mocosocoBirds

6 Tundra Swans were with the 63 Mute Swans at Mt. Hope Lake in Rockaway Township this afternoon.

Also present:
Canada Goose – 60
Wood Duck – 2
Gadwall – 12
American Wigeon – 42
Mallard – 10
Northern Pintail – 5
Ring-necked Duck – 8
Bufflehead – 10
Hooded Merhganser – 4
American Coot – 3

Budd Lake had 110 Common Mergansers, 80 Ring-billed Gulls and 250 distant gull sp.

The Redheads are gone from Clark Drive in Mt. Olive Township.

Lake Musconetcong had 54 Buffleheads and 6 Common Mergansers along with 35 Mute Swans and some Ring-billed Gulls.

Submitted by Jonathan Klizas

Simon Lane reports having three swan species this morning at the Friends Blind at the Wildlife Observation Center of the Great Swamp N.W.R. on Long Hill Road, Harding Township. Of course, only two of the species are genuinely wild, the 2 Mute Swans and the Tundra Swan that were seen. The continuing Trumpeter Swan which was also viewed has been present for almost an entire year and is an escapee of the captive Trumpeter Swan brood in Bernardsville. It is not countable.
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From Alan Boyd:

Hi Jonathan,

An adult Bald Eagle was over the Musconetcong River where it separates Hackettstown and Washington Twp. (Morris Co). It was near the hatchery ponds on Rt 57. There was an immature bird over that same area on Friday the 17th.

Alan Boyd
Flanders

From Alan Boyd:

Hi Jonathan,

The 14 redheads were still on the pond on Clark Drive in Mt. Olive on Saturday morning.

There were 95 common mergansers on Budd Lake also.

Alan Boyd

From Mike Hiotis:

Jon,

Alan Boyd’s county high count of Redhead Ducks is still growing as today there were 14 Redheads at the Clark St. retention ponds off International Drive, Mt. Olive.

Mike Hiotis
Martinsville NJ
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Indian Lake in Denville had 51 Lesser Scaup this afternoon surpassing the 41 at Lake Parsippany yesterday (J. Klizas).

The 7 Common Goldeneye (3 drakes; 4 hens) found by Steve Fasciana earlier in the afternoon at Lake Musconetcong were still view-able at 4 p.m., this time looking Northeast from the end of Water Street in Netcong. These are the first Common Goldeneyes reported in Morris County in 2012.

American Wigeon have been reappearing. 25 were at Mt. Hope Lake on Sunday. A few showed up at Lake Parsippany today. Also today at Lake Parsippany were 41 Lesser Scaup and a high count for the year of 102 Gadwall. The previous high was 74 on Feb. 8 so nearly 30 more have come into the lake in the last few days. Common and Hooded Merganser numbers have been steady – the same with Ring-necked Ducks (46 in Chatham; 43 at Pleasant Plains Rd., Great Swamp). Northern Pintail have been seen here and there. Interestingly, a species that is usually a mainstay of open water in the winter in Morris County but is strangely absent from many places this winter: does anyone know where the Ruddy Ducks are?

Submitted by Jonathan Klizas

From Steve Fasciana:

Seven Common Goldeneye were on Lake Musconetcong this afternoon (2/14), scoped from behind the former gas station on Rt 183. Also, the 9 Redheads remain at the pond in the Int`l Trade Center.