Great Egret Hunting

While they are hunting, Great Egrets contort their neck into a variety of postures, from the familiar S-curve to fully elongated, sometimes with their head twisted to one side or the other. The three images above are all of the same bird, taken within a few minutes of each other. Click through the photo for a larger version.

On the same morning, I saw my first Forster's Tern at Donaldson Park. This is a species that I have seen many times at other locations, even within Middlesex County, but never before in my local park.

Birds Through My Window

Outside my bedroom window there is a line of crabapple trees, and close by, there is an eastern red cedar. Both tree species are fruiting heavily right now, and birds are taking advantage of the bounty. Yesterday afternoon I noticed a lot of bird activity in those trees, so I took some time to photograph birds through my window.

First off, this European Starling seemed especially fond of the cedar berries. When I have seen birds eating berries from that tree in the past, they have mostly been House Finches, so the starling's interest came as a bit of a surprise. This individual is interesting for another reason as well. It shows feathers from two different plumage stages, juvenile (the brown patches on its head) and formative or first basic (the white-spotted body feathers).

House Sparrows were part of the crowd. How often do you get to look down at birds sitting in a tree?

Northern Cardinals were also present, though they seemed more interested in the feeders behind the house than the crabapple fruits.

Last but not least, this American Redstart was a bit of a surprise. I have been seeing them around, in the yard and further afield. This was something of a lucky shot, too, as I only had time to take two photos before it moved on, and the first was affected by motion blur. Unlike most of the other birds, redstarts are primarily insectivores, so it would have been drawn by whatever insects were in the trees rather than the fruits.

Donaldson Dragonflies

Recently I started participating in the Dragonfly Pond Watch Project run by the Migratory Dragonfly Partnership. I hear about a lot of projects like this through insect bloggers; in this case I heard about it through the Xerces Society's newsletter. This particular project tracks the migratory movements of two very common dragonflies, the Common Green Darner (Anax junius) and Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata). It involves periodically counting dragonflies at the same pond over the course of the fall migration period. This works well for me since an artificial pond is part of my normal walking route through my local patch, and I can just add 15 or 20 minutes to my normal route to count dragonflies there.

So far the results have not been auspicious. My first visit, on August 2, netted exactly one Black Saddlebags and no Common Green Darners. During my second visit to the pond yesterday, I saw neither of the target species during my count period. Most of the odonate activity around the pond consisted of Eastern Amberwings and Familiar Bluets, with an Eastern Forktail thrown in for good measure. One red dragonfly caught my eye, so I photographed it as best I could. After reviewing my dragonfly resources, I think this is a male Needham's Skimmer. The lack of black triangles along the sides of the abdomen rule out most meadowhawks. The closest species in appearance is the Golden-winged Skimmer, which is more uncommon in this state than Needham's Skimmer, especially on the coastal plain. Plus there are hints of a few other features characteristic of Needham's but not Golden-winged.

I mentioned in the previous paragraph that I did not see either of my target species during the count. Of course, when I walked along the river to continue my route, what do I see on the other side of the field? Black Saddlebags. And not just one, but a half-dozen or more. In their company was a Common Green Darner. If I did my watch by the basketball courts instead of at the pond, I would be recording more sightings.

Gray Catbird

This Gray Catbird was foraging under the bird feeders yesterday morning.

My #GBBC Summary

Usually when the Great Backyard Bird Count comes around, I submit checklists for my backyard each day and augment them by visiting some of the local parks and submitting separate checklists to document the birds there. I was all set to participate as usual this year, but at the start of the weekend, I came down with a nasty toothache. To avoid stressing it more than necessary before I could get to a dentist, I stuck to backyard birding this year.

As one might expect, the number of species per checklist was rather small from my short counts, but I feel they were a representative sample of what is normally present at this time of year. One highlight was watching a small flock of robins work their way through the trees around the yard yesterday afternoon. At the same time, two cardinals were singing (on either side), and some of the male House Finches were singing as well. Combined with the mild temperature, it felt very much like spring already.

Even without much participation from me, my town (Highland Park) is eighteenth in species observed and tied for third in the number of checklists submitted among New Jersey localities as of the time I am writing this post. A total of 151 species have been reported from my state, with Common Grackle being the most numerous (followed closely by Snow Goose and Canada Goose) and Mourning Dove the most frequently reported (followed closely by Northern Cardinal). Those numbers will probably change a bit as more species are reported, but they are in line with past years. By the way, if you recorded birds this weekend but have not reported them yet, now is the time to do it. Checklist submissions will be accepted until March 5.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Donaldson Park

Yesterday as I made my usual route around Donaldson Park, I encountered a sizable gathering of gulls spread over the artificial pond and the nearby baseball field. In the midst of the flock on the baseball field, I spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull, which sat down on the ground as I watched it, but before I took a photo. You can see its small size and dainty features in comparison to the burly Herring Gull seated just behind it. There is some streaking on its head, but it was very light streaking, and hard to see in the photo above.

