July Wrap-up--Zero Year Birds

Red-headed Woodpecker, Cloverdale Road

If June was a quiet month, then July, to make an oxymoronic statement, was deafeningly silent. Through all my wanderings during the month, I wasn't able to add one bird to the year list. True, I wasn't spending my time seawatching, where I might have lucked onto a storm-petrel or shearwater, but even if I had been of a mind to chase, there was nothing to chase. 

The month had its compensations in the places I birded. I spend a lot of time walking around Whitesbog with my informant where I learned the history, cultivation, and processing of the Elizabeth blueberry and got a refresher course on how to separate Virginia meadowbeauty from Maryland meadowbeauty. As the month progressed, we watched the bogs get discovered by Great Egrets, as they always do this time of year, only they are using the flooded Fenwick bogs instead of the 3 bogs to the east, which are no longer drawn down.   With a little luck and some evaporation, I'm hoping that we may get something of a shorebird season in those formerly working bogs (now under water for the last two years to kill girdle worm). So far, only Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpipers, and Semipalmated Plovers in low numbers have been found feeding in them. 

Turkey Vulture, Whitesbog

And I spent a pleasant morning down at Brig with my buddy Bob Auster. It was only my second trip to Brig this year, and while we dipped on most of the rarities that had been reported there (though we did get the Black-necked Stilts at the Gull Pond), there was a good variety of shorebirds, egrets, and terns to sort through and the greenhead flies were not too bad, with only one painful bite on my elbow. 

I trudged around Colliers Mills, I trudged around the cranberry bogs on Dover Road, I trudged around Double Trouble, I even trudged up and down the Union Transportation Trail by Sharon Station because that day I didn't feel like worrying about ticks. I always say that if the birding isn't productive, at least I got my exercise in. At least I got a lot of exercise in July.

For the month, 112 species in 4 counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean.

Species                 First Sighting
Canada Goose    Colliers Mills WMA
Mute Swan    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Wood Duck    Whitesbog
Mallard    Whitesbog
American Black Duck    Brig
Wild Turkey    35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon    Union Transportation Trail
Mourning Dove    Whitesbog
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    Whitesbog
Eastern Whip-poor-will    35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift    Brig
Ruby-throated Hummingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail    Brig
Black-necked Stilt    Brig
American Oystercatcher    Brig
Black-bellied Plover    Brig
Killdeer    Double Trouble SP
Semipalmated Plover    Brig
Short-billed Dowitcher    Brig
Spotted Sandpiper    Horicon Lake
Willet    Waretown
Greater Yellowlegs    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Stilt Sandpiper    Brig
Least Sandpiper    Cattus Island County Park
Semipalmated Sandpiper    Brig
Laughing Gull    Whitesbog
American Herring Gull    Cattus Island County Park
Great Black-backed Gull    Brig
Black Skimmer    Brig
Least Tern    Brig
Gull-billed Tern    Whitesbog
Caspian Tern    Brig
Forster's Tern    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Common Tern    Brig
Double-crested Cormorant    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
White Ibis    Waretown
Glossy Ibis    Cranberry Bogs
Black-crowned Night Heron    Manahawkin WMA
Little Blue Heron    Cranberry Bogs
Tricolored Heron    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Snowy Egret    Cranberry Bogs
Green Heron    Whitesbog
Great Egret    Cranberry Bogs
Great Blue Heron    Whitesbog
Black Vulture    Crestwood Village
Turkey Vulture    Whitesbog
Osprey    Cattus Island County Park
Cooper's Hawk    Colliers Mills WMA
Bald Eagle    Whitesbog
Red-shouldered Hawk    Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk    Colliers Mills WMA
Belted Kingfisher    Cranberry Bogs
Red-headed Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker    35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker    35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Flicker    Whitesbog
Eastern Wood-Pewee    Whitesbog
Willow Flycatcher    Cattus Island County Park
Eastern Phoebe    Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher    Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Kingbird    Whitesbog
White-eyed Vireo    Whitesbog
Eastern Warbling Vireo    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo    Double Trouble SP
Blue Jay    35 Sunset Rd
American Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow    Whitesbog
Common Raven    Cranberry Bogs
Carolina Chickadee    Whitesbog
Tufted Titmouse    Double Trouble SP
Tree Swallow    Whitesbog
Purple Martin    Whitesbog
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    Cranberry Bogs
Barn Swallow    Cranberry Bogs
White-breasted Nuthatch    Whitesbog
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    Whitesbog
Northern House Wren    Whitesbog
Marsh Wren    Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren    35 Sunset Rd
European Starling    Whitesbog
Gray Catbird    Whitesbog
Brown Thrasher    Whitesbog
Northern Mockingbird    Crestwood Village
Eastern Bluebird    Colliers Mills WMA
Veery    Double Trouble SP
Wood Thrush    Cranberry Bogs
American Robin    Whitesbog
Cedar Waxwing    Whitesbog
House Sparrow    Crestwood Village
House Finch    35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch    Whitesbog
Chipping Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow    Whitesbog
Seaside Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Saltmarsh Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Song Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow    Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee    Whitesbog
Orchard Oriole    Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird    Whitesbog
Brown-headed Cowbird    Union Transportation Trail
Common Grackle    Whitesbog
Ovenbird    Whitesbog
Black-and-white Warbler    Whitesbog
Common Yellowthroat    Whitesbog
Northern Yellow Warbler    Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Pine Warbler    Double Trouble SP
Prairie Warbler    Whitesbog
Northern Cardinal    35 Sunset Rd
Blue Grosbeak    Colliers Mills WMA
Indigo Bunting    Union Transportation Trail

June Wrap-up--Quiet

Green Heron, Whitesbog

Not even doing something wacky like breaking out of my two-county comfort zone and doing a loop at Brig could make June anything other than dull. Migration ended; the warblers are in the boreal forest, the shorebirds are in the arctic, and what we have left, we've pretty much seen. In the whole month I was able to add 4 birds to the year list, 3 of which have been chronicled in entries below. The fourth one was Common Nighthawk which we heard flying over the house a couple of evenings early in the month. All the rare birds--shearwaters, storm-petrels, and really rare birds (a White-tailed Tropicbird was just documented), have been seen from fishing boats and whale-watching trips on neither of which you will ever find me. I'd like to hear a Barred Owl, but not enough to get up a 4 AM or go down to Manahawkin at dusk to hear it. 

Cedar Waxwing, Cranberry Bogs

I spent most of my time at my personal Big Four: Whitesbog, Colliers Mills, Double Trouble, and the Cranberry Bogs on Dover Road. I'm always hoping for the rarities in the places I want to be, instead of chasing them at places I don't particularly want to travel to, and, as I said to Shari today, about 1 time in a 100 it works--like last month at Double Trouble when I found 4 Black-necked Stilts in the Mill Pond. But most of the time it's just like walking through a party attended by old familiar friends. 

For the month a mere 120 species. Because we had to make a trip into New York on June 1, a Blue Jay on Broadway, and a Great Egret in a marsh off the Turnpike were anomalies on the list. The New York trip also explains the entries for the Toms River Bus Station.

Common Name    First Sighting
Canada Goose    Whitesbog
Mute Swan    Waretown
Wood Duck    Cranberry Bogs
Mallard    Whitesbog
American Black Duck    Cranberry Bogs
Black Scoter    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Wild Turkey    35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon    South Toms River
Mourning Dove    35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    Whitesbog
Black-billed Cuckoo    Whitesbog
Common Nighthawk    35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Whip-poor-will    35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift    Whitesbog
Ruby-throated Hummingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
American Oystercatcher    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black-bellied Plover    Brig
Killdeer    Whitesbog
Piping Plover    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Short-billed Dowitcher    Brig
Wilson's Phalarope    Brig
Spotted Sandpiper    Lighthouse Center
Solitary Sandpiper    Double Trouble SP
Lesser Yellowlegs    Brig
Willet    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Greater Yellowlegs    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ruddy Turnstone    Island Beach SP
Dunlin    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Semipalmated Sandpiper    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Laughing Gull    Cattus Island County Park
American Herring Gull    Cattus Island County Park
Great Black-backed Gull    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Skimmer    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Least Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Caspian Tern    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Forster's Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Roseate Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Royal Tern    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Loon    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant    Whitesbog
White Ibis    Waretown
Glossy Ibis    Island Beach SP
Yellow-crowned Night Heron    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-crowned Night Heron    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Little Blue Heron    Cattus Island County Park
Tricolored Heron    Cattus Island County Park
Snowy Egret    Cattus Island County Park
Green Heron    Whitesbog
Great Egret    New Jersey Turnpike N
Great Blue Heron    Whitesbog
Brown Pelican    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Turkey Vulture    Whitesbog
Osprey    Toms River bus station
Cooper's Hawk    Whitesbog
Bald Eagle    Double Trouble SP
Red-tailed Hawk    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-headed Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker    Cattus Island County Park
Downy Woodpecker    Cattus Island County Park
Hairy Woodpecker    Whitesbog
Northern Flicker    Whitesbog
Eastern Wood-Pewee    Cattus Island County Park
Willow Flycatcher    Cattus Island County Park
Eastern Phoebe    Whitesbog
Great Crested Flycatcher    Cattus Island County Park
Eastern Kingbird    Cattus Island County Park
White-eyed Vireo    Whitesbog
Yellow-throated Vireo    Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Warbling Vireo    Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo    Whitesbog
Blue Jay    2197 Broadway
American Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven    Island Beach SP
Carolina Chickadee    35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse    Double Trouble SP
Bank Swallow    Thompson-Wright Preserve
Tree Swallow    Cattus Island County Park
Purple Martin    Whitesbog
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    Whitesbog
Barn Swallow    Cattus Island County Park
White-breasted Nuthatch    35 Sunset Rd
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    Whitesbog
Northern House Wren    Cattus Island County Park
Marsh Wren    Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren    Colliers Mills WMA
European Starling    35 Sunset Rd
Gray Catbird    Toms River bus station
Brown Thrasher    Whitesbog
Northern Mockingbird    35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Bluebird    35 Sunset Rd
Veery    Double Trouble SP
Wood Thrush    Double Trouble SP
American Robin    35 Sunset Rd
Cedar Waxwing    Cranberry Bogs
House Sparrow    Toms River bus station
House Finch    Toms River bus station
American Goldfinch    35 Sunset Rd
Grasshopper Sparrow    Colliers Mills WMA
Chipping Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Field Sparrow    Whitesbog
Seaside Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Saltmarsh Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Song Sparrow    35 Sunset Rd
Swamp Sparrow    Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee    35 Sunset Rd
Orchard Oriole    Whitesbog
Baltimore Oriole    South Park Rd
Red-winged Blackbird    Cattus Island County Park
Brown-headed Cowbird    Colliers Mills WMA
Common Grackle    Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ovenbird    Whitesbog
Blue-winged Warbler    Manasquan River WMA
Black-and-white Warbler    Whitesbog
Common Yellowthroat    Cattus Island County Park
Hooded Warbler    Double Trouble SP
American Redstart    Colliers Mills WMA
Northern Yellow Warbler    Cattus Island County Park
Pine Warbler    Whitesbog
Prairie Warbler    Whitesbog
Summer Tanager    South Park Rd
Scarlet Tanager    South Park Rd
Northern Cardinal    Toms River bus station
Blue Grosbeak    Whitesbog
Indigo Bunting    Colliers Mills WMA
Dickcissel    Juliustown-Georgetown Rd

