Migrating shorebirds descending on N.J.

From mid-August to mid-September, almost 40 species will possibly visit New Jersey.

WE ARE arriving at the peak of the summer shorebird migration, from mid-August to mid-September, when almost 40 species will possibly visit New Jersey.

Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge is, by far, the state's premier shorebird location -- with the likelihood of more than 25 species seen there in one day at this time of year. However, the refuge (the birders call it Brig) may be closed on short notice for repairs from lingering Hurricane Sandy damage. There are alternate locations for shorebirding, but we can hope to get a few more weeks to enjoy the shorebird variety at Brig.

So, where else to go?

The New Jersey Meadowlands in Lyndhurst and North Arlington, near the DeKorte Environment Center, can be good especially at low tide. This is where a ruff and a stilt sandpiper have been tallied in the last few weeks. The ruff is a rare bird in the Garden State.

We've once again want to suggest Great Bay Boulevard in Tuckerton, a beautiful, 6-mile ride through extensive saltmarsh, as another possibility. Birders would do well to also check out Stone Harbor Point and the South Cape May Meadows, The Nature Conservancy property.

In last week's column, we told readers to consider sod farms -- they are awesome places to find shorebirds that primarily only pass through our state during summer-fall migration. These include birds such as Baird's sandpiper, buff-breasted sandpiper and American golden-plover. The sod farms around Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, in Upper Freehold, as well as those in Hunterdon and Salem counties offer some of the best opportunity for shorebirds. Avian visitors likely to appear include upland sandpiper, a N.J. endangered species; killdeer; black-bellied plover; and least sandpiper.

A recent visit to the cranberry bogs at Whitesbog prompts a mention of it again this week, too. Many of the pools here -- in America's top cranberry production areas -- are often drained during this season, offering great habitat for migrating shorebirds to forage at least until October. Birding trips here in the last couple of weeks have produced sightings of pectoral sandpiper, stilt sandpiper, greater and lesser yellowlegs, semipalmated plover, least sandpiper, spotted sandpiper and solitary sandpiper. This is another great location to find Baird's sandpiper, too. (Be aware, the roads in the cranberry bog area are maze-like, so it is very easy to get lost.)  

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.

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