Birding in Early October

There was lots of migration movement on the radar last night – most of which seemed to be south of northern New Jersey.

The pre-dawn radar displayed a light view of migration.

But, depending on where one was, birds were plentiful…

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

…October birds, that is. Autumn is solidly in place. The southern section of Troy Meadows was loaded with seasonal species such as Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 60 Yellow-rumped Warblers, the yellow warblers such as Nashville Warbler, 40+ Palm Warblers and Common Yellowthroats in every intensity of hue, Eastern Towhees, Field Sparrows, 40+ each of Savannah, Song, Swamp and White-throated Sparrows, 3 Lincoln’s Sparrows and hundreds of Common Grackles leaving their night roost in the marsh.

Palm Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Nashville Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

A pale Common Yellowthroat, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Typical view of a skulking Lincoln’s Sparrow:

Lincoln’s Sparrow, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Chimney Rock had 10 species of warblers in the morning, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Swainson’s Thrush (Jeff Ellerbusch, Simon Lane). A Golden Eagle flew by the hawkwatch at 4:05 p.m.

11 species of warblers were found at Glenhurst Meadows along with Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireos (Tom Smith and Ted Chase via eBird).

Finderne Wetlands had Green-winged Teal, 70 Savannah, 30 Song and 50 Swamp Sparrows, Bald Eagle and 7 warbler species (Chris Thomas via eBird).