Finderne Wetlands

Snowy Egrets, Finderne Wetlands, NJ, Aug. 20, 2014 (photo by Jonathan Klizas)

(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

Two Snowy Egrets, rare for Somerset County, continue at Finderne Wetlands today. The number of herons in the area fluctuate throughout the day. The two Snowy Egrets in the photograph were seen in the morning when there were only 8 Great Egrets nearby (J. Klizas). Later in the day, only one Snowy Egret was visible but 23 Great Egrets had arrived along with a Little Blue Heron (Jeff Ellerbusch). The Glossy Ibis is steady and reliable.

Melanie Lane Wetlands, Hanover Township

After 6 p.m. at Melanie Lane Wetlands, Little Blue Herons were in view feasting on frogs, along with 5 Green Herons, a Great Blue Heron and a pair of Great Egrets. Suddenly, a few of the Little Blue Herons became extra alert because the following mammal was approximately 10 yards from them, looking at them intently.

Red Fox, Hanover Twp., NJ, Aug. 20, 2014 (photo by J. Klizas)

After a tense minute, the Fox turned and took notice of another mammal standing a few yards away with all kinds of things strapped to his body and pointing a barrel shaped object with shiny glass at one end.

Red Fox, Hanover Twp., NJ, Aug. 20, 2014 (photo by J. Klizas)

The fox retreated and disappeared after that.

At 6:45 p.m., the Herons and Egrets began flying around the pond with 7 Little Blue Herons eventually forming a tight group and flying off northward towards Troy Meadows. This seems to be the nightly pattern.