May Recap--Migration & Mexico

Prothonotary Warbler, Huber Preserve

I missed a big chunk of migration with our trip to Mexico. So a lot of warblers are not on my list--the really colorful ones at that like Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Bay-breasted, and Cape May. With luck, I'll get them on the rebound in autumn. If not, I guess sitting on the beach, drinking beer with your friends, watching the frigatebirds drift overhead, is a good trade-off.

In the 3 weeks we weren't in Mexico, I hit all my favorite spots, but I never had a really big day where I got 10 or 12 new species. I seemed to get one or two at time--a really productive day would be 4 new species.  One thing I noticed is that there don't seem to be big numbers of warblers around other than Ovenbirds and yellowthroats. I remember that Shari & I used to joke about YARs--Yet Another Redstart. Of course, this is one man's perception--I suppose someone somewhere was overwhelmed by Blackpoll Warblers. 

Tomorrow starts another doldrum month--it's a period when I'll allow myself to chase a little more than usual just to break up the routine of seeing the same birds day after day.

For the month: 183 species

Counties birded

New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Essex, Monmouth, Ocean, Union

Mexico: Quintana Roo, Yucatan

Species        First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Brant   Island Beach SP
Canada Goose   Meadowedge Park
Mute Swan   Forsythe--Barnegat
Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Mallard   Island Beach SP
American Black Duck   Whitesbog
Northern Pintail   Island Beach SP
Bufflehead   Island Beach SP
Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck   Brig
Plain Chachalaca   Casa Carolina
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Grebe   Island Beach SP
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
Eurasian Collared-Dove   Puerto Morelos
Common Ground Dove   Puerto Morelos
Ruddy Ground Dove   Puerto Morelos
White-winged Dove   Parque Principal Francisco Cantón Rosado
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Colliers Mills WMA
Chuck-will's-widow   Collinstown Road
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Island Beach SP
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Island Beach SP
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA
Semipalmated Plover   Waretown
Short-billed Dowitcher   Forsythe--Barnegat
Spotted Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Solitary Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Forsythe--Barnegat
Willet   Island Beach SP
Greater Yellowlegs   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Turnstone   Playa Puerto Morelos
Red Knot   Great Bay Blvd
Sanderling   Playa Puerto Morelos
Dunlin   Forsythe--Barnegat
Least Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Laughing Gull   Island Beach SP
Ring-billed Gull   Manahawkin Lake
Herring Gull   Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Black Skimmer   Great Bay Blvd
Least Tern   Great Bay Blvd
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Caspian Tern   Manahawkin Lake
Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP
Common Tern   Island Beach SP
Sandwich Tern   Playa Puerto Morelos
Royal Tern   Playa Puerto Morelos
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Island Beach SP
Magnificent Frigatebird   Puerto Morelos
Anhinga   Casa Carolina
Double-crested Cormorant   Island Beach SP
American White Pelican   Brig
Brown Pelican   Playa Puerto Morelos
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret   Island Beach SP
Green Heron   Cranberry Bogs
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Reeves Bogs
White Ibis   Island Beach SP
Glossy Ibis   Island Beach SP
Black Vulture   Playa Puerto Morelos
Turkey Vulture   Whiting
Osprey   Island Beach SP
Bald Eagle   Double Trouble SP
Red-shouldered Hawk   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Screech-Owl   Cloverdale Farm
Turquoise-browed Motmot   Ek Balam
Belted Kingfisher   Whitesbog
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Golden-fronted Woodpecker   Puerto Morelos
Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Jumping Brook Preserve
Northern Flicker   Island Beach SP
White-fronted Parrot   Puerto Morelos
Rose-throated Becard   Ek Balam
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Colliers Mills WMA
Acadian Flycatcher   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Willow Flycatcher   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Colliers Mills WMA
Dusky-capped Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Great Crested Flycatcher   35 Sunset Rd
Brown-crested Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Great Kiskadee   Casa Carolina
Boat-billed Flycatcher   Ek Balam
Social Flycatcher   Puerto Morelos
Tropical Kingbird   Puerto Morelos
Couch's Kingbird   Puerto Morelos
Eastern Kingbird   Island Beach SP
Rufous-browed Peppershrike   Ek Balam
White-eyed Vireo   Island Beach SP
MANGROVE VIREO   Puerto Morelos
Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Green Jay   Ek Balam
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   Cloverdale Farm
Fish Crow   Island Beach SP
Common Raven   Colliers Mills WMA
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Bank Swallow   Burrs Mill Brook
Tree Swallow   Cloverdale Farm
Purple Martin   Waretown
Gray-breasted Martin   Propiedad Federal
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Playa Puerto Morelos
Barn Swallow   Island Beach SP
Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Island Beach SP
House Wren   Cloverdale Farm
Marsh Wren   Manahawkin WMA
Carolina Wren   Island Beach SP
Spot-breasted Wren   Ek Balam
European Starling   35 Sunset Rd
Gray Catbird   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Tropical Mockingbird   Puerto Morelos
Northern Mockingbird   Island Beach SP
Eastern Bluebird   Cloverdale Farm
Veery   Island Beach SP
Wood Thrush   Island Beach SP
American Robin   Island Beach SP
Cedar Waxwing   Reeves Bogs
House Sparrow   Newark Liberty International Airport
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Field Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
White-crowned Sparrow   IBSP Visitors Center
White-throated Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Seaside Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Savannah Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Song Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Collinstown Road
Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-breasted Chat   Brig
Orchard Oriole   Cranberry Bogs
Hooded Oriole   Casa Carolina
Yellow-backed Oriole   Puerto Morelos
Orange Oriole   Puerto Morelos
Altamira Oriole   Puerto Morelos
Baltimore Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-winged Blackbird   Island Beach SP
Brown-headed Cowbird   IBSP Visitors Center
Melodious Blackbird   Casa Carolina
Common Grackle   Island Beach SP
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Great-tailed Grackle   Aeropuerto Internacional de Cancun
Ovenbird   Island Beach SP
Northern Waterthrush   Double Trouble SP
Blue-winged Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Black-and-white Warbler   Island Beach SP
Prothonotary Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Common Yellowthroat   Island Beach SP
Hooded Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
American Redstart   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Parula   Island Beach SP
Magnolia Warbler   Island Beach SP
Yellow Warbler   Island Beach SP
Blackpoll Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Island Beach SP
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Island Beach SP
Prairie Warbler   Cloverdale Farm
Scarlet Tanager   Cloverdale Farm
Northern Cardinal   Island Beach SP
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP
Blue Grosbeak   Colliers Mills WMA
Indigo Bunting   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve

February--One Day Longer But Still a Dreary Month

Wood Ducks, Cranberry Bogs, Dover Road

The additional leap day didn't make any difference to the winter birding--as almost always around here, February is a dreary month. Most of the month's year birds have been noted here previously--a couple were either so quick and brief--Sharp-shinned Hawk flying across the cedar alley on Great Bay Blvd or didn't allow for any pictures like the hide-and-seek Lapland Longspur on Scott's Sandy Hook trip--are the exceptions. 

Usually, I bemoan the lack of birds, like every other birder--didn't see this, didn't find that--but this month I'm focusing on the positive--some of my favorite birds were abundant. Pine Siskins have been regular at our feeder this month, aggressive little bastards that they are, fighting off the more common finches and other tweety birds.  We've had as many as 12 at one time, some on the ground since they all can't fit on the feeders and get along. We've also had Eastern Bluebirds on our feeders. You don't think of them as seedeaters and, oddly, when Shari bought mealworms for them, they were nowhere in evidence (starlings were), but as soon as the mealworms ran out, they showed up to eat the shelled sunflower seeds. Cedar Waxwings--big flocks on Sandy Hook, and scattered all about on my walks, eating cedar berries. Purple Sandpipers not only at Barnegat Light, where they were fighting the breaking waves on the jetties, but also on the jetty at Manasquan Inlet, finding something to eat off the big concrete jacks that buttress it. And then of course, there were the Horned Larks--the huge resident flock at Jackson Liberty High School and another big flock on Sandy Hook in which the Lapland Longspurs were playing peek-a-boo. Those were all pleasures. 

I also spent rainy or snowy days dipping into my 1936 copy of American Birds--a huge illustrated book with all kinds of information about the stomach contents of birds and many outdated or alternate names, which I find fascinating, and, in light of the "no eponyms" movement, I think a source for "new" names for some birds. 

I think the "no eponyms" movement is dumb for a number of reasons, but the main reason is that while the common names might be changed, the scientific names stay the same, and a lot of those scientific names are eponyms. For instance: McCown's Longspur, named after a confederate officer and Indian killer, has been changed to Long-billed Longspur, which is a more descriptive name (one of the psuedo- rationales for getting rid of eponyms), but the scientific name remains Rhynchophanes mccownii. So, you're just sweeping the name under the rug. 

But, on the other hand, when you look through this book, it is obvious that a lot of the names we know now weren't in existence 90+ years ago. Ever in flux. A lot of birds that have the "common" adjective now, were "American" back then. And some eponyms have already been lost. Wilson's Tern (Wilson, who, if he were alive today would be a hero of the left, has more birds named for him than anyone else) is now the Common Tern. 

But here are some interesting alternate names I've gleaned:

Harris's Sparrow was also known as Hood-crowned Sparrow or Blackhood.  Either would be a fine name for the bird.

Bachman's Sparrow was once the Pine-woods Sparrow

Cooper's Hawk could go back to being called Big Blue Darter, or simply Striker (I think Chicken Hawk is off the table)

Another bird that Wilson lost is the Veery, which once was Wilson's Thrush.

And, one of the more amusing nicknames I've found, Red-headed Woodpecker was known as Flag Bird, or Patriotic Bird, because, so they say, in some light, its black feathers looked deep blue and combined with the white patch and red head...I have yet to see this effect. 

Another: Common Gallinule, before it had the misleading name of Common Moorhen (half of them weren't hens, and we have no moors), was known as Florida Gallinule.

And probably my favorite so far: the simple Ovenbird used to be known as the Golden-crowned Accentor. 

For the month 114 species.

