Monmouth and Ocean Birding Highlights

RF and I spent a very full day wandering Monmouth and Ocean counties.

We started with checking out a very local patch (only to discover it is quite birdy, and has a lot of potential…. lesson learned – don’t take any area for granted.)

We started at Huber Woods, where we had amazing looks at a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers working the bark low on a tree off the Valley View trail. RF was able to locate the pair within minutes of hearing slow, methodical pecking.

Meanwhile, along the shore, we started at Manasquan Inlet at the Point Pleasant Beach jetty and worked our way down to Long Branch, in hopes of finding an Iceland Gull.

At PPB, The Army Corp of Engineers has been dredging the area, which seems to be attracting gulls in great numbers we had success in this spot with Glaucous Gull (imm) & Razorbill who disappeared just as quickly as he appeared behind the ACoE boat.

Other Highlights down the coast included:

Snow Goose – a lone individual at Wreck Pond

Purple Sandpiper – another loner at Spring Lake Jetty

Making our way back home, we checked out the local patch again and were treated to a great finale….. 1 American Woodcock calling and heard displaying around 6pm. As for the Iceland… well… we searched through thousands of gulls along the coastline with no luck!