How Soon Can Refuges Recover from Sandy?

Damage at Forsythe NWR / USFWS Photo

The Washington Post covers some of the damage that Sandy wrought at national wildlife refuges in the Mid-Atlantic region:

The wreckage at Forsythe and other Northeast coastal refuges was yet another testament to the destructive power of Sandy, the superstorm that ripped up the New Jersey shore and flooded Manhattan. And it drew attention to the costly plans being considered by the federal agency to protect wildlife refuges from the impact of climate change and sea-level rise.

Sandy’s winds rammed a dirt and gravel dike at Forsythe with seawater, causing it to burst. Bay salt water rushed into a shallow freshwater pond created for birds such as the American black duck and Atlantic brant. The usual foot of water in which the birds dip their heads got saltier, rose to five feet and washed out vegetation, so the birds could no longer reach underwater seeds or pick bugs from leaves.

Dozens of refuges between Maine and Virginia were pummeled. Four were damaged severely, including Forsythe, where about 130 boats in the Atlantic City area were blown into marshes, Kahan said.

At Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, part of the public beach and two parking lots were washed away on Assateague Island. At Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware, a 1,500-foot breach in a dune sent salt water from the Delaware Bay into a freshwater pond where waterfowl eat, nest and give birth, and flooded homes on an island near the refuge. And at the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex in New York, fallen trees blocked the entrance.

Sandy created sea surge powerful enough to reshape portions of the coasts of North Carolina, Delaware and Maryland, and Virginia’s portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, which includes Chincoteague, said the U.S. Geological Survey.

Thirty-five of the region’s 72 refuges were closed after the storm. Six million people per year — many from the District, Virginia and Maryland — visit the refuges, which cover 535,000 acres, and managers acted to protect visitors from “widow-makers,” damaged trees that crash down after storms, a Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman said.

Forsythe still has not reopened. In addition to the busted dike and ruined pond, the wrecked boats appear to be leaking fuel, Kahan said.

Brigantine after Sandy

It looks unlikely that birders will be driving around the wildlife drive at Brigantine in the near future.

Those cormorants are swimming through what used to by the road along the south dike. Other parts of the road are eroded as well.

It looks like the refuge will be closed indefinitely, but the status will be updated on the Forsythe NWR website.

Update: Some aerial views of the south dike:

All photos are courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Snow Geese at Brigantine

In addition to the avocets I mentioned in an earlier post, Brigantine is now hosting a large flock of Snow Geese. When I was there last week, I counted about 500 geese in one large flock. Other observers have reported similar numbers since then, as well as possible Ross's Geese in the mix. I did not see any Ross's Geese myself, but the viewing conditions were not ideal for picking out rarities like that. However, I did find some "Blue Goose" forms in my photos.

I saw the Snow Geese from the south dike observation platform. They took flight as a flock from somewhere in the middle of the impoundments, flew over and around the observation tower, and finally settled out in the tidal marsh south of the dike. Some of them actually flew back and forth over the tower a few times as they tried to choose a spot in the marsh.

One Blue Goose is in this photo. In addition, some geese appear significantly smaller than others. I am not sure if that is a matter of distance or whether it reflects a real size difference.

Avocets at Brigantine

American Avocets are regular visitors to New Jersey in warmer months, especially late summer. They show up frequently enough that one can expect a few to show up around southern New Jersey's coastal hotspots, but not often enough for birders to take them for granted. With their elegant bodies and thin, upward-curving bills, it would be hard to tire of them even if they were far more common here.

This small flock has been lingering at Forsythe NWR (a.k.a. "Brigantine"). Sightings of this species in colder months are somewhat unusual, so these birds may not stick around much longer. When I first saw them, they were wading into deep water – so deep that it came up to their chests. They almost appeared to be swimming.

Kiteless

In late October, a White-tailed Kite – possibly the same one that spent the summer in Connecticut – showed up in a small part of Forsythe NWR in Barnegat, New Jersey. This was only the second state record for the species, and a lot of the state's birders eagerly rushed to see it. Yesterday was my first chance to look for the kite, so I headed down with my mother and sister. We arrived at the Barnegat Municipal Dock and scanned the far shoreline for about 40 minutes with no sign of the kite. Another birder told us that he had been there for about an hour before we arrived, also with no luck. Moving on, we stopped at two vantage points for the Forsythe impoundments, one at the public beach and the other at a small observation platform. Neither had any sign of a White-tailed Kite, though we did see some waterfowl and a Belted Kingfisher. After checking the first location once more, we moved on.

