Marshall's Pond 10/24--Eurasian Wigeon

Eurasian Wigeon

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

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

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

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

Blackpoll Warbler

IBSP Marina 4/30--Roseate Tern, Spotted Sandpiper, Indigo Bunting

Roseate Tern with a Forster's Tern looking like I felt.

I was lolling on the couch, half-awake this afternoon, listening to the rain, which is approaching Book of Noah proportions, when I got a text from Steve that there were Roseate Terns at the Island Beach SP Marina. Shoes, hat, jacket, out the door. Not only is Roseate Tern rare in New Jersey, I have never seen one in Ocean County. In fact, I've only seen the species once, a few years ago at the Shark River Inlet. For a Roseate Tern I could stand in the rain. 

Steve, who lives closer, was already there when I arrived, slightly frazzled from negotiating all the mysterious street closures on the way down. He had texted me that one was still on the dock--and, as we all know, you only need one. I bolted from the car and immediately saw the bird in front of a group of Forster's Terns--the blush on the chest was obvious and probably easier to see than if it had been sunny. It turned to the right and I saw the thin black beak. It was really too far away for my camera, but I hauled out the scope and managed one halfway decent digiscope photo. 

Then it got amusing. I would have been very happy to end the month with a county lifer, but Steve pointed out a Spotted Sandpiper standing on the dock, which was also a year bird for me (there were actually two), and then, in a place you'd never expect to find one, an Indigo Bunting flew by the far end of the dock, then turned, wisely, inland, zipping right by us. Another year bird that has been frustrating me this month. And then the skies opened up, again, and we beat a retreat to our vehicles. 

With the Wood Thrush I heard at Double Trouble this morning during a brief break in the downpours, I added four species to the year list on the last day of the month. 

January Wrap-up--126 Species

Red-shouldered Hawk, New Egypt

 It's the usual drill: Run around to all the hot spots and pick up the common rarities and the winter birds (mostly ducks), because you "need" all these birds for the year. Why you need them is best left unquestioned. 

So, Barnegat Light, for the King Eider, Assunpink for the Trumpeter Swans. Luckily, Marshall's Pond had a Eurasian Wigeon, so I didn't have to go all the way up to the Shark River. The Barnegat CBC on the 2nd got me a couple of cool birds (in addition to my owl fix) like Virginia Rail and Sedge Wren. There was a Dovekie incursion earlier in the month and I was able to spot one (while others were making my teeth grind with multiple sightings). 

Greater White-fronted Goose, Jackson

The big chase was the Greater White-fronted Goose that decided to plunk itself down on a high school foot
ball field in Jackson. I went back a week later (to "get" Green-winged Teal in the retention pond) and it was still there along with the always entertaining, eBird filter-busting flock of Horned Larks. 

I have left a few birds that I got last January for the upcoming month, which might have been inadvertently smart, since February is such a dreary month, especially if the ponds freeze, that it will be good to have some targets to keep me interested. 

The winter months can be a slog as the excitement of the new year wears off. With birders the conversation always comes around to the dearth of birds lately, both ducks and land birds. The ducks are understandable, since they don't migrate unless they have to, and with the warmer weather up north becoming the norm, they don't have to. The land birds, I think, are analogous to the frog in a pot of water brought slowly to a boil. Their numbers have been declining for years (remember the 3 billion birds missing articles from a couple of years ago?) and it is only now that we realize the frog has been cooked. 

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species   First Sighting

Snow Goose   Holgate

Greater White-fronted Goose   Jackson Liberty HS

Brant   Sandy Hook

Canada Goose   Seven Presidents Park

Mute Swan   Bridge to Nowhere

Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA

Tundra Swan   Whitesbog

Northern Shoveler   Marshall's Pond

Gadwall   Ocean Acres Pond

Eurasian Wigeon   Marshall's Pond

American Wigeon   Marshall's Pond

Mallard   Sandy Hook

American Black Duck   Sandy Hook

Northern Pintail   Brig

Green-winged Teal   Brig

Canvasback   Brig

Ring-necked Duck   Manahawkin Lake

Greater Scaup   East Bay Av

Lesser Scaup   Lake of the Lilies

King Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Common Eider   Sandy Hook

Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Surf Scoter   Sandy Hook

White-winged Scoter   Sandy Hook

Black Scoter   Island Beach SP

Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook

Bufflehead   Sandy Hook

Common Goldeneye   Sandy Hook

Hooded Merganser   Bridge to Nowhere

Common Merganser   Assunpink WMA

Red-breasted Merganser   Sandy Hook

Ruddy Duck   East Bay Av

Ring-necked Pheasant   Assunpink WMA

Pied-billed Grebe   Lake Shenandoah County Park

Horned Grebe   Sandy Hook

Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River

Mourning Dove  Cedar Bridge Rd

Virginia Rail   Beach Av

American Coot   Lake of the Lilies

American Oystercatcher   Holgate

Black-bellied Plover   Sandy Hook

Killdeer   Lake Barnegat

Marbled Godwit   Holgate

Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Sanderling   Sandy Hook

Dunlin   Holgate

Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet

Least Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Long-billed Dowitcher   Lake Barnegat

American Woodcock   Budd’s Bogs

Greater Yellowlegs   Bridge to Nowhere

Dovekie   Island Beach SP

Razorbill   Sandy Hook

Bonaparte's Gull   Sandy Hook

Ring-billed Gull   Wawa South Toms River

Herring Gull   Sandy Hook

Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook

Red-throated Loon   Sandy Hook

Common Loon   Sandy Hook

Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook

Great Cormorant   Island Beach SP

Double-crested Cormorant   East Bay Av

Great Blue Heron   Beach Av

Great Egret   Bridge to Nowhere

Black Vulture   Crestwood Village

Turkey Vulture   Sandy Hook

Northern Harrier   Bridge to Nowhere

Sharp-shinned Hawk   Cattus Island County Park

Cooper's Hawk   Ridge Av

Bald Eagle   Beach Av

Red-shouldered Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere

Red-tailed Hawk   Bridge to Nowhere

Eastern Screech-Owl   Beach Av

Great Horned Owl   Beach Av

Barred Owl   Beach Av

Long-eared Owl   Undisclosed Location

Belted Kingfisher   Bridge to Nowhere

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Levi's Rd

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere

Downy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere

Hairy Woodpecker   Bridge to Nowhere

Northern Flicker   Manahawkin WMA

American Kestrel   Budd’s Bogs

Merlin   Budd’s Bogs

Peregrine Falcon   Manasquan Inlet

Blue Jay   Wawa South Toms River

American Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Whitesbog

Carolina Chickadee   Bridge to Nowhere

Tufted Titmouse   Bridge to Nowhere

Horned Lark   Sandy Hook

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Sandy Hook

Red-breasted Nuthatch   Bridge to Nowhere

White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper   Budd’s Bogs

Winter Wren   Bridge to Nowhere

Sedge Wren   Beach Av

Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd

European Starling   Wawa South Toms River

Gray Catbird   Manahawkin WMA

Northern Mockingbird   Wawa South Toms River

Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog

Hermit Thrush   Bridge to Nowhere

American Robin   Sandy Hook

House Sparrow   Wawa South Toms River

House Finch   Bridge to Nowhere

American Goldfinch   Levi's Rd

Lapland Longspur   Sandy Hook

Field Sparrow   Assunpink WMA

American Tree Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere

Fox Sparrow   Manahawkin WMA

Dark-eyed Junco   Levi's Rd

White-throated Sparrow   Levi's Rd

Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd

Swamp Sparrow   Bridge to Nowhere

Eastern Towhee   Budd’s Bogs

Eastern Meadowlark   Budd’s Bogs

Red-winged Blackbird   Bridge to Nowhere

Brown-headed Cowbird   Ridge Av

Rusty Blackbird   Budd’s Bogs

Common Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere

Boat-tailed Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Sandy Hook

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Marshall's Pond 1/16--Eurasian Wigeon

Procrastination pays. 

I went to Marshall's Pond this morning. This unprepossessing retention pond on the side of a third rate shopping center (guess what store you park near) is famous in Ocean County for attracting rare waterfowl. There is no rational explanation for this phenomenon; it isn't as if it's the only water around. And yet, almost every year some duck or goose of note turns up along with the usual denizens. 

Normally, by this time of year, I've gone up to MacLearie Park in Belmar to play Where's Waldo with a distant flock of American Wigeon, looking for the Eurasian Wigeon, a fairly rare duck which seems to show up annually. But I've been putting it off--it seemed more like obligation than fun, and I wasn't anxious to make another contribution to the Year of Lousy Looks, since you never really get a good look at this pretty bird from that vantage. Apparently, if you scope from the parking lot of the Shell Station down the road, the look is better, but I'm not that bold, and did you notice the word "scope" at the beginning of the sentence? 

