Political Problem

When I first saw this sticker on the back window of a truck at Wells Mills Park, I chuckled. Then I felt uneasy because I couldn't tell whether it was ironic or sincere.

(For the uninitiated, a Piney is a resident of the Pine Barrens, sort of New Jersey's version of a hillbilly.)

Cloverdale Farm | Forsythe-Barnegat | Wells Mills Park 4/26--Stilt Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Solitary Sandpiper, Cloverdale Farm

Downy Woodpecker,
Double Trouble

One bird led to another today. After starting the day off at Double Trouble where the neatest thing I saw was a Downy Woodpecker excavating a hole (and where I finally saw my first county Black-and-white Warbler), I drove down the Parkway to Cloverdale Farm. I'd seen that a Solitary Sandpiper was reported there and while it isn't a rare bird, it also isn't a sandpiper you run into casually in the county. I didn't have too much trouble finding it. There was a shallow portion of one of the bogs and no sooner had I said to myself that that would be a good place for a Solitary than one flew in and gave me great looks. 

I was talking to the naturalist there while I tried to pick out an interesting swallow (didn't) and she mentioned the Stilt Sandpiper that had been reported yesterday at Forsythe-Barnegat. I hadn't looked very closely at the report, assuming that it was on the mudflats that are now hard to view since the phragmites have grown up. But instead, she said it was seen from the observation deck about 1/2 mile away. I was amazed. For years, there has been nothing to be seen from that deck except maybe a few loafing gulls. It used to be a great spot, then, inexplicably, it went dead. Maybe a storm subtly changed the habitat, I don't know, but off and on I've checked there the past few years with little to show for the effort. So, this I had to see, and I cut short my visit to Cloverdale and drove down to Barnegat about 15 minutes away. Sure enough, the mud flats there off the observation deck were loaded with yellowlegs, mostly Great, but a few Lesser.  Not too many to be overwhelming though, so I scoped each one and on the second scan found the different sandpiper, a Stilt. It was its feeding habit that first gained my attention, as it tottered up and down like an oil derrick instead of swishing back and forth like the Greater Yellowlegs were doing. Then I check the beak which was slightly curved, the supercilium, which was strong, and the legs, which were darker and said that was it. The wind was blowing too heavily for digiscoping and my camera from that distant produced only hazy pictures, but I'm confident of the ID. I kept looking at the birds comparing and contrasting until, whoosh, the whole flock flew off. They obviously didn't go far, because later in the afternoon, others birders reported seeing the bird. 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Wells Mills Park

Before going home I decided to make a stop at Wells Mills Park. I remembered that when I did the World Series of Birding with Mike and Pete, we used to make a special stop there just to get Ruby-throated Hummingbird for the list, and since I'm impatient and one hasn't appeared at our feeders since one buzzed by Shari a few days ago, I figured I may as well get one there. I set a timer on my phone for 10 minutes. That's how much time I was willing to invest or how much patience I had to spend, it depends on how you look at it. At the 8 minute and 32 second mark I saw one zip to the feeder and then off again. Not satisfying. I set another timer for 8 minutes and only a few minutes later the hummer returned to the feeder where I got a good long look at it and a not great photo. 

So: for those of you keeping score at home, that's 3 year birds and 4 county birds making for a decent day. 

October Review--Winter Finch Edition

Pine Siskin, Assunpink

The month started in Cape May and ended in Assunpink. So I ranged farther afield this month than any since the pandemic began. And it showed in my results, 11 year birds and 170 species for the month. 

The big bird news was the incredible irruption of winter finches in New Jersey. Their heralds, the Red-breasted Nuthatches, were everywhere in September. They're still pretty easy to find, but their numbers are nothing like the Pine Siskins that have swarmed feeders all over New Jersey. And while Purple Finches have had a happy scattering, including a couple of females at our feeders, the really big surprise was the return in fairly impressive numbers of Evening Grosbeaks. While we still haven't had any at our feeders, they are popping up everywhere and not just only as flyovers. On Tuesday, I returned to Wells Mills Park with Shari so she could see the Evening Grosbeak that spent a few days at their feeder and we weren't disappointed. At least not in the bird. But by the third day, I guess all the hard core Ocean County birders had made the trip to see the bird and most of the viewers there were on Tuesday were photographers with their long lenses and obsession with the light. And by the way, I got some great shots while I was there.

