Delaware Bay Shore, 5/22

It was heavy overcast and drizzle, with non-migration-inducing winds on Saturday night, so I gave up on any idea of going into Central Park and went in the opposite direction to the NJ Delaware Bay shore instead.

I got a slow start, the light rain not being much of an inducement, but it was merely overcast when I made it to Belleplain State Forest at 10am. Along the usual stretch of Sunset Road I hard a distant Prothonotary Warbler, a closer (but equally elusive) Louisiana Waterthrush, and a Yellow-throated Warbler in the pines there. All were heard-only as was a Worm-eating Warbler and a probable distant Kentucky. Birds I actually did see at Belleplain were Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on its nest.

Belleplain SF was not my main target, which was instead saltmarshes and coastal ponds. I went to Jake's Landing and on getting to the parking lot the first sparrow I put my eyes on was a Saltmarsh (Sharp-tailed) Sparrow - not something I see each trip there, although this was the site of my life bird. Shortly afterwards the first of several Seaside Sparrows and Marsh Wrens doing little song flights. The species were the usual selection (Willet, heard Clapper Rail, Snowy Egret, Glossy Ibis, Osprey, Forster's Tern) and since it was both breezy and overcast I left before too long - I did see one Northern Harrier which suggests they might be nesting there again.

My main interest for the day was migrating shorebirds at the impoundments along Matt's Landing Rd at Heislerville. I got there a little before noon with a projected high tide of something like 1:30pm and there already were a lot of shorebirds in the pool. Hundreds per minute were coming in as the tide rose. There was a multi-thousand swarm of Semipalmated Sandpipers (year bird) but I was lucky enough to find the female Curlew Sandpiper within the first 30 seconds. They prefer the mud and shoreline rather than wading, so despite being similar to Dunlins (but longer-legged) they don't spend much time with them. A little later on the brick red (but still a little mottled) male was found. The female showed remarkable site fidelity and kept feeding on the same 50 yard stretch of mud. Dunlin, Semipalmated Plover, Short-billed Dowitcher were also numerous. The Black-bellied Plovers were more elusive on the other side of the pond. The Black Skimmers were also present, along with Forster's Tern and a couple of Least Terns. I spent some time sorting through sandpipers and came up with three White-rumped Sandpipers - birds I don't see in alternate plumage all that often. Large numbers but not a lot of diversity - this habitat doesn't favor the Ruddy Turnstones (I saw 1) or Red Knots (zero) that hang out along the sandy beaches of the bay. The shorebird flocks were pretty nervous, and at one point a female Purple Martin was flushing them as it dove for insects over the mud.

Although there was a little sun down on the shore, back at home it was still solid overcast. A little migration had happened - as I was doing yard work I heard a singing male Blackpoll Warbler feeding amongst my spruce trees (which along with my big oak prove to be a favorite with migrant warblers).

Heislerville WMA, May 29th

The first foray of the long Memorial Day weekend was down to the Delaware bay shore for migrating shorebirds. At the pullout before I hiked the beach road a nice find was Blue Grosbeak (singing male) along with House Wren and Cedar Waxwing. Along the road there were the predictable Marsh Wrens and Seaside Sparrows and fly-over Herons.

The weather was overcast with mediocre light for photo ops, but that wasn't so bad because the shorebirds at the bay were 99% Semipalmated Sandpipers, with very few Dunlin, Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstones and absolutely NO Red Knots. Erosion was evident here and some of the coastal marsh from the previous year had been rendered into a pile of vegetation washed up by the tide. Not sure if this was a factor or if timing and food supply led to the Knots being concentrated elsewhere. There were certainly a number of Horseshoe Crabs and eggs, as the abundant Laughing Gulls can attest to. I snapped a few pictures of Semipalmated in very average light and left. On the walk back Semipalmated Plover and Least Sandpipers flew by.

I actually had to take a little jaunt down to Kimball's Beach (Cape May NWR) to see Red Knots along the roped off area of the beach although the number of shorebirds here was quite modest. On the way back up I stopped at CMBO at Goshen in the hopes of finding a hummingbird but the seed feeders here were empty and there were no hummingbird feeders at all - previously this location was good for hummingbirds.

After that I went to Belleplain SF along Sunset Road, but activity there was low in the late morning. I could hear and not see Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Acadian Flycatcher so left unsuccessful.

And finally the coup de grace was at the impoundments at Heislerville where despite the high tide there were relatively few shorebirds, and certainly no Curlew Sandpiper or Ruff.

Belleplain and Heislerville

Instead of battling crowds in Central Park I made a late start and went to southern NJ. In Belleplain State Forest along Sunset Rd birds were more heard than seen. Heard-only were Acadian Flycatcher, Blue-winged Warbler and Scarlet Tanager. Seen was the reliable Prothonotary Warbler and a pair of Worm-eating Warblers as well as a fly-by Louisiana Waterthrush. A visit to Jake's Landing in the heat of the day added predictable Seaside Sparrow, Marsh Wren, Willet and calling Clapper Rails. Northern Harriers were still hunting over the marshes, surely breeding there. And then onto Heislerville WMA where it was a little after high tide and many shorebirds were on the mudflats rather than in the rather full impoundment. Nothing novel here, instead the usual roster: Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, Dunlin, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitcher, Black Skimmer.

Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Northern Harrier
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Forster's Tern
Great Crested Flycatcher
Marsh Wren
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seaside Sparrow

Heislerville WMA, May 29th 2008

In another part of Heislerville WMA I spent Thursday morning admiring the collection of shorebirds and Laughing Gulls gathered to feed off Horseshoe Crab eggs. There were a good number of Red Knots, second only in number to the abundant Semipalmated Sandpipers. Laughing Gulls and Ruddy Turnstones were also numerous, there were several Sanderlings (less than I had anticipated) and a few Short-billed Dowitchers. And precisely one Willet.

What there weren't many of, however, were Horseshoe Crabs, and I saw several dead ones and about 10 live ones. Of course it's past full moon, and despite the presumably warming water it is not optimal spawning conditions. Who knows if they will wait for the next full moon (mid-late June) or will finish spawning sooner ?

Further away from the shore I found my first-of-season Willow Flycatcher, and the Seaside Sparrows and Marsh Wrens were numerous in the salt marsh. The water level in the impoundment at Heislerville had dropped considerably since as recently as last Monday, making it less than ideal for photography. I watched shorebirds trickling into the impoundment as the tide rose, but I decided to try and beat traffic and left the area at 3:30pm. I did not find the Curlew Sandpiper(s) but the light was harsh and the birds were in the center of the impoundment rather than pushed further towards the edges.

Links:
Tide predictor for Delaware Bay
Moon phase predictor

Heislerville WMA, May 26th

I made an afternoon run to Heislerville WMA in southern NJ to take photos of shorebirds. High tide was ~2pm so by the time I got down there it was 3 hours past high, with a few birds exiting the impoundment that had been drawn down for them. But many remained - mostly Semipalmated Sandpipers but also Dunlin, Semipalmated Plover, a few Short-billed Dowitchers. And a Curlew Sandpiper. As in 2007, a brightly-plumaged male Curlew Sandpiper was present on the north side of the impoundment, and not particularly shy either.

Despite being the Monday afternoon of Memorial Day, traffic was not too horrendous either.

Shorebird list:

Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Willet (East Point Road)
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot (East Point Road)
Sanderling (East Point Road)
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Dunlin
Curlew Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher

Heislerville WMA, May 25th

In a fit of enthusiasm I baled out of Princeton at 5:30 am and made my way down I-295 and Rt-55 to Heislerville WMA on the southern Delaware Bay shore in NJ. I got there at 7am and found that I had badly miscalculated the tide and the number of shorebirds in the impoundment was low, and getting lower as they flew out to the saltmarsh to feed.

So instead I headed over to Jake's Landing near Dennisville to try and take photos of the usual suspects - in the case of Jake's Landing this is Seaside Sparrows and Marsh Wrens, neither of which were totally cooperative but I did get a few photographs. I saw a few Clapper Rails flying around (and heard far more) but failed to see any Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows as I had done there the previous weekend. Surprisingly, given prior experience, I was neither devoured by no-see-ums nor disturbed every five minutes by boat launchers. A couple of cars with birders were all I found there - has this place become unpopular with the boating public ?

Once the sun started to get high and I tired of creeping up on Seaside Sparrows I headed to the nearby Belleplain State Forest and staked out the Prothonotary Warbler site on Sunset Road. As if by magic the male Prothonotary put in an appearance within 5 minutes, singing over the road. I hung out there for a while, taking pictures as it periodically dropped by (or flew by) and then, in what's a first for me at that location, spotted a female Prothonotary being far less conspicuous except for one brief interaction between the two. Also present were assorted usual suspects: Hooded Warbler (I actually saw one), Pine Warbler, a probable Worm-eating Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Towhee. [Note added later - in early June a Swainson's Warbler was reported singing around this spot, but since nobody has laid their eyes on it, it could conceivably be another warbler singing a strange song].

Despite the bust at Heislerville early in the day it turned out to be relatively productive and worthwhile. On the way out I surveyed Heislerville WMA again at closer to high tide (1pm ?) and had the added bonus of a Curlew Sandpiper seen well but in harsh light at 11:30am.

Highlights:
Clapper Rail (Jake's Landing)
Black-bellied Plover (Heislerville WMA)
Semipalmated Plover (Heislerville WMA)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Heislerville WMA)
Dunlin (Heislerville WMA)
Curlew Sandpiper (Heislerville WMA)
Short-billed Dowitcher (Heislerville WMA)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Belleplain SF)
Acadian Flycatcher (Belleplain SF)
Great Crested Flycatcher (Belleplain SF)
Marsh Wren (Jake's Landing)
Blue-winged Warbler (Belleplain SF)
Yellow-throated Warbler (Belleplain SF)
American Redstart (Jake's Landing)
Prothonotary Warbler (Belleplain SF)
Worm-eating Warbler (Belleplain SF)
Louisiana Waterthrush (Belleplain SF)
Eastern Towhee (Belleplain SF)
Seaside Sparrow (Jake's Landing)
Boat-tailed Grackle (Jake's Landing)