October Wrap-up--An Uneventful Month

You, if you're paying attention to these notes, could probably figure out that not much birding-wise was going on for me in October. It wasn't until Scott's Island Beach trip at the end of the month that I added any year birds to the list and they weren't exactly crippling looks--a flyover American Pipit at Johnnie Allen's Cove and a couple of distant Parasitic Jaegers chasing gulls out over the ocean during a sea watch--the kinds of sightings I'll only get on a trip with better eyes ears and more patience than I have. 

Even the county birds for the month were merely check marks--I finally found a previously reported Common Gallinule in the county at Tip Seaman Park in Tuckerton after traipsing up to Lake Unpronounceable 3 or 4 times in the summer without success, and scanning a huge flock of American Oystercatchers at Holgate I came upon a Marbled Godwit I was sure would be there since there always seems to be a Marbled Godwit in the oystercatcher flock in the fall at Holgate, but it was  identifiable only because it wasn't an oystercatcher. 

And that was it for the month. I actually got more armchair birds from eBird splits this month than I did from wandering around beaches and cranberry bogs--Western Warbling Vireo from our various trips out west (eBird assigns our first sighting to Florida Canyon-Lower in Arizona), Little Heron which was split from Striated Heron which was split previously from Green Heron and which we've seen in both South Africa and Australia, and Eurasian Whimbrel which was split from what is now called Hudsonian Whimbrel and which we first sighted on the Cairns Esplanade in Australia and have subsequently seen in Portugal and Spain. There is one other species, apparently, since eBird upped my total by 4, but damned if I can figure out which one it is. Had I been paying attention to sub-species in Puerto Rico and Mexico, I might have added Mangrove Yellow Warbler--actually had I know there was a sub-species I might have made the distinction, but now it simply goes down as a slash Northern Yellow Warbler/Mangrove Yellow Warbler. 

I did take some decent pictures though:

Immature White-Crowned Sparrow, Spizzle Creek

Immature White Ibis & Little Blue Heron, Lighthouse Center

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Island Beach

Eastern Bluebird, Colliers Mills

For the month 127 species restricted to Burlington and Ocean Counties:

Species      First Sighting
Brant   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Canada Goose   Whiting WMA
Mute Swan   Bridge to Nowhere
Wood Duck   Cranberry Bogs
Gadwall   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
Mallard   Cranberry Bogs
American Black Duck   Forsythe--Barnegat
Green-winged Teal   Reeves Bogs
Ring-necked Duck   Riverfront Landing
Common Eider   Island Beach SP
Surf Scoter   Holgate
Black Scoter   Island Beach SP
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Manasquan Inlet
Mourning Dove   Whiting WMA
Common Gallinule   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP
Killdeer   Double Trouble SP
Semipalmated Plover   Island Beach SP
Marbled Godwit   Holgate
Short-billed Dowitcher   Island Beach SP
Spotted Sandpiper   Island Beach SP
Willet   Island Beach SP
Greater Yellowlegs   Forsythe--Barnegat
Sanderling   Holgate
Dunlin   Cattus Island County Park
White-rumped Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Pectoral Sandpiper   Whitesbog
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Island Beach SP
Parasitic Jaeger   Island Beach SP
Laughing Gull   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Ring-billed Gull   Barnegat Municipal Dock
American Herring Gull   Manasquan Inlet
Great Black-backed Gull   Manasquan Inlet
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Forster's Tern   Island Beach SP
Royal Tern   Manasquan Inlet
Pied-billed Grebe   Whitesbog
Horned Grebe   Island Beach SP
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Island Beach SP
Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Manasquan Inlet
White Ibis   Lighthouse Center
American Bittern   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Little Blue Heron   Forsythe--Barnegat
Tricolored Heron   Forsythe--Barnegat
Snowy Egret   Forsythe--Barnegat
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Black Vulture   35 Sunset Rd
Turkey Vulture   35 Sunset Rd
Osprey   Island Beach SP
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Island Beach SP
Cooper's Hawk   Crestwood Village
Northern Harrier   Island Beach SP
Bald Eagle   Whitesbog
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whiting WMA
Red-tailed Hawk   Manasquan River WMA
Belted Kingfisher   Whiting WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Cattus Island County Park
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whiting WMA
Downy Woodpecker   Whiting WMA
Hairy Woodpecker   Reeves Bogs
Northern Flicker   Whiting WMA
Merlin   Whitesbog
Peregrine Falcon   Whitesbog
Eastern Phoebe   Whiting WMA
White-eyed Vireo   Manasquan River WMA
Blue-headed Vireo   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Blue Jay   Whiting WMA
American Crow   Whiting WMA
Fish Crow   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Common Raven   35 Sunset Rd
Carolina Chickadee   Whiting WMA
Tufted Titmouse   Whiting WMA
Tree Swallow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Barn Swallow   Island Beach SP
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Bridge to Nowhere
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Manasquan River WMA
White-breasted Nuthatch   Whiting WMA
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Whiting WMA
Brown Creeper   Island Beach SP
Northern House Wren   Manasquan River WMA
Winter Wren   Island Beach SP
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Lakewood
Gray Catbird   Manasquan River WMA
Brown Thrasher   Reeves Bogs
Northern Mockingbird   Lakewood
Eastern Bluebird   Whiting WMA
Hermit Thrush   Island Beach SP
American Robin   Whiting WMA
Cedar Waxwing   Bridge to Nowhere
House Sparrow   Crestwood Village
American Pipit   Island Beach SP
House Finch   Whiting WMA
American Goldfinch   Whiting WMA
Chipping Sparrow   Whiting WMA
Field Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Dark-eyed Junco   Bridge to Nowhere
White-crowned Sparrow   Island Beach SP
White-throated Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Nelson's Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Savannah Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Song Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Lincoln's Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Whiting WMA
Eastern Towhee   Whiting WMA
Eastern Meadowlark   Island Beach SP
Red-winged Blackbird   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Common Grackle   Lighthouse Center
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-and-white Warbler   Lake Shenandoah County Park
Common Yellowthroat   Manasquan River WMA
American Redstart   Cranberry Bogs
Northern Parula   Cranberry Bogs
Palm Warbler   Island Beach SP
Pine Warbler   Whiting WMA
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Whiting WMA
Black-throated Green Warbler   Reeves Bogs
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

