Wordless Wednesday

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postday, snowy egret

Snowy Egret.

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Osprey Mother

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, osprey, photography, postaday

In yesterday’s post, I wrote that I did not see the Osprey mother while the father was feeding the chicks. Today, with more time I saw the final picture I took of the father and the chick, and he was looking up at the sky.

Male Osprey and chick.

He had seen his mate! I did take a picture of her right after that, but she was so far away that I almost discarded the shot. However, as you can see below, she was flying in with an even bigger fish.

Female Osprey with catfish.

Barn Swallows

Tags

barn swallow, photography, postaday

I saw the Barn Swallow below under a walkway at the refuge. It did not seem to mind my presence. This type of bird gets along very well with people and has become established in our lore, culture, and even religion.

Barn Swallow.

I went to a part of the walkway right above it, and it was still okay with that, even looking up calmly.

Barn Swallow looking up at photographer.

It also sang and kept singing during the whole time I was there.

Barn Swallow singing.

Barn Swallows are very social birds that live together in large roosts, some containing as many as millions of birds. There were not that many at the refuge, but I saw several of them just twenty feet away from the one above. One bird was building its nest with mud. The others were typical onlookers, just like us humans observing our neighbors fix their houses.

Barn Swallows watching one of them landing near them.

Barn Swallows: note the one on the right carrying apiece of mud in its beak.

Barn Swallows. The one carrying mud had just flown up to the underside of the walkway.

Late Breakfast at Osprey Nest

Tags

catfish, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, osprey, photography, postaday

Yesterday I arrived at the refuge, near the nest of the Ospreys I have been following this year. The two chicks were not visible, but the two parents were there, with the mother making loud calls.

“Honey, the kids are hungry! Time to go fishing!”

He seemed oblivious to her calls. After about twenty long minutes he finally flew away. She watched him soar toward the marshes.

“He better catch something good!”

Some twelve minutes later, he was back, with no fish!

Male Osprey landing back on nest.

“Honey, I tried, but …”

In no time she sent him back out again. Another half hour passed during which she flew around to look for him, leaving the nest without adults protecting it.

Osprey nest without parents. The two chicks were in it but not visible from my angle.

The two chicks were making noises and eventually stood up in the nest.

Osprey chicks in nest.

Finally, the male Osprey came back with a big catfish.

Male Osprey with catfish.

Young Ospreys looking at their meal delivered by male Osprey.

The father proceeded to tear out pieces of catfish and fed them to one chick while the other waited for its turn without complaining. It would not be fed until the first chick had finished eating.

Male Osprey feeding chick.

I did not see the female Osprey again, but she was probably somewhere nearby either fishing or eating her fish. I had spent roughly an hour and a half watching the nest and it was time for me to go.

New and Old Birds

Tags

common grackel, common yellowthroat, house sparrow, mallard, photography, postaday, snowy egret

Recently I encountered a new bird, for me anyway, the Common Yellowthroat, a small warbler with a Lone Ranger black mask, a white head top, and a very yellow throat.

Male Common Yellowthroat.

Male Common Yellowthroat singing.

This House Sparrow was preening itself one morning, and looked down curiously at a photographer.

House Sparrow.

Meanwhile, a female Mallard took off from Colonial Lake.

Female Mallard.

Snowy Egret stabbing water after a fish.

A Common Grackle laughed at the scene.

Common Grackle: “You missed!”

Have a great weekend!

Turtles

Tags

colonial lake, diamondback, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snapping turtle, terrapin, turtle

One day last week I had to stop several times to let turtles cross the road in front of me. Here are a few shots of them at different places in the refuge, and one shot at Colonial Lake closer to home.

Diamondback Terrapin.

Diamondback Terrapin.

Snowy Egret with turtle under water in background.

Snapping Turtle at Colonial Lake.

At the beginning of last century, Terrapins were eaten by humans, almost to extinction. It was only two years ago in 2016 that New Jersey officially banned the hunting of Terrapins for any reason. They are currently classified as a species of Special Concern. Snapping Turtles are classified as Least Concern.

Osprey Feeding Time

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, osprey, photography, postaday

I arrived at the nest just as the male Osprey brought in a fish it had caught that morning, presumably after it had eaten the head. The female Osprey was waiting with two lanky and hungry young chicks.

Female Osprey with two chicks. Male was in the back after flying in the fish it had caught.

