Griggstown and Six Mile Run, May 30th

I really haven't spent any time at my two local grasslands this spring, so I rectified this on Saturday morning by going to Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve and the nearby Six Mile Run, both on the east side of the D&R canal in Franklin Twp.

Griggstown was somewhat of a disappointment, since it held neither Bobolink nor any singing Grasshopper Sparrow and there was no Willow Flycatcher - I'm wondering if the successional nature of what's going on there may have something to do with it - the habitat has a different feel to Six Mile Run. I did see a smattering of usual species and a Red Fox: Song, Chipping and Field Sparrows, an Indigo Bunting, Orchard and Baltimore Oriole, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow Warbler and Common Yellowthroat and the inevitable Red-winged Blackbirds and Tree Swallows.

At Six Mile Run, there was all this and more. There were several singing male Grasshopper Sparrows, some of them obviously paired. There were two singing Willow Flycatchers (not obviously paired) and a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers in the parking lot. Best of all there was a Blue Grosbeak male a little further up the trail I usually take. The Willow Flycatcher shot is from Six Mile Run.

Sterling Forest

Sterling Forest is one of the main strongholds of Golden-winged Warbler near NYC, now that the species is increasingly marginal in NJ. On May 19th I took a morning and got there at 0630, finding Golden-winged almost immediately. Other warblers present were Hooded Warbler (heard), Ovenbird (heard), Prairie Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler (heard) and a brief snippet of Cerulean Warbler song. I ignored the Cerulean while I watched a female Golden-winged forage for nest material, only to find that the Cerulean vanished rather quickly.

Other birds included several Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Baltimore and Orchard Oriole and Scarlet Tanager. Singing activity really died down after 9am, which is at least one reason I never did see any Ceruleans anywhere.

A return trip the following Sunday (May 24th) gave me a look at two Ceruleans (singing), a singing Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a fly-by Broad-winged Hawk and otherwise much the same species mix.

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Central Park, May 13th

Things were pretty slow in Strawberry Fields, so I went over to Falconer's Hill and found Janet talking about a sharp-tailed sparrow. Five or ten minutes later it appeared from cover and the somewhat surreal sighting of a Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow in the grass at Falconer's. OK, it was in some grass, but why it didn't hang out at the much wetter Lower Lobe nearby is anyone's guess - perhaps the deeper cover at Falconer's suited it. This is the second one I've seen in Central Park, the previous one being 4/30/2001, with a Nelson's the following year (Sept 2002). Now all we need is a Le Conte's.....

Central Park, May 12th

It helps, I find, to have the battery in the digital camera to hold a little voltage. No volts, no photos.

Nevertheless, it was a decent day, although one I cut short due to camera woes. Bay-breasted Warbler was at Strawberry Fields, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers on the Lake, and a Gray-cheeked Thrush near Azalea Pond.

Central Park, May 10th

Although May 10th is often a high-volume day in spring migration, this particular day was pretty slow, and for a long time I had about 5 species of warbler, mainly Magnolia. Eventually the quality picked up with a Prothonotary Warbler on the Point, a Least Flycatcher, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird male and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (the latter two at Azalea Pond). Still, I only barely made it into double digits for warbler species. In the afternoon I drove back home via Bull's Island State Park, where I added the fairly reliable Acadian Flycatcher and Cliff Swallow to my year list.

Double-crested Cormorant
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Least Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Black-capped Chickadee
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Field Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

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

Central Park, May 6th

Not the most auspicious weather to go birding in Central Park - a north wind overnight and overcast making viewing conditions difficult. Nevertheless it was May 6th, so there were a decent number of migrants in small pockets. Best birds for the day were White-eyed Vireo (Upper Lobe), Indigo Bunting and a persistently singing Blackburnian Warbler at Mugger's Woods. For May 6th the lack of Red-eyed Vireos gave it a feel of being a little late for some species, consistent with the poor and wet weather over the last few days retarding migration.

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
American Kestrel
Blue-headed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole

Central Park, May 2nd

Intermittent drizzle and heavy overcast early in the day cleared to sunny conditions late in the day before more rain spread in overnight. As I was packing up the car to drive into NYC there were Red-eyed Vireo and Black-and-white Warbler in my yard. Garrett Mountain had a fallout day, whereas Central Park merely had a good one. First of season birds for me included Great Crested Flycatcher, Black-throated Green and Magnolia Warblers, Scarlet Tanager and White-crowned Sparrow. 14 species of warbler was probably a little under what I should have achieved, but numbers were fairly good.

Great Crested Flycatcher
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole

Princeton, May 1st

Despite heavy overcast and some drizzle, I stopped off at Rogers Refuge/Institute Woods before work. There was certainly some migration, although not starting numbers. The best birds were a male Blackburnian Warbler and several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (one male was singing), and Warbling Vireo was new for the year although a predictable find.

Warbling Vireo
Tree Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Gray Catbird
Northern Parula
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch