Bonaparte’s Gulls, Monday Bird Notes – Apr. 4, 2016

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas

Monday, April 4

Bonaparte's Gull in the rain, Lake Parsippany, NJ, Apr. 4, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Bonaparte’s Gull in the rain, Lake Parsippany, NJ, Apr. 4, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

The above photo is of the only gull at Lake Parsippany this rainy Monday: a Bonaparte’s Gull working the north end of the lake. 2 Common Loons, the continuing 75+ Ruddy Ducks and a gang of Tree Swallows were some of the other birds of the lake this afternoon.

18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls joined 180 Ring-billed and 13 Herring Gulls this rainy afternoon at Opie Road, Hillsborough Twp. (Jeff Ellerbusch).

Saturday, April 2

Blue-winged Teal, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Apr. 2, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Blue-winged Teal, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Apr. 2, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

On Saturday, Apr. 2, Mt. Hope Lake had 2 Blue-winged Teal, small numbers of Gadwall, Green-winged Teal and Wood Ducks, 17 Ring-necked Ducks, 13 Bufflehead, 4 Hooded Mergansers, 135 Ruddy Ducks, 3 Pied-billed Grebe and 7 American Coot.

6 Bonaparte’s Gulls were cruising over the waters of Lake Hopatcong southwest of Nolans Point on Apr. 2. In practically a blink, they were gone, except for one gull that sat in the water for a period of time. Also at the point and north end of the lake was an enormous hatch and flight of midges, literally millions of them. Tree Swallows and Purple Martins circling over Nolans Point could not keep the insects under control.

Boonton Reservoir had one group of 175 Ring-necked Ducks. 2 Common Loons and a Horned Grebe were near the north end of the reservoir on April 2.

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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Early Birds – Mar. 31, 2016

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas
Great Egret, Melanie Lane Wetlands, Hanover Twp., Morris Co., NJ, Mar. 31, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Great Egret, Melanie Lane Wetlands, Hanover Twp., Morris Co., NJ, Mar. 31, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

The above photo is of one of three Great Egrets at Melanie Lane Wetlands this afternoon. 40 Green-winged Teal, 16 Northern Shovelers, 12 Gadwall, 2 American Coot and Wilson’s Snipe continue at this Hanover Twp. location.

The season’s first Louisiana Waterthrush in Morris Co. was found today in Rockaway Twp. (David Bernstein). March records of this species in both Morris and Somerset Counties are scarce, as in less than a handful.

Equally early, are two photo-documented reports of Palm Warblers in Somerset County: yesterday, Mar. 30, at Glenhurst Meadows (Robert Gallucci) and today at Washington Valley Park near Chimney Rock (Margaret Barbuty).

Many reports of Purple Martins come from the Great Swamp NWR this week. They, like many species, are early this year – usually arriving in the first weeks of April in the mocosocoBirds area. Two martin colony structures are in the Great Swamp NWR as of 2016: one at the headquarters on Pleasant Plains Rd. near the south gate and the other at the Helen Fenske Visitors Center.

Blue-winged Teal are reported from Mt. Hope Lake (Dan Brill) and Troy Meadows where 22 were seen (Roger Johnson).

An American Bittern was heard near the south gate of Pleasant Plains Road on March 26 (Robert Auster).

Ospreys, Barn Swallows, Pine Warblers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Chipping Sparrows are among the species contributing to the ramping up of spring this week. Spring Azures, Mourning Cloaks and Cabbage Whites are some of the butterfly species being reported. One concern: if bird species are on an earlier migration schedule in 2016, will an early leaf-out inhibit May migration viewing.

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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Long-tailed Ducks, other Bird Notes – Mar. 25, 2016

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas

Boonton Reservoir

Boonton Reservoir looking south, NJ, Mar. 25, 2016 (iPhone photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Boonton Reservoir looking south, NJ, Mar. 25, 2016 (iPhone photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

If you look deep into the above picture to the left of the island, you may see a pair of Long-tailed Ducks resting on the smooth-as-glass water this morning before the rain showers appeared at Boonton Reservoir. Below is a noisy, heavily cropped identification photo of the two distant ducks.

