Mourning Warblers at Lord Stirling Park
Mourning Warbler, Lord Stirling Park, NJ, May 24, 2015 (photo by Jeff Ellerbusch)
(Click on the photo for a larger image.)
4-5 Mourning Warblers were found at various locations within Lord Stirling Park this morning, such as the Lenape Loop, Dance Floor and Bullfrog Pond areas (Jeff Ellerbusch, Simon Lane). An audio recording of one of the Mourning Warblers is here.
Other species observed include a singing Alder Flycatcher, a sound recording of which is here, Wilson’s Warbler, Canada Warbler and Lincoln’s Sparrow. The Yellow-breasted Chat and White-eyed Vireo continue near Bullfrog Pond.
Yellow-breasted Chat, Lord Stirling Park, NJ, May 24, 2015 (photo by Simon Lane)
West Morris Greenway
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Randolph Twp., NJ, May 24, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
The section of the West Morris Greenway traveled today is between Righter Road in Roxbury and Pleasant Hill Road in Randolph. It was opened in 2012 and extends the West Morris Greenway from the Black River WMA trail in Chester. A trail map is here.
This is wooded bottomland habitat drained by the Black River and owned by the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority (MCMUA). The main trail, a wide gravel road actually, has an offshoot from the powerline where a mowed path cuts through some edge habitat. This is where two singing Chestnut-sided Warblers were today along with Blue-winged Warbler, Prairie Warblers, Indigo Buntings and Wild Turkey. The White Pine grove along the power-line has a singing Pine Warbler.
Ovenbird, Randolph Twp., NJ, May 24, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
The main trail had typical species of the habitat including Red-shouldered Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Scarlet Tanager, Veery, Wood Thrush, Louisiana Waterthrush and 3 Northern Waterthrushes, American Redstart, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats and numerous Red-eyed Vireos and Ovenbirds. A side pond held two Great Egrets, 1 Great Blue Heron and a Belted Kingfisher.
Yellow Warbler, Randolph Twp., NJ, May 24, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
Other Field Notes
2 Blue Grosbeaks are reported from Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve, “near the pond on the telephone wires.” (Tara Snyder via eBird).
Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeer make up the Morris shorebird report from the Fish Tract in Florham Park.
Greater Yellowlegs, Florham Park, NJ, May 24, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
These are just some of the reports for today. View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:
The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
Finis
mocosocoBirds 
I went to Lord Stirling on Tuesday, my first ever visit there, but of
course the Mourning Warblers, and all other migrants, had long since
left. I think I heard the Chat, but couldn’t see it to confirm. One
interesting sight was two very young Phœbes, and a concerned parent,
by the West Observation Blind.
Ted Chase
Franklin Twp, Somerset Co.