mocosocoBirds

Finderne Wetlands

(American Bittern at Finderne Wetlands, Photo by Jeff Ellerbusch)

An American Bittern flushed this morning from the pond near the Van Veghten house at Finderne Wetlands this morning. Other highlights were 2 Vesper Sparrows at the west end of the property and 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows. Among other species present were: 9 Green-winged Teal, 6 Great Blue Herons, 5 Great Egrets, 1 Greater and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Wilson’s Snipe, 10 American Kestrels, 60+ Palm Warblers, 45 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 200+ Savannah Sparrows, 125 Song Sparrows, 150 Swamp Sparrows, 15 White-throated Sparrows and 12 Bobolinks (Jeff Ellerbusch).

Troy Meadows

Rusty Blackbird, Troy Meadows, NJ, Oct. 12, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

1 juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker was at the S-turn of Troy Brook this morning near the defunct skeet-shooting range. 2 Peregrine Falcons buzzed the area, 6 Great Egrets were in a group at a secluded pond. Yellow-rumped Warblers are numerous. A Lincoln’s Sparrow was one of 7 sparrow species. The Rusty Blackbird pictured above was with a large group of Red-winged Blackbirds along Troy Meadows Road.

Melanie Lane Wetlands, Hanover Twp.

The past few days see Northern Pintails returning to Melanie Lane. Gadwall, Northern Shovelers, Pied-biled Grebe, Great Egret and Wood Ducks were also in attendance (Chuck Hantis).

Northern Pintail, Hanover Twp., NJ, Oct. 12, 2013 (photo by Chuck Hantis).

Pied-billed Grebe, Hanover Twp., NJ, Oct. 12, 2013 (photo by Chuck Hantis).

Other Field Notes

An late Ovenbird was found at Scherman Hoffman Sanctuary in Bernardsville today (Jim Schlickenrieder).

Chris Thomas found a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker at Lord Stirling Park.

(Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker, Lord Stirling Park, photo by Chris Thomas)

Chris also encountered the uncountable Trumpeter Swan at Mt. Hope Lake. As stated many times before in this space, this is probably an expatriate of the Bernadsville captive flock, but who really knows. It has been at Mt. Hope since the spring. Ring-necked Ducks made their first appearance of the season at the lake, as well.

(Mute and Trumpeter Swans, photo by Chris Thomas)

From Leslie Webster, Friday, Oct. 11 2013:
News from Loantaka Brook Reservation: On Thursday morning, October 10, several small groups of Yellow-rumped Warblers were making their way through the woods, accompanied by some Ruby-Crowned Kinglets. A group of 12 Yellow-rumped Warblers was at Kitchell Pond, along with a few RC Kinglets. No Palm Warblers were observed. A Solitary Sandpiper still is still present on the pond mud flats and on this particular day was accompanied by a Killdeer.

The first Snow Geese of the season were found yesterday, October 9, at Lord Stirling Park in Bernards Township (Karen English). These represent the first Snow Geese reported in the mocosocoBirds region since April. It was in January and February of 2013 that a Ross’s Goose frequented the equestrian fields of Lord Stirling as well as the VA Hospital grounds in nearby Lyons.
[Editor’s note: see the comment below. These are actually the second Snow Geese reported in the region this season. Two Snow Geese were seen at Chimney Rock on Sept. 24]

The weather forecast for the coming week speaks of northeast winds and dampness. This may put a halt to the magnificent migration weather of the past month but also offers the opportunity to check bodies of water for species of interest. Unfortunately, none were found today. The only productive lake that was checked was Mt. Hope which had an adult Bald Eagle (assumed to be one of the residents), a continuing Great Egret, 29 Ruddy Ducks and the usual Mute Swans, Wood Ducks, Mallards and Double-crested Cormorants (J. Klizas).

Finderne Wetlands had 2 Solitary Sandpipers and 2 Greater Yellowlegs (Jeff Ellerbusch).

It appears that the Night-Herons of Parsippany are gone. They were not seen at Jefferson Road Pond for the second consecutive day (Julie Buechner).

The Night-Herons of Parsippany

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Parsippany, NJ, Oct. 8, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

Both the juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (YCNH) and juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron (BCNH) continue at the Jefferson Road Pond in Parsippany. The YCNH was originally found on September 9. The BCNH joined it on September 11, both found by Julie Buechner. A second YCNH showed up on Septemeber 12. All three were seen sporadically during September. One YCNH and the BCNH made it into October.

Black-crowned Night-Heron, Parsippany, NJ, Oct. 8, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

The following screen shots of eBird range maps illustrate the rarity of an inland YCNH, especially in October and for this length of time. The image below shows records of YCNH from Connecticut to Virginia so far during October 2013. All are coastal except for the Parsippany individual. Click on the image for a larger version.

The screen shot of the map below shows all years in October based on eBird data. Most of the inland records are of one-day and one observer only. The Parsippany YCNH is known to be present for an entire month and has been seen by many observers.

Field Notes

This morning, Duke Farms in Hillsborough Twp. had 8 sparrow species including Lincoln’s and White-crowned. Other highlights include 20 Eastern Meadowlarks, 1 Bobolink, 1 American Pipit (Jeff Ellerbusch).

From Grant Davis:
Glenhurst Meadows was loaded this morning, but had only a couple of hours before I had to leave. Sparrows included Vesper, Savannah, Field, Song, White-throated, Lincoln’s, and White-crowned, and were there in big numbers.
Warblers are tailing off, but had a beautiful Connecticut not too far in from the parking lot, right along the trail. I saw one near the same spot last Wednesday afternoon, and wonder if it is the same bird. Otherwise had only Yellow-rumpeds and Palms, with one Yellowthroat.
Both Kinglets present, relatively small numbers.
Saw or heard six woodpeckers, ironically everything but Downy. (Only happens in Glenhurst)(may go back later on a Downy hunt)
Many, many Bluebirds, very active.

Later in the morning, went to Finderne Wetlands. Raptor city. Four bald eagles, two fully mature, two immatures, were perched and then soaring. One of them was harassed by a red-tail hawk, which was in turn mobbed by a gang of delinquent Kestrels, altogether good show. Not sure of the Kestrel count, too many and too active. Also one Merlin, trying to stay out of the way. Almost nothing in the way of small birds, but they may have been watching the aerial show from cover.

From Leslie Webster:
News from Loantaka Brook Reservation: the cold front brought Yellow-rumped Warblers, a couple of Black-throated Green Warblers, and some Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Common Yellowthroats persist, as well as Gray Catbirds and Eastern Phoebes. On October 4, two Green-winged Teal landed on Kitchell Pond, perhaps the first of the season.
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Yesterday, Oct. 7 – viewed from the D&R Towpath – Weston Canal Area (Jeff Ellerbusch)
1 Killer
2 Greater Yellowlegs
3 Lesser Yellowlegs
6 Pectoral Sandpipers