Reeves Bogs 2/11--Wood Duck

Reeves Bogs, 6:45 AM

I made my first trip of the year to Reeves Bogs this morning, arriving just before dawn. I would write "sunrise" but the sun never showed today. In the gloaming as I was parking in the clearing by the big dead tree, I could see many white lumps in the big front bog--38 Tundra Swans I eventually counted, my high for the year, even more than the 33 I saw the other day at Whitesbog. A week ago, I only saw 8 on the PWBC.  At this point in the season, these must be returning swans, making their northwester diagonal migration. 

There were a number of possibilities for year birds at Reeves--I was probably a little late for screech-owl and I couldn't get a Virginia Rail to call from the maple swamp as they sometimes will. But the most likely of the birds I did get--7 Wood Ducks flew out of the swamp and into the front bog as I started my walk up the south side of the bog and 7 Wood Ducks flew out 10 minutes later, just as I was getting to where they had landed near the breach in that bog. 

Tundra Swans

Since I hadn't been there in almost two months, I didn't know what to expect in terms of the so-called trails. I just resigned myself that I might have to do some backtracking depending on how high the water was in some crossing spots, and I did have to--between the beavers and the all the rain, getting around there is an adventure. But I'm glad I had to turn around because I saw my informant and his dog coming up toward me--the dog, having seen my car, knew I was there and started tracking me. Luckily for my informant, I wasn't too far into the bogs--I have seen a disgusted face on him when his dog has insisted on finding me way over in the Cedar Restoration Area, a spot he doesn't normally walk to. I told him it was no go on that path, and we walked around the bog the other way, crossing one of his "bridges" which are not for the faint of heart. 

Aside from the woodies and the swans, there were more waterfowl than I often see there--geese and Mallards, of course, but also about 60 Ring-necked Ducks (another species probably staging for a northward migration), Hooded Mergansers, 2 American Black Ducks, and 2 Buffleheads (infrequent) in Milton's Reservoir. 

Old well

The great thing about walking with my informant is that I always learn something new, whether it be botany, herpetology, or local history and geography.  Today is was history. We were in the field to the east of the parking area that had just undergone a prescribed burn--only partially successful because of the dampness. But instead of knee-high weeds, you could see the ground. "There used to be houses here you know," said my informant. Reeves was once a thriving cranberry operation--on the other side of the parking area you can see the foundation of the packing house. Hard to imagine, since where we were walking was nothing but trees, mostly dead, and abandoned fox dens, but soon we came to an old well head, which could be a real ankle breaker if one was walking around there when the grass was high. You learn something new every day and most of it not worth knowing but this strikes me as an exception. 

A typical Pine Barrens winter walk--only 20 species but the cool bird requirement (Wood Ducks are easily my favorite waterfowl) was fulfilled.

Canada Goose  35
Tundra Swan  38
Wood Duck  7     
American Black Duck  2
Ring-necked Duck  60
Bufflehead  2     
Hooded Merganser  6
Red-shouldered Hawk  1     Back bogs
Belted Kingfisher  1     Bear Hole, heard
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Carolina Chickadee  1
Tufted Titmouse  2
Winter Wren  1     Heard
Eastern Bluebird  5
American Robin  20
American Goldfinch  1
Dark-eyed Junco  15
Red-winged Blackbird  6