One of the joys of birding is the unexpected discovery, whether of a bird or new birding friends. Such was my Labor Day experience, which started with a trip to Veterans Park in Hamilton.
It’s been a couple of months since I’ve seen any gulls, and I thought that the lake at the park might produce a few. On my first pass around the lake this morning I saw none, and I was disappointed at not seeing any sandpipers or killdeer along the shore.
One of my normal routes into the woods turned up nothing, and on a whim I decided to walk a trail into a broad field in the hope of finding something, anything that I could shoot. Luck was with me, and I spotted a lot of birds flying into a row of trees lit by full sunlight.
I spotted a couple of Northern flickers and, in succession, trained my eyes, binoculars and camera on a few smaller birds. At last, one bird popped briefly into the open, a white-eyed vireo peeking over its shoulder.
On my return to the car, I spotted three birders on the lake shore, one of them holding the long signature white Canon lens of my friend Nancy. I had a nice chat with her as we waited for a bald eagle to drop down from its perch across the lake in search of kippers for breakfast. It didn’t, at least as long as I was there. I also spotted a ring-billed gull standing at the lake’s edge, so that scratched my gull itch.
I had to head home, but I was cheered by seeing a good birding friend.
Late in the afternoon, my wife asked me to pick up a few supplies for dinner at the Wegman’s grocery store near the Dyson Tract. That’s one of my favorite birding spots, so I took my camera and headed there for a quick stop before picking up dinner fixings.
What a fortuitous move it was. As I looked into the marsh, I soon spotted a little blue heron strutting about. I’ve topped this post with one of the photos I got of it, and here’s another.
Even better, a friendly pair of birders joined me, noting that they’d spotted four green herons, three of which I’d eventually see. We traded notes about great birding spots in New Jersey, and I was delighted with the encounter with new birding friends with whom I hope to cross paths again. 🦅
Great banner shot, Dan!