Long-Tailed Duck at the Meadowlands.

Long Tailed DuckThe weather was good today, so we made our way to the Meadowlands for birding (DeKORTE PARK in Lyndhurst). The highlight was a Long-tailed duck, previously known as an Old Squaw.

Red Bellied Woodpecker at feeder

We think this may be one of the baby red-bellied woodpeckers now grown up that visited our house with its parent this summer.

Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk in Flight

This hawk has become a bit of an obsession with Mike. It has returned to the same area in the fall the past three years. It is often visible from the entrance to Rt 18 North from Rutgers Busch campus. We spotted him on a light pole today, but the entrance to a freeway is not a safe place to stop (as the campus police reminded us last year). We circled back, parked at the Rutgers Visitor Center and walked on the bike trail that goes along the freeway and got this shot of him flying. The bike trail is called the "East Coast Greenway" on the map above. The hawk was also perched in the trees near the freeway but a bit too obscured for a good photo.

Resting Cormorant

Cormorants

Juvenile Pied-billed Grebe

Grebe

Hooded Mergansers (male) and Buffleheads (female)

Hooded Mergansers (male) and Buffleheads (female)We are ecstatic that the hooded mergansers have stopped at Lake Nelson on their winter migration. They were joined by two buffleheads.

Snowy Owl at Merrill Creek

Squirrel walking past a snowy owl.
The owl must not have been hungry, but he did watch attentively as the squirrel walked by.



The snowy owl has been reported at Merrill Creek the past 5 days so when the weekend came around, we just had to go. Fortunately, he doesn't move much during the day, so once someone spots him, others can find him easily.

If you are intersted in seeing him, head toward the vistor center at 34 Merrill Creek Rd, Washington, NJ 07882. Park in the fisherman's parking lot (go straight instead of turning right at the fork to the visitors center). There is a gravel path to the left of the parking lot and he has been found past the dam for a few days. Today, someone was nice enough to place an orange cone on the trail marking where he was and there were about 10 birders on the shore. If you go, please do keep your distance so he isn't disturbed.

Fall Ducks

 

Hooded Merganser

 

Buffleheads

We love the fall when the migrating ducks stop by Lake Nelson.