April 6 - Palm Warbler

Today I made a trip too Garret Mt. Reservation. Lots of Palm Warblers and Pine Warblers around as well as 20+ Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Hermit Thrushes and Chipping Sparrows were new for the county for me today.

April 5 - Hermit Thrush

Today I was again in Harrier Meadow. More Yellowlegs showed up with numbers increasing to 100+. 3 Snipe were seen as well as 5 Northern Harriers and 6 Hermit Thrushes.

April 4 - Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Some migrants have started moving in. We saw 45 species in Harrier Meadow today with Palm Warbler numbers starting to increase. Least Sandpiper, Field Sparrow and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher were new arrivals.

April 3 - Golden-crowned Kinglet

Another day at Harrier Meadow and still lots of swallows around. A couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets are in the cedars. A good bird to use today.

April 2 - Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Today I'm back home and made a trip to NJ Meadowlands. At Harrier Meadow we saw lots of swallows, mostly trees, but a couple of Northern Rough-winged Swallows were mixed in. Later in the day I made a trip to Halifax Rd. in Mahwah where a Red-throated Loon is reported on Lake Henry. Very rare occurrence to have the loon on the water here.

April 1 - Yellow-rumped Warbler

Today I have an extra half hour in the morning, so I'm trying out a new place, Herndon Monroe Wetland Preserve. Lots of Towhees around here too. Other birds around were Northern Rough-winged Sparrows, Red--shouldered Hawk, Field Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

March 31 - Eastern Towhee

Day 2 in Virginia has me out in the early morning looking for migrants, but I'm overwhelmed with the songs of the towhees. I guess  that's the bird today.

March 30 - Chipping Sparrow

Today is the first full day in Northern Virginia. I have a small park where I like to look for migrants. Some nice birds are around like Towhees, Woodpeckers, Cooper's Hawk building a nest and Chipping Sparrows.

March 29 - Surf Scoter

Today begins the weekend in Virginia at another Sports card and Autograph Show. I have to leave early and stopped at Sandy Hook on my way down to pick up my van. Gannets, Oystercatchers and a harrier flew by. But 1 close Surf Scoter was seen.

March 28 - Wood Duck

Another day another trip to The Celery Farm to search for the Virginia Rail. Still no luck. Not too much happening around and time is limited today again. Gonna use the Wood Duck a bit earlier than I wished but that's how it goes sometimes.

March 27 - Lesser Yellowlegs

Another day without much time, so off to DeKorte again. Still seeing the same ducks but Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs have been around. Both species have been here all winter. Lesser is tougher to find so I'm using that. Lesser is the smaller one of course in the photo.

March 26 - American Black Duck

Not having much time today I decided to stay local and go to DeKorte Park, NJ Meadowlands. Most of the duck I saw I've already used, but Black Ducks are still around and I should use that bird before they become scarce.

March 25 - Red-throated Loon

Today I had to travel to Westchester County, NY for a Sportscard and Autograph show. I made a trip to nearby Rye Playland to check out the water for some ducks. Red-throated Loon was seen diving in the distance. Loon photo was from an earlier date at another location.

March 24 - Pine Warbler

After hearing that Pine Warblers have been seen and heard at The Celery Farm, I decided to head on up there. 2 Pines were heard and seen easily in the deciduous trees of course, not the pines. But then that's where the bugs were I guess.

March 23 - Red-shouldered Hawk

I made a trip to The Celery Farm in Allendale today. I'm still searching for that Virginia Rail. No luck as usual. A nice adult Red-shouldered Hawk flew by along Franklin Turnpike, probably one of the local nesters. Photo is of another RSHA I saw in Middlesex county.

March 22 - American Coot

Today after a trip to Manhattan I made a stop at Liberty State Park. There's not much here, but a few Coots.

March 21 - Barn Owl

Tonight shortly after sundown I staked out the Barn Owl roosting site waiting for the birds to come out to hunt. My wait wasn't long, 1 bird flew out of the building, circled and flew off to the marsh and landfills to hunt. Photo is a captive bird at an educational display in NJ Meadowlands.

March 20 - American Woodcock

In the morning I made a stop at Harrier Meadow, NJ Meadowlands. Still not too many birds moving in migration yet. After sundown I stopped in The Meadowlands to listen for Woodcock. 2 or 3 birds peenting around the Avon landfill.

March 19 - White-throated Sparrow

Today I made a trip to Tenafly Nature Center. I haven't been here in a couple of years. There's lots of tree damage around from October's snow storm. This may be a place we stop while doing the World Series of Birding in May. There wasn't too much around, but White-throated Sparrow needs to be used soon, so today's the day.

March 18 - Ruddy Duck

I spent the day working a card show and had little time to bird until the late afternoon. I made a drive through The Meadowlands finding most of the usual ducks, raptors and blackbirds. A couple of Ruddy Ducks were hanging out just off Valley Brook Ave. and easy to spot.

March 17 - Eastern Meadowlark

We made a trip today to Cape may Bird Observatory's annual optics sale. We were looking to upgrade our binoculars. We did. We decided we like Leicas. We tried 'em out in Cape May for a few hours after lunch. We saw some interesting birds but nothing outstanding. Piping Plovers we on the beach, at least 6 birds seen. Oystercatchers were out there as well. Cape Meadow Preserve had a group of Meadowlarks in the fields.

March 16 - Pied-bill Grebe

I went off this morning to search for yesterday's rarity at Oradell Reservoir, Long-tailed Duck. I spent 1-1/2 hours and walked 3 miles searching the reservoir for the duck. No luck today. 4 Pied-billed Grebes were seen, many Ruddy Ducks, a Bluebird and a young Bald Eagle were my highlights. The grebe photo is from the Florida trip and Green Cay Wetlands.

March 15 - American Kestrel

I didn't have too much time to bird today, but meeting at Harrier Meadow with Mike would allow me 45 minutes. We drove out Harrier Meadow and had most of the regular birds. 7 Common Snipe were seen together, but that bird had been used already. Just outside the harrier gate a male Kestrel called and flew in landing on the electrical tower nearest harrier Meadow. The photo is one from a recent Florida trip.

March 14 - Boat-tailed Grackle

Today I went with Mike and Gabby to Kearny Marsh to install some Wood Duck houses in the marsh. Shortly after arriving, I heard a Boat-tailed Grackle singing amongst the Common Grackles. A number of years ago, they were not heard heard in The Meadowlands. but the last few there have been a few birds around, possibly nesting somewhere. 450 Ruddy Ducks, 7 Great Blue Herons, Northern Harrier and Bald Eagle were the highlights here.

March 13 - Winter Wren

Today at Garret Mountain Reservation the bird numbers were less. Only 1 Phoebe s=was seen but 5 Woodcocks were in the upper part of the park near the stables. Winter Wrens were still singing.

March 12 - Field Sparrow

I spent some time this morning at Garret Mountain Reservation. Birds were on the move there. 10+ Phoebes, 100+ Robins and Juncos, 30+ Song Sparrows. great Blue Heron flew over the pond. Winter Wrens were singing at the streams. Field Sparrow singing form one of the picnic areas. 35+ species seen around the park.

March 11 - Hooded Merganser

With little time today to bird, we stopped briefly at Garret Mountain Reservation and viewed the female Hooded Merganser on Barbour's Pond. She's been there since October.

March 10 - Ring-necked Pheasant

After lunch today we spent an hour or so at Mary Patrick Park in Mahwah. We saw lots of ducks including Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall and Wood Ducks. The 12 Wood Ducks were my 100th Bergen County bird for the year. I spent the late afternoon on Disposal Rd. in the Meadowlands with the hawk photographers. 2 Ring-necked Pheasants flushed on the Kingsland Landfill. They have been tough birds to spot since the disturbances and construction at the landfill.

March 9 - Wilson's Snipe

I spent the early morning walking the Valley Brook Ave. area of NJ Meadowlands. While it seemed like blackbird numbers continue to increase, not much else was flying around. While near the Avon Landfill a Wilson's Snipe flew over and ditched near the old ball fields. This was much more common last winter than this despite the better weather. Snipe photo is from Harrier Meadow on another date.

March 8 - Great Horned Owl

I spent the early morning walking 5 miles around The Meadowlands, More Tree Swallows and Blackbirds have arrived. Good numbers of ducks are still being seen with 200 or so Northern Shovelers, 100+ Pintails, 300+ Green-winged Teal and lots of Gadwall, Black Ducks and Common Mergansers. Song Sparrows were singing everywhere I walked. I made an afternoon trip to Garret Mountain Reservation where I found a Great Horned Owl, with a bit of help from a friend who spotted one a day or 2 ago.

