Cattus Island 4/17--Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

I hit a couple of other spots down around Rt 9 (the Barnegat impoundments and Waretown Lake) adding Forster's Tern to the county list, when I remembered we were running low on kitty litter. I thought I might as well go to Cattus Island to see what was there, though I knew the dreaded families would be strolling.

Tricolored Herons, Snowy Egret

I planned to make a quick look into the first marsh, where Tricolored Herons are often seen, but seeing none there, my momentum took over and I walked all the way out to end of the sandy peninsula and then back along the blue trail as it follows the marsh. Standing at one of the blinds I saw a couple of waders way out in the marsh in glaring sunlight. One was a Snowy Egret, the other, was dark, with a white plume. At first, I thought Yellow-crowned Night Heron, then Little Blue, which I saw there at the end of March. There is a pathway through the phragmites a little further on and it wasn't too wet. I walked out there with my scope and re-found the birds, joined by a third. When I saw the white belly on the first I knew I had my county Tricolored Heron and then another bird flew in, raised its wings, and confirmed the i.d.

Having found my target bird and not having had lunch ( and still with kitty litter to purchase) I started back to the parking lot with a light heart and a light head. I had turned the corner, passing a photographer I'd seen earlier. He was photographing a distant Osprey on a perch.. No need to stop. Then he pointed his camera to the sky. I looked up, saw a dark bird, thought maybe crow, saw it more clearly and watched it land in the marsh where it bumped aside a Greater Yellowlegs, the year's first Glossy Ibis.  I took a couple of photos. Now I was officially done for the day.
20 species
Canada Goose  2
Mallard  1     Peninsula marsh
Bufflehead  37
Snowy Egret  1
Tricolored Heron  2     
Glossy Ibis  1    
Osprey  4
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Herring Gull  10
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1     Heard, blue trail
American Crow  1     Heard
Fish Crow  3
Tree Swallow  10
Carolina Chickadee  2     Heard, blue trail
Eastern Bluebird  1
Pine Warbler  2     Heard
Song Sparrow  2     Heard
Eastern Towhee  1     Blue trail
American Goldfinch  3