That bunch of Eastern Bluebirds are still here. Today is day 6, it would be awesome if a couple stayed. It’s very unusual for bluebirds to eat from a feeder.
There were about 50 harbor seals lounging on a sand bar at Sandy Hook on the 12th. The photos are pretty weak as they were too far out even for my 500mm lens. I need to go back during low tide.
A flock of bluebirds showed up out back yesterday. This is the first time I have seen a bluebird. I hope they stay around for a while.
I’m lucky to live on an estuary that branches off the Barnegat Bay. There are an abundance of birds that visit the protected lands out back. The cardinals are usually pretty shy, but the snow on the ground helped them cooperate for some photos.
Junco
Downy Woodpecker
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.
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