We stopped at Cape May Point State Park in the late afternoon. I had hoped to see the Ash-throated Flycatcher that has been hanging around there; unfortunately it must have turned in for the evening by the time we were walking the trails. Instead, there were lots of waterfowl to look at, including a Eurasian Wigeon among the hundreds of American Wigeon. Other ducks included Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, and Green-winged Teal. I noticed two male Green-winged Teal swimming close by each other, one of which had a much more prominent vertical white bar than the other one. I am not sure if this is simply normal variation or marks a difference in populations. Sibley has an illustration of a Green-winged X Common Teal hybrid that has a similarly narrow vertical bar; however, that hybrid should have a more prominent white line where the wings rest against the body than this bird does.

As the sun set and dusk rolled in, we had two memorable sightings. First, as we were watching the waterfowl, a Merlin popped over the far treeline, flew out over the lake, grabbed a songbird in midair, and flew off with the bird in its talons. It is with good reason that raptor banders call the hour before sunset the "magical Merlin hour"! Second, as we were listening to some Brown Thrashers in the twilight, a Woodcock flew over our heads; it landed a short distance in front of us and started feeding. Shortly after that we saw a couple more Woodcock flush and fly past the trail.

Leafroller Moth

I found and photographed this moth at E.B. Forsythe NWR (a.k.a. Brigantine) last week. I think it is most likely a Broken-banded Leafroller (Choristoneura fractivittana). A few days after I took my photos, I happened to see a very similar moth photographed by one of my Flickr contacts. That led me to this identification.

This moth's larval foodplants include apple, beech, birch, elm, oak, and raspberry. Many leafrollers can become agricultural pests. The Choristoneura genus includes spruce budworms, which are known to defoliate large tracts of forest during major outbreaks. Despite being a headache for the timber industry and land managers, budworms can be good for birds. Eastern Spruce Budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) is an important food source during the breeding season for several species of warbler, including Tennessee, Cape May, and Bay-breasted.

I have posted some additional views of this individual at Flickr.

Brigantine, Cape May, and Cumberland

Over the past few days, I was visiting some birding sites around Cape May and Cumberland Counties with my parents and sister. This was my first time birding in South Jersey since early November. It felt good to be back at its salt marshes and beaches.

On Thursday we stopped at Brigantine, where the highlight was an exceptionally close Bald Eagle at the gull pond tower. The eagle glided in from a long distance away and landed on the ice, at most 100 yards in front of us. This was about as close a view as one can expect to have an eagle aside from one in the hand. Elsewhere in the refuge, the breeding Peregrine Falcons were perched together on their nest platform. Even though much of the water was frozen, the impoundments hosted many of the usual waterfowl. The Black Duck flocks alone were impressive, numbering in the thousands. Adding to their number were smaller flocks of Gadwall, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, Bufflehead, and Hooded Mergansers. There were also a few hundred Dunlin foraging in the shallower parts of the impoundments. Along the way I added two new species to my Atlantic County list: a Wilson's Snipe near the gull pond tower and a Swamp Sparrow along the Leeds Eco-Trail.

We stopped at a few birding spots in Cape May on Friday. Our first priority was to see the Eurasian Wigeons that have been hanging around in the state park since the fall. This was not a life bird for me, but it felt like one since this was the best view I have had of this species so far – two colorful breeding-plumaged males, at relatively close range on Lighthouse Pond, in good lighting conditions. (There was also a female on Bunker Pond.) The wigeons associated with a mixed flock of waterbirds, including American Wigeons, Gadwall, a single male Redhead, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and American Coots. A few Brown Thrashers, a couple Hermit Thrushes, and a Gray Catbird were present along the parks trails, along with dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers. Along the dunes I saw two Savannah Sparrows and a Horned Lark. One bird that I left unidentified was a very large accipiter that was dashing around the trees near the parking lot. Normally I was count a bird like this as a Cooper's Hawk except.......... that a Goshawk was reported in this park and elsewhere in Cape May within the past few weeks. Given that possibility, I cannot assume it was a Cooper's without a better look.

In the afternoon we walked through the Nature Conservancy's Cape May Meadows. I saw an Orange-crowned Warbler halfway up the west path. As with the wigeons, this was not a lifer, but it was the best view I have had of a member of the species. The bird was very yellow (for an Orange-crowned), so it may be an adult male. Other interesting birds from the Meadows included small numbers of Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, a flock of Snow Geese (a new Cape May County bird for me), and a very noisy Red-shouldered Hawk. Like in the state park, the shrubs at the Meadows were full of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Yesterday we made a tour of birding spots in Cumberland County. East Point Lighthouse, our first stop, had a nice raft of Greater Scaup mixed with a few Lesser Scaup. Many Bufflehead were swimming in the Maurice River. There were also about 40 Dunlin standing on the floating ice – a sight I have never seen before!

At Bivalve, we saw an adult Bald Eagle perched at the distant treeline, and three Northern Harriers hunting over the marshes. Most of the water was frozen so waterfowl numbers were very low. The species present included small numbers of Black Duck, Bufflehead, and Hooded Merganser, plus about 125 Snow Geese. The shell piles at the seafood processing plants were less fragrant than normal. At Fortescue, where we ate lunch, there were 20 Dunlin on the beach and 80 Snow Geese flying overhead. Not much else was moving around, either on the bay or on land, at this spot.

The best stop was Glades Wildlife Refuge, which we accessed from the Fortescue Road entrance. The woods were fairly quiet, except for a small flock of Cedar Waxwings. The birding improved once we emerged from the woods into the marsh. One subadult Bald Eagle (most likely 3rd winter) was perched near the observation platform, and two adult Bald Eagles were visible at the far treeline near Rt. 553. One Red-tailed Hawk and two Northern Harriers were hunting over in the marsh. As at Bivalve, the water was partially frozen, so waterfowl numbers were lower than I've seen in the past. Species included Black Duck, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, and Hooded Merganser, plus about 80 Snow Geese in flight.

I took the phot at the top of this image near the observation platform. It captures the general appearance of the marshes, but not quite the seemingly limitless expanse of marsh grasses that one encounters at sites like the Glades. It is an experience far removed from the suburban and woodland birding that I normally do.

Celebrating Brig's Birthday

Yesterday, October 24, E.B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, known to Jersey birders as "Brig," celebrated its 70th birthday. The Brigantine Division, which includes the well-known wildlife drive, was founded in 1939 to preserve coastal wetlands in Atlantic County. At that time wildlife refuges primarily catered to hunters; Brigantine was intended as a migration and wintering stop for waterfowl. Later a separate refuge was created to protect wetlands around Barnegat Bay. The Brigantine and Barnegat refuges were combined and renamed for Congressman E.B. Forsythe in 1984.

As birding grew in popularity, Brigantine quickly established itself as one of the top birding attractions in New Jersey, and perhaps on the East Coast. Its tidal impoundments and salt marshes attract large flocks of shorebirds during migration seasons and waterfowl in the winter. It also serves as a breeding spot for Osprey and Peregrine Falcons, both of which used to be on the federal Endangered Species List. In summer it gathers large numbers of terns, herons, and other coastal breeding season specialties. The same features that attract common species make Brigantine attractive for uncommon and rare species as well. Jennifer has a list of the rare birds found at the refuge since the 1960s.

Despite the refuge's reputation as a rarity magnet, I have only seen four life birds there. Two were on my first trip to the refuge in 2004: Black Skimmer and Cattle Egret. The other two, Whimbrel and Roseate Spoonbill, came this summer. The latter, Roseate Spoonbill, is one of the most spectacular birds I have ever seen.

As my own tribute to Brig, I am including below a few of the photos I have taken there. Some of these probably appeared on this blog already.

All images link to larger versions on Flickr.

Late Season Dragonflies

These are a few dragonflies I photographed around the end of August and beginning of September. The first two are Eastern Pondhawks (Erythemis simplicicollis), one male and one female. It is common around wet areas, though I have sometimes seen it in meadows as well. For a brief period towards the end of August, these seemed to be the most common species that I was seeing.

I find the females the more distinctive of the pondhawk sexes. I photographed both male and female at Cape May Point State Park.

The next is a Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), photographed at the Nature Conservancy's South Cape May Meadows refuge. It is another common dragonfly around ponds and wet areas.

