Lark Sparrow at Wagner Arboretum (Glenhurst Meadows)

Lark Sparrow, Wagner Arboretum, Warren Twp., Somerset Co., NJ, Aug. 24, 2017 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

Mike Newlon found a Lark Sparrow at the Wagner Arboretum section of Glenhurst Meadows in Warren Twp., Somerset Co. today. Observers viewed the sparrow throughout the afternoon.

Lark Sparrow, Wagner Arboretum, Warren Twp., Somerset Co., NJ, Aug. 24, 2017 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

It was frequenting the northwest portion of the parking area of the Community Garden. Cones were set up so gardeners entering the site would not disturb the rarity while parking. Occasionally, the Lark Sparrow took to the air but always returned to the same location (see the pinpoint on the screen shot of a map below).

According to available records, this is only the second occurrence of Lark Sparrow in Somerset County. The first was in Hillsborough in 2012. The mocosocoBirds post for that occasion is here.

Golden-winged Warblers

On August 22, Alan Boyd had a great yardbird in Roxbury, a male Golden-winged Warbler.

Today, not one, but two, Golden-winged Warblers were found. One at Chimney Rock (Jeff Ellerbusch) and another at Lord Stirling Park (Ben Barkley).

Jeff also mentioned that today  was one of the best warbler mornings he has had at Chimney Rock, as far as volume. Seventeen warbler species along with a Philadelphia Vireo were tallied. Jeff also had a flyover Upland Sandpiper during a nocturnal count elsewhere in Warren Twp.

This morning’s migration map was spot on for some locations.

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.

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

@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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