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The New Jersey Bird Records Committee collects records of rare birds reported in the state of New Jersey, and maintains a State List of all species seen in the state. Our goals are summarized by Richard Crossley. In this context, "rare bird" means a species which has never appeared in the state before, or has appeared only a few times. Typically, these birds are not in normal range or habitat and are not present for a long period. In this usage "rare" doesn't mean endangered species with a wide continental range, or threatened breeding birds. Such species are not monitored by NJBRC, and should be reported to the appropriate governmental or conservation organizations.
A Pink-footed Goose discovered by Doug Morel at Cedar Park/Beth-el Cemetery in Washington Township, Bergen County on March 7, 2011, remained in the area until March 17. It was often seen on nearby Lake Schlegel with Canada Geese, but departed with the other geese early in the morning and returned in late afternoon. This is the first report of this Eurasian species in New Jersey, although there have been increasing reports in the Northeast during the past twenty years. If accepted by the New Jersey Bird Records Committee as being of wild provenance, it will be added to the New Jersey State List. Photos can be seen here: Pink-footed Goose 1; Pink-footed Goose 2. Unfortunately, the behavior of numerous birders at the cemetery was both disruptive and illegal. The cemetery is private and has multiple ceremonies daily. Birders who trespassed there were asked to leave and some were beligerent or defiant to the management, resulting in calls to the police on at least two occasions. Other birders went onto private property and into people's yards without permission, creating further animosity among the local residents. This sort of behavior can only lead to people withholding news of rare or unusual species to the disappointment of the many well-mannered birders.
Please note: Report species which are listed on the New Jersey Review List or species new to the state; see the New Jersey State List for species which have occurred in the state. For a list of accepted records of rare species, see the Accepted Records List.
Please do not report Federal or State "Threatened and Endangered List" species to the Committee unless they are also shown on the Review List.
New Jersey protected species, either Endangered or Threatened, include: American Bittern, Bald Eagle, Black Skimmer, Henslow's Sparrow, Least Tern, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Goshawk, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Pied-billed Grebe, Piping Plover, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Roseate Tern, Sedge Wren, Short-eared Owl, Upland Sandpiper, Vesper Sparrow, Barred Owl, Black Rail, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Bobolink, Cooper's Hawk, Grasshopper Sparrow, Long-eared Owl, Osprey, Red Knot, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Savannah Sparrow, and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. For information on reporting T&E species in New Jersey, see http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensphome.htm.
Federal listed species occuring in New Jersey include Bald Eagle, Brown Pelican, Piping Plover, Least Tern and Roseate Tern. For information on Federal T&E species programs, see http://endangered.fws.gov/
If in doubt, e-mail the Secretary (report@njbrc.net) and ask.
Reports may be on a printout of the NJBRC report form; may be sent in e-mail either as a narrative or using a text version of the form; or may be written longhand. Sketches are always welcome. BLACK ink is encouraged since handwritten reports must be photocopied for circulation. Please send hard-copy reports, sketches, and photographs to via email to report@njbrc.net, or regular mail to: Bill Boyle, Secretary, NJBRC, 14 Crown Drive, Warren, NJ 07059
Unusual species not on the Review List are of great interest to many birders, and information should be shared publicly when possible, although the committee does not collect these reports. New Jersey has two telephone hotlines and two active Listserv mailing lists. Please check the "where to report" page if you don't know where a report should be sent.
Our list of essential New Jersey bird books and journals is a guide to historical research about the state's birds.
For general questions about birds, birding, and bird conservation, contact the New Jersey Audubon Society, http://www.njaudubon.org
