Brig 3/20--King Rail

Brig seemed like the least windy place to be today according to the weather reports I look at and I figured there might be something new to look at while at the same time, I knew there would be plenty of duckage to keep me occupied.  

Right on both counts but the new bird for the year was one I had no expectation of finding while the bird I was kind of looking for (Snowy Egret) eluded me. Not that I'm going to go all year without seeing a Snowy Egret. However, I could have gone, and have gone many years, without hearing a King Rail (seeing one is even harder) but as I was walking down to the Gull Pond I ran into one of the regulars there who asked me if I'd come for the rail. I was vaguely aware that he'd reported one sometime recently, but a rail always seems like a real early morning bird to me and this was getting on close to 9 but he said it was calling constantly right nearby where we were standing and played his recording of it. I thought I'd have to stand there for a while but then he pointed. I thought his recording was still playing but it had ended and this was the King Rail calling. Always fun to get an unexpected year bird rarity. I stood over in the corner of the reeds where the bird was hiding and waited a few minutes and was rewarded with it calling again, "Kek kek kek kek" for almost a minute and made the recording above. 

Short-eared Owl

Around the wildlife drive the water was high, which was great for waterfowl, not so good for sandpipers and the like. I found one American Oystercatcher way out on an island in Turtle Cove. I knew from one of the other regulars that Short-eared Owls were being spotted off the south dike so when I saw a long line of vehicles pulled over to the side of the road I said to myself that they either had the owl or an Osprey. Right on both counts again, but the long line of vehicles were all on a trip that Scott was leading. He pointed out the shortie to me and I saw it fly and then land and perch up on a post or stick in the middle of the marsh. I made a bad digiscope photo. 

Along the north dike I made a desultory search for the Eurasian Green-winged Teal but failed to find it. Not that interested in searching through all the teal which were by far the largest denomination of duck today because it is only considered a sub-species and if it is every split into a full species, I already have it for NJ (and Staten Island). But of course, after Scott's group leap-frogged me, Scott found the bird. Unfortunately, a photographer decided to park diagonally and block the road so he could get a picture of it, but I couldn't get by to see it. And you wonder why photographers have a bad rep. 

For the day I had 40 species which is just okay. I don't know how I managed to not see Snow Geese and I'm surprised that no eagles intersected my life line today but the rail and owl made it a quality over quantity day.

Brant  30

Canada Goose  100

Mute Swan  8

Wood Duck  4     Two at Gull Pond, two at exit pond

Northern Shoveler  100

Gadwall  12

Mallard  15

American Black Duck  50

Northern Pintail  30

Green-winged Teal  175

Ring-necked Duck  6     Two at Gull Pond, four at entrance pond

Bufflehead  4

Mourning Dove  4     Heard

King Rail  1     Calling Kek Kek Kek in corner of Gull Pond.

American Oystercatcher  1

Ring-billed Gull  10

Herring Gull  100

Great Black-backed Gull  15

Great Blue Heron  7     Roosting at Gull Pond

Turkey Vulture  3

Osprey  1

Northern Harrier  1

Red-tailed Hawk  2

Short-eared Owl  1

Belted Kingfisher  1     Gull Pond

Blue Jay  3

American Crow  4

Fish Crow  12

Carolina Chickadee  3     Heard

Tufted Titmouse  4

Tree Swallow  3

White-breasted Nuthatch  1     Heard

Carolina Wren  4     Heard

Eastern Bluebird  2

American Robin  40

House Finch  5

White-throated Sparrow  1

Red-winged Blackbird  10

Pine Warbler  4     Heard

Northern Cardinal  2