Island Beach SP 5/16--Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

According to Cornell's BirdCast site, 753,100 (the "100" is amusing) birds passed over Ocean County last night into dawn.  I don't usually pay much heed to BirdCast because I don't care what's passing over, I want to know what's landing, but with three-quarters of a million birds in flight, I figured some of them had to flutter down to spend a day in the county, so with that in mind, I was at Reed's Road as early as I was allowed into Island Beach SP. 

The trees weren't exactly dripping with birds, but there was enough action to keep me walking slowly. The two most interesting birds I saw on the quarter-mile trail to the bay were a Veery (usually just hear them) sitting on a fence rail and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, which only the other day I heard but did not see at Whitesbog. Cuckoos too are more often heard than seen, and even this bird was well hidden, such that I could see it's yellow bill and its brown tail, the middle of the bird was leaves. 

I walked north along the bay to the "bowl," and it was there that I notched my three year bird for the day. An oak tree was active with birds and one of them was a beauty of Black-throated Blue Warbler. Parulas, Ovenbirds, Yellow Warblers, and of course, Common Yellowthroats were scattered around. On a second circuit of the area I saw a brilliant red bird in a pin oak and that was my FOY Scarlet Tanager. A female was close by. As I was admiring the pair, out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird flitting in a low-hanging branch above my heard--a Chestnut-sided Warbler I could have picked with my hand. 

Since I almost always manage to hit Reed's Road on a slow day, I was pretty happy with my results. Walks along the trails of Spizzle Creek (where I heard in the parking lot my first New Jersey/Ocean County Royal Tern, first seen this year in Mexico) and Johnny Allen's Cove added a lot of waders and shorebirds to the day list, bringing it up to 61 which is a fair number for a morning on half the bayside trails. 

