2013 - Week of July 28th – August 3rd: Back on the Plains

South Jersey Coastal Plains, that is……

       Can’t get away from the flatlands lately.  After a week out on the great plains of North Dakota, we find ourselves birding the coastal plains of south Jersey.  As we wend our way through the sultry heat of the summer season, we find subtle changes in the natural world.  Young baby birds are slowly maturing and becoming more independent (to a degree).  Small flocks of birds are seen moving south.  Signs of initial migratory movement, or did we just happen to see them when they were flying in that general direction?  When we see groups behaving this way, like the Cedar waxwings flying in mass with a seemingly definitive purpose, we assume migration.  We also found a collection of Tree swallows which had set in for a little rest among the reeds of the marsh.  Once nesting is complete, these birds become very social.

       

       The tree swallows we saw today showed signs of molting, and while most birds do not molt during migration, tree swallows are in the select group which do.  After nesting, groups of these swallows will begin migrating towards Florida and points further south by way of a series of short trips down the east coast, moving in units of up to 200 miles from one large marsh to the next.  These marshes provide a great deal of food in the forms of bugs, and believe me, if you have ever been in the Brigantine NWR in July and early August, you know what we’re talking about.  We found it necessary to bird from the car with the windows rolled up in order to prevent the little green-headed monsters from extracting their pound of flesh as we moved through the wetlands. For more interesting facts on these wonderful swallows, visit http://www.treeswallowprojects.com/cafter.html.

        Other products of the recent nesting period which we had the privilege of seeing this week included Clapper rails, American oystercatchers, and fluffy little Common yellowthroat chicks.

 

Clapper rail

Juvenile American oystercatcher

Common yellowthroat chick

       While the yellowthroats were among the most diminutive birds we saw on the coastal marshes this week, the Great black-backed juveniles were already birds of pretty major proportions.  With the parent looking down from above, these two young birds called plaintively looking forward to their next feeding.  I mentioned these two to Sharon and she looked right past them because I had referred to then as chicks.  “Chick-size” they are not!

      

         As we move through mid-summer, we will gradually note a changing of the cast of characters which make up the population along the north-east regions of the coastal plain.  The default gull at this time of year is the Laughing gull.  Anyone who has vacationed along the Jersey Shore during July and August knows that the raucous call of this part is a major part of the experience.  As the seasons march on, these birds will all but disappear as they head down the coast to warmer climes.

      

       

 Another summer visitor we had the pleasure of watching and photographing were the Blue grosbeaks.  These birds will summer and breed in this area, but will later move on, pretty much vacating the United States for the entire winter season.  For know, we’ll revel in their beauty and be thankful for their presence in these warm marshes and woodlands.

       We'll continue to watch the evolution of the natural world here in Brigantine over the next several months knowing that each time we visit, we can expect to find something new.