Off to a slow start. It's February and I'm already getting bored with recording my sightings to this blog. Not good! And, I still haven't written any real blog post yet. Sigh ... when the inspiration strikes, I'll be ready.
FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS
Harris's Sparrow (Life bird), Orange Crowned Warbler, Eurasian Wigeon, Western Grebe.
February 28
Last birding day of the month. North Shore tour with some fellow Lakehurst surveyors, Leslie, Tom, and Nano. We started at Sandy Hook and I left after the stop at Pullman Ave. The two best birds of the day were
Western Grebe* (Monmouth Cultural Center)
Golden Eye (SH Church yard) *
Here's the rest:
Common Loon
RT Loon
Horned Grebe
N. Gannet
Canada Geese
Brant
Mallard
Black Duck
Am. Wigeon
Gadwall
RN Duck
Bufflehead
LT Duck
Black Scoter
Surf Scoter
RB Merg
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk (Sandy Hook)
Cooper's Hawk (Sandy Hook)
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Am Coot
Killdeer*
GBBG
Herring Gull
RB Gull
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
American Crow
Carolina Wren
N. Mockingbird
Robins
Cedar Waxwing
Starling
YR Warbler
RW Blackbird
Common Grackle
N. Cardinal
House Finch
Gold Finch
HOSP
SOSP
WTSP
February 25
Boy did things change fast from my last post, from nobody talking about the HASP to everybody flipping out about it, including a gun threat hoax and a lengthy discussion on homeowner rights vs birders' right. Well, more on that in a separate post, maybe.
It's been quiet. I've done some birding, but haven't seen anything new or notable. Feeder birds are still the same, I've been checking flocks of geese and gulls with no standouts. It's okay.
Shark River Inlet
I've been hearing a lot of great reports from here, but today was not the day to follow up. Wind 25mph, I think, with strong gusts. Common and RT Loon, the typical gulls, GBB, HERG, and RBGU. A single LTDU in the breakers. No Gannets.
5th St Lake
Mallards 12
Redheads 10 *
Shark River Estuary
Nice! It's a good time of year for this place. I pulled out to the end of Marconi Ave and the Eurasian Wigeon was right there. I'd forgotten it had been reported here. Here's the list:
Eurasian Wigeon* 1
Americna Wigeon 20
N. Shoveler 5
BLDU
Coot
RUDU
Bufflehead
RB Merganser
GB Heron
HERG
RBGU
GBBG
Brant
Mute Swans!! too many!
February 21
Strange, and possibly incorrect. Yellowlegs species in the middle of the NW loop from 276 to 309 in PA with CAGO.
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| Well, at least the habitat is right. |
February 15
Titusville Private Feeders
Harris' Sparrow. LIFE BIRD
Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk
Junco
Cardinal 5
Tufted Titmouse 2
Carolina Chickadees 3
American Robins 1
Common Grackle 2
Downy WP 1
Goldfinch
House Finch
Purple ? confusing one.
Nobody's talking about this bird, which is weird since it went out on eBird and text alert. Oh well. I won't talk about it either. The first thing I noticed about this bird was that it had a huge head. It's known for being a very large sparrow - the largest in N America, I think. But it also simply has a huge head. It's 7.9" which is almost Cardinal sized. Additionally, it seemed to have a raised crest, but also its head is very large. Think female Cardinal when trying to find one. In back light silhouette, they will look similar. Very skittish bird. Came, grabbed a seed, then ran to under the bushes. Beautiful. My new favorite. I will return.
February 12
Manasquan Rsvr Environmental Center
Orange Crowned Warbler** w/Emi 1 at feeders, seen from outside in the freezing cold
N Cardinal
WTSP
MODO