Brant    Johnny Allen's Cove Trail
Canada Goose    Johnny Allen's Cove Trail
Mallard    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Mourning Dove    Reed's Road
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    Reed's Road
Ruby-throated Hummingbird    Reed’s Road
Clapper Rail    Johnny Allen's Cove Trail
American Oystercatcher    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Black-bellied Plover    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Short-billed Dowitcher    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Spotted Sandpiper    Reed's Road
Willet    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Greater Yellowlegs    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Ruddy Turnstone    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Dunlin    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Least Sandpiper    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Laughing Gull    Reed's Road
American Herring Gull    Reed's Road
Least Tern    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Forster's Tern    Reed's Road
Royal Tern    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Double-crested Cormorant    Reed's Road
White Ibis    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Glossy Ibis    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Little Blue Heron    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Tricolored Heron    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Snowy Egret    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Great Egret    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Turkey Vulture    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Osprey    Reed's Road
Great Crested Flycatcher    Reed's Road
White-eyed Vireo    Reed's Road
Blue-headed Vireo    Reed's Road
Red-eyed Vireo    Reed's Road
American Crow    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Carolina Chickadee    Reed's Road
Barn Swallow    Johnny Allen's Cove Trail
Marsh Wren    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Carolina Wren    Johnny Allen's Cove Trail
Gray Catbird    Reed's Road
Northern Mockingbird    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Veery    Reed's Road
American Robin    Reed's Road
American Goldfinch    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Seaside Sparrow    Johnny Allen's Cove Trail
Saltmarsh Sparrow    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Song Sparrow    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Eastern Towhee    Reed's Road
Red-winged Blackbird    Spizzle Creek Blind Trail
Boat-tailed Grackle    Johnny Allen's Cove Trail
Ovenbird    Reed's Road
Black-and-white Warbler    Reed's Road
Common Yellowthroat    Reed's Road
American Redstart    Reed's Road
Northern Parula    Reed's Road
Magnolia Warbler    Reed's Road
Northern Yellow Warbler    Reed's Road
Chestnut-sided Warbler    Reed's Road
Black-throated Blue Warbler    Reed's Road
Scarlet Tanager    Reed's Road
Northern Cardinal    Reed's Road

Whitesbog 4/29--Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

 I have found that if I don't feel like going to certain section of a place I'm birding, it's usually a good idea to ignore that feeling and go. Today, walking around Union Pond at Whitesbog, instead of turning right when I came back out onto the bogs, I turned left, even though my first impression scanning the little mudflats, was that nothing was on them. I was wrong, of course. First, I saw a Killdeer, no excitement there, but it had eluded me in the glare from the west side of the pond. Next to it was a shorebird and I immediately saw that it was a Solitary Sandpiper. A little early, perhaps, but as it happens, exactly one year ago I saw the same species there.  

The bird flew off the mudflat it was sharing with the Killdeer to one about 10 feet away and with it a little flock of Least Sandpipers swooped in. We "had" Least Sandpiper in Mexico earlier this month, but these were Jersey Least Sandpipers. So, had I followed my inclination and just turned right, I'd have missed both those species. And what persuaded me besides a Constanza-like contrariness? The fact that I wanted to take a longer walk than usual today and going left probably added about three-quarters of a mile to my hike. 

It was a good day there: 42 species in all, plus I had a long chat with my informant and made his dog very happy scratching him under the chin (the dog, not my informant). 

Canada Goose  15
Wood Duck  6
Mallard  13
Mourning Dove  5
Killdeer  1
Solitary Sandpiper  1     
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Least Sandpiper  8     
Turkey Vulture  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  1     Heard village
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
White-eyed Vireo  3
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  4
Common Raven  1     Croaking
Carolina Chickadee  5
Tufted Titmouse  1
Tree Swallow  3
Purple Martin  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3
Northern House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  2
Gray Catbird  5
Brown Thrasher  2
American Robin  1
American Goldfinch  1
Chipping Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  3
Swamp Sparrow  1
Eastern Towhee  3
Red-winged Blackbird  30
Common Grackle  8
Ovenbird  10
Black-and-white Warbler  5
Common Yellowthroat  20
Pine Warbler  3
Prairie Warbler  7
Northern Cardinal  1

Whitesbog (Ocean County) 4/3--Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler

Another dreary morning turned brighter on the Ocean County side of Whitesbog when my informant, whom I hadn't seen since mid-December, pulled up behind me as I walked the road near Big Tank. Bad weather, icy roads, vacations, medical appointments, had conspired to keep us from running into each other for the entire winter. We both thought the worse. And both our wives bugged us to text the other to find out what was up, but we're guys and guys don't do that. After he parked at his spot we started to bird and immediately he pointed out a Palm Warbler in a budding red maple right in front of us. Not with the guy 5 minutes and I get a year bird. 

Common Loon, Big Tank

As we walked back toward the Upper Reservoir, we reviewed our sightings of the last couple of months--one of my most interesting ones had just occurred at Big Tank where I found a Common Loon in breeding plumage. My informant told me that he had seen them there occasionally, but usually on the reservoir. But here's the thing: he doesn't list so officially, this was the first Common Loon sighted on the Ocean County side of Whitesbog (to county birders it is an important distinction and there are records on the Burlco side). It's similar to describing a new species--it isn't necessarily the first person to find it; it is the person who describes it for science that gets the credit. I know this all sounds silly--it is--but silly is a large part of birding if you have any sense of humor. 

So to sum up, a year bird, a patch first record, and neither of us is dead. A good morning.