When I moved over to check out the gulls on the pond, I was surprised to see yet another Lesser Black-backed Gull, first in the water and then preening on the shore. This individual had much heavier streaking on its head than the other bird and shows a dark gray mantle and yellow legs. Again, it appears small and dainty compared to the Herring Gulls around it.

Finally, as I was finishing my route, I noticed this Lesser Black-backed Gull standing in one of the soccer fields. The gulls had reshuffled a bit in the meantime, and I suspect that this was the same bird as the first individual I saw rather than a third individual. As with the first bird, the head streaking is barely noticeable, and the red dot at the gonys is roughly the same size and shape as on the first bird. So when I entered my checklist into eBird, I entered two rather than three Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

My walk yesterday was also significant as it was the first time I heard House Finches singing this year. For me, the first House Finch song is a leading indicator of the coming spring. Yesterday was indeed a spring-like day, with a high of at least 60°F and an overall feeling of warmth.

A Coughing Gull and a Hiding Sparrow

I find that songbirds are tricky to photograph since they often hide in grass and shrubs where branches and stems block the way, and there is plenty of opportunity for the autofocus to pick up something other than my intended subject. This Song Sparrow tried hiding in the phragmites, but I found it anyway. Even so, it is blocked by a reed.

This gull was walking around with its bill slightly ajar. It seemed almost as if it was trying to cough something up, or perhaps swallow something big. Either way, I never saw what went in or came out of its bill.

Birds leave evidence of their presence in any patches of fresh or dried mud around Donaldson Park. Based on the size, this appears to be the work of a Canada Goose, though I suppose one of the larger gulls could have left it.

Greater White-fronted Goose at Donaldson Park

As I was wrapping up my usual circuit around Donaldson Park yesterday afternoon, I stopped to scan the 300+ Canada Geese in the field next to the tennis courts. On my first scan, I didn't notice anything unusual, but I then heard a high-pitched, three-noted honk that I knew was not made by a Canada Goose. I scanned again and found a Greater White-fronted Goose fairly close to me. Since it showed no signs of flying away, I sat and watched it for a while as it foraged in the soccer field. Though it was slightly smaller than the Canada Geese in the same flock, it mostly held its own against its neighbors and occasionally fought back when they got too aggressive.

Greater White-fronted Geese breed in the Arctic across the northern hemisphere. Three subspecies breed in Alaska and Canada, and one subspecies that breeds in Greenland, flavirostris, is a rare visitor to the U.S. east coast. Members of this subspecies are somewhat larger and darker than the other subspecies and have an orange bill, all of which are consistent with the bird I saw, though I hesitate to call it such without having other birds for comparison. Greater White-fronted Goose is a fairly uncommon bird in eastern North America, though this winter may be an exception to that rule. Most of the flavirostris population migrates eastward to winter in Ireland and Scotland, and most of the continental North American populations migrate west of the Mississippi. That makes it a good county bird in addition to being a really good county bird.

Aside from the unusual goose, I mostly saw the usual birds during my walk yesterday. One exception was a pair of Peregrine Falcons that I saw fly upstream along the river. The falcons were flying in tandem and briefly put all the gulls to flight. The gulls all settled down when the falcons continued on their way.

Birds on an Overcast Afternoon

Yesterday was not nearly as warm as Saturday, but it still was not very cold. I took a short walk around Donaldson Park and added a few new year birds for my county. Soon after I entered the park, a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds flew overhead. As I rounded the trail past the boat ramp, I noticed a Hooded Merganser swimming with a couple of Mallards. That sighting means that I have now seen all three species of merganser in the county this year. (Now, does anyone have a spare Smew?) Finally, there was a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on top of the radio tower, a species I somehow had not seen yet this year. Canada Goose numbers were down yesterday (perhaps because of extra people walking dogs and running remote-control cars around), and I was not able to find the Cackling Goose among the relative few that were present.

Birding Johnson Park

Not a bird.

