July Was a Slow Month

Cedar Waxwing and Eastern Bluebird
Cranberry Bogs, Dover Rd

July started off well with the Roseate Spoonbill at Brig on the first and then the Red-headed Woodpecker on Sooy Road in Burlington County the next day, but it was slog the remainder of the month. I add only two more year birds for the month: the Stilt Sandpiper at Brig and a few Royal Terns near the inlet at Island Beach.

The underlined birds on my list indicate rarities but most of them come with an asterisk--the 3 duck species are rare only for the season. In the winter, eiders, ruddies, and teals would be unremarkable.

I made another trip up to north Jersey to not much avail and I still haven't gotten down to Cape May. I concentrated on Ocean & Burlington Counties for the most part with a few trips down to Brig where over a third of my list was first sighted.

Usually I bird and get my exercise in, but this month, when there was really nothing new to find and no real rarities to chase, I had to, on a number of mornings, force myself to get my walk in somewhere and let the birds come as they may.

At least shorebird migration has started in earnest. But the big disappointment this year is that I'll have to travel around to see them since my usual close August shorebird location--Whitesbog--will not have its bogs drained this year due to the catastrophic breach at the Upper Reservoir this winter which made the water available for irrigation and eventual flooding of the cranberry plants more problematic for the farmer than it usually is. Too bad, because the last few years I've spent the great majority of my time in August at Whitesbog. So this month could be interesting. Or it could be a repeat of July.

Counties birded:
Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean, Sussex, Warren

138 species:

Species            First Sighting

Canada Goose   Brig

Mute Swan   Brig

Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs, Dover Rd

Mallard   Brig

American Black Duck   Brig

Green-winged Teal   Brig

Common Eider   Island Beach SP

Ruddy Duck   Brig

Wild Turkey   Crestwood Village

Double-crested Cormorant   Brig

Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP

Great Blue Heron   Brig

Great Egret   Brig

Snowy Egret   Brig

Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP

Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Blvd

Green Heron   Reeves Bogs

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Brig

Glossy Ibis   Brig

Roseate Spoonbill   Brig

Black Vulture   GSP MM 114

Turkey Vulture   Amasa Landing Rd

Osprey   Brig

Cooper's Hawk   Brig

Bald Eagle   Old Mine Road IBA

Red-shouldered Hawk   Stokes SF

Broad-winged Hawk   Old Mine Road IBA

Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA

Clapper Rail   Brig

American Oystercatcher   Brig

Semipalmated Plover   Brig

Piping Plover   Island Beach SP

Killdeer   Brig

Whimbrel   Brig

Stilt Sandpiper   Brig

Sanderling   Island Beach SP

Least Sandpiper   Brig

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd

Western Sandpiper   Brig

Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig

Spotted Sandpiper   Whitesbog

Greater Yellowlegs   Brig

Willet   Brig

Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig

Laughing Gull   Wawa Galloway

Herring Gull   Brig

Lesser Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Black-backed Gull   Brig

Least Tern   Brig

Gull-billed Tern   Brig

Caspian Tern   Brig

Common Tern   Brig

Forster's Tern   Brig

Royal Tern   Island Beach SP

Black Skimmer   Brig

Rock Pigeon   Highway 206

Mourning Dove   Brig

Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Sooy Pl Rd

Common Nighthawk   35 Sunset Rd

Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift   Brig

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd

Belted Kingfisher   Delaware Water Gap NRA

Red-headed Woodpecker   Sooy Pl Rd

Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Downy Woodpecker   Old Mine Road IBA

Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog

Northern Flicker   Colliers Mills WMA

Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP

Eastern Wood-Pewee   Sooy Pl Rd

Acadian Flycatcher   Flatbrookville Rd

Willow Flycatcher   Brig

Eastern Phoebe   Cranberry Bogs, Dover Rd

Great Crested Flycatcher   Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Eastern Kingbird   Colliers Mills WMA

White-eyed Vireo   Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Yellow-throated Vireo   Old Mine Road IBA

Blue-headed Vireo   Delaware Water Gap NRA

Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA

Red-eyed Vireo   Sooy Pl Rd

Blue Jay   Brig

American Crow   Cranberry Bogs, Dover Rd

Fish Crow   Crestwood Village

Northern Rough-winged Swallow  Cranberry Bogs, Dover Rd

Purple Martin   Brig

Tree Swallow   Brig

Bank Swallow   Cranberry Bogs, Dover Rd

Barn Swallow   Brig

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Black-capped Chickadee   Lake Ashroe

Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

House Wren   Brig

Marsh Wren   Brig

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Whitesbog

Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA

Veery   Sandyston

Wood Thrush   Sooy Pl Rd

American Robin   Brig

Gray Catbird   Brig

Brown Thrasher   Brig

Northern Mockingbird   Historic Smithville

European Starling   Brig

Cedar Waxwing   Delaware Water Gap NRA

Ovenbird   Sooy Pl Rd

Black-and-white Warbler   Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Prothonotary Warbler   Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Common Yellowthroat   Brig

Hooded Warbler   Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

American Redstart   Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Northern Parula   Old Mine Road IBA

Yellow Warbler   Island Beach SP

Pine Warbler   Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Prairie Warbler   Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve

Black-throated Green Warbler   Old Mine Road IBA

Wilson's Warbler   Old Mine Road IBA

Saltmarsh Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park

Seaside Sparrow   Brig

Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow   Brig

Song Sparrow   Crestwood Village

Swamp Sparrow   Reeves Bogs

Eastern Towhee   35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-breasted Chat   Brig

Scarlet Tanager   Old Mine Road IBA

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Blue Grosbeak   Brig

Indigo Bunting   Colliers Mills WMA

Orchard Oriole   Brig

Baltimore Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA

Red-winged Blackbird   Brig

Brown-headed Cowbird   Colliers Mills WMA

Common Grackle   Colliers Mills WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP

House Finch   35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch   Brig

House Sparrow   Wawa Rt 70 & CR 530 Brown Pelicans, Island Beach SP

June in Review

Grasshopper Sparrow, Colliers Mills

By the middle of the month, avian activity gets very, very quiet hereabouts, so I had to range farther around the state to get new, or at least interesting, birds--a couple of trips to High Point SP, an excursion to Old Mine Road, and even some brief forays into Middlesex County, one for a chase (see above), another--the Monk Parakeets--because I was in the area anyway. And yet, I still haven't made it down to Cape May this year! Which partially explains my lagging list.

Mike and I did okay up at High Point SP, but the Old Mine Road trip had the weather against us--steady rain--and the second trip we were going to make got cancelled because of the weather too.

American Avocet at Brig

In terms of rarities, I did all right for the month coming up with one I wasn't looking for (American Avocet) while looking and not finding another (Roseate Spoonbill) at Brig. Today's Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are probably the highlight of the month, although the memory I'll carry with me forever is taking my mother to see and hear the Monk Parakeets.

Northern Mockingbird on lamp post in front of house

I spent a lot of time tromping around Colliers Mills looking for a Red-headed Woodpecker and didn't find one, which was frustrating, but I did find other sought after birds there along the way. The Grasshopper Sparrows were very cooperative for a couple of trips. And our backyard had two very interesting birds this month, both mimids. We always have a few Gray Catbirds, but rarely do we have Brown Thrasher and there were two hanging near our feeder for a couple of days. Even more intriguing, for me, are the two Northern Mockingbirds that appear to be nesting behind an ornamental tree up against the house across the street. The first day we looked at this house 7 years ago I saw a mockingbird and didn't think anything of it, but it was years before I saw another in the neighborhood. Now there are two very aggressive birds which I've seen chasing any Fish Crow that dares to come into the vicinity.

Also new for the month were the Common Nighthawks flying over the house--this is a very early date for them; usually they don't appear until August.

The special trip of the month was to the Lakehurst base where the Upland Sandpipers put on quite a show. I'll admit to having become a bit jaded about this trip, so it was fun to be there with birders who'd never been on the base and vicariously enjoy their life birds.

For the month I notched 149 species. I could have run down to Brig today and added the spoonbill, but I have to have something to do in July.