Coyote Scat.
One of the advantages of walking
 with my informant is the
 natural history lesson
you get with each step.

26 species

Canada Goose  14
Wood Duck  8
Mallard  7
Ring-necked Duck  2
Bufflehead  2
Greater Yellowlegs  2     Flyover
Common Loon  1     
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  5
Eastern Phoebe  1
Blue Jay  1
Fish Crow  3
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tree Swallow  10
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Dark-eyed Junco  15
Song Sparrow  4
Swamp Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Common Grackle  4
Palm Warbler  2
Pine Warbler  15

Whitesbog | Backyard 3/9--Wild Turkey, Pine Warbler

Now that we are almost a third of the way through March, I have been getting a little antsy to get some of the "gimme" birds onto my year list. Today, a couple of species added themselves to list. 

For unpleasant reasons, I had to spend the last 3 days in Browns Mills, so in the mornings I've been going to Whitesbog. Yesterday, once the fog lifted, I saw two grebes in the Middle Bog, which I at first assumed were Pied-billed Grebes, not an especially unusual species for the bogs, but always a happy sighting. Except something about them didn't look right in the gray light. When I drove back, I stopped, broke out the scope and after scanning through a small flock of Hooded Mergansers I relocated the two grebes which turned out to be, as I suspected, Horned Grebes. I was pretty certain those were the first Horned Grebes I'd seen at Whitesbog and checking later, I found I was correct. What I didn't realize was that they were the first Horned Grebes for my Burlington County list which wasn't that surprising when I thought about it, since I rarely go anywhere in the county where you might encounter them, like the Delaware River. 

Today, to change it up, I decided to walk the Ocean County section. There were lots of migrating geese and some ducks in the various flooded and abandoned blueberry fields, including a couple of Lesser Scaup, which are scarce there. But it wasn't until I was on the return leg that I got my first year bird. Scott has often said how superstitious birders are--if you saw a great bird one spot, then you'll always look in that spot again, no matter how unlikely it is for history to repeat. Today, as I was walking toward the main road, I stopped and decided to walk on a grassy trail that that runs behind a field--a couple of years ago I had come across a Great Horned Owl in there at mid-day, so who knows, maybe there would be another. Of course, there wasn't, but I did hear, and eventually track down, my first Pine Warbler of the year. So the superstition pays off. Normally, in the winter, we have Pine Warblers at our suet, but this has not been a normal winter and only Yellow-rumps (and--much more exciting--an Orange-Crowned Warbler) have been nibbling away at the fatty cakes. 

This afternoon, as I was going outside to check on more tree damage from the blizzard, I saw a big blur dash behind the house--rounding the corner I saw it was my first Wild Turkey of the year, another bird that usually doesn't take this long to appear. I thought it was just the single tom, but when I went out to the brushy area beyond our lawn I saw there was an entire flock out there--Shari & I eventually counted 26 on our lawn, attracted, no doubt by all the seed I flung out there. Where the turkeys have been hiding out all winter I don't know, but driving back from an errand late this afternoon, I saw a couple more a few blocks away, so soon they'll be stopping traffic and antagonizing dogs. Which passes for entertainment on Sunset Road. 

February Wrap-up--Blizzard Edition

Tundra Swans walking on the ice of Union Pond, Whitesbog

The icy aftermath of the storm at the end of the January and the Blizzard of 2026 at the end of this month served to put a kibosh on a lot of my birding--I spent an inordinate amount of time staring out our windows at our feeders.  At least I was rewarded with our first backyard Orange-crowned Warbler.  

I did manage to get around in the two weeks between the ice melting and the blizzard. Some year birds weren't recounted here because they eluded photography.  Two of the birds this month were "hard," (for me at least) --a Purple Finch that I heard at the Manahawkin WMA and a Glaucous Gull at Island Beach, whose presence I was alert to by Steve the previous day. I made the long trek out to the north jetty not really expecting to find the bird when a large white-winged light-gray mantled gull flew in from Barnegat Light, came in low over my head, then made a U-turn back to the south. In almost every other county of New Jersey, Glaucous Gull is considered rare but not in Ocean, inexplicably.  Believe it--they're rare. I also, on my trek along the south end of IBSP came across my first Lesser Black-backed Gull. I was about to photograph it when it was flushed by the only other person I saw walking on the beach that day--typical. 

The final year bird of the month was a rarity, but only because of time of year--a Blue-winged Teal at Lake of the Lilies that I spotted the day before the blizzard hit. I was about to give up on finding it when a birding group came along and one of the leaders got it in his scope--on the far shore weaving in and out of the phragmites. Not the greatest looks, but the facial crescent was clearly seen. That was a beautifully warm winter day--it was hard to imagine that a gigantic snowstorm was on its way. But just because you can't imagine doesn't mean it won't happen. 30 inches of snow and we weren't plowed out until late Tuesday night. Fortunately, for the birds, I had filled up our feeders the day before--fortunately for me too because otherwise I'd have been looking at a blank expanse of snow for most of the week. 

Backyard birding: Mourning Dove

Eastern Bluebird

103 species for the month, which was actually quite a bit better than last year when I couldn't even break the century mark.

Species           First Sighting
Snow Goose   Manasquan Inlet
Brant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Canada Goose   35 Sunset Rd
Mute Swan   Manahawkin Lake
Tundra Swan   Bamber Lake
Wood Duck   Pemberton Lake WMA
Blue-winged Teal   Lake of the Lilies
American Wigeon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Mallard   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
American Black Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Northern Pintail   Pemberton Lake WMA
Canvasback   Lake of the Lilies
Redhead   Holly Lake
Ring-necked Duck   Holly Lake
Greater Scaup   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Lesser Scaup   Lake of the Lilies
Common Eider   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White-winged Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Long-tailed Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Bufflehead   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Common Goldeneye   Sloop & Potter Creek Marshes
Hooded Merganser   Bay Pkwy
Common Merganser   Holly Lake
Red-breasted Merganser   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Ruddy Duck   Lake of the Lilies
Rock Pigeon   New Egypt
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
American Coot   Lake of the Lilies
American Oystercatcher   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-bellied Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Greater Yellowlegs   Manahawkin WMA
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sanderling   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Dunlin   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Razorbill   Manasquan Inlet
Ring-billed Gull   Jakes Branch County Park
American Herring Gull   Jakes Branch County Park
Great Black-backed Gull   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Glaucous Gull   Island Beach SP
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Horned Grebe   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Red-necked Grebe   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Red-throated Loon   Manasquan Inlet
Common Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Great Blue Heron   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Vulture   Whiting
Turkey Vulture   235 Brynmore Rd, New Egypt
Sharp-shinned Hawk   New Egypt
Northern Harrier   West Creek Dock Rd.
Bald Eagle   New Egypt
Red-shouldered Hawk   West Creek Dock Rd.
Red-tailed Hawk   BC Fairgrounds
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   35 Sunset Rd
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Flicker   Whitesbog
American Kestrel   BC Fairgrounds
Merlin   Double Trouble SP
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   New Egypt
Fish Crow   Sands Point Park
Common Raven   New Egypt
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   New Egypt
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Lake Carasaljo
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper   Colliers Mills WMA
Carolina Wren   New Egypt
European Starling   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Mockingbird   New Egypt
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
House Sparrow   New Egypt
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Purple Finch   Manahawkin WMA
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Snow Bunting   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Chipping Sparrow   Whitesbog
Field Sparrow   Whitesbog
American Tree Sparrow   Shelter Cove Park
Fox Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-crowned Sparrow   Pinelands Alliance Headquarters
White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow   New Egypt
Red-winged Blackbird   Lake of the Lilies
Brown-headed Cowbird   New Egypt
Common Grackle   Whitesbog
Boat-tailed Grackle   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Orange-crowned Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Whitesbog 2/10--Field Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Whitesbog is walkable--to a certain degree. For the first time in more than two weeks I was able to take a decent walk on dirt, instead of shuffling along on ice like Arte Johnson on the old Laugh-In. The Upper, Lower, and Middle bogs along with Union Pond are still too icy to negotiate, but the Village is clear and the dikes along the Fenwick bogs have been ploughed (in order for the farmer to make certain his gates are open), and the road that runs past Rome Pond is also pretty much down to the dirt. Now all I needed were birds.  

They were hard to come by, but there were a few interesting sightings--a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in the Fenwick Bogs, a black duck with a flock of Mallards and geese on the ice in one of the bogs, a couple of Hermit Thrushes, one eating greenbrier berries, and a few sparrows. Along the entrance road I came upon a Field Sparrow, which I didn't realize was a year bird until after it flew off. However, when I came back to the parking lot (which was ploughed out, unlike my last visit in late January) after searching along a path in the old blueberry field and finding only Chipping Sparrows and juncos, there was another one, feeding in the gravel. Field Sparrows are more fun in the spring and summer when their eye rings are more pronounced, giving them a startled look that is very amusing along with their song, like a ping-pong ball falling off a table. But I'm happy to get it on the list. 

