Osprey with fluke: Photo by Nina

Taken at E. B. Forysthe, with Osprey was bringing the fluke to the nest where three young anxiously awaited dinner.

Return of the Green Heron

We went for an evening walk and saw a little green heron in the water at the bottom of the dam. It was so small we thought it was a baby. Mike went back for the camera while Chris tracked it. By the time Mike got back it was hidden under some sticks. We waited and it flew out and up into a nearby tree. Well, while it looked small in the water, you can see by the pictures it has the ability to stretch itself out. We don't think we've ever seen one so scrunched up before that it looked like it could fit in the palm of your hand. Amazing little guy and it was a fun find for a Friday evening. Gotta love that hair!

Birds of Island Beach State Park

 

 

 

We went to Island Beach State Park. It was a better day for the beach than birding, but here are a few photos. The top is female blue grosbeak (we think). The middle photo is a seagull eating a crab. Chris was traumatized by a crab as a child, so she thinks it's fine for the seagull to kill them. The bottom picture is a rather rumpled mockingbird.

Baby Duck Wars

 

 

There are two duck families with a total of 11 baby ducks that have been hanging out in our yard-- affectionately known as the teens and the littles. It's getting hard to distinguish the teens from their mother. The littles are getting bigger too. We've been feeding the littles cracked corn to help them grow fast enough to migrate this fall.

While they used to get along, recently they have been having a turf war. The mother of the littles chases the other family and the babies join in too. It's hard to capture the action in a photo, so there's a video at the bottom that shows one chase.