Barnegat Brants

I am linking up my Barnegat Brants with Mosaic Monday   and Our World Tuesday

The Brant is a small goose with a short stubby bill. It's undertail is pure white and the tail is short and black. the Brant's head and neck are black but there is a small white patch on either side of the neck.

 

The Brant's above seemed to find a perfect spot on the Barnegat beach to eat their favorite seaweed.

 The Brant is a coastal bird in the winter and rarely leaves tidal estuaries. They feed on seaweed, sea lettuce and some grasses.



To see more wonderful mosaics and photos please visit Mosaic Monday  and Our World Tuesday


Thanks to Mary of Mosaic Monday and to the great hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Sylvia, Sandy, Lady Fi, Gattina and Arija. 

Also, thanks for stopping by to see my post, I always appreciate your visit.  Have a great week!

More Edwin Forsythe NWR

For my Camera Critters I have some more birds from our to visit to the Edwin Forsythe wildlife refuge.

If you want to see ducks or geese a visit to the Edwin Forsythe NWR in the winter is a must. We saw so many ducks, geese, Hawks, Yellow Rump Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, Great Blue Herons and some Coots.

American Black Ducks.

See all the dark black spots in my photo above, well they are American Black Ducks. I think they out numbered the Snow Geese that were at the refuge. In 1967 part of Edwin Forsythe NWR was added to the refuge system to provide wintering habitat for waterfowl, especially the American Black Duck and Brant. The American Black Duck often breeds at the Edwin Forsythe NWR.

One of the few Coots we saw while visiting the wildlife refuge.

Ha, just a few Snow Geese and some Black Ducks in the distance.

We sat and listened to these Snow geese for awhile. They had a lot to say.

I am assuming these skinning legs belong to a Sharp Shinned Hawk.

The Yellow Rump Warblers were hopping along in the trees next to the wildlife drive.

We watched a flock of Cedar Waxwings and a groups of Yellow Rump Warblers eating what I thought was Juniper berries.

On my post below I have my video of the Snow geese during the sunset, this video was taken the next day at Edwin Forsythe NWR.




I hope you enjoyed my birds and critter post. To see more cute and wonderful critters please visit Misty Dawn's Camera Critters.  Thanks to Misty for hosting and thank you for stopping by to see my post.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy MLK holiday weekend. It is nice to have another long weekend. To all the birders, Happy Birding!

SWF>>>>>>Edwin Forsythe NWR

I am linking up with Skywatch Friday


These are a sequence of sunset shots taken last Friday at the Edwin Forsythe wildlife refuge.

The moon looked full and looking east the sky was a pretty pink

I really like how the reflection of the pink clouds made the water pink.

The refuge took in  lots of American Black Ducks and Snow Geese for the night.

Above is a video of the Snow geese and sounds we heard while watching the sunset.



To see more beautiful skies from around the world click on my Skywatch Friday. Thanks to the host: Sylvia, Sandy and Wren.  Thanks for stopping by to see my skies, I appreciate the visits and comments.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Birding

Just Mergansers

I am linking up with World Bird Wednesday  and Nature Notes


During our trip to the Jersey Shores last weekend we stopped at the Edwin Forsythe NWR. If you have a chance the Edwin Forsythe NWR it is an awesome place to visit and see birds.  This time of year, there are tons of ducks and amazing numbers of  Snow Geese and American Black Ducks. The Common Merganser was one that caught my eye so I decided I would make the Merganser my bird of the week.

I thought it was wild to see this one male with his group of what I assume are females. What does he have a harem or maybe they are groupies? Or they could be his kids, following around behind him.  I can almost hear the kiddies saying are we there yet? You can not miss the male, he has the brilliant white below and a green head with a narrow red bill.

The female has a rufous head with a neat crest.

On the shot above you can make out a white chin on the two females behind the male. 

Above on the left is the male Hooded  Merganser, in the middle is the female Hoodie and on the right a female Common Merganser.

I believe this is the female Hooded Merganser, she has a gray body and a brown crest with a narrow bill.

A pair of Hooded Mergansers. The male Hooded Merganser has a crest that is bordered in black. Which can be raised. The sides are rufous and there are two black bars at the side of the breast.

In this shot the right front is the Red-breasted Merganser.  The male has the shaggy crest and a rusty breast. In the back on the left I am pretty sure it is the Northern Shoveler.

Click on my links to check out more wonderful birds and nature photos World Bird Wednesday  and Nature Notes.  Thanks to Springman of World Bird Wednesday and to Michelle of Nature Notes for hosting these fun memes.


  I hope you enjoyed my post, I appreciate the visits and the comments. I hope everyone has a great week , what is left of it and HAPPY BIRDING!!!!!

Jersey Shore Birding

I am linking up with Mosaic Monday  and  Our World Tuesday

Having off work Friday ( a mental health day) and a forecast of beautiful weather convinced hubby and I to head to the Jersey shores for some birding. Our first stop were the beaches at Avalon-Stone Harbor and then we headed north to Barnegat Lighthouse.

Here are some of the highlights from Friday the first day of our visit to New Jersey.

The first shot is of the sunrise at we headed across the Delaware Memorial bridge, in the second photo are hundreds of Sanderlings on the beach at Avalon, the last shot above.. a few Brants at Barnegat Lighthouse.

Sanderlings and seagulls a plenty on the Jersey beaches.

Purple Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones(orange legs) seen along the jetty.

Brants walking along the beach at Barnegat. Winter time is a great time for viewing the ducks along the coast. I do think this warm weather we have been having lately is having an affect on the numbers of ducks we are use to seeing in the winter. I am loving this warm weather and I hope it continues thru January.

In the mosaic above are shots of the Barnegat Lighthouse, A few Purple Sandpipers at the Stone Harbor jetty, a Common Loon and a group of Long-tailed ducks at Barnegat Lighthouse.

Above, a Harlequin couple seen at Barnegat.

The Long-tailed ducks seen at Barnegat. Barnegat Lighthouse beach is known as a great place for birders to see some great ducks like the Long-Tailed, Brants and the Harlequins. We also saw Common Eider, tons of Common Loons and Surf Scotors.

To see more wonderful mosaics and photos please visit Mary's Mosaic Monday and  Our World Tuesday.  Thanks to Mary of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World: Sylvia, Sandy, Lady Fi, Gattina and Arija.

Thank you for visiting my blog and post and for the lovely comments. I hope everyone has a great week ahead and Happy Birding.