Jack Connor's Photos : Murky Bird Pix

Murky Bird Pix Galleries

Overwintering Osprey Forsythe 2007-08 : An osprey has been over-wintering at Forsythe Refuge, apparently the first recorded in the county and perhaps even the state. Seen at least once a week through Dec, Jan, and Feb. All observations around the entrance/exit "ponds," apparently. I'm posting here some photos I took and two by David Carr, taken on 2/17 and 2/24. This seems the same individual as photo'd on Dec 1 at the same "ponds" (actually part of Doughty Creek). Update 3/11/08: after disappearing for nearly two weeks, the bird returned to the entrance ponds today.

Overwintering Osprey Forsythe 2007-08

Black Vultures Mating Port Republic 3-02-08 : Black vultures first appeared in Port in summer of 2005 and have been occasionally present ever since. Two or three can sometimes be found on the cell phone tower on Blake's Lane. This morning for the second day in a row I saw two on the ground in church cemetery (next to Port Elementary School) -- and this time they displayed and copulated! Very cool to see, only a block and half from our house. Blurry lines in bottom of photos are top of cyclone fence...I didn't dare move closer; afraid I'd spook them.

Black Vultures Mating Port Republic 3-02-08

Red-breasted Merg Displaying 2-28-08 : Fun to see this rb merganser displaying at Forsythe today. No female in sight, though a male and female had flown away a few moments (30 seconds?) before this guy went into his act.

Red-breasted Merg Displaying 2-28-08

Motts Creek Harbor Seal 1-12-08 : Good day of raptor watching at Motts Creek today: bald eagles, short-eared owls, rough-legs, but the rarest sight of all was this character: a harbor seal swimming up the Creek going right to left....coming upstream on Motts. First time I've ever seen one there in countless trips there over many years.

Motts Creek Harbor Seal 1-12-08

December Osprey, Forsythe 12-1-07 : Managed to photo a late osprey this morning....blurry shots, but they show the scan and dive sequence pretty well. Caught two fish w/in 40 minutes or so on Doughty Creek. (Update 3/11/08: this individual has apparently over-wintered at the refuge. Seen through Dec, Jan, Feb, and Now March 11th.)

December Osprey, Forsythe 12-1-07

Ash-throated Flycatcher, Forsythe NWR 11-17-07 : Jesse & I found this flycatcher today in a grove of persimmon trees, thick with fruit, just inside the entrance to the refuge. Had it under observation for 15-20 minutes or so. Not foraging actively, but it spit out half a dozen seeds -- not persimmon obviously, but apparently some small fruit. Ash-throated is a southwestern species that nests from Texas to California, which has been straying to NJ in recent years in fall in small numbers -- 2-4 individuals/year, according to Pete Bacinski. Most obvious difference from great crested flycatcher is the much paler belly.

Ash-throated Flycatcher, Forsythe NWR 11-17-07

Warbling Vireo et al at Forsythe 5-22-07 : Warbling vireo refound by Pam Hendrick near Forsythe's observation tower at pond on upland road. Heard or seen there two-three Mays since first find by UU birders May 04. Also there today was willow flycatcher. Confirmed nesting by either would be a first for the refuge & rare for southeastern NJ.

Warbling Vireo et al at Forsythe 5-22-07

Otter & RN Grebe, Tuckerton Lake :

Otter & RN Grebe, Tuckerton Lake

Updated: Feb 17, 2007 2:50pm PST

Scaup species Barnegat Inlet Feb 24 07 : Recent discussion and on-line posting of a hard-to-ID scaup at Barnegat Inlet, Jan 2008, inspired me to track down some pix from last year's Stockton Bird Club trip there and take another look at the problematic scaup we found (which we eventually decided was a lesser scaup). I think again that is correct ID. The head shape with tuft in back suggests lesser on our bird, but my photos just aren't close enough for careful analysis and scaups always leave me wondering. Photos from the 2008 bird are here and here .

Scaup species Barnegat Inlet Feb 24 07

Red-tails & Nest : A pair of red-tails have built a nest on Oyster Creek Road on edge of marsh in tall pine.

Red-tails & Nest

First Canon Pix : Bought a digital SLR, a Canon XT, Dec/06...trying to learn how to photo birds. Posting the best so far here. Have a way to go obviously.

First Canon Pix

Hybrid Ducks : One definite hybrid duck and a possible hybrid. Photo'd the mallard x wigeon on Lower Katonah Lake, Danbury, Ct Dec 26, 2001. The other picture is a scan from a photo by Bill Seng, taken through my spotting scope of an odd duck on Fireman's Pond in Port Republic in June, 1998 (?). A hooded merganser w/o a hood, oddly-colored bulging eye, and apparently no serrations in bill....We suspected it was a hybrid (possibly hooded x ring-necked) but others seeing only the photo were not convinced. Observers for that duck were Bill Seng, Jerry Liguori, Brian Sullivan, John Searight, and me.

Red-headed Woodpecker : Red-headed woodpeckers are hard to spot on campus -- or elsewhere in southern NJ -- but we do see them from time to time here. Yesterday (5-31-06), thanks to a tip from Mike O'Brien, I stopped along College Drive and heard one calling. Managed to get a couple of shots while following it around a distance while it bark-gleaned and also leaf-gleaned for insects. Only the second time I've seen the species on campus.

Red-headed Woodpecker

Eagle Banding May 10 2006 : Eagle banding with Endangered Species Program at the nest I have watched since 1996. Best surprise: three chicks in the nest! (From my spotting scope observations, I thought there were two, but the nest has grown so deep in the last couple of years that it's no longer possible to see into it from my lookout point.) Three chicks is unusual in eagles (usual broods are 1-2 chicks), but this is the second time this nest has produced three. All looked healthy: two females and one male, about 7 weeks old. (Thanks to Mick Valent for the photos of the chicks in the nest.)

Eagle Banding May 10 2006

Forsythe NWR April 19 2006 :

Forsythe NWR April 19 2006

Peregrine, Blackbacks, Pintail 3-3-06 : Spectacular sequence at the North Dike this morning. Adult peregrine attacked a pintail duck and wounded or at least discombobulated it. But the falcon (male?) was too small apparently to finish off the duck. Two great black-backs swooped in and over the next 15 minutes drowned the duck and eventually ate it, while the peregrine had to stand by and try to claim some prey himself. All happened too far from my camera to get sharp pix, but these show the basic situation.

Peregrine, Blackbacks, Pintail 3-3-06

Owl D.O.R. 12-31-05 : Stockton Ornithologists: An owl found D.O.R. 12-31-05 along Rt 50 in May's Landing, hit by a car apparently. Can you ID the species? The photos selected here are intended to help you name some owl ancestral features for the Sibley reading on "Owls." How many can you figure out?

Owl D.O.R. 12-31-05

Barnegat Inlet Jan 21 2006 : Barnegat Inlet attracts a number of seabirds in numbers unmatched elsewhere in the state. One or two of them are very hard to spot anywhere else.

Barnegat Inlet Jan 21 2006

Winter Birds, mixed shots : In continuing search of a good bird photo...

Winter Birds, mixed shots

Leucistic Rusty Blackbird 12-9-07 & Leucistic Red-tail 4/17/08 : A leucistic rusty blackbird was leaf-tossing in a loose flock of about 30 rusties on Lily Lake on Great Creek Road, just outside the entrance of Forsythe NWR this morning. The wings, tail, and back are mostly white with some brown edging; the face shows brown.

Moments before I could step close enough for a certain Pulitzer-Prize-winning photograph, three trucks from the Oceanville Fire Department came roaring up the empty road, blowing their sirens, and honking their horns, with Santa Claus on the last cab waving both arms frantically. I was only person in sight, and not in the proper joy of season mood to wave back. He seemed satisfied, however, with the effect the parade had on all the birds in the wood -- they flew up and away by the hundreds.

5/17/08: a little bit better luck with leucistic red-tailed hawk today on Old Port Road about half a mile from Oceanville PO. Managed a couple of quick shots of perched hawk before it flew off. Would love to get a shot of it soaring.

Leucistic Rusty Blackbird 12-9-07 & Leucistic Red-tail 4/17/08

Seal Watch Ride 3-27-08 : Out with Liz Zimmerman and a couple of students on boat from Stockton's Nacote Creek Field Station, 3/27/08. Highlight: at least a dozen eagles, including 7 young birds together at Blood Ditch.

Seal Watch Ride 3-27-08

Out with Liz Zimmerman and a couple of students on boat from Stockton' ...

Updated: Mar 27, 2008 2:10pm PST

The Snake & The Catbirds 7-18-08 : Jesse heard the catbirds at the nest in our yard fussing and found a black racer with three lumps of nestlings already down its throat and the fourth in its mouth. The catbirds tried striking at the snake to no avail, of course, and continued to fuss at it for at least 20 minutes after their nest was empty.

The Snake & The Catbirds 7-18-08

Jesse heard the catbirds at the nest in our yard fussing and found a b ...

Updated: Jul 25, 2008 6:27am PST

Pix for Field Trips Jan-Feb 2009 : Stockton Ornithologists:

Here are 15 of the species we have observed over our first four field trips, in approximate sequence of when we encountered them.

Can you ID most (or all) of them? Toughest challenge might be the two gulls (Species #8 and #9) and species #13.

Pix for Field Trips Jan-Feb 2009

Evolution & Ecology As Illustrated By Birds : Some photos to make some points about evolution and speciation... under construction as of 2/14/09

Evolution & Ecology As Illustrated By Birds

Ornithology Interim Exam 2-27-09 : Here are the species and photos from the Interim Exam. If you missed any, this is your chance to get out your field guide and double-check your IDs. We have seen each of these ten species on one or more of our field trips this semester.

Ornithology Interim Exam 2-27-09

Barnegat Inlet Review March 2009 : Some species we saw at Barnegat Inlet. Can you learn to ID them?

Barnegat Inlet Review March 2009

Ornithology Mid-term 031309 : Name these species. Each has been seen this semester on one or more field trips.

Ornithology Mid-term 031309

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