Everything is Just Ducky

Plucky Ducky in Fact

I made good on my plan to visit Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge last weekend, after a slog of a bike ride at Seaview trails. As much as I love my fat tire mountain bike, riding it between days of weightlifting is starting to suck. I’ve got a Trek Marlin with standard tires that I’m going to take out once my coglioni are healed up, and see if it feels any easier after leg day. It may have just been tough no matter what. Sometimes life is just a slog, and the only way out is through. At least in this case, there was a great spot waiting on the other side.

Forsythe is one of my favorite spots because it’s beautiful all year round, and waterfowl come to visit. I didn’t see anything “new to me” this time, but it was still a worthwhile trip. There’s an 8 mile “Wildlife Drive” on gravel roads through wetland ponds that lets you watch Laughing Gulls, Brant and Canadian geese, Northern Pintails and Shovelers, Great Blue Herons, Bufflehead ducks and Mallards, Mergansers, and if you’re lucky, Snow Geese and Tundra Swans. I didn’t see them this time around, but I did get a very pleasant surprise while I was trying to photograph a hunting heron.

A huge dark bird flew over the car, and I aimed and snapped away without zooming in. I didn’t know what I photographed until later, when I reviewed my shots. It was a juvenile Bald Eagle flying overheard with a small duck in its talons:

Not the greatest photo, but the bright sun managed to highlight the eye and beak and tail feathers nicely in the first shot, don’t you think?

Juvenile Bald Eagle with Duck Lunch

There aren’t many vantage points for an eagle to swoop in for the kill around here, so I am concerned that this duck was a victim of Avian Flu, and the eagle may die from scavenging its corpse. Bald Eagles have made a strong comeback after our use of DDT nearly drove them to extinction, so hopefully they can weather this new threat.

On bright days at long distances, I have trouble setting the correct exposure. The white colors get blown out and overexposed, like on the white stripes of Buffleheads, Herons, and Northern Pintails. I’m still learning, but I think I need to force the ISO to remain lower when at full zoom. Northern Pintails are an elegant favorite of mine.

Northern Pintails

I’d heard that a Tricolored Heron was spotted here a day ago, but the only heron I found was the common Great Blue. That’s fine with me, they are always a delight. This one was hunting in the shallows.

Great Blue Heron

Buffleheads are fun to watch, but difficult to photograph on a bright, windy day. You can see how windy it was, by looking at the feathers on the Red-Breasted Merganser in the middle.

Bufflehead, Bufflehead, Red-Breasted Merganser, Bufflehead, Bufflehead.

I also saw one another favorite, the Northern Shoveler, which resembles a large Mallard with red eyes and a distinguished schnozzola. My photograph isn’t the best, but I’m sharing it anyway. I love how he looks so serious, pondering where to shovel with that big ol’ snoot.

Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge is a place I need to return to more often. The biking nearby may be mid, as the kids say, but the refuge itself is a little gem. According to eBird, there have been Common Eider ducks sighted at the Barnegat Lighthouse, and because I can’t ride yet, I may go there to see them, or to Island Beach State Park, which is across the water from it. Why am I so excited about Eiders? Just look at them:

A Duck To Respect

Aren’t they cool looking? Art Deco ducks! Art Ducko, if you will. (Or if you won’t.)

My friend Chris La Tray shares an important poem in his latest update. (If you don’t usually dig poems, it is written in an easy to digest manner.)

This is the World I Want to Live In

Next week, the hawk returned again! And a Blue Jay hassled it. I’ll share photos and video. I think I’m almost fired up enough to start the sequel to Vyx Starts the Mythpocalypse. That will take over Sunday posts, if I do. You’ll get a little nature on Wednesdays, as a treat.