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A common yellowthroat (above) and a Baltimore Oriole (below) both photographed elsewhere were among the nearly two dozen species spotted. (Photos courtesy of Stephen Michaels)
It’s a Red Bank bird nerd’s best-kept secret.
With the spring migration in full swing and the World Series of Birding set for this weekend in New Jersey, Red Bank’s stellar, yet lightly treaded bird watching hot spots are exploding with diverse life, color and sound.
One of those spots is the disjointed trail along the Swimming River waterfront, from the Red Bank Primary School access road to the public walkway and paths near Drs. James Parker Boulevard.
In just a 10-minute stroll along the waterfront Monday morning, almost two dozen species were observed or heard (with some help from the Shazam-like Merlin app developed by the Cornell University Ornithology Lab.
They included: red winged blackbird, northern cardinal, yellow warbler, northern parula, American robin, song sparrow, grey catbird, common yellowthroat, red bellied woodpecker, yellow rumped warbler, blue jay, marsh wren, chimney swift, common grackle, Baltimore Oriole, osprey, Canada goose. There could have been more, but our coffeee mug was empty so we left for a refill.
Some 726,000 birds flew over Monmouth County Monday night, according to birdcast.com which compiles data from weather satellites to track migration numbers, including several of the species mentioned above. Many of those species just pass through New Jersey briefly en route from their winter grounds in South and Central America to breeding grounds in northern forests.
The 2023 Master Plan calls for more public walkways along Red Bank’s four-mile of waterfront and mentions the heightened feasibility of making them a reality along the Swimming River, where the entire stretch from Sunset Avenue to Locust Avenue (except one small link between Bank Street and River Street) are already public property.
For now, though, the area belongs mostly to the birds. Especially in May.
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