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