Island Beach SP 2/28--King Eider Wraps Up the Month

Shorter month, shorter list. Today, to wrap up the month, and against my better judgment, I walked the southern end of Island Beach SP down to the inlet in the wind, hoping that I could track down the ever-present King Eider hen that I'd missed a couple of times on the other side at Barnegat Light. It has been my experience that I usually have better luck find the smiling hen at Island Beach than I do from the jetty--probably because I hate standing on the jetty--and today was again a success when, at the back of the inlet I found a small flock of Common Eiders, mostly drakes, but there were two hens, and when comparing them, I could see the tell-tale grin of the King Eider (oh how I hate these gendered appellations) next to the more dour hen Common Eider.  It took me a long time with my hand freezing on the focus wheel of the scope despite my heated glove before the bird would turn just so in order for the sun to illuminate her face but finally, she did. She was bird #114 for the month, #140 for the year. 

Rusty Blackbirds, Whitesbog

While I was happy to find the eider, the most satisfying sightings/hearings this month were the unexpected birds, e.g., the American Woodcock in the basin next door, the Wild Turkeys on Pasadena Road, a flock of Rusty Blackbirds at Whitesbog, and, most surprising of all, the Eared Grebe at Manasquan Inlet. It's a contingent universe. That's why I always laugh when someone congratulates me a on "a great find." I just happened to be there at the same time as the bird, that's all. I guess it's better than being run over by a backhoe, but it's all luck. And now to contradict myself: Luck is the residue of design. Any quote attributed to both John Milton and Branch Rickey is a Hall of Famer. 

This month's list.

Counties birded: Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean

Species                             First Sighting

Snow Goose  Pemberton Lake WMA

Brant  Baltimore Ave

Cackling Goose  Meadowedge Park

Canada Goose  Lake of the Lilies

Mute Swan  Barnegat Municipal Dock

Trumpeter Swan  Assunpink WMA

Tundra Swan  Bamber Lake

Wood Duck  Reeves Bogs

Northern Shoveler  Lake of the Lilies

Gadwall  Double Trouble SP

Eurasian Wigeon  MacLearie Park

American Wigeon  MacLearie Park

Mallard  Lake of the Lilies

American Black Duck  Waretown

Northern Pintail  Pemberton Lake WMA

Green-winged Teal  Reeves Bogs

Redhead  Lake Como

Ring-necked Duck  Pemberton Lake WMA

Greater Scaup  Barnegat Municipal Dock

Lesser Scaup  Assunpink WMA

King Eider  Island Beach SP

Common Eider  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Harlequin Duck  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Long-tailed Duck  Barnegat Municipal Dock

Bufflehead  Barnegat Municipal Dock

Common Goldeneye  Sands Point--Dock Ave

Hooded Merganser  Sands Point--Dock Ave

Common Merganser  Sands Point--Dock Ave

Red-breasted Merganser  Baltimore Ave

Ruddy Duck  Assunpink WMA

Wild Turkey  Pasadena Road

Pied-billed Grebe  Bunker Hill Bogs

Horned Grebe  Manasquan Inlet

Eared Grebe  Manasquan Inlet

Rock Pigeon  Waretown

Mourning Dove  35 Sunset Rd

American Coot  Lake of the Lilies

Killdeer  Waretown

Ruddy Turnstone  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Sanderling  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

American Woodcock  35 Sunset Rd

Greater Yellowlegs  Manahawkin WMA

Thick-billed Murre  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Razorbill  Manasquan Inlet

Black-headed Gull  Manasquan Inlet

Ring-billed Gull  Lake of the Lilies

Herring Gull  Lake of the Lilies

Iceland Gull  Lake Como

Lesser Black-backed Gull  Lake Como

Great Black-backed Gull  Lake of the Lilies

Red-throated Loon  Baltimore Ave

Common Loon  Manasquan Inlet

Great Cormorant  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Double-crested Cormorant  Barnegat Lighthouse SP

Great Blue Heron  Lake of the Lilies

Black-crowned Night-Heron  Assunpink WMA

Black Vulture  New Egypt

Turkey Vulture  Baltimore Ave

Northern Harrier  Pasadena Road

Sharp-shinned Hawk  Whitesbog

Cooper's Hawk  New Egypt

Bald Eagle  Whitesbog

Red-shouldered Hawk  Whitesbog

Red-tailed Hawk  Whitesbog

Eastern Screech-Owl  Whitesbog

Great Horned Owl  Whitesbog

Belted Kingfisher  Waretown

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  Crestwood Village

Red-bellied Woodpecker  35 Sunset Rd

Downy Woodpecker  35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker  Whitesbog

Northern Flicker  Whitesbog

American Kestrel  BC Fairgrounds

Merlin  Colliers Mills WMA

Blue Jay  Crestwood Village

American Crow  Lake of the Lilies

Fish Crow  Whitesbog

Common Raven  Whitesbog

Carolina Chickadee  35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse  35 Sunset Rd

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  Assunpink WMA

Golden-crowned Kinglet  Whitesbog

White-breasted Nuthatch  35 Sunset Rd

Brown Creeper  35 Sunset Rd

Winter Wren  Edwin B. Eno's Pond

Carolina Wren  Crestwood Village

European Starling  Crestwood Village

Northern Mockingbird  Waretown

Eastern Bluebird  Whitesbog

Hermit Thrush  35 Sunset Rd

American Robin  Lake of the Lilies

Cedar Waxwing  Whitesbog

House Sparrow  Waretown

House Finch  Lake of the Lilies

American Goldfinch  35 Sunset Rd

Snow Bunting  Manasquan Inlet

Field Sparrow  Whitesbog

American Tree Sparrow  Assunpink WMA

Fox Sparrow  Whitesbog

Dark-eyed Junco  35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow  Assunpink WMA

White-throated Sparrow  Crestwood Village

Savannah Sparrow  Colliers Mills WMA

Song Sparrow  Crestwood Village

Swamp Sparrow  Whitesbog

Eastern Meadowlark  Colliers Mills WMA

Red-winged Blackbird  Waretown

Brown-headed Cowbird  New Egypt

Rusty Blackbird  Whitesbog

Common Grackle  Whitesbog

Boat-tailed Grackle  Manasquan Inlet

Pine Warbler  Whitesbog

Yellow-rumped Warbler  35 Sunset Rd

Northern Cardinal  35 Sunset Rd

Red-throated Loon, Manasquan Inlet