So, when I saw late yesterday afternoon a report of a Eurasian Wigeon at that shopping cart filled puddle, I knew where I was starting the birding day. I arrived at 7:14. By 7:20 I'd seen the duck, close by, (no scope required) and took some photos just as dawn was breaking. And the bird is in Ocean County too. 

It isn't the first time I've seen Eurasian Wigeon at this pond, but it was the easiest time I've ever had finding it. Usually, I get there later in the day and sun glare, especially towards the east end of the pond, is always a problem. Not today though. 

And think of all the gas I saved. Makes me feel positively green. 

Manasquan Inlet | Lake Como 2/19--Eared Grebe, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull

Iceland Gull, Lake Como

With a wind advisory in effect--gusts up to 50 mph predicted--I was dreading today's NJA field trip to the inlets and ponds of the north shore. But the with the hopes of some rarities, I steeled myself for an ordeal. Since I stink at finding the most sought-after gulls, my best chance to find them is to go out with some good birders. I used to think I stunk at picking out rare gulls from the usual ones because my eyesight was poor, but since my cataract surgery I can't use that excuse. I stink at it because to study gulls you have stand out on a jetty or beach and go through huge flocks of ever shifting birds while the winter wind brings tears to your eyes and your hands freeze on the scope focus ring and as soon as I try to do that the "fun" question occurs to me and since it is decidedly not fun, I quickly give up. 

Better I should pay twenty bucks and let someone with the search image firmly in mind find one. Or as it turned out today, two. 

But the magnificent find was not a gull and was wholly unexpected. And the weather, while rough, wasn't as bad as I was expecting. 

We started the morning on the jetty at Manasquan Inlet. Bundled against the wind, 18 intrepid birders set up thousands of dollars of optical equipment to scan the churning sea, only to find loons, mergansers, and Long-tailed Ducks. The beach was barren of gulls. I left the scope in Shari's hands (literally, or else it would blow over) and started walking down the jetty, hoping to scare up a Purple Sandpiper or two and to move around. Of course, when I was far down the jetty everyone started yelling my name. I ran back to hear "Eared Grebe!" 

There was an Eared Grebe for a few days last month off Holgate that I missed. Eared Grebes being pretty rare in NJ I was chagrined, especially since I had never seen one in Ocean County. Manasquan Inlet, at least the part we were standing on, is in Ocean County. If I missed this bird, the day was ruined and all because I can't stand still. But luckily, happily, Shari had it in the scope as did a couple of other folks and I got a good look at the bird, though it dove a couple of times. No shot of getting a picture and then, as fast as it had appeared, it disappeared. Speculation was that it was keeping tight to the jetty where we couldn't see it, or that it had drifted north. But after everyone in the group, I believe, got on it, it was not seen again. 

Black-headed Gull, Manasquan Inlet

Just before everyone was frozen to the core, we made our way back to the parking lot and drove a few hundred yards to the back of the inlet where we saw our first rare gull of the day, the long-staying celebrity, a Black-headed Gull. Not a year bird for me, but I was happy Shari got to see it since it has been a few years (or possibly longer) since she's had one on her year list. 

We then began hopscotching various bodies of water starting with Lake of the Lilies (Killdeer, Lesser Scaup, Northern Shovelers) to Wreck Pond and the Spring Lake boardwalk, then up to Lake Como where we defied the no parking signs and scoped the pond. The first interesting gull was an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull that was pretty obvious once someone else pointed it out, but before I could get the camera to try for a pic, the caravan moved on to the other end of the lake because there was a small flock of Redheads to view, and Redheads are always worth the look. 

Just as I was about to get the Redheads in the scope an "interesting" gull flew into the pond. It was all white with a black-tipped bill. Remember: I stink at gulls. So, when it was identified as a Glaucous Gull, I just accepted that, as did everyone else in the group. Ever read the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds? Sometimes, that title pops into my mind when I'm birding in a group. In this instance, I was able to get a few pictures of the grayish bird in gray water under gray skies. Not great pictures, but good enough to have the bird's i.d. corrected almost immediately by the Monmouth County reviewer once I posted the photos on my eBird list. It was an immature Iceland Gull. Iceland/Glaucous, Glaucous/Iceland...I'll take either one. Gulls. This is why I didn't even consider going into Central Park in NYC to find the Slaty-backed Gull. My chances would be slim. 

We made a quick stop at the Shark River Inlet where the pickings were so poor that I didn't even bother with a list, then ended the day at MacLearie Park on the Shark River, where, reliably, there has been a Eurasian Wigeon this year, last year, the year before...and there it was, waddling on a sandbar with a few hundred Brant. 

The day accumulated 43 species the hard way with 3 year birds for me and 3 rarities on the list. 

Species  First Sighting

Brant  Manasquan Inlet

Canada Goose  Manasquan Inlet

Mute Swan  Lake of the Lilies

Northern Shoveler  Lake of the Lilies

Gadwall  MacLearie Park

Eurasian Wigeon  MacLearie Park

American Wigeon  MacLearie Park

Mallard  Lake Como

American Black Duck  MacLearie Park

Redhead  Lake Como

Ring-necked Duck  Lake Como

Lesser Scaup  Lake of the Lilies

Long-tailed Duck  Manasquan Inlet

Bufflehead  Little Silver Lake

Hooded Merganser  Lake of the Lilies

Red-breasted Merganser  Manasquan Inlet

Ruddy Duck  Lake of the Lilies

Horned Grebe  Manasquan Inlet

Eared Grebe  Manasquan Inlet

American Coot  Lake of the Lilies

Killdeer  Lake of the Lilies

Black-headed Gull  Manasquan Inlet

Ring-billed Gull  Manasquan Inlet

Herring Gull  Manasquan Inlet

Iceland Gull  Lake Como

Lesser Black-backed Gull  Lake Como

Great Black-backed Gull  Manasquan Inlet

Red-throated Loon  Manasquan Inlet

Common Loon  Manasquan Inlet

Great Cormorant  Spring Lake

Double-crested Cormorant  Lake Como

Great Blue Heron  Lake Como

Turkey Vulture  Little Silver Lake

Bald Eagle  MacLearie Park

Red-tailed Hawk  Lake of the Lilies

Blue Jay  Wreck Pond

European Starling  Manasquan Inlet

American Robin  Lake of the Lilies

House Sparrow  Lake of the Lilies

Snow Bunting  Manasquan Inlet

Song Sparrow  Wreck Pond

Boat-tailed Grackle  Manasquan Inlet

Northern Cardinal  Wreck Pond

Red-throated Loon, Manasquan Inlet

Assunpink | Maclearie Park 1/4--Trumpeter Swan, Eurasian Wigeon

Trumpeter Swans, Stone Tavern Lake

After a day stuck inside (Gee, snow in January, who'd a thunk it?) it felt good, though cold, to walk around Assunpink this morning. I sandwiched the walk between two rarity hunts that are almost gimmes. I first stopped at Stone Tavern Lake (where I was surprised & pleased to see the once rutted road is now paved) to look for the Trumpeter Swans which returned for the 8th year in a row (I think) last fall. They were pretty far away. Stone Tavern seems really small until you're looking for a specific bird--then the distance problem kicks in. But I found them quickly with my binoculars and scoped them easily enough. The picture I took won't win any awards but I need something to decorate the blog. 

Common Grackle, Assunpink

I walked around the southern edge of Assunpink Lake, where I added Ruddy Duck, Winter Wren and Common Grackle to the burgeoning year list. The icterids were in full force today. I estimated close to 1500 Red-winged Blackbirds and easily a 1000 grackles. Surprisingly few waterfowl species though were on the lake. Aside from the Ruddies, I found only a few Buffleheads, a big flock of Ring-necked Ducks, and a small gaggle of geese. Maybe the snow, which came up from the south, actually pushed the geese and ducks farther north. The lake wasn't frozen except along the shallow edges. 

After my walk I got the car on I-195 east, a straight shot to Belmar's Maclearie Park on the Shark River where, if you position yourself just right, and shade your eye while looking into the scope, and find the flock of American Wigeons (new for the year) that are swimming near the little beach, you can see, with difficulty, the Eurasian Wigeon drake, another bird, presumably the same one, that has been returning to that spot for the last few years. I saw it last January, I saw it toward the end of last year, and now it's on the 2022 list. Supposedly you can see it better from the gas station on the corner but I don't like birding from private land and from what I could see, the angle wouldn't have been good anyway since the wigeon was just on the edge of the water. So, that species is on the list, but I can't say I got the field guide looks at it. 

By then it was a little past lunch time and I forgot to bring lunch so I did the easiest thing and went home.