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species             First Sighting
Snow Goose   Brig
Brant   Brig
Canada Goose   Brig
Mute Swan   Brig
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Reeves Bogs
Northern Shoveler   Brig
Gadwall   Brig
American Wigeon   Brig
Mallard   Brig
American Black Duck   Brig
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Brig
Canvasback   Brig
Redhead   Holly Lake
Ring-necked Duck   Whitesbog
Greater Scaup   Bayview Ave Park
Lesser Scaup   Lake of the Lilies
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter   Manasquan Inlet
Long-tailed Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Bufflehead   Brig
Common Goldeneye   Brig
Hooded Merganser   Brig
Common Merganser   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Red-breasted Merganser   Brig
Ruddy Duck   Brig
Wild Turkey   Crestwood Village
Horned Grebe   Graveling Point
Rock Pigeon   Jackson Liberty HS
Mourning Dove   Brig
Clapper Rail   Brig
American Coot   Brig
Black-bellied Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Killdeer   Lake of the Lilies
Greater Yellowlegs   Brig
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin   Brig
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Least Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Razorbill   Manasquan Inlet
Ring-billed Gull   Brig
Herring Gull   Brig
Great Black-backed Gull   Brig
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Lake of the Lilies
Red-throated Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Brig
Black-crowned Night Heron   Bayview Ave Park
Great Egret   Brig
Great Blue Heron   Brig
Black Vulture   Brig
Turkey Vulture   Brig
Northern Harrier   Brig
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Great Bay Bvld
Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Bald Eagle   Brig
Red-shouldered Hawk   Reeves Bogs
Red-tailed Hawk   Pond on Schoolhouse Road
Great Horned Owl   Whitesbog
Belted Kingfisher   Brig
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Whitesbog
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Brig
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
American Kestrel   Pasadena Road
Blue Jay   Brig
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee   Brig
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Jackson Liberty HS
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   Brig
Brown Creeper   Cranberry Bogs
Winter Wren   Whitesbog
Carolina Wren   Brig
European Starling   Brig
Northern Mockingbird   Whitesbog
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Hermit Thrush   Brig
American Robin   Brig
Cedar Waxwing   Lake Shenandoah County Park
House Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
House Finch   Brig
Red Crossbill   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Lapland Longspur   Sandy Hook
Snow Bunting   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Chipping Sparrow   Bamber Lake
Field Sparrow   Pasadena Road
American Tree Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Fox Sparrow   Brig
Dark-eyed Junco   Brig
White-crowned Sparrow   New Egypt
White-throated Sparrow   Brig
Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow   Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird   Brig
Brown-headed Cowbird   Whitesbog
Rusty Blackbird   Reeves Bogs
Common Grackle   Lakehurst Railroad Tracks
Boat-tailed Grackle   Brig
Pine Warbler   Crestwood Village
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Brig
Northern Cardinal   Brig

Sandy Hook Kick Off the Year--Western Tanager

Western Tanager

As is my custom, I drove up to Sandy Hook this morning to "Kick Off the Year List" with Scott, Linda, Carole, et al, and about 29 other birders, though I had to go solo this time as Shari's knee hasn't recovered enough for walking through sand. Before I got up there, I ticked off 2 birds for the year: first bird, pre-dawn, was an American Crow cawing somewhere in the neighborhood. Second species was a flock Rock Pigeons in South Toms River.  

As usual, we spent the first part of the day seawatching, but since it wasn't too cold or windy, and there were lots of birds to look at, I wasn't as antsy as I normally get. The rare bird there was a Glaucous Gull which we saw before we even got on the beach. Good sightings were Red-necked Grebe, Razorbill and two big flocks of Snow Buntings. No brown ones in the bunting flocks though, which would have indicated Lapland Longspurs. Both flocks were "clean" as I heard Scott describe them. We moved north and looked in Horseshoe Cove where we found Common Goldeneyes and Horned Grebes. 

We then went up to Lot M and walked the fisherman's trail to the tip of the Hook, walking along the Salt Pond trail, looking for Orange-crowned Warbler. One was found, but I missed it. I was atop a dune, peering over the phragmites, where an American Coot was tucked into the reeds. I found it on my second try, but I suppose I would've rather seen the warbler. However, the walk was made worth the effort when, just as we got back to the parking lot, one sharp-eyed birder spotted a yellow bird in a cedar. "Isn't that a Western Tanager?" he shouted, pointing frantically to the top of the tree. At first, no one could locate the bird, but then it came out for a brief moment and most of us got on it. It was, indeed, a Western Tanager, a beautiful male, and it almost immediately disappeared behind the cedar. We walked the path along the battery where the bird was sampling the cedar berries in one tree after another. A few times it sat out in the open allowing for "crippling" looks through bins and scopes. Even some non-birding dogwalkers showed an interest in the bird--it is a damned impressive sight against the deep green of the cedar. It was the first male Western Tanager I've seen in New Jersey, and a new addition to my Monmouth County life list.

Nothing was likely to top the tanager for the day, but we pushed on, checking the ocean and beach around I lot where we were hoping for longspurs and were disappointed not to find any, and then it was down to Spermaceti Cove, where, along the boardwalk, a Black-capped Chickadee was flitting through the high grass.  I was almost as excited about the chickadee as I was about the tanager, since I don't see them that often, not birding North Jersey very much, and the chickadee population at Sandy Hook is anomalous, a peninsula of black-caps in an area where Carolina Chickadees are the expected species. I don't know that anyone has ever figured out why Black-capped Chickadee persist on the Sandy Hook peninsula. I believe I have about a 50% hit rate when I go there, so I was glad to put it on my year list. And to have Black-capped Chickadees on the list before Carolina Chickadee is an oddity for me. 

The last new bird of the year I thought was going to be Mallard, one of which Linda found floating in the cove with black ducks and Brants, but Jason, the gull expert, patiently going through the flocks of gull roosting on the sand bars came up with an Iceland Gull (Thayer's ssp), and gave a convincing disquisition on why the brown gull we were looking at was not just a juvenile Herring Gull. To me, it was a perfect example of a "If you say so" bird, since I'm sure I would have overlooked it on my own. Too bad Thayer's Gull is no longer considered a separate species. 

I left after that, not feeling like spending more time searching the ocean and beach at C lot. With 43 species and 3 rarities, I felt it was a satisfying day and the odds were against anything new. And if they did find something, I have 365 (leap year) more days to add it to the list. 

