Birds along the Canal

Yesterday morning I walked a segment of the Delaware and Raritan Canal upstream from the access point at Griggstown Causeway. The woods along the towpath were very birdy, though most of them were common species. White-throated Sparrows seemed to be in every shrub or tangle of vines. A Hermit Thrush was with one of the sparrow flocks. Several groups of Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice roamed around, but they did not seem to have any less common birds flocking with them. At one point, I heard some Eastern Bluebirds calling, but I could not track them down. Near the spillway where I turned around, I spotted a flock of 20 or so Rusty Blackbirds. They were foraging in the woods along a creek and were moving around pretty actively. These birds are, sadly, harder to find than they used to be, so I enjoy any chance I get to see them.

Black-shouldered Spinylegs

When I first encountered this dragonfly on the D&R Canal on Saturday, I identified it as a Dragonhunter. As it turns out, that was wrong. It is actually a Black-shouldered Spinylegs, another clubtail species. Even so, it is still a lifer, and it is still my first clubtail species. Thanks to Tom and Julie for correcting the idea.

Dragonflies along the Delaware and Raritan Canal

Despite the record-setting heat wave,* I was out yesterday morning for some exercise and wildlife watching along the Delaware and Raritan Canal near Blackwells Mills. Cicadas were out in full voice, while birds were mostly quiet. In fact, were it not for a Carolina Wren near the very end of the walk, I would have gone the whole trip without hearing any birdsong. I believe the last time that happened was probably sometime in the winter. The heat and the loud cicadas probably had something to do with that, but it is clear that the breeding season is winding down, and along with it the need for singing.

Dragonflies were plentiful along the canal towpath, with the full range of species represented from Slaty Skimmer ...

... to Slaty Skimmer.

The few dragonflies that were not Slaty Skimmers seemed to be mostly Widow Skimmers, like this male. While the diversity was relatively low, I like both of these species, so I was happy to see so many of them along the canal.

I was surprised to see very few Blue Dashers and only one Eastern Pondhawk. Normally these guys are pretty numerous.

Many dragonflies were cruising back and forth over the canal without landing very often. Some were clubtail-shaped; others looked more like skimmers or darners. I was not able to get positive IDs for most of the fliers. However, this dragonfly landed just long enough for me to take a couple photos. I think it is a Dragonhunter, which would be a life dragonfly for me.

Besides the dragonflies, there were quite a few damselflies in action. Most of them seemed to be Blue-fronted Dancers, like this female.

* Here is a graphical representation of the last week's weather.

Birds at the Rogers Refuge

I was at the Rogers Refuge with my mother and sister yesterday morning to look for the rails and bittern that have been easy to see from the observation platform. Unfortunately we got there shortly after the Sora was last seen that morning, and it did not reappear. There were a lot of other birds to see, though. Many birds were singing, including Common Yellowthroat, Baltimore Oriole, and my first Scarlet Tanager of the year. There were a lot of Gray Catbirds chasing each other around near the platform and near some of the pumphouses. My first Green Heron of the year flew along the opposite side of the marsh and started getting harassed by Blue Jays. The jays are probably correct in seeing the Green Heron as a threat since herons sometimes take other species' nestlings as food.

There were also a lot of flowers in bloom near the platform and in the nearby woods. Some of them were downy yellow violets, like this one. There were also lots of spring beauties and other violet types.

After I entered my checklist into eBird, I realized that the morning's outing was just enough to push my Mercer County life list over 100. So with 101 species, Mercer became the ninth county in New Jersey where I have seen at least 100 species.

Eastern Screech-Owl in Daylight

Yesterday afternoon, I noticed this Eastern Screech-Owl along the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Since the owl was small and its cryptic plumage blended well with the trunk, the bird was actually hard to recognize, despite the large opening. When I photographed it, I initially was not sure if my hunch was right, but the photo showed that it was.

While screech-owls are primarily nocturnal predators, they sometimes emerge from their roosting places during the day, especially the late afternoon. In the winter, sitting in an opening gives them the opportunity to bask in the afternoon sun and warm themselves after a cold day of sleeping. So if you happen to be out on a winter afternoon, it is worth checking openings in tree trunks for the characteristic shape of an owl.

If you do happen to find a roosting owl, be careful about how you share the sighting and do not post an exact roost or nest location publicly. Owls can be sensitive to disturbance, so frequent visits may push an owl to change roosts, possibly to a less favorable location.

Late Migrants and Some Photos

On Thanksgiving morning, I was out birding along the Delaware and Raritan Canal near DeMott Lane in Somerset. The sky was overcast and light was poor, but there was still a lot of bird activity, starting with a group of crows chasing a Red-tailed Hawk. Right at the access bridge, there was a mixed flock of sparrows and other birds. It included my first Fox Sparrow of the fall among the more common birds. The highlight of the morning was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak that was lingering around the spillway. The bird was in winter plumage, as one might expect, but it should have been spending the weekend somewhere far south of here. Unfortunately I was not able to get a recognizable photograph of it while the bird was in front of me since I forgot to unscrew the close-up filter from the front of my lens.

The top photo is from the canal; the rest of the photos are from the Sourlands Mountain Preserve. All of them link through to Flickr photo pages.

Sun and Branches

Morning on the Delaware and Raritan Canal, near Griggstown, New Jersey.

The D&R Canal and Sourland Mountain

Trees reflecting in the Delaware & Raritan Canal near East Millstone, NJ

A couple of local nature preserves were featured in local media this week. First, the Star-Ledger included a long article about the Delaware & Raritan Canal's history and current status in its Sunday edition. The canal was built in the 1830s as a shortcut between Pennsylvania and New York. At its peak in the late 19th century, the D&R Canal transported more cargo than many other canals, including the much more famous Erie Canal. In the 1970s it became a state historical park. Since the park preserves a great deal of habitat and connects with other natural areas, such as Six Mile Run and the Princeton Institute woods, it has become a haven for wildlife.

