No fooling: my first bird of April was a bald eagle

With the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm closed for a few days for the annual “controlled burn” torching of the fields, I headed to the Dyson Tract along the Delaware and Raritan Canal this morning.

Propitiously, as I eased my car into a parking spot, I watched a mature bald eagle fly into a nearby tree at the edge of the swamp. As quietly as I could, I got out of my car, grabbed my camera and aimed the lens at the big bird. It was partially obscured by small branches, and I side-stepped to aim for an unobstructed shot. The closest I got was the photo atop this post.

After a couple of quick shutter squeezes, I hoped to get a clearer shot with the sun better illuminating the eagle. Gingerly I walked toward the canal towpath. By the time I reached the trailhead gate, the eagle turned its white tail to me and flew across the swamp.

I would not see that eagle again on my 45-minute outing. While I heard plenty of birds, I shot photos of only one other, a yellow-rumped warbler that chose to place itself between the sun and me. The result: no keepers.

I recorded some birdsong on the Merlin app. My footsteps get in the way a little bit, but with the volume sufficiently up, you can get a sense of how things sounded this morning. A singing Northern cardinal and a hammering red-bellied woodpecker are distinguishable.

I took the eagle sighting as a good omen for birding in the month ahead. I wish a good one to you, too, dear reader. 🦅