mocosocoBirds

From Alan Boyd:

Hi Jonathan,

This morning there was an olive-sided flycatcher at the Tilcon quarry pond on Bell Rd in Mt Olive. It was in the top of a Norway spruce near the entrance gate off of Bell Rd. I tried for a photo but it was a little too far away. The dark vest was easy to see with binoculars, along with the large head and bill. Nothing else of note around the pond.

Alan Boyd

[Editor’s Note] – Alan mentions a fabulous area which is under-birded and worthy of more coverage. This includes Waterloo Valley Rd. (a completely un-maintained road) and the areas east or southeast of the Musconetcong River down to and including Stephens State Park. The river is the county boundary between Morris and Warren. So, even though you enter Stephens State park from Waterloo Rd. (note to be confused with Waterloo Valley Rd.) in Warren County, most of the park lies in Morris County.

From Alan Boyd:

Hi Jonathan,

This afternoon I had an Olive-sided Flycatcher in a tree on my property in Roxbury. I had one in the same tree on 8/11/09.

Alan Boyd

From Jim Mulvey:

Brendan Fogarty and Ben Barkley found and reported on NJ Birds an Upland Sandpiper in the dead tree to the right of the Blue Bird parking lot in the Great Swamp this afternoon. I was in the area when the report came through and was able to take some photos of it before a refuge truck pulled in to the lot and the bird took cover in the grass below. Thanks to Brendan and Ben for the report!

Upland Sandpiper, Great Swamp, Aug. 13, 2012 (photo by J. Mulvey).

Upland Sandpiper, Great Swamp, Aug. 13, 2012 (photo by J. Mulvey).

Upland Sandpiper, Great Swamp, Aug. 13, 2012 (photo by J. Mulvey).

This evening, Simon Lane flushed a Least Bittern from the bridge on the path to the Friends Blind at the Wildlife Observation Center, Long Hill Road, Harding Township. Other species in the area were Great Egret, Green Herons, Spotted Sandpiper and two Greater Yellowlegs.