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.

Blue Goose ~ Day 96

September 4, 2014 ~ Manahawkin, NJ to Mays Landing, NJ

I drove south but not very far and found a Starbucks a couple of miles from Edwin B. Forsythe NWR. I had Greek Yogurt Raspberry Lemon Parfait with granola for breakfast, delicious with 13 grams of protein but lots of sugar. All the following were in the ingredient list: sugar (in raspberry puree),  granola with added cane sugar, molasses and honey and more sugar (in the lemon curd), so of course it tasted good. Maybe they could cut 1/3 to 1/2 the sweeteners???? But low in salt and only moderate in fats. Fascinating, I know....

It was already very warm, and I had the idea I would just stop by this refuge (knowing nothing about it), perhaps walk a short trail, not do much else and continue on to Cape May at the very southern peninsular tip of New Jersey, a fabled birding place with several birding venues AND the Cape May NWR.

But I was in for a surprise. Edwin B. will certainly make my Top Ten list! It was incredible... I parked and first walked a short trail through the dry woods, feeling virtuous, before I checked out the Visitor Center. The main attraction here is an 8-mile auto loop through the salt marshes. It was was full of birds...thousands of them, along with millions of flies, but I just closed the windows and turned on the air for the first time on my trip. Some of you know how I hate AC but there comes a point. At times, when I rolled down the windows to take photos, flies would be buzzing in my hair and hitting my face, but at least there weren't mosquitoes, and ticks don't fly, which is great because I am right in the tick-carrying-Lyme disease hot spot of the US.

I started driving but stopped right away at an eco-friendly boardwalk where thousands of small fiddler crabs scurried into the grass whenever one approached even though they were down in the muddy exposed areas where people don't go. And there was a breeze and no bugs here for some reason. A couple from Pennsylvania told me there were Glossy Ibises at marker #14. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, quickly turned and saw a Clapper Rail move across the mud into the grasses. My second Clapper Rail sighting ever.

Edwin B. Forsythe NWR - NJ

The marsh grasses were gorgeous in the early fall sunshine as they are beginning to change colors from green to tans and yellows. This is all tidal and as shorebirds love mud flats, they were everywhere: Great White and Snowy Herons, Ospreys, sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Glossy Ibises (a life bird for me), Canada geese, ducks, plovers, gulls and terns....and one American Avocet which is rare here and exciting the local birders.

DHC, it was like the Wastewater in size but a natural instead of shitty landscape with hundreds of grassy islands and gently moving water...

And a definition of juxtaposition was the sight of the great flashy casinos of Atlantic City in the distance on the southeast horizon beyond the vast salt marsh.  I immediately thought of the poem Ozymandias as several of them are closing (the Trump casino next week) because there are now too many and who knows what will become of these "grand" buildings. Too bad...so sad....

Edwin B. Forsythe NWR - NJ

Several hours later, in late afternoon, I ended up in Mays Landing, NJ, where I stayed for the night, eating at an Olive Garden but taking most of the entree with me. Stuff does keep in my cooler as long as I have ice, and it always tastes better the next day, even cold.

I didn't pick a good spot to sleep as it was too open, and I woke several times to people walking by, or one time to some loud car music that I have never heard before...kind of ethnic, reggae, instrumental, jazzy, bouncy, compelling. Very unique. I need to seek out some window coverings for situations like this. I felt exposed but then also safe as this was a 24-hour Walmart.

Below are just four of the 850 photos I took; these four were consecutive and I have at least 150 more  even after deleting several hundred.

Osprey at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR - NJ

Edwin B. Forsythe NWR - NJ

Great and Snowy Egrets at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR - NJ

Edwin B. Forsythe NWR - NJ

Blue Goose ~ Day 95

September 3, 2014 ~ Hazlet, NJ to Manahawkin, NJ

I dawdled in the motel this morning, having scrambled eggs, toast and coffee in the motel before venturing on down the Parkway. I talked with Faith about the imminent wedding, laughing about her dress stress, my agenda and when I expect to get to Shady Side. I tried at four places to buy a New Jersey map with no success. 

Gas was $3.10 to $3.20, a significant change from the $3.99 I paid in New York. Today I basically just drove about 50 miles on the Parkway and stopped early at a pleasant Walmart with shade in the parking lot in Wareham where I asked and was told it was fine to stay the night. I was keeping a curious eye on a large RV with foreign license plates. For some reason I think it was from Australia.   A single guy appeared to be the only person. A few more smaller vehicles pulled in for the night. I am learning how to choose a store and then a spot. No more marginal Walmart that close at 10 p.m. IN a city. Almost all are on the peripheries. I watched the sky at sunset...all soft blues and pale yellows. 

Ate Chobani and tuna from a can for dinner and read the People magazine article about Angelina and Brad's wedding. 

Saw this a few days ago at the little Audubon Refuge at Oyster Bay - NY

Blue Goose ~ Day 94

September 2, 2014 ~ Hither Hills State Park, NY to Hazlet, NJ

Thick palpable fog in the morning but warm air on the skin.

Morning fog near Hither Hills State Park - NY

This cleared as I drove west through the Hamptons where I passed a Starbucks and pulled over. The trees were dropping leaves littering the brick sidewalk and collecting in the curb gutters. A man in a black Porsche convertible was screaming into a cell: "I told you; I AM leaving....." and he continued his rage as I walked into the store. The rich people are interesting to observe, especially the women. We all do this I'm sure (watch rich folks). One thin women had on a long loose black cotton outfit with leg slits up the sides. Her smart phone had a case with white raised hard plastic daisies. The men dress more casually and seem more at ease, and are usually quieter...

I tried to find Amagansett again. Even the environmental person at the campground was no help. She suggested going to the end of Indian Wells Road; my book said go to the end of Atlantic Avenue. I did both and never saw a sign for the refuge.

East Hampton / Amagansett - NY

Later I asked at Wertheim and was told several of the Long Island refuges were closed to the public, but I still wondered where exactly they were. Why is building on the dunes allowed? Like huge homes and high rise hotels?

I got on State Route 27, soon turned off at Quogue and went to the library, mostly to use the bathroom, but then browsed in this charming cedar-shingled building noting titles of new books that I will eventually read. It was quiet with only a few people and lots of old shade trees, and I thought that one could live in much worse places.

Wertheim NWR is situated about halfway to NYC, with a large Visitor Center. It is also the headquarters for the Long Island complex of refuges. I had blueberries, cheese and crackers and juice before walking 3.4 miles on the Black Tupelo Trail. I didn't intend to as it was HOT again, but much of this wide trail was mulched with pine needles which emitting a wonderful dry piney smell in this heat. The trail was over level terrain and mostly in shady. I just kept walking not realizing how long it was until near the turn around point.

I was rewarded by seeing an Ovenbird move along the edge of the woods just ahead of me, not a bird I see every day.

When I got back, I sat on a stone terrace in a comfortable chair at small table. A roof provided shade but it was open on three sides and the delightful breezes made me want to sit for hours.

Wertheim NWR - Long Island - NY

The only thing missing was a glass of cold dry white… and, of course, someone to share this with. I was glad I preserved and had none of the energy depletion of yesterday.

Inside, I bought some fair trade chocolate and a jar of bug deterrent with many of the same ingredients of Esther's recipe. The volunteer said it was supposed to work; if it doesn't, it makes my van smell good.  I watched a 10-minute movie which explained and showed a point count. This one was pre-sunrise in the marsh. For ten minutes, the observers noted every bird they heard, including the very elusive Black Rail. The wide screen first showed only marsh grasses silhouetted against a sky still full of stars but which gradually faded as the sky lightened. The other wish-list bird I "heard" was the Saltmarsh Sparrow, and mixed in with these of course were Red-winged Blackbirds, yellowlegs, sandpipers, egrets, herons....all immediately identified by the biologist narrating.

The rest of the day was a counterpoint to this.

The next four hours, I headed west, moving along well at first but then getting into more traffic on State Route 27, which allowed more access and signal lights as the traffic increased...and the heat and the noise. I really wanted to go back to Jamaica Bay, and figured I would arrive at the optimal time of a few hours before high tide and carried on an inner dialogue before deciding not to…especially after reading on the JB Wildlife website that it is best to bird with someone in case you get STUCK, in the mud I guess, and to be sure to let the staff know where you are going. So, based on muck, mud, heat, the need to carry my scope and wear Wellingtons (or better foot gear than flip-flops) and then to also worry about stuckedness, I drove right on by..... But now, at least, I will be able to visualize Jamaica Bay when I read about the birds found there.  

