Blue-winged Teal and Purple Finches, March 17, 2012

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

From Mike Hiotis:

Hi Jon,

Alan Boyd’s Clark Drive retention and waterfowl collection pond had a drake Blue-winged Teal swimming along with a few Canadas noontime today.

Mike Hiotis

Ed. Note: Clark Drive is off of International Drive in Mt. Olive Township
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The Greater Yellowlegs at Duke’s Parkway West in Hillsborough continues this morning as reported by Jeff Ellerbusch and Simon Lane. They also had 9 of the continuing-but-not-always-easy-to-find Purple Finches (PUFI) at Sourland Mountain Preserve on East Mountain Road in Hillsborough. The PUFIs were first found on March 7. 12 were seen on March 8 and another report came in on March 14. The PUFIs have been seen in the woods west of the parking lot and along the wood’s edge in the field west of the pond.

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Cackling Goose, Greater Yellowlegs in Somerset County, March 16, 2012

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

Jeff Ellerbusch reports a Greater Yellowlegs seen from Dukes Parkway West in Hillsborough this afternoon. This represents the first Tringa in either Somerset or Morris Counties in 2012.

Thought all of the Geese had moved on? Not so fast – Jeff found a Cackling Goose at the bridge on Old York Rd. east of South Branch Road in Branchburg. This is the spot where the North and South Branches merge into the Raritan River. 3 Double-crested Cormorants were present as this species moves into the mocosoco area in the last few days.

Also, 8 Snow Geese were in a cornfield along South Branch Road north of Studdiford Lane.

Winds with a southerly component this coming Saturday night into Sunday should make for interesting birding with some new seasonal arrivals in Morris and Somerset Counties.

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Horned Grebes at Lake Parsippany; Redheads and Morris Lakes, March 15, 2012

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

Jamie Glydon found 3 Horned Grebes on Lake Parsippany this evening representing the 1st of 2012 in both Morris and Somerset counties.

Here is a rough count of waterfowl seen earlier at Lake Parsippany:
Gadwall – 68
Northern Shoveler – 7
Ring-necked Duck – 2
Lesser Scaup – 2
Bufflehead – 2
Common Merganser – 46
Ruddy Duck – 25
American Coot – 16

5 Redheads continue at Foxs Pond in Rockaway. This little in-town Aythya-magnet also has basically the same 12 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Lesser Scaup and 6 Gadwall that have been present for at least two weeks. The Redheads at Clark Drive in Mt. Olive may have left or are hiding in the marsh as they were not seen today.

Mt. Hope Lake in Rockaway Township has 150 Ring-necked Ducks, 20 American Wigeon, 3 Buffleheads and the usual 86 Mute Swans. Most of the Ring-neckeds and Wigeon were W-A-Y in the back of the pond and were a challenge to count with the scope maxed out to 60x.

Horned Grebes were in western Morris County this time last year but the search was futile today. 3 Double-crested Cormorants were at Lake Musconetcong this afternoon with 45 Bufflehead, a Ruddy Duck, a few Common Mergansers and not much else.

Budd Lake had 34 Common Mergansers, 3 Bufflehead, 9 Lesser Scaup, some Fish Crows and Gulls. Period.

Submitted by Jonathan Klizas

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Purple Finches in Somerset County, March 14, 2012

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

Purple Finches continue to be scarce throughout New Jersey in 2012. Other than a singleton at Glenhurst Meadows in January, the only other reports from Somerset County this year are the continuing Purple Finches at Sourland Mountain Preserve in Hillsborough Township. They were reported again this morning in the woods between the parking lot and the pond. First found on March 7, there were 12 seen on March 8 but none reported since as they apparently wander through the area.

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Tree Swallow, Rusty Blackbird at Great Swamp N.W.R., March 13, 2012

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

From John J. Collins:

I saw my first Tree Swallow of the season at the Heron Rookery Overlook this afternoon at the Great Swamp, NWR. Also present at that location was a single Rusty Blackbird and Wild Turkeys could be heard gobbling from the woods on the opposite side of the road. Hooded Mergansers (3) and Ring-Necked Ducks (9) were present in the pond at the turn-around by the gated bridge on Pleasant Plains Road and more of Hooded Mergansers (2) plus 6 Wood Ducks were in the river south of that bridge. An Eastern Phoebe was present and singing near the bridge to the Friend’s Blind on the other side of the refuge. Spring Peepers and Leopard Frogs were really going to town all over the refuge. It was almost deafening.

