A Great Start to 2015

     On January 1st, 2015, my mom, little brother, aunt, and I all went to two of my favorite birding places in New Jersey:  Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, and Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.  We started out at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park.  When we got on the jetty, I was a little nervous that birding was going to be slow that day because all I saw were gulls.  However, things started picking up a little bit about 30 yards down the jetty when my mom spotted a Herring Gull with a Starfish in its mouth.  Another 20 yards down the jetty we finally started to see ducks.  The first duck we saw was a Harlequin Duck which soon led us to more Harlequin Ducks.  We then stated to see Black Scoters, a couple Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Loons, and a few Long-tailed Ducks.  Even though we had already seen many great birds, the highlight of the trip didn't come until we got to the end of the jetty.  There we saw a massive flock of about 250 Common Eiders of all different plumages spread out across the end of the jetty.  Now I had gone from only seeing one far flyby female Common Eider to 250 male and female Common Eiders.  While I was watching the Eiders, a very close Northern Gannet flew over us and even took a dive in the inlet next to us.  After getting great looks of both the Gannet and the Eiders, we walked back along the jetty and added one Surf Scoter to our list.

Herring Gull with Starfish

Herring Gull with Starfish

Male Harlequin Duck

Common Eiders Flying

Common Eiders Flying

Common Eiders Flying

Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet

Black Scoter

Common Eiders

Common Eiders

Common Eiders

Common Eiders

 

 

 

     After having a great time at Barnegat, we went over to Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.  There we got Northern Harrier, American Black Ducks, Green-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, Hooded Mergansers, Bufflehead, a Common Goldeneye, Ruddy Ducks, an immature Black-crowned Night Heron, and a huge flock of thousands of Snow Geese.  We even got to see them all lift up at the same time because of the disturbance of an immature Bald Eagle.  It was a great way to end the day, and a great way to start the year.

Northern Harrier

Northern Harrier

Female Common Goldeneye

Snow Geese

Snow Geese Taking Off

   

   

Coastal Hotspots of New Jersey

   On Friday November 28th, 2014, my mom, little brother, and I went to a few hotspots along the coast of New Jersey.  We started out with Stone Harbor.  There we saw a large flock of Snow Buntings, a massive flock of Brant, a few Surf Scoters, and Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls.

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

 

 

 

     The next stop we made was at the Avalon Sea Wall.  There we saw many Red-throated Loons, Northern Gannets, Surf Scoters, Black Scoters, Common Loons, one female Common Eider, and many Purple Sandpipers of the jetty rocks.  The final place that we went to was Cape May.  There we saw American Widgeon, Eurasian Widgeon, American Black Ducks, Northern Shovelers, Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, and Tundra Swans.  We finished the day off with about six American Pipits in a flooded field by the parking lot.  It was a great way to end the month.

Eurasian Widgeon (Top Right)

American Pipits

 



Susquehanna County Herps

     On Saturday, October 4th, 2014, my friend, my dad and I went up to Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania to meet up with a Herpetologist to do a herp blitz.  It took place in Salt Springs State Park on the north border of the County.  When we got there, he told us what areas we were going to be looking in and then we headed off.  We started in a small stream near the visitors center.  The first salamander that we caught was a Northern Slimy Salamander.  We then kept flipping rocks along the stream bed turning up another Northern Slimy Salamander, multiple Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamanders, an Eastern Red-backed Salamander, and many Northern Two-lined Salamanders.

Northern Slimy Salamander

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander

 

 

 

     After searching through the stream, we went to another more wooded area of the park.  Soon after we got there, we had come across a huge abundance of Red Efts crossing the path.  We watched our step and carefully placed all of the Efts that we saw on the side of the path that they were heading towards.  Along the trail we also saw a Spring Peeper and we flipped many other Northern Slimy Salamanders, Eastern Red-backed Salamanders, and Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamanders.  Sadly, the last herp, and only snake, of the day was a dead Northern Red-bellied Snake.  However, it was still a great day.

Two Northern Slimy Salamanders

Northern Slimy Salamander

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander

Red Eft

Red Eft

Spring Peeper

Northern Slimy Salamander

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander

Red Eft





An Extreme Rarity

     On Saturday September 20th, 2014, I went down to Cape May to search for a bird being seen there that had only been seen 3 other times in the United States; the Whiskered Tern.  Once we got down there, we immediately began searching through the large flocks of terns on the beaches seeing only Forester's, Common, and Royal Terns.  After having no luck seeing the bird, we went to other areas to see what else was around.  Disappointingly, there was very little activity throughout the rest of the park, so we went back to devoting our time to searching for this bird.  After a few more hours of scanning the beaches, we finally came up to a very promising looking flock.  There were dozens of birders with scopes observing the terns, so we walked up to them and without even asking, one of them said he had the rarity in his scope and offered for us to take a look.  We all looked at the Whiskered Tern with great amazement, even though it isn't a very stunning bird.  After getting the best looks possible, we headed back home knowing that we were all very lucky to have seen the bird.

Royal Tern

Royal Tern

Whiskered Tern (Center)

Whiskered Tern (Center)



Herping around Home

     On the last day of summer break (9/1/14) I headed to one of my favorite herping places in Bucks County to end with a bang.  I went to a spot that I had known from being there before was very good for Spotted Salamanders.  As soon as I got there, the first rock I flipped turned up a beautiful juvenile Spotted Salamander about 3 1/2 inches long.  I was very happy to have seen it because I had caught it and recorded it's measurements just over half of a month earlier in the summer under the same rock. 

Spotted Salamander

Spotted Salamander

 

 

 

     After retaking its measurements and taking many photos of the first Spotted Salamander, I continued on the path flipping all of the boards, fallen logs, rocks, and other debris I saw.  It was a little while until I flipped the next Spotted Salamander, however I got two under one board. 

Spotted Salamander

 

 

 

     After recording this one and taking photos of it, I headed back toward the parking lot still flipping everything I saw.  On the way back I flipped two Eastern Red backed Salamanders and one more Spotted Salamander.  I also saw a few Green Frogs and Wood Frogs hopping along the trail.  Although there was very little variety, it was still very nice to have seen all of those Spotted Salamanders.





Michigan

     Throughout the days of August 17th to the 27th, my family and I went up to Onekama, Michigan to visit family on my mom's side.  We stayed in the same house as last year which is right where Portage Lake meets the channel leading into Lake Michigan.  As soon as I got out of the car, I saw and heard Cedar Waxwings close by.  Unlike last year, I saw many Caspian Terns flying through the channel.
     On one of the first days of the trip, my dad took my brothers and I up to go golfing at a nearby course.  While we were there, I saw Common Ravens, Purple Finches, American Redstarts, Red-eyed Vireos, and Cape May Warblers.  On the way home, we drove by a small field that looked like it may have previously been a small farm.  In the grasses of that field, close to the road, were three Sandhill Cranes.  There were two adults, likely a pair, and one juvenile.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera with me, so we drove back to the house, and came back with the camera as fast as we could.  Luckily, they were still there when I got back, so we slowly came up to them in the car with the windows down, and I snapped away.  After a few minutes I carefully stepped out of the car to get a better angle of them and took many pictures.  They stayed there the whole time roaming around in the field giving us great looks.

Adult Sandhill Crane

Adult Sandhill Crane

Juvenile Sandhill Crane

Adult Sandhill Crane

Adult Sandhill Crane

Adult Sandhill Crane Stretching its Wings

Adult Sandhill Crane

 

 

     A few days after seeing the Sandhill Cranes, we went to Arcadia Marsh, which happened to be about a minute away from where the cranes were.  While we were at Arcadia Marsh, we saw Belted Kingfishers, American Redstarts, Northern Harriers, and my lifer Virginia Rail.  Although the rail was a great bird, it took a lot of effort to see.  While we were walking the trail, my mom stepped a few feet off of the trail which immediately spooked the bird that we did not even know was there up.  It just called, flew up and down, and was gone.  After waiting a few minutes to see if it would show itself, with frustration growing because of the fact that it was only behind a clump of grass only five feet away from us in the marsh, we finally heard it again.  We also heard the splashing of it quickly darting through the shallow water.  After attempting to lure it out by playing calls of it a few times, I took off my shoes and socks and stepped one foot into the shallow, mucky water.  After waiting and waiting, I finally could see the bird through the grasses, so I snapped a few crappy pictures and decided quickly that that was good enough for me.  I walked back to the car shoeless, stepping on thistle and other twigs, but happy that we were able to have gotten the bird.

Virginia Rail through the Grasses

 

 

     Later that evening, we got to the house to hear Sandhill Cranes calling from the marshes in the lake and to see a very friendly Red Fox walking around our yard.  It was a young Fox that was very curious and likely fed by others on the beach.  It allowed me to get many pictures of it, and at one point, it came right up to me, less than a foot away, and looked directly into the camera.  After checking out our place for a little while, it walked off towards another persons house.

Fox coming close to check me out

Red Fox

 

 

     The next morning, my mom and I went to a small nearby park however, this time with the objective of finding some reptiles or amphibians.  There was not much there, but on the trail I found a small Grey Treefrog blending in with the mosses.  I picked him up and placed him on a small, leafless shrub so that I could get some better pictures of him.  He was very cooperative and did not jump all over the place to make it difficult for me.  After having some fun with him, I put him back down into the grasses were he was found.

Grey Treefrog

Grey Treefrog

Grey Treefrog

Grey Treefrog

 

 

     On the last day of the trip, we went up to the Platte River to kayak all the way through to Lake Michigan and then to hang out there.  After kayaking down the river and seeing a Snapping Turtle, many Eastern and Midland Painted Turtles, many Great Blue Herons, and a few female Hooded Mergansers, we got to the shore and brought our kayaks up.  Like always, I went with my mom across the river to the beach of Lake Michigan to look for the few Piping Plovers that nest there.  We walked down the shore watching Caspian Terns, a few Bonaparte's Gulls, Least Sandpipers and finally got the Piping Plovers.  We watched them for a while and then we headed back.  It was a good finish to a great trip.

Bonaparte's Gull

Piping Plover

Least Sandpiper

Caspian Tern