Chilly Weather, But More Arrivals

There was a real nip in the air pretty much all day today, after temperatures dropped down into the 30s overnight and a northerly component crept into the wind. Still, a nice run of birds was reported; late news on Thursday included two Cattle Egrets at The Beanery, while today saw reports of the Glaucous Gull still at 2nd Avenue Jetty, a Swallow-tailed Kite over Belleplain (one was reported 'up north' in Somerset County on Thursday too) and a Horned Grebe in Jarvis Sound, seen from The Osprey this morning. The Higbee's Beach walk was cold and blowy, but a reasonable number or birds eventually put in an appearance, including a brace of Little Blue Herons overhead. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds continue to pop up at scattered localities, with at least two at our Goshen center today - though sadly one of them was picked up dead by Pete Dunne during the afternoon. Cliff Swallow, Chimney Swift and Blue Grosbeak have all been noted around Lake Lily both yesterday and today, Yellow Warblers continue to trickle in and our White-crowned Sparrow is still singing in the yard.

Things look good for birding this Easter weekend - so don't miss out on the action!

It's only when you get a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in your hand that you realize just how small they really are. This one has flown all the way from Mexico to New Jersey and weighs about the same as a couple of paper clips...[photo by Mike Crewe]