October Review--Barrier Island Edition

Fully half the species I saw this month were from Island Beach SP, and most of those were listed on the first day of the month on Scott's NJ Audubon trip. Throw in three trips to Cedar Bonnet Island, a couple of trips to Holgate on the south end of LBI and a trip to the north end at Barnegat Lighthouse SP and almost all my birds this month were from barrier islands. Of the 5 year birds this month, 3 of them came from that great trip on 10/1--the Lark Sparrow, the Dickcissel, and my first life bird since Oregon, the CORY'S SHEARWATER. 

The other two species I listed this month were Bobolink on Cedar Bonnet Island and Nelson's Sparrow down at the end of Great Bay Blvd where they're fairly reliable this time of year, albeit frustratingly elusive, running through the spartina like mice instead of flying around like any other self-respecting sparrow. 

There were, though, a few sightings this month that amused me for one reason or another (and amusement, when you boil it all down, is the point of all this folderol). 

In the middle of the month Shari & I had to spend a lost, rainy weekend in Dobbs Ferry, NY, for reasons too dull to go into here, where the highlight of the trip (aside from leaving) was crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge (aka The Mario S. Cuomo Bridge) on our way home and seeing a Bald Eagle fly over the Hudson. I was astonished to discover, upon looking at my eBird records, that it was a state lifer, the first Bald Eagle I'd ever seen in New York State. Upon reflection, I realized it wasn't all that amazing since when we lived in NY we rarely ventured outside the 5 boroughs and eagles, at least 12+ years ago, were not a humdrum sighting as they are here. It was also, my first Rockland County listing ever. As I said, we rarely left the city limits to do our birding back then. 

I hardly ever go into the Whiting WMA behind our house anymore because I pretty much know what I'm going to find back there. But last week I took a long walk around it and no surprise, found what I expected--Pine Warblers, chickadees, titmice, bluebirds, jays, woodpeckers, and so on. However, at the pond that is back there I saw four American Black Ducks. I've seen Wood Ducks back there, ring-necks, Hooded Mergansers, & Mallards, of course, but to my memory I'd never seen black ducks until last week. I checked when I got home, and I was right. They are the 100th species listed in that hot spot, of which I have seen 97. (I have to say that I am dubious about the Red-headed Woodpecker listing, but I can't disprove it and it isn't totally out of the question.) I also saw 6 Great Blue Herons fly out of the trees at the pond, so there may be a roost back there, but I'm not that motivated to traipse back again to find out. 

Eared Grebe
Manasquan Reservoir

I took a walk around the Manasquan Reservoir this month, and just to see if I could do it, looked for the Eared Grebe that was reported. Lots and lots of Ruddy Ducks in the SW corner and, true to the rule, just as I gave up, what should float into my scope view but the Eared Grebe. I managed a digiscope photo, but since it wasn't even a year bird (Oregon), it wasn't noteworthy enough for a full entry. It isn't exactly an accomplishment to find a bird that is supposed to be there. 

On Sunday, I found myself at Stafford Forge. I was hoping for ducks in the reservoir there, but my hopes were without feathers. Walking around the big field in the front, I saw a bird skulk off the path into the woods. Immediately I recognized it as a Chukar, and of course, knew I couldn't count it, but, if you want to be amused, there's the bird that will do it for you. I can't help but anthropomorphize and think that this survivor (obviously, they are released in the WMA) was giving me a baleful look over its shoulder, as if to say, "I got this far without being killed, are you going to give me grief too?" It is a pretty bird; I wish I'd seen one out west where they are countable.

Chukar, Stafford Forge

And speaking of countable: eBird did its taxonomy revision this month. I knew I was going to "lose" one species when the Pacific-slope and Corderillan flycatchers were lumped together as Western Flycatcher, but I didn't realize that the Cattle Egrets I saw in Australia were now distinct from the Cattle Egrets I've seen everywhere else, or that the Intermediate Egret I saw in South Africa was now Yellow-billed Egret, whereas the ones I saw in Australia are now Plumed Egret, or that the Gull-billed Terns we saw in Australia are no longer Gull-billed Terns but are rather Australian Terns. That made for a net gain of 2 birds on my life list. 

For this month, barring any splits or lumps, I listed 139 species:

Species   First Sighting
Brant   Great Bay Blvd
Canada Goose   Island Beach SP
Mute Swan   Cedar Bonnet Island
Wood Duck   Reeves Bogs
American Wigeon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Mallard   Island Beach SP
American Black Duck   Cedar Bonnet Island
Green-winged Teal   Island Beach SP
Ring-necked Duck   Deer Head Lake
Lesser Scaup   Assunpink WMA
Black Scoter   Island Beach SP
Bufflehead   Bamber Lake
Hooded Merganser   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Red-breasted Merganser   Island Beach SP
Ruddy Duck   Whitesbog
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Pied-billed Grebe   Whitesbog
Eared Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Rock Pigeon   South Toms River
Mourning Dove   South Toms River
Clapper Rail   Island Beach SP
American Coot   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
American Oystercatcher   Holgate
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Blvd
Killdeer   Double Trouble SP
Semipalmated Plover   Island Beach SP
Piping Plover   Holgate
Greater Yellowlegs   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Dunlin   Island Beach SP
White-rumped Sandpiper   Holgate
Least Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Holgate
Laughing Gull   Island Beach SP
Ring-billed Gull   Island Beach SP
Herring Gull   Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Caspian Tern   Holgate
Forster's Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Tern   Island Beach SP
Royal Tern   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Island Beach SP
CORY'S SHEARWATER   Island Beach SP
Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Island Beach SP
Brown Pelican   Island Beach SP
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Blvd
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Island Beach SP
Snowy Egret   Island Beach SP
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
White Ibis   Island Beach SP
Black Vulture   Lake Takanassee
Turkey Vulture   Whitesbog
Osprey   Island Beach SP
Northern Harrier   Holgate
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Island Beach SP
Cooper's Hawk   Double Trouble SP
Bald Eagle   Tappan Zee Bridge
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Wawa Lakehurst
Belted Kingfisher   Island Beach SP
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Cranberry Bogs
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Downy Woodpecker   Island Beach SP
Hairy Woodpecker   Horicon Lake
Northern Flicker   Island Beach SP
Merlin   Island Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon   Island Beach SP
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Island Beach SP
Eastern Phoebe   Island Beach SP
White-eyed Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Blue-headed Vireo   Island Beach SP
Red-eyed Vireo   Island Beach SP
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   Horicon Lake
Fish Crow   Whitesbog
Common Raven   Double Trouble SP
Carolina Chickadee   Island Beach SP
Tufted Titmouse   Colliers Mills WMA
Horned Lark   Holgate
Tree Swallow   Island Beach SP
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP
White-breasted Nuthatch   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Cedar Bonnet Island
Brown Creeper   Island Beach SP
House Wren   Island Beach SP
Winter Wren   Reeves Bogs
Marsh Wren   Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   South Toms River
Gray Catbird   Island Beach SP
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   Island Beach SP
Eastern Bluebird   Colliers Mills WMA
Hermit Thrush   Island Beach SP
American Robin   Island Beach SP
Cedar Waxwing   Island Beach SP
House Sparrow   Island Beach SP
House Finch   Colliers Mills WMA
Pine Siskin   Double Trouble SP
American Goldfinch   Island Beach SP
Chipping Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Clay-colored Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Field Sparrow   Double Trouble SP
Lark Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Dark-eyed Junco   Island Beach SP
White-crowned Sparrow   Island Beach SP
White-throated Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Nelson's Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd
Savannah Sparrow   Whitesbog
Song Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Lincoln's Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Eastern Towhee   Colliers Mills WMA
Bobolink   Cedar Bonnet Island
Red-winged Blackbird   Island Beach SP
Common Grackle   Meadowedge Park
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Black-and-white Warbler   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Yellowthroat   Island Beach SP
American Redstart   Island Beach SP
Cape May Warbler   Island Beach SP
Magnolia Warbler   Island Beach SP
Bay-breasted Warbler   Island Beach SP
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Island Beach SP
Palm Warbler   Island Beach SP
Pine Warbler   Island Beach SP
Yellow-rumped Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Wilson's Warbler   Island Beach SP
Northern Cardinal   Island Beach SP
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Island Beach SP
Indigo Bunting   Island Beach SP
Dickcissel   Island Beach SP

Brielle 6/1--Garganey

I was walking through the mist and fog near the jetty at IBSP this morning when my phone started pinging with messages from friends about a Garganey in an obscure marshy area up in Brielle. Not much I could do about it right then. I have to be up in Monmouth tomorrow, so I was kind of planning to go look for it early in the morning. But once I got home, ate some lunch, watched some Mets, I began to get itchy for the bird. I'd only seen one before, when we were in South Africa. Mike, Kim, and I took an early morning walk in St. Lucia and Kim spotted a hen. So, it was on my list, tucked in with a couple of hundred other life birds. But it was definitely BVD.

I was just about to launch myself off the couch and drive up to Manasquan/Brielle/Sea Girt (it all more or less blends together up there), when I realized that Shari had slept in that morning in SA and I didn't think she had the duck on her life list. I checked her eBird account (I have to keep two accounts running, since she has no interest in eBird itself) and, indeed, it would be a lifer for her. 

However, she wasn't here. What to do? I tracked her phone and saw she'd be home shortly, so I impatiently waited--now I really wanted the bird. When she pulled into the driveway I said, "Do you want to go see a lifer?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Do you want to know what it is?" 

She thought for a second or two, then said, "OK, what is it?" 

Shari doesn't care about year list, month list, day list, country list, state list, county list, patch list, backyard list. The only list she gives priority to is Life List. The rest of the time she's just enjoying the birds without worrying about what listing categories they fall into. She's like a vegetarian who makes an exception for burgers. 

It's about a 40-minute drive up to Manasquan from here, then a little longer since neither Google or Apple navigation was aware that one of the drawbridges was out and we had to feel our way over to the Manasquan/Brielle Little League fields, from which, peering through a chain link fence that separates them from a National Guard training facility, you could see the marsh the duck was in. Except when we got there, 30 or so birders were staring glumly through the fence where no duck was dabbling. In the rush to get on the road, I'd forgotten to take our scope out of my car and put in Shari's, but that wasn't going to be a problem as there were plenty of scopes and familiar faces waiting for the Garganey to re-emerge from the reeds.

Which it finally did after about 15 minutes. Our buddy Bob Auster was there, and we peered at the duck through his scope, but it was easily seen with binoculars and even naked eye. The marshy area was enclosed with a wood fence, so we were actually viewing the bird through two fences. Still, I got a decent doc shot by putting my camera lens against the metal fence and shooting through the diamond-shaped opening. You can tell its a Garganey.

Shari had her Life Bird. And I had, let's see...Year Bird, Hemisphere Bird, ABA Area Bird, Country Bird, State Bird, County Bird.

Brig 9/8--Little Stint

Luck was with me today. Over the weekend, at Brig, it was discovered that the odd sandpiper photographed by one persistent birder who, admirably, is always looking for what shouldn't be there was, actually, a mega-rarity. On Sunday the Bird Jam began, with hundreds of birders flocking (pun intended) to the area between markers 3 & 4. I was texted by Mike while I was at Palmyra, but I had no intention of getting involved with that craziness. Just the images of 40 or 50 cars "parked" haphazardly, with a hundred thousand dollars worth of scopes lined up along the dike made me light-headed. The crowds continued on Labor Day. I abstained. 

I wasn't really that interested in the bird. I had to remind myself while I was mentally sneering, that for most of those birders, a Little Stint (for that indeed was what the odd sandpiper turned out to be) was a life bird, a rare wanderer from the Eastern Hemisphere. However, I'd already had Little Stint a couple of times in South Africa and, compared to the other shorebirds I was seeing at St Lucia and Muzi Pan (African Jacana, Blacksmith Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Kittlitz's Plover, White-fronted Plover, Three-banded Plover), the stint was just another sandpiper. It would be great to have it on my ABA list, my Jersey list, and so forth, but not at the price of my nerves. (Not to mention the possibility that it could become the first birding super-spreader event, though, to their credit, almost everyone today was wearing a mask and I hear it was similar behavior the previous two days.)

So this morning, hoping that most people who wanted it would have seen it already, and hoping that it would stay, I drove down there without any real enthusiasm. It felt like something I should do and I hate being told what I should do, even if I'm the one telling myself. 

2/3 of a Little Stint

My plan was to try to get some walking in by leaving the car in the lot and hoofing it down to the area on the south dike, but when I saw an email that the bird was present, I figured, let's just get this bird and drove over to marker 3 where 5 or 6 birders were congregated. It was then, while getting my bins out of my backpack, that I discovered that I'd left the camera at home. I shouldered my scope, walked up to the first guy I saw, asked about the stint. He had his iPhone attached to his scope and showed me the bird on the screen. I was then able, after a minute or so, to find the bird on my own (ain't an official sighting until I see it in my scope) and got most of the field marks--spindly legs, pale head, mottled appearance, hint of rufous on the body. I couldn't really see the "braces" on its back because of the angle I was at. The bird moved around a lot, playing 3 card monte with some other peeps, but I was able to track it pretty well. The only digiscope photo I was able to take is horrible--through the vegetation, if you look hard, you can see about 2/3 of a Little Stint. 

Then a Peregrine Falcon came along and buzzed the birds which all took off. This has been going on, I understand, since the bird was originally rediscovered. I drove down the dike a bit but the bird was not to be found until a few hours later. But I only need to see it once. And I only saw it once because I nixed the walking idea--luck. 

Brown Pelican with Laughing Gull

Frankly, the more interesting birds to me were the two Brown Pelicans I found on the north dike, just before the dogleg. I've seen white pelicans at Brig numerous times, but these were the first brown one I'd ever encountered. They are "infrequent" according to eBird. And, I found them. 

All in all the day exceeded my expectations, which were admittedly low. Because there has been some speculation that this stint is the same stint that summered on a beach in Rhode Island, I had the notion that it might stick around. But I was almost positive I'd need help getting on the bird. As someone said today, "If that bird had landed on the hood of my car, I wouldn't have known it was a stint." So all praise to the birder who originally found it, a great guy, who studies every peep as if he's never seen one before. That's birding.

For the loop and Gull Pond, I managed 57 species. I probably could have done a little better walking on Jen's Trail, but the mosquitoes were awful. 

Canada Goose  110

Mute Swan  39

Wood Duck  1    Gull Pond.

Blue-winged Teal  6    Gull Pond

Mallard  35

American Black Duck  1

Mourning Dove  1    Atop Visitor's Ctr

Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1    Gull Pond Road

Clapper Rail  2

American Avocet  11    Exact count

American Oystercatcher  1    NE Corner

Black-bellied Plover  18

Semipalmated Plover  8

Little Stint  1    MEGA 

Least Sandpiper  50

White-rumped Sandpiper  1

Semipalmated Sandpiper  25

Western Sandpiper  1

Greater Yellowlegs  1    Heard flyover

Lesser Yellowlegs  2

Laughing Gull  300

Herring Gull  100

Great Black-backed Gull  2

Caspian Tern  29

Common Tern  1

Forster's Tern  65

Royal Tern  4

Black Skimmer  30

Double-crested Cormorant  320

Brown Pelican  2    

Great Blue Heron  8

Great Egret  85

Snowy Egret  28

Little Blue Heron  5

Black-crowned Night-Heron  1    Roosting in tree along road to Gull Pond

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  4

Turkey Vulture  4

Osprey  10

Northern Harrier  1

Bald Eagle  1

Northern Flicker  1

Peregrine Falcon  2

White-eyed Vireo  1    Heard Jen’s Trail

Blue Jay  3    Heard

American Crow  4

Carolina Chickadee  3    Heard

Tufted Titmouse  2

Tree Swallow  100

Marsh Wren  1

Carolina Wren  2

European Starling  150

Gray Catbird  2    Heard Gull Pond Road

American Goldfinch  2

Song Sparrow  2

Red-winged Blackbird  75

Ovenbird  1    Jen’s Trail

Black-and-white Warbler  1

Brown Pelicans with Herring Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, and Great Egret

The Year List

VillageWeaver, St. Lucia, South Africa

I close out the year with 606 species, my highest lifetime total, adding 298 species to my life list to bring it up to 1079. Obviously, these numbers are inflated by my trip to South Africa. Of those 298 species, only 4 were seen in the United States: Lesser Nighthawk, Roseate Tern (on the same day!), Little Gull (in Delaware), and Great Shearwater which I saw flying close to shore in Cape May, a bird I would otherwise need to do a pelagic for and Larry don't do pelagics.

Shari, having spent two more weeks in South Africa than I, and who is willing to go to sea to see birds, has a much longer life list than me and I am resigned to never catching up to her. I have 1079 species on the life list.  Sometimes, when I look at my bookshelves, I'll see a book that I know I've read, and yet, I can't remember a thing about that book--plot, point, style, whether I liked it or not--nothing. When I open it I may a well be looking at it for the first time; when I read it, nothing comes back to me, it is a new book. And it could be a book a read 20 years ago or a book I read last year.

When I look at my life list, much the same happens. I know I've seen, for instance, La Sagra's Flycatcher 11 1/2 years ago, but I have no memory of the bird, or the sighting. If I ever seen one again, it will be, essentially, a life bird all over again. I know I've seen Burnt-neck Eremonela just a few months ago but I couldn't identify the bird right now if it was sitting on my monitor. I'll probably never see one again. At least my books are right here (much to Shari's chagrin; she thinks they just take up wall space) and I can re-read them when I want. (Nabokov says you can never read a book anyway; you can only re-read it.) But many species on my list must be categorized as momentary pleasures. A sighting, a tick on the day list, a smile, and then it's gone.

I'm starting to see the advantage of taking pictures--not as an aesthetic pursuit, but as an aid to memory. There are all kinds of weaver species in South Africa. I couldn't pretend to keep them straight. But at least I have a picture of a Village Weaver. As well as a

Cape Weaver, Wakkerstroom

Grosbeak Weaver, St. Lucia

                                                                Southern Brown-throated Weaver, St. Lucia

South Africa: Index and Trip List

COMMON OSTRICH, Wakkerstroom

Why just yesterday, I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I'll never know.
                          --Groucho Marx

On October 10, Mike & I left for South Africa for a birding trip of eastern part of the country, including 5 nights at Kruger National Park, guided by our friend, Kim Risen of NatureScape Tours. Shari had already been in the country for a couple of weeks, participating in the pre-tour around Cape Town. We all met up in Durban and traveled in a zig-zag manner north to Kruger.

The emphasis, of course, was on birds, but many mammals (and even a few snails, lizards, insects and wild melons) were seen at our various stops. The entries are organized in larger blocks than usual because the number of life birds this trip was overwhelming. In around 20 years of listing I have compiled a US life list of 545 species. In just under 2 weeks in South Africa, I saw/heard 324 species, of which 294 were life birds.

It was a good but exhausting trip--every day was like doing a World Series of Birding--we'd start at 5:30 AM and often go until 10 PM with night drives. But then, how many times am I going to be in South Africa?

Protea Hotel, Johannesburg
Eshowe & Dlinza Forest
St. Lucia & iSimagaliso Wetland Park
Warning Signs
Mkhuze Game Reserve
Wakkerstroom
The Adventures of the Wawa Cups
Kruger NP 10/20-10/21
The Big Five (+ One)
Kruger NP 10/22-10/24
Gallery

Trip List: Key: LIFE BIRD, Year Bird, Rarity

COMMON OSTRICH   Teza

WHITE-FACED WHISTLING-DUCK   Mkhuze Game Reserve

COMB DUCK   Kruger NP

Egyptian Goose   iSimangaliso

SOUTH AFRICAN SHELDUCK   Wakkerstroom

SPUR-WINGED GOOSE   St. Lucia

GARGANEY   St. Lucia

HOTTENTOT TEAL   St. Lucia

CAPE SHOVELER   Wakkerstrom Wetland Reserve

YELLOW-BILLED DUCK   St. Lucia

RED-BILLED DUCK   St. Lucia

Helmeted Guineafowl   iSimangaliso

CRESTED GUINEAFOWL   Ndiza Inn, St Lucia

NATAL FRANCOLIN   Kruger NP

SWAINSON'S FRANCOLIN   Eastvaal District Council

RED-NECKED FRANCOLIN   Eastvaal District Council

CRESTED FRANCOLIN   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RED-WINGED FRANCOLIN   Wakkerstroom

LITTLE GREBE   Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve

Greater Flamingo   Ermelo

AFRICAN OPENBILL   Kruger NP NP

WOOLLY-NECKED STORK   Eshowe

SADDLE-BILLED STORK   Mkhuze Game Reserve

MARABOU STORK   Kruger NP

YELLOW-BILLED STORK   St. Lucia

LONG-TAILED CORMORANT   iSimangaliso

AFRICAN DARTER   St. Lucia

PINK-BACKED PELICAN   St. Lucia

HAMERKOP   Kruger NP

LITTLE BITTERN   Mkhuze Game Reserve

Gray Heron   iSimangaliso

BLACK-HEADED HERON   Ndiza Inn, St Lucia

GOLIATH HERON   Mkhuze Game Reserve

PURPLE HERON   Mkhuze Game Reserve

Great Egret   iSimangaliso

INTERMEDIATE EGRET   St. Lucia estuary

Little Egret   iSimangaliso

Cattle Egret   Protea Hotel

Squacco Heron   Mkhuze Game Reserve

Striated Heron   Kruger NP

Black-crowned Night-Heron   Wakkerstrom Wetland Reserve

Glossy Ibis   Protea Hotel

Sacred Ibis   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SOUTHERN BALD IBIS   Mpumalanga

HADADA IBIS   Protea Hotel

AFRICAN SPOONBILL   St. Lucia

SECRETARYBIRD   Wakkerstroom

Osprey   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE   Wakkerstroom

PALM-NUT VULTURE   Umalazi

WHITE-HEADED VULTURE   Kruger NP

LAPPET-FACED VULTURE   Kruger NP

HOODED VULTURE   Kruger NP

WHITE-BACKED VULTURE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

CAPE GRIFFON   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BATELEUR   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BLACK-BREASTED SNAKE-EAGLE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BROWN SNAKE-EAGLE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

FASCIATED SNAKE-EAGLE   Ndiza Inn, St Lucia

MARTIAL EAGLE   Kruger NP

LONG-CRESTED EAGLE   Dlinza Forest

WAHLBERG'S EAGLE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

TAWNY EAGLE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

GABAR GOSHAWK   Kruger NP

AFRICAN MARSH-HARRIER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BLACK HARRIER   Wakkerstroom

SHIKRA   Kruger NP

LITTLE SPARROWHAWK   Dlinza Forest

BLACK GOSHAWK   Mkhuze Game Reserve

Black Kite   Teza

AFRICAN FISH-EAGLE   iSimangaliso

COMMON BUZZARD   Mpumalanga

KORI BUSTARD   Kruger NP

WHITE-BELLIED BUSTARD   Eastvaal District Council

BLUE BUSTARD   Wakkerstroom

RED-CRESTED BUSTARD   Kruger NP

BLACK-BELLIED BUSTARD   Mkhuze Game Reserve

AFRICAN RAIL   Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve

BLACK CRAKE   Kruger NP

AFRICAN SWAMPHEN   Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve

EURASIAN MOORHEN   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RED-KNOBBED COOT   Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve

WATER THICK-KNEE   iSimangaliso

SPOTTED THICK-KNEE   iSimangaliso

Black-winged Stilt   St. Lucia

Pied Avocet   St. Lucia

BLACKSMITH LAPWING   Muzi Pan

WHITE-HEADED LAPWING   Kruger NP

CROWNED LAPWING   Mkhuze Game Reserve

WATTLED LAPWING   Mkhuze Game Reserve

KITTLITZ'S PLOVER   St. Lucia

COMMON RINGED PLOVER   iSimangaliso

THREE-BANDED PLOVER   St. Lucia

WHITE-FRONTED PLOVER   St. Lucia

GREATER PAINTED-SNIPE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

LESSER JACANA   Mkhuze Game Reserve

AFRICAN JACANA   iSimangaliso

Ruddy Turnstone   St. Lucia

Ruff   St. Lucia

Curlew Sandpiper   St. Lucia

LITTLE STINT   St. Lucia

AFRICAN SNIPE   Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve

COMMON SANDPIPER   St. Lucia estuary

COMMON GREENSHANK   Mkhuze Game Reserve

MARSH SANDPIPER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

WOOD SANDPIPER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SMALL BUTTONQUAIL   Mkhuze Game Reserve

COLLARED PRATINCOLE   iSimangaliso

Gray-hooded Gull   St Lucia--bridge

Caspian Tern   St Lucia--bridge

Whiskered Tern   Mkhuze Game Reserve

GREAT CRESTED TERN   St. Lucia

DOUBLE-BANDED SANDGROUSE   Kruger NP

Rock Pigeon   Protea Hotel

SPECKLED PIGEON   Protea Hotel

RAMERON PIGEON   Dlinza Forest

DELEGORGUE'S PIGEON   Dlinza Forest

MOURNING COLLARED-DOVE   Kruger NP

RED-EYED DOVE   Protea Hotel

RING-NECKED DOVE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

LAUGHING DOVE   Protea Hotel

EMERALD-SPOTTED WOOD-DOVE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

NAMAQUA DOVE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

AFRICAN GREEN-PIGEON   Kruger NP

LIVINGSTONE'S TURACO   St. Lucia

KNYSNA TURACO   Ndiza Inn, St Lucia

PURPLE-CRESTED TURACO   Eshowe

GRAY GO-AWAY-BIRD   Kruger NP

WHITE-BROWED COUCAL   St. Lucia

DIDERIC CUCKOO   Mkhuze Game Reserve

KLAAS'S CUCKOO   Kruger NP

AFRICAN EMERALD CUCKOO   Dlinza Forest

BLACK CUCKOO   Kruger NP

RED-CHESTED CUCKOO   Dlinza Forest

AFRICAN GRASS-OWL   Wakkerstroom

Barn Owl   Kruger NP

AFRICAN SCOPS-OWL   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SPOTTED EAGLE-OWL   Mkhuze Game Reserve

