We’ll never know if it is the same individual roaming parts of Morris County this month but it seems more than likely. After not having a Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) reported in Morris County since 2012, there are three records this month:
The distance between these locations is three to six miles.
Chuck Hantis found a Cattle Egret today near the pond on Chapin Road in Pine Brook. This is the first Cattle Egret sighting in Morris County since 2012. The Cattle Egret moved from tree to tree eventually settling on a grassy area to feed. Thanks to Chuck for the beautiful photos. His Flickr site can be viewed here.
Elsewhere, a Kentucky Warbler was found by Roger Johnson at Troy Meadows earlier during a soggy and foggy morning. This species is being found annually in Morris County in recent years.
Later in the day a female Evening Grosbeak visited the Fisherman’s Lot at Lord Stirling Park.
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A drake Eurasian Wigeon showed briefly at Troy Meadows this afternoon before flying off with a group of American Black Ducks towards the south. See the distant heavily cropped photo above.
This was thought to be a Troy Meadows first record, but wait…James L. Edwards of Montclair, NJ, reported one on April 30, 1932 in the October 1932 issue of The Auk (Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 460-461).
The subject of Mr. Edwards’s article was a European Teal that he had observed previously and was still being seen. The well-described Teal is what we now refer to as the Eurasian Green-winged Teal or Common Teal. The drake European Widgeon (the old name and spelling as stated in the article) was added as an additional species.
So make this the first Eurasian Wigeon known to be seen at Troy Meadows in the past 89 years.
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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 also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted as they occur. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
The New Jersey Bird Records Committee web site is here and contains the list of accepted records, the list of review species, and annual reports.
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Birds of the World online encyclopedia is here.
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Common Raven, Morris Twp., Morris Co., NJ, Dec. 27, 2020 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
The 85th annual Boonton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) occurred on Sunday, December 27, 2020. The temperature at dawn was 19°F and climbed to 35°F in the afternoon. Beautifully clear skies made for a comfortable day in the field for the 40 participants.
The mild temperatures and heavy rain of December 23-24 melted the earlier snowfall clearing the ground. Most water sources were ice-free.
86 species were tallied along with two count-week additions.
The two count-week species, Northern Saw-whet Owl and Northern Harrier, are part of the record although not included in the official totals for the count day submitted to the National Audubon CBC data center (count-week is defined as three days prior to and three days after the actual count date).
13,463 individual birds were tallied. While historically low, the average for the previous three years (2017-19) is 13,156.
Highlights for this year’s CBC are below. All high counts refer to the Boonton CBC:
33 species were above their 21st-Century average. Of course, this means that 53 species were below their 21st-century average. 40 were above average in 2019.
Other news:
| Year | total |
| 2020 | 82 |
| 2019 | 243 |
| 2018 | 142 |
| 2017 | 51 |
The following species were seen by one party only. The species column is followed by the amount reported. The third column represents the percentage of occurrences in the 85-year history of the count:
| Seen by only one party | |||
| Species | Tot. | % on CBC | Comment |
| Northern Pintail | 4 | 69.4 | Seen every year since 1998, usually in low numbers |
| Redhead | 8 | 48.2 | Usually found somewhere on the CBC. |
| Pied-billed Grebe | 4 | 76.5 | Only three misses since 1965. |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 88.2 | Was annual from 1936-98; sporadic since. |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 21.2 | First occurred on the count in 1997. |
| Wilson’s Snipe | 1 | 62.4 | Formerly fairly regular, now rare on the CBC. |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 1 | 71.8 | Annual from 1968-2014. |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 72.9 | Only two misses since 1970. |
| Chipping Sparrow | 3 | 28.2 | 2nd year in a row. |
| Savannah Sparrow | 1 | 72.9 | Three misses since 1971. |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 5 | 82.4 | In keeping with low numbers of Icterids. |
| Purple Finch | 4 | 91.8 | Annual from 1966-2014. Twice missed plus a count-week species since then. |
The following table shows notable species missed in 2020 that appear <50% in the history of the count.
| Species Missed | % on CBC | Comment |
| Canvasback | 60.0 | Not reported since 2016, formerly regular. |
| Lesser Scaup | 51.8 | Missed three out of four years. |
| Ruffed Grouse | 60.0 | Not seen since 2006. |
| Northern Harrier | 81.2 | Tallied as a count-week species this year. |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 55.3 | Not surprising. |
| Killdeer | 63.5 | Missed three out of four years. |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 64.7 | First complete miss since 1968, with one count-week year included in that period. |
| Long-eared Owl | 61.2 | Tallied only once in the past six years. |
| Eastern Towhee | 78.8 | 35 in 2019; none in 2020. |
Historical Items
Below is the list of species occurring in all 85 years of the Boonton CBC. This has not changed since 2018:
Here is the top ten of the number of individuals for all 85 years of the count. No change in the order from last year:
| Species | Total Individuals (85 years) | |
| 1 | European Starling | 209,737 |
| 2 | Canada Goose | 170,100 |
| 3 | Common Grackle | 128,030 |
| 4 | American Crow | 125,776 |
| 5 | Mallard | 64,713 |
| 6 | Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco | 56,825 |
| 7 | American Tree Sparrow | 53,530 |
| 8 | Red-winged Blackbird | 43,918 |
| 9 | Ring-billed Gull | 39,705 |
| 10 | House Sparrow | 38,860 |
Mark your calendars. Next year’s count will be on Sunday, December 26, 2021.
This report is also at the following location on the mocosocoBirds.com web site:
https://mocosocobirds.com/birds-of-morris-county-n-j/boontoncbc/2020-2/
A list of the species found on this CBC is at the following link:
https://mocosocobirds.com/birds-of-morris-county-n-j/boontoncbc/species-list/
You can also access these pages through the Birds of Morris County > Boonton Christmas Bird Count menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com web site.
A wonderful 2021 to all!
Nature and Art, nothing else matters.
Jonathan Klizas, Compiler
Boonton Christmas Bird Count
Late in the day on Saturday, October 3, 2020, Steve Kolb was across from the Hyatt Hotel near the intersection of Jefferson and Smith Roads in Parsippany. This is the area of the eBird hotspot, Jefferson Rd. Pond. A black morph of the Eastern Gray Squirrel caught Steve’s attention and he attempted to get a photograph of it.
The previous night’s heavy migration dumped an impressive bounty of birds in the Morris area. As Steve was trying for a squirrel photo, one particular bird piqued Steve’s curiosity and he fired off a number of photos of the Ammospiza species he was seeing.
By late Sunday morning, mocosocoBirds was made aware of the find. A few people looked but the Nelson’s Sparrow was not relocated.
This is the first documented Nelson’s Sparrow for Morris County that mocosocoBirds is aware of. It already appears on the county list but without annotation.
Steve’s photos are stunning. Take a look at his Flickr page, here.
The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted as they occur. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
The New Jersey Bird Records Committee web site is here and contains the list of accepted records, the list of review species, and annual reports.
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Birds of the World online encyclopedia is here.
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Red Phalarope, Lake Parsippany, Morris Co., NJ, Sept. 26, 2020 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
Lake Parsippany does not qualify as a pelagic destination but for reasons best reserved for the species themselves to divulge, a Red Phalarope, one of the most ocean-faring of shorebird species, spent the day at the southern end of the lake, viewed by many observers.
Separating the three phalarope species (Red, Red-necked, and Wilson’s) can be a daunting task in fall migration. Credit goes to Sean Ondich for finding and initially identifying the bird and to Rob Fanning for broadcasting the finding on the local rare bird text alerts.
Jeff Ellerbusch describes this particular individual as a “hatch-year Red Phalarope pretty far along into first pre-basic molt.” The phalarope’s identification was in question for a while this afternoon based on in-person observation and photo study as the bird showed conflicting characteristics of both Red and Red-necked Phalaropes.
In the end, Red Phalarope won out over Red-necked. Jeff heard a diagnostic high-pitched call which helped to clinch the identification. Also, Red Phalarope juveniles are further along in their molt cycle than Red-necked Phalaropes at this time of the year.
