Griggstown Preserve, October 25th and 26th

I birded Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve in Franklin Twp on the mornings of Sat and Sun the 25th and 26th. On the Saturday the weather was gray and foreboding the rain storm to come, and bird activity was fairly quiet with only a few sparrows. There were a few good hawks, however: two Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Red-tailed and an American Kestrel.

In contrast, after the passage of the storm, the following morning was much birdier with cooperative Savannah Sparrows everywhere and the usual suspects: Swamp, Savannah, Song, White-crowned, White-throated, Field Sparrows. There was also a late Blackpoll Warbler along with Yellow-rumped, Palm Warblers and Common Yellowthroat.

Bird activity at Pole Farm (Mercer Co Park NorthWest) was much lower, with Field and Song Sparrows, a fleeting Eastern Meadowlark, and the best bird being a fly-over immature Bald Eagle. Two Northern Harriers were hunting the fields.

The aggregate birding list for Griggstown was:
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Hairy Woodpecker
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch

Griggstown Preserve, October 13th

Typical for a day in mid October, Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve was swarming with Savannah Sparrows. There were also good numbers of Swamp Sparrows and various other expect sparrow species. Two American Kestrels, a Northern Harrier and a late Bobolink rounded out the selection.

Northern Harrier
American Kestrel
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Bobolink

Central Park, Oct 4th

A big Blue Jay migration day with multiple flocks over the park, and one small flock still heaed south over the marshland near Secaucus NJ seen from the southbound NJ Train. Not seen by me was a Connecticut Warbler. A decent mix with 12 species of warbler, modest numbers, but notably a mid-late fall mix with both species of kinglet, Pewee and Phoebe.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Gray Catbird
Nashville Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Indigo Bunting

Central Park, Oct 2nd

Off a somewhat northerly wind, I took the 6:03am train into NYC in the hopes of a little migrant birding. A slow trickle at Strawberry Fields held a Canada Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green with some Towhees sounding off and a single fly-by Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. One Chimney Swift overhead. Most of the Ramble was quiet, but the Maintenance Field at times held a few warblers - Nashville being the best one. A White-eyed Vireo was found there, unusual for the park.

The Wild Turkey has lost a lot of feathers, and now looks thin, however I'm hoping that it's just going through prebasic molt and will look healthier again soon.

Red-tailed Hawk
Chimney Swift
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Canada Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
White-throated Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole