New Jersey 

E.B. Forsythe NWR: Part C

Jason K Pietrzak 0 Comments

These photos begin with the conclusion to Anne’s visit: she and I went on a hike through the wooded areas of the Refuge; and conclude with some more photos I took on the loop road.

Anne holding an Eastern Spadefoot toad - she picked this up on the trail ("Jen's Trail", I believe)
I haven't even begun to get into butterflies and know very few species.
Towhees can usually be pished in rather easily, like this Eastern Towhee (once lumped in with Spotted Towhee under the catch-all Rufous-sided Towhee)
The Swamp Sparrow is absolutely beautiful... one day I'll get some proper photos.

Box Turtles are almost as common as Saltmarsh Greenheaded Flies in south Jersey!
Semi-palmated Plover
Semi-palmated Sandpipers
Forster's Tern and Ruddy Turnstone keeping dry
Double-crested Cormorant
Injured Snow Goose
Saltmarsh Sparrow taking a bath
The bright white chin and pale chest differentiate this bird from the very similar Nelson's Sparrow. Not long ago, both birds were lumped together as the Sharp-tailed Sparrow, and they are still often referred to as the Saltmarsh and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow respectively.
Glossy Ibis digging in the mud
A squadron of DCCO
Fiddler Crab in the mud
Solitary Sandpiper
American Bittern!
This American Bittern was a truly fortunate surprise. I happened to notice it standing there from my car, so I slammed on the brakes and watched for a while. Unfortunately, the full camoflage capabilities of this bird are impossible to appreciate without video. Thankfully, I have video! I'll be working on old videos in the coming weeks and hope to have something very soon!

Leave a Reply