mocosocoBirds

Scoter Weather

The recent and forthcoming stormy weather coupled with the time of year equals Scoters, Grebes and possibly other sea birds at inland bodies of water. This was demonstrated yesterday at Budd Lake with 14 Horned Grebes.

The trend continued when Mike Wolfe visited the south end of Boonton Reservoir this afternoon and found three White-winged Scoters and one adult male Surf Scoter. Scoters of any species are a great find on the bodies of water in Morris County. Finding a Surf Scoter is noteworthy as they are the least likely of the three Scoter species to be found inland, especially in spring. Most inland Black and Surf Scoter reports are from the autumn.

As with most birds at Boonton Reservoir, the Scoters were distant and took patience to identify but persistence was rewarded with the viewing of solid identification marks. Eventually all three White-winged Scoters displayed eye marks and white wing patches. The Surf Scoter stuck out with its white head markings.

Surf Scoter, Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Apr. 11, 2013 (iPhone photo by Simon Lane).

Passerines are on hold. Let’s see what the next few days bring into the lakes.

Field Notes

From Tim Vogel:
Thursday April 11, 2013
Lake Parsippany
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Lesser Scaup 32
Bufflehead 4
Common Merganser 2
Am. Coot 13

Out of Area
Sunday April 7, 2013
Lake Wallenpaupack, PA
Highlights
Common Loon 55; Red breasted Merganser 9
Bald Eagle 1 (nesting); Osprey 2 (nesting)

Tim Vogel
Denville

Editor’s Note: Jamie Glydon adds 2 Blue-winged Teal to the Lake Parsippany list.

From Leslie Webster:
Lots of Palm Warblers and Golden-Crowned Kinglets in Loantaka Brook Reservation this morning, some Pine Warblers, and increased numbers of Ruby-Crowned Kinglets. My first Louisiana Waterthrush in that park was noted. I thought I saw a Black-and-White Warbler with the kinglets. Has anyone else seen one? Unfortunately, it wasn’t vocalizing to confirm the ID. Northern Rough-winged Swallows were at Kitchell Pond, along with some Tree Swallows.

Editor’s Note: There is only one report for 2013 in New Jersey of Black-and-white Warbler and that was yesterday at Belleplain in Cape May County. There are very few reports from the Delmarva Peninsula. They are coming – just not yet.

Melanie Lane Wetlands had at least 70 Wilson’s Snipe this afternoon. No other shorebird species were observed. Green-winged Teal are still plentiful. Swallow numbers are growing.

A Pectoral Sandpiper was seen at Opie Road this morning in Branchburg Township.

Solitary Sandpiper and up to 3 Greater Yellowlegs and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs were in the mud ponds of Duke Farms (Jeff Ellerbusch).

The photo below of the Solitary Sandpiper at Duke Farms is by Jeff Ellerbusch. After publishing this post, it became evident that the photo was not displaying as planned. Click on the space below where the photo should be to view it on Flickr.

From Holly Dunbar:
There was a Vesper Sparrow in the parking lot at Glenhurst Meadows in Warren around 3 p.m. today. The bird returned twice and I had very good looks at it. I also had several Field Sparrows there today.

Louisiana Waterthrush in Long Valley

From Ken Hart:
This morning, in the woods on my property along Black River Rd. in Long Valley, a Louisiana Waterthrush, calling from practically the same exact spot it did last year, –assuming it’s the same bird. Last year it arrived (or began singing) on April 4. Also, in the same area this morning, a Blue-headed Vireo.

Glenhurst Meadows

From Mike Newlon:
Glenhurst Meadows April 9 – highlights
Great Egret 1
Pied-billed Grebe 1 (pond under powerline, my first at Glenhurst)
Wilson’s Snipe 1
E. Phoebe 1
Palm Warbler ca. 10
Myrtle Warbler 1
Sparrows: Field 4, Chipping 1, Savannah 1, Swamp 2

Harvey Tomlinson at 3 p.m. adds: I walked the stream up and back. There were numerous Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Kinglets feeding on the bugs.

Loantaka Brook Reservation

Late this afternoon, Kitchell Lake and its surroundings hosted the typical species of the area, plus:
Gadwall – 2
Blue-winged Teal – 4
Green-winged Teal – 4
Killdeer – 2
American Kestrel
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Palm Warbler – 12+
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler

Negri-Nepote

From Susan Treesh:
Another spin at Negri-Nepote early – same birds as yesterday (Palm Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, and Phoebes), but added a FOS Pine Warbler. One more night of south winds – hoping for the Gnatcatchers that have arrived everywhere else!

