I took a day off from Jersey duties today. Shari dropped me off at Mount Loretto and I took a 2 1/2 hour walk while she attended to other business. It was breezy at times and later in the morning it clouded up making it feel like was tramping wind-swept moors--if only the cell phone would stop ringing.
I went first to the pond on the west side of the park where I ran into 2 birders who advised me that one of them had just spotted a Common Redpoll. His friend hadn't seen it and they were hoping it would reappear but with the strong breeze, were pessimistic they'd find it again. I hung around looking for a bit, meanwhile finding the expected ducks. At one point Dave, who hadn't seen the redpoll exclaimed, "I hate wind!" and I heartily agreed with him. Then my cellphone rang and that somehow was a signal to move on.
I walked up the hill and down the bluffs to bird along the shore of Raritan Bay. Brants were about all I saw at first, but I decided to continue on. After a bit I saw a cormorant on a rock near the shore that didn't meet the GISS (General Impression Size & Shape) for a Double-crested Cormorant and I hurried on. When I got closer, I saw the distinctive white patch on the flank of a breeding Great Cormorant. Pretty cool; I don't see them that often and I've never see one in New York. As I was basking in the satisfaction of finding a new year bird and new state bird the cell phone rang and I sat down on a big log and talked while the cormorant flew away.
Moving up the beach I heard rattling sound and looked up to find a Belted Kingfisher flying in off the bay. That surprised me although I've seen them many times at Mount Loretto. I guess they have to get there from somewhere. I was near the turnoff on the beach where you go back to the fields when the cell phone rang, again. It was one of my brothers. "Are you doing something fun?" he asked.
"Well, I would be if people would leave me alone for five f***ing minutes." (Why didn't I just turn off the cell phone? Obviously, there's too much stuff going on for me to do that). So I spoke to him for a time while I walked back up the hill. The kingfisher flew overhead again. After that I didn't see anything particularly unusual for Loretto, although walking again toward the western pond I looked to my left to see a Turkey Vulture on the ground about 20 feet from me. It lifted off like a Klingon warship, scaring 4 mallards in a developing vernal pond.
After Shari picked me up we ate lunch at the Dove Diner as we did 2 weeks ago. This time, instead of a Cooper's Hawk on top of the light pole there were 2 Fish Crows sitting on poles calling their laryngitical caw. Gurley Avenue is getting to be a little hot spot for us.
List for
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Number of species: 26
Brant 32
Canada Goose 3
Gadwall 6
American Black Duck 38
Mallard 27
Northern Shoveler 4
Green-winged Teal 6
Bufflehead 1
Hooded Merganser 4
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Horned Grebe 4
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Cormorant 1 On rock in Raritan Bay
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 10
Mourning Dove 2
Belted Kingfisher 1 Flew in over Raritan Bay.
Downy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 1
Carolina Wren 1
Song Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Common Grackle 6
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