Evening Grosbeak, Wells Mills Park

Most of the other interesting birds I saw this month have already been documented below. I wound up at Assunpink today because my original destination, Colliers Mills, was jam-packed with hunters. There must have been 100 at the little parking area by the lake. I expect hunters this time of year, but not an army. I found out later, from a hunter at Assunpink, that today started youth hunting for pheasants. While it also applied to Assunpink, and there were supposedly almost as many hunters there as at Colliers Mills, I find that at Assunpink, I can co-exist nicely with the hunters, who don't seem to hunt where I bird, while at Colliers Mills, I feel like my blaze orange is just another target. 

At Assunpink today, waterfowl was back on the lake: Geese, swans, Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, and wigeons, along with coots and Pied-billed Grebes. It was also cold, below freezing when I started; the first time I've worn gloves this season. Winter birding already here. 

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Monmouth, Ocean

Species   First Sighting
Brant   Holgate
Cackling Goose   Shelter Cove Park
Canada Goose   South Cape May Meadows
Mute Swan   Cape May Hawkwatch
Wood Duck   Island Beach SP
Blue-winged Teal   South Cape May Meadows
Northern Shoveler   South Cape May Meadows
American Wigeon   Assunpink WMA
Mallard   Cape May Hawkwatch
American Black Duck   Island Beach SP
Northern Pintail   Brig
Green-winged Teal   Whitesbog
Ring-necked Duck   Assunpink WMA
White-winged Scoter   Island Beach SP
Black Scoter   Island Beach SP
Bufflehead   Whitesbog
Hooded Merganser   Whitesbog
Ruddy Duck   Assunpink WMA
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Pied-billed Grebe   South Cape May Meadows
Rock Pigeon   Sandpiper Inn
Mourning Dove   CMBO Northwood Center
Chimney Swift   Whitesbog
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Common Gallinule   Cape May Hawkwatch
American Coot   Assunpink WMA
American Avocet   Brig
American Oystercatcher   Island Beach SP
Black-bellied Plover   Island Beach SP
American Golden-Plover   Island Beach SP
Semipalmated Plover   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Killdeer   BC Fairgrounds
Hudsonian Godwit   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Ruddy Turnstone   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Sanderling   Island Beach SP
Dunlin   Brig
Least Sandpiper   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Pectoral Sandpiper   Island Beach SP
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Island Beach SP
Short-billed Dowitcher   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Long-billed Dowitcher   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Greater Yellowlegs   The Wetlands Institute
Lesser Yellowlegs   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Laughing Gull   Higbee Beach WMA
Ring-billed Gull   Holgate
Herring Gull   Higbee Beach WMA
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Great Black-backed Gull   Higbee Beach WMA
Caspian Tern   Island Beach SP
Forster's Tern   Brig
Royal Tern   Island Beach SP
Black Skimmer   Sandpiper Inn
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Northern Gannet   Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Higbee Beach WMA
Brown Pelican   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Great Blue Heron   Cape May Hawkwatch
Great Egret   Garden State Parkway N,
Snowy Egret   Island Beach SP
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Black-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Black Vulture   Cape May Hawkwatch
Turkey Vulture   Higbee Beach WMA
Osprey   Higbee Beach WMA
Northern Harrier   Cape May Hawkwatch
Sharp-shinned Hawk   South Cape May Meadows
Cooper's Hawk   Cape May Hawkwatch
Bald Eagle   Higbee Beach WMA