Brant  160
Canada Goose  90
Gadwall  1     
Mallard  1
American Black Duck  30
Surf Scoter  2
White-winged Scoter  34
Black Scoter  5
Long-tailed Duck  11
Bufflehead  58
Common Goldeneye  8
Red-breasted Merganser  6
Horned Grebe  8
Red-necked Grebe  1
American Coot  1     
Sanderling  3
Razorbill  1
Bonaparte's Gull  1
Herring Gull  300
Great Black-backed Gull  35
Glaucous Gull  1     
Iceland Gull  1     
Red-throated Loon  60
Common Loon  50
Northern Gannet  50
Great Cormorant  4
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  3
Downy Woodpecker  1
American Crow  1
Common Raven  2
Black-capped Chickadee  1    
Carolina Wren  1
European Starling  100
Northern Mockingbird  3
Cedar Waxwing  17
House Finch  2
Snow Bunting  80
Song Sparrow  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  15
Western Tanager  1     
Northern Cardinal  1

Manasquan 11/15--Limpkin

On one shoulder, Rational Larry kept whispering in my ear, "It's just a bird. It's not a life bird. You've seen plenty of them." On the other shoulder, Birder Larry (a.k.a Irrational Larry), was shouting, "It's a GREAT bird. FIRST in the fricking state! It's only 23 miles away!" They were both talking about the Limpkin, of course, which was first found on Sunday, then seen by multitudes the last couple of days while I stuck close to home as Shari recovers from knee surgery. 

There seems to be two schools of thought on this bird. Some people report that it doesn't look well and just stands around without eating. Others, including me this afternoon, saw it constantly picking at the ground, presumably eating.  What it is eating is another question, since its main food source in Florida is apple snails of which there is a dearth in New Jersey. Worms? Slugs? Whatever it's eating, there must be a lot of them in that neighborhood in Manasquan because for the fourth day the Limpkin was still around. So, when Shari's friend came to visit around noon, Birder Larry said hello/goodbye and drove 45 minutes up Routes 70 & 35 to see if he could add this bird to his Year/Monmouth County/New Jersey lists. 

The bird, I was glad to hear, had moved from the backyards of the neighborhood (I hate walking around a residential neighborhood looking for a bird, even if the homeowners are friendly) and to a field very close to Route 35. In fact, 100 more feet and the bird would've been in the middle of the highway. I made a right off the highway and immediately saw two birders with scope and camera, looking and shooting, so I knew I'd at least see the bird. I didn't think the bird would be right in front of me when I crossed the street. It seemed to have no fear or interest in onlookers, as it constantly picked at the soil. I knew one of the birders, otherwise I probably wouldn't have stayed there as long as I did--7 minutes. It is a great bird, it is a great addition to the lists, but, that was driving, not birding.  

As to the Western Cattle Egret seen nearby at the National Guard Training Center, no thanks, seen plenty of Cattle Egrets in my time (though not since they got split into Western & Eastern species). As to the Sage Thrasher at Brig--it would be a good addition to the Jersey list, but it's not even a year bird (Oregon) and, under the circumstances, just too far. 

Union Transportation Trail 9/26--Lincoln's Sparrow

The magic pile of junk with 7 species 

Four consecutive days of rain has forced me to become my own weatherman, checking maps to see where the weather might be clear, as least for a few hours. Yesterday, there was a break down in Tuckerton. Today, the rain seemed to be circling around, but not actually falling, in Upper Freehold. I've also had no desire to walk through rain-soaked fields, so the Union Transportation Trail, the Sharon Station Road section, seemed like the obvious choice.  

It can be an interesting walk, as the former railroad bed goes through a few different habitats, including over Assunpink Creek, but I wasn't expecting much. I first walked north and, as I expected, there wasn't much action aside from scaring up a Great Blue Heron from beneath one of the bridges. Walking back south, I stopped to look in the field across from the parking lot, because I was hearing Killdeer. Getting the scope out of the car I found them, and somewhat surprisingly, a few Semipalmated Plovers and Least Sandpipers. Nothing exotic, though, even though this is prime sod farm territory. Walking south, after you emerge from a little allee of trees, the walk can get a little boring with sad-looking cornfields on both sides. Farther south there are equipment sheds and some kind of grain processing silo and a typical farmyard filled with broken down machinery and plain old junk. Along a fence line I found a few Savannah Sparrows, which flew into a pile of pallets just inside the yard. By now, what Scott calls "fool's rain" had started to fall, a mist, hardly perceptible to the eye. I lingered by the pallets and found a couple of Song Sparrows, then another sparrow that didn't look right--at first I thought Field, but the buffy vest and light streaking told me I had my first Lincoln's Sparrow of the year. But the pile wasn't through giving up birds. There was a Field Sparrow hopping around in there, and then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a House Wren jump down into the pile from a little tree next to it. Another sparrow came out of nowhere and I saw that it was my second Clay-colored Sparrow of the last week--and in Monmouth County, they're flagged as rare. And bobbing its tail on the next stick over: a Palm Warbler.

Clay-colored Sparrow

That made five sparrow species, a wren and a warbler all seeking refuge among a stack of busted pallets. 

By now the "fool's rain" had turned into idiot's rain--very perceptible and only and idiot would be standing out in it. Unfortunately, I was at least a half mile from my car. I didn't bring my camera, thinking the weather might turn on me, so I took the photos with my phone, and if you think the photo of the Clay-colored is crappy, you should see the one of the Lincoln's--on a scale of 1 to 5 it rates -0. 

25 species in my 2 mile walk and almost a third of them were found in pile of junk. 