The main canal path now stretches 36 miles from just east of New Brunswick to northwest Trenton. The feeder canal route runs 22 miles along the Delaware River to just north of Frenchtown. A section of the canal was paved over in Trenton, but Chirco said there are plans to eventually make the paths contiguous.

The park combines lush stretches full of wildlife with sections that pass through historic towns such as Lambertville and Stockton. Some sections border shopping districts and restaurants. Others pass by abandoned mills and farmhouses, through Washington's Crossing and along waterfalls.

There are an 625 species of plants found along the D&R Canal and 230 species of birds, including herons and bald eagles, naturalists said. Wildlife includes beaver, mink, fox and muskrat. The canal supports catfish, perch and bass and is stocked with trout.

The D&R Canal is an attractive spot for birdwatching, especially during spring and fall migration when anything might drop in. While it does not quite measure up to the state's major hotspots, it also does not involve a 1-2 hour drive (or an hour's train ride into New York City). I have seen at least a dozen warbler species along the towpath at the right times of year, plus Common Nighthawks, Green Herons, Cedar Waxwings, and numerous other species. For local birders, it is definitely worth checking out.

Second, the writers at WildNewJersey.tv had some complimentary things to say about Sourland Mountain:

From the access point on East Mountain Road in Hillsborough, Sara and her fellow hiker spotted white-tailed deer, pickerel frogs, and many birds including wrens and chickadees along the 5-mile Ridge Trail. This diverse trail, with terrain including rock, mixed oak forest, and the Roaring Brook, peaks in a unique area full of large, exposed boulders, perfect for resting for lunch and getting a birds-eye-view of the preserve.

When I have visited Sourland Mountain's various access points, my impression was that the area was not that birdy. While there were certainly small flocks of common species here and there, I would also go for long stretches without seeing or hearing any birds. But I have not been there for a year or more, so perhaps things have improved since then.

The mountain is notable for two things from an ornithological perspective. First, it sits near the dividing line between the ranges of Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees. Black-capped Chickadees live north of the line and Carolina Chickadees live south of it. This means that both species, plus intermediate forms, can be found there, making chickadee identification more of a challenge than elsewhere in the state. (Since the line runs all the way across New Jersey, Sourland Mountain is hardly unique in that regard.) Second, the mountain is just about the southernmost extent of the Ruffed Grouse's range in New Jersey. Sadly, the grouse's range has been shrinking in recent decades, with the population shifting northward. I have not encountered Ruffed Grouse at Sourland (or anywhere else, for that matter), but I know people who have.

Canal Birds

The towpath along the Delaware and Raritan Canal near Landing Lane was full of birds this morning. Most of the warblers were in a single flock that was dominated by a trio of blackpolls. One adult pine warbler sang short trills intermittently. Meanwhile, a first fall pine warbler was drab enough to be difficult to identify from memory. The blackburnian warbler, a first fall female, was a nice surprise amidst the more common migrants.

The merlin was perched on a snag near some high-rise apartment buildings.

BIRD SPECIES: 38

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Canada Goose
Mallard
Merlin
Killdeer
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
American Robin
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Warbling Vireo
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Migration in Full Swing

Last night all signs indicated that a major push of migrant songbirds was underway. For one of the first times this fall, we had a strong cold front with north or northwest winds. The NEXRAD radar also lit up along the east coast after dark. (The picture at right is from about midnight; the blue circles represent flocks of migrating birds.) So early this morning my mother and sister and I went out for some birding.

We went over to a stretch of the Delaware and Raritan Canal nearby. The canal towpath along this stretch is a narrow embankment with edge/woods habitat in between the canal and the Raritan River. While it is not a classic migrant trap, it provides enough habitat to attract songbirds and good angles for viewing them.

No sooner were we on the towpath than Belinda spotted a red-breasted nuthatch; these seem to be quite numerous in central Jersey this fall. A few warbling vireos were warbling in the same vicinity. On the rest of the walk, we ran into a few mixed flocks of tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees, and white-breasted nuthatches, which passed overhead in noisy fashion. The neat thing about fall birding is that these noisy commoners often travel in the company of less common migrant warblers. Such was the case today.

With one of the mixed flocks, we found a trio of American redstart, blackpoll warbler, and red-eyed vireo. Farther down the towpath, we encountered another noisy mixed flock. This time the warbler action started with a first fall female black-throated green and a Nashville warbler. They were followed by more redstarts, a black-throated blue, and a magnolia warbler.

Then I spotted a warbler I could not quite place. At first I thought magnolia because it had streaks down the sides, but the tail was not right. It sort of looked like a pine warbler, but the streaking was black, not olive, and too crisp; the habitat was wrong, anyway. Then I thought Cape May, but that seem quite right, either. So I committed the field marks to memory and moved on. When I got a chance to consult my Dunn and Garrett later, I realized that it was indeed a Cape May warbler, probably a first fall male. The reason I dismissed that possibility at first is that I am more familiar with the spring adult male form that has chestnut cheeks and bold white wing patches. Other forms have olive cheeks and less bold wing bars.

Later on, a common yellowthroat rounded out the warbler list for the morning. After we walked about a mile down the path, it was time to leave. Eight warbler species, with one being a Cape May, is not bad at all for a local patch. It was the best migrant day I have seen so far this fall.

BIRD SPECIES: 36

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Canada Goose
Mallard
Osprey
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
American Crow
European Starling
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Nashville Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch