On The Wing #61: Birding at the Watershed

While I haven't gotten out much this week due to my schedule, I just wanted to take the time to share some great photos I've taken recently around the Watershed Preserve in Pennington, NJ. So far I've listed 40 species where I'm staying and I'm am so excited for spring migration! I hope you enjoy what the wilds of New Jersey have to offer.

An inquisitive Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) peeks upward.
A male Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) in mid hop as it scales a snag.
A Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warbler (Setophaga coronata) skips around the branches looking for running sap and fleeting insects
A female Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) drinks sap drizzling from a tree trunk.
Bluebird houses abound on the property. They might be used by docile bluebirds and Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), or by the more aggressive House Wren (Troglodytes aedon).
Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) and Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) sharing a pond together. The male is actually living up to his name for once.
Some Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) patrol the pond with the geese.
The subtle browns and whites coupled with the unmistakeable black stockinged head allow the Canada Goose to be an easily recognized species of bird.
Just watching over the pond.
A drake American Black Duck (Anas rubribes) eyes me warily.
Not all shots are good, but this one I thought was pretty funny.
A male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) searches in the warm sun and dry leaves for worms, beetles, and other insects reveling in last weeks spring-like atmosphere.
American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are a classic sign of spring. I however, prefer to use the Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) as it arrives a little after the first day of spring is noted on the calendar.

Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) dot the skies above the preserve. Many days there can be up to seven in the sky at once.

A buzzard glides in on a stiff breeze.
A Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is a frequent visitor to the small pond on the property.

A gander (?) calls from the pond edge while his mate retreats to the deep end.
A discarded martin house sits on the shoreline.
A Carolina Chickadee watches me from the upper branches of a tangle.
A Downy Woodpecker explores the underside of a tree branch.
Another of many Turkey Vultures, slides off into to air, towards the horizon.

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