Yesterday morning, I walked most of the length of Johnson Park, or at least most of what it easily accessible to the public. None of the birds were particularly extraordinary, but a few are not always easy to find in the county. First off, there were huge numbers of gulls, and almost all of them seemed to Herring Gulls. I estimated about 950 Herring Gulls spread over 3 or 4 flocks, with the largest flock having 500 Herring Gulls in it. Try as I might, I was not able to pick out any unusual gulls in those flocks. Canada Goose numbers seemed on the low side for that park (only 620), but it is possible that some had already left by the time I counted them.

As usual, there were a lot of waterfowl gathered around the Landing Lane bridge. These included Common Mergansers, Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Ducks, and Bufflehead. I crossed the bridge and walked a bit up the canal towpath to get a better look at the latter two species. By the way I got to their original location, though, most of them had disappeared, so the extra distance did not really pay off much. Between Landing Lane and East Jersey Olde Towne, I found a Brown Creeper along the edge of the woods. I also saw two Cooper's Hawks. One was getting harassed by crows across River Road from the stadium; the other was sitting in a creek near the railroad bridge. One other notable sighting was a Great Blue Heron that was standing in a creek near the Rt 18 bridge. I rarely see Great Blue Herons foraging in a location that densely wooded on both sides.

Daffodils? In January??

Yesterday was unusually warm, with a high of at least 64°F. December temperatures were well above average, and we have had only a few short cold spells, so it was no wonder to see daffodils poking up through the leaves. Still, I take it as an indicator of just how crazy this winter has been.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Yesterday afternoon, I found an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull along the edge of the artificial pond at Donaldson Park. At first it stood in the shallow water, and then it moved up onto the bank and stood there for a while. The mantle was clearly slate-gray, and its legs were obviously yellow in the afternoon sunlight. Light streaking on its crown and nape also indicates its identity. Oddly enough, there were no Great Black-backed Gulls present, or at least none that I saw. However, there were Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls. This was a nice sighting to close out my county birding year.

Surprise Ducks

One of the great things about birding is its capacity for surprise. No matter how much you may think a bird might be a given species, it is always worth a closer look because it could be something else. Yesterday as I was walking through my local patch, I saw large numbers of the usual waterfowl like Canada Geese and Mallards. Across the river were some small, very white ducks. At first, I though they were probably Common Mergansers since those are usually present along this stretch of the river from December through March and even April. However, I checked more closely, and they turned out to be Common Goldeneye, a less common species for the site. It was hardly a rarity, but it was still a present surprise and a reminder of the importance of testing assumptions.

Gulls, Geese, and Puddles

Rains last week left large puddles at my patch for these Ring-billed Gulls and Canada Geese to bathe in and drink.

 

Mute Swan at Donaldson Park

As I was walking around Donaldson Park (my patch) yesterday, I saw a Mute Swan on the park's pond. Mute Swans are not uncommon in New Jersey. In fact, they are very common in certain locations like Cape May or the Meadowlands. However, this was only the second time I have seen one on my patch (the first time was last Sunday). Since it was foraging close to the edge, I stopped to take some photos.

Dried Goldenrod

After goldenrods bloom, they dry out and produce fuzzy clumps of seeds along the flower stems. The individual seeds are small and have silky parachutes attached so that the wind will disperse them. I think the plant above is one of the Tall Goldenrods I identified at the site of the former marina. Here is a photo of one in bloom from early October.

When I walked through the marina yesterday morning, I did not see or hear many birds at all (unlike last week). The most notable bird was an Osprey that flew back and forth along the river.

Birds at the Marina

Yesterday morning I walked through the site of the former Red's Marina in Highland Park. All of the marina buildings are now gone, and so are the boats. The site is now overgrown and in the midst of natural succession. Unfortunately a lot of the plants taking root there are invasive. Mugwort is especially conspicuous in the open areas at the site. There are a lot of native plants, though, enough to make the site attractive to birds passing through.

When I walked through the site yesterday, a lot sparrows were working an area that had been full of blooming goldenrod and boneset a month or so ago. There were Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows, of course, but also a handful of Swamp Sparrows. A Winter Wren chattered from the shrubs on one side of the site. When I looked in the other direction, a big flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets was working its way through the lower branches of the trees along the river. I reported 8 to eBird, but there could easily have been a lot more than that. Two Belted Kingfishers flying in tandem popped up over the shrub line, flew low over my head, and continued flying down the river. I assume these were a pair, but I did not get a good look at their chest markings.

