Overcast, breezy, but warm (80s)
I
went across the island to check out the birds on the Bay side of Long Beach Island. I was in the township of Beach Haven
and drove down 5th Street where there is limited public access to
the waterfront on the bay, a commodity that is at a premium on LBI.
At first,
it was pretty quiet….a mature Laughing gull getting a drink of fresh water from
a parking lot puddle and a Common tern sitting on the bulkhead. 
As I
drove around the side the side-roads, however, I started to see something I’m
sure we’ll see a lot more of in the upcoming weeks…..swallows. Many were perched on the wires like
these tree swallows. They are
quite communal and are often seen in large groups. As we get closer to migration, the groups will get bigger
and bigger.
In a
smaller cluster, I found a small number of Northern rough-winged swallows. These birds are less social but will
form larger gatherings as they begin to prepare for the migration. Speaking of which……
The
swallows will begin to move any day now.
Swallows are diurnal migrants which hunt insects on the fly. They can ill afford to be caught
somewhere where a cold spell could knock down their food supply. And so, by early August, they are on
the move.
I noticed
that several of the “roughies” looked a bit “rougher” than usual. These birds will begin to molt into
their flight feathers and will continue to migrate south towards south Central
America as far as Panama. Once
they reach the southern coast of the United States, those that do not remain in
Florida will put their migration plans on hold until they finish their molt. This could possibly carry on until early
December! Only after they have
their full compliment of flight feathers will they continue on their trans-Gulf
flight.
And so,
we can expect to see large numbers of swallows moving through New Jersey in the
next month and then not see them again until we are down in Florida for the
winter.
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