mocosocoBirds

Roger Johnson and I birded a sampling of Morris Lakes this morning. Highlights are Black Scoters on Budd Lake, Horned Grebes on Lake Musconetcong, 330 Ruddy Ducks on Mt. Hope Lake, Common Loons and Buffleheads on Boonton Reservoir and Common Loon on Lake Parsippany. The Horned Grebes, Buffleheads, Ring-necked Ducks and American Coot are the first reported in Morris County this season. The 330 Ruddy Ducks represent the high count for 2012 in Morris County. According to the eBird database, it is the all-time high count for Morris.

Budd Lake, Mt. Olive Township
Black Scoter – 3
Hooded Merganser – 3
Double-crested Cormorant – 1
American Coot – 4

Lake Musconetcong
Mute Swan – 72
Hooded Merganser – 2
Pied-billed Grebe – 30
Horned Grebe – 3 (southwest corner)
Double-crested Cormorants – 30
Bald Eagle – adult
American Coot – 30

Mt. Hope Lake, Rockaway Township
Mute Swan – 66
Wood Duck – 5
Gadwall – 6
American Wigeon – 2
American Black Duck – 6
Mallard – 20
Ring-necked Duck – 8
Ruddy Duck – 330
Pied-billed Grebe – 2
Bald Eagle – adult, swooped for a fish, unsuccessfully, directly in front of our car as we parked.

Boonton Reservoir, from the walkway (old bridge) off Reservoir Dr.
Common Loon – 1
Bufflehead – 2

Lake Parsippany
Green-winged Teal – 1
Common Loon – 1
Pied-billed Grebe – 2

Jamie Glydon reports 2 continuing Vesper Sparrows at Veteran’s Memorial Park this evening.

Terry Carruthers adds the following:
Hi Jonathan – A brief stop at the gas line crossing Troy Meadows Rd. this afternoon produced 3 purple finches, 2 magnolia warblers and 3 rc kinglets.  Veteran’s Memorial Park offered 6 white-crowned sparrows, 6 savannahs, 10 +  palm warblers, and a single phoebe.  Good birding!

[Editor’s note: Terry also had a Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Chipping Sparrows and 6 Pine Siskins at Troy Meadows. According to eBird data, the Magnolia Warbler sighting is the latest in the state of NJ this year. One was seen on Oct. 24 near Lakehurst in Ocean County]

Following on the heels of yesterday’s Black Scoter fallout in New Jersey, 21 Black Scoters were on Lake Parsippany at 5 p.m. today. 3 Pied-billed Grebes, 2 Hooded Merganser drakes and 12 Ruddy Ducks were also on the lake.

3 Common Loons were on Boonton Reservoir along with 2 Pied-billed Grebes. Boonton Reservoir is vast – a distant raft of 12 American Black Ducks may have contained a smaller species but was too far away for positive identification.

From Tom Halliwell:

A lone drake Black Scoter was on Lake Musconetcong mid-day today (Thursday) hanging out with 10+ DC Cormorants. The PB Grebe flock on the lake appears to be growing; 50+ were estimated today.

All the best,
Tom Halliwell

From Tom Halliwell:
Hi Jon – Three Vesper Sparrows were feeding together this afternoon in the thin grassy vegetation growing in and around an old, overgrown parking lot on the Netcong-Mt. Olive border. The area is accessed from Route 46 West by turning right on Love Lane immediately before passing under Route 80. In 0.3 mile (directly opposite the Air Contact Transport building) turn left onto a poorly maintained access road which bends back to the gravelly lot.

The birds may flush, but they seem to return to the lot in a few minutes.

All the best,
Tom Halliwell
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From Alan Boyd at Black River WMA, Chester Township:
Hi Jonathan,

This morning I birded from the lot at the intersection of Ironia Rd and Catan Drive:
1 Pine Warbler
1 Vesper Sparrow
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
1 Fox Sparrow
6 White-crowned Sparrows
3 Red-breasted Nuthatches
12 Pine Siskins
100+ Yellow-rumps

Yesterday I had White-crowned and Fox Sparrows in my yard in Roxbury.

Alan Boyd
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From Ken Hart in Long Valley:
Today I had 11 Pine Siskins on my nyjer feeder at my home on Black River Road in Long Valley. Also a Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and 6 Ruby Crowned Kinglets nearby in the woods. Also had 2 Purple Finch here at Black River Road, as well.