Delaware: Black-tailed Godwit

After having missed the 2001 Black-tailed Godwit on Long Island because I was away on vacation, this species had nestled close to the top of my rarity priority list in recent years.  There was an early summer BT Godwit in TX this year that had me tempted to fly for it in a piece of gratuitous chasing.

So the red alert buttons went off on Friday while at work, when a report of a Black-tailed Godwit at Prime Hook NWR in Delaware turned up on the NJ email list.  Since Prime Hook is south of Dover it's too far for an after work sprint, so I had to bide my time for an early morning drive.  So I left at 4am from Ewing, off about 2 hours sleep after being out the previous night in Philadelphia.  Uneventful 3 hour drive but even at 6am DE Route 1 held some beach traffic.  Since DE-1 was built, it's a lot faster to get down there compared to the old sluggish Route 13.

Prime Hook Rd is a little north of Broadkill Beach Road, where the Wood Sandpiper was found in summer 2008, although it's all part of the same marshland just inland of the beaches.  On Prime Hook Rd the habitat seemed to have taken a bit of a beating - signs of water crossing the rode with all sorts of debris on it.  The weather was heavily overcast, cool and windy.  Short-billed Dowitcher was the most numerous shorebird, with some small peeps, a couple of Willets and one Ruddy Turnstone.  It took a full hour for the Black-tailed Godwit to appear, apparently flying into an island of exposed mud while many of us were looking elsewhere.  It seemed that it might be an adult female - it wasn't in basic and it didn't look like a juvenile.  The bird was quite restless - it spent the five minutes on the ground mostly preening and then picked up and flew to the west.  The was useful, because the single most dominant ID feature compared to the similar Hudsonian Godwit is pale wing linings (Black-tailed) vs black wing linings (Hudsonian).  There were also the very prominent wing bars.  Later in the day it was found roosting along a neighboring beach road but apparently wasn't found on Sunday.

I've seen lots of Black-tailed Godwits before, including a few wintering birds on my most recent trip to Britain in Feb 2010, but this was my first one in the USA and completed an unlikely Godwit grand slam for the year:

• Marbled Godwit in TX in January
• Bar-tailed Godwit in Alaska (Nome & Anchor River)
• Hudsonian Godwit in Alaska (Anchorage)
• this Black-tailed Godwit

On the way back I stopped at Bombay Hook NWR but the sleep deprivation was too much to do any attentive birding.  I did track down a few worn alternate plumage Western Sandpiper and a small flock of Stilt Sandpipers but missed the more notable Ruff and Hudsonian Godwit.

Jamaica Bay: Ruff

It seems to have been a pretty good year for Ruff (see: eBird data) and over the last week there have actually been two at Jamaica Bay WR: a white-headed one and a more rufous-cinnamon one.  Although I'd reduced birding during the heat wave I braved things on Sunday, was only 90.  The Ruff was seen at distance but seen well courtesy of others' scopes - stupidly I'd forgotten to bring my own which is not a bright idea on the East Pond.  The Ruff was seen on the mud and in flight, where the dark belly on it made it look like an anomalous Black-bellied Plover.  This was only my second Ruff in the USA (first one: a Reeve in Wayne NJ in 2002) and my first in NYC.

Shorebird numbers were decent but this was early July and actual diversity was pretty low.  A few of the more interesting shorebirds: Pectoral Sandpiper; Stilt Sandpiper, were in evidence but it was mostly Dowitchers and Yellowlegs.  Eventually I buckled under the heat after the sun emerged (90 degrees in waders is not fun) and crawled back to the car.

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
American Black Duck
Osprey
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Ruff
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Gull-billed Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Least Tern
Black Skimmer
Willow Flycatcher
Marsh Wren
Yellow Warbler

The Central Park Effect: HBO, July 16th

HBO Documentaries are showing Jeffrey Kimball's The Central Park Effect on July 16th at 9pm.  Jeff spent quite a lot of time shooting video footage in the park, which is almost always much more challenging than shooting photographic stills like I do, since things like warblers rarely remain in focus for very long in either medium.  In turn he's also captured a slice of what it's like to bird an urban hot spot like Central Park, also featuring some of the somewhat more cooperative birders alongside some really good bird footage.

Definitely worth programming your DVR for.

