Sunset Before Snow

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, mourning dove, photography, postaday, sunset

Yesterday, we drove on Wildlife Drive at the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge as the sun was setting. The sunset was not terribly exciting, but as soon as the golden orb dipped below the horizon, the sky lit up in wonderful shades of vermillion, orange, yellow, and purple.

Sunset at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. If you look carefully, you’ll see some ducks still searching for dinner

Today, we woke up to a light snow falling gently over everything, including our deck. This mourning dove sat on a rail covered with snow for a long time, probably asking why I had not yet replenished the bird feeder.

Mourning Dove sitting stoically as snow fell on it

Turtles

Tags

abbott marshlands, Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, john heinz national wildlife refuge, photography, postaday, terrapin, turtle

Once in a while, I encounter a turtle during my walks or drives around the marshes. Here are those that I met this year.

Baby turtle at Abbott Marshlands

Terrapin crossing the road at Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge. Green marking on top of its shell was probably done by park rangers.

Turtle at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

Three in Fifteen

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, juvenile blue heron, photography, postaday

Last weekend, at the Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, when I first saw this juvenile blue heron, it had just caught a fish and was going back to the bank of the marshes to eat it.

Juvenile blue heron with fish caught in bill

By the time it turned around, the fish was gone, swallowed in its entirety. The heron preened itself smugly, then bent forward as if seeing some other meal swimming by.

Juvenile blue heron

Nothing! The bird walked away to another spot, near two humans who were also fishing with their poles and lines, and a small boat.

Juvenile blue heron walking away

It was low tide, and water was rushing out of the marshes into the ocean.

Water rushing out of the marshes at low tide

Once every few minutes, I could hear fish jumping into the air and falling back into the receding water.

Suddenly the heron dove in head first.

Juvenile blue heron diving after fish

and came up with nothing! It did not give up though and resolutely struck a pose.

Juvenile blue heron ready to strike

Soon enough, it caught another one.

Caught another one!

During the 15 minutes I spent observing and photographing it, this heron caught three fishes. The two humans caught zero during that same time.

 

Dried Flowers

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, milk thistle, photography, postaday

I took the following photos of dried milk thistle by the side of Wildlife Drive at the Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge.

Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle

A Rare Sighting

Tags

bittern, Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday

Yesterday, several excited birders at the Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge pointed out a rare bird to me. It was an American Bittern , a type of heron that is well camouflaged and difficult to see, even when you stood close to it. It was a first sighting for me, and I didn’t waste any time taking the following photos.

American Bittern

As I walked closer to the bittern, I managed to take this shot as it lunged after something.

American Bittern Lunging After Prey

However, it didn’t catch what it wanted, and looked somewhat disconsolate, probably blaming the heavens for the missed catch.

American Bittern

 

 

Egret

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, egret, photography, postaday, wildlife

This is one of the first photos I took at the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Brigantine, NJ. You can click on it to view a larger size image, but it is a rather large file.

Egret at Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge

I have printed this one out on 8×10 paper and it looks quite nice, framed and hanging on the wall.

Not All Are White

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snow geese

Snow geese are usually white, with black wing tips. Last weekend as I was looking at the waves of geese landing on Merrill Creek Reservoir, someone shouted: “See those black ones!” I did see two of them flying by, but they were too quick for me to take a shot.

Going back to my files from two years ago, I found the following photo where you can see a snow goose that is not not white. It is grayish brown, a genetic variation or morph, of the species.

Brown snow goose

I took this picture at the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge about this same time of the year in 2012. It was a warm spring-like day with no snow in sight. Now two years later, more snow is coming tonight and tomorrow, on top of the white stuff that is still on the ground, unable to melt away because of the freezing temperatures of the past week.