Diario de mia0507

Last FJ! So many awesome birds and warblers seen yesterday!

Date: May 24, 2021
Time Birding: 7:30am-12:00pm
Temperature: 65 degrees, cloudy, little wind, scatters of light wind
Location: Great Swamps NWR, Chatham, NJ

Not going to lie, today was kinda a sh*t show for me. My alarm didn't go off, I left my binos at my boyfriends house 2.5 hours away, and my car wouldn't start. I am really missing Vermont and do not enjoy being home in New Jersey, and I just got home last night, so it has been difficult. However, I managed to borrow a friend's really crappy spare pair and get my car started, and I headed off to the Great Swamps. It was so nice being back in a woodsy/marshy area again. As soon as I stepped out of my car, I was greeted with two Swainson's Thrush in the parking lot and 3 flycatcher sp. I saw these 3 Flycatcher looking birds near me... but I am very bad with Flycatchers. The light was dim and their yellow belly looked white to me. As they went higher in the trees, they finally started singing their song that I recorded. I was pretty sure it was GCFs, but I recorded them to review the song just in case! They eventually came down to eye level, and I was able to properly identify them! What a remarkable and grounding moment for me. I then walked through the NWR for hours, exploring the marshland that turned into woods that turned into beach. This spot was so great, and was a great way for me to get reintroduced to bird songs. So, today did not turn out as bad as it started.

Date: May 25, 2021
Time: 7:05am-11:43am
Location: Negri-Nepote Grasslands
Weather: 60 degrees, slightly cloudy, no wind

Grasslands

I feel like Grassland species are the most difficult for me to ID by sound. Trills and slurry sing-songs have always been a challenge and I tend to get super confused. Today, I was really happy with my findings. The habitat was grass and shrubland, with power-lines running through. Basically perfect RWBB habitat, I wonder if I missed any Bobolink! I was able to spot not one, but two green herons in a small pond 1/3 through my walk! I met some other local birders there, and they were able to point out the Meadowlark and Field Sparrows to me in exchange for me pointing out Green Heron and Prairie Warbler. I feel like my main challenge is being able to put the knowledge I acquire online into real life. I KNEW the Field Sparrow song sounded familiar, I just was unable to put my finger on it until another birder told me and my memory was jogged. I am not sure how to fix this struggle... But other than that, this day felt much more successful in terms of identification.

Date: May 26, 2021
Time: 6:45am-11:05am
Location: Garret Mountain Reserve
Weather: Cloudy, 75-90 degrees, humid, no wind

My forested area lied in one of the most urban part of northwestern New Jersey, Patterson. As I was approaching the parking lot, gas stations and other shops continued to appear. As I pulled around a corner, a hilly park appeared, looking extremely out of place. I was hesitant to believe that this could be any good, but as I stepped out of my car, the first thing I heard was the quiet chipping song of a Blackpoll Warbler. He was shy, so I was unable to get a look sadly. As I crept further into the wooded area, the song of American Robins and Ovenbirds almost started overwhelming me! Weirdly enough, I think my highlight (behind the Blackpoll) of this excursion was seeing two Wild Turkeys crossing the street from a QuikChek to the park... very funny to see. Although this went well, I wish I went somewhere more quiet... there were so many planes and cars and lawnmowers I was getting quite distracted.

Date: May 27, 2021
Location: Lord Stirling Park, Somerset County NJ
Temperature: 70 degrees, sunny, no wind
Habitat: Shrubby swamp and deciduous

Birding Day 4:

Upon the past few weeks of birding, I have made a nemesis bird: Blue-winged Warbler. Literally everyday that I have gone to bird I have picked a place where this species was reported, yet I have yet to find one. As I arrive at this park, I am vaguely familiar with the area as it is the other side to the park that I work at, run under the neighboring county. This area is maintained, so it is less "rugged" per say than the area I work in about 3 miles away. The area is a compact mix of swampland, deciduous forest, with a small collection of streams and lakes. Upon walking to the location I researched, I finally was able to hear that long awaited bee-buzzzzz. Sadly, I was unable to see the bird, but that is okay! As I continued on my walk with a weight taken off my shoulders, I was able to really tune in to the other sounds around me. The most amount of birds I heard had to be Eastern Phoebe, a generally compact, grey bird that is quite vocal. Red-eyed vireo was also a "background bird" for me. The bird that I saw the most was a Yellow Warbler believe it or not. I saw 6 Yellow Warblers, and heard up to 15! Obviously their song, sweet-sweet-little more sweet, followed me around as well. I started getting confused when American Redstarts made an appearance, their songs are definitely the one that trips me up the most, especially since I just was around so many Yellow Warblers. The Yellow Warblers were in the more shrubby habitat, while the Willow Flycatchers were in the more wooded area most. Good birding day! I am going back tomorrow because I did not find the Red-headed Woodpecker... As I was getting in my car an employee told me their location!

Date: May 28, 2021
Time: 6:45am-11:25pm
Location: Richard W. DeKorte Park, Bergen NJ
Weather: 55-65 degrees F, partly cloudy, little to no wind
Habitat: Mixed habitat, ranging from shrub to water/wetland to mixed coniferous and deciduous forest.

Over winter break, I frequented DeKorte Park at least 3 times a week to bird. This was my first time to DeKorte since late January, and I was shocked at how lively and full with life my park has become. DeKorte is mainly wetland- a plot of land in the middle of a dense urbanized area with a stunning and full view of the New York skyline (we are about 5 miles from NYC).

I think what shocked me the most was the amount of songbirds present. When I was there in the winter, the only non-water birds I would come across were White-throated Sparrows and House Finches. I was seeing little streaks of yellow everywhere from American Goldfinches, Yellow Warblers, and Common Yellowthroats (tiny flying bananas). The air was filled with sound from gulls and ducks and songbirds!

I got into birding in October, so I am fairly new and this is my first spring migration period! I am constantly at awe by all of the fast moving spring birds like Swallows and Flycatchers. However, shorebirds hold a special place in my heart. My favorite shorebirds are Ruddy Turnstones and Dunlin, but close behind them are sandpipers and Dunlin. No Dunlin spotted today, but I was a nice big puddle of Least Sandpipers (image included!). I love their behavior, how quick and urgent they are to peck the mudflats. They are so tiny too! I believe the smallest sandpiper. Today was amazing, what a mix or shore and songbirds!