Negri-Nepote (Dickcissel) and Brigantine/Forsythe NWR - June 23rd/24th

Finally getting things back into gear I went out to local grassland sites on Saturday.  Briefly stopped at Six Mile Run to scope photo opportunities and found it devoid of Grasshopper Sparrow song while I was there.  The best birds were Orchard Orioles (pair, usual spot) but it was just a usual mix of species (Willow Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting, Field Sparrow etc).

Then on to Negri-Nepote which attracted not one but two birding groups while I was there.  Lots of juvenile birds were around, particularly in the cover of the junipers: House Wren, Field Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird.  The main attractions were threefold - Grasshopper Sparrow (regular breeder), Blue Grosbeak (one pair with a singing male) and Dickcissel (one pair with a singing male).  This is the second year that Dickcissels have been here, something that probably has much to do with the ongoing western drought edging the population further east.  I didn't cover much ground but got decent looks at most of the birds including one particularly tame Grasshopper Sparrow.  None of the Grasshopper Sparrows seem to have fledged yet but it's probably not that far off.

Sunday was a visit to Brigantine division of Forsythe NWR, preceded by a brief drive down Great Bay Blvd in Tuckerton.  The latter was a scan for cooperative Saltmarsh Sparrows (none near the road).  At Brigantine the only shorebirds were Willets but the usual summer suspects were in evidence - multiple nesting Ospreys, lots of agitated Willets, Forster's Terns, a variety of herons and ibis.  There were two photographers merrily breaking Federal law at one of the Osprey nests by walking down the embankment - I stopped at the visitor center after the first loop to report them
and was told that based on license plate (PIX2GET) that one of them was a persistent offender.  I heard a Dickcissel but did not see it, but also found my semi-regular terns at the water control structure - one Least Tern and one Common Tern.  After all the other terns this spring (Sooty, Aleutian, many Arctic, Roseate, Forster's, Least, Royal, Caspian) this Common Tern was actually a year bird !  I also added another new 2012 tern, Gull-billed Tern, a little further on.

Actually still birding

Although apparently moribund since mid-May, I've actually been on two birding trips for much of the intervening time.  First was Florida from May 22nd-26th which netted 7 life birds and missed Mangrove Cuckoo.  Second was Alaska from June 1st-12th which gained me 21 life birds with no major misses and put me up at USA list total of 673.  The problem with 673 is that 700 appears to be close, but the going gets abruptly tougher.

Central Park May 14th

An even slower day than Sunday, complete with overcast conditions, was enlivened by two things: large numbers of Cedar Waxwings, one or two of which were doing the berry-passing courtship ritual, and a female Summer Tanager which was between Belvedere Castle and Delacorte Theater.  Still very much an overshoot bird from its more southerly breeding territories, Summer Tanager is an annual but pretty scarce park visitor.  Also around the castle were continuing Tree Swallows, which surely must be thinking about nesting there (if they try they usually fail) and two Orchard Orioles, a female and immature male.

Peregrine Falcon                       
Chimney Swift                          
Eastern Wood-Pewee                     
Red-eyed Vireo                         
Tree Swallow                           
Veery                                  
Swainson's Thrush                      
Wood Thrush                            
Cedar Waxwing                          
Ovenbird                               
Northern Waterthrush                   
Black-and-white Warbler                
Common Yellowthroat                    
American Redstart                      
Northern Parula                        
Magnolia Warbler                       
Blackburnian Warbler                   
Yellow Warbler                         
Chestnut-sided Warbler                 
Blackpoll Warbler                      
Black-throated Blue Warbler            
Yellow-rumped Warbler                  
Canada Warbler                         
Wilson's Warbler                       
Summer Tanager                         
Scarlet Tanager                        
Rose-breasted Grosbeak                 
Orchard Oriole                         

Central Park May 13th

I had hoped for an even stronger migrant day on the Sunday, but instead there was evidence for declining numbers compared to Saturday (Thurs, Fri were likely even better but I was at work).  This was the first park visit recently where I didn't snag a first-of-year bird.  Strawberry Fields was quieter, although the calling Least Flycatcher was nice.  Belvedere Castle was still active, although mainly with commoner species, with one male Blackburnian Warbler and one male Bay-breasted Warbler being the best species up there.  Down in the Ramble it was somewhat quiet and patchy, and on the south side of the reservoir I didn't find any additional Bay-breasted but did find another Blackburnian in the south-west corner.

A pair of Tree Swallows were hunting around Turtle Pond and over the Ramble - never a common bird in Central Park, especially since this is already in the middle of Tree Swallow breeding season.

