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The temperatures were finally up in the high 50’s today, but the winds were over 20 mph. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that there is nothing that will cause a slow birding day quite like high winds. Birds (and birders) will tolerate low temperatures, high temperatures, and drizzle, but not high winds. So I tried to get something positive out of the day by exploring what condition the roads were in at Whitesbog and to see if the Tundra Swans have returned to the thawed bogs. Indeed, I was happy to see 56 Tundra Swans mixed in with the Canada Geese.
As I walked around the bogs, I was happy to find a few new first-of-year species. First there was a Pied-billed Grebe…nice. Then nine Tree Swallows…nice. Then there was a grebe with lots of yellow on its face. WHOA! What was that?

A near-breeding plumaged Horned Grebe on the Ocean County side of Whitesbog today.

A quick look through the scope confirmed that it was a Horned Grebe, a species that I have never seen at this location. Then another one appeared, although this time in more typical winter plumage.

A nearby Horned Grebe in more typical winter plumage.

Then yet another was spotted along the shoreline, this time transitioning into breeding plumage, with a little white remaining on the cheek and throat, and especially on the back of the neck.

As if seeing side-by-side breeding and winter plumaged birds wasn’t enough, this third bird was beginning the transition into breeding plumage, making a great three-bird comparison.

I spent close to an hour watching these three birds feeding in the pool in front of me, with the full range of plumage side-by-side.

For the record, Horned Grebes are fairly common along the immediate coast in winter, both in the ocean and in Barnegat Bay, but Whitesbog is 22 miles from the ocean, and that makes a big difference. After asking others who have more experience birding in Whitesbog and checking eBird records, it turns out that it is quite uncommon to find Horned Grebe inland here in NJ. There are no previous eBird records for Horned Grebe in Whitesbog.  Until today.  Not bad for a windy day.

When I was in Florida last month, I described the pleasures of sorting through gull flocks on the beach, in shorts, with gulls so close that binocs were barely needed. Today I sampled sorting through gull flocks, northern-style, with parka, mittens, and scoping a distant flock. Here in New Jersey, one of the best locations to search for the rarer winter gulls is in the small parks alongside the Delaware River in Florence. This location is just upstream of a deep bend in the river, with a landfill on the Pennsylvania side. That combination is like catnip for gulls.

This was my first trip to Florence, with the main targets being Lesser Black-backed Gull and the two white-winged gulls: Iceland and Glaucous, all of which occur here annually, and which have been sighted recently. The only problem is that the weather here has been frigid, with a mix of snow and rain yesterday that froze overnight making for treacherous walking, and the temperatures only reached a high of 24 degrees with winds in the 15-20 mph range. Oh well, as they say, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing, so I bundled up and went out, undaunted. (although I did end up taking one nasty spill, ending up horizontal in the parking lot)

When I arrived, the gulls were there in big numbers. Unfortunately, when I was at the upstream park, the gulls were primarily downstream, and when I drove to the downstream park…well, you can guess where they went. Eventually we got in synch and I found myself with a huge flock of gulls on the ice and floating down the river in front of me.

A portion of the main flock, consisting of thousands of Herring Gulls, hundreds of Great Black-backed Gulls, a smattering of Ring-billed Gulls, and a few ‘interesting’ gull needles mixed in this veritable white haystack.

Glaucous Gull is currently my birding nemesis; the Great White Gull for me has been The Invisible Gull. So I was particularly focused on finding birds with all-white wings and white-or-pale bodies. Gladly, I found one fairly quickly, but it turned out to be an Iceland Gull despite my best efforts to convert it to a Glaucous. Its pale appearance was obvious whether sitting on the ice or in flight, and at least this sighting confirmed that I can recognize white gulls.

An Iceland Gull beside Herring Gulls for a good size comparison. Notice how the overall washed out appearance and pale wings are immediately apparent beside the grayer Herring Gulls.

Iceland Gull in flight remains relatively conspicuous with its pale wingtips compared to the Herring Gulls that appear to have dipped their wingtips in black ink.

The vast majority of gulls present here were Herring Gulls, and I found it surprisingly easy to recognize adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls mixed in the flock. Their steely-gray body was intermediate between that of the more familiar Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, as you can see in the photo below. The streaked head and smaller size than Herring Gulls confirmed the identification.

Here we have an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull in the company of three Herring Gulls. Note the steely-gray wing and streaked head, and slightly smaller size of the Lesser Black-backed Gull on the left, compared to the more familiar Herring Gulls.