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Broad-winged Hawk   Cape May Hawkwatch
Red-tailed Hawk   BC Fairgrounds
Great Horned Owl   BC Fairgrounds
Belted Kingfisher   Island Beach SP
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Island Beach SP
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Higbee Beach WMA
Downy Woodpecker   Island Beach SP
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Northern Flicker   Beach Plum Farm
American Kestrel   BC Fairgrounds
Merlin   South Cape May Meadows
Peregrine Falcon   Cape May Hawkwatch
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Island Beach SP
Least Flycatcher   Whitesbog
Eastern Phoebe   Higbee Beach WMA
Blue-headed Vireo   Island Beach SP
Red-eyed Vireo   Higbee Beach WMA
Blue Jay   Higbee Beach WMA
American Crow   Sandpiper Inn
Fish Crow   Higbee Beach WMA
Common Raven   Island Beach SP
Carolina Chickadee   Higbee Beach WMA
Tufted Titmouse   Higbee Beach WMA
Tree Swallow   Sandpiper Inn
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Island Beach SP
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Higbee Beach WMA
White-breasted Nuthatch   Beach Plum Farm
Brown Creeper   Beach Plum Farm
House Wren   Higbee Beach WMA
Winter Wren   Island Beach SP
Carolina Wren   Higbee Beach WMA
European Starling   Higbee Beach WMA
Gray Catbird   Higbee Beach WMA
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   Cape May Point SP
Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog
Veery   Island Beach SP
Hermit Thrush   Island Beach SP
Wood Thrush   Beach Plum Farm
American Robin   Island Beach SP
Cedar Waxwing   Higbee Beach WMA
House Sparrow   Beach Plum Farm
American Pipit   BC Fairgrounds
Evening Grosbeak   Wells Mills Park
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Purple Finch   BC Fairgrounds
Pine Siskin   Island Beach SP
American Goldfinch   Beach Plum Farm
Chipping Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Clay-colored Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Field Sparrow   Reeves Bogs
Lark Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Dark-eyed Junco   Island Beach SP
White-crowned Sparrow   Island Beach SP
White-throated Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Vesper Sparrow   Brig
Seaside Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Nelson's Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Blvd WMA
Savannah Sparrow   Cedar Bonnet Island
Song Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Lincoln's Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Eastern Towhee   Island Beach SP
Bobolink   Cedar Bonnet Island
Eastern Meadowlark   Island Beach SP
Baltimore Oriole   Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird   Island Beach SP
Brown-headed Cowbird   BC Fairgrounds
Rusty Blackbird   Reeves Bogs
Common Grackle   Higbee Beach WMA
Boat-tailed Grackle   Island Beach SP
Ovenbird   Island Beach SP
Northern Waterthrush   Beach Plum Farm
Golden-winged Warbler   Beach Plum Farm
Black-and-white Warbler   Higbee Beach WMA
Tennessee Warbler   Whitesbog
Orange-crowned Warbler   Beach Plum Farm
Nashville Warbler   Higbee Beach WMA
Common Yellowthroat   Higbee Beach WMA
American Redstart   Higbee Beach WMA
Cape May Warbler   Higbee Beach WMA
Northern Parula   Higbee Beach WMA
Magnolia Warbler   Beach Plum Farm
Yellow Warbler   Island Beach SP
Chestnut-sided Warbler   Island Beach SP
Blackpoll Warbler   Higbee Beach WMA
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Higbee Beach WMA
Palm Warbler   Higbee Beach WMA
Pine Warbler   Higbee Beach WMA
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Beach Plum Farm
Prairie Warbler   Island Beach SP
Black-throated Green Warbler   Higbee Beach WMA
Scarlet Tanager   Higbee Beach WMA
Northern Cardinal   Higbee Beach WMA
Painted Bunting   Island Beach SP
Dickcissel   Island Beach SP

