mocosocobirds

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The 89th Boonton Christmas Bird Count Report - 2024

White-crowned Sparrow (photo by Heather Van Dyk) The 89th annual Boonton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on Sunday, December 22, 2024. Temperatures ranged from a pre-dawn 14°F rising up to 22°F in the afternoon. Thankfully, the day was sunny. However, occasional gusts of a north wind were bone-chilling. A thin layer of snow remained on the ground from a storm the previous Friday. Many…

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The 88th Boonton Christmas Bird Count Report - 2023

The 88th annual Boonton Christmas Bird Count (hereafter, Boonton CBC and/or BCBC) took place on Saturday, December 23, 2023. Temperatures ranged from 26°F at 5:30 AM rising up to 45°F in the afternoon. The day was overcast with little wind and no thermals. Bodies of water were open except in some cases where a paper thin layer of ice prohibited any waterfowl. The previous weekend’s rainstorm…

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The 87th Boonton Christmas Bird Count Report – 2022

Red-shouldered Hawk, Troy Meadows, Morris Co., NJ, Dec. 26, 2022 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) Click on the photo for a larger image. The 87th annual Boonton Christmas Bird Count (hereafter, Boonton CBC) took place on Monday, December 26, 2022. Temperatures ranged from 14°F at 6 AM rising up to 26°F in the afternoon. It was cold, plain and simple although sunny most of the day. The frigid blast of…

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Eurasian Marsh-Harrier in Morris County, NJ, Nov., 2022

Eurasian Marsh-Harrier in Morris County, NJ, Nov., 2022

  Eurasian Marsh-Harrier, Melanie Lane Wetlands, Morris Co., NJ, Nov. 8, 2022, photo by Chuck Hantis A sight record and description from Chincoteague NWR, Virginia, December 4, 1994. Multiple observers and photographs from Maine, August 25-27, 2022 Six records since 2002 from the Caribbean and other islands in the Atlantic. The above list is of the only known and accepted records of the…

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Volunteer Chimney Swift Roost Monitoring - April, 2022

Volunteer Chimney Swift Roost Monitoring – April, 2022

This is a request for volunteers from Emma Dougherty at Faifleigh Dickinson University.emmadough@student.fdu.edu Purpose Light pollution is an anthropogenic factor that is increasing more and more every day, posing serious threats to wildlife (Knop et al., 2017; May et al., 2019). Artificial light at night (hereafter, ALAN) has been shown to impact behaviors and population dynamics of wildlife,…

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Old Boonton - Mar. 26, 2022

Old Boonton – Mar. 26, 2022

For those who visit or are familiar with Boonton Reservoir, the Morristown Green newspaper published a history of the old town before the reservoir was built written by Jeffrey V. May of the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center located at the Morristown and Morris Township Library. Fascinating reading for those interested. Here is the link to the article: The Lost Village of Old Boonton:…

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The 86th Boonton Christmas Bird Count Report – 2021

The 86th annual Boonton Christmas Bird Count (hereafter, BCBC) took place on Sunday, December 26, 2021. Temperatures ranged from 41°F at 6 AM, falling a few degrees in the morning before rising up to 48°F in the afternoon. A gorgeous day with mostly blue skies, sunshine, and open water creating a pleasant atmosphere for the 42 participants. Most importantly, a huge warm thank you to all of the…

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Tufted Duck in Morris County - found on Nov. 22, 2021

Tufted Duck in Morris County – found on Nov. 22, 2021

Tufted Duck, Loantaka Brook Reservation, Morris Co., NJ, Nov. 22, 2021 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) Chris Neff found a Tufted Duck at Kitchell Pond at Loantaka Brook Reservation on November 22, 2021 and thinks the duck may have been there the day before. Many others have observed the duck since. Eleven previous records of Tufted Duck are recorded in New Jersey…

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Dickcissels in Parsippany - Oct. 6, 2021

Dickcissels in Parsippany – Oct. 6, 2021

Dickcissels, Central Park of Morris County, Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ, Oct. 6, 2021 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) A pair of Dickcissels were found among the tubed saplings in the western area of Central Park of Morris County this afternoon, Oct. 6. One of these was seen by George Eschenbach on the afternoon of Oct. 3. George also recorded a Nelson’s Sparrow that day. This makes two years in a row…

