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Today marked the end of our 2014 season for the Barnegat Bay Birding-by-Boat tours that I have been leading for Cattus Island County Park since July, so it seems like a good time for a seasonal re-cap. We were running these trips on average every week or two, leaving from the Ocean County Parks Administration boat launch area in Toms River. Our pontoon boat (the Betty C.) holds six passengers, and we would run two trips on the days that they were offered; one at 7AM and one at 9:30AM.  The trips often were filled, despite the need to pre-register through old-school methods; let’s hope that the park system gets its stuff together and will move to an improved electronic registration system by next year.

Betty C.; the 6-passenger open-air boat used on our tours, with Capt. Diane at the helm.

Our route typically followed the coast along the shoreline of Cattus Island Park, greeted by the resident Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Ospreys, and both Barn Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows (which nest in the shoreside ‘cliffs’ at Yellowbank). Earlier in the season Marsh Wrens would call incessantly from the reeds, and occasionally we’d view some of the resident Little Blue Herons or Tricolored Herons of Cattus Island Park, or Spotted Sandpipers bobbing and feeding on the shoreline, and it was fun to watch the nesting and feeding of the Ospreys centered around their nest platforms.

Our typical route, starting and ending on the west side of Barnegat Bay at the Cattus Island County Park boat launch, crossing the bay and exploring the Sedge Islands near Lavalette.

Our route then crossed to the eastern side of Barnegat Bay, heading for the Sedge Islands offshore from Lavalette.  On the journey over we’d be entertained by the diving feeding behavior of terns, which could include Common Tern, Forster’s Tern, Least Tern, and Royal Tern, all of which were seen this year. The Sedge Islands usually provided the highlight of the trips, because it is here that we find colonies of nesting wading birds, including Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, Black-crowned Night-Herons, Green Herons, Glossy Ibis, and American Oystercatcher. The islands are breeding or feeding grounds or roosting sites for Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Purple Martins, Double-crested Cormorants, and the four common eastern Gulls (Great Black-backed, Herring, Laughing, and Ring-billed). In particular, it was fun to watch the progression of the young gulls from small downy balls hiding in the grass, to young birds begging for food from their parents, to full-sized immature birds that eventually venture out to the water by themselves.

All of these species came to be expected on our tours (although we usually saw more species and more individuals on the 7AM tours).  The fun of birding often lies in the surprises, and we had a few during the season, ranging from a surprising Red-necked Grebe that stayed until June 25, a flyover mature Bald Eagle, a Yellow-crowned Night-heron on a day where we explored a different section of the bay, and a pair of Whimbrels flying by during shorebird migration. Today we ended the season with a bang, spotting a pair of small grebes feeding in the bay.  The first one was seen offshore near Cattus Island, but resulted in only an unsatisfactory view before it flew off further west.  Then approximately 30 minutes later I spotted a grebe again, this time on the eastern side of the bay near the Lavallette Sedge Islands. It remains possible that this was the same bird that we saw 3 miles away near Cattus, but this time I was able to get documentation photos in the overcast early  morning light.  Amazingly, the photos helped to identify this bird as a tough-to-find Eared Grebe. Eared Grebes are on the NJ birds review list, with only 1-2 spotted in NJ annually. My thanks to Captain Diane for her cheerful early morning smile, and I look forward to starting these trips again next season.  I have made some suggestions to see if we can insert a few surprise trips into the schedule next year to further expand on the Barnegat Bay birding options and to find more species.

Red-necked Grebe

Eared Grebe, Barnegat Bay, Sept 30, 2014

     With the onset of shorebird arrival in the area, about a month ago I tried something new to get access to shorebird habitat. The idea was to bird the sedge islands of Island Beach State Park, an area that is partially off-limits to motorized craft, but can be easily accessed by kayak or canoe. So I cleaned off my 17 ft standard aluminum Grumman canoe that had been unused for more than 15 years, called up my friend Larry and talked him into joining me. After three attempts I thought I’d share our experiences, each of which has been fantastic. The birds that we have seen include Brown Pelican, Marbled Godwit, American Bittern, Piping Plover, Little Blue Heron, Tri-colored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Red Knot, Whimbrel, Clapper Rail, Royal Tern, Caspian Tern, Least Tern, Black Tern, Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers, Seaside Sparrows, and Saltmarsh Sparrows, with some of them in significant numbers for our region. (Think 30 Pelicans, 50 Royal Terns, 50 Oystercatchers, 20 Skimmers.) The birding is wonderful, with close access to the birds after beaching the canoe that allows sorting through the mixed species flocks on the sand spits. We’ve been doing much of our birding while wading the shallows or walking the sand spits, not necessarily from the moving canoe. On the other had, while quietly traversing the channels, binocs are always at the ready for birds hiding around the next bend. The bay is warm at this time of year, rarely more than 2-3 feet deep, and has been calm in the sheltered waters, so capsizing is not really a major concern. If you get a chance to bird there I highly recommend visiting this location. Here’s some photos from these trips.