Hermit Thrush

The day list:

22 species
Canada Goose  29
Mallard  18
American Black Duck  1
Mourning Dove  2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1     
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  3
Common Raven  5     Croaking & soaring in village. 3 landed atop water tower briefly
Carolina Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Hermit Thrush  2
American Robin  12
House Finch  2
Chipping Sparrow  3     
Field Sparrow  2     
Dark-eyed Junco  12
White-throated Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  6
Common Grackle  15

January Wrap-up

Greater White-Fronted Goose

It's winter in New Jersey; it's supposed to be cold. But I don't remember a stretch a sub-freezing weather lasting this long--over a week--where the mid-20's might be the high for the day. And with no temperatures above 32 that leaves the 9 or so inches of ice-covered snow still on the ground. Which really cuts down on the places one can bird, since paths through woods or fields don't usually get ploughed. I went to Whitesbog this week to check out what was accessible, since it is part of my territory for the Pinelands Winter Bird Count which was scheduled for tomorrow. Happily, that got postponed, since only a very small portion of Whitesbog was clear enough to walk. The conditions around here are so bad that I can't even get to our feeders because the backyard is like an ice rink and as much as I love birds, I'm not going to break a leg for them. 

So, with those lousy conditions at the end of the month, how did I do? 105 species. Exactly the same as last January, which was, according to Jersey Central Power & Light, actually 2 degrees colder on average than this month. It was a good month for the rare geese--Cackling Goose, Ross's Goose, and the Greater White-fronted Geese Mike & I found on the CBC. I got the immature Trumpeter Swan on the year and county list before it disappeared from Stafford Forge. The early herons at the Lighthouse Center were the last new birds I listed for the month before the deep freeze set in. 

But, you know me: Always the optimist, always the one looking for the positive aspect of any situation and here's the good news about the relentlessly bitter weather: It will keep the tick population down this summer because even now the inner fluids of those little bastards are freezing beneath the snow and they are exploding from the internal pressure. Thus, the happy consequence of this weather: Death.

Species              First Sighting
Ross's Goose   Maris Stella
Greater White-fronted Goose   Ocean Acres Park
Brant   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Cackling Goose   Marshall's Pond
Canada Goose   Sandy Hook
Mute Swan   Holly Lake
Trumpeter Swan   Stafford Forge WMA
Tundra Swan   Bamber Lake
Northern Shoveler   Marshall's Pond
Gadwall   Marshall's Pond
American Wigeon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Mallard   Sandy Hook
American Black Duck   Sandy Hook
Green-winged Teal   Ocean Acres Pond
Ring-necked Duck   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
Greater Scaup   Sandy Hook
Lesser Scaup   Lake Carasaljo
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Sandy Hook
White-winged Scoter   Sandy Hook
Black Scoter   Sandy Hook
Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook
Bufflehead   Sandy Hook
Common Goldeneye   Sandy Hook
Hooded Merganser   Bridge to Nowhere
Common Merganser   Lake Carasaljo
Red-breasted Merganser   Sandy Hook
Ruddy Duck   Cattus Island County Park
Rock Pigeon   Wawa South Toms River
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Black-bellied Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Killdeer   Ocean Acres Park
Greater Yellowlegs   Eno’s Pond
Sanderling   Sandy Hook
Dunlin   Holgate
Purple Sandpiper   Seven Presidents Park
Razorbill   Island Beach SP
Ring-billed Gull   35 Sunset Rd
American Herring Gull   Sandy Hook
Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook
Pied-billed Grebe   Lake Carasaljo
Red-throated Loon   Island Beach SP
Common Loon   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Great Cormorant   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Double-crested Cormorant   Sandy Hook
Little Blue Heron   Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Tricolored Heron   Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education
Great Egret   West Creek Dock Rd.
Great Blue Heron   Holly Lake
Black Vulture   Manahawkin
Turkey Vulture   Stafford Township
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Stafford Township
Cooper's Hawk   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Northern Harrier   Bridge to Nowhere
Bald Eagle   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
Red-shouldered Hawk   Butterfly Bogs WMA
Red-tailed Hawk   Colliers Mills WMA
Eastern Screech-Owl   Beach Ave
Great Horned Owl   Beach Ave
Belted Kingfisher   Manahawkin WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Sandy Hook
Downy Woodpecker   35 Sunset Rd
Hairy Woodpecker   Beach Ave
Northern Flicker   Beach Ave
Merlin   Cranberry Bogs
Blue Jay   35 Sunset Rd
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   Mud City
Common Raven   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Black-capped Chickadee   Sandy Hook
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Sandy Hook
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Manahawkin WMA
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Manahawkin WMA
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper   Colliers Mills WMA
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
Northern Mockingbird   Sandy Hook
Eastern Bluebird   35 Sunset Rd
Hermit Thrush   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
House Sparrow   Holly Lake
House Finch   35 Sunset Rd
Red Crossbill   Whitesbog
American Goldfinch   35 Sunset Rd
Lapland Longspur   Sandy Hook
Snow Bunting   Sandy Hook
Chipping Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-throated Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Savannah Sparrow   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Song Sparrow   Stanley H. 'Tip' Seaman County Park
Swamp Sparrow   Beach Ave
Red-winged Blackbird   Manahawkin WMA
Brown-headed Cowbird   Little Egg Harbor Twp
Rusty Blackbird   Manahawkin WMA
Common Grackle   Cattus Island County Park
Boat-tailed Grackle   West Creek Dock Rd.
Yellow-rumped Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Cardinal   35 Sunset Rd

