mocosocoBirds

Black-throated Blue Warbler in the Great Swamp NWR

On Saturday, December 26, 2015 Michael Adams found an interesting warbler on the grounds of The Raptor Trust in the Great Swamp NWR: a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. Interestingly, Michael found a Black-throated Blue Warbler on the noteworthy date of November 21 at the same location.

Michael was able to get photographs of the same bird on Sunday, Dec. 27. It is a genuine female Black-throated Blue Warbler with one unusual feature, it has yellow feet! It may be difficult to see in the photos, but Michael said they were yellow in the field.

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Millington, NJ, Dec. 26, 2015 (photo by Michael Adams)

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Millington, NJ, Dec. 26, 2015 (photo by Michael Adams)

What makes this sighting historic is that this species has never been recorded before in New Jersey during winter (see The Birds of New Jersey: Status and Distribution, William J. Boyle, Jr. Princeton Univ. Press, 2011).

Bill Boyle also added the following information when informed of this sighting: “Black-throated Blue Warbler has never been recorded on a New Jersey CBC, but it has been found twice on count day and once during count week on the New York part of the Lower Hudson CBC (1998, 2012, 2014). Not aware of any other winter or even early winter records. Has also been seen twice on PA CBCs (2004 and 2006).”

Despite searching, the Black-throated Blue Warbler was not found today, Dec. 28.

12 Sandhill Cranes in Franklin Township

Sandhill Crane, Franklin Twp., NJ, Dec. 27, 2015 (photo by Jon Cochran)

Plant corn and they will come, at least in Franklin Township. The highest count of Sandhill Cranes recorded in Somerset County, 12, was seen at the stubble fields near the intersection of Mettlars and Weston Roads in Franklin Twp. on Dec. 27, 2015.

Jon Cochran and Melissa Penta were present to witness the growing number of wintering Sandhill Cranes in Somerset County. They counted eleven adults and one juvenile.

The cranes’ typical haunt where most observers have found them over the years, the Randolph Rd. fields, were planted with soybeans this year meaning that the cranes will be more difficult to find this winter. They do not eat soybeans. The Weston Rd. area may be the best place to start looking.

Sandhill Crane, Franklin Twp., NJ, Dec. 27, 2015 (photo by Jon Cochran)

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

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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

Pileated Woodpecker, Glenhurst Meadows, NJ, Dec. 11, 2015 (photo by Mike Newlon)

Thanks to Mike Newlon for this spectacular photo of a Pileated Woodpecker in flight at Glenhurst Meadows. Click on the photo for a larger image.

Tundra Swans have returned to Lake Hopatcong. 3 or 4 are reported today from the Lake Forest area at the north end of the lake (Alan Boyd). As in previous years, the swans will probably remain through the winter as long as parts of the lake remain ice-free.

Previously this week, a drake Canvasback was seen at Boonton Reservoir on Tuesday, Dec. 15 (Julie Buechner). Water levels remain low at the reservoir and other bodies of water in Morris County.

Also on Tuesday, Dec. 15, a drake Long-tailed Duck was present at Budd Lake (Alan Boyd).

Christmas Bird Counts (CBC)

The 68th Great Swamp/Watchung Ridges CBC takes place tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 19.

The 80th Boonton CBC is Sunday, December 27, 2015
Compiler: Jonathan Klizas
boontoncbc at gmail dot com
Background and history of the Boonton CBC is here.

The 58th Somerset County CBC is Saturday, January 2, 2016
Compiler: John Kee
jjkee at optimum dot net

Dave Blinder found and photographed a Painted Punting (1st year male/female) at Hatfield Swamp this afternoon. Hatfield Swamp is in Essex County near the Passaic River border between Essex and Morris Counties. It is also a region included in the Boonton CBC. A photo of the Painted Bunting is on Dave’s Flickr photostream, here.

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

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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

Yesterday’s Surf Scoter at Lake Musconetcong was not relocated today, but a drake Long-tailed Duck was found this morning at Budd Lake by Alan Boyd.

From Ken Hart while in Bedminster Twp.:
“Just watched 2 Common Ravens calling and flying over a house on Deer Haven Rd in Bedminster. One landed on a squirrel’s nest and began tearing it apart with its beak.”

Below is a photo by Chuck Hantis of a Red-headed Woodpecker at Troy Meadows, Nov. 27, 2015. Click on the photo for a larger image.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Troy Meadows, NJ, Nov. 27, 2015 (photo by Chuck Hantis)

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

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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

From Mike Hiotis:

“I had a drake Surf Scoter on Lake Musconetcong this afternoon. It was hanging with approx. 50 Hooded Mergansers, 8 Scaup sp. and some Ruddy Ducks – in the northeastern part of the lake close to shore.”

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

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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

For what is known to be the ninth consecutive year, a group of Sandhill Cranes have returned to winter in Somerset County. The were reported flying over Hillsborough today. Another report has them in their usual Franklin Twp. locations on approximately November 14. They returned last year on November 6 which was thought to be early at the time. This year’s sightings are in the same time frame.

Three Red-headed Woodpeckers (RHWO) were observed at the Great Swamp NWR yesterday (Jeff Ellerbusch). One was near the bridge and headquarters driveway on Pleasant Plains Road; at least two others were at the overlook. This may be the same group seen the past month at various locations in the swamp (management area, Passaic River, etc.).

RHWOs continue at Troy Meadows, Glenhurst Meadows and Long Hill Wetlands.

The immature Great Cormorant continues at Lake Parsippany. It is present since October 3.

Christmas Bird Count season is soon approaching. Morris and Somerset Counties have three. Participate in any way you can; part of a day, entire day, feeder watching.

Contact information follows.

(The Great Swamp and Boonton email address domains are gmail dot com.)

Great Swamp/ Watchung Ridges CBC (68th year)
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Compiler: Simon Lane
greatswampcbc at gmail

Boonton CBC (80th year)
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Compiler: Jonathan Klizas
boontoncbc at gmail
Background and history of the Boonton CBC is here.

Somerset County CBC (58th year)
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Compiler: John Kee
jjkee at optimum dot net

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

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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

The Franklin’s Gull Event of 2015

Friday, November 13, 2015 is the Franklin’s Gull (FRGU) event of a New Jersey birding lifetime.

The reports started at 7:49 AM via a KEEKEEKERR text by Cameron Cox that a fly-by FRGU was seen headed towards Coral Ave. from the Cape May Hawkwatch platform. At 8:06, Richard Crossley texted that a young FRGU was seen near the Concrete Ship and with understated prescience added the following words: “A good movement of them (FRGU) is possible today.”

The reports continued to multiply throughout the morning in Cape May as the possible good movement grew into an unprecedented occurrence of this species in the birding history of New Jersey.

By 11:22 AM, Tom Reed exclaimed that 190 FRGU were seen in the Cape May area. Reports materialized from other parts of the state as well: Pt. Pleasant, Holgate, Spruce Run, Monmouth County, Mercer County, Middlesex County.

27 accepted records of Franklin’s Gull are documented in the New Jersey Bird Records Committee Accepted Records List. Most are of single birds except for another Cape May FRGU event November 14-15, 1998 when 51+ were tallied from Avalon to Cape May. Today not only obliterates that previous New Jersey record in the number of FRGUs seen but also in the statewide breadth of the sightings.

In case the reader (and this writer) forgot, this is a web site dedicated to the birds of Morris and Somerset County. Any Franklin’s Gulls here? This observer viewed Lake Parsippany and Boonton Reservoir in the afternoon. Only the continuing Great Cormorant at Lake Parsippany (present since Oct. 3) and a handful of Ring-billed Gulls were at Lake Parsippany. Boonton Reservoir’s gull numbers were greatly diminished from two days ago when 140 Ring-billed Gulls were present; only 30-40 today – and no Franklin’s Gulls.

Late in the afternoon, Tom Halliwell called and said he was looking at 4 dark-backed hooded gulls at Budd Lake. Both Alan Boyd and this observer soon made it to Budd Lake (regardless of the growing traffic on I-80 West on a Friday afternoon). A total of 5 Franklin’s Gulls were spotted by Tom and Alan. This is only the second record of Franklin’s Gull for Morris County, the first being in Roxbury Twp. in 1992.

At least 10 Bonaparte’s Gulls, a drake Redhead, Horned Grebes and Ruddy Ducks joined the Franklin’s and Ring-billed Gulls on the lake. A spotting scope is required as these birds were deep into the middle of the lake headed towards the west side near the bog.

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

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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

From Susan Treesh:
“A Cattle Egret was present today (and apparently for the last couple of days) at Suydam Farms in Franklin Township. It was in a pasture with cattle and other livestock. The Suydam Farms people will allow people to walk back and look if they check in first at the sales counter (excellent potatoes, the freshest eggs!); the farm, however, is only open weekends. Cattle Egrets have been reported in the past from nearby Negri-Nepote, but I don’t think there have been any this year.”

[Editor’s note: Cattle Egrets were reported from Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve in July 2014 and August 2009. Another was seen at Duke Farms in July 2014. Previous to these records, once exists without a date. These are all the known Cattle Egret records for Somerset County]

A Photo Tale of a Red-tailed Hawk

This observer was walking the trails of Willowwood Arboretum yesterday. After watching some passerines in a tree, a turn was made to continue on the path. It was surprising to see the following Red-tailed Hawk slightly above eye-level 20 feet away.

Red-tailed Hawk, Willowwood Arboretum, NJ, Nov. 7, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Its tree is on the path that was about to be taken. Sorry, Mr. Red-tailed but this fellow has to pass your way. Expecting the hawk to flush as this viewer approached the tree, the hawk defied expectations and did not budge at all. The photo below is barely cropped and is the best this photographer could do with a 400 mm lens from less than 10 feet away.

Red-tailed Hawk, Willowwood Arboretum, NJ, Nov. 7, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

After the above photo was taken, the hawk revealed the source of its intense concentration and focus, leaving its branch, at last, and pouncing on the object of its desire, an unsuspecting rodent of some species. Below, the hawk enjoys its repast in the grasses under the tree.

Red-tailed Hawk, Willowwood Arboretum, NJ, Nov. 7, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

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

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Orange-crowned Warbler, Snow Bunting
at Tilcon Lake

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Mt. Olive Twp., NJ, Nov. 6, 2015 (photo by Chris Thomas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

Tilcon Lake, Mt. Olive Twp. was formerly the site of a sand and gravel quarry, hence the corporate name. Flooding of the nearby Musconetcong River in the early 2000’s formed the lake as it is known today. The lake and surrounding area is now part of Allamuchy Mountain State Park and is a neighbor to Stephens State Park.

Tilcon Lake is a popular fishing spot.  Also, it is best to get there in the morning on the weekends as it does attract noisy humans.

The lake and surrounding area is gaining increasing attention from birders especially when combining it with a ride along Waterloo Valley Road. The east side of the lake has a small colony of nesting Bank Swallows as well as Northern Rough-winged Swallows. The first White-rumped Sandpiper recorded in decades in Morris County was here Nov. 15, 2014. Yellow-breasted Chat, Common Loon, Alder Flycatcher, White-crowned Sparrow are just a small sampling of the species found here in the recent past. Across Kinney Road is a model airplane field where American Pipits and Horned Larks have been seen.

Yesterday Nov. 5, an Orange-crowned Warbler made a brief appearance in the trees and shrubs along the main path from the gate to the lake. At least 5 Fox Sparrows were also in the area as well as Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Later that day, Mike Ostrow found a Snow Bunting near the same area where the White-rumped Sandpiper was found last year. A Greater Yellowlegs has been present this week.

Today, a remarkable Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (see the photo above) as well as a Blue-headed Vireo were found at the lake (Chris Thomas). The temperature has reached the low 70 Fahrenheit degrees the past few days but a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on November 6 is a surprise, nonetheless.

Below is a screenshot of eBird sightings of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the northeast so far in Nov. 2015. As you will see, there aren’t many (click on the image for a larger view).

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Nov. 2015

Note to eBirders: Tilcon Lake is now an eBird hotspot. The link is here. So that we can amalgamate the totals from this location, please merge your personal locations for Tilcon Lake to the hotspot for Tilcon Lake. A link is supplied at the end of this post if you are not sure how to do this. Thank you – from the Morris eBird reviewer.

Waterfowl in Morris County

Waterfowl are scarce in most of  the large bodies of water in Morris. A few Buffleheads and 2 Common Loons were at Lake Hopatcong, Nov.5.

Boonton Reservoir had 2 Horned Grebes and 2 Common Loons on Nov. 4.

Split Rock Reservoir had 24 Ruddy Ducks today. That is all.

Numbers have surprisingly decreased at Mt. Hope Lake with less than 400 Ruddy Ducks and a handful of Ring-necked Ducks today.

Pied-billed Grebes are at many locations in numbers ranging from 1 to 5.  Gadwalls are easy to find.

Other Field Notes

The Great Cormorant continues at Lake Parsippany. It has been there since October 3.

From Ivan Kossak, Lincoln Park, Nov. 4:
This morning I found a Merlin at the town swimming lake and a flock of 20+ American Pipits at Borinski’s Farm (Rt. 202). Also a pair of Common Raven along the Pompton River at Two Bridges. This is less than 1 mile from where I saw the pair on Monday so I suspect they are the same birds.

Butterflies are still to be seen. The following Monarch was lazing in the grass this morning at Frelinghuysen Fields in Harding Twp. A Compton Tortoiseshell was found in Sussex County yesterday.

Monarch, Frelinghuysen Fields, NJ, Nov. 6, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

The Bucks Stop Here

Deer, Frelinghuysen Fields, NJ, Nov. 6, 2015 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

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

• Morris County
• Somerset County

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