19 Raptors at Wildcat Ridge, Hibernia, NJ, Sep. 28, 2013

Wildcat Ridge
Hibernia, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2013

Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 1 1
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 2 66 73
Bald Eagle 0 44 48
Northern Harrier 0 5 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 10 275 275
Cooper’s Hawk 6 39 39
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 3 5
Broad-winged Hawk 0 4262 4263
Red-tailed Hawk 0 3 3
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 1 33 33
Merlin 0 4 5
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 2
Unknown Raptor 0 11 11
Total: 19 4748 4763

Observation start time: 07:30:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8 hours

Official Counter: Cliff Miles
Observers: Fred V., Gene, Kevin M, Tom G.

Visitors:
Visitors = 49 including “The Women’s Club of Denville-Rockaway lead by our
friend Barbara McClosky. Howies S, Rosemary and Martin joined to help spot
migrants.

Weather:
Temperature 52-72F, 30% cloud cover, visibility 20 miles, light wind 5-10
MPH from the E -NE. Morning hours were cloudless.

Raptor Observations:
A slow start due to the cloudless sky. By the time the clouds rolled in the
migrants were at very high altitudes.

Non-raptor Observations:
Blue birds and waxwings.
==================================
Report submitted by Fred Vanderburgh
Wildcat Ridge – New Jersey information may be found at:
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/wldcthwk.htm

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157 Raptors at Chimney Rock, Martinsville, NJ, Sep. 27, 2013

Chimney Rock
Martinsville, NJ, USA
Daily Raptor Counts : 9/27/2013

Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 22 303 303
BE 4 128 128
NH 0 30 30
SS 20 636 636
CH 7 84 84
NG 0 0 0
RS 5 16 16
BW 95 17824 17824
RT 0 2 2
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 0 0
AK 3 314 314
ML 0 103 103
PG 1 15 15
UI 0 4 4
Total 157 19459 19459
Hours 10.0 250.8 250.8

Notes : NE winds with a good mix of raptors. 1st of season Mourning
Warbler, Brown Creeper, Swamp Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow and
Monk Parakeet

John Kee

Daily Totals
Hourly Stats Report
2013 Summary Standard
Bird Checklist Query

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Sparrows, Migrants and a Black-throated Gray Warbler, Sep. 27, 2013

Black-throated Gray Warbler at Glenhurst Meadows

The Black-throated Gray Warbler found at Glenhurst Meadows this morning by Kevin Bolton and Annette Cunniffe was not relocated despite diligent searching throughout the day. Kevin’s photograph clearly shows it to be an adult male. This is the first Black-throated Gray Warbler record for Somerset County assuming it will be accepted by the New Jersey Bird Record Committee.

80+ species were found at Glenhurst today including both Kinglet species, all 7 woodpecker species regularly occurring in New Jersey, 17 Eastern Phoebes, Winter Wren, 15 warbler species, 7 sparrow species, Scarlet Tanager, 4 Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlark (Jeff Ellerbusch).

Other Field Notes

The first White-crowned Sparrow of the season in Morris and Somerset Counties, a juvenile, was found this afternoon at Whippany’s Veterans Memorial Park (Jamie Glydon).  This along with one reported today from the Meadowlands in Bergen County represent the first of the season in the entire state of New Jersey.  Veterans Memorial Park, “The Vet”, is part of the Patriots Path system in Morris County and is a proven sparrow hot spot and reliable location for migrating Eastern Meadowlarks in October. Also found today were Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Magnolia Warbler, 13 Palm Warblers (1 Western), 4 Chipping, 6 Savannah and 2 Lincoln’s Sparrows.

A Cape May Warbler was at Bee Meadow Park this morning along with Lincoln and White-throated Sparrows (Jamie Glydon).

A Monk Parakeet was reported today from the Chimney Rock parking lot (Chris Aquila).

Chuck Hantis reports that 2 Common Ravens are back in Hanover Township at the ShopRite construction site on West Hanover Avenue.

Common Raven, Hanover Twp., NJ, Sep. 27, 2013 (photo by Chuck Hantis).

Common Raven, Hanover Twp., NJ, Sep. 27, 2013 (photo by Chuck Hantis).

Common Raven, Hanover Twp., NJ, Sep. 27, 2013 (photo by Chuck Hantis).