Map of the Island Beach Sedge Island area.

An out-of-season Red-breasted Merganser.

A Royal Tern practicing its yoga pose.

A Royal Tern after a successful hunt.

Royal Tern

A Whimbrel patrolling the flats.

Brown Pelican in flight.

An immature Royal Tern, with Black Skimmers in the background.

Brown Pelicans and friends on a sand bar.

Royal Tern, Forster’s Terns, and Caspian Tern size comparison.

A Black Skimmer skimming in the shallows.

Black Skimmer in flight.

A Caspian Tern surrounded by adult and immature Royal Terns. Note the larger and redder bill of the Caspian and the yellow bill of the immature Royals.

Two Black Terns that were hiding in a flock of Common Terns, Island Beach State Park.

Marbled Godwit, Island Beach State Park

At the end of April the birds started migrating through, but that was just a preview of better things that were to come in the birder’s favorite month…May. May 2014 featured a terrific migration. Most of my birding was done in the local patches here in New Jersey. As an example, this month I was able to see two of our tough warbler species (Cape May Warbler and Blackburnian Warbler) right here in my village.

Cape May Warbler

Visits to southern NJ resulted in superb views of multiple Yellow-throated Warblers and the remarkable Prothonotary Warbler.

Yellow-throated Warbler, Atlantic County Park

A highlight of this month was a 4-day trip to the High Point and Stokes State Forest area of northern NJ to scout for a team in preparation for their participation in the World Series of Birding. Eighteen first-of-year birds were spotted on this trip, including Common Raven, Ring-necked Pheasant, nesting Broad-winged Hawks, and Bobolink.

Broad-winged Hawk, High Point State Park

On the way back home I stopped in at the always-reliable Garrett Mountain Reservation for a marvelous afternoon where birds were seemingly everywhere and very tolerant of humans. Wow! Further exploration of Allaire State Park this month yielded some very nice migrants including Bay-breasted and Hooded Warblers and double-digit Scarlet Tanagers.

Bay-breasted Warbler

A series of short morning walks through my village yielded species such as Indigo Bunting, Green Heron, Broad-winged Hawk, Blue-winged Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, and Northern Waterthrush that I didn’t expect to see in our village. Near the end of the month, after the appearance of new land migrants finally began slowing down, attention turned to the shore area once again, with occasional forays to the beach at Sandy Hook, the marshes of Forsythe, and the Delaware bayshore. Highlights included Red Knots, Piping Plover, Clapper Rail, and Gull-billed Tern. Shorebirds are certain to continue and be a highlight of June.

