Lake Carasaljo 3/1--Rusty Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird

The first of March and feeling like a spring day, I started thinking that it was getting late for some birds that I'd missed, and I might have to wait until winter rolled around again before I could get them on the list. The thought came to me about half-way around Lake Carasaljo which was of course ice-free but surprisingly, rather low on ducks. There were all the usual species, but not big numbers of them. Even the geese, which might number in the hundreds on the ice were down to a paltry estimate of 75. 

After my first circuit I decided to investigate the muddy areas along the shore where birds like to feed and hide in the woody tangles. One area attracted my attention with a lot of bird activity flitting in and out of the stalks, making it difficult to figure out just what was in there. But I had a feeling that one of those birds I was already pushing off to next winter might just be in there. I was trying to listen for a squeaky gate call, but the grackles and blackbirds all around were making such a racket that I couldn't distinguish it. Then beneath a jay I saw a mottled bird with a pale eye shining--that somewhat elusive icterid, Rusty Blackbird. It was screened by bushes in front of me and thick brush in the mud. Trying to take a photo the camera just focused on branches. Then, very cooperatively, it flew up into a tree in front of me where I was able to take some backlit photos of it. Always a hard bird for me to find, but Lake Unpronounceable just keeps on producing for me. I also added Northern Shoveler today to my patch list there, an infrequent bird for Ocean County. 30 species in all:

Canada Goose  75
Mute Swan  4
Northern Shoveler  1     
Mallard  14
American Black Duck  1
Ring-necked Duck  12
Lesser Scaup  15
Bufflehead  2
Hooded Merganser  5
Common Merganser  2
Ruddy Duck  7
Mourning Dove  5
Ring-billed Gull  65
Turkey Vulture  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  1
Carolina Chickadee  1
Carolina Wren  1
European Starling  4
Northern Mockingbird  1
House Sparrow  5
Dark-eyed Junco  10
White-throated Sparrow  6
Song Sparrow  7
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Rusty Blackbird  1
Common Grackle  15
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  4

Northern Shoveler, hen