Julie McCall reports: Spent some time out on Disposal Road and at DeKorte Park today, and although it seemed at the time to be quieter than I expected, I still finished off the trip with around 40 species.

With water levels down in the Shorebird Pool in preparation for the
Festival of Birding this weekend, it was much easier than usual to find a Sora – I had one just wander out of the phrags about ten feet in front of me while I was trying to get a better look at a Northern Waterthrush. ull

The bird was seen on the Marsh Discovery Trail (MDT) after the second outdoor classroom.  [See map above.] Soras have been spotted several times lately.

I also saw a good number of Northern Waterthrushes today – at least ten or twelve, along the MDT and near the Lyndhurst NatureReserve. I also had Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Kestrel, Peregrine, and Northern Harrier.

Shorebirds included Dowitchers (Short-billed?), both Yellowlegs, and scattered groups of peeps.  The wind kept a lot of the birds huddled near phrag islands. (Thanks, Julie!)

Full list follows.

Double-crested Cormorant
Mallard
Gadwall
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
– Tern Sp. (Forster's?)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Sora
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
– (Short-billed?) Dowitcher
– (peeps)
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Yellow Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
European Starling