This is a historic sighting. As far as is known, this is the first record of a Red Phalarope in Morris County since September 1, 1990, when one was located at Boonton Reservoir by two giants in the history of New Jersey birding, Rich Kane and Tom Halliwell. That is thirty years and twenty-five days ago. Tom also has the only other known Red Phalarope record for Morris County from Lake Musconetcong on August 12, 1982.
Red Phalarope, Lake Parsippany, Morris Co., NJ, Sept. 26, 2020 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
American Golden-Plover in Morris County
Another sighting that has historic value for Morris County, is the American Golden-Plover found and photographed by Clint Robinson on September 21 at Freund Park, Roxbury Township. This is also known as Horseshoe Lake and is the trailhead for the West Morris Greenway. This is the first known record for this species in Morris County since David Harrison found one at the same location on September 28, 1989.
American Golden-Plover, Roxbury Twp., Morris Co., NJ, Sep. 21, 2020 (photo by Clint Robinson)
American Golden-Plover, Roxbury Twp., Morris Co., NJ, Sep. 21, 2020 (photo by Clint Robinson)
July Record of White-crowned Sparrow in New Jersey
Interesting rarities have appeared in New Jersey during the past few months dominating the state’s birding attention.
A local Somerset County sighting flew under the radar on July 24. Doryce Wheeler photographed a White-crowned Sparrow in her Bridgewater yard. The significance of this? There are no known records of White-crowned Sparrow in New Jersey for July…or August. Even June records are rare. Late September is the earliest this species arrives in the state. Quite a remarkable find in this unforgettable year of 2020.
White-crowned Sparrow, Bridgewater, Somerset Co., NJ, July 24, 2020 (photo by Doryce Wheeler)
White-crowned Sparrow, Bridgewater, Somerset Co., NJ, July 24, 2020 (photo by Doryce Wheeler)
The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted as they occur. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
The New Jersey Bird Records Committee web site is here and contains the list of accepted records, the list of review species, and annual reports.
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Birds of the World online encyclopedia is here.
Finis
Mourning Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, May 26, 2020 (photo by Chuck Hantis)
(Click on the photo for a larger image.)
The secretive, skulking Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia) is difficult to view during its spring migration from Central and South America on its journey to boreal breeding habitats and even more problematic in posing long enough to get a usable photograph.
Chuck Hantis captured this species in different poses on May 26, 2020, along Troy Meadows Road in the Troy Meadows Natural Area. Three of his photos are presented here. You can see more of Chuck’s extraordinary photographs at his Flickr site.
Mourning Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, May 26, 2020 (photo by Chuck Hantis)
In recent years, Troy Meadows Road has become as much of a reliable Mourning Warbler stopover as any. The time frame of its appearance since 2014 falls within May 19-31, occasionally with multiple individuals observed. A streak of ten consecutive days of sightings of this species occurred between May 22-31 in 2019.
Two Mourning Warblers were seen as recent as May 26, 2020. Ironically, a Vermilion Flycatcher was visiting another part of Troy Meadows on that same day viewed and photographed by a fortunate kayaker and not seen since (see that post here).
Mourning Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, May 26, 2020 (photo by Chuck Hantis)
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 also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted as they occur. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
The New Jersey Bird Records Committee web site is here and contains the list of accepted records, the list of review species, and annual reports.
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Birds of the World online encyclopedia is here.
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Vermilion Flycatcher, Troy Meadows, Morris Co., NJ, May 26, 2020 (photo by Ted O’Reilly)
(Click on the photo for a larger image at Cornell’s Macaulay Library)
The vestiges of prehistoric Lake Passaic are having a western flycatcher fest this season. First, a Say’s Phoebe spent a morning at the Great Swamp NWR on April 23. See that post here.
Yesterday, May 26, a Vermilion Flycatcher was seen and photographed by a kayaker at Troy Meadows. If accepted by the New Jersey Bird Records Committee, this represents the fifth state record for New Jersey and the first inland. The previous four records are Stone Harbor in May of 2002, Cape May October 2014, and two in 2019, September 25 in Cape May, and October 5 at Sandy Hook.
Ted O’Reilly was kayaking from the Passaic River to the Rockaway River and then the Whippany River crossing under I-280. He then made the right turn onto Troy Brook where the Vermilion Flycatcher was found. Fortunately, he was able to capture the moment with a camera.