There was quite a lot of evidence of a flight the previous night - Yellow-rumped Warblers had mostly departed, for instance, although the number of Catharus thrushes still seemed anomalously low, even if I heard a few singing Swainson's Thrushes.


Chimney Swift                          
Least Flycatcher                       
Empidonax sp.                          
Eastern Kingbird                       
Red-eyed Vireo                         
Tree Swallow                           
House Wren                             
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                  
Swainson's Thrush                      
Wood Thrush                            
Gray Catbird                           
Cedar Waxwing                          
Ovenbird                               
Northern Waterthrush                   
Black-and-white Warbler                
Nashville Warbler                      
Common Yellowthroat                    
American Redstart                      
Northern Parula                        
Magnolia Warbler                       
Bay-breasted Warbler                   
Blackburnian Warbler                   
Yellow Warbler                         
Chestnut-sided Warbler                 
Blackpoll Warbler                      
Black-throated Blue Warbler            
Yellow-rumped Warbler                  
Black-throated Green Warbler           
Canada Warbler                         
Scarlet Tanager                        
Rose-breasted Grosbeak                 
Baltimore Oriole                       

Central Park - May 12th

After not coming in during the week despite reasonable migration motion, Saturday was at least sunny so I took in more spring migration in Central Park.  I netted 19 species of warbler in a typical mix of species.  Most noteworthy was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that I saw fly out of Maintenance Field and somehow managed to track on two successive hops before making the ID.  Thankfully others also got on the bird.  A close second best were two Bay-breasted Warblers seen on the bridle path that parallels the south side of the Reservoir - a good place for Bay-breasted and Cape Mays in recent years.  Despite hearing one Cape May I could not catch sight of it.  Other new-for-year birds included common ones: Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Blackpoll Warbler.  I also saw 4-5 different Blackburnian Warblers, including a female - I rarely see these.  There was also an anomalous Great Blue Heron headed north at high altitude over the park - it's long past the point where these should be nesting.

Some signs of less than epic volume included a lack of Catharus thrushes - I saw a grand total of 3.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher 
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Nashville Warbler  (heard)
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler  (several)
Prairie Warbler (heard)
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Eastern Towhee 
White-throated Sparrow  - a few remain
Scarlet Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Central Park, May 6th - the day of the Red Admirals

The final day of the early May quartet of Central Park visits had the lowest volume.  Falconer's Hill was quiet (no Indigo's, even) but there were a couple of patches on the west side of the Ramble, particularly the Upper Lobe, were warblers showed well including multiple singing Blackburnian Warblers.  I did have a singing Wilson's Warbler at Hernshead which was a first for the season (FOY was TX in January).  Actual first of year birds were Eastern Kingbird, Swainson's Thrush and finally snagging a look at an Orchard Oriole.  I did come up with 16 warbler species, but numbers were low and most birds were singles (Nashvilles and Blackburnians were the exception).

The most interesting observation of the day was the abundant Red Admirals that were milling around the park - I'd seen reports of masses of the on the move the previous day in NJ and PA, and they had come out in force in Central Park on Sunday.  I saw hundreds in my limited area of coverage, so I imagine there were tens of thousands in the park.  It was mainly Red Admirals with a few Commas and Painted Lady's mixed in.

Time to take a break from Central Park and hope to time the next migration wave.

American Kestrel                       
Chimney Swift                          
Eastern Kingbird                       
Blue-headed Vireo                      
Warbling Vireo                         
House Wren                             
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                  
Swainson's Thrush                      
Hermit Thrush                          
Wood Thrush                            
Ovenbird                               
Northern Waterthrush                   
Black-and-white Warbler                
Nashville Warbler                      
Common Yellowthroat                    
American Redstart                      
Northern Parula                        
Magnolia Warbler                       
Blackburnian Warbler                   
Yellow Warbler                         
Chestnut-sided Warbler                 
Black-throated Blue Warbler            
Yellow-rumped Warbler                  
Prairie Warbler                        
Black-throated Green Warbler           
Wilson's Warbler                       
Eastern Towhee                         
Chipping Sparrow                       
White-crowned Sparrow                  
Indigo Bunting                         
Orchard Oriole                         
Baltimore Oriole 
                     
On the way home from the train I visited Negri-Nepote Grasslands (Franklin Twp, NJ) to check out the pond.  Prairie Warblers, Indigo Buntings and Grasshopper Sparrows were singing - the burst of sunshine certainly helped.  On the pond were Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpipers, and this little patch of water continues to be a draw for migrating shorebirds.