Heislerville Birding

 

 

Hi, Honey! I'm Home! Wait til you see the designer twig I found for the nursery!

 

                                                         Written by George Wrangham

         A couple of days ago I met a fellow-birder for the first time at Fortescue, New Jersey, where there was very little activity.  We chanced to meet again at East Point Light a couple of hours later.  He has only just started birding but is a very experienced photographer. There were hundreds of Semiplamated Sandpipers at East Point, plus a few Ruddy Turnstones and Willets, and just two Red Knots.  Dennis De Marco, the photographer, sent me the photographs of an Osprey, a striking shot.

Full view of nest

 

          For comparison, here is more of the Osprey scene as taken by Dennis' cell phone from the car. At the upper left was the "spouse" Osprey who was waiting for the other to bring back the twig. You can appreciate the nest size and tree in this photo as well as the stark gray sky. The cell phone underexposed causing the silhouette effect.

In the midst of a plethora of Semipalmated Sandpipers, said one Ruddy Turnstone to the other,"I don't want to sound ungrateful, but when you said 'fine dining' at the Jersey shore, I thought you meant just the two of us!"

New Jersey Field Trip

Red Knots, Sanderlings and Semipalmated Sandpiper

Bill Kemmerer has taken a few nice avian photos from the BCDC field trip of 5/17/14 led by Susan D'Amico to the shores of the Delaware Bay in southern New Jersey.

Tri-colored Heron

Glossy Ibis

Eastern Kingbird

Black-crowned Night Heron

American Oystercatcher

Short-billed Dowitchers

          I (Al Guarente) have written the captions so don't blame Bill. Now, who can tell me which one is labeled incorrectly.

Spring Birding Blitz by CRC

       The Chester, Ridley, and Crum watersheds host a great variety of birdlife and mid-May is peak
time for spring migration. CRC Executive Director Brian Byrnes will be conducting a “big day” to
see how many bird species can be found in the Chester, Ridley, and Crum watersheds in a
single day and support CRC’s programs. You are welcome to join Brian for two legs of his
journey: a morning walk at Ridley Creek State Park or an evening walk at Kirkwood Preserve, or
support the Birding Blitz with a donation to CRC. These will be relatively fast-paced walks in
order to find as many species as possible in a short time period. Birders of all experience levels
are welcome.

RIDLEY CREEK STATE PARK, BRIDLE TRAIL
6:00 AM
Woodland-nesting birds and migrant warblers are the targets for this early morning walk. Meet at
the Bridle Trail trailhead on Gradyville Road. The walk will likely end by
9:30 AM, but participants can leave at any point.

KIRKWOOD PRESERVE
6:00 PM
Search for grassland birds, including Bobolink, Eastern
Meadowlark, and American Kestrel, species that are
regular at this Willistown Conservation Trust property, but
difficult to find elsewhere in the watersheds. Meet at the
Preserve parking lot on Grubbs Mill Road. Walk should finish by 7:30 PM.