Things seemed a little quieter this morning, despite the light northwest winds and clearing skies overnight. Frankly, I think we’re running out of migrants! Plus, with 4 nights in a row of good conditions, a lot has gone through, so I wouldn’t expect a huge flight – until things get backed up for a couple of nights, which they are about to!

Nevertheless, some movement was noticeable over Florida Lake Park in Freeport this morning. Small flocks of American Robins were moving overhead, and one flock of about 50 Common Grackles passed over as well. I also heard a flock of Eastern Bluebirds – it sounded like a bunch (5-10 maybe), but I never did see them. A number of Dark-eyed Juncos were in the woods, and quite a few Song and Swamp Sparrows were at the edges. I also tallied 5 Hermit Thrushes.

I then dropped by Freeport’s Winslow Park, where I had not been in a while. The geography of this site should make it very productive for migrant passerines. However, I rarely hit numbers of birds in the trees and shrubs here. This morning, there were about a dozen Song Sparrows and only 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, with a handful of the expected resident woodland birds. I have little doubt that the horrendous (mis)management of this park is at fault – the understory in the woods are completely cleared, the grass is mowed right to the edge of the embankments, the brush is chopped down along the shore, and trees are continuously felled and never replaced.

Offshore, however, things are much different – the sheltered coves, mudflats, rocky islets, etc make for very productive waterfowl-watching. The sea- and bay-ducks are just arriving, but I already tallied 71 Bufflehead offshore, along with a single Surf Scoter, as well as 26 Bonaparte’s Gulls.

Tomorrow doesn’t sound very nice – but seawatching may be very productive in the morning before the winds turn from the east to southeast. But, I’ll be down in Joisey for a couple of days – mostly to see the 7-0 (not a typo) Rutgers football team take on UConn Sunday night. Should be a blast! Besides, if they win, they’ll equal the total number of wins that they had in my four years in school there! I am also hoping, weather-permitting, to spend a few hours at the Montclair Hawkwatch. It’s there 50th Anniversary – the second oldest count in North America.

And, it is rarity season after all, so who knows what I may just have to twitch! (Although a friend of mine – a non-birder (for now anyway!) - is along for the ride, so I may have to contain myself.

We’ll have to debate what is more frightening, the New Jersey Turnpike, or the ancient “Terror Bird”