Day 220: August 7th – Manahawkin Wildlife Management Area

Sunny, warm, calm and buggy

       This morning, we will brave the bugs of the marshlands of Manahawkin WMA in an attempt to find some new birds for our New Jersey trip.  We know that there may well be the dreaded “Green-headed flies” out in the marsh, but that’s just part of the New Jersey experience!  In reality, the Deer flies were much more numerous than the more aggressive green jobs, so it really wasn’t that bad.  That being said, as we drove out into the marsh, we spotted a beautiful Mute swan swimming in closer than a fairly large number of swans further out of camera-range.  We had rolled the windows up to avoid filling our car with the flies, so I jumped out for a quick shot, sans window glass.  No sooner had my first foot hit the ground than the call to attack went out to the insect hordes.  They were all over me in a matter of seconds, so what you see is the one shot I ripped off before diving back into the sanctuary of my RAV. 

       As it so happens, further along the road, out towards the end at an area known as the “Bridge to nowhere”, the flies were far fewer in number and much more lethargic.  Our target now was a pair of grackles, both females, working the bushes along the roadside.  I was surprised to find that the one female had a worm in her bill, a sure sign that she had young on the nest.  Yet another sign of a successful breeding season for many of our avian friends.

       The swallows we’ve been following as they move southward were here in good numbers.  Both Tree and Rough-winged were lining the wires along the road and skies were filled with birds in flight.

       It wasn’t all about the birds though.  Many mallows were in bloom and the brilliant Jerusalem artichoke flowers lined the roadside with blazing yellow.

       Dragonflies were also beginning to move about as the morning warmed up.  This female 12-spotted skipper was kind enough to come in close to the SUV, meaning I would not have to leave the safety of my vehicle and give up my body for a decent shot.

       One of the nicest sightings of the day, however, was one we could not capture with the camera as it simply was too far off.  A group of a dozen or so Snowy egrets were roosting on the distant side of the marsh, decorating the trees like it was Christmas in August.  That’s an image we have recorded in our own memory rather than that of the Nikon.