2024 Great Backyard Bird Count Day 1

Hi everyone! It’s time for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)! This annual event takes place this weekend from February 16-19. It’s easy to participate, so check out https://www.birdcount.org/ to join the fun!

Today Dave, Baby Birder, and I made our way out to Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge for the first day of the count. It was a fairly chilly and windy morning. As expected there was waterfowl galore and lots of gulls. We observed 27 species. Highlights included a Northern Harrier, two Bald Eagles, and a large amount of Gadwalls.

Gull Pond

Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (27 species, 2098 individuals)

• 450 Snow Geese
• 70 Brant
• 255 Canada Geese
• 9 Tundra Swans
• 200 Northern Shovelers
• 160 Gadwall
• 24 Mallards
• 150 American Black Ducks
• 60 Northern Pintails
• 7 Green-winged Teals
• 35 Bufflehead
• 14 Hooded Mergansers
• 55 Ruddy Duck
• 470 Dunlin
• 8 Ring-billed Gulls
• 87 Herring Gulls
• 2 Double-crested Cormorants
• 2 Great Egrets
• 7 Great Blue Herons
• 9 Turkey Vultures
• 1 Northern Harrier
• 2 Bald Eagles
• 11 American Crows
• 1 Carolina Wren
• 3 Dark-eyed Juncos
• 1 Common Grackle
• 5 Yellow-rumped Warblers

Dunlin flock (Image by David Horowitz)

Hooded Merganser male (Image by David Horowitz)

We had an unexpected surprise on the wildlife drive today. Baby Birder, being well into toddlerhood now, isn’t super into birding. He likes birds just fine and is fairly familiar with ducks, geese, and eagles (my favorite was when he saw a Wild Turkey and called it a “duck-eagle” 😂). However, his true passion (obsession lol) is vehicles, so while he likes to see the birds his favorite part of visiting Forsythe is the other vehicles on the wildlife drive. And special for bird count weekend we had…a backhoe!

A GBBC first…a backhoe!

He was quite thrilled to see a backhoe laying gravel out on the road today, so we all had a lovely morning for GBBC Day 1. It’s supposed to snow 2-5 inches tonight into tomorrow so we’ll see what happens for Day 2.

Brant Waterfowl Wednesday

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday! I’ve been on a goose streak the lately. Let’s talk about Brant!

Brant (branta bernicla)

Atlantic Brant (Image by David Horowitz)

Subspecies and populations

• Atlantic or Pale-bellied (Branta bernicla hrota)
• Pacific or Black (Branta bernicla nigricans)
• Dark-bellied or Eurasian (Branta bernicla benicla). Known as “Brent Geese” in Western Europe.
• Gray-bellied or Western High Arctic: found on Washington coast, breeds only in northwestern Canada on Parry Islands

Description:

• 23-24 inches long, 2.5-3.8 pounds
• Short neck; small bill and head
• Black head, neck, bill, feet, and breast
• White “necklace” markings are variable, mostly lacking in juveniles
• Brown wings, pale flanks, white undertail
• Belly ranges from pale brown (Atlantic subspecies) to black (Pacific subspecies)

Brant profile (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

Range and habitat:

• Breeding: Arctic North America and Russia. Tundra, islands, deltas, salt bays, estuaries.
• Migration: Pacific Coast from Alaska to Baja Mexico; Hudson Bay to Mid-Atlantic coast. Coastal waters, freshwater lakes, mudflats, lagoon systems behind barrier islands.
• Winter: Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to North Carolina, Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Washington coast. Sheltered bays, estuaries.

