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URWA's Birdathon
Counting for Conservation
2011 Report
May 21, 2011
Dear Friends,
The URWA Birdathon Team began our annual quest to find and count bird species across the state of New Jersey a few minutes after midnight on Saturday, May 21st. The excursion began at arguably the healthiest and most productive freshwater marsh in the state, The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Being uncharacteristically foggy and cool, none of the sought after marsh birds revealed themselves so, we left the swamp and tried our luck at two other reliable marshes in Sussex County, only to have the same results as earlier in the night. However, at our last marsh stop, the first of two serendipitous birds for the day sounded off! In the meadow across the street, one of the state's rarest grassland birds, the Vesper Sparrow sang. We theorized that the very cool temperatures (high 40's) and heavy fog had been responsible for the earlier deafening silence.
Following such a rough start, we anxiously awaited the musical, boisterous "dawn chorus" of songbirds inhabiting the Northern NJ woodlands, in Stokes State Forest and High Point State Park. After a number of hours crisscrossing Sussex County, we had counted 20+ species of Warbler, several species of Vireos, Flycatchers and Woodpeckers. We then saw our second unanticipated species of the day, a Raven, which was flying directly down the road towards our vehicle. Being that earlier the team had made the decision to skip the Raven's customary nesting area to save time, we were unexpectedly pleased with this sighting!
We then headed south towards our next destination, Duke Farms, which is a 2,700-acre preserved land that was the former estate of Doris Duke. The numerous habitat types on the property are home to a variety of specialty breeding birds. There we ticked-off a Bald Eagle, several grassland birds, an Orchard Oriole, Willow Flycatcher, American Kestrel, Spotted Sandpiper and a Black Vulture. Following a hearty lunch and re-fueling of the vehicle, we began the grueling trek toward the coastal marshes of Tuckerton and Brigantine.
The birding at Tuckerton was very productive and very buggy. At our second to last local we were able to spy three Tricolored Herons as well as Black-crowned Night Herons and a pair of Wilson's Snipe. We were also thrilled to spot a flock of Red Knots, which sadly, are becoming very scarce. Our final spot was Brigantine, a National Wildlife Refuge managed for coastal migrating birds. We arrived at low tide so the coastal marsh mudflats that surround the area were teeming with thousands of shorebirds. These masses were dominated by Short-billed Dowitchers, Least Sandpipers and Semipalmated Sandpipers. We were able to sift through these flocks to identify the elusive Stilt Sandpiper, a rare migrant in the east during spring. Other notable birds at Brigantine were many Whimbrel, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern and many visible Clapper Rails and Black Skimmers. As waterfowl migration was long past peak, we felt fortunate to add to the list Greater Scaup, Gadwall and Ruddy Ducks. The final bird of the trip was the reliable Blue Grosbeak, which annually inhabits the shrub restoration area, spotted on the way towards the refuge exit. After such a gloomy start, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day with a respectable and final tally of 147 birds identified.
It was my honor this year to lead Birdathon Team-2011, and it is our hope that we did retired Team members Bob Lewis and Captain Alan Willemsen, proud. I had the pleasure of sharing the day with veteran Team member Gordon Cameron and new Team member Michael Almendinger. Thank you to all that supported our efforts! Your generous support not only helps URWA fulfill its mission but bolsters the Team's reserves during the long day- knowing that we are banding together for conservation. I look forward to next year- and your continued support of the Team and of URWA.
Sincerely,
Thom Almendinger
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