Long-tailed Ducks, Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Mar. 25, 2016 (ID photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Long-tailed Ducks, Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Mar. 25, 2016 (ID photo by Jonathan Klizas)

2 Common Loons and 2 Horned Grebes in alternate plumage as well as 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 6 Green-winged Teal, 12 Ring-necked Ducks and 15 Buffleheads were also at the reservoir.

43 Great Blue Herons were counted while viewing the north side of the island, a healthy number for this heronry. 2 Great Egrets were in the center of the base of the island. 50+- Double-crested Cormorants were on nests, in the water, diving for food, flying around, loafing at the shoreline of the island, etc.

2 Redheads remain at Lake Parsippany joined by a Lesser Scaup, 266 Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads and a small group of Common and Hooded Mergansers.

Here is a Chipping Sparrow for March, 2016 courtesy of Alan Boyd in Roxbury Twp. This is the first eBird-reported Chippie for March in Morris County.

Chipping Sparrow, Roxbury Twp., NJ, Mar. 25, 2016 (photo by Alan Boyd)

Chipping Sparrow, Roxbury Twp., NJ, Mar. 25, 2016 (photo by Alan Boyd)

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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Thursday Bird Notes – Mar. 24, 2016

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas

Troy Meadows

Pine Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, Mar. 24, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Pine Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, Mar. 24, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

Two Pine Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Fox Sparrows, a pair of Northern Shovelers, a Pied-billed Grebe, and at least 150 Rusty Blackbirds were at the Troy Meadows Road section of Troy Meadows this morning. The above mentioned species were mostly in the wooded area beyond the power line at the end of the rutted section of Troy Meadows Rd.

Rusty Blackbird, Troy Meadows, NJ, Mar. 24, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Rusty Blackbird, Troy Meadows, NJ, Mar. 24, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Deerhaven Lake

Heronry with Bald Eagles, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Mar. 23, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Heronry with Bald Eagles, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Mar. 23, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

The main points of interest in the above lackluster photo are the two young Bald Eagles in the upper right and lower left of the image. The Great Blue Herons seem not to pay them any mind. An adult Bald Eagle (possibly a nearby Charlotteburg Reservoir resident) flew in and out of the area earlier followed by an immature eagle. So at least three and possibly four eagles were at Deerhaven Lake yesterday morning, Mar. 23.

Two Pied-billed Grebes were calling from opposite ends of the lake. Wood Ducks are numerous. Currently, the heronry has approximately 12-14 active nests. At least 32 adult Great Blue Herons were in and around the nests or hunting in the water.

Deerhaven Lake is a treasure of Morris County. Part of the Newark Watershed (Pequannock Watershed as it is known to many birders.), the lake and surrounding wetlands is driven passed by many people on Green Pond Road and Rt. 23 every day.

To have the full experience of the heronry, the snags, the lake, the beaver lodges and the Green Pond Mountain escarpment in the background requires a 3 mile round trip hike with frequent bushwhacking. This is not a destination for the convenience-drive-up location naturalist types. Also, to be legitimate, a hiking permit from the Newark Watershed is required.

Common Gallinule breeding is confirmed here. It seems likely that other members of the Rallidae family may nest here as well. Pied-billed Grebes and Hooded Mergansers are possible breeders as well.

Many thanks to Mitch Van Beekum for sharing the following photo of a Pileated Woodpecker at Bee Meadow Park on Mar. 22.