Piping Plover, Sandy Hook

Here’s my list of new year bird arrivals that I saw this May:
Piping Plover – May 29 – Sandy Hook
Common Tern – May 29 – Sandy Hook
Least Tern – May 29 – Sandy Hook
Mourning Warbler – May 28 – Central Park
Olive-sided Flycatcher – May 28 – Central Park
Gray-cheeked Thrush – May 27 – Frick Park, Pittsburgh
Red Knot – May 18 – Reed’s Beach
Clapper Rail – May 17 – Forsythe NWR
Gull-billed Tern – May 17 – Forsythe NWR
Black Skimmer – May 17 – Forsythe NWR
Seaside Sparrow – May 17 – Forsythe NWR
Black-bellied Whistling-duck – May 17 – Patriot Lake, Galloway, NJ
Grasshopper Sparrow – May 15 – Collier’s Mills WMA
Black-billed Cuckoo – May 15 – Assunpink WMA
Yellow-breasted Chat – May 15 – Assunpink WMA
Blue Grosbeak – May 15 – Assunpink WMA
Willow Flycatcher – May 15 – Allentown Mercer Corporate Park
Least Sandpiper – May 15 – Allentown Mercer Corporate Park
Bay-breasted Warbler – May 12 – Allaire State Park
Wilson’s Warbler – May 11 – Leisure Village West
Swainson’s Thrush – May 8 – Garret Mountain Reservation
Nashville Warbler – May 8 – Garret Mountain Reservation
Blackpoll Warbler – May 8 – Garret Mountain Reservation
Canada Warbler – May 8 – Garret Mountain Reservation
Red-breasted Nuthatch – May 8 – Walpack Valley IBA–Blewett Tract
Sora – May 7 – Wallkill River NWR–Owens Station Rd.
Solitary Sandpiper – May 7 – Wallkill River NWR–Owens Station Rd.
Marsh Wren – May 7 – Wallkill River NWR–Owens Station Rd.
Least Flycatcher – May 7 – High Point State Park
Yellow-throated Vireo – May 7 – High Point State Park
Common Raven – May 7 – High Point State Park
Northern Waterthrush – May 7 – High Point State Park
Cerulean Warbler – May 7 – High Point State Park
Magnolia Warbler – May 7 – High Point State Park
Blackburnian Warbler – May 7 – High Point State Park
Chestnut-sided Warbler – May 7 – High Point State Park
Bobolink – May 7 – Layton Grasslands
Ring-necked Pheasant – May 5 – Sally Harden Rd.–Vesper Hill
Veery – May 5 – Collier’s Mills WMA
Semipalmated Sandpiper – May 4 – Forsythe NWR
Semipalmated Plover – May 4 – Forsythe NWR
Short-billed Dowitcher – May 4 – Forsythe NWR
Willet – May 4 – Forsythe NWR
Spotted Sandpiper – May 4 – Forsythe NWR
Whimbrel – May 4 – Forsythe NWR
Eastern Wood-Pewee – May 4 – Belleplain State Forest
Acadian Flycatcher – May 4 – Belleplain State Forest
Yellow-billed Cuckoo – May 4 – Belleplain State Forest
Prothonotary Warbler – May 4 – Belleplain State Forest
Worm-eating Warbler – May 4 – Belleplain State Forest
Cape May Warbler – May 4 – Manchester
Wood Thrush – May 3 – Allaire State Park
Scarlet Tanager – May 3 – Allaire State Park
Hooded Warbler – May 3 – Allaire State Park
Black-throated Blue Warbler – May 3 – Allaire State Park
Red-eyed Vireo – May 3 – Allaire State Park
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – May 3 – Allaire State Park
Baltimore Oriole – May 3 – Allaire State Park
American Redstart – May 2 – Double Trouble State Park
Indigo Bunting – May 2 – Leisure Village West
Blue-winged Warbler – May 2 – Leisure Village West
Orchard Oriole – May 1 – Whitesbog
Yellow Warbler – May 1 – Whitesbog

Today we say goodbye to March 2014. It was a good month here at Birdquiz.net. Many new quizzes were added and the appearance and organization of the site were greatly improved. But more importantly, the birding was exciting this month. It was a long and snowy winter here in the east, and a remarkable winter for two species that are usually difficult to find: Snowy Owl and Red-necked Grebe. Here in NJ, seeing up to 6 Snowy Owls in a day or Red-necked Grebes at 4 different locations in a week is exceptional, but that’s the kind of month we had. This is a good time of year to get last looks at the ducks before they depart for northward locations, transitioning into their breeding plumage, and welcoming the vanguard of spring migrants. Speaking of migrants, the earliest visitors have begun to arrive, with a few Eastern Phoebes found in the past week or so, Laughing Gulls and Forster’s Terns have appeared along the shore, Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeer are back, Tree Swallows are back gliding over the lakes, and the first Great Egrets have brightened up the marshes. Not only have birds begun arriving, but some are answering nature’s call. Bald Eagle chicks are being fed, Osprey are quickly building nests, Pine Warblers have arrived and begun trilling from the pines, and American Woodcock are performing their spring aerial displays.

Other birding highlights for me from this month include two Black-headed Gulls in Cape May, three Trumpeter Swans at Assunpink Lake, and a single lifer, a rare-for-the-east Eurasian Tree Sparrow that was found in Cape May. I’m looking forward to finding out what surprises April brings my way.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Cape May, March 2014

Red-necked Grebe, Whitesbog, NJ.

Black-headed Gull; Cape May.

Long-tailed Duck, Avalon jetty.

My new March birds:
Blue-winged Teal – 26 Mar – Edwin B. Forsythe NWR–Wildlife Drive
Black-headed Gull – 22 Mar – Cape May
Laughing Gull – 22 Mar – Cape May
Forster’s Tern – 22 Mar – Cape May
Eurasian Tree Sparrow – 22 Mar- Cape May (lifer)
Trumpeter Swan – 21 Mar – Assunpink WMA
Great Egret – 20 Mar – Parker Run Dock St.
Brown-headed Cowbird – 20 Mar – Manahawkin WMA
Osprey – 19 Mar – Double Trouble State Park
Wilson’s Snipe – 19 Mar – Double Trouble State Park
Pine Warbler – 19 Mar – Double Trouble State Park
Wild Turkey – 16 Mar – Leisure Village West
Greater Yellowlegs – 15 Mar – Edwin B. Forsythe NWR–Bridge to Nowhere
Killdeer – 14 Mar – Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Eastern Phoebe – 12 – Whitesbog
Green-winged Teal – 12 Mar – Whitesbog
Fish Crow – 08 Mar – Leisure Village West
American Woodcock – 01 Mar – Leisure Village West