Every year thousands of Snow Geese make their way from the Arctic tundra to winter at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ. It’s quite a sight, especially when they all take to flight. They mate for life and the pairs choreograph very impressive landings together.
Great Blue Heron
No Snowy Owl after walking miles along the beach at Island Beach State Park. But this guy came strolling along in the sand and continued to walk right on by. The other shots were taken off the trail to the ocean. I was glad that fox stayed up in the brush where he belongs. Yay, I’m finally almost caught up with my blog posts.
These hooded mergansers are extremely timid. There are a bunch of them in the estuary behind my townhouse. I’ve never been able to get close enough to photograph them. But, this day at Forsythe I was able to shoot them from the car. Pretty interesting looking characters.
The day after Chrismas I headed back down to Island Beach State Park. It was a gorgeous sunny day. The sun was so bright, I had to wait and just observe this pretty Snowy for quite some time before I could get a decent photograph. These shots were taken just as the sun was setting. Just after the sun was down, she stretched her wings, looked over the dunes, and headed to another location. The foxes were nowhere near the Snowy. They were roaming the edge of the dunes near the parking area.
Had the pleasure of meeting a male Snowy Owl at Island Beach State Park on this day. Now there are at least two Snowy Owls at the park. This male is almost all white, females and juveniles have bars. The lighting was pretty harsh. Mr. Snowy was photographed from the beach.
Pretty boring day.
He laughed at my hat.
My second trip back turned out to be a pretty exciting day. I walked a few miles along the beach and found her on the edge of the dunes. These were shot from the beach. She napped most of the afternoon, opening her eyes and scanning the dunes every few minutes. She took to the air near dusk, probably to look for a better location for the night’s hunt.
After weeks of searching for the return of Snowy Owls at Island Beach State Park, I finally found this gorgeous girl. She was sitting on a tree branch just off one of the designated trails from the parking areas to the ocean on 12/12/14. I have since made several trips back and have also spotted a male. Those photos will follow.
Looking for the Snowy
The foxes are looking much healthier this year. This was the first time I heard any sound coming from a fox. The female seemed to be giving the male some lip. She was playing in the sand and chewing on some bark while the male was following the fishermen looking to steal some bait. They were also performing their little mating dance.
The trail to the beach.
This guy kept me company while I photographed the trail.
The Nature Center from the beach.
Still trying to catch up on these posts, I’m getting there. Forgive me for blasting you with all these posts. The pain will be over soon. Here are some shots from Island Beach. As you probably noticed, I spend a lot of time down there. I’m only about twenty minutes away, its one of my favorite places. Wildlife, the bay, and the ocean all in one area.
Last winter was the first incursion of Snowy Owls in New Jersey in about eighty years. No one knew if it would be a one time occurrence or if they would return. Well, during the first week of November this guy showed up at the Forsythe Wildlife Refuse – Holgate Unit on Long Beach Island. After a two mile walk down the beach, I ran into the Snowy. What an exciting moment to see this magnificent creature on the Jersey Shore after his long journey from the Arctic. Since that day at least two more have arrived at Island Beach State Park and another at the main Forsythe location in Galloway Township. Photos from Island Beach will follow.
A juvenile bald eagle flew over at this moment.
A peregrine falcon was hanging out.
A cooper’s hawk flew over also.
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