn't scampering around near the water. 

Hermit Thrush

The other species that caught my attention were the big numbers of Forster's Terns still around, especially the big flock that flew by and roosted near the Rutgers buildings, a Blue-headed Vireo at one of the bridges where the night-herons roost, and a Hermit Thrush that was in the sparrow spot at 700 Great Bay Blvd. In all, 35 species for the day.

American Black Duck  1
Clapper Rail  3
Black-bellied Plover  185
Lesser Yellowlegs  2
Greater Yellowlegs  55
Ruddy Turnstone  3
Dunlin  9
Herring Gull  30
Forster's Tern  50
Double-crested Cormorant  12
Black-crowned Night Heron  15
Snowy Egret  6
Great Egret  15
Great Blue Heron  5
Osprey  1
Belted Kingfisher  3
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  1
Tree Swallow  40
Carolina Wren  1
European Starling  150
Hermit Thrush  1
House Finch  20
Field Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  1
White-throated Sparrow  8
Seaside Sparrow  1
Nelson's Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  9
Swamp Sparrow  1
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Boat-tailed Grackle  50
Palm Warbler  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler  7

Ruddy Turnstone