White Ibis with Great Egret, Speedwell Lake, Morristown, NJ, Nov. 1, 2017 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
(Click on the photo for a larger image.)
Morristown’s White Ibis continues at Speedwell Lake as of November 1. This Ibis is approaching historic status. According to the eBird database, the only November records for White Ibis in November in the northeast, north of the Delmarva Peninsula are records from 2012 in Rhode Island and Cape May, 2011 in Pennsylvania, 2015 in Burlington County and 1979 in Connecticut. Further west are records from western New York in 1990 and northeastern Ohio in 2011.
The NJ Bird Record Committee began reviewing White Ibis records in 1996 and includes the 2012 Cape May sighting. There are no records of White Ibis later than October prior to 1996, actually prior to 2012. The history of this White Ibis can be followed on these posts:
Red-throated Loon, Great Cormorant, Bonaparte’s Gulls at Boonton Reservoir
An unusual Red-throated Loon was observed at the north end of Boonton Reservoir this afternoon by Rob Fanning and yours truly. It is unusual as it has a darker than expected neck as if vestiges of alternate plumage remain. The only photos obtainable are useless due to the distance and poor light.
Also at the northern end, a Great Cormorant was on the western shore before flying to the eastern shore. Morris County seems to get a quota of one Great Cormorant every fall. Once again, poor light makes for a mediocre photo.
Great Cormorant, Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Nov. 1, 2017 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
At least two Bonaparte’s Gulls were at the south end of the reservoir this afternoon.
Other Birds
As many as five Bonaparte’s Gulls were at Lake Musconetcong this afternoon (Alan Boyd). At least some of these were present on October 31 as well.
American Pipits have occasionally visited Florham Park Fields in recent weeks. Chuck Hantis captured the following images late in the day on October 30.
American Pipit, Florham Park, NJ, Oct. 30, 2017 (photo by Chuck Hantis)
American Pipit, Florham Park, NJ, Oct. 30, 2017 (photo by Chuck Hantis)
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.
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@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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