From Alan Boyd:
Hi Jonathan,
Sunday afternoon we were headed east on Rt. 80 and we had an adult merlin (dark brown, probably a female) at the Mt Hope/Dover exit. It came from the direction of the Rockaway Mall and it chased up some rock pigeons off the wires at the exit before crossing the highway and heading north toward Mt Hope.
Alan Boyd
Flanders
The Wilson’s Warbler (WIWA) was known to be at the Chatham Sewage Ponds for approximately one month from Dec. 17 to Jan. 19. There have been no reports since. There have been Christmas count records of Wilson’s Warbler in New Jersey but the Chatham individual represents the first over-wintering record in state history (per Bill Boyle). The WIWA was searched for this morning by Jeff Ellerbusch and this writer. It was not found. Instead, a surprising discovery was a female Blue-winged Teal (distant, low-light, grainy, ID photo below). Other species included:
Gadwall – 8
Northern Shoveler -14 (county high for 2012)
Ring-necked Duck – 41
Lesser Scaup – 2 females
Bufflehead – 9
Common Merganser – 6 flyovers
Golden-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Blue-winged Teal behind the resting Ruddy Duck. ID photo.
The Northern Shrike was at the Johanson Memorial Fields, Boonton Township at 9:25. It vocalized while perched on the trees on the 3rd base side of the softball field and then flew to the trees on the opposite side of the baseball field.
Elsewhere, Split Rock Reservoir in Rockaway Township had only 4 Buffleheads on the water and 7 flyover Common Mergansers. Two Bald Eagles: one adult, one adult wanna-be, and one Common Raven were also present.
There are now 6 Redheads at the 2nd pond at Clark Drive in Mt. Olive Township – 2 drakes, 4 hens. The water on the pond has completely thawed which is the case throughout most of Morris County.
The recently thawed Budd Lake had approximately 1,000 Canada Geese on the western side of the lake along with 190 Common Mergansers and a Ring-necked Duck. Only a few gulls were present. Viewing is difficult when the birds are on that side of the lake. A male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and an adult Bald Eagle were also viewed.
Yesterday, Feb. 4, Dave Harrison found a drake Canvasback on the pond at Califon Road, which is tucked in the southwest corner of Morris County in Washington Township. Today the Canvasback was refound, a good day for Aythya sp. in the county.
Jeff Ellerbusch of Warren Township is well documented as being a Cackling Goose magnet, especially in Somerset County. He has probably seen more “Cacks” in the past year than anyone in the east. Today, Jeff brought his Branta hutchinsii-finding skills to Morris County. Sure enough, before the targeted Canvasback was located, Jeff pulled out Morris County’s first Cackling Goose for 2012 at Califon Pond.
Submitted by Jonathan Klizas (Photos also by J. Klizas).
From Tim Vogel:
Boonton Township
Northern Shrike continues
I left at 4:45, 5 observers still there.
The bird was perched along the tree line.
Tim Vogel
Denville
How mild has it been this winter? One sign is the sound of “peenting” American Woodcocks in both Glenhurst Meadows in Warren Township, yesterday, January 31 (seen and heard by Jeff Ellerbusch) and the Washington Valley area of Morris Township this evening, February 1 (heard by this writer). This is 3-4 weeks earlier than usual at these locations. These represent the first records for Woodcock in northern New Jersey in 2012 according to eBird sources.
Submitted by Jonathan Klizas
Jeff Ellerbusch found a vocal group of 8 Cackling Geese in the north, or model airplane, field of North Branch Park in Bridgewater Township early this afternoon. A single Cackling Goose and an immature Snow Goose were in the south field, where the brunt of Canada Geese were.
Also, the Blue Snow Goose seen sporadically in the area this month was on the South Branch of the Raritan east of Studdiford Lane in Hillsborough/Branchburg Townships.
From John J. Collins:
I took a short trip up to the Raptor Trust and Great Swamp NWR this morning. At the Raptor Trust a wild GREAT HORNED OWL was perched in the trees in back of the trust’s property sleeping in the sun. At the Great Swamp along Pleasant Plains Road I saw two BALD EAGLES flying over the road, two COMMON RAVENS flying over and calling (both of the latter species near the Blue Bird Parking Lot), 42 RING-NECKED DUCKS and 5 HOODED MERGANSERS in the pond at the turn-around just before the gated bridge; and a BARRED OWL in the usual spot.
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Great Horned Owl in its roost behind The Raptor Trust.
Photo by J. Klizas
From Jim Mulvey:
A quick spin through Center Court in Chatham looking for a better picture of the Wilson’s Warbler came up empty, but there were a half dozen Northern Shovelers present in the pond that doesn’t have a fence around it. I got several pictures, although the sun was behind them so the coloration was a little washed out. No mistaking the bills on them, though. I kept my stay short as Center Court is a private facility.
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Note: A trip to Chatham yesterday by this writer also failed to find the Wilson’s Warbler (WIWA). The last known date for the WIWA is January 19. Bill Boyle remarked that although there have been one-day Wilson’s Warblers on Christmas counts in New Jersey, the Chatham individual is the first over-wintering WIWA in state history. Morris County’s 2012 high count of 36 Ring-necked Ducks remain. 8 Northern Shovelers, 10 Gadwalls, and 3 Buffleheads are enjoying the sewage treatment plant waters.
Submitted by Jonathan Klizas
From Tim Vogel:
7:30am Northern Shrike continues in Boonton township.
Bird was actively working the treeline adjacent to the ball field, then to the cedars and the lone tree in the field.
Also 7 Bluebirds flew over Muriel Hepner Park, Denville
7 Hooded Mergs
2 Bufflehead
1 Kingfisher
Tim Vogel
Denville
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Joe Pescatore reports the Northern Shrike from 9:45.
After being absent all winter, some interesting gull species have returned to the Hillsborough Road/Homestead Road area in Hillsborough Township. Earlier in the week three Iceland Gulls were in the area. This afternoon Jeff Ellerbusch had three Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Hillsborough Road which adds one to the two also found earlier in the week. If they hold to their localized pattern they should be found in the area until early to mid March.
The picture below is of a Bald Eagle seen today at the Overlook on Pleasant Plains Road, Great Swamp N.W.R., in Morris County. With 113 pairs of Bald Eagles in New Jersey in 2011 (up from 94 in 2010), ninety-five active pairs (meaning they laid eggs) and seventy-one nests known to be successful in producing 119 young, it seems inevitable that the Swamp will have nesting Eagles in the near future. (Thanks to the 2011 New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report for the above data).
Here is an old friend known by many in a favorite roosting spot this afternoon in the Great Swamp.
Click on the the photo for a full-sized image (Photos by J.K.).
From Tim Vogel:
Boonton Township
N. Shrike – 3:30 pm – worked trees along the ballfield, stopped briefly in the cedars and headed back along the trees. It was raining and the bird wasn’t seen again. I departed at 4pm.
Great Swamp
Snow Goose (1) with C. Geese – 4:45pm
Tim Vogel
Denville
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From Mike Hiotis:
Jon,
The 5 Redheads persist in the retention pond across from 350 Clark St. in the International Trade Center, Mt. Olive…
Mike H.
mocosocoBirds 