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Chimney Swift Research Request - June 4, 2021

Chimney Swift Research Request – June 4, 2021

Emma Dougherty is an ecology researcher at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ. She is currently studying the effects of light pollution on the roosting behavior of Chimney Swifts. Here is a description of the project: Effects of artificial light on Chimney Swift roosting behavior The effects of artificial light at night (ALAN) has been shown to have widespread effects on the…

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Great Blue Herons - May 18, 2021

Great Blue Herons – May 18, 2021

Great Blue Herons, Morris Co., NJ, May 16, 2021 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) A heronry in Morris County is having a productive season. Incubation in April has led to Great Blue Heron sprouts in May. Great Blue Herons, Morris Co., NJ, May 16, 2021 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) In a recent year, a Great Horned Owl had a nest in one of the condominium trees. The Great Blue Herons seemed not to mind…

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Cattle Egret, again - May 17, 2021

Cattle Egret, again – May 17, 2021

Cattle Egret, near Boonton Reservoir, Morris Co., NJ, May 17, 2021 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) We’ll never know if it is the same individual roaming parts of Morris County this month but it seems more than likely. After not having a Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) reported in Morris County since 2012, there are three records this month: May 5 on Chapin Rd., Pine Brook.May 6 in Troy Meadows.May 17…

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Cattle Egret in Morris County - May 5, 2021

Cattle Egret in Morris County – May 5, 2021

Cattle Egret, Pine Brook, Morris Co., NJ, May 5, 2021 Photo by Chuck Hantis Chuck Hantis found a Cattle Egret today near the pond on Chapin Road in Pine Brook. This is the first Cattle Egret sighting in Morris County since 2012. The Cattle Egret moved from tree to tree eventually settling on a grassy area to feed. Thanks to Chuck for the beautiful photos. His Flickr site can be viewed…

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Eurasian Wigeon at Troy Meadows, came and went - Mar. 23, 2021

Eurasian Wigeon at Troy Meadows, came and went – Mar. 23, 2021

Eurasian Wigeon, Troy Meadows, Morris Co., NJ, Mar. 23, 2021 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) A drake Eurasian Wigeon showed briefly at Troy Meadows this afternoon before flying off with a group of American Black Ducks towards the south. See the distant heavily cropped photo above. This was thought to be a Troy Meadows first record, but wait…James L. Edwards of Montclair, NJ, reported one on April…

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The 85th Boonton Christmas Bird Count Report – 2020

The 85th Boonton Christmas Bird Count Report – 2020

Common Raven, Morris Twp., Morris Co., NJ, Dec. 27, 2020 (photo by Jonathan Klizas) The 85th annual Boonton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) occurred on Sunday, December 27, 2020. The temperature at dawn was 19°F and climbed to 35°F in the afternoon. Beautifully clear skies made for a comfortable day in the field for the 40 participants. The mild temperatures and heavy rain of December 23-24 melted…

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Nelson's Sparrow in Parsippany - Oct. 3, 2020

Nelson’s Sparrow in Parsippany – Oct. 3, 2020

Nelson’s Sparrow, Parsippany, NJ, Oct. 3, 2020 (photo by Steve Kolb)

Late in the day on Saturday, October 3, 2020, Steve Kolb was across from the Hyatt Hotel near the intersection of Jefferson and Smith Roads in Parsippany. This is the area of the eBird hotspot, Jefferson Rd. Pond. A black morph of the Eastern Gray Squirrel caught Steve’s attention and he attempted to get a photograph of it.

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Red Phalarope at Lake Parsippany; other records of interest - Sep. 26, 2020

Red Phalarope at Lake Parsippany; other records of interest – Sep. 26, 2020

Red Phalarope, Lake Parsippany, Morris Co., NJ, Sept. 26, 2020 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

Lake Parsippany does not qualify as a pelagic destination but for reasons best reserved for the species themselves to divulge, a Red Phalarope, one of the most ocean-faring of shorebird species, spent the day at the southern end of the lake, viewed by many observers.

Separating the three phalarope species…