Brigantine 4/29--CAEG, WILL, SESA, CATE, CHSW, YEWA

Brigantine was actually Plan C today. Originally, we were going to Cattus Island, where I'd seen some warblers reported, but when we got there the parking lot was overflowing and we being directed to a grassy area to park. Turned out that Starbucks was sponsoring a beach clean-up and I guess every participant was eligible for a free latte or something. So that put the kibosh on that idea.

Our fallback plan was to go down to Tuckerton and Great Bay Blvd. When we got there, though, we ran headlong into a parade of runners and walkers. They were have a 5K race or fund raiser or some such so birding along the road there was also out. I was getting a little frustrated. "Y'know," I said to Shari, "I moved down here to get away from people."

I was fairly certain they weren't holding any tag sales or street fairs at Brigantine, so back on the Parkway we went. And, of course, Brig, as usual, delivered.

Before we were even in the refuge proper, we stopped at a bridge overlooking a pond. There we found a Yellow Warbler singing. (Actually, yesterday, Shari insisted we had heard one when we visited an old clay mining site a couple of miles from home, and once I heard this warbler singing, I agreed with her, but seeing a Yellow Warbler is better than hearing one, so I'll consider this one FOY-a.)

Besides the Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows flying over the pond there were also a few Chimney Swifts--the famous "flying cigars" as Peterson described them

Before we  hit the Wildlife Drive we had 3 Willets from the Leeds Eco Boardwalk

All photos: Shari Zirlin

and as we were returning to the car, in a field across the road, we found a very entertaining Cattle Egret doing battle with a frog.

Along the drive itself there were plenty of Willets and yellowlegs both greater and lesser, a Semipalmated Sandpiper hanging with some dowitchers and a Caspian Tern on a sand bar, looking huge among the roosting Foster's Terns. 3 Bald Eagles, one adult and 2 juveniles (6 were reported by someone else), and a goodly amount of egrets, herons, and ibises (though no White-faced Ibis, which was also reported today as it was the last time we were there a couple of weeks ago) rounded out a very productive day.

List for the day:

51 species
Snow Goose  3
Canada Goose  40    3 goslings with parents
Mute Swan  1
American Black Duck  1
Mallard  15
Double-crested Cormorant  22
Great Blue Heron  5
Great Egret  25
Snowy Egret  20
Cattle Egret  1    In field opposite Leeds Boardwalk
Glossy Ibis  15 

  

Turkey Vulture  4
Osprey  5
Bald Eagle  3
Northern Harrier  1
Peregrine Falcon  1
Black-bellied Plover  3
American Oystercatcher  2
Greater Yellowlegs  50
Willet  60

Lesser Yellowlegs  5
Semipalmated Sandpiper  1
Short-billed Dowitcher  4
Laughing Gull  5
Herring Gull  25
Great Black-backed Gull  5
Caspian Tern  1
Forster's Tern  20
Mourning Dove  1
Chimney Swift  3
Belted Kingfisher  1    By Gull Pond Tower
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1    Heard in parking lot
American Crow  1
Fish Crow  3
Purple Martin  20  

 

Tree Swallow  50
Barn Swallow  2
Tufted Titmouse  2
Eastern Bluebird  1
Gray Catbird  1    Bridge before entrance
European Starling  4    Lawn in front of HQ
Common Yellowthroat  2
Yellow Warbler  3
Eastern Towhee  2
Chipping Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  2
Red-winged Blackbird  75
Common Grackle  1
Brown-headed Cowbird  1    Lawn in front of HQ
House Sparrow  2    Copulating on top of swallow box