mocosocoBirds

From Glenn Mahler:

Yesterday I made my third attempt at doing a “Century Run” big day in Somerset County. This is part of an attempt I have been working on for quite a number of years to successfully complete a Century Run in each of NJ’s 21 counties. These are done in the old-fashioned big day style of picking a route to follow based on hitting a sufficient number of different habitats – without doing extensive WSB-style scouting of individual locations for practically every species.

Yesterday was my third attempt at Somerset, having been unsuccessful in my two previous attempts – one last year and one earlier this year. I came closer yesterday, but fell short at dusk when with 3 species needed when I went 0 for 4 with Screech, Horned and Barred Owls and Woodcock.

With 16 counties completed (13 on the first attempt), this is the first time I have needed more than 2 tries. Unfortunately, the first attempt this year was a poor warbler migration day and the second attempt yesterday (much later in the month than I would have liked, but the week was too rainy) was even poorer for migrant warblers.

I will plan to try again next year. Having the Mocosoco reports was a big help in alerting me to some of the county hot spots. Many thanks to all of you who have been reporting Somerset sightings and site descriptions. Your info was a big help in acquainting me with locations that I wasn’t familiar with.

A special thanks to Jeff Ellerbusch who I met in the field yesterday and who put me onto a couple of good species that were around.

Appended is my composite list for the 3 tries. As you will see – the combined list for the tree attempts is 120 species – I certainly hope that next year I can pick a day with a good migration – now that I know the Somerset county area better, a good migration day is all I need to put me over the top.

Glenn Mahler
StillwaterNJ

From Jeff Ellerbusch:

Did some Somerset County birding today and while migrant diversity was very underwhelming there were still some good birds around. One of these, the easy highlight of the day, a female Black Scoter on the biggest of the Bufflehead Rd ponds.

Scherman Hoffman

– Great Blue Heron- 2
– Wild turkey- few
– Bald Eagle- 1 adult
– Broad-winged Hawk- 1
– Pewee- 3+
– G-c Fly- a few
– Kingbird- a few
– W-eyed Vireo- 1
– Y-throated Vireo- 1
– Warbling vireo- 3
– R-eyed Vireo- 4+
– Waxwing- everywhere
– Blue-winged Warb- 1
– Yellow Warb- a few
– Blackpoll- 5
– Redstart- 1
– Worm-eating- 1
– Ovenbird- a few
– Louisiana Waterthrush- 1
– Yellowthroat- many
– Hooded- 1
– R-b Grosbeak- a few

Not good as far as migrants go…

River and New Center Roads

There is a very large field that spans from River Rd to the paralleling New Center Rd, slightly west of Roycefield Rd , that is very nice for Grassland birds. It is part of Duke’s and is private. There is a gravel pull off on both River and New Center Rd that you can view from, unfortunately this is the extent of the birding to be done here. There was a Short-eared owl here for at least one day this past Feb.

– Bald Eagle- 2
– Northern Harrier- 1 hen…breeder?
– Bobolink- 25++ males
– Meadowlark- 1
– Grasshopper Sparrow- 3-4

The Field (Google Maps)- 40.547184,-74.650726

Studdiford Dr and Opie Rd

Studdiford Drive is a small road that connects River Rd and South Branch Rd. On each side is recently plowed dirt fields which, with all this rain, looks quite nice at the moment…there were 4 Semi Plovers there on the 18th. Everyone who has read Mocosoco posts with regularity knows about Opie Rd and how good it has been for shorebirds lately. Unfortunately neither were very productive today.

– Least Sandpiper- 6
– Solitary Sandpiper – 1
– Spotted- 2
– Greater Yellowlegs- 1

If attempting to bird Studdiford be warned it is usually busy and there are only a few spots to pull over on. South Branch rd is equally nice looking but is far more treacherous as far as stopping goes. All but the Yellowlegs were on Studdiford. Seems that the Plovers are gone…and they took most the others with them.

Studdiford (Google Maps)- 40.547901,-74.698577
Opie (Google Maps)- 40.518938,-74.719155

Finderne Wetlands

– D-c cormorant- 1
– Great blue heron- 2
– Great Egret- 3
– Little blue Heron- 1, since the 15th
– Solitary Sandpiper- 2
– Spotted Sandpiper- 6
– Nighthawk- 4+
– Pewee- 2
– Willow Fly- 7
– Great-crested Fly- many
– Kingbird- 3+
– Warbling Vireo- 4+
– Red-eyed Vireo- a few
– Fish crow- 4ish
– Waxwing- everywhere
– Yellow warb- many
– Blackpoll- 1
– Redstart- 1
– Yellowthroat- many
– Indigo Bunting- 4+
– Bobolink- 1

Bufflehead Rd Ponds

– Black Scoter- 1 female

This afternoon at the Finderne Wetlands in Bridgewater Township: the Little Blue Heron found the day before by Jeff Ellerbusch was still present (click on the photo to view a larger version):

An austere and formidable resident was in the path needed to walk in to view the Little Blue Heron.

The Great Egret Tree at Finderne.

Submitted by Jonathan Klizas