Brigantine 4/1--BWTE, SNEG, PUMA, GRCA

An 8 mile drive around the impoundments at Brigantine started the month off "productively." At the visitor's center the martin houses are starting to become populated--3 Purple Martins (all males) were seen along with a many Tree Swallows; mosquitoes are back already (why not, everything else is early) so the swallows were having a field day.

Photo: Shari Zirllin

There were many more ducks than we expected (in terms of species, not numbers). A drake Wood Duck was near the Gull Pond Tower as were a few Blue-winged Teals (both hens and drakes).  I think these two look rather haughty.

Oddly, we saw no Great Blue Herons. The two big waders today were Great Egrets and our first Snowy Egrets of the year. In a couple of months the place will be loaded with these birds. Today was just the vanguard.

Photo: Shari Zirllin

Snow Geese are still around, though not in the thousands as they were on our last trip in February. They were not very shy today, grazing alongside the road and even sitting in the middle of it.

Photo: Shari Zirllin

This one, a juvenile, looked smaller and because its bill wasn't orange, we couldn't tell if it had a "grin patch."
We were trying to turn it into a Ross's Goose, but finally gave up, especially when I saw that Snow Geese have a wide range in size. This guy was as fearless as a gull when it came to sitting in the road.
Notice how orange its head is--iron oxide in the water.

Along the upland trail we finally heard our first Gray Catbird of the year--these are "half-hardy" birds and a few hang around in the winter but we hadn't come across any since the start of the year. I do remember seeing 1 on at Cattus Island in December, but for this year it became #125, for those of you keeping score at home.

44 species today, a good start, and birding Atlantic County for a day may give Ocean County a chance to refresh itself with some new birds.

Snow Goose	75
Brant	350
Canada Goose	50
Wood Duck	1
Gadwall	35
American Black Duck	30
Mallard	10
Blue-winged Teal	7
Northern Shoveler	200
Green-winged Teal	10
Bufflehead	35
Red-breasted Merganser	6
Double-crested Cormorant	1
Great Egret	11
Snowy Egret	6
Osprey	8
Bald Eagle	1
Peregrine Falcon	1
American Coot	35
Greater Yellowlegs	3
Ring-billed Gull	2
Herring Gull	80
Great Black-backed Gull	2
Mourning Dove	3
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	2
American Crow	2
Fish Crow	3
Purple Martin	3
Tree Swallow	50
Carolina Chickadee	1
Tufted Titmouse	1
Carolina Wren	3
American Robin	3
Gray Catbird	1
Chipping Sparrow	3
Song Sparrow	2
White-throated Sparrow	5
Northern Cardinal	10
Red-winged Blackbird	30
Boat-tailed Grackle	3
Brown-headed Cowbird	3
House Finch	4
American Goldfinch	2