Mourning Dove  7
Semipalmated Plover  11     Muddy field across from parking lot
Killdeer  19
Least Sandpiper  5     Muddy field across from parking lot
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  3
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Blue Jay  10
American Crow  4
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  2
European Starling  100
Gray Catbird  8
Northern Mockingbird  2
House Finch  3
Clay-colored Sparrow  1     
Field Sparrow  1
Savannah Sparrow  3     Buildings
Song Sparrow  2
Lincoln's Sparrow  1
Swamp Sparrow  1
Common Yellowthroat  2
American Redstart  1
Palm Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  5

June Review--Doldrums Edition

Snowy Egret, Forsythe-Barnegat

Six, count 'em, six year birds for the month.  June is a doldrums month, granted, but even last year, when I had COVID, I managed eight new birds for the year. The birds I decided to seek, I found--Cliff Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Brown Pelican, and of course, the rarity for the month Bar-tailed Godwit at Brig. The effort I made to find Worm-eating Warbler this year, at the Evert Trail on Ong's Hat Road, was a failure because a tornado had come through a few days earlier and knocked trees down there, blocking the boardwalk. I was unaware of that before I went there. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 

I found myself gravitating to the same few spots this month, places I like to walk and places that I hope (hope is a thing with feathers according to Emily Dickinson) will have something rare or at least unexpected. The only bird qualifying this month was the Least Bittern at Reeves Bogs and that was thanks to my informant who'd heard it and relayed the location to me. 

July doesn't look like it's going to be much better. It is a strange time when I have to consult the air quality index to find the least polluted place in the area--today it was Tuckerton, where the AQ was "moderate" as opposed to here, where it was "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" or Pemberton, where it was just plain "Unhealthy." 

Red-headed Woodpecker, Cloverdale Farm

123 species for the month. 

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean
Species    First Sighting
Canada Goose   Colliers Mills WMA
Mute Swan   Lake Como
Wood Duck   Jumping Brook Preserve
Mallard   Laurel Run Park
American Black Duck   Whitesbog
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Seaside Park
Mourning Dove   Island Beach SP
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Nighthawk   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Laurel Run Park
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Blvd
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Blvd
Semipalmated Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   South Park Rd
Bar-tailed Godwit   Brig
Red Knot   Island Beach SP
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Dunlin   Brig
White-rumped Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Spotted Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Greater Yellowlegs   Brig
Willet   Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull   Wawa South Toms River
Ring-billed Gull    Belmar
Herring Gull   Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Least Tern   Brig
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Common Tern   Island Beach SP
Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP
Royal Tern   Shark River Inlet
Black Skimmer   Great Bay Blvd
Double-crested Cormorant   Island Beach SP
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Least Bittern   Reeves Bogs
Great Blue Heron   Colliers Mills WMA
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret   Island Beach SP
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Green Heron   Whitesbog
Black-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Glossy Ibis   Island Beach SP
Black Vulture   Meadowview Lane
Turkey Vulture   Laurel Run Park
Osprey   Island Beach SP
Bald Eagle   Great Bay Blvd
Red-shouldered Hawk   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Burrs Mill Brook
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Burrs Mill Brook
Northern Flicker   Jumping Brook Preserve
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Colliers Mills WMA
Acadian Flycatcher   Whitesbog
Willow Flycatcher   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Colliers Mills WMA
Great Crested Flycatcher   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Kingbird   Island Beach SP
White-eyed Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Laurel Run Park
Purple Martin   Laurel Run Park
Tree Swallow   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Bank Swallow   Burrs Mill Brook
Barn Swallow   Colliers Mills WMA
Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   South Park Rd
House Wren   Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Marsh Wren   Island Beach SP
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Wawa South Toms River
Gray Catbird   Island Beach SP
Brown Thrasher   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Mockingbird   Wawa South Toms River
Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA
Wood Thrush   Colliers Mills WMA
American Robin   Island Beach SP
Cedar Waxwing   Cedar Bridge Tavern County Park
House Sparrow   Laurel Run Park
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   Island Beach SP
Grasshopper Sparrow   Laurel Run Park
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Song Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Jumping Brook Preserve
Eastern Towhee   Island Beach SP
Orchard Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA
Baltimore Oriole   Burrs Mill Brook
Red-winged Blackbird   Island Beach SP
Brown-headed Cowbird   Jumping Brook Preserve
Common Grackle   Island Beach SP
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Ovenbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Black-and-white Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Prothonotary Warbler   Dot and Brooks Evert Trail
Common Yellowthroat   Island Beach SP
Hooded Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
American Redstart   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow Warbler   Island Beach SP
Pine Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Prairie Warbler   Laurel Run Park
Scarlet Tanager   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Cardinal   Island Beach SP
Blue Grosbeak   South Park Rd
Indigo Bunting   Colliers Mills WMA

Double-crested Cormorant, Wesley Lake

April Review--37 Year Birds

Red-tailed Hawk, Cranberry Bogs-Dover Road

Just as it is a commonplace for people to say, "We don't have spring anymore, we go directly from winter to summer," a similar sentiment regarding migration is constantly expressed by birders--that is: Migration stinks this year." 

I think I have heard this every year that I've been a birder, and maybe migration was different back in the day. There are a few possible explanations for the idea that migration is disappointing this year (and every year). One is delusion--just as there really is a spring but people forget the nice days as soon as it gets really warm, migration may be more or less as it always has been, but birders forget the good days when they're slogging around not finding much. 

Or, possibly, to quote Randy Newman, "What has happened down here is the winds have changed." Maybe an overall weather pattern has shifted migration to the west--apparently Texas and the Gulf Coast are doing spectacularly this year. 