From John J. Collins:
I too went to the Negri-Nepote Grasslands this morning. I saw at least 9 WILSON’S SNIPE at the pond, heard two EASTERN MEADOWLARKs, one singing three times to the north-west of the white house above the pond, and the other giving its “Bronx cheer” call to the south-east of the same house. I also saw two PALM WARBLERS, eight BLACK VULTURES in a single flock, numerous CHIPPING and SAVANNAH SPARROWS and my first BARN SWALLOW of the year! All the nest boxes seem to be occupied (mostly with TREE SWALLOWS) but one to the south of the pond was being used by EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. Alas, I didn’t see or hear any Vesper Sparrows. I will be returning there tomorrow at an earlier time to see if that was the problem.

From Kristi Reed:
Saw 6+ Wilson’s Snipe at Negri-Nepote Native Grasslands on 4/9/13 at about 7:00. My son Collin and I walked the trail around the pond. They would flush out, sometimes flying overhead for awhile, and sometimes just to the other side of the pond. We also saw several Chipping Sparrows and Bluebirds.

Pine Siskins Continue

From Jennifer Books:
I think it is worth noting that I still have Pine Siskins coming to my feeder regularly (in Baskind Ridge). I have seen at least two daily and am seriously beginning to wonder if they are a pair and are going to stick around through the summer.

Palm Warbler, Lord Stirling Park, NJ, Apr. 8, 2013 (photo by Zach Batren).

Winter is officially over. Below are numerous reports celebrating the many arrivals that occurred today in Morris and Somerset Counties.

From Zach Batren:
Holly and I took an hour walk though Lord Stirling Park today (starting at the Fisherman’s Cove) The Palm Warblers were going nuts! We had 22 species, a few of which included:
3 Blue-winged Teal
9 Eastern Phoebe
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
23 Palm Warbler

Margaret Barbuty of Bedminster had a surprise visitor to her feeder this morning: a European Goldfinch – a certain escapee but beautiful nonetheless.

European Goldfinch, Bedminster, NJ, Apr. 8, 2013 (photo by Margaret Barbuty).

From Leslie Webster:
Warm breezes brought Pine and Palm Warblers, and a Yellow-Rumped Warbler, traveling with one of the several groups of Golden-crowned Kinglets, to Loantaka Brook Reservation this morning. Also seen were a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and four Hermit Thrushes. I think I heard a Chippy in the field, but would have felt more confident if I had actually seen it.

From Susan Treesh:
This morning (4/8) – my first Chipping sparrows and Palm Warblers at Negri-Nepote – and I think they were new arrivals because I had stopped there both Saturday and Sunday Bwithout seeing them. Many more Phoebes had arrived. The continuing blue-winged Teal pair were joined by another male. Meadowlarks were singing. Great morning out there in the Somerset area!

From Ken Hart:
Early today, in the woods around my home on Black River Rd in Long Valley: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Chipping Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2). I guess last night began to produce what the radar forecasted. Also, two continuing Red-breasted Nuthatches, daily, at my feeder (since November!). Eastern Meadowlarks on Cedar Ridge Rd in Bedminster, calling and visible in the fields on both sides of the road, at the Lamington Rd end. Saw a Hermit Thrush in a cedar forest on private land in Bedminster– 500 Cedar Ridge Rd, close to the corner of Lamington Rd.

From Larry Baum:
Hermit Thrush arrived today. Northern Flickers since the 5th. (for Farny Park/Pequannock Watershed parts of the Highlands).

Chipping Sparrows were evident at Sourland Mountain Preserve in Hillsborough Township (Jonathan Klizas).
Easter Towhee at Great Swamp NWR and at Sourland (Jonathan Klizas).

Ruby- crowned Kinglet was at Bee Meadow Park (Mike Wolfe).

5 Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 Common Goldeneye were seen from the Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath (Jeff Ellerbusch).

Oh, so close

See woodcreeper.com’s map from 11:00 p.m. last night (Saturday) to see how close all of those migrants are to Morris and Somerset counties and New Jersey in general. The migration effect was not experienced this morning in the mocosocoBirds area. This week should bring an influx of species to reassure cold weather-weary, and migration-anxious New Jerseyans.

Red-throated Loon at Lake Hopatcong

ID photo of a Red-throated Loon, Lake Hopatcong, NJ, Apr. 7, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

(Click on the photo for a larger image).

Morris County sweeps the loons is the subtitle to this article. A Red-throated Loon (RTLO) was visible this afternoon from the north side of Bertrand Island, Mt. Arlington. Wind made the water choppy and passing motor boats did not help the situation. Two alternate plumaged Common Loons were in the same area. The RTLO was a pale, slender snake compared to those. The above photo was the best that could be done. All of the loons were feeding and would surface only briefly enough to locate them before they went down again. With this sighting, Morris County has had all of the regularly occurring loons of New Jersey in 2013. In fact, all three species were seen in two days of April 2013, the Pacific Loon of Boonton was seen yesterday (but not today. I tried).

Lake Hopatcong is the largest body of fresh water in all of New Jersey. Albeit, the entire shoreline is developed and motor boats are a-plenty from now until the lake freezes again. But it is so big. Looking north from Bertrand Island is like viewing an inland sea. Some interesting species have to drop in their occasionally.

Rusty Blackbirds at Troy Meadows

Rusty Blackbirds, Troy Meadows, NJ, Apr. 7, 2013 (photo by Jonathan Klizas).

The first sizable group of Rusty Blackbirds in our region in 2013, 60+ individuals, was at Troy Meadows this morning. In fact, this is the largest group of Rusty Blackbirds recorded in the entire state of New Jersey in 2013, so far, based on eBird data. Otherwise, Troy Meadows was dominated by American Robins, Song Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds. Flocks of female Red-wingeds comprised the bulk of the 450 Red-winged Blackbirds counted.

Fox Sparrow at Troy Meadows, NJ, Apr. 7, 2013 (photo by Jonathan Klizas).

Troy Meadows also had singing Fox Sparrows, scattered groups of American Tree Sparrows and lingering Dark-eyed Juncos.

Melanie Lane Wetlands – North End Construction Site is Off Limits

Branches of Tree Swallows at Melanie Lane Wetlands, NJ, Apr. 7, 2013 (photo by Jonathan Klizas).

At least 30 Wilson’s Snipe were at the Melanie Lane Wetlands early this morning. 2 Wood Ducks, 8 Gadwall, 8 Northern Shovelers, 35 Green-winged Teal, 2 Blue-winged Teal, 1 American Coot and 120 Tree Swallows were viewed (Jonathan Klizas). Later in the day, 2 Greater Yellowlegs and 2 Great Egrets were added (Simon Lane).

PLEASE NOTE: The bad news is that the north end access to the wetlands, the construction site, is Strictly Off Limits. I was informed by a security officer this morning that everything enclosed by fencing is private property. We do not want to create problems, so, if you visit Melanie, please respect property boundaries and do not park where the trailer and port-a-john are, or anywhere within the fence enclosure. Avoid the construction site. This is illegal trespassing. Of course, everything outside of the fence is wetlands and accessible to those who have a creative imagination.

Pine and Palm Warblers

Morris County’s first Pine Warbler for 2013 was recorded today at the Great Swamp NWR (Simon Lane). The mocosocoBirds region’s first two Palm Warblers were seen from the Lord Stirling Park side of the Passaic River today (Simon Lane).

Other Notes

From Leslie Webster:
Report from Loantaka Brook Reservation: 1 Greater Yellowlegs was present at Kitchell Pond this morning, along with 2 Blue-Winged Teal, 9 Green-Winged Teal, 2 Gadwall, 6 Mallard, and the Mute Swan. Several small groups of Golden-Crowned Kinglets were making their way through the trees in the woods. I’m also picking up more Eastern Phoebes than usual.

From Susan Simovich:
My husband and I bird our area of Lake Hopatcong, Picatinny Arsenal and the Lake Denmark area. We also do the fall Picatinny Peak hawkwatch.
Currently our yard still has one Fox Sparrow, several Juncos, Tree and Song sparrows, Chickadees and we had our first Phoebe singing yesterday. Lake Winona (our backyard) had 5 Ring-necked Ducks and two pair of Bufflehead as of yesterday. At one point we had all three Mergansers hanging out but I didn’t see this section in time to let folks know.

Today on Picatinny, we were doing the Bluebird trail maintenence but were a bit late – we already have 3 Bluebird eggs in one nest and a pair building in another box. Phoebe singing on post as well.

From Roger Johnson:
Common Raven today at North Branch Park, Bridgewater Twp.