Having delivered breakfast, the male Osprey flew up to his perch, but he seemed to be nibbling something at his feet.

“What is he eating up there?”

Feeding time.

Mama feeding chicks while Papa watched out for intruders.

Sky Divers

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Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Forster's Tern, photography, postaday

Forster’s Terns have impressive sky diving skills when they hunt for fish, and I have been trying to capture them doing aerial acrobatics in photos. Yesterday’s several of them put on a fantastic show at the refuge under a sunny sky.

Forster’s Tern hovering.

Forster’s Tern hovering.

Forster’s Tern starting dive.

Dive, dive!

Forster’s Tern diving straight into water.

Black Skimmers

Tags

black skimmer, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

A flock of Black Skimmers, those amazing birds that draw perfectly straight lines with their beaks on the water as they look for fish, was parked on a sand bar at the refuge. They were quite far away from me, and those that were fishing were flying fast.

Black Skimmers.

Two Black Skimmers.

Two Black Skimmers. The one in front must have just missed a fish.

Here’s a picture of one that I took last year.

Black Skimmer 2017.

Here’s one from 2015 where the straight line is seen clearly.

Black Skimmer in action

Forster’s Terns

Tags

Forster's Tern, photography, postaday

The following pair of Forster’s Terns were unconcerned by my presence as I parked close to the guardrail where they were perched. They seemed busy deciding when to plunge into the marsh water to look for fish.

“Lots of fish down there! High tide is bringing them into the marsh.”

“Here we go, 1, 2, …3”

“I can’t do it!”

“Sure you can! Go!”

Forster’s Tern hovered before coming back to the guardrail.

“Again!”

Flight.

Landing.

Standing.

Goslings

Tags

canada goose, flower photography, gosling, postaday

Conversations between Canada Goose goslings at the refuge in yesterday’s 90°F (32°C).

“Mommy said we should be eating veggies!”

“Here are some!”

“Look at her chewing that grass!”

“She’s right, it’s yummy!”

“Mommy is always right!”

Canada Goose and goslings.

Windy and Cold

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, hooded merganser, mute swan, photography, postaday, snowy egret

Temperatures went as high as 84°F (29°C) yesterday, but today they are back down to 40°F (4°C), and it is very windy and cold. Even though I took the following photos last month and last week, they illustrate well this challenging weather we are having.

Mute Swan.

Great Egret and Snowy Egret.

Great Egret looking for fish.

Great Egret catching fish.

Great Egret and fish.

Hooded Merganser windblown.

Flock of Egrets

Tags

aigrette, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, photography, postaday

Hundreds of Great Egrets were still sleeping or waking up and preening at a pond at the refuge. It was a bit nippy and there was some fog and frost on the brown reeds. I had never seen that many Great Egrets in one place, but could not capture the entire flock in one photo.

Great Egrets waking up. Note the Great Blue Heron on the left with eyes still closed.

All the birds were in their best breeding plumage and colors, with long white aigrettes that ladies at the beginning of the last century would have paid dearly to adorn their headdresses with.

Closer look at Great Egrets.

Great Egret.

Osprey Feeding

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, osprey, photography, postaday

She was incubating and clamoring for breakfast.

Female Osprey incubating, calling out for her mate.

Male Osprey flying nearby.

Male Osprey bringing part of fish. He had already eaten the fish head.

Male Osprey and part of fish. He flapped his wings and stayed up in the air.

Male Osprey descending:”Here’s your breakfast, dear!”

Male Osprey landing on nest.

As she ate, he pushed her aside to get an older piece of fish.

He took the older piece away to where he was eating before.

She went on eating her breakfast.

Red-winged Blackbird

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird

Red-winged Blackbirds are everywhere at the refuge, with the male birds sporting red and yellow shoulder badges. This time of the year the males fly to find high perches from which they belt out their incessant songs. They show no fear of cars and humans, and are easy to photograh.

Red-winged Blackbird.

Red-winged Blackbird singing.

Young Red-winged Blackbird.

Red-winged Blackbird.

Where is Spring?

Tags

cattail, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, multiflora rose, photography, postaday, typha, typha latifolia

We are still having a little snow today and tomorrow. When I went around looking for flowering plants at the refuge, there were none. The following couple of shots are perhaps interesting, but Spring flowers they are not, yet.

Dried Cattail (Typha latifolia).

Multiflora rose.

Ospreys vs Crows

Tags

crow, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, osprey, photography, postaday

I saw the first Ospreys for this year at the refuge less than a week ago. One of them was very busy building her nest on a platform.

Osprey building nest. Atlantic City in background.

At another part of the refuge, a pair of Ospreys was making distinct noises. Was the female telling her mate to go fishing?

Pair of Ospreys.

After several minutes, he had enough and flew away to land on half of a fish that he must have brought in earlier and left on the ground not far from their nest .

Male Osprey landing toward part of a fish.

Male Osprey landing on part of a fish.

He just stood on the fish for a long time as she kept calling out to him. Was she still hungry?

Female Osprey calling her mate.

He would not budge, and at times appeared to take a nap!

Male Osprey.

She flew up to a top pole of the nest platform, and kept calling for him.

Female Osprey flying up.

He did not move until a Crow flew in.

Crow landing near male Osprey.

Another Crow showed up.

Two Crows surrounding male Osprey.

The Crows definitely wanted the rest of the fish but the Osprey held on. The female Osprey kept calling out.

Female Osprey: “Dear, you better hang on to that fish!”

He held on firmly.

Male Osprey: “Don’t worry! I got the situation under control here.”

Crows and Osprey.

One of the Crows started cawing, perhaps calling for reinforcement. The standoff went on for much longer, but I had to leave. Crows are known to attack Ospreys at times, so I am not sure whether these two Ospreys were able to keep their fish or not.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rise/Set – 2

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, sunset, weekly photo challenge

This is the second part for this Weekly Photo Challenge at the following link: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/rise-set/

The shot below is of the most colorful sunset I ever saw at the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Sunset at EBF, January 2015.

Canada Geese Courtship

Tags

canada geese, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

Weatherwise, Spring is late this year with temperatures around the freezing mark, but otherwise it is already here for the birds, ducks, and geese. Spring is breeding season for them, and nature can’t wait. Today, I saw what is likely a courtship ritual between two Canada Geese at the refuge. It went on for about three minutes before the pair swam off together into the sunrise.

Male Canada Goose swimming toward the female, making lots of noise and waves.

Courtship between two Canada Geese.

Courtship between two Canada Geese.

Courtship between two Canada Geese.

Courtship between two Canada Geese. She finally said “Yes!”  

Great Egret

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, photography, postaday

This was the first Great Egret I saw at the refuge this Spring. It was still cold and quite windy so it did not stay too long.

Great Egret.

Great Egret starting its flight.

Great Egret airborne.

Great Blue Heron Fishing

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great blue heron, photography, postaday

Not too far from the Snow Geese, a lone Great Blue Heron was fishing for breakfast, with excellent results.

Great Blue Heron fishing.

Caught one. Small but good to eat.

Looking for another fish.

Quick!

More good eating.

Snow Geese Migration – Part 3

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photographjy, postaday, snow geese

Some Snow Geese are mostly dark, with a little white on them.

Dark Morph Snow Goose.

The following photos show these Dark Morph Snow Geese in flight during their late winter migration, mixed in with the more common white ones.

Snow Geese Blue Morph in flight with a more common white goose.

Snow Geese.

Snow Geese.

Snow Geese.

Snow Geese Migration – Part 1

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snow goose

Shortly after the Snowy Owls, thousands of Snow Geese appeared at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. New Jersey is on their migration path, and the refuge is a rest stop for them as they fly back to breeding grounds in the Canadian and Alaskan tundras.

The sky was a painterly mix of blue with gray and white clouds, and it was good to be clicking away knowing that one can get good shots no matter what. If you miss one there were always more geese to oblige you.

Snow Geese migrating North.

Snow Geese.

Snow Goose.

Snow Goose.

Snow Geese.

Snow Geese.

Snowy Owls 2018

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snowy owl

I photographed my first Snowy Owl in December 2013, and again in January 2014 and 2015. Then for two years in a row, it made itself scarce. There were reported sightings in New Jersey, but every time I went to those places it was nowhere to be seen.

This past Sunday, there were two Snowy Owls at the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. However, they were quite far, and there was no way to come nearer to them. I had to crop as much as 90% of the images, and the final results are disappointing.

Snowy Owl 2018.

Snowy Owl 2018.

Update: the banner image is from a photo taken in 2015.

Sleeping on Ice

Tags

canada goose, photography, postaday

Canada Geese are always present in our area, even in the deep of winter. I found a group of them sleeping on ice at the EBF refuge, with temperatures in the teens (-10°C)  during the day and even colder at night.