Wells Mills Park 10/26--Evening Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak, finally. This is the bird I've most wanted to see in New Jersey and to get one in my home county is a bonus. With the irruption of birds normally found in the boreal forests of Canada, it is not surprising that Evening Grosbeaks, those big yellow and black finches with the enormous beaks, are also making their way down to New Jersey. Many reports I've seen of them flying over various hawk watches. Great if you're there and you know their call and are satisfied with a glimpse. I've been stocking and restocking our feeders in the hopes that one would alight in our yard. The reason I have to keep restocking is that the Pine Siskins, part of the irruption, have been voraciously eating the sunflower chips, 2 or 3 pounds in a couple of days. Yesterday and today there were over 30 at once on all our feeder stations. They are aggressive and keep away the other birds like the 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches, another irruption migrant, their cousin goldfinches, and even a couple of Purple Finches (females) that have taken up residence in the woods behind the house.  But we haven't had a chance to see if they could bully away an Evening Grosbeak. 

Yesterday, late in the afternoon, I saw that one had showed up at Wells Mills Park on the feeders. I didn't burst out the door as I should have because I'd just spent the day birding in wet and windy conditions and didn't feel like more of the same. But I decided that the county park in Waretown would be my destination in the morning. I was set to go first thing in the morning, opened the garage door and found a light but persistent rain. Now, standing around a feeder, waiting for a bird to show up is my fourth least favorite birding "activity" (No. 1 least favorite: Pelagics. No. 2 least favorite: Sea watches. No. 3 least favorite: Hawk watches), so standing around in the rain didn't add any appeal to the prospect. I looked at the radar and decided to wait out the rain, but a message from Mike that the bird had reappeared, sent me out the door despite the lingering drizzle. 

By the time I got to Wells Mills the rain had mostly stopped. I found Steve leaning against a tree, shaking his head. He'd been there 15 minutes and the bird hadn't shown. A few birders were on the porch out of the rain watching the feeders from there while Steve & I theorized that they were keeping the bird away though it didn't seem to bother any of the other finches, chickadees, nuthatches and so on that that were perching on the feeders. Steve said he'd allocated an hour for the bird and that seemed about right to me. Waiting for a bird to show up is like holding a stock that is going against you--when do you cut your losses? An hour seemed like a good stop-loss to set.

I didn't have to use it, of course, because about 10 minutes later the bird showed up, a big yellow, white and black male with a beak that proves the germanic meaning of "Gros." (The "Evening" in the common name and in both parts of the Latin name Hesperiphona vespertina derives from an old belief that the bird sang in the evening. You'd think a little observation would disprove that notion, but maybe the folks who first discovered the bird had more important things to attend to like food and shelter.)

The bird would sit for a while on the platform feeder then fly off. We knew it was close by and after awhile J., the park worker who'd found the bird yesterday, wandered the area and found the bird sitting up in little stand of cedars and ailanthus. The bird continued to go to the feeder and fly away as more and more birders showed up. I left after about an hour happy to have one on my list. Some birds are just check marks, but this is a great bird, one you can enjoy viewing. I still want one at our feeders. It might cost me 50 pounds of seeds, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. 

Double Trouble SP | Forsythe-Barnegat 5/8--Semipalmated Plover, Veery

Veery, Double Trouble SP

I've learned from recent experience that birds are not as flighty as I used to think they were. Rarities tend to stay put longer than I expect they will. Consequently, I'm not so pessimistic anymore when I hear about a rare bird somewhere. I think there is actually a decent chance it will stick and that I have shot at finding it. The Wilson's Plover, the Summer Tanager, and the Cerulean Warbler are all good examples of avian stickiness. That means I'm a lot more willing to chase a bird. So in between adding common birds to the year list today, I chased a couple of warblers and impressed myself by finding both.

Of course, you don't find all the cool birds.  I started out at Double Trouble, hoping to find the Evening Grosbeak that had been seen there yesterday. At least I had the consolation that it was in a part of the park I hadn't visited yesterday. I ran into a couple of birder friends, one who had a map of the grosbeak's location and we went off to look--fruitlessly, I might add, but along the way we did come across a couple of Veerys and the usual warblers.  

We also saw, on the path, this:

Possibly the grossest thing I have seen in the Pine Barrens. It was almost as long as my hand. I have an app for identifying unknown bugs and the like: it's called "My Brother." I sent a picture to Harry and he emailed back that this was a Hellgrammite, the larva of a Dobsonfly, normally aquatic but they come onto land to pupate. The adults are huge, coming in at up to 5.5" in length. I hope to never see one.      

Yellow-throated Warbler, Cloverdale

While I was walking around DT after my friends went on to other sites, an alert came in that the Yellow-throated Warbler at Cloverdale was still singing.  This bird was first reported yesterday afternoon and I didn't chase it because I was already home. Now, getting a second chance at this very nice warbler, one that, while not listed as rare in the county is also not common, I headed down to Cloverdale, about 1/2 hour away. I sorta kinda knew where it was supposed to be and after confirming with one of the park's rangers I walked over to the "savanna" habitat they were creating, which is tall pines and oaks and a cleared out understory. There were a lot of trees and no other birders around to give me a hint. But I know the song and thought I heard it. However, I am bad at locating the source of sound. If something sounds like it is singing behind me, when I turn around, it still sounds like it is behind me. But at least I can judge distance a little, so I walked toward the song and with a few minutes got lucky when the bird flew from a pine to an oak. A typical warbler, high up in the crown of the trees. I was able to get a poor photo.     

