Brigantine 8/25--Feeling Smug

Yesterday we ran down to Brigantine specifically to see the Reddish Egret even though we knew we had a trip with Pete Bacinski of NJ Audubon today. I wanted to see to go and get the egret so I could concentrate on the other birds in the refuge and also to see it while it was there. Rare birds have an annoying habit of disappearing. This one disappeared today, as 2 trips around the loop didn't produce it, nor did anyone else see it despite a virtual traffic jam of vehicles all lined up at the 2 places it had been seen the last couple of days. So I'm feeling pretty smug about going down yesterday instead of waiting. It isn't an attractive part of my personality, but as Anthony Hopkins said in Howard's End, "There it is."

There were rarities to be found, just nothing as spectacular as yesterday's. The most interesting find was 2 Wilson's Phalaropes hunting frantically on a mudflat off the North Dike. Phalaropes have a reputation as extremely active hunters--a bird found spinning like a dreidel in water is one of the 3 North American phalaropes. On land they race around with their butts up and their beaks barely off the ground, snagging little flying bugs an inch or or so above the mud.

I found a Brant sleeping out on the mud--I thought it was a Brant when I first saw it, but it was all scrunched up and now that the ducks are all in eclipse, it could have been anything. Shari looked through the scope as it got up and waddled into the water and proclaimed it a Brant. This is the bird that has been summering at Brig.

The continuing Black-bellied Whistling Duck was also found just before the dogleg, tucked in among grass and some small purple flowers. And the ducks are starting to come back--the Northern Pintails that we saw there today are apparently early since eBird flagged them as a rarity.

As to big-nosed birds we saw a slew of Black Skimmers, 4 American Oystercatchers, lots of Glossy Ibises, and one Whimbrel.

Whimbrel
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Altogether a satisfying day and I got my "Heinz list:" 57 varieties of birds. 

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck  1    In grass, just before dogleg

Brant  1    Continuing bird, from North Dike, plumage looking pretty shabby.
Canada Goose  15
Mute Swan  3    Gull Tower
Wood Duck  4    Flyby Gull Tower
Gadwall  3    With mixed flock of ducks, before dogleg
American Black Duck  10
Mallard  12
Northern Shoveler  5
Northern Pintail  3    With mixed flock of ducks, before dogleg
Green-winged Teal  1
Double-crested Cormorant  100
Great Blue Heron  5
Great Egret  50
Snowy Egret  25
Black-crowned Night-Heron  4
Glossy Ibis  25
Osprey  6
Clapper Rail  1    South Dike
Black-bellied Plover  15
Semipalmated Plover  10
American Oystercatcher  4    North Dike
Greater Yellowlegs  5
Willet  8
Lesser Yellowlegs  2
Whimbrel  1    North Dike
Marbled Godwit  1    Flyby North Dike
Semipalmated Sandpiper  200
Western Sandpiper  1    Southwest Corner of East Pool
Least Sandpiper  1    Marsh just before Jen's Trail
Short-billed Dowitcher  10
Long-billed Dowitcher  5
Wilson's Phalarope  2    From North Dike, on small mud island with gulls, skimmers, sandpipers
Laughing Gull  300
Herring Gull  50
Great Black-backed Gull  20
Least Tern  1
Gull-billed Tern  2
Caspian Tern  3
Forster's Tern  100
Royal Tern  2
Black Skimmer  35
Mourning Dove  1    f/o parking lot
Peregrine Falcon  1    On tower
Eastern Kingbird  5
Blue Jay  1    Visitor's Ctr
Fish Crow  3    East Pool
Purple Martin  2    Gull Tower
Tree Swallow  50
Barn Swallow  10
Carolina Wren  2    Heard, entry road & parking lot
American Robin  1    Picnic tables
Gray Catbird  2    Heard, upland trail
European Starling  40
Yellow Warbler  3
Red-winged Blackbird  100
American Goldfinch  1    Heard, North Dike