Northern Mockingbird

Tags

merrill creek reservoir, northern mockingbird, photography, postaday

Yesterday, after I arrived at a parking lot near Merrill Creek Reservoir in Harmony township, I heard what sounded like a dozen of birds singing lustily. Looking around I only saw a single bird perched up high on an electric wire.

It was a Mockingbird, a species with a unique ability to learn other birds’ songs and sing them day and night. In the following photos, you will see that its bill was almost constantly open as it went through its repertoire. A repertoire could include as many as 150 distinct songs, and may include two groups, one for spring and the other for autumn.

Mockingbird singing.

It was not shy and let me come very close to it before flying away and landing a short distance away.

Mockingbird singing.

Mockingbird singing.

Because they sang so well, in the 19th century people caught Mockingbirds and sold them as caged birds. This nearly led to their disappearance from parts of the East Coast.

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Snow Geese Migration – Part 2

Tags

merrill creek reservoir, photography, postaday, snow geese

Today was the warmest February day for this area, and it felt like summer as I stood at the observation area near the Inlet/Outlet Tower of Merrill Creek Reservoir in Harmony Township, NJ, and watched tens of thousands of Snow Geese resting on the water during their migration back to their tundra breeding grounds. In the photo below, the geese form that white band in the middle. A birder next to me estimated there was probably 50,000 Snow Geese in that long band.

Snow Geese at Merrill Creek Reservoir in New Jersey.

Suddenly, something disturbed the geese and they flew up in the air.

Snow Geese flying up.

The sound was extraordinary, like the noise a million bees would make when they swarm. The undulating cloud of thousands and thousands of Snow Geese was a sight not to be missed, with shapes and colors changing as the geese turned in synchronized motion according to signals that only they could understand.

Snow Geese flying up.

Snow Geese flying up.

Once again, there was no easy way to get closer to the geese, so these photos taken from at least half a mile away will have to do. However, I may try again another day.