Red-headed Woodpecker, Chatham Twp., NJ, July 4, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

Morris and Somerset Counties are the regional hotspot for Red-headed Woodpeckers (RHWO) this summer of 2016.

This cyclical species is more apparent in the Morris and Somerset area this summer than in recent years. Juveniles are reported, so breeding is taking place. Spring and summer residents of this species usually follows a heavy winter influx of Red-headed Woodpeckers. While there was a slight movement this past fall and winter as witnessed by the Christmas Bird Counts in December 2015, it was not at all extraordinary. Great Swamp CBC counted 3 RHWOs and the Boonton CBC tallied 6.

Following is a list of recent Red-headed Woodpeckers sightings:

• Two adult RHWOs were found on Saturday, July 2 at Passaic River County Park in Chatham Township by Tom Halliwell as he was conducting the annual Great Swamp Butterfly Count. The adults remain as of today.
• An immature RHWO is reported from Old Troy Park, July 6 (Joseph Barbieri via eBird).
• Two RHWOs were observed at Lord Stirling Park: one near the Passaic River and the other by the boondocks boardwalk (Jeff Ellerbusch). This can mean that these same individuals are circulating through the west side of the Great Swamp NWR.
• Four RHWOs were at Troy Meadows on June 26 (Roger Johnson). Two of the woodpeckers are juveniles.
• RHWOs are reported from the swamp at Pyramid Mountain in Montville (David Blinder).
• 1 adult RHWO was seen by Ben Barkley at the Howe Nature Trail at Colonial Park, Franklin Twp. He has a second-hand report of two juvenile RHWOs seen there as well.

The last two entries on the list were added after the post was originally published.

With all of these RHWO sightings, the usually reliable picids at Glenhurst Meadows/Long Hill Wetlands are probably in attendance but have not been reported.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Chatham Twp., NJ, July 4, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

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.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

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