The option of continuing in traffic was almost as bad but necessary unless I wanted to settle permanently on Long Island. And other than a few unexpected lane changes and the initial craziness on the New Jersey Parkway, I was fine, although needing to quickly learn the Parkway rules made me decide to find a motel and just chill, which I did, rousing after an hour to walk to a Japanese restaurant for delicious sushi rolls and some Japanese soda in a glass bottle with a glass marble in it. I had to have instructions to open the bottle and hoped no one was watching me negotiate eating (rather gracelessley) with chopsticks. The restaurant was BYO for alcohol. 

I then stayed up very late, getting caught up with bookwork and watching the chilling stories about Ebola and Mr. Sotloff.

Blue Goose ~ Day 93

September 1, 2014 ~ East Meadow, NY to Hither Hills Sate Park, NY

The beginning of the second quarter of my Blue Goose Adventure!

It's already becoming difficult to remember all I've seen and done in the last three months. My enthusiasm has definitely waned as I settle into a routine that seems boring at times: wake up, find coffee, write, drive, find a refuge, walk, talk, drive, eat, read, sleep. Yet, each day brings something new... the graces of the natural world, including the many bird sightings, or just the freedom of the open road with only a loose agenda. I am gathering memories: the subtle change in the quality of light as summer turns to fall, the different demographics in the different regions of the country, the accents, the Walmart experience, an appreciation for the homeless, the old forests, wildflowers, grasses, beaches, the dedication of volunteers who enhance the NWRs, the homogeneity of the current American popular culture AND the cell phone phenomenon. I don't think it is an exaggeration to note that 10% to 20% of people I see are looking at a cell...in stores, walking down the streets, in their cars....

I got to Oyster Bay and first drove to Sagamore Hill where TR Roosevelt lived for over 30 years and which is now a National Historic Site. The Oyster Bay NWR was described as being contiguous to this site, which it may have been but which wasn't apparent in any way. I stopped and walked in the first National Audubon Songbird Sanctuary, situated on 12 acres donated in Roosevelt's memory by his cousins W. Emien and Christine Roosevelt.

Oyster Bay Cove - NY

The homes on the north shore were of different architectural styles, not exactly ostentatious, but definitely impressive, often set back on gentle rises with sloping lawns and old hardwoods and small tasteful flower gardens. Money....

Gardening centers and lawn services are big businesses here.

I had trouble figuring out where exactly the Oyster Bay refuge was. Google maps and the state maps of NY showed it in slightly different places and the directions were vague. I followed the bay around to where the road curved back onto itself and where Google showed the refuge to be, but the road to the point was blocked by a gate and a police car. With more research, it seemed this is accessible only by boat.

So I went into a public beach parking lot in Oyster Bay and saw four gull species.

Laughing Gull - Oyster Bay, NY

Herring Gull - Oyster Bay, NY

Ring-billed Gull - Oyster Bay, NY

Great Black-backed Gull - Oyster Bay, NY

It was sunny and heating up and humid as I drove east to Target Rock NWR, which I found by driving another several miles off the main road. There were trails here but I didn't have energy to walk any of them due to already being dripping with sweat so walked about 50 feet and that was it. Still though, a visit, however pathetic.

And repeated the same scenario at Elizabeth B. Morton, one more refuge on the north side of Long Island, east of Target Rock. It was Labor Day and families were at this refuge to access what beaches they could. All refuges had closed much of their property to "protect nesting" beach birds through August. Everywhere I went, all over the eastern coast, the refuge beaches were closed, mainly to protect the Piping Plover which much be the most protected little bird in the US. Interestingly, someone told me that the Great Lakes' Piping Plovers were "really endangered," acknowledging that, though they are the same species, the Great Lakes' birds are more critically threatened.

It was a perfect beach day for those who like hot sandy beaches. I mostly drove into the parking lots, found a shady place, looked at the kiosk information, figured out my next move and watched others unpack strollers and sand toys and beach bags and coolers. I knew these beach refuge trails by now and just was too lackadaisical to move.

So, where was I going to sleep? Certainly not in the playgrounds and towns of the wealthy. I was pondering this as I headed to Amagansett NWR on the south shore in East Hampton, but I never saw any signs for it and soon was nearly to Montauk at the end of the road. I pulled into Hither Hills State Park and paid $58 to camp for the night. (The price was double the usual $29 for a NY resident.)

I chose a spot right behind small dunes and could hear the waves crashing. It seemed I was one of the few English-speaking persons in the campground. Two families with adorable young blond kids were right across from me, a naked little boy briefly wandering about looking 100% Dutch. Later, four of these kids went whizzing up and down the paved road on scooters with large helmets on their small heads. The men were very handsome; the women attractive but not striking. In the showers, the moms and kids were all speaking in the same language. I don't know why I thought it was Russian, but it wasn't German, Italian, French, Spanish, Indian or an Asian or African language....

The general store made sandwiches and I had a good ham wrap, sat in my chair, read and watched and listened. There was a cooling breeze and no insects and the heat-induced stress of the day disappeared.

Hither Hills State Park - Montauk, NY

Hither Hills State Park - Montauk, NY

The showers were marginal but better than no shower. I did an hour of van-keeping, re-organizing and trying to find the most efficient arrangement of my too-much-stuff.

A slightly less than half moon was in the sky, and as night fell, it was idyllically peaceful with the only the sounds of gulls and waves and muted muted conversations. There were soft lights around and in the RVs. The whole group across from me packed up and left. A man on a motorcycle came in and set up a simple tent.

Blue Goose ~ Day 92

August 31, 2014 ~ Basking Hill, MJ to East Meadow, NY

There were five NWRs on Long Island that I planned to visit, but I was not looking forward to the travel necessary to get to them. In fact, I had been dreading it the whole trip so far.  Still, Sunday noon was probably a good time to go.

It was in the high 80s and humid; there was an accident on the Verrazano bridge so two lanes were closed resulting in major congestion and slow-downs; I was low on gas and the warning light was on; and I learned about the lane-changing mania of east coast drivers...lane changes at high speeds with some type A drivers even sort of drifting diagonally across three of four lanes trying to find the one moving the fastest. But there were also courteous drivers, allowing room for merging, which everyone does constantly. One gets used to traffic like this (I guess). And then, the tolls with lanes for EZ passes versus Cash versus Exact Change, specifically posted as to lane, but then the lanes would change as one approached the toll booths. Tolls ranged from 50 cents to $15.00; however, I finally got onto Long Island and headed for Jamaica Bay just west of JFK International Airport. 

I subscribe to a birding listserv called 10,000 Birds and one of the owners posts frequently from Jamaica Bay. Since I was here, I decided to check it out. It's a large bay protected by highly developed barrier beaches called The Rockaways to the south. At the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (not a NWR exactly and under the aegis of the National Park Service), I got a map and decided I would walk to the East Pond across the street but had to hurry as a storm was brewing, bright yellow on radar and headed my way.  I wasn't dressed for this venue AT ALL. It was like a jungle with canes and mud. I had flip-flops on and stubbed my toe hard on something when I half tripped.

East Pond access - Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge - NY

So I aborted this effort to see what turned out to be great shorebirds which I discovered as I read this report the next day on 10,000 birds where the writer saw 15 species of shorebirds but in the process he also says:

When I finally took myself away from the dowitchers I scanned north and spotted a young Bald Eagle feeding on a duck. As I watched it took off and flew a bit north on the pond and hid behind some reeds. I kept that in mind as I continued north through a zone of no shorebirds, probably spooked by the giant predator that had been there. So I picked up the pace a bit even though I was in a bunch of pretty squishy mud. Then my right boot got stuck and my forward momentum carried my sock-clad foot right out of the boot. I tried to get my tripod down to catch my weight but it was too late. My foot went into the mud. Grossness. Then I had to get my foot out of the mud and back into the boot all while not falling over or dropping optics into the goop. I managed to get it done but in the process kicked up some mud into the other boot too. Now both feet were covered in mud inside of my boots. There was nothing for it but to continue north and look for more birds! 

The storm was imminent and I trudged back along the very littered sidewalk to the parking lot where I decided to head in a roundabout fashion toward Oyster Bay NWR on the north shore of Long Island which I planned to go the next day. But, instead of going back north, I went south to the Rockaway area and got turned around, in and out of iffy neighborhoods, huge firetrucks and emergency vehicles screaming up behind me, occasional rain on the windshield, fretting, trying to get directions from my iPhone, through Queens and Brooklyn... I kept stupidly expecting nice quet resort areas with manageable crowds and traffic; not 10,000 cars everywhere and ALWAYS one right smack behind me and not gracious about any hesitation on my part.

