In Color

Highlights in color:

Harlequin Duck:

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler:

 

Baltimore Oriole:

 

American Robin:

 

Indigo Bunting:

 

Cedar Waxwing:

 

Yellow Warbler:

 

Scarlet Tanager:

 

Red Crossbill:

 

Common Yellowthroat (aka masked bandit bird):

 

Tree Sparrow:

 

And last but not the least, the state bird of New Jersey, American Goldfinch:

 

Herons and Egrets

Herons and Egrets are some of the most graceful birds. There are at least 3 species that can be seen very easily in the tri-state area, practically in every marsh, especially in September and October as they are staging for their migration south. 

Let's start with one that's less commonly seen this far north - the Little Blue Heron:

 

This chunky one is a Black-crowned Night Heron. As the name suggests, it is mainly active at night, hides during the day in secluded roosting spots. That makes it rarely seen, although they are quite common.

 

Another night bird - the Yellow-crowned Night Heron:

 

I observed this one in Ocean City, NJ, where there is a large rookery right next to their visitor center. I went in early June, when the birds were still sitting on their eggs:

 

But some have already hatched. These are night-heron chicks - I think Black-crowned, although I am not totally sure.

 

Check out that screaming mouth - it looks like it can unhinge its jaw!

 

 

This little guy is actually an ibis chick - Glossy Ibis, to be exact:

 

One of the commonly seen egrets around - Snowy Egret.

 

And this is the other one - the Great Egret.

 

This is a Green Heron. They are active during the day, but not commonly seen. They like to skulk at the edges of ponds and marshes.

 

 

Another look at Yellow-crowned Night Heron:

 

And some parting shots of Great Egrets:

 

 

2020 Big Year (NY tri-state area)

Once the pandemic hit last year, and all long travel got cancelled, I decided to take the opportunity to do something the birders called a "Big Year" - namely, trying to see as many species of birds as possible in a span of a single calendar year. Only in my case, the year would go from March to March (because March was when we all realized that we need to make new plans for that year), and bounded by a 2-hour-driving radius from my house (because anywhere farther wasn't safe). 

I saw all the regular birds, and chased as many rarities as I could. 2020 turned out to be a banner year for many rarities! It was exhausting, and I am don't think I'll do it again - the chase takes away from enjoyment. In the end though, I totaled up 299 species. I didn't go after three chase-able birds in the fall, so I could have gotten it over the 300 mark, but 299 is not bad at all for this region! 

Here are some highlights:

• Farthest bird: Parasitic Jaeger, Cape May NJ
• Rarest US vagrant: Hoary Redpoll, Sherwood Island State Park CT
• Rarest international vagrant: Curlew Sandpiper, Meadowlands NJ

And here are the photo highlights:

Great Egret:

Osprey with a very surprised fish:


Harlequin Duck:


Northern Flicker:


Family of Tree Sparrows:


Turkey Vulture:


Bobolink:


Great Horned Owl:




American Goldfinch:


The sign of the times:


American Black Duck and tons of sandpipers (I think Semipalmated sandpipers, but could be Least):


Common Gallinule, also known as a moorhen:


Ruby-throated Hummingbird:


A very cold Great Blue Heron: