Brigantine
Leaders: Sam Wilson and Margeaux Maerz
Leaders: Sam Wilson and Margeaux Maerz
For a December day, the weather was really not that bad as the New Jersey Young Birders Club hit the dikes for a day of birding at Brigantine, one of the best water bird hotspots in the state. Led by Sam Wilson and Margeaux Maerz, 15 young birders, parents, and leaders were ready to drive around the refuge on a very mild and beautiful 50+ degree day. In the middle of the introductions at the parking lot we were interrupted by some calling Purple Finches in with a flock of goldfinches in the nearby trees, marking a good start to our day. This told us we should probably get going, so we moved our caravan over to the Gull Pond where we got our first glimpse of Tundra Swans, Buffleheads, other waterfowl, and two Northern Harriers hunting over the pond. We waited here for a few more straggling members, and then we were ready to move on again to the main loop around the refuge. We had only gone a little bit when I spotted an American Bittern skulking through the reeds, but as soon as we all got out of our cars it retreated right back to where it came from. Unfortunately some had missed the bird, but it wouldn't matter later on as we moved our convoy up the first leg of the loop. After a few stops to look at some ducks like Northern Pintail, Hooded Merganser, and American Black Duck, we were moving on when I got a call from Justin Lee and his dad to come back because they had an American Bittern in plain sight! We parked immediately and ran back to where possibly the most cooperative American Bittern I've seen was slowly walking in the middle of the pool! We all got scope views and amazing photo opportunities of this normally elusive bird, and it eventually took flight giving us some rare flight-shot photo ops. We began walking back to our cars when a Eurasian Wigeon was distantly picked out among some American Wigeons, and we got a chance to see this beautiful and steadily increasing Eurasian visitor. Two Peregrine Falcons were scoped out on their nesting tower as a Bald Eagle scared and flushed everything it flew over, and after viewing those we headed back to our cars to continue the loop around.
We came to the furthest part of the refuge out into the marsh, and we were greeted by a gigantic Brant flock and a couple of Dunlin that were hanging around the flats and flying from place to place. Another turn towards the mainland finally gave us still views of the massive Snow Goose flock that comes to the refuge every year, and we searched for a Ross's Goose among these but to no avail. A look into some deeper water gave us some more Buffleheads and a few Red-breasted Mergansers sleeping together along with a Pied-billed Grebe who dove and then eyed us from just below the surface of the water. Deciding it was almost time for lunch, we passed over the rest of the water and went to the fields where a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher had been seen earlier in the past week, but not for us today as the bird had probably smartly moved south away from the cold. Instead we got our first views of land birds like Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, and an Eastern Towhee or two. Unable to wait any longer, the starving group decided to end the trip at the picnic tables near the parking lot where we ate our well-deserved lunch and talked about our eventful and successful day. Thanks to Sam and Margeaux for being awesome and helpful trip leaders, and thanks to the parents who drove us all out here so we could have this chance to bird one of the top places in the state!
-Andrew Marden
We came to the furthest part of the refuge out into the marsh, and we were greeted by a gigantic Brant flock and a couple of Dunlin that were hanging around the flats and flying from place to place. Another turn towards the mainland finally gave us still views of the massive Snow Goose flock that comes to the refuge every year, and we searched for a Ross's Goose among these but to no avail. A look into some deeper water gave us some more Buffleheads and a few Red-breasted Mergansers sleeping together along with a Pied-billed Grebe who dove and then eyed us from just below the surface of the water. Deciding it was almost time for lunch, we passed over the rest of the water and went to the fields where a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher had been seen earlier in the past week, but not for us today as the bird had probably smartly moved south away from the cold. Instead we got our first views of land birds like Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, and an Eastern Towhee or two. Unable to wait any longer, the starving group decided to end the trip at the picnic tables near the parking lot where we ate our well-deserved lunch and talked about our eventful and successful day. Thanks to Sam and Margeaux for being awesome and helpful trip leaders, and thanks to the parents who drove us all out here so we could have this chance to bird one of the top places in the state!
-Andrew Marden
Species List: 56 Species
Snow Goose
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Snow Goose
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch