Sterling Forest, May 21st

Back up to Sterling Forest on the first sunny day for a over a week, and as it transpired the only sunny day of the weekend. Getting there around 7:30am I checked Blue Lake, where there was little singing activity, so I spent the entire morning along the power line cut at Ironwood Road.

A relatively cool start after a week of rain, and there wasn't that much active singing. In particular I heard no singing Golden-winged until I turned around on the trail, which is where I saw my first male. By that time I'd already seen two singing Blue-winged and photographed a female that was paired with the first "Blue-winged".

I say "Blue-winged" because it was this bird - almost certainly the one that was singing in the same tree as the Golden-winged 10 days perviously - that had pretty obvious Golden-winged genes in it. From underneath it's an unremarkable Blue-winged, but when I saw it from the side the upper wingbar had yellow in it, and the lower wing bar was both broad and solidly yellow. The face was perfect Blue-winged, so it wasn't an obvious "Lawrence's" Warbler. Some sort of back-cross that was 3/4 Blue-winged and 1/4 Golden-winged. Based on tail feather shape (and wear?) it was a first spring bird. The only good thing about all of this is that it was at least paired with a Blue-winged female, not a Golden-winged.

I had three singing Golden-winged on the day, plus a good mix of other warblers: Cerulean (singing male, also seen), Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird (heard), Hooded Warbler (heard). That's down from my previous trip here, but a pretty good total given that there was little migration ongoing with another in a series of winds out of the east.

Other passerines: Indigo Bunting, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Yellow-billed Cuckoo (heard), Eastern Wood-Peewee and Great Crested Flycatcher. I also had an Empidonax-sp that looked a lot like a Least Flycatcher but I wasn't totally sure of it based on incomplete looks (but not Acadian or Yellow-bellied). Not a bad day and I stayed a little later there due to the slow start.

Of note were a young Snapping Turtle crawling up the hill, and a large (5+ ft!) Black Rat Snake sprawled across the trail and really quite sluggish in the lower temperatures of the morning.

Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Barn Swallow
Veery
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Indigo Bunting
Baltimore Oriole

Sterling Forest

May 11th is the earliest I have ever been to Sterling Forest - when I first went there I favored early June although more recently I've been more likely to go there at the end of May. So this was somewhat of an experiment. The novel experience was the presence of some migrants in what otherwise would be considered classic northern deciduous breeding habitat (Yellow-rumped Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow). The female Black-throated Blue was probably a migrant too. In the end I racked up quite a decent total of warblers, although some species were heard-only, and unquestionably my best for this site.

The main targets at Sterling Forest are Golden-winged Warbler and Cerulean Warbler. I heard two Ceruleans and saw/heard about six Golden-winged. All males. I didn't see any sign of females but perhaps since this is mid migration they are en route. Unfortunately I also saw four Blue-winged, a personal high total, which doesn't bode well for this little enclave of Golden-winged. In fact one Blue-winged was singing in the same tree as a Golden-winged without territorial exclusion, which illustrates how this sort of hybridization can so easily come about.

My usual initial spot for Golden-winged has been trashed by the power line company, which likes to destroy habitat of endangered species by chemical and mechanical means. Looks like that will take a few years to bounce back, assuming it ever does. I've also seen these jackasses prune trees in breeding season, including destroying an American Redstart nest in the process and right next to a Golden-winged nesting site. Of course the power line cut itself is providing niche habitat for Golden-winged, especially after habitat encroachment or succession of its more usual sites. Golden-winged is essentially extirpated in NJ, at least from any publicized spots - the last site that I knew of near Layton has gone too far in succession. Although Cerulean is relatively rare, Golden-winged is much rarer as a regional breeding species.

However at least the most prominent spot for Golden-winged at Ironwood Road is mostly intact. Here Golden-winged, Prairie, Chestnut-sided, Yellow and Common Yellowthroat were on territory. I felt that the numbers of Prairie and Chestnut-sided were on the low side, but this may reflect ongoing migration especially of the latter species.

Here's the list, with 17 warbler species:
Green Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch

Stirling Forest, May 31st

I did the same loop as my May 22nd trip:
http://nycbirding.blogspot.com/2010/05/stirling-forest-and-nw-nj-may-22nd.html
although perhaps with less success.

The trail along Long Meadow Road was quieter, although most of the same species were seen, and the powerline cut at Ironwood Road was productive in terms of singing birds including Golden-winged Warbler but most of them were less cooperative, either because of the heat of the day or because territories were more established. No Ravens this time, although I did have a singing Cerulean Warbler and a Green Heron.

Green Heron
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Black-capped Chickadee
Wood Thrush
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Indigo Bunting


After that I skipped Oil City Road/Wallkill NWR but headed out to High Point SP (Sawmill Rd), Stokes SF (Crigger Rd) and Layton. Sawmill Rd was as loud as before, with Redstart, Ovenbird, Yellow Warbler being the main species, and one Least Flycatcher that refused to show its face. In Stokes SF I didn't hear any Ceruleans but did hear a Yellow-throated Vireo. I found a single Acadian Flycatcher at it's normal space at the cool evergreen grove downstream along the Flatbrook River, heard what sounded an awful lot like a Blue-headed Vireo, and also a Black-throated Green in the same location, and there was a singing Chestnut-sided Warbler at the bridge.

Layton was quiet in the midday heat, there were no Alder Flycatchers, and a grassy/ticky walk down to the wet area didn't yield any singing ones either.

Stirling Forest and nw NJ, May 22nd

A better title might be "Stirling Forest and afterthoughts" since the action was squarely at the first location.

Along Long Meadow Road there was a beautiful male Brewster's Warbler (Golden-winged X Blue-winged hybrid) singing, along with more silent Golden-winged males, something that sounded like a Blue-winged, Great Crested Flycatcher and some fast-acting Eastern Phoebe's that already had two fledgelings. There was signs of trimming and herbicide use here, which has damaged the habitat. A Pileated Woodpecker was touring its territory, making big drumming noises and flying over twice. Warbling Vireo, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart fleshed out the list here.

On to the other part of the power line cut at Ironwood Road where the same patches of herbicide use were evident. However there were still good numbers of Golden-winged Warblers, a Blue-winged, several Prairie Warblers and Indigo Buntings and a pair of Field Sparrows. A calling pair of Common Ravens drifted over. Unseen but vocal birds included Eastern Wood-Peewee, Hooded Warber, Ovenbird and a quick burst from a Worm-eating Warbler. I didn't hear any Ceruleans, however.

That was a good start, with several "year" birds, although the Brewster's was the #1 star since I see this hybrid rarely. I then cut across through Warwick toward Oil City Road and the northern edge of Wallkill River NWR. Not a great deal there, just a few swallows and Least and Solitary Sandpipers. And then on to High Point State Park, although en route I did see a few Wild Turkeys.

Following a fairly typical route I coasted down Sawmill Road listening for Ceruleans, although I failed to find any. Despite it being 1pm many birds were in full song: American Redstart, Red-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird were the most frequent. A brief sprint along Deckertown Pike brought me to Stokes State Forest and more Cerulean territory and eventually I did find an actively singing one. I walked along the trail downstream along the Flatbrook River and saw Ovenbird, Veery and heard a Black-throated Green Warbler. What was missing here were Empidonax flycatchers - no Acadian on the Flatbrook, no Least near the parking lot, no Willow at Wallkill and as it turned out there would be no Alder at Layton. Dropping out of Stokes SF I heard a couple more Ceruleans singing.

And then finally to Layton and the Delaware Water Gap at Van Ness Rd, itself a destination for several early morning forays over the years. Prairie, Yellow and Blue-winged Warblers sounded off. There was no sign of any Golden-winged. The habitat here has filled in compared to my first years here and has probably become too overgrown for Golden-winged, now nearly extirpated in NJ. It's probably getting too "mature" for Blue-winged too. Wood Thrushes and Veeries were singing in the background, but it was relatively quiet (and late in the day) for a "good" day at Layton.

For the final stop I took a somewhat circuitous route before finding the Kay Environmental Center just south of Chester (west of Morristown). I was trying for a Golden-winged sweep by seeing the Lawrence's Warbler (another hybrid) that was reported there, but directions were a little vague and a Priarie Warbler was the only species in evidence here.

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.

Delaware Water Gap, June 7th

In a slightly insane move I ignored the prospects of getting fried in 90+ degree heat and drove to the Delaware Water Gap NRA on Sunday to look for breeding warblers.

Van Ness Rd, near Layton, has been in recent years a pretty reliable spot for Golden-winged Warbler, including a male that sings a "Blue-winged" song, albeit with somewhat of a flourish. Visually the bird looks like a pure Golden-winged. However I was reading a paper from 1997 by Frank Gill (Evolution, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 519-525) that indicated that gene flow from Blue-winged to Golden-winged was strictly one way and that Blue-winged supplanted Golden-winged within 50 years. The cheery title was "Local Cytonuclear Extinction of the Golden-Winged Warbler".

If that wasn't rough enough on Golden-winged, the habitat along Van Ness Rd has been going through rapid succession, possibly aided and abetted by non-native species like multiflora rose. So, as you might have guess, there were no Golden-winged Warblers this year along Van Ness Rd, although that same weekend a "Lawrence's" Warbler (Golden-winged X Blue-winged) was reported singing a few miles to the north. There were plenty of Blue-winged Warblers, along with Chestnut-sided, Yellow, Prairie Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Scarlet Tanager and Eastern Towhee. Still a good place but the best area for Golden-winged is now Sterling Forest over the border in NY where they still hang on.

After finishing up at Van Ness I took a run into Stokes State Forest over the other side of Rt. 206. I stopped at the bridge over the Flatbrook River (Crigger Rd). At this parking lot, where the road becomes one-way, it was less productive than usual. I had heard Blackburnian Warbler and Least Flycatcher on the way up Grau Rd, but they weren't here where I'd seen them in previous years (in 2007 I watched a Blackburnian male bathe at the water standpipe here). However following the trail down the Flatbrook from the bridge I did hear Blackburnian and Black-throated Green in the dense pines, along with the usual Acadian Flycatcher and as a bonus a single tame Hermit Thrush. Based on the range map from the Birds of North America Online this would be the southerly limit of breeding for Hermit Thrush in the more coastal areas around here.

Going back along Crigger Rd towards High Point State Park, and after shedding two noisy Harleys that were tailing me, it wasn't all that difficult to find Cerulean Warbler singing along the road. Their favorite spot seems to shift from year to year. Also here was Yellow-throated Vireo. After turning right (east) onto Deckertown Pike I cut north along Sawmill Rd into High Point State Park. Here again, Least Flycatcher, Cerulean Warbler and Yellow-throated Vireo were audible along the road. There was abundant American Redstarts on these higher elevations, and Ovenbirds were heard throughout.

Because the temperature was rising rapidly into the 90's I didn't chase every single bird song or go chasing after northern NJ highland specialties like Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, so I retreated out of High Point and Stokes SF back to Rt. 206 and returned home.