Bayonne, NJ Rails

  On Sunday (8/3/14), I met up with my birding friend to look for the American White Pelican in Richard W. DeKorte Park and to look for a King Rail in Bayonne, NJ.  We met up at DeKorte park at around 8:45 AM.  We went up a trail and saw the American White Pelican and a few Least Bitterns.  We were informed by another group of birders that if you don't go at low tide to see the King Rail, you won't see it at all.  It was two and a half hours past low tide, so we changed our plans and headed straight to the spot in Bayonne where it was seen.  As we got there we were walking by groups of birders that were saying, you probably won't see it because you missed low tide.  We went anyway to check it out and not only did we see the King Rail, we saw the King Rail mating with a Clapper Rail.  We also saw an immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

Immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron

King Rail

King Rail

King Rail mating with Clapper Rail

 

 

 

     After that, we waited for them to come back out, but they never did.  So we walked down the bridge and trail some more to see if we could find a Sora that had been seen there recently.  We did not see it, but on the way back my friend spotted another family of clapper rails.  They were being very cooperative and staying close.

Adult Clapper Rail

Adult Clapper Rail and Chick Head

Clapper Rail Chick

 

 

 

     When we got back to the King Rail spot, another birder pointed out to us another rare bird: a Saltmarsh Sparrow.  It was being very cooperative and giving us great looks.

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Saltmarsh Sparrow

 

 

 

     We finished up the day looking at an adult and immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron sitting close on the rocks next to an immature Black-crowned Night Heron.

Adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron