Negri-Nepote

On a marginally more palatable day I went walking in the early morning at Negri-Nepote Grasslands in Franklin Twp NJ. This place was full of passerines with a good number of juveniles. I saw more Grasshopper Sparrow juveniles than anything else, which is really good news for this very uncommon species in NJ. One or two adult males were still singing, and I saw one adult carrying food.

One species conspicuously absent were Dickcissel - they haven't been seen here in a few weeks.

Other sparrows at Negri-Nepote included Chipping, Field (+juv), Song (+juv), a singing male Blue Grosbeak (not seen) and there were also American Goldfinches, Indigo Buntings and fly-over House Finch. I also saw multiple House Wrens (one using a Tree Swallow box), a Prairie Warbler, a few Orchard Orioles, Cliff/Barn/Tree Swallow, three eclipse plumage Wood Ducks on the pond that is drying up. Also of interest there were a flock of 10+ Bobolinks - although this is a grassland they don't breed here for reasons that must be to do with the habitat mix, but Bobolinks breed early and migrate early. These birds were southbound migrants including molting adult males.