Species                                                 First Sighting

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck   Monroe

Canada Goose   Assunpink WMA

Mute Swan   Sussex

Wood Duck   Whitesbog

Blue-winged Teal   Brig

Mallard   Assunpink WMA

American Black Duck   Ocean City Welcome Center

Green-winged Teal   Brig

Common Merganser   Old Mine Road IBA

Wild Turkey   Assunpink WMA

Common Loon   Great Bay Blvd WMA

Double-crested Cormorant   Assunpink WMA

Brown Pelican   Shark River Inlet

Great Blue Heron   Assunpink WMA

Great Egret   Brig

Snowy Egret   Brig

Little Blue Heron   Great Bay Blvd WMA

Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Blvd WMA

Green Heron   Ocean City Preserve

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center

Glossy Ibis   Brig

Black Vulture   New Egypt

Turkey Vulture   Assunpink WMA

Osprey   Brig

Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd

Bald Eagle   Great Bay Blvd WMA

Red-shouldered Hawk   High Point SP

Broad-winged Hawk   High Point SP

Red-tailed Hawk   Field next to Lakewood Wawa

Clapper Rail   Brig

Virginia Rail   Cattus Island County Park

Common Gallinule   Ocean City Preserve

American Avocet   Brig

American Oystercatcher   Brig

Semipalmated Plover   Brig

Piping Plover   Shark River Inlet

Killdeer   Whitesbog

Upland Sandpiper   Lakehurst NAES

Ruddy Turnstone   Brig

Dunlin   Brig

Least Sandpiper   Brig

White-rumped Sandpiper   Brig

Semipalmated Sandpiper   Brig

Greater Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd WMA

Willet   Brig

Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig

Laughing Gull   Brig

Herring Gull   Brig

Great Black-backed Gull   Brig

Least Tern   Brig

Gull-billed Tern   Brig

Caspian Tern   Brig

Common Tern   Shark River Inlet

Forster's Tern   Brig

Black Skimmer   Brig

Rock Pigeon   Forsythe-Barnegat

Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd

Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Whitesbog

Black-billed Cuckoo   High Point SP

Common Nighthawk   35 Sunset Rd

Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd

Chimney Swift   Assunpink WMA

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd

Belted Kingfisher   Old Mine Road IBA

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   High Point SP

Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker   High Point SP

Northern Flicker   Colliers Mills WMA

American Kestrel   Lakehurst NAES

Monk Parakeet   Carteret

Eastern Wood-Pewee   High Point SP

Acadian Flycatcher   Brig

Willow Flycatcher   Great Bay Blvd WMA

Eastern Phoebe   High Point SP

Great Crested Flycatcher   35 Sunset Rd

Eastern Kingbird   Assunpink WMA

White-eyed Vireo   Assunpink WMA

Yellow-throated Vireo   Old Mine Road IBA

Warbling Vireo   Assunpink WMA

Red-eyed Vireo   Assunpink WMA

Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd

American Crow   Assunpink WMA

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Old Mine Road IBA

Horned Lark   Lakehurst NAES

Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Union Transportation Trail

Purple Martin   Brig

Tree Swallow   Assunpink WMA

Bank Swallow   Brig

Barn Swallow   Assunpink WMA

Cliff Swallow   Wesley Lake

Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd

Black-capped Chickadee   High Point SP

Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

House Wren   35 Sunset Rd

Marsh Wren   Great Bay Blvd WMA

Carolina Wren   Assunpink WMA

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   High Point SP

Eastern Bluebird   Union Transportation Trail

Veery   High Point SP

Hermit Thrush   High Point SP

Wood Thrush   High Point SP

American Robin   Assunpink WMA

Gray Catbird   Assunpink WMA

Brown Thrasher   Brig

Northern Mockingbird   Assunpink WMA

European Starling   New Egypt

Cedar Waxwing   High Point SP

Ovenbird   Assunpink WMA

Worm-eating Warbler   Old Mine Road IBA

Northern Waterthrush   High Point SP

Black-and-white Warbler   High Point SP

Prothonotary Warbler   Union Transportation Trail

Common Yellowthroat   Assunpink WMA

Hooded Warbler   Old Mine Road IBA

American Redstart   High Point SP

Northern Parula   Old Mine Road IBA

Yellow Warbler   Assunpink WMA

Black-throated Blue Warbler   High Point SP

Pine Warbler   Whitesbog

Prairie Warbler   High Point SP

Canada Warbler   High Point SP

Grasshopper Sparrow   Assunpink WMA

Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd WMA

Seaside Sparrow   Brig

Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Field Sparrow   Assunpink WMA

Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Swamp Sparrow   Reeves Bogs

Eastern Towhee   Assunpink WMA

Yellow-breasted Chat   Brig

Scarlet Tanager   High Point SP

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Rose-breasted Grosbeak   High Point SP

Blue Grosbeak   Assunpink WMA

Indigo Bunting   Assunpink WMA

Eastern Meadowlark   Lakehurst NAES

Orchard Oriole   Union Transportation Trail

Baltimore Oriole   High Point SP

Red-winged Blackbird   Assunpink WMA

Brown-headed Cowbird   High Point SP

Common Grackle   Assunpink WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle   Brig

House Finch   35 Sunset Rd

American Goldfinch   Assunpink WMA

House Sparrow   New Egypt Brown Thrasher on our feeder Ovenbird, Whitesbog