Canada Geese sleeping.

Some, however, were not sleeping and were already dabbling for food in a patch of water.

Canada Goose dabbling. Note the open eyes of the two other geese next to it.

Canada Goose dabbling.

Buffleheads

Tags

bufflehead, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

Buffleheads are very small ducks, about half the size of Mallards. I have found them to be difficult to photograph because of their size and colors. Females are gray brown with white patches on their cheeks. Males are white and black. In both sexes, the eyes are hard to distinguish from the dark areas surrounding them, unless there is good light, which is not always the case in winter.

A few days ago, I went to the refuge on a cold and windy day. The marshes were mostly frozen and there were only several gulls and Buffleheads. There were also very few cars, and so I was able to zoom in closer on some female Buffleheads who were actively diving for food.

Female Bufflehead.

Female Bufflehead.

Female Bufflehead diving.

There was no male Bufflehead at EBF on that day. The following photo shows one taken a few days earlier near Barnegat Lighthouse.

Male Bufflehead.

Here’s how the refuge looked on a cold day, when the highest temperature was well below freezing.

Marshes in winter.

Marsh plant in winter.

Monday Monochrome

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, fog, great egret, photography, postaday, snowy egret, spider web

A few weeks ago, the heavy morning fog led to some unusual monochrome shots.

Great Egret.

Snowy Egret.

Snowy Egret.

Spider Web.

Good Fishing

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great blue heron, photography, postaday

This Great Blue Heron was catching fish literally left and right. In the five minutes I spent photographing it, it managed to snatch five fishes out of the water. They were small but enough of them would be equal to a big catch. When I left, it was still looking for fish.

Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron.

Great Blue Heron.

Berry Breakfast

Tags

cape may warbler, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

I am not sure about this bird’s name, which may be Cape May Warbler. If you know that it should have a different name, please let me know. Update: Jerry from https://quietsolopursuits.wordpress.com/ has been kind to identify it as a female Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Anyway, last Saturday morning I found her eating juniper berries. She did not fly away when I came near enough to photograph her.

Yellow-rumped Warbler eating breakfast.

She even turned around to look directly at me.

Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Hooded Mergansers and a Swan

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, hooded marganser, mute swan, photography, postaday

Hooded Mergansers are my favorite winter ducks. The males really look cute with their black and white hood, especially when they try to get a female’s attention, like the one below. He was among many of its kind at the refuge yesterday.

Hooded Merganser.

Hooded Mergansers.

Hooded Merganser couple.

Meanwhile, a Mute Swan flew overhead, a rare sight for me.

Mute Swan.

Hooded Mergansers. Was he looking up at the swan?

Hooded Merganser.

Lesser Yellow Legs

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, lesser yellow legs, photography, postaday

A bird with a name like Lesser Yellow Legs must have something to show for it. Indeed it has bright yellow legs, which are shorter than those of the Greater Yellow Legs, but still quite long, making it stand out among the birds of the marshes. I saw one while it was searching for food.

Lesser Yellow Legs.

The next instant it was half submerged in water.

Lesser Yellow Legs.

Lesser Yellow Legs with fish it had just caught.

Lesser Yellow Legs eating fish it had just caught.

Lesser Yellow Legs looking for next victim.

Dunlins in Flight

Tags

dunlin, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

According to Audubon, Dunlin means “little dun-colored (gray-brown) bird”. It is a very common shore bird migrating about now from their breeding grounds in the Artic to coastal areas of the United States.

Dunlins are easily identified as they fly in groups ranging from a few dozens to hundreds or even thousands. They seem to have a way of communicating effectively with one another as they bank, turn, or climb up and dive down in perfect unison. Their flight is an amazing sight that I tried to capture in the following photos, with just a few members of a band of Dunlins.

Dunlins in flight.

Dunlins in flight.

Tundra Swans

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, Tundra Swan

Tundra Swans number over a hundred thousand, making them the largest swan population in North America. Yesterday some of them arrived at the refuge from arctic tundra regions, then faced a strong wind as they landed in one of the pools inhabited by Mute Swans. They were a good distance from me, so they appear small in the following shots. In fact, they are only slightly smaller than Mute Swans, and have a black bill compared to the orange bill of Mute Swans.

A family of Tundra Swans with the two young ones on the right and the parents on the left.