But the explanation I favor is the one that is probably too painful to accept, even though the scientific evidence coincides with every birder's experience: There just aren't as many birds as there use to be. Climate change leads to loss of habitat, development leads to loss of habitat, farming leads to loss of habitat, and so forth. To paraphrase Senator Everett Dirksen, "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talking about a lot of birds." 

Wild Turkey, backyard

With all that said, I had a pretty good month, despite the lack of warblers. I added 37 species to my year list and quite a few of them were rarities, including two county lifers--Common Murre at Manasquan Inlet and Roseate Tern, today, just outside Island Beach SP. Yesterday, there was the White-faced Ibis at Meadowedge Park, and earlier in the month I found the Vesper Sparrow that stayed a few days by the beeping monitors on Great Bay Blvd. Last Friday, I ventured up to Sandy Hook to go on one of Scott's trips and was pleased to finally get Black-capped Chickadee for the year. May not seem like an exciting bird, but when you live in south Jersey, surrounded by Carolina Chickadees, the Black-capped version becomes a target. I remember once being in Central Park at the feeders, talking to a local birder and I told him that every one of the birds we were looking at I had in my backyard...except that one--the Black-capped Chickadee. Shari & I spent two day in Nassau County with our friends and I didn't find any chickadees there, so it was becoming something of a mini-nemesis. 

And, as always, Eastern Whip-poor-will has been calling every night that I listen for it since early in the month--even tonight, it is singing in the rain. 

For the month,134 species. The list includes our last day in Delaware, the weekend in New York, and 4 New Jersey counties.

Counties birded:

Delaware: Kent, New Castle

New Jersey: Burlington, Cape May, Monmouth, Ocean   

New York: Nassau

Species   First Sighting
Brant   Manasquan Inlet
Canada Goose   Dover Mall Pond
Mute Swan   deCamp WildlifeTrail
Wood Duck   Jumping Brook Preserve
Blue-winged Teal   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Shoveler   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Mallard   Jumping Brook Preserve
American Black Duck   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Green-winged Teal   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Ring-necked Duck   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Black Scoter   Manasquan Inlet
Bufflehead   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Hooded Merganser   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Red-breasted Merganser   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Ruddy Duck   Hempstead Lake SP
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Mourning Dove   Dover
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Virginia Rail   Whitesbog
American Coot   Colliers Mills WMA
American Oystercatcher   Manasquan Inlet
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Killdeer   Jumping Brook Preserve
Sanderling   Sandy Hook
Dunlin   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Short-billed Dowitcher   Manahawkin WMA
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Spotted Sandpiper   IBSP Marina
Greater Yellowlegs   deCamp WildlifeTrail
Willet   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Common Murre   Manasquan Inlet
Bonaparte's Gull   IBSP Marina
Laughing Gull   Manasquan Inlet
Herring Gull   Manasquan Inlet
Great Black-backed Gull   Manasquan Inlet
Caspian Tern   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Roseate Tern   IBSP Marina
Forster's Tern   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Common Loon   Manasquan Inlet
Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet
Double-crested Cormorant   Manasquan Inlet
American Bittern   Manahawkin WMA
Great Blue Heron   Jumping Brook Preserve
Great Egret   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Snowy Egret   Cattus Island County Park
Little Blue Heron   Shelter Cove Park
Tricolored Heron   Shelter Cove Park
Green Heron   Pond on Schoolhouse Road
Black-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
White Ibis   Ocean City Welcome Center
Glossy Ibis   Cattus Island County Park
White-faced Ibis   Meadowedge Park
Black Vulture   Wawa-Medford
Turkey Vulture   Wawa-Medford
Osprey   Manasquan Inlet
Northern Harrier   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Cooper's Hawk   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Bald Eagle   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-shouldered Hawk   Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-tailed Hawk   Middletown DE
Belted Kingfisher   Double Trouble SP
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Jumping Brook Preserve
Downy Woodpecker   Jumping Brook Preserve
Hairy Woodpecker   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Northern Flicker   Jumping Brook Preserve
Merlin   deCamp WildlifeTrail
Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Jumping Brook Preserve
White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Blue Jay   Jumping Brook Preserve
American Crow   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Fish Crow   Dover
Common Raven   Jumping Brook Preserve
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Black-capped Chickadee   Sandy Hook
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Purple Martin   Jakes Branch County Park
Tree Swallow   Jumping Brook Preserve
Barn Swallow   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Jumping Brook Preserve
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
House Wren   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Marsh Wren   Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren   Dover
European Starling   Dover
Gray Catbird   Colliers Mills WMA
Brown Thrasher   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Mockingbird   Wawa Dover
Eastern Bluebird   Jumping Brook Preserve
Hermit Thrush   deCamp WildlifeTrail
Wood Thrush   Double Trouble SP
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
House Sparrow   Wawa Dover
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Red Crossbill   Double Trouble SP
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow   Jumping Brook Preserve
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Vesper Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Seaside Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Savannah Sparrow   Jumping Brook Preserve
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Eastern Towhee   Cattus Island County Park
Red-winged Blackbird   Jumping Brook Preserve
Brown-headed Cowbird   Cranberry Bogs--Dover Rd
Rusty Blackbird   Jumping Brook Preserve
Common Grackle   Wawa Dover
Boat-tailed Grackle   deCamp WildlifeTrail
Ovenbird   Whitesbog
Black-and-white Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Common Yellowthroat   Colliers Mills WMA
Hooded Warbler   Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow Warbler   Meadowedge Park
Palm Warbler   Jumping Brook Preserve
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Jumping Brook Preserve
Prairie Warbler   Whitesbog
Northern Cardinal   Dover
Indigo Bunting   IBSP Marina