While I was walking around the bogs, where there were a couple of Solitary Sandpipers along with a Spotted and a Semipalmated, another alert pinged on my phone: Prothonotary Warbler singing near the dam at Wells Mills Park. Wells Mills Park is 15 or 20 minutes away from Cloverdale. I'd heard about this bird a couple of days ago. I assumed it would have moved on. Obviously I was wrong. On the other hand, if it was there an hour ago, chances were good it would be there an hour from now, so, instead of rushing off to my car, I completed my walk and then went over to Wells Mills. 

I knew the exact spot and when I got there I heard the bird singing. But a singing rarity isn't enough for me, so, once again, I tried to follow the sound. This lead to some bushwhacking and walk of about 1000 feet. Amazing how loud a little bird can be. When I had walked past the boat launch and walked onto the white trail it sound like the bird was directly in front of me. But I couldn't see it. I pished, once. It immediately flew out of one tree and into another right above me. I got great looks at it, but no photo. Excellent bird for the county list. I put an alert out that it "continued" and was about to leave when my friends showed up so I walked them back to where the bird had been. Of course, we couldn't find it, but after I left they persisted and eventually did come up with and were able to get great photos of it.

Yesterday, when I was at the Forsythe impoundment in Barnegat I was at a disadvantage, not having a scope. Today, I brought the scope with the plan of checking out the shorebirds there. After my detour to Wells Mills I drove down there and stopped first at the observation deck. For years this has been pretty much a waste of time as all the birds are found at the cut in the phragmites on Bayshore, but today was the exception as the sandbars in front of the platform was rife with shorebirds, including the one species I still needed for the year, Semipalmated Plover.  It was just ridiculous that I should have Wilson's Plover before Semipalmated, but the birds don't know whether they're common or not. 

Semipalmated Plovers with Semipalmated Sandpipers, Forsythe-Barnegat

Having added 2 year birds and 4 county birds I did a quick check of the impoundments from Bayshore, added some egrets, herons, and terns to the list and called it a day, getting home in time to watch the Mets lose a day game in San Diego.                                

February: Rare Geese

Raptors in high places: Bald Eagle, Double Trouble 

The highlights of February were a series of literal wild goose (and  one swan) chases. Mike and I, early in the month, got the Trumpeter Swan at Assunpink (my second look of the year, his first) then managed to pick out a Cackling Goose from well over a thousand Canada Geese at Corine's Millpond in Allentown.

Merlin, Cranberry Bogs

Cooper's Hawk, Cranberry Bogs

Later in the month we made an unfruitful foray down to Cape May, stopping twice at the Cape May Zoo. A couple of weeks later we tried again and on my fourth visit and his fifth (or possibly sixth) we finally found the Pink-footed Goose that had been wandering about that section of the county, sometimes at the zoo, sometimes on soccer fields, sometimes in a veteran's cemetery. I also went to the Mercer Corporate Park in Robbinsville this month when a Greater White-fronted Goose was reported and found it pretty easily. A few days later, I returned with Mike and again, it was right there, a drive up bird. So for the year I have all 11 geese and swans you might expect to find (and count) in New Jersey.

Immature Bald Eagle, Double Trouble 

I was also happy to get Northern Bobwhite onto the list for the year (and to have it "accepted" by the eBird reviewer). That's a bird I missed last year. I think I also missed Short-eared Owl last year and was glad to see that they have made their return to Cedar Run Dock Road, an historical location for them but one, that after Superstorm Sandy, they had disappeared from, presumably because all their little mammal food had been drowned. The biggest disappointment of the month was missing the Red Crossbills that spent a couple of days at nearby Double Trouble Park (practically my backyard). A flock has since been reported in Burlington County, answering the question of "where the heck did they all disappear to?"

For the month I had 121 species (one less than last month) and again, I did not venture outside of the state.