PEARL-SPOTTED OWLET   Kruger NP NP

FIERY-NECKED NIGHTJAR   iSimangaliso

SQUARE-TAILED NIGHTJAR   Kruger NP

Alpine Swift   Mpumalanga

LITTLE SWIFT   St Lucia--bridge

HORUS SWIFT   Mkhuze Game Reserve

WHITE-RUMPED SWIFT   Protea Hotel

AFRICAN PALM-SWIFT   Protea Hotel

SPECKLED MOUSEBIRD   Protea Hotel

RED-FACED MOUSEBIRD   Mkhuze Game Reserve

NARINA TROGON   Dlinza Forest

Eurasian Hoopoe   iSimangaliso

GREEN WOODHOOPOE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

COMMON SCIMITARBILL   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SOUTHERN GROUND-HORNBILL   Kruger NP

CROWNED HORNBILL   St. Lucia

AFRICAN GRAY HORNBILL   Kruger NP

SOUTHERN YELLOW-BILLED HORNBILL   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SOUTHERN RED-BILLED HORNBILL   Kruger NP

TRUMPETER HORNBILL   Eshowe--Birds of Paradise B&B

MALACHITE KINGFISHER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

AFRICAN PYGMY-KINGFISHER   iSimangaliso

BROWN-HOODED KINGFISHER   iSimangaliso

STRIPED KINGFISHER   Kruger NP

GIANT KINGFISHER   Outside Waakerstroom

PIED KINGFISHER   iSimangaliso

WHITE-FRONTED BEE-EATER   Kruger NP

LITTLE BEE-EATER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

European Bee-eater   Mkhuze Game Reserve

LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER   Kruger NP

RUFOUS-CROWNED ROLLER   Kruger NP

CRESTED BARBET   Mkhuze Game Reserve

WHITE-EARED BARBET   Eshowe

YELLOW-RUMPED TINKERBIRD   Eshowe

PIED BARBET   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BLACK-COLLARED BARBET   iSimangaliso

LESSER HONEYGUIDE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BENNETT'S WOODPECKER   Kruger NP

GOLDEN-TAILED WOODPECKER   Kruger NP

CARDINAL WOODPECKER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BEARDED WOODPECKER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

LANNER FALCON   Kruger NP

BROWN-HEADED PARROT   Kruger NP

BLACK-THROATED WATTLE-EYE   A1147 Rd Kwazulu-Natal

WOODWARD'S BATIS   iSimangaliso

CHINSPOT BATIS   Mkhuze Game Reserve

WHITE HELMETSHRIKE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RETZ'S HELMETSHRIKE   Kruger NP

BRUBRU   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BLACK-BACKED PUFFBACK   iSimangaliso

BLACK-CROWNED TCHAGRA   iSimangaliso

BROWN-CROWNED TCHAGRA   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SOUTHERN TCHAGRA   Dlinza Forest

SOUTHERN BOUBOU   Dlinza Forest

SULPHUR-BREASTED BUSHSHRIKE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

FOUR-COLORED BUSHSHRIKE   iSimangaliso

GRAY-HEADED BUSHSHRIKE   Mkhuze Game Reserve

GRAY CUCKOOSHRIKE   Dlinza Forest

BLACK CUCKOOSHRIKE   Kruger NP

SOUTHERN FISCAL   Protea Hotel

MAGPIE SHRIKE   Kruger NP

WHITE-CROWNED SHRIKE   Kruger NP

AFRICAN GOLDEN ORIOLE   Kruger NP P

AFRICAN BLACK-HEADED ORIOLE   Kruger NP

SQUARE-TAILED DRONGO   Dlinza Forest

FORK-TAILED DRONGO   Dlinza Forest

AFRICAN CRESTED-FLYCATCHER   iSimangaliso

AFRICAN PARADISE-FLYCATCHER   Dlinza Forest

CAPE CROW   Eastvaal District Council

PIED CROW   Protea Hotel

EASTERN NICATOR   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SPIKE-HEELED LARK   Wakkerstroom

SABOTA LARK   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RUDD'S LARK   Wakkerstroom

RUFOUS-NAPED LARK   iSimangaliso

FLAPPET LARK   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RED-CAPPED LARK   Wakkerstroom

LARGE-BILLED LARK   Wakkerstroom

PLAIN MARTIN   Mkhuze Game Reserve

Barn Swallow   iSimangaliso

WHITE-THROATED SWALLOW   Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve

WIRE-TAILED SWALLOW   St. Lucia estuary

GREATER STRIPED-SWALLOW   Eastvaal District Council

LESSER STRIPED-SWALLOW   St. Lucia

RUFOUS-CHESTED SWALLOW   iSimangaliso

SOUTH AFRICAN SWALLOW   Eastvaal District Council

SOUTHERN BLACK-TIT   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SOMBRE GREENBUL   Dlinza Forest

