The 2012 version of the Big Sit on Sunday, Oct. 14 at the overlook at Pleasant Plains Road at the Great Swamp, N.W.R. produced 72 species in a 15 hour period.

From compiler Karen English:
Highlights were a traveling Golden Eagle, 3 high flying Snow Geese and same count of Common Loon, and a resting Merlin. Pine Siskin and Purple Finch numbers were higher than typical for our area.

The list as submitted to eBird:
3 Snow Goose
36 Canada Goose
24 Wood Duck
12 American Wigeon
24 American Black Duck
36 Mallard
4 Green-winged Teal
3 Common Loon
3 Great Blue Heron
3 Black Vulture
12 Turkey Vulture
1 Osprey Pandion
1 Golden Eagle – Traveling southeast, but at low altitude that was easily seen by all. Juvenile white patches on primaries, but overall dark . Team included NJAS naturalist.
2 Northern Harrier
3 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Cooper’s Hawk
1 Red-shouldered Hawk
7 Red-tailed Hawk
7 Wilson’s Snipe
2 Rock Pigeon
2 Mourning Dove
3 Great Horned Owl
2 Barred Owl
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
3 Northern Flicker
2 American Kestrel
1 Merlin – Perched in scope range,easily identified by color patches, yellow legs
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee – Team concurrence. Bird perched in close proximity
1 Eastern Phoebe
7 Blue Jay
18 American Crow
2 Common Raven
3 Northern Rough-winged Swallow – Team concurrence on small flock.
3 Tree Swallow
3 Black-capped Chickadee
5 Tufted Titmouse
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Winter Wren
1 Carolina Wren
5 Golden-crowned Kinglet
4 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
7 Eastern Bluebird
5 American Robin
3 Gray Catbird
18 European Starling
9 Cedar Waxwing
1 Common Yellowthroat
2 Palm Warbler
5 Yellow-rumped Warbler
2 Eastern Towhee
1 Chipping Sparrow
2 Field Sparrow
1 Savannah Sparrow
2 Song Sparrow
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
5 White-throated Sparrow
2 White-crowned Sparrow
2 Dark-eyed Junco
2 Northern Cardinal
18 Red-winged Blackbird
2 Rusty Blackbird
500 Common Grackle
3 Brown-headed Cowbird
36 Purple Finch
20 Pine Siskin
4 American Goldfinch