Counties birded: Atlantic, Burlington, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean

Species                         First Sighting

Pink-footed Goose   Cape May Co. Zoo

Greater White-fronted Goose   Mercer Corporate Park

Snow Goose   Brig

Brant   Manasquan Inlet

Cackling Goose   Corines Millpond

Canada Goose   Wells Mills Park

Mute Swan   Forsythe--Barnegat

Trumpeter Swan   Assunpink WMA

Tundra Swan   Double Trouble State Park

Wood Duck   Jumping Brook Preserve

Gadwall   Forsythe--Barnegat

Eurasian Wigeon   Sylvan Lake

American Wigeon   Forsythe--Barnegat

American Black Duck   Wells Mills Park

Mallard   Wells Mills Park

Northern Shoveler   Sylvan Lake

Northern Pintail   Forsythe--Barnegat

Green-winged Teal   Deer Head Lake

Canvasback   Assunpink WMA

Redhead   Brick

Ring-necked Duck   Wells Mills Park

Greater Scaup   Brig

Lesser Scaup   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Black Scoter   Cape May - Lewes Ferry Terminal

Long-tailed Duck   Manasquan Inlet

Bufflehead   Wells Mills Park

Common Goldeneye   Colliers Mills WMA

Hooded Merganser   Deer Head Lake

Common Merganser   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Red-breasted Merganser   Manasquan Inlet

Ruddy Duck   Deer Head Lake

Northern Bobwhite   Colliers Mills WMA

Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd

Red-throated Loon   Barnegat Municipal Dock

Common Loon   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Pied-billed Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Horned Grebe   Nummy Island

Northern Gannet   Manasquan Inlet

Double-crested Cormorant   Riverfront Landing

American Bittern   Brig

Great Blue Heron   Forsythe--Barnegat

Great Egret   Absecon

Black Vulture   Colliers Mills WMA

Turkey Vulture   Waretown

Northern Harrier   Assunpink WMA

Sharp-shinned Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA

Cooper's Hawk   Assunpink WMA

Bald Eagle   Wells Mills Park

Red-shouldered Hawk   Assunpink WMA

Red-tailed Hawk   Assunpink WMA

Rough-legged Hawk   Brig

American Coot   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

American Oystercatcher   Brigantine Island

Black-bellied Plover   Villas

Killdeer   Colliers Mills WMA

Sanderling   Villas

Dunlin   Villas

Purple Sandpiper   Manasquan Inlet

Wilson's Snipe   Brig

American Woodcock   Crestwood Village

Willet   Brigantine Island

Razorbill   Manasquan Inlet

Bonaparte's Gull   Villas

Ring-billed Gull   Lake Barnegat

Herring Gull   Deer Head Lake

Great Black-backed Gull   Cattus Island County Park

Forster's Tern   Villas

Rock Pigeon   New Egypt

Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd

Short-eared Owl   Motts Creek

Belted Kingfisher   Corines Millpond

Red-bellied Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Colliers Mills WMA

Downy Woodpecker   Deer Head Lake

Hairy Woodpecker   Assunpink WMA

Northern Flicker   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

American Kestrel   E. Colliers Mills Rd

Merlin   Mercer Corporate Park

Peregrine Falcon   Brig

Blue Jay   Deer Head Lake

American Crow   Deer Head Lake

Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd

Common Raven   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Horned Lark   Stafford

Carolina Chickadee   Wells Mills Park

Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd

Red-breasted Nuthatch   Wells Mills Park

White-breasted Nuthatch   Wells Mills Park

Brown Creeper   Colliers Mills WMA

Carolina Wren   Wells Mills Park

Golden-crowned Kinglet   Deer Head Lake

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Trenton Sewage Ponds

Eastern Bluebird   Assunpink WMA

Hermit Thrush   Cattus Island County Park

American Robin   Cattus Island County Park

Gray Catbird   Higbee Beach WMA

Brown Thrasher   Colliers Mills WMA

Northern Mockingbird   New Egypt

European Starling   35 Sunset Rd

Cedar Waxwing   Brig

Orange-crowned Warbler   Brig

Palm Warbler   Trenton Sewage Ponds

Pine Warbler   Trenton Sewage Ponds

Yellow-rumped Warbler   Trenton Sewage Ponds

American Tree Sparrow   Assunpink WMA

Field Sparrow   Mercer Corporate Park

Fox Sparrow   New England Rd

Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow   New Egypt

White-throated Sparrow   Wells Mills Park

Savannah Sparrow   New Egypt

Song Sparrow   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Eastern Towhee   Brig

Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Red-winged Blackbird   Manasquan Reservoir IBA

Common Grackle   Assunpink WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle   Motts Creek

Brown-headed Cowbird   New Egypt

House Finch   Double Trouble State Park

American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow   Asbury Park

Bald Eagle, Wells Mills Park

Immature Bald Eagle, Cranberry Bogs