My 300th Bird Day!
Yesterday was very exciting because it was my 300th Bird Day! By this, I mean that I added bird number 300 to my life list.
I had been pretty close to 300 for a few weeks now and decided that I would take the week off from work to get a few of the spring migrant species I had just kept missing in previous years. Mostly these were birds that just weren't very common migrants where I lived, so I would have to make a few targeted trips. All in all, it was a great week!
I started the week by visiting the Delaware Water Gap, which was such a beautiful place. My target here was Cerulean Warbler. Along Old Mine Road, it wasn't the best fallout but there were still plenty of birds to be seen. I picked up a few common warblers and some good ones too, like Worm-eating Warbler. Louisiana Waterthrush offered great looks and could be heard singing from every little stream coming down the mountain. Hooded Warblers sang and popped up at every stretch of the road. Soon, I thought I heard something different and within minutes had a male Cerulean Warbler in my sights. It went chasing after another warbler, which I quickly discovered was a beautiful female!
The next day, I travelled south. I had a few targets this day and started at Hawkin Road in Medford, NJ. I ran into this kind gentleman who more or less took me right to where I needed to go: a male Prothonotary Warbler. I hurried down to Glassboro Woods, a spot well-known for another difficult-to-get warbler: Kentucky. After wandering the trails for a few hours, I came up empty, but got to add two more lifers to my list: Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Acadian Flycatcher. There were plenty of White-eyed Vireos singing, a few pairs of Worm-eaters, and still more Hooded Warblers to be seen here as well.
In the meantime, great things were being seen at Sandy Hook. I headed there on the third day and starting by looking for warblers. One I keep missing is Bay-breasted, and it eludes me still. I picked up a few warblers and headed to the Salt Pond. Very luckily, a female Wilson's Phalarope was still there, a great bird and lifer for me. In the same area were plenty of warblers, including two female Cape Mays. Not a lifer for me, but great birds nonetheless!
The nasty weather ended up putting a damper on the end of my week. With only two more lifers needed to hit 300, I tried desperately at local spots to get birds I needed. Thursday and friday yielded no new species, but still a few good first-of-the-year birds like Bobolink and American Bittern. I decided that saturday was going to be my day.
So, I drove down to Bombay Hook NWR in Delaware, a well-known excellent spot for birds. Of course, upon arrival, it began to pour. It didn't take too long, even in the rain, to pick up species number 299: the very cool-looking Black-necked Stilt. I had wanted to see this bird for a long time but they just aren't very easy to see in NJ. I turned my attention to shorebirds and began sorting through hundreds of Short-billed Dowitchers, Dunlin, and Semipalmated Sandpipers in an attempt to locate some Red Knots. I got thoroughly soaked in the process but that was it. I began to get disheartened, giving up and moving on to admire some American Avocets and some singing Seaside Sparrows. I began the drive back to the exit and headed down a wrong road. I spotted a blue bird in the road and it instantly flew up and away. I swung my car around to see if I could relocate it, assuming it was probably an Indigo Bunting. Instead, it turned out to be a handsome (actually wet and bedraggled looking) Blue Grosbeak, the last bird I needed to reach 300! It was an appropriate 300th bird and on the same day as the WSB and International Migratory Bird Day as well.
All in all, a great week. Hate to go back to work, but am already looking forward to the next milestone. :)