Registrar: Lisa Kroop
Participants: 10
Weather: 55–75 °F; blue skies, sunny with scattered clouds; gentle breeze
Bird Species: 54
It was a beautiful day for a bird walk in the Great Swamp. The humidity was low and the temperatures were comfortable. We began our birding from the Fenske Visitor Center parking lot, especially observing the skies where Purple Martins and Tree Swallows were swooping and hawks were circling the thermals.
We then walked along trails through meadows and woods, listening and watching for birds. Among them was an Indigo Bunting, first heard, then seen—a small, vibrant blue spot in a sea of green leaves along a wooded edge. Through a window of sky from the woods, we caught sight of an adult Red-shouldered Hawk being mobbed by a Red-winged Blackbird. The action went on long enough (with frequent passes through the window) for all of the group to see.
At the Overlook on Pleasant Plains Road, we watched a Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron fly across the expanse of open swamp; a Double-crested Cormorant perched atop a snag; and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (one of five for the day) perched on a small, bare branch, a tiny speck against the sky.
We ended our trip with a visit to Lord Stirling Park, a wildlife preserve bordering the Great Swamp NWR along the west bank of the Passaic River, and the top eBird hotspot in Somerset County. We walked along a wooded trail following the Passaic River upstream and made our way to the East Observation Tower. It was midday, and it was cool and still in the woods. Nevertheless, birds were singing, and we heard Ovenbirds, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Wood-Pewees, American Robins, vireos (Yellow-throated, Eastern Warbling, and Red-eyed), Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Swamp Sparrows, Tree Swallows over the river, and a new species that we hadn’t heard or seen before at the Great Swamp: Northern House Wren. There were two of them commandeering a nesting box in Lenape Meadow.
After spending some time admiring the vista from the Eastern Observation Tower, looking in the direction of where we had birded that morning, we returned to the cars in time to catch the 3:42 p.m. train in Summit, NJ.
Many thanks to Richard for leading us and sharing stories and information about the birds we were seeing.
Species Lists
Birds
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Cooper’s Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Eastern Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern House Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Blue-winged Warbler
Mammals
White-tailed deer
Eastern chipmunk
