The 'major counties' in my LGA year had species goal over 100. These counties are closest to my residence and I expected to be able to really rack up some good totals here. These counties were closeby enough for me to bird in small doses after work.
Morris County - 70% Completion (88/125 Species)
Without a doubt this was the county in which I did poorest. Prior to 2011 my Morris life list was only 124 species so my goal was to see every species and add one more. To start with I was able to add fifteen birds to my county list. I had hoped that I would get in at least one day of birding Morris during spring migration but World Series planning absorbed whatever time I had available. A few short trips did yield sixteen species of warblers. There was no major category of birds that I truly lacked, rather I just missed a little bit from everywhere. The biggest issue here was field time. I didn't realize how distant much of the county really is from my residence and I just couln't afford the driving time too frequently. Morris also lacks coastal or salt water habitat which limited the number of Charadrids I could see. Notable Morris birds in 2011: Red-breasted Merganser, Long-eared Owl,
Passaic County - 101% Completion (152/150 Species)
My goal for Passaic County was the only one I was able to complete, no doubt in large part because this is where I live. If you have followed this blog at all you have seen that my other project for 2011 was a yardbird competition and as a result I logged 89 species in my own yard. As expected, Garret Mountain and the World Series of Birding added to my Passaic total despite having a poor spring migration. The best part about meeting this goal was the fact that places relatively new to me like Walker Ave Wetlands and Pompton Lake both added many species. I added eighteen new species to my county life list and eleven of them were waterfowl! My previous best year list for Passaic was 133 species. This year I bested that by almost twenty species. Notable Passaic birds in 2011: Cackling Goose, Common Goldeneye, Northern Harrier, Olive-sided Flycatcher, American Pipit, Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Siskin
Bergen County - 95% Completion (167/175 Species)
Birding Bergen was business as usual for me, but as I lived in Bergen County not long ago and wasn't so concerned with five other counties in years past I wasn't quite able to catch my previous best of 173 species nor my goal of 175 for this year. I did, nonetheless, see the more species in Bergen than any other county. DeKorte State Park and the Meadowlands in general supplied most of the species but the Celery Farm and the Ramapo River area added many species as well. In particular I logged many more species of warblers and neotropical migrants this year than in other years due to changes in our World Series route and accompanying scouting efforts. Bergen County is well-birded and being able to chase down local sightings sometimes after work certainly helped. Notable Bergen birds in 2011: Pink-footed Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Black Scoter, American Bittern, Least Bittern, White Ibis, Rough-legged Hawk, Glaucous Gull, Red-headed Woodpecker, Philadelphia Vireo, Clay-colored Sparrow,
Read a final analysis of the 'LGA Year' here.
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