Gainor's Visit

A friend and her hubby came over from Delaware to spend some time visiting me and go birding in Cape May County, NJ.  They got to see lots of new birds they'd never seen before plus we had a good time visiting.  Here are some pictures from our time together.

Lake Champlain ~ Visiting ducks

Love visiting Lake Champlain in the Villas during the winter because of all of the ducks that can be found there.  Lake Champlain which is actually probably a retention pond but nevertheless is fun to visit.  This year some new ducks have been seen including 3 Red-necked Grebe's, a Pied-billed Grebe and a Ruddy Duck.  I have also seen Hooded Merganser's, Common Merganser's, Northern Shoveler's, Mallard's, Black Ducks, American Coot and Canada Geese.

Beth's Patch ~ Red-Necked Grebe, Long-tailed Ducks and Ruddy Turnstones

Some new birds out in the front of the house today on the bay included Red-necked Grebe, fly over Long Tailed Ducks and 2 Ruddy Turnstones on the jetty.  In addition there were also some Surf Scoters and Black Scoters hanging about on the bay.

Potter's Marsh

We had such a great time watching the Arctic Terns and the Mew Gulls yesterday at Potter's Marsh we decided to return today.  First, we drove back to Windy Corner along the Seward Highway to see if we could see any Dall Sheep coming down the mountain face.  We weren't successful in finding any sheep but saw a great waterfall so off to the Marsh we went.  Once there we talked to several other birders/photographers who were standing on the Turnagain Arm side of the road to find out what the they seeing. They reported a Horned Grebe pair with 3 chicks.  We stayed to watch for the Grebes and within a few minutes we were rewarded with great looks at them.  The chicks are really adorable.  I see Horned Grebes in the winter in Cape May County but seeing them in breeding plumage was so cool. Plus seeing the chicks was one of the highlights of this trip.

 

Dad feeding fish to chick

Horned Grebes - Chick with fish

After spending a good bit of time observing the Horned grebe we went back over to the turnout where we parked and saw a Red-necked Grebe catching fish and feeding on them. (below)

 

Mew Gulls chicks (below)

Once we we were done watching the Arctic Terns, their chicks plus the Mew Gulls and their chicks we drove to the main parking area, parked and walked along boardwalk.  Among the birds there were Mallard's, Green-winged Teal's and their chicks, Alder Flycatcher (life bird), Tree Swallows, Black-capped Chickadees, Bald Eagle and Common Ravens.  We saw moose.  What a great spot for birding and wildlife and so close to Anchorage.