mocosocoBirds

Connecticut Warbler at Lord Stirling Park

From Mike Hiotis at Lord Stirling Park:
This afternoon I spotted a Connecticut Warbler that popped up in front of me and flew to eye height a few yards away. As is not always the case with this species the full eye ring and long undertail coverts were shown for a nice impression. It was a brown-hooded bird. It was on the trail left of the East Observation Blind where there is field habitat on both sides of the trail maybe 75 yards past the pond…..Mike Hiotis

Olive-sided Flycatchers

Olive-sided Flycatcher, Oak Meadows, Rockaway Twp., NJ, Sep. 5, 2013 (digiscoped by Jonathan Klizas).

It has been a productive season for Olive-sided Flycatchers (OSFL). Two more occurred today: Jeff Ellerbusch found one at Chimney Rock (possibly the same individual as was seen at the hawk watch yesterday by Chris Aquila). Another was at Oak Meadows in Rockaway Twp. (J. Klizas) near where an OSFL visited the Sasso Tract in August. The pictured OSFL was on a snag by Pilar Pond, down the slope from the baseball field.

Black-crowned Night-Heron, Wilson’s Snipe at The Pits

Black-crowned Night-Heron, Lincoln Park, NJ, Sep. 5, 2013 (didgiscoped by J. Klizas)

The first 3 Wilson’s Snipe of the season in the mocosocoBirds region were found today at the Lincoln Park Gravel Pits. This is also the first report of Wilson’s Snipe in New Jersey, north of I-195 for the summer of 2013 based on eBird data. A juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron was viewed before flying off to a another part of the Pits. Shorebird species are similar to those found the previous week:
Killdeer – 18
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs – 3
Least Sandpiper – 5
Wilson’s Snipe – 3

Wilson’s Snipe, Lincoln Park, NJ, Sep. 5, 2013 (digiscoped by J. Klizas).

The usual two Bald Eagles were present, an adult and a juvenile. A Merlin was perched near the adult Bald Eagle for a short time. Other species of interest: 4 Blue-winged Teal, 2 Green-winged Teal, 8 Great Blue Herons, 3 Great Egrets, 3 Green Herons.

Wilson’s Warblers

From Julie Buechner, Sep. 4, 2013:
I was at Hedden Park in Randolph and saw two Wilson’s Warblers in some bushes by a small stream flowing into Hedden Pond. Also spotted a Common Yellowthroat and a Warbling Vireo nearby, as well as 2 Solitary Sandpipers and a Spotted Sandpiper in the pond.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Am. Golden-Plovers at Selody Sod Farm

What were 3 Am. Golden-Plovers (AGPL) earlier in the morning (Robert Skrabal) became 4 in the afternoon (Jeff Ellerbusch). The season’s first Buff-breasted Sandpiper (BBSA) in the mocosocoBirds region, a juvenile, was also found at Selody Sod Farm, Montgomery Township (Mike Hiotis, J. Ellerbusch). As of 1:50 p.m., 3 of the AGPL flew off leaving one AGPL in company with the BBSA.

From August going forward, Selody Sod Farm is checked regularly so the following table is an accurate depiction of arrival dates for the past two years at Selody.

Short-billed Dowitcher at the Lincoln Park Gravel Pits

A Short-billed Dowitcher was a fly-by this morning at the Lincoln Park Gravel Pits
(Simon Lane, J. Klizas). Needless to say, this is a rare shorebird species in the mocosocoBirds region. A few other shorebirds continued before the rains came: Spotted, Solitary and 5 Least Sandpipers, 2 Greater and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs and 5 Killdeer. Yesterday’s 15 Great Egrets were at the Pits this morning but later slipped away unnoticed.