Love & Lifers: Winter Day in South Jersey - It was convenient that the backyard bird count weekend fell on Valentine’s Day weekend so we could have a bird bananza.
Even after countless visits to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, it still finds ways to surprise me. We made a quick pit stop on the way down to visit a local lake where we’ve spotted a kingfisher a few times and I’m starting to get better photos of her each visit!
Images taken at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
We finally spotted our first American Bittern, a sighting made even better by Hidden Bittern Birding Co. who so kindly shared his scope so we could see a second one further out. Watching them from a distance, well, it’s impossible to ignore their dinosaur traits.
The park was filled with winter wildlife, two eagles (too far away for photos) and waters filled with black ducks and hooded mergansers and a lone, brave fox skittering across a frozen pond as the light began to fade.
We ended the day at a new-to-us spot just as the sun set, where we caught a glimpse of a short-eared owl over the fields. My very first lifer, and the perfect end to a day!!
Backyard Bird Count
