Birds from De Korte Park

I was at De Korte Park in the Meadowlands this morning for some birding. Unfortunately two of the trails were washed out or otherwise damaged and impassable, so I could not complete the loops that I would normally walk. There were plenty of birds around, especially waterfowl. The highlight was a Canvasback pair in the Saw Mill Creek impoundment. Aside from them, there were a lot of Gadwall and Northern Pintail, along with a few Northern Shovelers, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, and Ring-necked Ducks.

Raptors included two Red-tailed Hawks and three Northern Harriers. I did not see any of the other grasslands specialist birds of prey that sometimes reside in the park or surrounding landfills during the winter. Songbirds included a few Yellow-rumped Warblers (rare in December in Bergen County, according to eBird) and American Tree Sparrows. I also saw and heard one Belted Kingfisher.

I realized after I looked at my photos that this Northern Mockingbird is wearing a federal band on its right leg. Unfortunately I was not able to read the inscription in any of my photos. I probably would not have been able to read it through binoculars either, even if had noticed the band at the time of the sighting.