The end of October is a great time to be a birder in the Garden State.
Western kingbird WHAT WE'VE SPOTTED
* Red-necked grebe, Cape May
* Western kingbird, Island Beach State Park
* Nelson's sparrow, Tuckerton
* Orange-crowned warbler, Sandy Hook
* American avocet, Forsythe (Brigantine) National Wildlife Refuge
If you are into passerine bird migration, sparrows and other short-distance migrants are at their fall peak. Sandy Hook and Cape May provide two of the best locations for a visit.
The Avalon Sea Watch, in Cape May County, offers a marvelous view of sea ducks and other waterfowl, and seabirds flying past in huge numbers. Several years ago, this writer witnessed more than 80,000 birds moving by on a late October morning, including black, surf and white-winged scoters, as well as many northern gannets and myriad other seabirds. This is a spectacle all birders should experience -- last year, the three-month period from September to December produced 1 million seabirds passing the sea watch.
New Jersey also has many excellent hawkwatches, including Cape May Point; Scott's Mountain at Merrill Creek Reservoir, Montclair; Chimney Rock in Martinsville; Wildcat Ridge, in the Rockaway area; and Raccoon Ridge, in Warren County.
Late October has the best raptor diversity of the season, with opportunities to see rare and uncommon birds such as the golden eagle, northern goshawk and rough-legged hawk, as well as many other species. These are great locations, with hawk-counters manning their posts daily, who will call out good birds coming in overhead. It is also a great place to meet other birders and hawk enthusiasts.
October is also a great time for rarities and uncommon avian visitors. This past week produced eight white pelicans at Mannington Marsh, Salem County, where they spent a few days. Also, female Eurasian wigeon -- a difficult duck to separate from the female American wigeon -- was discovered at Forsythe (Brigantine) National Wildlife Refuge in Galloway, along with a now-rare common gallinule.
Lastly, know that the Nelson's sparrow can only be seen in New Jersey for a period of six weeks -- from late September to early November. The end of Great Bay Boulevard in Tuckerton is the best place to look for this sparrow; check out the salt grass along the beach. Plum Island, at Sandy Hook, also can be a great location to find this sparrow.
This column is compiled and written by Pete Bacinski, longtime New Jersey birder and retired NJ Audubon All Things Birds program director. Questions or comments should be directed to him by emailing petebacinski@comcast.net.