I have not been birding in maybe 2, 3 weeks. Granted it been hot, miserable, and I've missed my daughter as I've been back at work full time for a busy summer. Also my camera and lens were being weird, it all was a lot and I just needed some time to be with my family, see friends, and just relax for a bit.
But I missed the birds and while I made some treks here and there, saw my baby terns at Nickerson, saw my piping plovers at Breezy Point, I also in the free time I had needed to prioritize some care time for the pets, the baby (who now walks), and me.
I got back my lens today, and it seems to be working better- perhaps it just needed a good cleaning. I don't yet have back my preferred camera body, so I went with our original camera, which is always a good backup. I took it for a test run at Marine Park. The air was thick enough to slice but it was worth it because my bird health was restored when I saw a little black fuzz ball with oversized feet...
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I will admit the first time I saw a baby clapper rail I was like... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!
And then you see them follow out after their parent and you're like... huh. So that's a baby clapper rail.
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| Really the only thing that makes you say "oh, I see the resemblance..." are the feets, and today, I also learned, their eyes. They have eyes that just look so full of anxiety and paranoia. Which is why I love them, because I feel that if I were an animal, I'd definitely be a clapper rail. Awkward, always a little stressed out, running around like I can't find my house keys.... |
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| I observed from a platform as they moved about the marsh, but they were close enough that I could actually hear the vocalizations of the chicks! |
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| And those big splayed out feets, perfect for life in the marsh, to walk over the grasses especially when the tide is in. |
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| Two chicks were present, and damn, did they fill my heart with joy. |
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| And here is the adult bird, I want it to be their mama, but honestly, I can't tell. I saw it bring some food over to where the chicks were hiding and sometimes the little ones followed. |
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| I LOVE clapper rails. The best swamp chicken there is. |
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| Good luck, little rail family! |
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| Other than the rails, it's just the usual suspects hanging about. I would definitely advise against a midday visit on a sunny humid day to the salt marsh unless you like becoming a drippy sweat mess. Unless you're a Forster's tern and you can just plunge into the water at any time you'd like. |
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| Iridescent common grackle eats an iridescent june beetle. |
Hoping I'll be able to get in a little birding next weekend, and if I'm lucky...a kayak paddle?