Common Raven, Hanover Twp., NJ, Sep. 27, 2013 (photo by Chuck Hantis).

From Tim Vogel, Denville:
Jefferson Road, Parsippany
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Kingfishers – 2
Walked onto Southside bridge, looked down, and on the log was the bird [a favorite location for the Yellow-crowned – Editor]
Visited my favorite corporate pond – Cherry Hill Rd., Parsippany –
22 Wood Ducks

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Black-throated Gray Warbler at Glenhurst Meadows, Sep. 27, 2013

Kevin Bolton reports a Black-throated Gray Warbler this morning at Glenhurst Meadows, Warren Twp. Jeff Ellerbusch saw the photos and says it is an adult type – likely male. Hopefully there will be more to report later. Kevin’s original JerseyBirds post is here..

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71 Raptors at Chimney Rock, Martinsville, NJ, Sep. 26, 2013

Chimney Rock
Martinsville, NJ, USA
Daily Raptor Counts : 9/26/2013

Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 22 281 281
BE 5 124 124
NH 3 30 30
SS 21 614 614
CH 2 76 76
NG 0 0 0
RS 2 11 11
BW 11 17644 17644
RT 0 2 2
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 0 0
AK 1 309 309
ML 2 103 103
PG 1 14 14
UI 1 4 4
Total 71 19212 19212
Hours 7.0 239.8 239.8

Notes : Slow start on NE winds. Ospreys and Bald Eagles later. Bob
Blair stopped by to release two Raptor Trust rehabbed Red-tailed
Hawks (a one year old and a two year old).

John Kee

Daily Totals
Hourly Stats Report
2013 Summary Standard
Bird Checklist Query

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Rusty Blackbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, Sep. 26, 2013

Rusty Blackbird, Great Swamp NWR, NJ, Sep. 26, 2013 (photo by Chuck Hantis).

Rusty Blackbird, Great Swamp NWR, NJ, Sep. 26, 2013 (photo by Chuck Hantis).

Another early Rusty Blackbird was found today, this time in the Great Swamp on Pleasant Plains Road (Chuck Hantis).

Red-headed Woodpeckers (RHWO) continue their movement into the mocosocoBirds area. Another RHWO was found today at Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area (Dave Blinder). The RHWO was in a swampy area across Boonton Avenue from the visitor’s center. There were possibly more present than the one individual photographed.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Pyramid Mtn., NJ, Sep. 26, 2013 (photo by Dave Blinder).

Red-headed Woodpecker, Pyramid Mtn., NJ, Sep. 26, 2013 (photo by Dave Blinder).

Both the juvenile Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were viewed today at Jefferson Road Pond (Julie Buechner). This is the 18th day for the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. Who knows how long it may have been here before it was found on September 9.

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395 Raptors at Chimney Rock, Martinsville, NJ, Sep. 25, 2013

Chimney Rock
Martinsville, NJ, USA
Daily Raptor Counts : 9/25/2013

Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 21 259 259
BE 4 119 119
NH 3 27 27
SS 33 593 593
CH 5 74 74
NG 0 0 0
RS 1 9 9
BW 293 17633 17633
RT 0 2 2
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 0 0
AK 25 308 308
ML 8 101 101
PG 1 13 13
UI 1 3 3
Total 395 19141 19141
Hours 9.5 232.8 232.8

Notes : NW & W Winds rendered another good hawk flight. 13 warbler
species incl. Connecticut (3rd this season). 1st Golden-crowned
kinglet and also had Ruby-crowned. Rough-winged swallow.
Amazingly, one of the resident Peregrine Falcons went into a
stoop and blew apart a Broad-winged Hawk right above the Hawk
Watch.

John Kee

Daily Totals
Hourly Stats Report
2013 Summary Standard
Bird Checklist Query

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Rusty Blackbirds and Ring-necked Ducks in Morris Co., Sept. 25, 2013

Lincoln Park Gravel Pits

Rusty Blackbird, Lincoln Park, NJ, Sept. 25, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

Rusty Blackbird, Lincoln Park, NJ, Sept. 25, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

There are but a few September records for Rusty Blackbird in New Jersey in the eBird database. The first known September record in Morris County occurred today at the Lincoln Park Gravel Pits, AKA, The Pits. Four Rustys worked the water’s edge at the base and roots of Black Willows completely surprising this observer. This is also the first Rusty Blackbird record for New Jersey this season in 2013 and one of a very few south of New England. A temporal bar graph for Rusty Blackbird based on eBird data is here.

