Missing a Bird but Seeing Another

   On Friday (4/18/14), my mom, brother, aunt, and I headed down to Clinton, NJ to try to see a previously reported Neotropic Cormorant.  We first stopped at Spruce Run Reservoir, where it was first seen.  We pulled into the first parking lot we saw.  Although we did get a few awesome Horned Grebes and a rare Red-necked Grebe, we did not see the Cormorant.  We then pulled into the next lot we saw... nothing.  Then the next lot... nothing.  The third lot we did pull into however, did not have the Cormorant, but a few good early warbler species.  We got Palm, Pine, and Yellow-rumped Warblers and a very cooperative Blue-grey Gnatcatcher.

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

 

 

 

     After seeing those warblers,  we stopped at another place it was seen, Demont Pond.  After a few minutes of looking... nothing.  Then we stop at another pond it was seen on.  We did not get the bird, but we did get great looks of a Palm Warbler.

Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler

 

 

 

     The last spot we stopped at was Round-valley Reservoir.  When we pulled in to the parking lot and started to eat our lunch, I immediately dropped my sandwich and ran down to the edge of the water with my camera.  I saw an adult Horned Grebe in almost total breeding plumage.  I had been trying to get a good picture of one for a year so no matter how uncooperative he was being, I kept trying.  As he hugged the shoreline, I went down to try and get a picture.  As I got closer, he got farther away.  After following him up and down the shoreline multiple times, I went back up towards the car.  I stopped for another minute just to see where he would go.  I watched him go farther and farther away from the shore when out of nowhere, he made a complete 180 degree turn and started swimming right at me.  Trying not to spook him I left my camera down and slowly inched only another foot forward.  When he got as close as possible, I brought up my camera and started snapping away.  When he dove, I rushed down to the shore trying to get as close as possible undetected.  He popped up right in front of me.  I brought my camera up and when I tried to take the first photo the camera read "card full".  I was devastated, however I did manage to get a couple good shots.

Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe

  

 

 

The Grebes of Lake Nockamixon

    On Wednesday (4/16/14), my mom and I headed over to lake Nockamixon to try to get pictures of the Horned Grebes.  When we first got there, we immediately saw a Horned Grebe.  After taking many pictures, we stopped at the next parking lot and saw five Common Loons in breeding plumage.  After that, we stopped at our last parking lot.  On the drive in to the lot, we saw a Broad-winged Hawk perched in a tree right over the road.  After that we went all the way in and I immediately saw another Horned Grebe.  After taking many pictures we started walking back to the shore from the car.  However I saw another grebe-looking duck right near the shore.  So I headed back down only to see that it was an Eared Grebe in winter plumage.  I called my mom back down and we both got incredibly good looks at this incredibly rare bird.

First Horned Grebe

Two of the five Common Loons

Broad-winged Hawk

Eared Grebe

Eared Grebe

Eared Grebe

Eared Grebe (Back)  Horned Grebe (Front)



A Great Weekend at Peace Valley Nature Center

     On Friday (4/11/14) I went to Peace Valley Nature Center to try and see the Red-necked and Horned Grebes.  After looking around for a while, we pulled up in another parking lot only to see an adult Common Loon in breeding plumage swimming in front of us.  I jump out of the car and immediately start taking pictures.  After a while, he starts heading down the lake.

Common Loon

Common Loon

 

 

 

     The next day, I go back for a longer period of time to see if it, or any of the grebes, are still there.  Sadly, I did not see any of them.  However, after walking around for almost two hours and getting my first of the year Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, I see that there was an American Bittern seen by the bridge that day.  I head down hoping to see one behind some brush a ways away, but see a group of people looking down at something only about five feet away.  I walk up and they say that there is an American Bittern right there.  However, they have scared it down behind the heavy brush.  After waiting for about twenty minutes for it to come out, it finally does.  As I watch it for over an hour waiting for my mom and two of my aunts to get there and see it, it comes right out into the open.  They get there just in time to see it right out in the open.

American Bittern

American Bittern

American Bittern out in the open