Feeding behavior and diet

Brant are mainly vegetarian and eat a variety of grasses including eelgrass, sedge, arrowgrass, pondweed, saltmarsh cordgrass, and green algae. May also eat mollusks, aquatic insects, and worms. On land they graze on grasses and in water tip up like dabbling ducks. Mostly forages in flocks.

breeding/Nesting

• Courtship: Socially monogamous and pair for life; however some females have been found to mate with other males during the egg-laying period. Forms pair bonds on wintering grounds.
• Nesting: Female forms depression in the ground near water and grassy areas. She adds grasses and feathers to line the nest when ready to lay eggs. Often nests in colonies and pairs are territorial.
• Young: Incubates 3-5 white/buffy eggs for 23-24 days. Chicks are precocial, meaning they are ready to feed, walk, and swim within a day or two of hatching and are covered in down. Both sexes tend to the goslings, who feed continuously and fledge in 40-50 days. Family groups tend to stay together even within large colonies/flocks.

Vocalizations

Guttural low ruk-ruk! A sharp cruk! alarm call. Goslings peep.

Conservation status

Population trends are unknown, though Brant are thought to be declining. Due to their restricted Arctic breeding ranges, Brant are very vulnerable to climate change. Threats facing Brant include habitat loss, global warming, sea level rise, petroleum development in breeding grounds, and water quality issues. As global temperatures rise, it’s predicted that Brant ranges will shift considerably northward and will lose about 52% of their current range if global temperatures warm over 3.0 degrees Celsius. Eelgrass restoration along their habitats have helped stabilize winter Brant populations.

Brant flying over the Cape Cod Bay (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

Fun facts

• Brant are long-distance migrants and some travel over 3,000 miles from winter to breeding grounds.
• Flocks have a distinct hierarchy: paired birds with young rank higher than paired birds with no young. Pairs without young dominate unpaired birds.
• Individuals tend to pair with a mate who have a similar amount of white “necklace”. The Pacific subspecies tends to have the most pronounced “necklace” while Atlantic tends to have less white.

References

• Ducks Unlimited. (n.d.). Brant. Ducks Unlimited. https://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/brant
• Kaufman, K. (n.d.). Brant. Audubon.org. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/brant
• Sibley, D. (n.d.). Field Identifiable Subspecies of Birds – an annotated list. Sibley Guides. https://www.sibleyguides.com/bird-info/field-identifiable-subspecies-of-birds-an-annotated-list/
• The Cornell Lab. (2023). Brant. All About Birds. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brant/overview
• Washington NatureMapping Program. (n.d.). Brant. NatureMappingfoundation.org. http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/brant_712.html

Cackling or Canada?

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday! Last week we talked about the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) and its 7 subspecies. For awhile it was commonly accepted that there were 11 Canada subspecies, but in 2004 the American Ornithologists Union took the four smallest and declared them a separate species: the Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii). Why did this happen? How can you tell if the white-cheeked goose you’re seeing is a Canada or a Cackling?

Cackling Goose (ALAN SCHMIERER, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Cackling vs. Canada Identification

	Cackling	Canada
Height	24-25 inches (63-65 cm)	29-43 inches (76-110 cm)
Weight	3-5 lbs	6-20 lbs
Color Pattern	Brown overall, varying from pale to dark depending on subspecies. White under black tail. Short black neck.	Brown back, black head/neck, tan breast
Facial features	Black head with white/throat patch (“chinstrap”). Some have white ring at base of neck. Rounded crown but steep forehead.	Black head with white/throat patch (“chinstrap”). Rounded head with sloping forehead.
Bill color/shape	Black. Short. Meets forehead at a steep angle.	Black. Wide and flat.
Other features	Small black feet and short black legs. Long wings.	Large black feet and black legs.

Cackling vs. Canada Geese identification features

Size is a good first indicator to identifying a Cackling Goose. They tend to be very small. They are about the same size as a Mallard, Brant, or Barnacle Goose and are smaller than Snow Geese. However, it’s important to be aware that they may be similar in size to smaller Canada Goose subspecies, so it’s important to not rely only on size and use other features for identification too. There is also much variation between the four Cackling subspecies. American ornithologist David Allen Sibley suggests getting to know your local flocks and being aware of geographic differences. They are very often found in mixed flocks with Canada Geese.

Cackling vs. Canada Goose (Caleb Putnam, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Subspecies and Ranges

• Branta hutchinsii minima (“Ridgeway”): Breeds in western Alaska and winters in California and Oregon. Smallest of the 4 subspecies (2.5-4 lbs) and has the shortest bill.
• Branta hutchinsii leucopareia (“Aleutian”): Breeds in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Winters in California. White “collar” where black neck meets brown body.
• Branta hutchinsii taverneri (“Taverner’s” or “Alaska”): Breeds in Alaska and Northwest Canada, rare east of the Rocky Mountains. Winters in Washington, Oregon, and southwestern United States. Closest in size/appearance to Canada Goose parvipes subspecies, so use caution with identification.
• Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii (“Richardson’s” or “Hutchin’s”): Breeds Central and East Arctic Canada. Migrates to Great Plains. Paler in color and lacks white neck ring.

Some subspecies will rarely winter in the northeastern United States down the Atlantic Coast into the Gulf Coast.

Why the split?

There’s a bit of a debate with scientists about whether the split of Cackling Geese from Canada Geese is appropriate. The two species do tend to hybridize in some locations, which complicates the situation. The 2004 split is based on evidence of differences in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the two species. Studies by Shields and Wilson (1987a and 1987b) found a 2% difference in the mtDNA and suggests that the two species diverged about one million years ago. Even within Cackling subspecies there are have been differences in evolutionary selection pressures due to geographical isolation. The breeding habitats are of minima and leucopareia are distinctly different from taverneri and hutchinsii.

So the next time you are looking at a flock of Canada Geese you may not be looking at only Canada Geese. A Cackling Goose may be among the ranks. It’s always worth a closer look. Happy goose watching!

References

• Caldwell, I. (2021). The Cackling Goose. Coastal Interpretive Center. https://interpretivecenter.org/the-cackling-goose/
• Dobak. (2006, February 21). Branta hutchinsii Branta canadensis Dobak [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Branta_hutchinsii_Branta_canadensis_Dobak.jpg
• Griffiths, D. (2017). Learn to Tell a Cackling Goose From a Canada Goose. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/news/learn-tell-cackling-goose-canada-goose
• Mlodinow, S., Springer, P., Deuel, P., Semo, L. S., Leukering, T., Schonewald, T.D., Tweit, W., & Barry, J. H. (2008). Distribution and Identification of Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) Subspecies. North American Birds, 62(3), 344-360). http://www.utahbirds.org/RecCom/IDhelp/Cackling_Goose-NAB.pdf
• Sibley, D. (2007). Distinguishing Cackling and Canada Geese. Sibley Guides. https://www.sibleyguides.com/2007/07/identification-of-cackling-and-canada-goose/
• Schmierer, A. (2007, March 16). CACKLING GOOSE(3-16-07)leucopareia, sloco, ca(1) (8708303070) [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:016_-CACKLING_GOOSE(3-16-07)leucopareia,_sloco,_ca(1)_(8708303070).jpg
• Szantyr, M. (2004). Questions and Ansers: Identifying Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii, the Newest Addition to the Connecticut Checklist. The Connecticut Warbler, 24(4), 111-116.
• The Cornell Lab. (2023). Cackling Goose. All About Birds. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cackling_Goose/overview
• The Cornell Lab. (2023). Canada Goose. All About Birds. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/overview

Canada Goose Subspecies

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday friends! It’s been quite awhile since the last one, but this winter I’d like to bring it back. It is waterfowl season after all.

One of our most widespread North American species is the Canada Goose, Branta canadensis. It seems like Canada Geese get mixed reactions from birders, being so common in some suburban areas that many people consider them pests. However, Joe Van Wormer, an Oregonian author and wildlife photographer sings their praises in his 1968 book The World of the Canada Goose. Van Wormer’s enthusiasm for the species is infectious and shows a side of a species that many people don’t seem to understand or appreciate. One of my favorite quotes from Van Wormer’s book: “Once a Canada goose has its complete set of feathers it should be forgiven for seeming to strut a bit, for its plumage is now one of the finest in the bird world. It may not be as flashy as a wood duck’s but it is neat and handsome.”

