mocosocoBirds

Birding in Early October

There was lots of migration movement on the radar last night – most of which seemed to be south of northern New Jersey.

The pre-dawn radar displayed a light view of migration.

But, depending on where one was, birds were plentiful…

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

…October birds, that is. Autumn is solidly in place. The southern section of Troy Meadows was loaded with seasonal species such as Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 60 Yellow-rumped Warblers, the yellow warblers such as Nashville Warbler, 40+ Palm Warblers and Common Yellowthroats in every intensity of hue, Eastern Towhees, Field Sparrows, 40+ each of Savannah, Song, Swamp and White-throated Sparrows, 3 Lincoln’s Sparrows and hundreds of Common Grackles leaving their night roost in the marsh.

Palm Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Nashville Warbler, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

A pale Common Yellowthroat, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Typical view of a skulking Lincoln’s Sparrow:

Lincoln’s Sparrow, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 5, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Chimney Rock had 10 species of warblers in the morning, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Swainson’s Thrush (Jeff Ellerbusch, Simon Lane). A Golden Eagle flew by the hawkwatch at 4:05 p.m.

11 species of warblers were found at Glenhurst Meadows along with Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireos (Tom Smith and Ted Chase via eBird).

Finderne Wetlands had Green-winged Teal, 70 Savannah, 30 Song and 50 Swamp Sparrows, Bald Eagle and 7 warbler species (Chris Thomas via eBird).

Last night’s radar (seen here at the bottom of the post) showed lots of migration action in the north east. Based on the incursion of Savannah Sparrows and other species, many birds put down in the Morris and Somerset county area this morning.

A White-winged Scoter (WWSC) was found at the north end of Boonton Reservoir this afternoon (Julie Buechner). Based on current eBird data, this is the first autumn record in 2014 for WWSC in New Jersey. Numerous sightings are reported farther east from Long Island Sound north to Maine.

White-winged Scoter, Boonton Reservoir, Oct. 3, 2014 (photo by Julie Buechner)

Julie also saw an Eastern Meadowlark at Troy Meadows near the old skeet shoot area on Troy Meadows Rd. this afternoon. This is only the third location record of 2014 for this species in Morris County, a dreary state of affairs for Eastern Meadowlark.

26+ Savannah Sparrows are at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Whippany along with 10+ Palm Warblers and an American Kestrel (J. Klizas). Veterans Park is one of the more reliable locations in Morris County for Vesper and White-crowned Sparrows in autumn as well as Eastern Meadowlark in October, based on records from the past 5 years.

From Robert Skrabal:
I took a nice trip to Colonial Park this morning. There was a lot of activity, especially around the Rose Garden. I saw 47 total species, including 7 Warbler species. I had plenty of firsts for the fall season including: 1 Green-Winged Teal, 1 Northern Pintail, 1 Winter Wren, 1 Golden-Crowned Kinglet, and 1 Purple Finch. I walked around the Nature Loop, where I found a softly singing Winter Wren, but I did not see or hear the Red-headed Woodpeckers that resided in that area last fall and winter. Hopefully they return.

[Editor’s Note: Colonial Park in Franklin Twp., had a Yellow-throated Warbler much of this past spring]

Sparrows are in the Washington Valley area of Morris Township with Lincoln’s, White-throated and Swamp Sparrows this afternoon (J. Klizas).

On Sept. 30, South Branch Preserve in Mt. Olive Twp. had Eastern Towhee, multiple Chipping, Field, Savannah, Song and Lincoln’s Sparrows (Alan Boyd via eBird).

This weeks’s migration has been weak, to say the least, but there are birds to be found. A look at the radar from a few minutes ago looks promising for tomorrow morning. The greenish areas are not rain.