www.dvoc.org > WSB > 2007 Scouting Notes > Northern New Jersey

2007 World Series of Birding Scouting Notes

Coordinated by the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC)
Nikon / DVOC Lagerhead Shrikes

Northern New Jersey

Page last updated Wednesday, May 16, 2007 9:40 PM

DeLorme Page Numbers 18-39

All Page Numbers and Blocks refer to DeLorme's New Jersey Atlas & Gazetteer

While the verbal sharing of scouting information is doing great, the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) has created this page in an effort to make it even easier to keep up with the latest finds and re-finds. Significant help has been provided by Smithsonian Ornithology Capital Kingbirds. We hope you will help by sending your updates to:

Submit suggestions for additional locations to:

DeLorme Map #18

Block J-9 Spruce tract outside of Bevans
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5/7 The Spruce tract outside of Bevans also had Lousiana Waterthrush and Blue-headed Vireo as well as the YTWA. (Steve Mesick )

Block G-9 Van Ness Rd. and Van Auken Road
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5/7 Van Ness Rd - no GWWA but there was a YBCH there (Steve Mesick )

5/5 Hit Van Ness (no Goldwings heard, but last year it sung a blue winged song, so it could be there, Ii just didn't get to see it) and Van Auken, heard two blackburnian.(Jeff Vinosky)

DeLorme Map #19

Block C-20 AT&T Tower (High Point State Park)
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May 7-9 - Ravens at Tower
(Eric Pilotte - Nikon / DVOC)

5/5 AT&T tower had purple finches, ravens, Blue headed vireo and redstart. (Jeff Vinosky)

Block D-19 Sawmill Lake Campground (High Point State Park)
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5/6 Back to Sawmill - About 100 yards down the road - pull over on right - N. Waterthrush singing strong on left side of road. (Bill Reamue - Four Loons)

5/5 Sawmill campground yielded LA Waterthrush, and the normal assortment of warblers, nothing out of the ordinary. Sapsuckers were around. (Jeff Vinosky)

Block E-19 Cat Bog
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5/6 Birded Cat Swamp extensively from 5:20 to 6:55. Barred Owl called for about 2 minutes around 6:00am. Pileated around a bit - Sapsucker drumming everywhere - sound just travels around in a little bowl in that place. Way back on right by the bags of rotting entrails hanging from the trees with the hunting stand - L. Waterthrush in distance and Black Th. Blue. The entire Cat Swamp was thick with Brown Creeper. Made my way accoss to the other (left) side of the creek to a stand of Hemlock trees where I had BT Green, Downy, Least FC, YT Vireo, BH Vireo, and YR Warbler. Wood ducks near road on way out. (Bill Reamue - Four Loons)

5/6 Creeper, Sapsucker, Wood Duck. (Alan Schreck and Linda Fields - Leopold / VSO )

5/5 Hit Cat bog, waterthrush chipping (probably Northern), blue headed vireos, numerous redstarts and bt blues. Then as driving out, I had a YT Vireo calling from the power line cut. (Jeff Vinosky)

Block E-24 - Wantage Grasslands
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May 7 – Vesper Sparrow sang at 4:57. Savannah and Grasshoppers singing over top of hill, Great Horned Owls calling from Beemer as well. Multiple thrashers, pheasants, and turkeys audible while standing on Vesper Hill. Flyover Pipits and Killdeer up there too.
May 8 - Vesper sang at 4:53. Same as above for all others.
May 9 - Vesper sang at 5:08. Same as above for all others. Yellow-billed Cuckoo singing as well.
(Eric Pilotte - Nikon / DVOC)

5/7 White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows, Savannah Sparrow, Meadowlark, Kestrel. (Alan Schreck and Linda Fields - Leopold / VSO )

5/5 Hit the wantage grasslands, had vesper and savannah but no grasshopper (not familiar with the spot for them). (Jeff Vinosky)

Block K-15 - Culvers Lake from causeway
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5/7 Culvers Lake from causeway looking east, Red-shouldered Hawk soaring over far tree line. (Alan Schreck and Linda Fields - Leopold / VSO )

Block G-21 - Lewisburg Swamp
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5/10 I am sorry.....I messed up. I didn't realize Alan and Linda were talking about the swamp I have always called Harmonyvale Swamp (because it is close to Harmonyvale). This swamp is on Lewisburg Road, just on the other end near the intersection of Pond School Road (near the Lafayette/Wantage Twp line). Moorhen and pb grebe are there. I don't work off of Delorme maps so I could not give you a page and block.
The other swamp is Libertyville swamp which is at the intersection of Hickory and Libertyville (Scott Angus)

5/6 moorhen, grebe, kingfisher. (Alan Schreck and Linda Fields - Leopold / VSO )

DeLorme Map #23

Block A-17 Flatbrookville-Millbrook Rd
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5/7 Hooded Warbler a quarter mile up the Flatbrookville-Millbrook Rd from the concrete bridge. (Steve Mesick )

Block B-16 Flat Brook / Delaware River
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5/7 The Flatbrook-Delaware River site had COME, and WODU. (Steve Mesick )

Block D-17 Appalachian Trail Crossing
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Block G-18 Spring Valley Rd. / Cocka-doodle-doo Pond
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5/7 Cock-a-doodle pond and the slimy pond on James Rd had nothing much when I was there on the 7th but it was early afternoon by then. (Steve Mesick )

Unknown Map Locations (looking for help on these!)