Canada Goose (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

One of the most interesting things I learned among the plethora of interesting facts is how many subspecies there are. At the time of Van Wormer’s writing there were at least 11 recognized subspecies, but in 2004 the four smallest subspecies were combined into a different species: the Cackling Goose. The plumage of the Canada subspecies tend to get darker as you move westward and their size gets smaller as you move northward. Let’s explore the 7 different Canada Goose subspecies from largest to smallest:

Canada Goose map (Michael O’Keeffe, 2009 via http://www.irbc.ie/announcements/announce68.php)

Branta canadensis maxima: “Giant”

• 10-18 pounds, some up to 20 pounds
• elongated neck, almost swanlike compared to other subspecies
• lighter in color than interior subspecies
• extensive cheek patches that often forms a small backward-projecting hook
• some have a white forehead patch, many a white ring at base of neck
• Thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1960 by Harold C. Hanson
• Range: central and northern United States, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario

Branta canadensis moffitti: “Western”

• 2nd in size to Giant Canada goose. Average around 8 pounds, but some 12-15 pounds
• Breast move “silvery” than other subspecies
• Range: United States western interior around Rocky Mountains, western Canada

Branta canadensis interior: “Todd’s”

• 6-11 pounds
• medium in color
• most numerous of all the subspecies; as many as all the other subspecies combined
• Range: Central Canada and Central/Southern United States

Branta canadensis canadensis: “Atlantic”

• 6-11 pounds
• lighter than Todd’s with more white underparts and whitish area between base of neck and back
• Introduced in England, Scotland, Iceland, and New Zealand
• Range: Atlantic seaboard from Nova Scotia to North Carolina

Branta canadensis fulva: “Vancouver

• 6-13 pounds
• 1 of 2 “dark” races (including “Dusky”)
• Range: Glacier Bay Alaska, south coast and islands of British Columbia to north Vancouver Island
• Possibly the least migratory of all Canada Geese: approximately 90% winter on breeding grounds. Others migrate to Willamette Valley of Oregon or northern California

Branta canadensis occidentalis: “Dusky”

• slightly smaller than Vancouver
• chocolate colored
• Range: southern coast of Alaska, migrates offshore and winters in Willamette Valley

Branta candensis parvipes: “Lesser”

• about 6 pounds
• lighter brown plumage
• Range: Northwest Territories of Canada, southern Victoria Island, central/east Alaska. Winters in Oklahoma, Texas, Mexico, and California.

Next Waterfowl Wednesday we’ll explore the Cackling Goose and its split from the Canada Goose. What do you think about Canada Geese? Tell me about it in the comments.

References

• MacDonald, D. and MacDonald, T. (n.d.). Canada Goose – subspecies. camacdonald.com. https://www.camacdonald.com/birding/Canadagoosesubspecies.html
• O’Keeffe, M. (2009). Artist’s Impression of the Canada/Cackling Goose complex following Banks et al. 2004 [Photograph]. Irish Rare Birds Committee. http://www.irbc.ie/announcements/announce68.php
• The Cornell Lab. (2023). Canada Goose. All About Birds. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/overview
• Van Wormer, J. (1968). The World of the Canada Goose. Living World Books.

Cape Cod October Big Day

Team BirdNation spent a majority of October Big Day in Provincetown, Massachusetts. We visited 3 Provincetown locations: Race Point Beach, Herring Cove Beach, and MacMillan Pier. In the evening we went to Skaket Beach in Orleans. Overall we observed 20 different species and over 2,000 individual birds.

