Veterans Park in Hamilton is just a bit too far for me to reach on pre-work mornings, so I usually go there on weekends. The man-made lake attracts a good variety of birds, and it’s not unusual to spot a bald eagle there.
Last weekend, I paid an afternoon visit and spotted some shorebirds on the edge of the water. I carefully picked my way down the slope from the paved path and immediately was drawn to what turned out to be a lesser yellowlegs. It was standing in the shallow water on one leg, the other tucked underneath its body.
A few killdeer were nearby, which I soon spooked, and a couple of least and solitary sandpipers were there, too, for a time.
I walked along the lake shore past a flock of mallards that swam away from me. Ahead was a trail in woods that hug the shoreline, and I passed a teenage girl throwing bread to a scaggy-looking laughing gull.
A great egret was fishing off shore, and I wrapped up my half-hour visit by taking a few shots of it.
There’s more to explore the park than just the lake and its shores. One of these days I’ll back and do just that. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 