Blue Goose ~ Day 97

September 5, 2014 ~ Mays Landing, NJ to Absecon, NJ

I just had to return to Edwin B. Forsythe NWR and tried to get there at sunrise but was an hour late. Not that is really mattered. Shorebirds aren't like woodland birds in that they forage and hang out no matter what the time of day.

The auto route is a large rectangle although one goes through woods on the west end. The east, north and south legs are through the salt marsh. The light was better than yesterday afternoon as it was lower in the sky.

Snowy Egret at Edwin B....notice golden slippers

I again drove about 5 mph, stopping frequently. The sky was blue with fluffy white clouds; the marsh grasses almost golden in places, with rich natural colors and hundreds of tiny waterways or large open watery areas, exposed mud flats, size depending on the tides, the one-way road and all the birds but not much else. I thought how Maria would have loved this place.







At one little sandy beach, there was a bird acting totally hyper, running back and forth very fast in both directions. It reminded me of a tiny Lesser Yellowlegs but it was too small. The giss was "phalarope" but I have never seen phalaropes on land. However, that's was it was, confirmed by this eBird report:


eBIRD.ORG (submitted by Mason Sieges on 09/05/2014 from Edwin B. Forsythe

[Wilson's Phalarope was} running feeding along north dike between goose marker 12 and dog leg. Feeding on sandbar where several Caspian terns were roosting. Feeding in typical phalarope fashion. A long legged shorebird smaller than a lesser yellowlegs with pale upper and lower parts and the back was slightly darker gray than the underparts. No dark smudge behind the eye as in red-necked phalarope, although it did appear a little smaller than I remember from my WIPH sighting this past spring.

It looked like he had taken photos with an iPhone through a scope. I have better ones. And two were reported on 09/07 described a feeding "actively if not maniacally.."

(I have to wonder if anyone is interested enough to follow this birding trivia...but I felt that spotting this bird and recognizing it was something unusual and then having it confirmed with photos and comments on eBird is rewarding and fun.)

Wilson's Phalarope at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR - NJ

I bought yet another birding guide in the Visitor Center - Kenn Kaufmann's - in part because I like the way he thinks about birds and birding and in part because no one can have too many bird guides.

The bird I did not see was the Hudsonian Godwit which has been seen here several times this week. DHC, remember that this bird was also at Chincoteague, mixed in with the Marbled Godwits?

There were only occasional cars but the road was wide enough to easily pass if one wanted.

Terns, skimmers and gulls at Edwin B.

I found a good deal at a Best Western about 10 miles from the refuge for $50 and worked, having my leftover pasta stuff from the night before for dinner. It was a balmy night; the Internet access was fast and without problems and I had the windows open. It was very peaceful.

Before going to bed, I soaked in the Jacuzzi and washed my hair well, getting out all the bug debris.