This may be the dragonfly I see most frequently throughout the summer months, even if others are more eye-catching. I like the way that Blue Dashers curl their abdomens when they perch. Some curl even more than this one was doing.

Above is a Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina), named for the prominent markings on its hindwings. This species can be difficult to separate from Red Saddlebags, using markings not visible in this photo. When I took this photo I was standing directly underneath the dragonfly. It seemed to struggle to cling to the branch in the stiff Brigantine breeze and kept shifting its position to find a better grip.

The last in this series is an Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum), photographed at Leonard J. Buck Gardens. This species peaks in New Jersey in September and is one of the most commonly seen fall dragonflies. In fact, they have been reported as late as December in warmer years.

Box Turtle

Here is a box turtle from Brigantine:

Box turtles have a way of always looking slightly disgruntled. Perhaps it is because I only see them when I disturb them from some activity, such as crossing a path.

I took this photo back in August. It is one of many that have languished on my hard drives without being processed. Like the lighthouse photo, I took it shortly before my laptop's screen stopped working and needed repair. I will post a few more of these periodically in the next few weeks.

Weird Heron from Brigantine

This heron was standing far out in the marsh grasses at Brigantine yesterday afternoon. At such a distance, identification proved to be a challenge, especially since its appearance was a bit nonstandard. Great Blue Heron seems like the best bet because of the bird's grim expression and the strip of white feathers extending down the bird's neck from its chin to its abdomen. Nothing clearly contradicts that identification. so I guess I will chalk it up to a common bird at a weird viewing angle.

Brigantine and Villas

Yesterday was the first day of a South Jersey weekend. The trip was originally supposed to involve a few more people who could not make it. So it ended up just being my mother and I taking a tour of South Jersey birding spots.

We began around mid-morning at Brigantine, the main attraction in Forsythe NWR. A trail near the entrance turned up a few songbirds. There was a nice flock of sparrows along the entrance drive, including a brilliant Eastern Towhee. Where the drive crosses a lake, an immature Bald Eagle flushed a flock of Mallards and a pair of Hooded Mergansers.

At the first observation tower (on Gull Pond Road), we could see several large flocks of Canada Geese, numbering in the thousands. In the distance were also a few dozen swans, which turned out to be Tundra Swans when we got closer to them later in the day. Several small flocks of waterfowl included more Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, and Northern Pintails. Those three species, along with Black Ducks, would be the dominant waterfowl species along Wildlife Drive. Just before we moved on, a Peregrine Falcon shot past the tower in pursuit of some pintails. Unfortunately for the falcon (but fortunately for the ducks), it missed.

Wildlife Drive winds around the refuge for about eight miles or so. Today we saw pretty much the same species all the way around. The main exception is that there were some collections of American Wigeon, Bufflehead, and Brant along the section of the drive closest to the bay. A few hundred Dunlin were scattered in several flocks, mostly at the outer part of the drive. I tried to find other shorebird species among them, but I was unsuccessful. Near the end of wildlife drive, once we got back into the meadow and forest parts of the refuge, there were a few trails that looked like they had some potential for early morning birding. Today the birds were mostly common species, but we got some good looks at Hermit Thrushes.

After returning back to the entrance, we started down to Cape May. My main interest on the peninsula this weekend is Villas WMA, site of a series of intriguing sightings in the past few weeks. Most of the rarities were uncooperative. I did my best to pick out a hen Eurasian Wigeon among the dozens of American Wigeons, but I am still not sure if I actually saw one. (A drake would be so much more convenient!) White-winged Crossbills were nowhere to be found, though apparently they were present earlier in the day, and the (resident?) Red-headed Woodpecker was trying not to be seen (and succeeding). We did get some very good looks at waterfowl, including a brace of beautiful drake Redheads, a Canvasback, a Ruddy Duck, and several dozen Ring-necked Ducks. There was also a small flock of Chipping Sparrows between the parking lot and the lake. Best of all, we encounter six of my species of interest, Rusty Blackbird.

Villas is an interesting location, a former golf course being restored to a natural state. As a result, the habitat is quite varied, and the WMA supports diverse breeding and wintering bird populations. It is also seems to get less attention from birders than other spots around the Cape, so if you are looking for a good quiet birding spot on the peninsula, this seems to be the place to be.