Over the course of 2 1/2 hours I was able to spot 5 Lesser Black-backed and 7 Iceland Gulls, a successful day by any measure, since I don’t remember ever seeing more than singletons of either species in a single day previously. Glaucous Gull did not make an appearance, as expected for a worthy nemesis.  There is still time for a return visit to Florence over the next month to search again before they depart for their northerly summer homes, preferably on a day without icy parking lots, and with warmer temps and less wind. I think I was spoiled by Florida-style gull watching.

Today I decided to take advantage of my location and partake in one of the winter rituals for all birders here in New Jersey: a visit to the Barnegat Lighthouse jetty. This decision was based on a quartet of factors; the temperature was predicted to reach a relatively comfortable 42 degrees, the wind was calm, Razorbills and Dovekies appeared in multiple locations along the Jersey coast yesterday, and my impending trip to Florida later this week put me in the mood for sampling our winter birds. In other words: all systems go. I was worried that the trip would be fruitless when I arrived at the inlet to the sound of gunfire coming from a boat containing four hunters in the middle of the inlet, but thankfully they soon moved into the bay and out of sight. Birdlife along the jetty was relatively quiet while walking out (argh…hunters!!), but along the beach by the old 8th St. jetty I sat on a well-placed bale of hay and lost track of time while scoping through a flock of ~300 Common Eiders in every plumage possible. After all, time is a meaningless concept when Eiders are feeding nearby and the surf is providing the sonic backdrop on a warm day at an empty beach. A hen King Eider was reported to be in this location for the past few weeks, and indeed, I was able to find her twice, although she eluded photo documentation. What a pleasure to find her though; the bill of a King Eider appears to form an exaggerated Joker-like grin, so it was as if she was smiling at me upon being detected.  Or maybe I was in the sun too long. Either way, I need to work on speeding up my digiscoping technique.

The regular species that make this jetty such a delight to visit in winter were all present, and many allowed close approach. Harlequin Ducks, Ruddy Turnstones, Purple Sandpipers, Dunlin, Ispwich Savannah Sparrows, Great Cormorants, Black Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Common Loons, and Red-throated Loons were all present. Alas, Dovekies and Razorbills were a no-show, or perhaps I spent too much time with my eyes peeled to the scope enjoying the Eider flock. I don’t mind. Here’s a sample of photos from today.

The view from near the end of the jetty looking back towards Ol’ Barney. Walking on the boulders can be dangerous if you’re not careful, as I found out today.

Part of the large flock of Common Eiders feeding just south of the Barnegat jetty.

A trio of male Harlequin Ducks, the highlight species for most birders at the jetty.

A pair of Ipswich-type Savannah Sparrows that was actively feeding in the wrack line alongside the jetty.

Ruddy Turnstones are reliable winter residents, usually feeding on rocks at the surf’s edge.

Note: this post is from 2014. For the more recent 2016 update, click here.

This morning I spotted a Tundra Swan that was banded with a neck collar. But this wasn’t just any swan; it has a history.

Let’s start the story by going back in time. In November 2013 I became aware of a Tundra Swan with a neck collar that was seen at Whitesbog. Bill Elrick spotted this banded swan but was unable to identify the band number. I went back the next day and was able to read the band identification number through my scope and get documentation photos. After reporting the sighting and photo to the Bird Banding Lab (https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/bblretrv/index.cfm), I learned that this swan, T207, was banded about as far away as you can get from New Jersey and still be in North America. This swan was a female that was hatched in 2005 or earlier and was banded in July 2006 20 miles from Nuiqsut on the far north shore of Alaska, which is ~150 mi east of Barrow, and only ~8 miles from the Arctic Ocean. This was the fourth time that this bird was re-sighted since she was banded, with all sightings being concentrated within a small region of New Jersey. In addition to our Nov. 2013 sighting at Whitesbog, she was spotted in Nov. 2011 near Forsythe NWR (38 miles from Whitesbog), in Nov. 2010 ~6 miles from Whitesbog, and the first sighting that I am aware of was by Bob Cunningham in Whitesbog in Nov. 2008. In other words, if we make the reasonable assumption that she is returning to the site in Alaska where she was hatched and banded, then she is traveling ~6,700 miles round-trip between Alaska and NJ, perhaps each year.

It’s 3,323 miles from T207’s banding location in Alaska to her winter locations in New Jersey.

Locations in New Jersey where Tundra Swan T207 has been sighted.

The wonderful thing about submitting information such as a banded bird, is that you are drawn into learning more about that species. I learned that Tundra Swans that breed in Alaska travel southwards in either of two patterns. A population that breeds in western Alaska heads southwards towards British Columbia and then travels further south along the Pacific coast, primarily wintering in California, while a second population that breeds on the north shore of Alaska heads eastward from British Columbia, migrating across Canada and the Great Lakes region to the east coast of the US, with most wintering in the Chesapeake Bay region and the North Carolina coast. Tundra Swans are known to live up to 24 years in the wild, but average a 15-20-year lifespan.

I was wondering if T207 would return back to our area, so when the swans returned again in November, I drove through Whitesbog occasionally, scanning through the flock of up to ~90 Tundra Swans, hoping to see her again, but to no avail. Did she decide to go elsewhere? Was it too early in the season for her to return? Did she meet an early demise? (although by the aging criterion described above, she is still a youngster). Today I decided to look elsewhere, and finally, in a flooded bog ~ 5 miles away from Whitesbog (39.90260, -74.54057), I saw a distant bird in my binocs with a neck collar. Could it be her, or another swan visiting from the arctic? After quickly setting up the scope, I was happy to see the identifier T207 on a powder blue neck collar. She arrived back again in NJ for at least the 5th time in the last 7 years, and remarkably returned to within ~5 miles of where she was spotted in 2008, 2010, and 2013. Somehow it shouldn’t be surprising that birds have the remarkable ability to travel more than 3,000 miles and then navigate back to the same location, but I’m still amazed. And I’m thrilled that we have her back again here in New Jersey for another winter. I’ll be looking for her again next year.

Tundra Swan T207 Dec. 3, 2014

Nov. 10 was a beautiful day. On my way back from visiting with mom I decided to drive through Whitesbog to see if the Tundra Swans have returned yet. Happily, as I reached the Upper Reservoir, three swans were easily seen on the opposite shore. That was nice. Then as I was driving down by the doglegs, I noticed a fairly large, robin-sized bird perched atop a tree. The problem is that it wasn’t chunky like a robin, and when it flew, it had a somewhat undulating flight. My mind raced as I was setting up the scope, and indeed, as suspected it turned out to be a Northern Shrike…a gray and white bird with dark primaries, large bill, and an obvious black facial mask. I reached into the car for the camera and when I looked up, the tree was empty and nowhere to be seen. Darn. Drat. Damn. Northern Shrikes appear yearly in NJ, but it still falls into the ‘good bird’ category. I only see one other record from NJ in eBird for 2014..a February bird in Salem County.  I reported the sighting on JerseyBirds, and then set about to re-find it. Two hours later I spotted it nearly a mile away on the Burlington County side of Whitesbog, where it flew to the top of the bordering pines, perched for a few minutes, then disappeared behind the treeline. Was it gone forever, as a two-hour wonder, or would it stick around?

We found out the next day when I got an e-mail from my birding buddy Larry, who reported re-finding it while I was ‘busy’ playing ping-pong. About an hour later I was able to join him, and after more than an hour of searching, was walking along one of the cross-dikes when I heard a different call. I turned around, searching for the source, and indeed, it turned out to be the shrike, close to the road, in perfect light, filling my scope view. Wow. We’re talking stunning view now, folks. Perfect for a digiscoped photo. Ooops…the adaptor is back in the car. Darn. Drat. Damn. I gave hand-held digiscoping a shot, but as I was fiddling and fumbling around, it disappeared again. Yet another missed opportunity.

I returned the next day, with similar stories…the bird was seen by me and others, but no documentation photos were taken as far as I know, and the bird remained remarkably adept at disappearing at will.

After taking a day off to try my hand at seawatching (that’s another story for another day), I returned back today with brother Rich. As we approached the Upper Reservoir, there it was, close to the road. We got out of the car quietly, and a few seconds later it flushed across the bog to a more distant tree. After Rich was able to get decent scope looks, I tried to get photos. They are far from the best photos that I have ever taken, but the first photos of this bird that I am aware of. When we took our eyes off of it momentarily, once again it sneaked of to who-knows-where.

digiscoped distant Northern Shrike (=better view desired) Whitesbog, NJ Nov. 15, 2014

Its been fun pursuing this bird, following it from day to day. It has managed to avoid my attempts to watch it feeding, but I’ve grown to appreciate that it has remained for at least 5 days. Sure, it’s shy and aloof, and sure, there have been plenty of birders driving around the Whitesbog roads shaking their heads, but that’s part of the allure. I’m hoping that it remains longer, and part of me hopes that it remains aloof.  Stay tuned.  Here’s a map of the locations where I or others have seen this bird (marked with an ‘S’). Notice how it is ranging fairly widely, but favors the Ocean County end.

Location of shrike sightings (marked with an ‘S’)