YELLOW-BELLIED GREENBUL   St. Lucia

TERRESTRIAL BROWNBUL   Dlinza Forest

COMMON BULBUL   Protea Hotel

BLACK-FRONTED BULBUL   Protea Hotel

CAPE CROMBEC   Mkhuze Game Reserve

LITTLE RUSH-WARBLER   Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve

BAR-THROATED APALIS   St. Lucia

YELLOW-BREASTED APALIS   St. Lucia

RUDD'S APALIS   St. Lucia

GREEN-BACKED CAMAROPTERA   Dlinza Forest

MIOMBO WREN-WARBLER   Kruger NP

RATTLING CISTICOLA   iSimangaliso

LEVAILLANT'S CISTICOLA   Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve

CROAKING CISTICOLA   Mkhuze Game Reserve

CLOUD CISTICOLA   Wakkerstroom

PALE-CROWNED CISTICOLA   iSimangaliso

WING-SNAPPING CISTICOLA   Mkhuze Game Reserve

TAWNY-FLANKED PRINIA   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BURNT-NECK EREMOMELA   Kruger NP

CAPE WHITE-EYE   Protea Hotel

ARROW-MARKED BABBLER   Kruger NP

DUSKY-BROWN FLYCATCHER   Dlinza Forest

GRAY TIT-FLYCATCHER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

ASHY FLYCATCHER   Ndiza Inn, St Lucia

SOUTHERN BLACK-FLYCATCHER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

BEARDED SCRUB-ROBIN   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RED-BACKED SCRUB-ROBIN   iSimangaliso

WHITE-BROWED ROBIN-CHAT   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RED-CAPPED ROBIN-CHAT   Ndiza Inn, St Lucia

CHORISTER ROBIN-CHAT   Dlinza Forest

SENTINEL ROCK-THRUSH   Wakkerstroom

AFRICAN STONECHAT   Wakkerstroom

BUFF-STREAKED BUSHCHAT   Wakkerstroom

SOUTHERN ANTEATER-CHAT   Eastvaal District Council

MOCKING CLIFF-CHAT   Kruger NP

MOUNTAIN WHEATEAR   Wakkerstroom

CAPPED WHEATEAR   Wakkerstroom

GROUNDSCRAPER THRUSH   Kruger NP

KURRICHANE THRUSH   Mkhuze Game Reserve

KAROO THRUSH   Protea Hotel

WATTLED STARLING   Kruger NP

COMMON MYNA   Protea Hotel

VIOLET-BACKED STARLING   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RED-WINGED STARLING   King Shaka Intl Airport

BLACK-BELLIED STARLING   St. Lucia

BURCHELL'S STARLING   Kruger NP

AFRICAN PIED STARLING   Eastvaal District Council

GREATER BLUE-EARED STARLING   Kruger NP

CAPE STARLING   Eshowe

RED-BILLED OXPECKER   Mkhuze Game Reserve

YELLOW-BILLED OXPECKER   Kruger NP

COLLARED SUNBIRD   St. Lucia

OLIVE SUNBIRD   Dlinza Forest

MOUSE-COLORED SUNBIRD   iSimangaliso

SCARLET-CHESTED SUNBIRD   Kruger NP

NEERGAARD'S SUNBIRD   Mkhuze Game Reserve

MARIQUA SUNBIRD   iSimangaliso

PURPLE-BANDED SUNBIRD   Mkhuze Game Reserve

WHITE-BREASTED SUNBIRD   Mkhuze Game Reserve

CAPE WAGTAIL   Protea Hotel

AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL   St Lucia--bridge

AFRICAN PIPIT   Wakkerstroom

STRIPED PIPIT   Wakkerstroom

BUSH PIPIT   iSimangaliso

ORANGE-THROATED LONGCLAW   Wakkerstroom

YELLOW-THROATED LONGCLAW   iSimangaliso

CINNAMON-BREASTED BUNTING   Kruger NP

GOLDEN-BREASTED BUNTING   Mkhuze Game Reserve

YELLOW-FRONTED CANARY   St. Lucia

CAPE CANARY   Protea Hotel

House Sparrow   Protea Hotel

CAPE SPARROW   Protea Hotel

SOUTHERN GRAY-HEADED SPARROW   Mkhuze Game Reserve

YELLOW-THROATED PETRONIA   Mkhuze Game Reserve

RED-BILLED BUFFALO-WEAVER   Kruger NP

RED-HEADED WEAVER   Kruger NP

SPECTACLED WEAVER   Eshowe

CAPE WEAVER   Wakkerstroom

AFRICAN GOLDEN-WEAVER   St. Lucia

SOUTHERN BROWN-THROATED WEAVER   St Lucia--bridge

LESSER MASKED-WEAVER   St. Lucia

SOUTHERN MASKED-WEAVER   Protea Hotel

VILLAGE WEAVER   Eshowe

FOREST WEAVER   Dlinza Forest

RED-BILLED QUELEA   Waakerstrom

SOUTHERN RED BISHOP   Waakerstrom

FAN-TAILED WIDOWBIRD   iSimangaliso

LONG-TAILED WIDOWBIRD  Mpumalanga

GROSBEAK WEAVER   iSimangaliso

BLACK-TAILED WAXBILL   St. Lucia

COMMON WAXBILL   Mkhuze Game Reserve

SOUTHERN CORDONBLEU   Mkhuze Game Reserve

GREEN-WINGED PYTILIA   Mkhuze Game Reserve

AFRICAN FIREFINCH   Dlinza Forest

JAMESON'S FIREFINCH   Kruger NP

BLACK-AND-WHITE MANNIKIN   Dlinza Forest

Pin-tailed Whydah   iSimangaliso

VILLAGE INDIGOBIRD   Kruger NP