Great Cormorant, Lake Parsippany, NJ, Oct. 3, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

Morris County’s quasi-annual quota of Great Cormorant appearances was met today as a juvenile was found on a dock at the north end of Lake Parsippany early this morning. The cormorant disappeared later in the morning but was relocated at the south end at 2 PM, according to an eBird checklist. Along with a report from Hudson County on Oct. 1 and today, these are the first records of Great Cormorant in New Jersey north of I-195 this autumn as per eBird.

Common Loons at Boonton Reservoir

Chris Thomas found 9 Common Loons and a Common Raven at Boonton Reservoir this morning. The loons were visible from the north end in the morning but moved to a cove slightly northwest of the island in the afternoon, effectively out of view.

2 White-crowned Sparrows were found today at Jefferson Road Pond (Chris Thomas).

White-crowned Sparrow, Parsippany, NJ, Oct. 3, 2015 (photo by Chris Thomas)

White-crowned Sparrow, Parsippany, NJ, Oct. 3, 2015 (photo by Chris Thomas)

Other sightings by the peripatetic Mr. Thomas today in Morris County include:
– 3 Northern Shovelers at Melanie Lane Wetlands.
– 50 Ruddy Ducks and 150 Tree Swallows at Mt. Hope Lake (there were a few Tree Swallows at Boonton Reservoir as well).

Finderne Wetlands saw the following raptors today: 11 American Kestrels, Merlin, 5 Peregrine Falcons, 6 Osprey, Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks and Bald Eagle. Other observations include Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gulls, Common Raven, etc. (Jeff Ellerbusch).

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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.

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