Pileated Woodpecker, Bee Meadow Park, NJ, Mar. 22, 2016 (photo by Mitch Van Beekum)

Pileated Woodpecker, Bee Meadow Park, NJ, Mar. 22, 2016 (photo by Mitch Van Beekum)

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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N. Rough-winged Swallow, Bird Notes, Mar. 20, 2016

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas

Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Great Swamp NWR

Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Great Swamp NWR, Mar. 20, 2016 (photo by Jim Mulvey)

Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Great Swamp NWR, Mar. 20, 2016 (photo by Jim Mulvey)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

In 2016, Tree Swallows first appeared in both Morris and Somerset Counties on March 9. Today, March 20, Jim Mulvey found the first Northern Rough-winged Swallow of the mocosocoBirds region for 2016 at the Great Swamp NWR at the pond near the North Gate.

Interestingly, this is only the second record of this species in New Jersey for 2016 according to the eBird database. The first was found yesterday, March 19, in Monmouth County (the other moco) by the dynamic duo of Scott Barnes and Linda Mack.

Boonton Reservoir

Heronry at Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Mar. 20, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Heronry at Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Mar. 20, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Morris County has a number of flourishing heronries. The herony at Boonton Reservoir is unique in that the Great Blue Herons share the island with an impressive, if not overwhelming, number of Double-crested Cormorants (the north side of the island is pictured in the above photo) .

The Double-crested Cormorants (DCCO) returned to the reservoir during the past week. 30+ were counted this morning. Many more are on their way in the next few weeks. As an indicator of how many DCCOs utilize this body of water, 435 DCCOs were counted at the reservoir in July of 2013. The Great Blue Heron count was a modest 16 this morning.

Adult Bald Eagles commuting from the Troy Meadows nesting site are occasionally seen roosting in the trees of the island. Great Egrets and an occasional Black-crowned Night Heron are visitors to the island. A different visitor paid this observer a surprise encounter this morning in the northwest section of the reservoir as seen in the photo below.

Peregrine Falcon, Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Mar. 20, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Peregrine Falcon, Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Mar. 20, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Morris Lakes

The paltry waterfowl season of 2016 continues. The most interesting sighting at Lake Hopatcong on Saturday, Mar. 19 was a boat towing a water skier in 32 F degree weather at 7:10 AM. The lake was barren of water birds other than a pair of American Coot, a few Buffleheads, Pied-billed Grebes and a handful of gulls.

Lake Musconetcong did not fare better. Double-crested Cormorants returned this week as they are on every major body of water in the county now.

Mt. Hope Lake tallied 115 Ruddy Ducks, 25 Buffleheads, 4 Hooded Mergansers and a Pied-billed Grebe.

This morning, Lake Parsippany hosted only the second record of Red-breasted Merganser for 2016 in Morris County. 4 of the continuing Redheads remain. 100+ Ruddy Ducks are scattered across the lake.

Red-breasted Merganser, Lake Parsippany, NJ, Mar. 20, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Red-breasted Merganser, Lake Parsippany, NJ, Mar. 20, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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Horned Grebes, Tundra Swans, Morris Lakes – Mar. 13, 2016

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas

Saturday March 12, 2016

Bufflehead in morning light, Lake Hopatcong, NJ, Mar. 12, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Bufflehead in morning light, Lake Hopatcong, NJ, Mar. 12, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

2 Horned Grebes at Lake Hopatcong and 3 at Budd Lake signal the beginning of Grebe season on Morris lakes, Saturday, March 12.

One Common Loon, a Greater Scaup drake, 43 Bufflehead, 2 Common Mergansers a quartet of Pied-billed Grebes and a few Mute Swans were all one could find on New Jersey’s largest lake. Boat season will pick up quickly in the next few weeks and Lake Hopatcong will become its people/boat-centric self throughout the spring and summer.

Other than the 3 Horned Grebes, 130 Ruddy Ducks plus a few Common Mergansers and distant Scaup sp., Budd Lake did not offer much in the diversity department.

84 Ruddy Ducks plus Gadwall, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Ducks, Bufflehead and Hooded Mergansers populated Mt. Hope Lake.

Lake Parsippany continues to host 10 Redheads. The Ruddy Duck total increased to 210.

Sunday March 13, 2016

Tundra Swans, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Mar. 13, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Tundra Swans, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Mar. 13, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

4 Tundra Swans (2 are in the above photo) mixed with Mute Swans, Ring-necked Ducks and Wood Ducks at a secluded, difficult to view section of Lake Denmark, Rockaway Twp. today. Other sightings include Common Raven, the resident adult Bald Eagles plus an alleged progeny, two Black Bears and a busy beaver.

Beaver, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Mar. 13, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Beaver, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Mar. 13, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Bald Eagle, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Mar. 13, 2016 (Jonathan Klizas)

Bald Eagle, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Mar. 13, 2016 (Jonathan Klizas)

The Fish Tract in Florham Park had a small pool filled with 11 Am. Wigeon, 6 Am. Black Ducks, 50 Mallards, 12 Northern Pintail, 22 Green-winged Teal and 4 Killdeer.

Birders are out in force this weekend, and many of them are using eBird to post their checklists. eBird continues to grow into the most complete method of researching recent sightings. Links for Morris and Somerset County eBird listings are in the next section of this post.

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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Late winter bird arrivals – Mar. 10, 2016

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas
Blue-winged Teal, Bernardsville, NJ, Mar. 10, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Blue-winged Teal, Bernardsville, NJ, Mar. 10, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

Mike Hiotis found these four Blue-winged Teal drakes in a Bernardsville pond this afternoon. This is approximately 10-14 days earlier than a typical Morris/Somerset average arrival date.

Eastern Phoebes and Tree Swallows are reported from various locations the past two days. These species are on the slightly early side of the arrival ledger as well. The unseasonable warmth of nearly 80 F degree weather this week is in sharp contrast to the brutal, unmerciful frigid weather of the previous two winters. The birds and the birders are not complaining.

Not a commonly occurring waterfowl in the Great Swamp NWR area, a Common Goldeneye was in Osborn Pond, March 8 (Jennifer Books, Jim Mulvey).

9 Redheads were in Lake Parsippany from March 6 through 8, seen by many observers.

Sandhill Cranes in varying numbers continue to be sporadically reported in the Weston Canal-Zarephath section of Franklin Township.

Snapping Turtle, Loantaka Brook Reservation, NJ, Mar. 10, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Snapping Turtle, Loantaka Brook Reservation, NJ, Mar. 10, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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Am. Woodcock, Ducks, other field notes – Feb. 29, 2016

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas
Am. Woodcock, Great Swamp NWR, NJ, Mar. 13, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Am. Woodcock, Great Swamp NWR, NJ, Mar. 13, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

With the mild winter of 2016, there is no waiting this year for one of the true harbingers of spring, the calls and display flights of the American Woodcock. The snow is barely melted when these shorebirds begin to arrive. They are currently everywhere in suitable habitat in Morris and Somerset Counties. This writer had 9 last evening in a short stretch of Morris Township’s Washington Valley, and that was mostly from the car with the window open. Reports from elsewhere in the region echo the same experience.

After a dearth of ducks in the area throughout this winter, numbers of Anatidae are finally starting to grow.

300+ Common Mergansers were at Boonton Reservoir, Feb. 27 along with a drake Common Goldeneye.

350 Common Mergansers were at Lake Hopatcong, Feb. 28. Also present were 130 Ring-necked Ducks, 12 American Wigeon, 22 Bufflehead (low for this location) and 1 Common Loon.

The region’s Bald Eagles, at least those viewed recently, are apparently on eggs. The Duke Farms’ Bald Eagles are already on two eggs. The Duke Farms blog is here

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and posts information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

Finis

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Recent Bird Notes – Feb. 23, 2016

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas
Tundra Swan, Lake Hopatcong, Feb. 22, 2016 (photo by Alan Boyd)

Tundra Swan, Lake Hopatcong, Feb. 22, 2016 (photo by Alan Boyd)

3 Tundra Swans are south of the Brady Rd. bridge at Lake Hopatcong and 2 Common Goldeneye along with 125 Common Mergansers were seen near Nolans Point on Feb. 22. (Alan Boyd).

2 Common Goldeneye were at the north end of Boonton Reservoir, Feb. 21. A Redhead drake was seen at Clyde Potts Reservoir, Feb. 20.

After a disappearance of approximately one month, Sandhill Cranes are being seen at the Zaraphath corn fields on the Pillar of Fire property off of Weston Canal Road in Franklin Township (many observers). The number of cranes ranges from three to nine.

Grackle and Blackbird flocks are slowly growing in number; Common Mergansers will be evident on the Morris lakes once the ice melts in the next few weeks. American Woodcock are slowly returning to their usual areas. All-in-all, this winter gets marked as an uneventful bird season so far in Morris and Somerset Counties.

Bald Eagles are on eggs at Duke Farms, as are probably many of the nesting eagles in the area.

Jim Wright authored a free e-book about the eagles, available from the Duke Farms Blog.

The link for the Duke Farms Eagle Nest cam is here.

Eastern Chipmunks were out in relative force this past weekend. Not usually seen in February in the foothills of the Highlands, a fair number were seen out and about in Boonton and Montville Townships this past weekend. So much for being in a state of torpor with the mild winter this area has experienced.

Eastern Chipmunk, Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Feb. 21, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Eastern Chipmunk, Boonton Reservoir, NJ, Feb. 21, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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Redheads and other bird notes – Feb. 8, 2016

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Jonathan Klizas
Redheads, Lake Parsippany, NJ, Feb. 8, 2016 (photo by Alan Boyd)

Redheads, Lake Parsippany, NJ, Feb. 8, 2016 (photo by Alan Boyd)

(Click on the photo for a larger image).

15 Redheads were at Lake Parsippany today (Alan Boyd, Roger Johnson) along with a Ruddy Duck, 4 Common Mergansers, Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, and a single Great Black-backed Gull.

This along with the 14 Redheads that Alan photographed at Lake Hopatcong, Feb. 5, practically makes Redhead the most numerous Aythya species in Morris County at this time. This designation is usually reserved for Ring-necked Ducks which are nearly absent from the area this winter.

Pine Siskins are thinly scattered throughout New Jersey this season. The following Pine Siskin visited a feeder in Morris Twp., Sunday, Feb. 7. Three were reported from the same location the weekend of the Blizzard of 2016 (Jan. 23-24).

Pine Siskin, Morris Twp., Morris County, NJ, Feb. 7, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Pine Siskin, Morris Twp., Morris County, NJ, Feb. 7, 2016 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

The Spackling Goose of Somerset County has returned to a favored location at Duke Island Park (Jim Mulvey). This is the fifth known winter of this beast returning to Somerset County. A post from 2013 describing this bleached-bodied goose is here.

Spackling Goose, Duke Island Park, NJ, Feb. 8, 2016 (photo by Jim Mulvey)

Spackling Goose, Duke Island Park, NJ, Feb. 8, 2016 (photo by Jim Mulvey)

From Ken Hart:
“Heard 2 American Woodcocks “peenting” at 5:40 p.m. today at Fairview Farm, Larger Cross Rd, Bedminster, at the marshy end of the pond next to the parking lot. Soon after I heard the chittering of a flight display above.”

Red-headed Woodpeckers are widespread but local this winter. One is frequenting Duke Island Park. At least one immature has been cooperative for weeks near the bridge north of the south gate of Pleasant Plains Rd. in the Great Swamp NWR. The following photos are by Mike Newlon.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Great Swamp NWR, NJ, Feb. 7, 2016 (photo by Mike Newlon)

Red-headed Woodpecker, Great Swamp NWR, NJ, Feb. 7, 2016 (photo by Mike Newlon)

Here is a photo of another visitor to the Great Swamp.

Bald Eagle, Great Swamp NWR, NJ, Feb. 7, 2016 (photo by Mike Newlon)

Bald Eagle, Great Swamp NWR, NJ, Feb. 7, 2016 (photo by Mike Newlon)

View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.

Finis

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