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Rusty Blackbirds in Somerset County, March 11, 2012

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

From Tom Ostrand:

4 Rusty Blackbirds were seen at the Del-Rar canal, just below the Weston Canal Road crossover (between Weston Canal and Amwell Road, but much closer to Weston), this afternoon at 4:45pm DST. They were among many hundreds of Common Grackles, and dozens of Redwinged Blackbirds.

I was surprised at the paucity of waterfowl. In the roundtrip 4.2 mile walk from Weston Canal to Amwell and back, only 2 Mallards and 5 or 6 Canada Geese. And only one Carolina Wren was heard.

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Redheads, Arrivals and Morris Notes, March 11, 2012

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

So far in 2012, Tree Swallows have only been reported in Morris County from the Great Swamp N.W.R. with a high of 8 this morning. In Somerset County 2 were reported today from Robert J. Stahl Natural Area in Bedminster Township, Somerset County by Joe Pescatore.

Morris County’s sole Easter Phoebe, as of now, continued today at the bridge at Loantaka Brook Reservation off of Kitchell Road in Morris/Harding Townships. Another in Somerset County was reported today from Fairview Farm in Bedminster also by Joe Pescatore.

Redheads continue to be in the news. Foxs Pond (aka Park Lake) in Rockaway is a small, popular town pond. Today there were many human visitors walking the path around the lake, a few anglers were casting their lines into the water. Yet with all of this activity, some interesting ducks continue actively feeding in what must be a nutrient-filled body of water: 5 Redheads continue (2 drakes; 3 hens), 7 Gadwall, 12 Ring-necked Ducks, 5 Lesser Scaup and a Pied-billed Grebe.

3 Redheads (2 drakes; 1 hen) also continue at Clark Drive in Mt. Olive Township. Rather than in the pond they had been favoring, the Redheads were resting in the back of the marsh behind the ponds.

Mt. Hope Lake is the Mute Swan capital of the Mocosoco region with 86 present today as well as 4 American Wigeon, 10 Green-winged Teal, a Gadwall, Hooded Merganser, 4 Lesser scaup, 12 American Coot.

Indian Lake in Denville had 10 Bufflehead. Period. The previously seen Lesser Scaup and Mergansers spp. have moved on

Jim Mulvey and this writer visited Lake Parsippany today. A combined list:
Belted Kingfisher
Gadwall 43
Ring-necked Duck 2
Lesser Scaup 18
Common Merganser 83
Ruddy Duck 39
American Coot 15
Ring-billed Gulls 30
Herring Gulls 4
Mallards, Canada Geese and Mute Swans.

As empty as some of our lakes have been recently, others of modest size can be very productive. Saturday, Jamie Glydon had 61 Common Mergansers and 21 Ring-necked Ducks as well as Canada Geese and Mallards on the small pond at Bee Meadow Park of Say’s Phoebe fame  in 2011 in Hanover Township.

Jim Mulvey comments on the Great Swamp: There were 2 Kingfishers that were very active on the pond near Black Brook in the Great Swamp during the morning, as well as three Tree Swallows and 2 Pied-billed Grebes. It is looking to me that birding and photography are gaining popularity, as there were a lot of people out enjoying the day at both locations (Lake Parsippany and Great Swamp) today.

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Eastern Phoebe in Morris County, March 10, 2012

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

From Tom Smith:

Today a phoebe was present by the lake at Loantaka Park. Also there were 3 Pintail, ~7 Green-winged Teal, and a very vocal Carolina Wren.

Editors Note: This is Morris County’s first reported Eastern Phoebe for 2012. There are a few earlier dates recorded in history but this, like the Tree Swallows reported today, is certainly before the approximate average of the third week in March. With warm temperatures forecast for the coming week following a winter of remarkably tame and mild weather, it will be interesting to see if a pattern of early arrivals is established.

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Tree Swallows in Morris County, March 10, 2012

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

Morris County’s first two Tree Swallows of 2012 were seen by Simon Lane on Pleasant Plains Road in the Great Swamp N.W.R. early this morning. Harvey Tomlinson had one later in the morning. This is a slightly early arrival date for this species in the Morris area with the third week of March being a more typical date. A continuing adult Bald Eagle was present as well. Tree Swallows returned to Somerset County yesterday.

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Eastern Phoebes at Duke Island Park, March 9, 2012

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Jonathan Klizas

From John J. Collins:

I saw 2 Eastern Phoebes in Duke Island Park this afternoon while walking the path from the Hibernia Mine Bridge to Robert St. Also, a sure sign of spring, I saw my first Spring Beauties and Lesser Celandine in bloom.

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