The 8 mile loop around the impoundments at Brigantine sustained severe Sandy damage, including a breach of the road so that the bay runs into one of the ponds, but after 3 weeks of clean up, some of the walking trails are open and we went down this morning to see what we could see.
But the most interesting bird we saw today was before we got there, on New York Road, just after we exited the Parkway: a fairly large bird was running across the road, then, to avoid an oncoming car, it flew (really more of a jump) into the woods alongside. In those few seconds we noted both the small head and the pointed, long tail--my first reaction was grouse, but Shari saw immediately that was wrong because the bird was too big. We've seen peafowl (not countable) along that road, but this bird didn't have the prominent little fan at the back of the head that adorns both sexes, nor was it as bulky as that bird. It certainly wasn't a turkey--I see them constantly, up close, on our lawn. It was a hen Ring-Necked Pheasant, which is very surprising since they are listed as rare in that area and "extirpated" on Brigantine's new bird list. Without photos it probably won't be accepted by eBird's reviewer (I expect an email asking for details any moment now), but we saw what we saw.
At the refuge we first walked on the little trail by the parking lot which had a lot of the common birds you'd expect. Then we walked down the road to the Gull Pond Tower, past the blocked entrance to the Wildlife Drive. It was a new experience for us to walk the length of that road--normally, of course, we drive it. We were happy and relieved to see that the boardwalk of Leeds Eco-trail survived undamaged--the plank we donated unharmed. There were finch-like birds flying and calling overhead there--I wanted them to be either of the crossbills that have been reported lately but had to settle for the consolation prize of a Pine Siskin.
Farther along the road we only found Mallards in the pond on the left, but from the Gull Tower we were able to scope out a slew of ducks--many American Black Ducks, dabbling with their butts in the air, but also lots of species too far away for any reliable i.d. There were also Tundra Swans, big enough to identify even from that distance and much farther out a flock of Canada Geese. It seemed like there were thousands of waterfowl out on the water and it was frustrating in the extreme not to be on the road checking through the flocks. It is going to be some time before we're able to do that again. Not only does the road need to be rebuilt and the huge breach filled in with tons of dirt, but I would imagine that the sluices and gates that control the water levels in the ponds all need to be checked and repaired. With the salt water in the ponds, much of the vegetation that the ducks depend on died, as well as the insects they eat which live on the plants. How that is remedied I don't know.
So it was a somewhat melancholy journey today that netted 30 species on the refuge. An acceptable number, given the constraints.
Canada Goose X
Tundra Swan 13
American Black Duck X
Mallard 21
Lesser Scaup 1 entrance pond
Ruddy Duck 5 entrance pond
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Northern Harrier 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 2
Carolina Chickadee 1 Heard on road to Gull Pond
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Heard
Carolina Wren 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 3 On martin house supports
Hermit Thrush 1 Picnic tables
American Robin 15
Northern Mockingbird 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Road to Gull Pond Tower
White-throated Sparrow 7 Picnic tables
Northern Cardinal 1 Picnic tables
Common Grackle 1 Picnic tables
Pine Siskin 1 Tree near Leeds Eco trail
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