Day 214: August 1st – LBI Bayside Birding

Sunny, warm, and calm

       I don’t know what the day will bring weather-wise, but it was picture perfect this morning.  I’ve wanted to get down to the park at the south end of the Island, Holgate Beach.  This is the least congested area of Long Beach Island and can be fairly birdy when you can get to the right places.  Many times, the major part of the beach is closed due to nesting plovers and skimmers, but you can usually see then using good bins or a scope.  Well, I was disappointed today to find that the entire area is now closed due to damage done a year ago when Hurricane Irene rolled through.  We were actually chased off the island by that storm, but I never figured that the effects would be this long lasting.

       And so, I decided to see what access I could find to the bay by driving on the roads closest to and parallel with the shoreline.  There are many side roads leading down to the bay from West Avenue which is the main road closest to the bay, but invariably, each time I turned down one of these streets, I was greeted by a “Private Property – No Parking” sign. 

             

    

Eventually, my perseverance paid off as I found a series of side roads set aside as observation areas for an island preserve known as “Mordecai Island”.  Coming from the north, the first road off Bay Avenue to the left would be Essex to bring you to this series of birding spots.  Granted, you are looking from a small parking area with a wooded bench and an interpretive sign, but with a scope, you can find some decent birds. 

       Among those spotted this morning were a nice Black-crowned Night heron and a Great egret. 

       Closer in to shore, I also had several Purple martins which must be getting ready to head south by now.

       The swallows mentioned in yesterday’s blog continue to be seen in greater concentrations this morning, particularly tree swallows and barns. 

       So, what appeared to be a bust at the day’s beginning turned out to be a fairly productive morning with several new sites to add to my LBI birding list.  I still haven’t decided about tomorrow morning’s venture, but I will probably head north on the island towards the Barnegat lighthouse.