NJ State Bird List Reaches 503 Species

Four new birds visited New Jersey last year to bring the state list to 503 species. Two of the new birds are newly recognized species, having been split from other species last year. The four new birds to visit the Garden State last year were common swift , Vega gull , Fea’s petrel and Scopoli’s shearwater . Here is a summary of the new birds visited. On March, 9, 2024, a Vega gull was found at Gateway National National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, Monmouth County. Vega gull became a new species in 2024. It and three other new species were split from herring gull . The other three species are American herring gull , European herring gull and Mongolian gull . Vega gull is an Asian species. It is very similar to American herring gull and its identification needs to be carefully scrutinized. On May 17, 2024, a swift larger than the expected chimney swifts was noticed in Cape May. The original spotter photograph...