About a month ago I conducted a rarity loop throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania picking up the MEGA Northern Lapwings and Sandhill Cranes in New Egypt. While the Sandhill Cranes were less of a MEGA than the lapwings, they were still a nice addition to my New Jersey life list. I also haven’t seen Sandhill Cranes since the week I spent in Nebraska during peak crane migration in 2011. It was definitely a nice bonus on top of the lapwings.
From New Egypt I carried on toward an Ash-throated Flycatcher spot that was already occupied by hunters holding a Youth Day. Sadly, I just skipped out on searching for the flycatcher and drove towards the New Jersey/Pennsylvania border to stake out the continuing Rufous Hummingbird at Palmyra Cove Nature Center. It wasn’t long before I was watching the Rufous Hummingbird at the feeder next to the entrance from a few feet away. The hummingbird was another addition to my New Jersey life list and was definitely a nice treat to see in the middle of winter.

Rufous Hummingbird at Palmyra Cove Nature Center in Burlington County, New Jersey on 19 January 2013. Photo by Tim Schreckengost.
Palmyra Cove Nature Park, Burlington, US-NJ
Jan 19, 2013 10:10 AM – 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.01 mile(s)
Comments: Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.5.2
13 species
Ring-billed Gull 26
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Rock Pigeon 2
Rufous Hummingbird 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
American Crow 2
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 1
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Northern Cardinal 1
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 12
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12654024
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
In addition to this individual, I’ve seen another Rufous Hummingbird in Chester County, PA, an Allen’s Hummingbird in Bucks County, PA, and an Anna’s Hummingbird in New Castle County, DE this year. Click the links to read all about them!