Mt. Hope Lake in Rockaway Township has had some ducks return to its waters as well as had an increase in the number of Mute Swans that inhabit it. The following event witnessed at the lake this afternoon is one of those moments in nature that one does not soon forget. An adult Bald Eagle cruised into view over the lake; a Peregrine Falcon also appeared and started dive-bombing the Eagle. This went on for a brief time with the Eagle not seeming to be bothered at all. Suddenly all of the ducks became aloft. The Bald Eagle AND the Peregrine Falcon began chasing a drake American Wigeon. This was a stunning and unforgettable sight to see. All three birds raced a quarter of the way around and then across the lake, the Wigeon with the Eagle and Falcon within reach of its tail feathers. At one point, the Peregrine inexplicably disappeared, and was not seen again. The chase continued between the Wigeon and the Eagle. Both birds were head to head and it was thought for sure that the Eagle would reach out and grasp its prey, but that never happened. The chase went out of view behind some trees and Phragmites. A short time later the Eagle flew over the lake and perched in a tree without anything in its talons so, amazingly, the Wigeon must have escaped. This did not seem to calm the other Wigeons as they continued to fly nervously around the lake for some time to come.

The totals:
Mute Swan – 83
Gadwall – 10
Am. Wigeon – 25
Mallards, Canada Geese
Bald Eagles – 2
Peregrine Falcon – 1

Budd Lake was windy and bitingly cold today, Sunday. Most of the gulls were too distant for accurate identification. The Common Merganser numbers dropped from a few days ago with approximately 45 present today.

9 Redheads (4 drakes; 5 hens) remain at the Clark Drive ponds off International Drive in Mt. Olive Township.

10 of the 21 Rusty Blackbirds found yesterday at Tiger Lily Lane in Harding Township were present this morning.

Jamie Glydon reports +/-20 Northern Pintails at the Columbia Turnpike fields in Florham Park.

Out of range for this web site but there wasn’t a Snow Goose, not to mention a Ross’s Goose, to be found anywhere in the area of Merrill Creek Reservoir or Broadway in Warren County this afternoon.