A group of Lumberton birders made an impromptu trip to Assunpink Wildlife Management area on Wednesday 2/26. A new destination for many of us, this is a fairly direct ride up the Turnpike then east to the Imlaystown exit on I-195. Threatened rain did not materialize and it was a calm and mild, if cloudy, day.

A pair of Trumpeter Swans has spent several recent winters on the big lake here, and returned this year. This species has been re-introduced to the eastern part of the continent; they are larger than Mute or Tundra swans, with massive black bills. We found them immediately, and although too far away to photograph, their size and shape made them obvious. A young Bald Eagle was perched on a snag near our observation point; groups of beautiful Ring-necked Ducks and Common Mergansers were scattered around the lake. At another vantange we found an even younger eagle, Ruddy Ducks, American Wigeons, a Wood Duck, and Black Ducks, as well as a muskrat at its nest.