With all of my post Hurricane work done, i.e. yard clean up, tree chopping & helping the neighbors, it was time to take a walk to check out my local patch. The nearest wooded area near my house is Grekowski Park or as Townies know it, Bissett's Pond. It was named after a lifelong resident and first Mayor of the Borough of South River, James Bissett. If you are a Ham Radio Operator, you know what I'm talking about. For a small patch of woods (58.6 Acres, 38.9 acres are preserved Middlesex County Open Space) it usually has something interesting to find. Of course the eyesore of a baseball field they built sometimes distracts from the fun. I wonder how many Box Turtles were displaced during the construction of it?
Usually one can find at this time of year, White-throated Sparrows, Dark Eyed Juncos, Tufted Titmouse & Song Sparrows going about their business in the mixed woods. These being the most noticeable bird species other than Canada Goose & Mallard. While watching a flock of Junco's, I hear a Alarm Squeak from a Titmouse. Only to look up and see a Hawk flying overhead at about 12 feet of the ground. And not just any hawk but a Red-shouldered Hawk! I can recognize that rufous anytime, most likely because I only see it once in awhile & think is was female based on size. She can to rest on a large branch about 25 feet away with prey in the talons (smaller than a Chipmunk maybe some type of Vole). I made a move to line up a photo, but she moved up to a higher branch. Trying to be extra quite and sneaking trough some dead Goldenrod, I stepped on a branch and spooked her off.
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| Done with lunch |
After letting the trees hear my sailor trained language skills, I headed off to check the banks of the South River. As luck would have it, she didn't fly that far off, managed to pop a few shoots off, then I let her be.
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| Eyes are some what too soft. |