March 7 - Ruby-crowned Kinglet

I spent some time in NJ Meadowlands today. Tree Swallows have arrived. A few of them are around the impoundments checking out the nest boxes. Some of these boxes are in need of repair. I found a Ruby-crowned Kinglet chattering away in a group of pines in a corporate park in The Meadowlands. Kinglets have been all seen all around The Meadowlands this winter.

March 6 - Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Today I made the drive to Cape May to do some birding, looking for a few new birds for the year. Broad-tailed Hummingbird, a first NJ state record bird was my first stop. After 45 minutes the bird showed itself briefly. I got ID looks but no photograph. I searched in vain for the Western Grebe. I was the only one birding the beach today so it could have been anywhere, Missed out on the Dicksissel at the Audubon center, but found some Oystercatchers on the jetty, Pine Warbler in the state park and Rufous Hummingbird at the Audubon Center in Goshen. Photo is courtesy of Fred Pfeifer who made the trip down as well and had some luck with a photo.

March 5 - Northern Harrier

I spent some time today walking some parts of NJ Meadowlands. It has been a bit slow lately but seeing Savannah, Tree and White-crowned Sparrows is always nice. A young male Northern Harrier has been flying through the Valley Brook Ave. area chasing the sparrows.

March 4 - Brant

Today I made another trip to the mudflats in search of the Bonaparte's Gulls. I guess I'm not getting the tide right, because there were none to be found. Wigeon, Bufflehead and Black Ducks were seen as well as the usual gulls. Many Brant were around making their most interesting vocalization.

March 3 - Herring Gull

This weekend I'm working at the Raritan Center in Edison, NJ. I was hoping to go to Morgan Ave. Mudflats to check for Bonaparte's Gull. We had a huge amount of fog while I drove south on the turnpike. It was worse in the Amboy area. I scrapped the side trip and figured I'd use a gull or something near the Raritan Center. herring Gull was the bird of choice.Photo is of a herring Gull from another day. Too much fog for a photo today.

March 2 - Common Merganser

I had a limited amount of time to bird today. I made a trip to Richard DeKorte Park, NJ Meadowlands. I've "used" most of the ducks here. Common Merganser and Black Duck are the only ones left that may not be here in a month or so. At least a dozen Common Mergansers were seen in the impoundments,

March 1 - Brown Creeper

I took a trip to Garret Mountain Reservation to take a late winter photograph of Barbour's Pond. I did a bit of birding around the pond as well. There have been some wintering birds here. Fox Sparrow, Brown Creeper, Hooded Merganser and Ring-necked Ducks were the highlights. Photo is from Garret mountain 5 years ago. It's probably my favorite Creeper photo.

February 29 - Great Cormorant

I checked out Harrier Meadow in NJ Meadowlands today with Mike. Nothing really new around, but more Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds around. 5 Ring-necked Ducks, a pretty good duck for The Meadowlands were seen as well. Carolina Wren and Golden-crowned Kinglet were new NJ Meadowlands birds for me today bring my total to 76 for The Meadowlands Big Year. Late afternoon I went to Snake Hill, now known as Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus to see the Great Cormorants roosting on the old railroad swing bridge over the Hackensack River. 4 birds were seen, 2 with breeding patches.

February 28 - Belted Kingfisher

I spent part of the morning birding Northern Bergen County with Mike W. today. We saw good numbers of Northern Pintails and Ring-neck Ducks at Mary Patrick Park in Mahwah. Lots more Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles were seen today as these birds seem to be on the move. Belted Kingfisher was spotted at multiple locations. Kingfisher photo was taken last week in Florida.

February 27 - White-crowned Sparrow

I did a bit of walking around the Valley Brook Ave. area of The Meadowlands this afternoon. I was hoping to catch a Pheasant in flight or flush a Snipe. No luck with either. I did find a nice group of sparrows off the beaten track. 40+ Tree Sparrows, 20+ Song Sparrow, 6-8 White-crowned Sparrows and 1 Swamp Sparrow. More and more Red-winged Blackbirds are arriving, many settling in the phrags around sunset. 4 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Cooper's Hawk and 1 Northern Harrier were seen in the vicinity as well.

February 26 - Bald Eagle

I made 2 trips to NJ Meadowlands today. I walked Harrier Meadow in the morning. It seemed to hold the same birds as last week. The only differences were more Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles. Grackles have been scarce this winter, but are now being seen in small groups, 5-10 birds. After dinner I walked DeKorte Park without seeing anything unusual. After sundown, my last few birds were raptors Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk and a young Bald Eagle carrying an eel in its talons.

February 25 - Northern Shoveler

I made a trip this afternoon to DeKorte Park, NJ Meadowlands. It was very windy, cold and just a nasty day. Water levels at low tide, were amongst the lowest I've aeen in years, probably a combination of the strong west winds and very low moon tide. I was looking for Northern Shoveler and had little problem finding one. There was a group of 30 in the West Pool. Photo is from earlier in the season.

February 24 - Dark-eyed Junco

We're back from the trip to Florida. I needed to get caught up on some internet work. I had no chance to get out of the house to bird. Fortunately 4 Dark-eyed Juncos were on the ground in the yard today.

February 23 - Snail Kite

We started out our last full day in Florida at Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge at day break. We helped out with a morning flight count, mostly waders and blackbirds. They all roost in the Everglades across the canal from the Lox impoundments. Thousands of Ibis and Egrets fly out every morning. We were hoping to find Snail Kites flying out of a roost there, but they moved the roost due to lack of food from the late summer and autumn drought. We've counted as many as 52 birds using the roost in past years. We added a few new birds to our trip list, Rough-winged Swallow, Marsh Wren and Blue-headed Vireo. No Snail Kites. We visited Wellington Environmental Preserve after lunch and found 1 Snail Kite there. We found at least 15 Limpkins and new birds, Scaup, Caspian Tern and Savannah Sparrow. We finished off the day at Green Cay where some regulars found momma Bobcat with 1 young. My last photo of the trip was of the young Bobcat shot through the blowing grasses, seen below. A nice trip with 110 species seen without chasing anything.

February 22 - Neotropic Cormorant

Today we drove north to visit with Dad and go to some places in Palm Beach County. We made Wakodahatchee Wetlands the first stop. Along the half-mile boardwalk we found the nesting Cormorants and Anhingas and looked for the Neotropic Coromorant that has been seen here. In a few minutes we find the smaller bird. Most people there didn't seem to care. I think we were 2 of 3 birders in the place. Lots of nature paparazzi and board stompers as well as a few families looking for gators. Purple Martins are starting to gather. Great Egrets and Green Herons were building nests. Great Blue Herons were feeding young. A Sora gave us great views. Just before meeting with Dad for breakfast at 10:30, we stopped at Green Cay Wetlands. Painted Bunting was seen on the walk in. Great looks at Pied-billed Grebes, Blue-winged Teal and most of the waders were the highlights in this brief stop. After breakfast we visited Okeheelee Nature Center where see see 6 more Painted Buntings.

February 21 - Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Today is full day number 2 in Everglades National Park. We'll make a trip down to Flamingo today. We started out at sunrise at Chekika Campground in ENP. We were hoping for a sighting of White-tailed Kite. No luck. We did find momma Barred Owl on a nest. That's her below. We were off to the main park again. On the way in we spotted 3 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, 2 Vermillions and 1 Western Kingbird just west of yesterday's Vermillion location. On the trip to Flamingo Linda spotted 2 Swallow-tailed Kites, amongst the first reported in Florida this season, we stopped and watched them fly off to the west. In Flamingo hundreds of American White Pelicans were spotted with hundreds of Black Skimmers on the mudflats near the marina. In the campground we found 150+ Willets and 40+ Marbled Godwits, but again no luck with the rarity, Bar-tailed Godwit. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher will have to suffice.

