March through May, 2009 - New Jersey Audubon Society

Piedmont Region, including Bergen,
Essex, Hudson, Union, Somerset,
Middlesex, Mercer, and eastern parts
of Passaic and Morris Counties.
EDITOR — Patrick Belardo, 395 Keswick
Drive, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
email: pbelardo@yahoo.com
Spring 2009 was the 23rd warmest on
record. Of the three months, April was the
most above normal with a late-month heat
wave, followed by May and then a close to
average March. Precipitation totaled 11.16”
over the three months; ranking spring 2009
as the 53rd wettest on record. The most
notable weather event of the season was the
snowstorm that kicked things off on March
1-2. Larger bodies of water were open for the
season in all but the most northern portions
of the region.
Noteworthy migration flights occurred on
19 April, 25 April, 2 May, and 8 May. Garret
Mountain dominated the reports during
spring migration with minimal reports from
Union, Mercer, and Essex counties. Species
noted for higher than normal flights include
Bald Eagle, Black Vulture, Tennessee Warbler,
Cape May Warbler, and Rose-breasted
Grosbeak. A group of 70 Tundra Swans at
Pole Farm 19 Mar is likely an all-time high
count for the region. The Montclair Hawk
Watch tallied its second lowest tally all-time,
but did have record counts for Bald Eagles
and Black Vultures. There were zero reports
for Redhead or any of the Scoters. Other species
with lower than average reports include
Red-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch, and
Vesper Sparrow.
There were quite a few rarities this spring.
A Eurasian Green-winged Teal continued at
DeKorte into late March. An Eared Grebe
near full breeding plumage was found on
Newark Bay on 6 May and a Western Grebe
was seen at South Amboy, possibly the same
bird that’s been seen there sporadically since
November 2004. A rare inland White Ibis
spent 19-24 May at the Great Swamp NWR.
South Amboy proved to be a hotspot for
gull sightings with 9 species of gull for the
season including Thayer’s Gull, Little Gull,
and Black-headed Gull. The Thayer’s Gull
is likely the first record for the region. One
Snowy Owl remained at the NJ Meadowlands
on 7 Mar. The Northern Shrike at the
Great Swamp NWR also remained until
3 Mar. A rare spring Philadelphia Vireo
was found at Garret Mountain 7 May. A
Swainson’s Warbler was heard at Hamilton
The wintering “Eurasian” Green-winged Teal continued into March at the NJ Meadowlands
DeKorte Environment Center. Photo/Kevin Bolton
Veteran’s Memorial Park 28 May (details
submitted to NJBRC). A Western Tanager
visited a feeder in Plainfield 14-18 Apr and
a Dickcissel visited a Monroe feeder 14
Mar - 3 Apr.
The winter invasion of White-winged
Crossbills and Pine Siskins continued into
the spring. White-winged Crossbills were
being seen throughout the region into late
April, while Pine Siskins were seen throughout
the period. Evidence of Pine Siskins
breeding was cited in multiple locations.
Abbreviations/Locations
DeKorte is NJ Meadowlands DeKorte
Environment Center, Garret is Garret
Mountain Reservation, GSNWR is Great
Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Halifax Rd
is in Mahwah, LSP is Liberty State Park.
WATERFOWL – RAILS
A Cackling Goose was found at Kearny
Marsh 8 Mar (NM). Seventy Tundra Swans
at the Pole Farm 19 Mar (WK) may represent
a new season high count for a bird not seen
annually in the region. The high count of
Wood Ducks was 100 at GSNWR 9 May
(TO). Walker Avenue Wetlands had 34
Blue-winged Teal 12 April. The large flock
of Northern Shovelers at Mehrhof Pond
maxed out at 145 birds 4 Apr (NM). DeKorte
had the high count of 160 Northern Pintails
7 Apr (CH). Walker Avenue Wetlands
also had the high count of Green-winged
Teal with 100+ 1 Mar. The EURASIAN
GREEN-WINGED TEAL that spent a
portion of the winter at DeKorte was last
seen there on 22 Mar. A high count of 62
Canvasbacks were at Kearny Marsh on 6
Mar (NM); a late pair was still on Newark
Bay in Jersey City 30 Apr and a hen was
present in the same area 25 May (both MB).
Ring-necked Ducks peaked with 115 on
Bear Swamp Lake in Ramapo Mountains
15 Mar (JWo). Forty-six Lesser Scaup were
at Mehrhof Pond 1 Mar (NM). Six late
Buffleheads were on Lake Parsippany on
5 May (TV). A Hooded Merganser with
young was at Tourne County Park 8 May
(TV). The huge wintering flock of Common
Mergansers at Oradell Reservoir dwindled to
150 there 3 Mar. Up to 400 Ruddy Ducks
were noted at Mehrhof pond through mid-
April (NM).
A singing Northern Bobwhite was
heard and seen at DeKorte 23 April (JT).
98 — March through May, 2009