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Ocean City Welcome Center

February--Short Month Wrap-up

Wilson's Snipe, Cranberry Bogs

Bald Eagles, New Egypt

At least dreary February is a short month. It's been a disappointment that a couple of my favorite places to walk, Whitesbog and Colliers Mills, have been devoid of birds, so I took to going to places I don't visit as much, trying, as I wrote the other day, to find at least as many species as I can see in our backyard. The Cranberry Bogs on Dover Road were good this month, especially with the Wilson's Snipe(s) in residence, and Jumping Brook Preserve, with the addition of a simple bridge over a breach in the dams became a much longer, and therefore potentially interesting, walk than previously. I went to the ocean a few times, Island Beach, Barnegat Lighthouse, Manasquan Inlet, but this ennui engulfs me almost as soon as I start to seawatch and the old Mississippi Fred McDowell song starts playing in my head..."You got to move, you got to move..."

For the month I listed 110 species, 4 less than last February, and added 11 species to the year list, two of which were rare--the Harris's Sparrow up in East Windsor and the Western Tanager around the block from here. 

Counties birded: Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean

Species   First Sighting
Brant   Mantoloking Bridge County Park
Canada Goose   Colliers Mills WMA
Mute Swan   Assunpink WMA
Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Gadwall   Forsythe--Barnegat
Mallard   Ocean County Park
American Black Duck   Whitesbog
Northern Pintail   Manahawkin WMA
Green-winged Teal   Great Bay Blvd
Canvasback   Cedar Run Dock Rd
Ring-necked Duck   Colliers Mills WMA
Greater Scaup   Cedar Run Dock Rd
Lesser Scaup   Lake of the Lilies
Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Graveling Point
Black Scoter   Island Beach SP
Long-tailed Duck   Graveling Point
Bufflehead   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Common Goldeneye   Graveling Point
Hooded Merganser   Ocean County Park
Common Merganser   Assunpink WMA
Red-breasted Merganser   Poplar St boat ramp
Ruddy Duck   Assunpink WMA
Wild Turkey   Jumping Brook Preserve
Pied-billed Grebe   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Horned Grebe   Cedar Run Dock Rd
Rock Pigeon   New Egypt
Mourning Dove   Colliers Mills WMA
American Coot   Lake of the Lilies
American Oystercatcher   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA
Sanderling   Island Beach State Park A6
Dunlin   Graveling Point
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
American Woodcock   Crestwood Community Gardens
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Greater Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd
Razorbill   Manasquan Inlet
Bonaparte's Gull   Manahawkin WMA
Ring-billed Gull   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Herring Gull   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Graveling Point
Red-throated Loon   Great Bay Blvd
Common Loon   Bay Pkwy
Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Poplar St boat ramp
Great Blue Heron   Ocean County Park
Black Vulture   Whitesbog
Turkey Vulture   Wawa Rt 70 & CR 530
Northern Harrier   Cedar Run Dock Rd
Sharp-shinned Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Bald Eagle   Whitesbog
Red-shouldered Hawk   New Egypt
Red-tailed Hawk   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Belted Kingfisher   Ocean County Park
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   35 Sunset Rd
Red-bellied Woodpecker   New Egypt
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Flicker   New Egypt
American Kestrel   Assunpink WMA
Merlin    New Egypt
Peregrine Falcon   Whitesbog
Blue Jay   Colliers Mills WMA
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   New Egypt
Carolina Chickadee   Colliers Mills WMA
Tufted Titmouse   Colliers Mills WMA
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Jumping Brook Preserve
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Lake Shenandoah County Park
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper   35 Sunset Rd
Carolina Wren   Colliers Mills WMA
European Starling   New Egypt
Brown Thrasher   Manahawkin WMA
Northern Mockingbird   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Eastern Bluebird   Ocean County Park
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
American Robin   Colliers Mills WMA
House Sparrow   New Egypt
House Finch   New Egypt
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Snow Bunting   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Chipping Sparrow   Ocean County Fairgrounds
Field Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
American Tree Sparrow   Whitesbog
Fox Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-crowned Sparrow   Hancock Field
Harris's Sparrow   Hancock Field
White-throated Sparrow   New Egypt
Savannah Sparrow   New Egypt
Song Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Swamp Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Towhee   Island Beach SP
Red-winged Blackbird   New Egypt
Brown-headed Cowbird   New Egypt
Common Grackle   Bay Pkwy
Boat-tailed Grackle   Cedar Run Dock Rd
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Poplar St boat ramp
Western Tanager   Crestwood Village
Northern Cardinal   New Egypt

Common Goldeneye, Harvey Cedars

November Wrap-up--A Few New Year Birds

I have always said that November & February are my least favorite months--cold, dreary, gray. I still feel that way about February, but what with climate change, November doesn't seem so bad anymore. Rarely this month did I have to wear a heavy coat and I went gloveless most of the time.  But climate change means that the ducks don't have to move south and that, coupled with the mysterious dearth of land birds, has meant that finding a place with a lot of species has been a chore. I went to all my regular spots this month and some less frequently visited spots and then some places I only hit once or twice a year. Nowhere, with the exception of Brig, had much of interest. Whitesbog, where we yearn in the summer for the bogs to be drawn down, has not been able to attract the usual Tundra Swan flock because, ironically, the bogs remain drawn down, with only Union Pond back to its winter level. 

I would have to say that the bird that gave me the biggest boot this month was one in our backyard. One afternoon, when I glanced up at the feeders, I saw a fairly big bird with a yellow breast and wing bars and no, it wasn't the much prayed-for Evening Grosbeak. It flew away fairly quickly. I thought maybe it was a weird House Finch--I think I remember reading that sometimes they can have an orange cast instead of red. I told Shari and she said, "Sounds like a Baltimore Oriole." 

Baltimore Oriole at our feeder

In our 11 years here, we have had one oriole, once. This area just doesn't attract them--too many pines I suppose. And while I know they are attracted to jelly feeders, we don't have one and I have never seen one at a seed feeder. Nevertheless, when the bird reappeared, Shari was correct, it was a Baltimore Oriole, either a female or a first year male, I'm not really certain, but it was a treat to see on an overcast November 24th. 

For the month I had 119 species, which, checking eBird, is slightly down from the previous two years. Three year birds--the Barred Owl early in the month and the two birds at Brig recently recounted. I made a trip up to Assunpink on Sunday to see the Trumpeter Swans that have returned for the 10th year running. Talk about site loyalty!

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species            Location
Snow Goose  Double Trouble SP
Brant  Hideaway Cove
Canada Goose  Colliers Mills WMA
Mute Swan  Island Beach SP
Trumpeter Swan  Assunpink WMA
Tundra Swan  Whitesbog
Wood Duck  Whitesbog
Northern Shoveler  Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Gadwall  Holly Lake
American Wigeon  Holly Lake
Mallard  Golden Drive
American Black Duck  Cattus Island County Park
Northern Pintail  Brig
Green-winged Teal  Whitesbog
Redhead  Island Beach SP
Ring-necked Duck  Whitesbog
Greater Scaup  Brig
Lesser Scaup  Brick Township Reservior
Surf Scoter  Island Beach SP
White-winged Scoter  Island Beach SP
Black Scoter  Island Beach SP
Long-tailed Duck  Island Beach SP
Bufflehead  Cattus Island County Park
Common Goldeneye  Brig
Hooded Merganser  Lake Barnegat
Red-breasted Merganser  Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck  Cattus Island County Park
Pied-billed Grebe  Reeves Bogs
Rock Pigeon  New Egypt
Mourning Dove  35 Sunset Rd
American Coot  Manasquan Reservoir IBA
American Oystercatcher  Great Bay Blvd
Black-bellied Plover  Island Beach SP
Killdeer  Whitesbog
Sanderling  Island Beach SP
Dunlin  Brig
Purple Sandpiper  Island Beach SP
Least Sandpiper  Brig
Long-billed Dowitcher  Brig
Wilson's Snipe  Cranberry Bogs
Greater Yellowlegs  Whitesbog
Lesser Yellowlegs  Whitesbog
Bonaparte's Gull  Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull  Cattus Island County Park
Ring-billed Gull  Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Herring Gull  35 Sunset Rd
Lesser Black-backed Gull  Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull  Island Beach SP
Royal Tern  Island Beach SP
Red-throated Loon  Island Beach SP
Common Loon  Island Beach SP
Northern Gannet  Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant  Tilton Point
American White Pelican  Brig
Brown Pelican  Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron  Whitesbog
Great Egret  Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret  Waretown
Black Vulture  35 Sunset Rd
Turkey Vulture  Whitesbog
Northern Harrier  Island Beach SP
Sharp-shinned Hawk  Island Beach SP
Cooper's Hawk  Colliers Mills WMA
Bald Eagle  35 Sunset Rd
Red-shouldered Hawk  Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk  New Egypt
Barred Owl  Jumping Brook Preserve
Belted Kingfisher  Whitesbog
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  Jumping Brook Preserve
Red-bellied Woodpecker  Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker  Whitesbog
Hairy Woodpecker  Whitesbog
Northern Flicker  Whitesbog
American Kestrel  Pointville Rd
Peregrine Falcon  Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe  Jumping Brook Preserve
Blue Jay  35 Sunset Rd
American Crow  35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow  Waretown
Common Raven  Whitesbog
Carolina Chickadee  35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse  35 Sunset Rd
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  Whitesbog
Golden-crowned Kinglet  Whitesbog
Red-breasted Nuthatch  35 Sunset Rd
White-breasted Nuthatch  35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper  Whitesbog
Winter Wren  Whitesbog
Carolina Wren  35 Sunset Rd
European Starling  Colliers Mills WMA
Gray Catbird  Cattus Island County Park
Northern Mockingbird  Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Bluebird  Colliers Mills WMA
Hermit Thrush  Whitesbog
American Robin  Whitesbog
House Sparrow  Tilton Point
House Finch  35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch  35 Sunset Rd
Snow Bunting  Island Beach SP
Chipping Sparrow  Double Trouble SP
Field Sparrow  Jumping Brook Preserve
Fox Sparrow  35 Sunset Rd
Dark-eyed Junco  35 Sunset Rd
White-throated Sparrow  35 Sunset Rd
Saltmarsh Sparrow  Brig
Savannah Sparrow  Colliers Mills WMA
Song Sparrow  Whitesbog
Swamp Sparrow  Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee  Whitesbog
Eastern Meadowlark  Colliers Mills WMA
Baltimore Oriole  35 Sunset Rd
Red-winged Blackbird  Tilton Point
Rusty Blackbird  Jumping Brook Preserve
Common Grackle  Golden Drive
Boat-tailed Grackle  Great Bay Blvd
Common Yellowthroat  Whitesbog
Yellow-rumped Warbler  Whitesbog
Black-throated Gray Warbler  Brig
Northern Cardinal  35 Sunset Rd