One of my frequent and favorite birding spots until last year was Mercer Corporate Park, a site with a USDA office and a few other small office buildings clustered around two small lakes that attracted a wide variety of birds.
For many months, construction crews have put up two large warehouses and dramatically changed the nature of the place, which is just off I-195 at Robbinsville. My friend Jim and I had wanted to check out the park on a few recent Saturdays but couldn’t get in because heavy construction equipment was in use and blocking access.
Today, a Sunday, the site was quiet. Big machines were parked, and we were able to drive into the area, looping the property. The trees and vegetation on the small lake near the USDA building were overgrown and didn’t afford us even a glimpse of the water that presumably is still there.
As we drove back toward the front of the park we spotted two birders we know, one with binoculars and another with a scope peering out into what previously was a modest lake that lured in scores of geese, killdeer and other birds.
Today, the lake was vastly diminished and shallow. We were, however, able to spot a small variety of birds dipping in some big puddles and trekking along the edges of mudbanks. Greater and lesser yellowlegs were there, as were least and semipalmated sandpipers. Northern rough-winged swallows flew sorties overhead.
Canada geese were grazing in the grasses, including a marshy depression close to one of the warehouses, as seen in the photo topping this post.
While the park is not nearly as wild a place as it was previously, we were heartened to know that birds continue to visit. We’ll be interested to see the long-term impact after the construction crews finish grading and paving the site. 🦅