Ring-necked Ducks, Lincoln Park, NJ, Sept. 25, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

Ring-necked Ducks, Lincoln Park, NJ, Sept. 25, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

Equally surprising is the first seasonal report in the entire state of New Jersey of Ring-necked Duck, also at The Pits. Likewise, this is a very early date and a very rare north Jersey record although not the earliest for Morris County. There is one odd August record from 2009 from Lake Musconetcong (Alan Boyd) and a Sept. 19, 2008 record from a park in Pequannock just north of The Pits (Justin Bosler). There are also a few August records from Hunterdon County (Frank Sencher, Jr.).

Generally, both Rusty Blackbirds and Ring-necked Ducks begin to arrive in New Jersey in mid-October. To have both species occur weeks before that time within a 100 yards of each other is extraordinary.

Editor’s Note: All references to data and records on this web site refer to the eBird database. Frankly, going forward, if a record isn’t in the eBird database, it doesn’t exist in the context of digital research. This is the reality of contemporary birding. If readers know of other records, please mention them in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

Glenhurst Meadows

The migration binge continues yet another day and looks like it will continue into Thursday. Another stellar morning by Jeff Ellerbusch, this time at Glenhurst Meadows, illustrates the amazing stretch of southward bound avifauna much of New Jersey is experiencing this week.

81 species were tallied including a sweep of the regularly occurring 7 species of woodpeckers in New Jersey. Among the many highlights are both Kinglet species, American Pipit, Winter Wren, 16 species of warblers, 7 sparrow species including 6 Lincoln’s Sparrows and 21 White-throated Sparrows, 7 raptor species, Killdeer and Solitary Sandpiper, 13 Eastern Phoebes, etc.

Parsippany

The unprecedented (for Morris Co.) Yellow-crowned Night-Heron continues at Jefferson Road. (Julie Buechner)

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218 Raptors at Chimney Rock, Martinsville, NJ, Sep. 24, 2013

Chimney Rock
Martinsville, NJ, USA
Daily Raptor Counts : 9/24/2013

Species Day’s Count Month Total Season Total
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 9 238 238
BE 3 115 115
NH 3 24 24
SS 101 560 560
CH 7 69 69
NG 0 0 0
RS 0 8 8
BW 51 17340 17340
RT 0 2 2
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 0 0
AK 34 283 283
ML 7 93 93
PG 2 12 12
UI 1 2 2
Total 218 18746 18746
Hours 10.5 223.3 223.3

Notes : Another good day with NW winds. Strong flight of Sharp-
shinneds, 43 Falcons. Some Broadwings with 51. 17 Species of
warblers including Hooded, Palm and Ovenbird. 2 Snow Geese.
67 total species of birds on the day. First large movement of
Canada Geese with 3120

John Kee

Hourly Stats Report
Daily Totals
2013 Summary Standard
Bird Checklist Query

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Tuesday Field Notes, Sep. 24, 2013

Migration continues to bring birds through the mocosocoBirds area.

Here are some numbers from this morning at Chimney Rock (Jeff Ellerbusch):
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
2 Swainson’s Thrush
1 Wood Thrush
7 Black-and-white Warbler
1 Tennessee Warbler
6 Common Yellowthroat
5 American Redstart
1 Cape May Warbler
8 Northern Parula
5 Magnolia Warbler
1 Blackburnian Warbler
4 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Blackpoll Warbler
5 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Pine Warbler
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
12 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 Canada Warbler
7 White-throated Sparrows
1 Scarlet Tanager
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
=============================
A late afternoon walk at Troy Meadows (Troy Meadows Rd.) found 4 American Kestrels, 2 Lincoln’s Sparrows and singletons of Nashville and Tennessee Warblers (appropriately next to each other in the same sapling), Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler and Palm Warbler.
=============================
One juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron continues at Jefferson Road Pond (Julie Buechner). A Solitary Sandpiper, Swainson’s Thrush and Black-throated Blue and Green Warblers were also present.

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