February 20 - Vermillion Flycatcher

Today is the first full day we'll spend in Florida. We plan on 2 days in Everglades National Park. Our first stop is C-111 Canal area to look for 3 Flycatchers, Vermillion, Scissor-tailed and Western Kingbird. We had our life Vermillion here a few years ago. After a few minutes here we saw the bright red male flying on and off the barbed wire fence surrounding a water control structure. We spotted a few nice birds along the route in to the park. Anhinga Trail offered a treat. We watched a Wood Stork catch and eat an Asian Swamp Eel, click here for some video Wood Stork eats eel

February 19 - Burrowing Owl

Today is the first day of a short vacation to South Florida. We arrived a bit late in Ft. Lauderdale. My plan was to get to Brian Piccolo Park to look for the Burrowing Owls. We arrived after sunset and had to do some searching. There were no owls at the first burrow, but we had good luck at the second. 2 birds sitting right outside the burrow. I should now get to use 5 birds in Florida on this short trip. This photo is from a previous Florida trip.

February 18 - Peregrine Falcon

Another day with limited birding time as I work the autograph show in Somerset. I traveled down to South Amboy before the show in search of Bonaparte's Gulls. I walked out to the mudflats and scoped the gulls. The Bonaparte's were nowhere to be seen. On the way to the show I spotted a Peregrine Falcon on the Ellis S Vieser Memorial Bridge, or the Rt. 9 Bridge. Photo is from a sighting at Island Beach State Park.

February 17 - Eastern Bluebird

This weekend I'm working at an autograph show in Somerset, NJ. That gives me little time to bird. I headed out to Great Swamp in search of the Barred Owl. It was a very foggy morning and I had no luck with the owl. I did spot some Bluebirds in a few fields and will make them today's bird. Photo is from a Bergen County location.

February 16 - Iceland Gull

I had little time to bird today. On my way to Manhattan I took brief detour to Port Newark to look for a reported Iceland Gull. After 15 minutes searching a white-winged gull flew onto a building across from the water treatment facility. I took some distant photos.

February 15 - Snow Goose

I made a trip today with Mike so he could see the Snowy Owl at Merrill Creek Reservoir. We tried a couple of places outside the reservoir looking for the Ross's Goose with no luck. I saw 1000+ Snow Geese at and over the reservoir.

February 14 - Merlin

I took a walk around The Meadowlands today with a friend. We found good numbers of Tree Sparrows 45+ and White-crowned Sparrows 12+ as well as Song and White-throated Sparrows. A male Ring-necked Pheasant flushed and flew past us. Off one of the power line towers a Merlin dove, flying along the railroad tracks. We saw only a few other raptors, all Red-tailed hawks. Photo of Merlin is from Oberly Rd., Alpha 2 winters ago.

February 13 - Canvasback

I made an afternoon trip to The Meadowlands today. I stopped on Disposal Rd. when I saw some raptors flying. 2 Red-tails were flying together, one of them "Bells" the bird with jesses and bells, that a falconer lost. Snow Buntings were flying around the side of the Kingsland Landfill and a few Canada Geese were just coming in to feed on top. I made a sop at DeKorte Park and spotted many gulls coming in as the tide went out. 200+ Canvasacks and the regular ducks were in the Saw Mill. Photo is from the Saw Mill mudflats.

February 12 - Purple Sandpiper

Today I sold cards at another show in Ocean county so I had another opportunity to bird the shore. I chose Manasquan Inlet today. It was cold and very windy, but I still made a trip to the end of the jetty to search for Purple Sandpipers. 15 were seen, some flying around the jetty and a few feeding on the edge. Lots of gulls around, but nothing stood out. I found the sandpipers so quickly I had time to stop in South Amboy area to search mudflats for gulls at the Morgan Ave. Mudflats. Upon arrival it was recommended by Tom that I wear something boot-like on my feet, no sneakers. This was a great tip. I followed Tom's footprints in the mud out to the gulls. There was a group of 80-100 Bonaparte's Gulls with a lone Black-headed Gull feeding on the edge. It was good to know the Bonaparte's will be there to use another day. These gulls were 2 new NJ birds for the year. Sandpiper photo was taken a few days ago at Barnegat Lighthouse. It was a too windy for decent photos today.

February 11 - Northern Gannet

Today was a day I had little time to bird but I was in an interesting part of the state. I had the opportunity to bird the Jersey Shore. I had spent the day a few miles from the coast working at an autograph and baseball card show featuring Super Bowl Champions NY Giants Chase Blackburn and Jake Ballard. After the show I drove to the beach, but little was around at my choice of beaches, Seven President's Park in Long Branch. I scanned the ocean and found a Common Loon and some distant Northern Gannets and made the Gannet my bird today.