The recently-released movie, The Big Year, highlights the competitive side of birding, in a particularly extreme form. A North American big year takes skill, but also the time and money to chase birds around the country. My typical experience of birding is a lot more like the paragraph above: appreciation of common birds, with an occasional rarity mixed in. I think that is probably true for a lot of other birders as well.

Local Shorebirding

While Hurricane Irene did not bring me any tropical birds, it has created some good opportunities for local birding. The Raritan River flooded on Sunday and remained flooded on Monday, with the waters gradually decreasing since then. At this point, the flooding here is finished, but the river's level remains very high, so that areas that are normally exposed at low tide are still submerged. This leaves waders that depend on tidal mudflats looking for new locations for foraging and loafing. Meanwhile, with the river still high and the ground still saturated, a lot of fields have big wet areas.

One of the open areas by the old basketball courts in Donaldson Park was still flooded as of Thursday when I made my last visit there. More birds were using the wet area than I initially thought. There were a few dozen Mallards: some swimming and some roosting on the branches that had fallen in that area. When I walked around to get a closer view from the other side, I could see that there were many more birds than I initially thought. There were at least two dozen peeps (Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers – no Westerns that I could see), plus a few larger sandpipers (Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, and Lesser Yellowlegs). None of these shorebirds are particularly rare, but seeing so many at once in this location is highly unusual.

Lesser Yellowlegs is probably the yellowlegs I see less frequently in New Jersey. I'm not sure if this reflects an actual distribution pattern or if it is just an impression.

Solitary Sandpiper is actually one of the more reliable sandpipers at Donaldson Park. Least Sandpiper is the sandpiper that one is most likely to see there. After that would come Spotted Sandpiper and Solitary Sandpiper. The Solitary Sandpipers that visit Donaldson Park seem to prefer the wet fields to the edges of the river, unlike the Spotted Sandpipers, which I usually see along the riverbank. This wet area was one that both could agree on. Contrary to its name, this Solitary Sandpiper was not solitary, as one or two others were nearby.

The floodwaters have receded, but there is still evidence of the torrents all over the place, with a few trees down, fences covered with debris, and even one bent fence.

Birding after the Storm

The worst parts of Hurricane Irene passed through New Jersey in the early morning hours. The eye made landfall in the state around 6 am near Little Egg Inlet, the waterway between Atlantic City and Long Beach Island, very close to the Brigantine portion of Forsythe NWR. It was only the third storm to make landfall in New Jersey as a hurricane and the first since the Vagabond Hurricane of 1903. It continued up the coast and degraded into a tropical storm as it reached New York City.

Donaldson Park was flooded by the surging Raritan

As the eye was passing Central New Jersey, I took a walk down to Donaldson Park, my local patch, to see if any unusual birds were around. As I expected, the park was completely flooded. There were about 150 Laughing Gulls, as well as flocks of swallows (mostly Tree Swallows), taking advantage of the newly flooded fields. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, that many Laughing Gulls is very unusual for the site. I looked for terns but saw none. Even something common like a Forster's Tern would have been a nice sighting for the location.

There was not too much damage in my neighborhood, just some limbs down and one fallen tree, as far as I could see. The carpenter bee above was apparently killed by the storm, either by drowning or by being slammed into the ground by a gust of wind. A baby squirrel must have been knocked out of its nest by the wind.

In the afternoon, I went out again, this time across the Albany Street Bridge into New Brunswick. The bridge is closed because of flooding on the New Brunswick end, and Route 18 is closed because of flooding in multiple places. The river is very high right now, and it is expected to get worse before it gets better. The Delaware and Raritan Canal, its towpath, and Boyd Park have disappeared under the flood waters.

As I walked across the bridge and along Route 18's deserted northbound lanes, I kept an eye out for interesting birds. There were a lot of swallows around; I identified both Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows, but not any others. About 100 Laughing Gulls were in the air. Beyond that, I did not see anything out of the ordinary.

Riding out Irene

Yesterday morning, I walked through my local patch, Donaldson Park, in the hope of seeing some unusual birds before the storm arrived. Most of the birds I saw were the usual ones, highlighted by a flock of several dozen Brown-headed Cowbirds. One Spotted Sandpiper joined the usual Killdeer on the mudflats along the Raritan. I stood for a while and watched for bird activity at the east end of the park, which has an unobstructed view of the river down to the US 1 bridge. A few Double-crested Cormorants flew past, along with a few Laughing Gulls. The latter is a common coastal bird, but I rarely see it at that particular location. Maybe the easterly winds carried a few in from Raritan Bay.

Here are a couple photos from later in the day.