Birds in New Jersey in August: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in New Jersey in August in our iNaturalist sample; 15 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in August

Laughing Gull1,441 obs.

Osprey791 obs.

Great Blue Heron741 obs.

Great Egret725 obs.

Mourning Dove513 obs.

Sanderling508 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant498 obs.

American Goldfinch468 obs.

American Herring Gull459 obs.

Semipalmated Plover431 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird431 obs.

Mallard419 obs.

All birds seen in New Jersey in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	1,441	Aug (peak)
2	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	791	Aug (peak)
3	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	741	Sep (rising)
4	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	725	Aug (peak)
5	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	513	Apr (past peak)
6	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	508	Aug (peak)
7	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	498	Aug (peak)
8	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	468	Aug (peak)
9	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	459	Aug (peak)
10	Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus	Plovers and Lapwings	431	Aug (peak)
11	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	431	Aug (peak)
12	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	419	Mar (past peak)
13	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	415	Apr (past peak)
14	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	381	Aug (peak)
15	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	368	Apr (past peak)
16	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	353	Mar (past peak)
17	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	339	May (past peak)
18	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	334	Aug (peak)
19	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	322	May (past peak)
20	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	300	May (past peak)
21	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	300	Apr (past peak)
22	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	292	Aug (peak)
23	Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla	Sandpipers and Allies	289	May (past peak)
24	American Oystercatcher	Haematopus palliatus	Oystercatchers	280	May (past peak)
25	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	276	Apr (past peak)
26	Forster's Tern	Sterna forsteri	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	263	May (past peak)
27	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	259	May (past peak)
28	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	254	Mar (past peak)
29	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	252	Apr (past peak)
30	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Sandpipers and Allies	248	May (past peak)
31	Black Skimmer	Rynchops niger	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	248	Aug (peak)
32	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	242	Dec (rising)
33	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	219	Aug (peak)
34	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	204	Oct (rising)
35	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	202	Jun (past peak)
36	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	202	May (past peak)
37	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	200	May (past peak)
38	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	193	Aug (peak)
39	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	190	Mar (past peak)
40	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	189	May (past peak)
41	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	181	May (past peak)
42	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	173	Oct (rising)
43	Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla	Sandpipers and Allies	172	May (past peak)
44	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	170	Apr (past peak)
45	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	146	May (past peak)
46	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	146	Mar (past peak)
47	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	143	May (past peak)
48	Purple Martin	Progne subis	Swallows and Martins	139	May (past peak)
49	Royal Tern	Thalasseus maximus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	130	Sep (rising)
50	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	129	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in New Jersey in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in New Jersey in August