American Kestrel, Great Swamp NWR, Mar. 17, 2015 (photo by Chuck Hantis)
A windy afternoon, as this American Kestrel tries to hold on to its perch…
…likewise, the Merlin below.
Merlin, Great Swamp NWR, Mar. 17, 2015 (photo by Chuck Hantis)
Thanks to Chuck Hantis for the falcon photos from this afternoon at the very windy Great Swamp NWR.
Greater White-fronted Goose at Duke Island Park
A Greater White-fronted Goose was seen and photographed at Duke Island Park this afternoon (Jageshwar Benimadho).
Greater White-fronted Goose, Duke Island Park, NJ, Mar. 17, 2015 (photo by Jageshwar Benimadho)
Greater White-fronted Goose, Duke Island Park, NJ, Mar. 17, 2015 (photo by Jageshwar Benimadho)
Common Goldeneyes at Osborne Pond
Common Goldeneye is a rare visitor to the Great Swamp NWR. Osborn Pond, a dammed portion of the Passaic River, lies outside of the boundaries of the Great Swamp and forms a border between Morris and Somerset Counties. It is close enough to the refuge to be considered a neighbor, at least.
2 male and 2 female Common Goldeneyes were at Osborne Pond this afternoon (Jim Mulvey and Joe Pescatore via eBird). With the larger lakes in Morris and the surrounding area still frozen, any slightly open body of water may get waterfowl not usually associated with it. 20+ Ring-necked Ducks and 24 Hooded Mergansers are also at the pond.
Migrating Geese and Gulls
Simply put, Canada Geese and Snow Geese by the thousands migrated north today in Somerset County airspace. At one location in Bridgewater, Jeff Ellerbusch counted 3,600 Canada Geese and almost 1,000 Snow Geese in the morning and that was a relatively casual goose watch.
Ring-billed and Herring Gulls are also on the move. Any group of gulls one can find is worth a scan at this time. No telling what other species may be tagging along.
Other Field Notes
A Common Redpoll was at a private feeder in Hillsborough Twp. (Bobby Skrabal).
Dave Blinder captured this Wild Turkey trio image at Troy Meadows on March 15.
Wild Turkeys, Troy Meadows, Mar. 15, 2015 (photo by Dave Blinder)
eBird Checklists for the mocosocoBirds region may be viewed via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:
The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
Finis
mocosocoBirds 