August 10, 2016 [LINK / comment]

White Ibis in Bridgewater

There have been reports of a White Ibis in Bridgewater's Wildwood Park in recent days, so I drove up there this morning to take a look. It wasn't there, but I did at least see several good birds, such as a Yellow-billed Cuckoo and a Northern Flicker. There were also many Robins on the ground, including juveniles, plus a Pileated Woodpecker, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and the usual woodland birds. On the downstream side of the dam, I saw a Great Blue Heron and a Spotted Sandpiper, plus many Mallards, a few immature Wood Ducks, and an ugly Muscovy Duck. After that, I drove to the park adjacent to the bridge over the North River. Lo and behold, there was the White Ibis! It's a juvenile, of course. (Adults are all white.) Like the Great Egrets and similar species, White Ibises breed along the east coast, and in the late summer the juveniles disperse into the interior regions in search of food. The last time I saw one was August 2014; there were two, actually.

Montage 10 Aug 2016

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Northern Flicker, White Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, in Bridgewater, August 10, 2016.

On the way home I stopped briefly at the part of Bell's Lane where the Green Herons have been seen, but none were there today. I did see a Great Blue Heron there, however. I also saw the usual Goldfinches, Indigo Buntings, and a House Finch; I took a nice photo of the latter. To see it and/or larger-size images of the birds in the above montage, go to: Wild Birds yearly.