The innate urge for these birds to head south, as the days begin to grow shorter, drives them toward their winter homes
Red-necked phalarope WHAT WE'VE SPOTTED
* White ibis, Whitesbog
* Red-necked phalarope, New Jersey Meadowlands
* American avocet, Barnegat Township
* Baird's sandpiper, Pole Tavern/Elmer
* Mississippi kite, Waretown
THOUGH IT MAY be known as fall migration, this avian traveling time for passerine (or perching) birds occurs primarily in the summer. Birds begin to trickle into New Jersey in mid-July, but by this time in August, they move through in earnest.
Swallows are one of the first indicators that the migration season has seriously gotten underway. Well over 1,000 tree swallows crowded power lines along Great Bay Boulevard in Tuckerton last weekend -- in some cases, they were lined up from pole to pole. Flocks of swallows, too, were observed passing over Toms River in late afternoon.
The innate urge for these birds to head south, as the days begin to grow shorter, drives them toward their winter homes. Swallows such as the purple martin will be completely gone by month's end, with some traveling as far as central South America.
The olive-sided flycatcher, one of the state's rarest flycatcher migrants, is an August traveler. The highest numbers of this bird -- as well as Eastern kingbird, and yellow-bellied, Acadian and least flycatchers -- peaks around Labor Day weekend. Cape May is an excellent location to look for them, particularly Cape May Point State Park and Higbee Beach.
Warblers, too, are on the move -- with flocks of yellow warblers possible now. Smaller numbers of blue-winged warbler, American redstart, Northern parula and chestnut-sided warblers, as well as black-throated blue and black-throated green warblers are likely. Louisiana waterthrush -- one of our earliest warblers to arrive in spring, usually in late March or early April -- are already well on their way to tropical wintering grounds.
In North Jersey, Sandy Hook is the premier location for fall migrants. There is still a fee to enter Sandy Hook through Labor Day, but you can tell the toll booth attendant that you will be birding, but not parking in one of the beach parking lots, and you should get through without any difficulty. The north end of the Hook, known as the locust grove, is just east of the observation deck and a great location to bird. Walking the multi-use path from Guardian Park, south toward the Boy Scout camp, is also a good choice.
The best birding days are those when the wind does not come out of the south or from any easterly direction.
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.