Race Point Beach, Provincetown, MA (14 species, 1068 individuals)

• Large flocks of White-winged Scoters
• 5 Gull species: Bonaparte’s, Laughing, Great Black-backed, Ring-billed, and Herring
• Other bird species: Double-crested Cormorants, Common Eiders, Northern Gannets, Sanderlings, Rock Pigeons, Tree Swallows, European Starlings, a Common Loon
• 2 Harbor Seals

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  Harbor Seal (Image by David Horowitz)

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  Laughing Gull (Image by BirdNation)

Male and Female White-winged Scoters (Image by BirdNation)

A variety of gulls: Black-backed, Bonaparte’s Laughing, and Herring (Image by BirdNation)

Northern Gannets (Image by BirdNation)

Herring Cove Beach, Provincetown, MA (9 species, 212 individuals)

• Rafts of Common Eiders and White-winged Scoters
• Large flocks of Double-crested Cormorants and mixed Gulls

White-winged Scoters (Image by BirdNation)

MacMillan Pier, Provincetown, MA (3 species, 48 individuals)

We didn’t do much birding at MacMillan Pier because we were on our way to lunch but we did see some Common Eiders, Herring Gulls, and Rock Pigeons. The Pier is a cool little area of town and has great views of Provincetown Harbor. You can also see the Pilgrim Monument in the center of town, a tower that commemorates when the Pilgrims landed the Mayflower in Provincetown in 1620.

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  Pilgrim Monument (Image by BirdNation)

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  MacMillan Pier (Image by BirdNation)

Skaket Beach, Orleans, MA (10 species, 701 individuals)

We went to Skaket Beach around sunset. I didn’t have the camera while we were there, but we saw hundreds of Common Eiders and White-winged Scoters flying over the bay.

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  Golden Glow (Image by BirdNation)

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  Skaket Sunset (Image by BirdNation)

We had an amazing day birding in Provincetown and Orleans. Did you go birding on October Big Day? If you did tell us about it in the comments.

To read about our October Big Day trip in Cape May last year click here.

Back to NJ

Hi everyone! I took a little break from blogging since the move to New Hampshire. The transition has been a little rough, but it’ll get easier over time. Since I last wrote we went back to Chincoteague, VA, added Maine to our birding map, and added a few lifers to our list. I’ll catch you up on all of that soon, but this past weekend we visited family back in New Jersey and of course made some time for birding. I was able to visit some of my old stomping grounds: Palmyra Cove Nature Park and Haddon Lake Park.

Palmyra Cove Nature Park, Palmyra, NJ

I really missed Palmyra. Even in the heat of the day, we still observed 34 species. Highlights included a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, American Redstarts, Chimney Swifts, 2 Ospreys, and Wild Turkeys. We also saw a nice variety of butterflies and dragonflies, some turtles, and a groundhog.

Haddon lake park, audubon, nj

The ducks at Haddon Lake are now in eclipse plumage. Waterfowl undergo a simultaneous wing molt, meaning they are rendered flightless for about 20-40 days. Therefore, males, who are usually much more colorful than the females, molt their head plumage in order to blend in. I also learned (thanks to a helpful person on Instagram) that there was an American Black Duck amid the Mallards. We also saw a Red-winged Blackbird fledgling being fed by its parent.

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Green Heron (Image by BirdNation)

Red-winged Blackbird juvenile

’19 GBBC Count: Day 4

Today was the final day of the Great Backyard Bird Count. I went back to Haddon Lake Park; this time with my mom and sister. Haddon Lake Park is a GBBC tradition, so I’m glad I was able to go there twice this weekend.

Haddon Lake Park, Mt. Ephraim/Audubon, NJ (9 species, 245 individual birds)

• 90 Canada Geese
• 50 Mallard
• 32 Ring-billed Gulls
• 1 Downy Woodpecker
• 1 American Crow
• 4 Golden-crowned Kinglet
• 40 European Starling
• 2 Song Sparrow
• 25 Red-winged Blackbird

We had the opportunity to watch a Mallard pair demonstrating a courtship display.

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  Mallard Hen (Image by BirdNation)

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  Ring-billed Gull 1st or 2nd winter (Image by BirdNation)

We observed an interesting looking Mallard. It seems like it can be a possible hybrid. Mallard mixed with Green-winged Teal or American Wigeon? The world may never know…it was interesting nonetheless. (Let me know who you think it is…)

We had an amazing Great Backyard Bird Count weekend! We saw 19 more species than 2018 as well as about 700 more individual birds. Here are the official Team BirdNation numbers for 2019:

• 6 birding locations
• 1 life list bird: Red-breasted Nuthatch
• 52 different species
• 1,505 individual birds (estimate)

Did you participate in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count? Tell me your favorite birding moment from the weekend in the comments!

To see learn what we saw on Days 3 and 4 of the 2018 GBBC (including a rare life list bird!), click here.

’19 GBBC Day 3: To the Shore

Dave and I made our way out to the Jersey Shore today for the Great Backyard Bird Count. We went birding at two locations: Barnegat Lighthouse State Park on LBI and Cloverdale Farm Park in Barnegat. We added a new bird to our life list: the Red-breasted Nuthatch. I went to Cloverdale last week with my mom and sister to look for the Red-breasted Nuthatch, but we didn’t find it (however, we did see Pine Siskins, a lifer for us!)

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, Barnegat Light, NJ (20 species, 461 individual birds)

• 42 Brant
• 3 Greater Scaup (1 male, 2 females)
• 3 Common Eiders
• 15 Harlequin Ducks (mostly male)
• 30 Black Scoters
• 45 Long-tailed Ducks
• 10 Bufflehead
• 13 Red-breasted Mergansers
• 3 Ruddy Turnstones
• 1 Sanderling
• 85 Dunlin
• 25 Ring-billed Gulls
• 136 Herring Gulls
• 26 Great Black-backed Gulls
• 1 Red-throated Loon
• 14 Common Loons
• 6 Double-crested Cormorants
• 1 Merlin
• 1 Northern Mockingbird
• 1 Savannah Sparrow

Bonus find: 6 Seals!

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  Greater Scaup (Image by David Horowitz)

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  Black Scoter (Image by BirdNation)

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  Common Eider (image by BirdNation)

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  Ruddy Turnstone (Image by BirdNation)

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  Savannah Sparrow (Image by BirdNation)

Cloverdale Farm County Park, Barnegat, NJ (16 species,45 individual birds)

• 2 Mallards (male/female)
• 1 Bufflehead
• 1 Belted Kingfisher
• 3 Carolina Chickadee
• 3 Tufted Titmouse
• 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch
• 4 White-breasted Nuthatch
• 1 Brown Creeper
• 5 Eastern Bluebird
• 1 Northern Mockingbird
• 1 House Finch
• 1 American Goldfinch
• 16 Dark-eyed Junco
• 2 White-throated Sparrows
• 1 Pine Warbler
• 1 Northern Cardinal

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Image by David Horowitz)

It’s always a pleasure visiting the Jersey Shore. Tomorrow is the last day of the 2019 GBBC. Stay tuned!

’19 Great Backyard Bird Count: Day 2

Day 2 of the Great Backyard Bird Count was twice as nice because we went birding at 2 locations!

It was 45 degrees with a cold breeze; much more seasonal than yesterday’s warm weather. Our first stop was Haddon Lake Park in Audubon, NJ, followed by Palmyra Cove in Palmyra, NJ. We saw 32 species today, adding 8 new species to the total GBBC so far.

At Haddon Lake, Dave spotted some banded Mallards. I was able to get some pictures of the bands and reported them at reportband.gov. This website is run by USGS (United States Geological Survey) and the link leads to Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Bird Banding Laboratory. We were able to learn around where the Mallard was banded, by who, and its age.

