On the Wing #72: Visiting the Negri-Nepote Grasslands

Apologies for the late entry, but I have finally gotten around to writing this week's entry.  This past Sunday I got the chance to visit a very cool place called the Negri-Nepote Native Grassland in Franklin Township, NJ. I came here after hearing that a pair of Dickcissels (Spiza americana) had been spotted the day prior.

After arriving, the first birds I saw were the ubiquitous American Robins (Turdus migratorius) and a few pairs of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis), as well as hearing the jabbering song of a nearby House Wren (Troglodytes aedon).

I'd come for two other species other than the rare Dickcissels. I found them within the first ten minutes and they were a sight to behold. The first life bird I got was a Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum).
This lovely male decided to survey his surroundings from atop this bird house support pole allowing for good pictures and lasting views. For such a furtive bird, being out in the open seemed unusual. However, since it seemed to be largely nonchalant about the attention it was getting, I continued to snap pics of it. That is until I hear an explosive Empid calling.

I turned to a small band of conifers growing near a dirt road parallel to the trail and saw my second life bird of the day, a Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii).
As you can see, this is a fantastic silhouette of that singing Willow Flycatcher. Recently it seems like all the photos I take are of back lit birds. Either I should be more aware of light placement or the birds should be less photo shy. Perhaps not in the case of the flycatcher as it seemed to feel safe atop it's conifer castle.

After walking along one of the further trails (yellow I think), I saw a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) mobbing an immature Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) which gave out a complaining cackle during the pursuit, as well as male Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) singing their rising "fire, fire! where, where? here, here!" song.

It was a fantastic day to be out and with three more life birds under my belt, I was on top of the world. This weekend I'll be taking a trip to nearby Baldpate Mountain to try my luck at finding Worm-eating (Helmitheros vermivorum), Kentucky (Geothlypis formosa), and Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina). Hopefully I can come back with good reports and even more life birds. See you then and as always, happy birding ^_^.

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