I'd like to call back summertime ...

... and have her stay for just another month or so

Northern Shoveler from Mill Creek Marsh

The bill on this duck always makes us laugh. Here, a male shoveler is getting off a sunken log to take a swim.

Hooded Merganser couple from Mill Creek Marsh

Just behind Bob's discount furniture at the Mill Creek Mall in Seacaucus is another world, with migrating ducks instead of holiday sales.



This was our first time to Mill Creek Marsh, but we will be back. It gets migrating ducks similar to the DeKorte, but has smaller lakes and ponds, making it easier to enjoy the ducks. Hooded mergansers are still our favorite.

Gadwall from the Meadowlands

Here is a photo of a Gadwall from our visit to the Meadowlands last weekend. The meadowlands is one of our favorite places for migrating ducks. We've been to some birding places that have hunters which takes the joy out of bird watching.

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.

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.

Finally: A wood duck returns to Lake Nelson

 

Warblers from Glenhurst Meadows

Yellow Rumped Warbler


Palm Warbler


Common Yellowthroat (Immature Male)

Red Bellied Woodpeckers

Male

Female

The woodpeckers are enjoying the suet we put out. The male (top) has more red on the head than the female(bottom).

Tufted Titmouse Slide Show

I probably will grow tired of "titmouse with the peanut" photos. Time will tell.

Sharp shinned hawk looking for breakfast

White Breasted Nuthatch

The nuthatches don't come to our feeders as routinely as all the other backyard birds do, and they have never come up close onto the deck railing, but they are almost always in the trees enjoying the yard with the other common birds.

Female Northern Cardinal

The male cardinal has been a frequent visitor, so we stopped photographing him. Today the female was less shy and posed for a few pictures.

Red Breasted Nuthatch: Round Valley Recreation Area

Here are two of 200 photos of the red breasted nuthatch that Mike took at Round Valley Recreation Area today.

Dark Eyed Junco

The arrival of the juncos remind us that winter is approaching.

Horned Grebe: Liberty State Park

We've been wanting to see a horned grebe, but we'll have to come back in the spring when its more colorful.

Blue Jay

If a bird with these colors was rare, we'd drive miles to see it and post every photo we could take. When there are a dozen in your backyard, it's easy to overlook how beautiful the blue jay actually is.

It's getting too easy: Northern Cardinal and Tufted Titmouse

The new sony a580 and the birds coming to the deck are producing much higher quality photos than a few years back. We'll have to get out more.