USGS Banding Information (Image by BirdNation)

Haddon Lake Park, Audubon, NJ (10 species, 188 individual birds)

• 80 Canada Geese
• 45 Mallards
• 1 Mourning Dove
• 35 Ring-billed Gulls
• 1 Red-tailed Hawk
• 1 Belted Kingfisher
• 10 American Crows
• 1 White-breasted Nuthatch
• 2 European Starlings
• 12 Red-winged Blackbirds

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  Ring-billed Gull (Image by BirdNation)

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  Waterfowl Friends (Image by BirdNation)

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  Canada Geese (Image by BirdNation)

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  Banded Mallards (Image by BirdNation)

Palmyra Cove Nature Park, Palmyra, NJ (22 species, 302 individual birds)

• 10 Canada Geese
• 9 Mallards
• 17 American Black Ducks
• 15 Green-winged Teal
• 17 Bufflehead
• 2 Common Merganser
• 5 Mourning Doves
• 147 Ring-billed Gulls
• 1 Turkey Vulture
• 1 Red-tailed Hawk
• 1 Belted Kingfisher
• 2 Downy Woodpeckers
• 1 Northern Flicker
• 5 American Crows
• 4 Carolina Chickadees
• 2 Brown Creepers
• 5 Carolina Wrens
• 14 American Robins
• 1 Northern Mockingbird
• 17 Dark-eyed Juncos
• 25 White-throated Sparrow
• 1 Northern Cardinal

Tomorrow we are heading out to the Jersey Shore to see who we can find.

Check out what we saw last year on day 2 of the 2018 GBBC here.

What did you see on the 2nd day of the Great Backyard Bird Count? Tell us in the comments.

4 the Waterfowl

On Sunday January 27, Dave and I went to 4 birding locations in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. I was inspired to find some Canvasbacks, so we drove out to the Jersey Shore to see what we could find. Overall, we saw 15 different waterfowl species between the 4 locations. Here are the highlights.

Manasquan Reservoir IBA, Howell, NJ

This was around the time of the polar vortex, so it was pretty cold and most of the reservoir was frozen over. Despite the cold, we observed 20 species.

• Waterfowl: Canvasbacks (life list #2 for 2019, read about life list #1, the Razorbill, here), huge flocks of Common Mergansers and Canada Geese, Hooded Mergansers, Bufflehead, Ring-billed Ducks, female Common Goldeneye, Ruddy Ducks, Mallards, Mute Swans
• Others: 3 Bald Eagles (breeding pair and juvenile), watched an adult and juvenile eating prey on the ice. American Coots, gulls.

Ice Skating Canada Geese (Video by BirdNation)

Common Goldeneye female in flight (Image by BirdNation)

Fisherman’s Cove Conservation Area, Manasquan, NJ

• Waterfowl: Brants, Red-breasted Mergansers, Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead, Long-tailed Duck
• Other: Turkey Vultures, tons of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, Common Loons

Manasquan Inlet, Manasquan, NJ

Manasquan Inlet is where the Manasquan River meets the Atlantic Ocean. There were a lot of Common Loons that day, and we learned after we got home that there was a Pacific Loon among them, a NJ rarity. I didn’t think to pay close attention to each individual loon since I just assumed they were our normal Common Loons. Lesson learned!

• Waterfowl: Long-tailed Ducks
• Other: Common Loons, Rock Pigeons, Ring-billed Gulls, Dunlin

Common Loon (Image by BirdNation)

Lake of the Lilies, Pt. Pleasant, NJ

Our first visit to Lake of the Lilies was last year for the Great Backyard Bird Count. We saw 13 species of waterfowl that day in February, including a large raft of Redheads and a rare Tufted Duck. This visit was quieter, but we got an amazing views of some Wood Ducks.

• Waterfowl: Wood Ducks, 1 Redhead, Mallards/domestic/hybrid Mallards, Canada Geese, Bufflehead, Hooded Mergansers
• Others: American Coots, gulls, Great Blue Heron

Wood Duck male (Image by BirdNation)

Wood Duck female and male (Image by BirdNation)