Spring Lake 12/20--EGYPTIAN GOOSE

Shari and I did a little trip up Route 35 today, hitting a few shore spots and came up with the expected birds, though this Great Egret on Lake of the Lilies seemed late and out of place:

Great Egret with Great Blue Heron in background

Once we got above the Manasquan Inlet and into Monmouth County I ran into the little directional problem I always have with the territory up to Sandy Hook along the shore: I sort of know where I am wherever I am, but I never know exactly where I am in relation to the next place I want to go. I just haven't internalized the little towns and hot spots in proper sequence. So I was surprised to find that Wreck Pond was only a few minutes from where we were eating lunch and even more surprised at how close Silver Lake was to Wreck Pond and still more surprised how close both of them were to the where I'd seen the Pink-footed Goose a couple of weeks ago.

After a stop at Wreck Pond we drove over to Silver Lake. A pair of dubious rarities has been hanging out there for a while and I wanted to see if we could stumble upon them. Soon enough we did, two EGYPTIAN GEESE, which are not really countable in NJ (though they are countable, I understand, in Florida, where they have bred), because these are most likely escapees. But they are such goofy looking birds and they are roaming free (unlike, say, the Gambel's Quail I saw among the chickens earlier this month) and someday, my rationale is, they might become countable and finally, it's my list, so here they are. I only wish I'd seen them in New Egypt.