Vermilion Flycatcher, Troy Meadows, Morris Co., NJ, May 26, 2020 (photo by Ted O’Reilly)
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 also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted as they occur. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
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Be safe. More importantly – BE SMART!
This message is from the State of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry.
See the list of state parks below that were overrun with people on Saturday, May 2.
REMEMBER, COVID-19 IS NOT GONE
In order to KEEP PARKS OPEN and all visitors a safe distance from one another ⚠️ visit close to home, ⚠️ mask up, and ⚠️ make your stay short.
THESE LOCATIONS WERE OVERRUN YESTERDAY
🚨 Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
🚨 Bulls Island Recreation Area
🚨 Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park
🚨 Hacklebarney State Park
🚨 Round Valley Recreation Area
🚨 Wharton State Forest
🚨 Wawayanda State Park
🚨 Worthington State Forest
⚠️CONSIDER VISITING ELSEWHERE TODAY⚠️
Learn social distancing tips in our video: https://youtu.be/x4hc2d0ZKAM
UPDATES ON COVID-19 in NJ
Learn more about COVID-19 in New Jersey: http://covid19.nj.gov/
NJ residents can call 211 with questions or concerns about COVID-19 and to learn resources available to them.
Residents can also text NJCOVID to 898-211 to subscribe to text message updates on NJ COVID-19.
New Jersey Division of Parks & Forestry
Say’s Phoebe, Great Swamp NWR, Morris Co., NJ, Apr. 23, 2020 (photo by Chuck Hantis)
Thanks to Chuck Hantis for the above photo.
This morning, Marc Chelemer located, photographed, and spread the word that a Say’s Phoebe was in a field at the Great Swamp NWR. The Say’s Phoebe was in the field along Wood Duck Way near the refuge entrance on Lees Hill Road in Harding Township.
This represents the second Morris County record for this species. In fact, Morris and Somerset Counties have three of the past eight Say’s Phoebe’s records in New Jersey since 2011. The other five records are split between Cape May and Monmouth counties. That is nice geographical company to be associated with. This assumes the New Jersey Bird Records Committee accepts today’s record. Based on the many photos of today’s Say’s Phoebe, it looks like an easy decision for the committee to make.
Two previous spring records of Say’s Phoebe exist in the annals of accepted records of the New Jersey Bird Records Committee. The first was at Garret Mountain, April 16, 2003, and the last was in Cape May, April 30-May 1, 2009. Today, April 23, adds a third spring record splitting it right down the middle between the previous two April dates. Other than the spring records and a wintering Say’s Phoebe in 1956, all of the other New Jersey records are from September through November. Today’s record will make a total of 24 for the state.
Many observers were able to practice social distancing (enough of Covid-19 is written elsewhere) to see this western vagrant flycatching and perching on low vegetation. This, of course, adds a new species to the refuge list.
Say’s Phoebe, Great Swamp NWR, Morris Co., NJ, Apr. 23, 2020 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)
How many Say’s Phoebes have ventured to the northeast in 2020? There are two winter records from Vermont, of all places. An April 12 record from an airfield near Cleveland, Ohio, and two records from earlier in April near the west shore of Lake Michigan round out the other listings. Today’s Great Swamp record is it for the region as of today. Here is a Say’s Phoebe map for 2020 generated from eBird data today. The blue markers represent beyond thirty days from today and the red markers within thirty days.
Below is the typical range of this species courtesy of Cornel Laboratory of Ornithology’s Birds of the World.
Here are links to New Jersey Bird Records Committee web pages and files of interest.
Lists and Annual Reports Scroll down for annual reports from 1992-2019.
New Jersey State List – All bird species recorded in the state
List of Accepted Records of Rare Birds in New Jersey
New Jersey Review List – Bird species reviewable by the NJBRC
A poor photo below, but a look at the underside of the Say’s Phoebe as it lifted off of a perch. Apparently, it was not seen after approximately 12:30-1:00 PM.
Say’s Phoebe, Great Swamp NWR, Morris Co., NJ, Apr. 23, 2020 (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.
The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted as they occur. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
Finis
mocosocoBirds 