5/7 Gorge Road evergreen grove: RB nuthatch. (Alan Schreck and Linda Fields - Leopold / VSO )

5/7 Ridge Road: N. Waterthrush in several spots, sapsucker, BW Hawk. (Alan Schreck and Linda Fields - Leopold / VSO )

5/6 Park Ridge bench - Grouse at 5:00 and 5:05am Woodcock everywhere. (Bill Reamue - Four Loons)

5/6 Park Ridge pipeline cut - pair of RB Grossbeak and a WB Nuthatch (Bill Reamue - Four Loons)

5/6 Black Spruce Bog - 7:45 - 8:00 N. Waterthrush strong. Purple Finch singing it's heart out.
(Bill Reamue - Four Loons)

5/6 Went back up to Ocquitunk. Not much shaking beyond a pair of Hairy WP chasing each other around near the traditional BW nest by the entrance. No RB Nuthatch either.
(Bill Reamue - Four Loons)

5/6 Tinsley trial - Hooded War. singing wacky sond that sounded like a Magnolia. No Coops around the area. Had a BW Hawk fly over then back over down the trail a bit.
(Bill Reamue - Four Loons)

5/6 I checked Stokes park entrance where I learned that Hummingbirds have just started visiting their feeder at the office. No BWH around.
(Bill Reamue - Four Loons)

The following reports (all from Eric Pilotte Nikon / DVOC) are in the order of the commonly used route

High Point State Park (all directions heading from north to south)
Park Ridge Road - road loaded with Sapsuckers
1) Group Campsite B - Winter Wren singing May 6-10
2) 1.3 miles from sawmill road turnoff – BT Blue Warbler on May 7-8
3) 1.8 miles from sawmill turnoff where there is a gate on the right – Pewee heard on May 8-9
4) Bench – Grouse heard May 7 6:04am; May 8 6:07am; May 9 6:20am; Pileated just past the bench.
5) Spruce Bog – Grouse heard May 7 6:22am; May 8 6:26am; May 9 6:25am;
- Purple Finches singing on tops of spruces within bog May 7-9
- Close loud Northern Waterthrush singing May 7-9
6) 3.8 miles from sawmill turnoff
- Hermit Thrush on right on May 7-8; was closer to mile 4.0 on May 9
- WBNut on left
7) Birdhouse area - has a large number of Least Flycatchers
8) Bridge - 4.6m from sawmill intersection – Hairy Woodpecker
Cat Swamp
- Brown Creeper on May 7 and 9
- LA Waterthrush on May 8
- Hairy and Downy on May 9
0.3 m past Cat Swamp bridge heading south (May 7-9)
- WBNut
- Close Northern Waterthrush on left
- BH Vireo

Stokes State Forest
Crigger Road
- several Cerulean Warblers along this road
- First bridge on Crigger past Grau – LA Waterthrush on May 9; Hermit Thrush to left
Ocquitunk Area
- spruce grove before entrance road – Creepers on May 9; GC Kinglets May 7-9; WB Nut May 8-9;
- Bathroom area on Ocquitunk entrance road May 7-9 – Pileated, WB Nut, GC Kinglet; LA Waterthrush; Creeper; Magnolia Warbler singing in spruces by first campsite on left before bathrooms on May 8-9; Northern Parula, Pine Warbler, and Blackburnian Warbler all singing in this area.
- Tinsley Trail May 7-9 – LA Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, BH Vireo, BT Green Warbler

Van Ness Road
- Golden-winged Warbler in traditional spot at end on May 8
- Grouse in same area on May 8

Ennis Pond (first pond on right heading south on Old Mine from Dingman’s Bridge)
- Green Herons on May 9

Environmental Education Center (Walpack-Flatbrook Road)
- LA Waterthrush and GC Kinglet on May 8

Pompey Road
- Hemlocks have BT Green Warbler
- Territorial Nashville Warbler singing on right between telephone poles 274-275 on May 5, 7, and 9
- At end of Pompey turn right on Old Mine to get to small pond on left that often has Kingfisher

DOT Barn
- Nesting Cliff Swallows

Mountain Road Blowdown Area
May 8-9
- just past bridge over Flatbrook – Hooded Warbler, Hairy Woodpecker
- when you come to first hemlocks – Magnolia Warbler with fast song
- hemlocks – BT Green Warblers
- blowdown area - several Worm-eating Warblers on hill; Nashville Warbler (may be on territory)
- Spruce grove that lines both sides of Walpack-Flatbrook road as you leave Mountain road – GC Kinglets on left side; Northern Parula