Whitesbog 1/5--Red Crossbill

After bustling around Manahawkin yesterday, I just wanted a quiet walk today so I drove over to Whitesbog, even though I knew all the water would be frozen and that I couldn't expect to see or hear much. Since I didn't see any Tundra Swans on Union Pond's ice, I decided to walk the Ocean County side. Sometimes the swans stand on the ice of the Upper Reservoir. I walked up there via the Antrim Bogs, which were pretty quiet except for what my informant there likes to refer to as the "tweety birds:" Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch. I was surprised at how many Hairy Woodpeckers I was hearing. Usually, I get one, maybe two. Today I had five scattered all over the place. 

The breach between bogs

There were no swans on the Upper Reservoir, nor eagles, or any other raptors that I look for there. On my way back I was undecided if I wanted to go to the dogleg, knowing that I'd just have to backtrack. At one time, a few years ago, the road would have led me back to my car, but because the beavers were constantly clogging up a culvert that ran beneath the road, connecting one of the reservoirs to an old flooded blueberry field, the Whitesbog owner sent over some heavy machinery and just made a breach in the road so the water could flow freely. My informant built a rudimentary bridge for us, and after that got a little sketchy, the guys at Whitesbog put in a more solid wooden bridge. But erosion of the banks last year collapsed that bridge. I know they want to fix it, but it isn't a priority. I rationalized walking over there on the one in a hundred chance that they had repaired the bridge. They hadn't.

I was standing at the edge, looking at the ice, thinking about how much habitat the beavers have changed since I've been walking Whitesbog, when I heard a call that I at first took for another Hairy Woodpecker, but it didn't sound quite right. Fumbling with my gloves, I opened up Merlin. 

Now, I don't believe in a lot of what Merlin hears, especially when there are a lot of birds singing and calling in the area. The app hears 10 times more Golden-crowned Kinglets than I do, though, to give it it's due, I've also been alerted to birds like Cedar Waxwings and Blackpoll Warblers that I can't hear, but that I find when I'm aware they're around. I find it is most reliable when there is only one bird calling or singing. Today, that bird that I heard, and that Merlin also heard, was a Red Crossbill. It was calling from across the water on the other side of the old blueberry field where there are lots of pine trees. To get over there, which was probably about 500 feet away, I would have to backtrack completely, a walk of over a mile. 

Red Crossbills are notoriously flighty (pun intended) always on the move, looking for the next pinecone. I've come across them in some seemingly odd places like the Cranberry Bogs on Dover Road and at Stafford Forge. But, if there is a big stand of pine trees and it's winter, it's worth stopping a moment to listen. And it's always worth going the extra (half) mile to maximize your chances of listing something cool. 

Stafford Forge WMA 12/26--Trumpeter Swan

A few days ago, Trumpeter Swan popped up on my Rare Bird Alerts for Ocean County. With no photos attached and an unhelpful "This is a Trumpeter Swan" in the details box, my reaction was "Yeah, right."  The site, Stafford Forge WMA, often has Tundra Swans in the lake and since there has never been a Trumpeter Swan in Ocean (in fact, the only accepted records in NJ for Trumpeters that I know of were the birds at Assunpink that showed up for about 10 consecutive years, though not this year), I assumed it was a misidentification. It happens all the time. Last year someone swore he had 20 Trumpeters in Burlington County. They were Tundras. There have been reports of a Trumpeter at Whitesbog. I've gone to look--Tundra. 

But yesterday some pictures showed up on the alerts from birders I respect and the bird, an immature one, looked pretty good for Trumpeter. This morning, I drove down there and almost immediately found the bird in question, near 4 Mute Swans. Everything about the swan looked good for Trumpeter--a triangular, canvasback-like bill, a V at the base of the bill where it meets the head, pink at the base, black at the tip, a thick neck --save for the fact that it looked small. Trumpeter Swans are about the same size at Mute Swans. Tundra Swans are smaller. Compared to the Mute Swans this swan was, if anything, intermediate between them and a Tundra Swan. I was hoping that this wasn't an Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds situation, where everybody sees what they want to see. If I’d encountered this bird with no expectations, I probably would have assumed Tundra because it appeared on the smaller side. After checking references at home, I learned that Trumpeter cygnets don’t attain adult proportions until their second summer. Understanding that explained the apparent discrepancy, and I felt comfortable identifying it as a Trumpeter—a year bird and, even better, a life county bird.