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DVOC Field Trip Report
by Sandra Keller

November 28, 2009
Edwin Forsythe NWR at Brigantine, New Jersey

The date change because of the high winds Saturday proved a very fortunate move as we ended up having super looks and photo ops of many species this Sunday, November 29, 2009. The weather was sunny, with moderate winds out of the SW, and temps around 50 to 55 degrees. We had 59 species for the day.

Bird of the trip honors go to an exceedingly cooperative AMERICAN BITTERN that we watched for a good 30 minutes. Jack Beltz got some super pics. The area along that ditch almost to the gull pond tower is always good for this species, and perhaps this year the high water levels have it out in the open more!

We had 17 species of waterfowl around the impoundments including 20 TUNDRA SWANS newly arrived back, a lone female COMMON GOLDENEYE and 10 RING-NECKED DUCKS on Lilly Lake, and thousands of BRANT and SNOW GEESE roosting either in the SW pool or in the cove just outside the south dike. Another highlight was the flocks of HOODED MERGANSERS flying to the west as we drove around. We eventually caught up with them as we left the refuge. 211 were roosting in the exit road pond.

We had a good learning experience with ducks and plumages. Most are in their full breeding plumage now while the NORTHERN SHOVELER was still molting out of eclipse plumage. Or wearing out of it. They are one of our latest regularly occurring duck species to still be in eclipse plumage this time of year. Now all the RUDDY DUCKS we saw were in full eclipse plumage. Their plumage cycle is the exact opposite of our other duck species. Interesting.

BALD EAGLE, RED-TAILED HAWK, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 20 or so HARRIERS, the PEREGRINE, and 3 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were nice. With the bad weather on Sat. most raptors were probably not very successful hunting, so were out in force today! One light-morph ROUGH-LEGGED was perched at Forsythe. We puzzled over it for a bit. 2 dark-morph ROUGH-LEGGEDS were hunting at Mott's Creek where we ended the day. Very nice. They were up for a while hovering so we had nice looks.

The usual wintering shorebirds of DUNLIN, both YELLOWLEGS, DOWITCHER sp., and BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were around the refuge. We tired of scanning the thousands and thousands of DUNLIN for something else! No peeps for us today.

Those who were left of the group ended at Mott's Creek just to the north of the refuge for some late afternoon and dusk birding. We met up with Karen and Brian Johnson who helped us scan and in fact had one of the ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS in their scopes as we walked up the stairs.

We had a couple drinks at the Mott's Creek Inn and enjoyed their balcony overlook as we scanned the marsh. NORTHERN HARRIERS, the afore mentioned ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, and a lone BELTED KINGFISHER were actively hunting. Karen spotted a SHORT-EARED OWL, but before all could get on to it, down into the marsh it went. Unfortunately another did not take its place! It's early in the season yet and not many around. Another highlight here was the 90 or so TUNDRA SWANS flying south at dusk and the hundreds of BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES heading NW. I would like to thank all of the participants today. If anyone has any questions on the birds we saw or the places we visited, please email me at sandrakeller@verizon.net.