Tundra Swans landing among Mute Swans and other Tundra Swans. The swan in the water to the right of the photo with an orange bill is a Mute Swan.

Tundra Swans landing and displacing another Tundra Swan.

Tundra Swans landing.

Tundra Swans after landing.

Young Bald Eagle

Tags

bald eagle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

This morning was cloudy and windy, but I went to the refuge anyway, and among the many birds and ducks I saw a young Bald Eagle who put on an impressive flying exhibition.

Young Bald Eagle on Osprey nest. The Ospreys had migrated South a month or so ago.

People in several cars were trying to take its picture, so the Bald Eagle took off.

Young Bald Eagle.

It looked as if it was preparing to dive.

Young Bald Eagle.

Young Bald Eagle.

But it just banked and flew away.

Young Bald Eagle.

Here’s another shot of it against a small portion of the sky that was blue.

Young Bald Eagle.

Sunrise Sunset

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, photography, postaday, snowy egret, sunrise, sunset

Like many of us, whenever I see a colorful sunrise or sunset I try to take a picture of it, if possible. Since the refuge is where I go most often to shoot pictures, in the past several years I did manage to have some sunrise and sunset shots from that place.

The following photo was taken 14 minutes after the shot of the pinkish sunrise I posted here a few days ago at https://neihtn.wordpress.com/2017/11/05/fall-at-the-refuge

Sunrise September 15, 2013.

Snowy and Great Egrets at sunrise September 15, 2013.

In the shot below, the sun hid behind thick clouds, but as it plunged below the horizon it produced magnificent colors ranging from blue and purple to red and yellow.

Sunset January 5, 2015.

The Conductor II

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, mute swan, photography, postaday

Here are some more photos of the swan that conducted from the marshes at the refuge. It spent a long time preening, diving into the water, splashing around, and must have ended with a thorough washing of its entire body.

Mute Swan.

Mute Swan.

Mute Swan: “You taking my pictures, right?”

Mute Swan.

Mute Swan.

Mute Swan.

Fall Egrets

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, john heinz national wildlife refuge, photography, postaday, snowy egret

Egrets stayed around at the refuge later this year because the weather has been warmer than usual. Not today though as Artic air has brought temperatures to lows unheard of since the 1930’s. Anyway, last week I saw a Snowy Egret by Wildlife Drive at the refuge and stopped my car not more than 20 ft (6 m) from it.

Snowy Egret.

Snowy Egret.

Other cars then began stopping behind me, and the Snowy Egret decided it had enough and flew away.

Snowy Egret.

Snowy Egret.

Looking through my files, I saw the following photo taken in November 2014 at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. I did not post it before, perhaps because at first glance it appeared too dark. But lighting was falling on the egret and not on the marshy background. So here it is.

Great Egret.

Fall at the Refuge

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, phragmites, postaday

Fall colors at the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge have not been as vivid this year as in the past, mainly because of sparse rain during the summer. Still I tried some landscape shots to see how they would turn out.

Fall colors at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlfie Refuge.

Phragmites, an invasive grass, did very well this year, with widespread stands of dried tall grass in many parts of the refuge.

Dried invasive grass.

I had to to dig out of my archives the following sunrise shot of the refuge taken four years ago in September. Things looked prettier then.

Sunrise at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Caught Fish

Tags

cormorant, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, ring-billed gull

At high tide, ocean water pours into the salt marshes at the refuge, and provides a fish bonanza to the birds that hover near the sluice gates. I saw a band of Seagulls diving with abandon into the churning water and I began shooting them. Only when I came home and looked at the images on the computer did I see that some of them actually had caught small fish.

Ring-billed Gull with fish.

Ring-billed Gull with fish.

Ring-billed Gull with fish.

A Cormorant was equally successful, though they usually catch much bigger fish. Perhaps this one was young and still learning.

Cormorant with fish.

Sunday Odds and Ends

Tags

avocet, cormorant, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, yellow-crowned night heron

As a side effect of hurricane Philippe, we are being drenched with rain today, and I am staying home. Here are a few shots taken over the past several weeks that did not fit into any previous post.

Cormorants. They were moving fast in the water as evidenced by the wake they created.

Another group of Cormorants taking off.

Squirrel eating a walnut from our trees.

American Avocet.

American Avocet.

I am guessing the following two birds are immature Yellow-crowned Night Herons. October has been warm this year, and these two had not yet migrated South.

Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron.