Bird Checklists of the United States
The Birds of Lenape Park
Union County, New Jersey
Located in central New Jersey, Lenape Park consists of 450 acres of wetlands, ponds, rivers, creeks, meadows and forest and is one of the largest undeveloped properties in the Rahway River watershed. The Nomahegan Brook and Black Brook join the north branch of the Rahway River within the borders of Lenape Park and proceed south towards the Arthur Kill.
Lenape Park is an important link in a chain of parks which form a greenway along the Rahway River as it passes through Union County. As such, it has become a critical habitat for over 190 species of birds including many migrant songbirds from South and Central America and almost a dozen raptors and songbirds on the state's list of endangered and threatened species.
In addition, Lenape's rich enviroment supports a diversity of mammals including the red fox, white-tailed deer, muskrat, woodchuck and the rarely seen star-nosed mole. At least five species of turtles make their home at Lenape as do numerous other reptiles and amphibians.
Much of the current topography of Lenape Park dates back to the late 1970's. The park was redesigned by the Army Corps of Engineers in response to requests from neighboring communities to alleviate periodic flooding of the Rahway River into neighborhoods of downstream communities. The Army Corps constructed a cement dam which crosses the Rahway River just upriver of the Kenilworth Boulevard and black- topped berms which stretch toward Echo Lake Park in the west and Black Brook Park in the east.
In the years since the completion of the flood control project, the flora & fauna of Lenape Park have adjusted to their new enviroment. It is an ongoing process. With each passing year, the biological diversity of Lenape Park becomes richer, more complex, and more interesting.
The following list of birds has been compiled from the results of surveys of Lenape Park's avian fauna performed from 1988 to 1998.
SEASON
Most of the birds on this list are seasonal or migratory visitors to Lenape Park. Their seasonal occurence is coded as follows:
s - Spring (March, April, May) S - Summer (June, July) F - Fall (August to mid-November) W - Wnter (Mid-November to February)
RELATIVE ABUNDANCE
a - Abundant Very numerous species c - Common Certain to be present u - uncommon May not be seen o - occasional Infrequently seen r - rare Not present every year
KEY
bold - denotes known breeding species * - denotes threatened status in N.J. ** - denotes endangered status in N.J.
THE BIRDS OF LENAPE PARK
DIVERS
s S F W
___ Pied billed Grebe *................r - r -
___ Double crested Cormorant...........- o o -
WADERS
s S F W
___ American Bittern...................r - r -
___ Great Egret........................u u u -
___ Snowy Egret........................o o o -
___ Black-crowned Night Heron..........u c o -
___ Great Blue Heron *.................c c c c
___ Little Blue Heron..................- - o -
___ Green-backed Heron.................u u u -
___ Glossy Ibis........................o - o -
___ Virginia Rail......................r - r -
BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, MEADOWLARKS
s S F W
___ Red-winged Blackbird...............a c a -
___ Rusty Blackbird....................c - c c
___ Northern (Baltimore) Oriole........c c u -
___ Orchard Oriole.....................c c o -
___ Bronze Grackle.....................a a a o
___ Bobolink *.........................u - u -
___ Brown-headed Cowbird...............c c u -
___ Eastern Meadowlark.................r - u -
DOVES, CUCKOOS
s S F W
___ Black-billed Cuckoo................o u o -
___ Yellow-billed Cuckoo...............o u o -
___ Mourning Dove......................a a a a
___ Rock Dove..........................a a a a
THRUSHES & MIMICS
s S F W
___ Eastern Bluebird...................u - u -
___ Golden-crowned Kinglet.............o - c u
___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet...............o - c u
___ Blue-grey Gnatcatcher..............u - u -
___ Brown Thrasher.....................o o o -
___ Hermit Thrush......................c - c -
___ American Robin.....................a c c o
___ Swainson's Thrush..................c u c -
___ Grey Cheeked Thrush................c u c -
___ Veery..............................c u c -
___ Wood Thrush........................c u c -
___ Northern Mockingbird...............c c c c
___ Grey Catbird.......................a a a o
___ Northern Shrike....................- - r r
FINCHES
s S F W
___ American Gold Finch................a a a c
___ European Gold Finch................- r r -
___ House Finch........................a a a a
___ Purple Finch.......................u u u u
___ Common Redpoll.....................- - o o
FLYCATCHERS
s S F W
___ Great Crested Flycatcher...........u c u -
___ Least Flycatcher...................u c u -
___ Willow Flycatcher..................u c u -
___ Acadian Flycatcher.................o - o -
___ Yellow bellied Flycatcher..........o - o -
___ Eastern Kingbird...................c c c -
___ Eastern Wood Pewee.................u c u -
___ Eastern Phoebe.....................c - c -
GULLS, TERNS
s S F W
___ Glaucous Gull......................o o o u
___ Great Black-backed Gull............o o o u
___ Herring Gull.......................u u c c
___ Ring-billed Gull...................c o c c
RAPTORS, OWLS
s S F W
___ Broad-winged Hawk..................o - o -
___ Cooper's Hawk *....................u - u u
___ Merlin (Pigeon Hawk)...............- o u u
___ Northern Harrier...................r - r r
___ Osprey *...........................c u c -
___ Red-tailed Hawk....................c c c c
___ Red shouldered Hawk *..............- - o -
___ Sharp-shinned Hawk.................c - c c
___ Kestrel (Sparrow Hawk).............u o u -
___ Peregrine Falcon...................- - r r
___ Turkey Vulture.....................o o u o
___ Black Vulture......................r - r -
___ Screech Owl........................u o o u
___ Great Horned Owl...................o o u u
JAYS, CROWS, GOATSUCKERS
s S F W
___ Blue Jay...........................a a a a
___ American Crow......................a a a a
___ Fish Crow..........................c c c c
___ Common Night Hawk..................u c u -
___ Whip-poor-will.....................r r r -
HUMMINGBIRD, KINGFISHER
s S F W
___ Ruby-throated Hummingbird..........u c u -
___ Belted Kingfisher..................c c c u
SANDPIPERS, PLOVERS
s S F W
___ Greater Yellowlegs.................u - u -
___ Lesser Yellowlegs..................u - u -
___ Killdeer...........................u c u -
___ Least Sandpiper....................u - u -
___ Solitary Sandpiper.................u - u -
___ Spotted Sandpiper..................u u u -
___ Semi-palmated Sandpiper............u - - -
___ Purple Sandpiper...................r - r -
___ Common Snipe.......................u o u -
___ American Woodcock..................o - o -
TANAGERS, SPARROWS
s S F W
___ Scarlet Tanager....................c - u -
___ Northern Cardinal..................a a a a
___ Rose-breasted Grosbeak.............u u u -
___ Indigo Bunting.....................c o u -
___ Rufous-sided Towhee................o - c -
___ Chipping Sparrow...................o u o -
___ Field Sparrow......................r - u u
___ Fox Sparrow........................u - c -
___ Grasshopper Sparrow................r - r -
___ House Sparrow......................o o o o
___ Lincoln's Sparrow..................- - o -
___ Savannah Sparrow *.................o - u -
___ Song Sparrow.......................a a a u
___ Swamp Sparrow......................o - o -
___ Tree Sparrow.......................o - c c
___ White-crowned Sparrow..............o - o -
___ White-throated Sparrow.............c - c a
___ Dickcissel.........................u - u -
___ Dark-eyed Junco....................u - u a
___ Water Pipit........................- - r -
WAXWING, STARLING, TURKEY
s S F W
___ Cedar Waxwing......................c c c r
___ European Starling..................a a a a
___ Turkey.............................u u u u
SWALLOWS, SWIFTS
s S F W
___ Barn Swallow.......................c a u -
___ N. Rough-winged Swallow............u c o -
___ Tree Swallow.......................o o o -
___ Cliff Swallow......................o o o -
___ Chimney Swift......................u c u -
WATERFOWL
s S F W
___ American Black Duck................o o o -
___ American Widgeon...................r - - r
___ Canvasback.........................r - r -
___ Mallard Duck.......................a a a c
___ Northern Pintail...................r - - r
___ Ring-necked Duck...................o - o -
___ Wood Duck..........................a a a o
___ Gadwall............................- - r r
___ Bufflehead.........................o - o -
___ Common Goldeneye...................r - r -
___ Canada Goose.......................a a a a
___ Snow Goose.........................r - r r
___ Blue-winged Teal...................o - u o
___ Green-winged Teal..................o - u -
___ Common Merganser...................o - o -
___ Hooded Merganser...................o - o -
___ Mute Swan..........................o o o -
VIREOS
s S F W
___ Philadelphia Vireo.................o - o -
___ White-eyed Vireo...................o - o -
___ Red-eyed Vireo.....................u c u -
___ Solitary Vireo.....................u - u -
___ Warbling Vireo.....................c c o -
___ Yellow Throated Vireo..............o - o -
WARBLERS
s S F W
___ American Redstart..................a a a -
___ Bay-breasted Warbler...............o - o -
___ Black & White Warbler..............c u a -
___ Black-thr. Blue Warbler............u - u -
___ Black-thr. Green Warbler...........c - c -
___ Blackburnian Warbler...............o - o -
___ Blackpoll..........................o - o -
___ Blue-winged Warbler................c o c -
___ Brewster's Warbler.................- - r -
___ Canada Warbler.....................c - c -
___ Chestnut-sided Warbler.............c - c -
___ Connecticut Warbler................o - o -
___ Kentucky Warbler...................o - o -
___ Magnolia Warbler...................c o c -
___ Mourning Warbler...................o - o -
___ Myrtle Warbler.....................c - a u
___ Nashville Warbler..................o - o -
___ Northern Parula Warbler............u - u -
___ Palm Warbler.......................u - u -
___ Pine Warbler.......................o - o -
___ Prairie Warbler....................o - o -
___ Tennessee Warblero.................o - o -
___ Wilson's Warbler...................o - o -
___ Worm-eating Warbler................o - - -
___ Yellow Warbler.....................a a c -
___ Common Yellowthroat................c c c -
___ Yellow-throated Warbler............r - - -
___ Yellow-breasted Chat...............u - u -
___ Nothern Waterthrush................u - u -
___ Louisiana Waterthrush..............o - o -
___ Ovenbird...........................u - u -
WOODPECKERS
s S F W
___ Downy Woodpecker...................c c c c
___ Hairy Woodpecker...................u u c c
___ Pileated Woodpecker................o o o o
___ Red-bellied Woodpecker.............c c c c
___ Red-headed Woodpecker..............r - r r
___ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker...........- r o o
___ Yellow Shafted Flicker.............c a a c
TITMICE, NUTHATCHES, WRENS
s S F W
___ Tufted Titmouse....................c c c c
___ Black-capped Chickadee.............c c c c
___ White-breasted Nuthatch............c o c c
___ Red-breasted Nuthatch..............- - r r
___ Brown Creeper......................u u u o
___ Carolina Wren......................c c c o
___ House Wren.........................u a a -
___ Sedge Wren.........................- - r -
___ Winter Wren........................o - o u
This resource is based on the following source:
Friends of Lenape Park. No date. Birds of Lenape Park, Union County,
New Jersey. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Unpaginated.
This resource should be cited as:
Friends of Lenape Park. No date. Birds of Lenape Park, Union County,
New Jersey. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Unpaginated.
Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
http://www.npwrc.usgs.govlenape.htm
(Version 02DEC99)
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