Brigantine 1/19--Green-winged Teal, Peregrine Falcon, Savannah Sparrow

Snow Geese were the most abundant bird today at Brig.

Because we waited for the temperatures to rise past freezing, we got a late start on our first trip of the year to Brigantine, arriving there mid-morning, as the tide was receding. Snowy Owl mania, which I thought had peaked, was in an unusually heightened state. Lots of people with a one bird list. At the start of the drive, right before the road to the Gull Pond Tower, there was a long line of parked vehicles and a lot of cameras with attached howitzers deployed. I thought an owl must have moved from one the usual spots, but it turned out to be "only" a Red-tailed Hawk perched on a post, eating a rather bloody brunch. The qualifier to the phrase, "Look for the birders, not the bird," is, "Ignore the photographers: they'll take a picture of anything."

A couple of hundred feet onto the drive we added our first two FOY. Shari found a small group of Green-winged Teal in front of the flock of coots we were scanning, and then, while talking to our friend, David, who'd just pulled up in his car, we added Savannah Sparrow to the list. I'd seen a sparrow briefly when we'd pulled over, but, thanks to David for confirming the sighting when the sparrow flew and then, naturally, dove down into the reeds.

Up the road, past the observation tower, another bird jam alerted us to the presence of the Snowy Owl. Actually there were two there today, (and there are probably more than 2 there), but we missed the first one. I have to say, it is a bird that lives up to its hype. It wasn't in a good position to take a photo though. I'm hoping at least one stays through the week, as I have a friend coming down this weekend who'd love to add it to her life list.

For the rest of the drive it was pretty much ducks, ducks, ducks, with the exception of a stop on the north dike where we scoped out a very handsome Peregrine Falcon sitting in the reeds. Along the dike another was sitting on an Osprey stand. These were much better looks than we usually get when we find them sitting on their hacking tower in the  middle of the impoundments.

One loop was enough for the day--I didn't feel like we'd missed anything and needed another look.
33 species
Snow Goose  500
Brant  100
Canada Goose  125
Mute Swan  5
Tundra Swan  3
American Black Duck  200
Mallard  25
Northern Shoveler  20
Northern Pintail  100
Green-winged Teal  10
Lesser Scaup  1    Experimental Pool
Bufflehead  5
Hooded Merganser  6
Common Merganser  7    Hen & Drake at gull pond. 4 Drakes, 1 Hen at Experimental Pool
Great Blue Heron  3
Turkey Vulture  12
Northern Harrier  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
American Coot  20
Ring-billed Gull  5
Herring Gull  10
Great Black-backed Gull  5
Snowy Owl  1    
Downy Woodpecker  2
Peregrine Falcon  2
American Crow  1    Heard
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  1
Gray Catbird  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Savannah Sparrow  1
Red-winged Blackbird  4    Near start of drive