What a little sunlight can do

 

 

 

 

It was nice to have a sunny day for a change. We got a few pictures of the usual suspects: a great blue heron, a cormorant, a turtle and a blue jay. Last year at this time we saw another blue jay "having a bad hair day." We guess it's a normal part of growing up. Just remember this the next time you are having a bad hair day!

 

Sitting Ducks

 

 

The babies are getting big and imitating their mother.

Great Egret In Flight: Photo by Jeff

 

Hummingbird photos from Warren

 

 

This is one of the hummers that frequents my moms feeders. Central NJ. I just picked up a DSLR last summer and have a bunch of bird pics I will post if people want to see them.

Cormorants from Sandy Hook

 

 

We took advantage of the nice weather and visited Sandy Hook. We hoped to see the start of some migratory warblers that had been reported on NJ Rare Bird Alerts, but we had no such luck. Still, it was a nice day for going out to the beach, even if our life lists are unchanged.

Here's a few shots of some cormorants.

Tufted Titmouse at the Platform feeder

 

 

 

 

Back home, we decided to set up the platform feeder. The peanuts immediately attracted a tufted titmouse.

Two Green Heron Photos: One Silly and One Normal

 

 

He looks like he's auditioning for Sesame Street in the top photo.
He's normal in the bottom one.

Green-Winged Teals: First Migratory Ducks of the Season

 

 

 

This morning Mike saw several ducks flying closely together around the lake. We saw them flying again on our morning walk and we knew they weren't mallards. We thought they were lesser scaups or maybe ring-necked ducks. In the evening, we took the boat out and they flew by again and then landed on the water. With binoculars and camera, we identified them as green-winged teals. They are our first migratory ducks of the year. It seems a bit early, where did summer go?

Baby Duck: That awkward pre-adolescent period

 

This shows the awkward combination of the adult feathers and the baby duck feathers.

Cormorants Crossing

 

Is summer finally here? There are at least three cormorants on the lake.

Osprey with fluke: Photo by Nina

Taken at E. B. Forysthe, with Osprey was bringing the fluke to the nest where three young anxiously awaited dinner.

Return of the Green Heron

We went for an evening walk and saw a little green heron in the water at the bottom of the dam. It was so small we thought it was a baby. Mike went back for the camera while Chris tracked it. By the time Mike got back it was hidden under some sticks. We waited and it flew out and up into a nearby tree. Well, while it looked small in the water, you can see by the pictures it has the ability to stretch itself out. We don't think we've ever seen one so scrunched up before that it looked like it could fit in the palm of your hand. Amazing little guy and it was a fun find for a Friday evening. Gotta love that hair!

Birds of Island Beach State Park

 

 

 

We went to Island Beach State Park. It was a better day for the beach than birding, but here are a few photos. The top is female blue grosbeak (we think). The middle photo is a seagull eating a crab. Chris was traumatized by a crab as a child, so she thinks it's fine for the seagull to kill them. The bottom picture is a rather rumpled mockingbird.

Baby Duck Wars

 

 

There are two duck families with a total of 11 baby ducks that have been hanging out in our yard-- affectionately known as the teens and the littles. It's getting hard to distinguish the teens from their mother. The littles are getting bigger too. We've been feeding the littles cracked corn to help them grow fast enough to migrate this fall.

While they used to get along, recently they have been having a turf war. The mother of the littles chases the other family and the babies join in too. It's hard to capture the action in a photo, so there's a video at the bottom that shows one chase.

A baby goldfinch! How cute is that?

 

 

 

The goldfinches are usually very quiet, but this week a goldfinch family has been chirping constantly. We'd normally criticize the goldfinch for taking too much seed, but there are three babies to feed.

More Baby Ducks for Marian

 

 

 

 

Marian said to keep the baby duck photos coming. The last is of a duckling leaving. I hope she likes it too.

Green Heron

 

 

These aren't our best photos, but the green heron doesn't come by that often. They were taken at noon, but the day was dark and rainy.