But I slowly made my way to East Meadow and sat in the hot van while it rained intermittently but hard enough I had to close my windows. It was not a 24-hour Walmart and, for the first time, I woke up to a security guy tapping with his flashlight on my window: "Ma'am what's going on here?" So I tried to explain, and he told me that Walmart "rents" this parking lot and that he would let me stay another "two hours" but then I would have to leave. It was 1:00 in the morning, so he wanted me to leave at 3 a.m. Great, but I did, driving aimlessly about for 30 minutes, wondering if I could get by with parking on a residential street, deciding against that as the houses were all well lit, like it was 9:00 at night which, I suppose, is a security thing. I ended up in a 24-hour CVS parking lot whereupon someone immediately began the noisy machine cleaning, making passes close to my car, and I fully expected to be told to leave again, but no one came and I slept....after a fashion.

Stormy skies at Jamaica Wildlife Refuge - NY

Blue Goose ~ Day 91

August 30, 2014 ~ Morristown, NJ to Basking Hill, NJ

After eating a generous complimentary breakfast, I worked a few hours and at noon headed out in heat and humidity (the most I've experienced on this trip) to the Great Swamp NWR which wasn't far. I continue to be pleasantly surprised that in such a densely populated part of the country, one can suddenly be away from it all...the noise, the traffic, the stores, the neighborhoods....

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials had plans for turning this swampy land into an international airport  but eventually were thwarted when local citizens heard of the project, were outraged and united in protest. Helen C. Fenske was a housewife who became one of the most persistent and hardworking advocates for the creation of a refuge. The spacious Visitor Center, a home built in the 1700s and since renovated, is named in her honor.

I walked in and immediately a pleasant informed volunteer came forward..."Here, come in this room and I'll show you what we do...how things are at the refuge." She answered my questions and showed me the trails and roads and told me about The Raptor Trust on private property adjacent to the refuge.

There was also a gift store, used books for sale (I bought four at 50 cents each), many exhibits, historical information and a viewing area which looked out on feeders and a garden planted to a attract birds. Cheerful people were bustling about, partly to greet and help visitors and partly to prepare for their annual Fall Festival scheduled for the next weekend. This refuge obviously has an agenda to attract families and kids. Friends of the Great Swamp also work behind the scenes, making this an inviting destination only "26 miles west of Times Square."

I walked the 0.5 mile Bockovent trail through hardwoods, past a languid stretch of the Passaic River and came on a cooperative  Red-tailed Hawk in the meadow near the VC. 

Red-tailed Hawk - Great Swamp NWR - NJ

Next, I went to The Raptor Trust...originally one man's vision.

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Len Soucy became interested in hawks after a visit to the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania in 1964. In 1968, he acquired 14 acres (57,000 m²) in Millington, and with the help of his family started to take care of injured raptors in their backyard. Over time their efforts became known, a bird hospital was added, and by the end of the seventies, hundreds of different birds were annually brought in to be taken care of, supported by the private efforts of the Soucy family. In 1982, The Raptor Trust was founded as a non-profit organization to provide the organizational and financial infrastructure for the mission, namely to provide free care for orphaned and injured birds, to educate people about birds, especially birds of prey, and to set an example of humane conduct. Currently the organization maintains an infirmary, educational facilities, a gift shop, and a large complex of some 70 cages and aviaries for recuperating birds that will be released and for providing refuge to unreleasable birds. ^[2] About 100 hawks, eagles, and owls are permanent residents of the trust. A number of unreleasable birds have bred successfully. Unreleasable birds also can serve as foster parents to younger birds. Visitors can view the many unreleasable birds of prey of the facility at close range.

What I did think was weird here was that there were fake evergreens in the cages.

I went to a Starbuck's and then found another good motel deal from Priceline at a Marriott. I worked for awhile and are a light dinner in the hotel. The bartender was a soulful middle-aged man originally from the Dominican Republic. He chatted about his life in New Jersey, how much he loved living near Manhattan, how expensive it was to go back to the DR, how he could travel to Italy cheaper than the DR. At one point, he came in from the kitchen, plunked down and had to tell me about a song he had just heard on the radio...a song that brought him back 35 years. He kept saying how he heard it and got goose bumps...and still had them as he looked down and rubbed his arms...