New Beginnings

     The last days of August into the month of September I decided that I would use my final week of unemployment to tackle potty training. Let me tell you, it's NOT fun. It's hard on your brain, your body, and your emotions and on theirs too! By end of day 1, we made things happen on the potty, but by day two, I wanted to throw in the towel... literally because it was full of pee, from my floors. But we got over something on day three, and four, and we have not used a diaper since that Sunday prior. We still have work to do, but, the torture was worth it. Mommy needed to treat herself, so I did, I went birding!

    The Saturday following my week of potty running, handing out gummy bear rewards, and asking, over and over, "tell mommy when you need the toilet," I was able to round up a few friends and go birding. We met up a Green-Wood Cemetery, and while it was fairly quiet, it was 100% fantastic.

The warbler show was... slow. But we did get a little razzle dazzle by this yellow warbler, their juvenile following and begging for food, and some black throated blue warblers too!

We saw a lot of birds who looked rough.
A lot of molting going on, including for this Northern Mockingbird, we also saw a "bald" blue jay.

One of two funky looking wood duck drakes. 

This Cape May warbler was a year bird for me. Very happy to make its acquaintance.

Very common among the shadows of shrubs and grasses, a common yellowthroat.

    This past week I started a new role with a new organization as their Education Program Manager, and I am very excited to be involved with and working for! Some of my work is hybrid, so, know what that means? I can bird before work some days! So I did. I birded Marine Park as a nice way to clear my mind and get the day started.

Upon walking in, a great egret landed on a small tree and it was just so beautiful peeking through the branches. Not the typical way I view this bird in this particular location.

A silhouette I don't tire of.

Little did I know, that egret was alerting me to a trend. Around the bend there were yellow-crowned night herons (above) and snowy egrets perched among the tree branches over looking the water and path.

Classic.

And that light hits juuuust right, illuminating this yellow-crowned night herons eyes perfectly.

A really nice treat was 3 (possibly 4) marsh wrens weaving between the blades of grass, singing their whacky little songs. Sometimes I was lucky enough to see that marsh wren classic splayed leg perch.

Lucky to grab some decent shots of a perfect bird who I will miss greatly over the winter.

I don't care how many times I have seen a great egret, their flight is mesmerizing. Often you can see every feather, every detail as they soar overhead or come in to land.

😍

I'll be enjoying all my GREG sightings and savoring them as they will be getting that migration itch real soon.