Salem County, March 18, 2026
Salem County in spring can offer very interesting birding; it has early migrants and arrivals, but also can hold on to winter birds.
Salem County in spring can offer very interesting birding; it has early migrants and arrivals, but also can hold on to winter birds.
Arriving at the hawkwatch about 10:15, we found a moderate flight of accipiters underway, with constant Cooper’s and Sharpshinned Hawks in the air…. On our way home we found and identified a couple of interesting caterpillars.
Two trips in one – a scouting run and a fall field trip, in shorebird season.
A great day of bird photography at the rookery.
The ML Birders headed out to Belleplain State Forest on a gray and blustery day hoping to see some early arriving warblers. The birding gods were conspiring against them!
Mannington Marsh, the tidal estuary of the Salem River, is a beautiful place to look for waterfowl and early spring migrants.
A beautiful day, with thousands of Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers and plenty of hawks to watch.
It was a lovely May day, with a breeze, blue sky and moderate temperature, and plenty of birds.
Our highly anticipated trip to Bombay Hook didn’t turn out quite as expected. We had hoped to see Brown-headed Nuthatch, but something went wrong, and the little bird was nowhere to be found on Big Stone Beach Road south of Frederica, Del.
The date was late for wintering birds, but early for spring arrivals. The most numerous ducks were Long-tails, with plenty of Common Eiders as well. Flocks of migrating Northern Gannets were offshore. Other winter birds such as Harlequins were not in evidence and presumably had left for their northern homes.
The highlight of the day was the Eagle show — four Bald Eagles (2 adult and 2 immature) feeding and interacting near our vantage on the north dike. One of the adult eagles was kind enough to sit atop a solitary cedar right next to our car, just posing for a close-up.
The date and the weather were right on the cusp between winter and spring. The ML birders were hoping for lingering winter ducks and raptors, with perhaps a few new arrivals.
In the Pedricktown area three Tundra Swans flew over, and we saw a male Wood Duck on the Delaware River. At our second stop at the causeway, to our delight we got some great views of seven Sandhill Cranes!
A pair of Trumpeter Swans has spent several recent winters on the big lake here, and returned this year. Although too far away to photograph, their size and shape made them obvious.
The ML Birders headed down to the coast in pursuit of wintering waterfowl and the chance to see Razorbills that have been spotted in the Shark River Inlet in Belmar.
It was a top ten weather day in a beautiful setting but only a fair day for the number and variety of birds seen and heard.
A bright, breezy, cool and sunny day greeted ten ML Birders at Brightview Farm. We managed to see and/or hear 25 species with excellent views of a Bobolink and a confusing sparrow perched and singing on a pasture fence.
The rain ceased, the sun appeared and six ML birders spent a pleasant morning birding at Boundary Creek Park. We saw and/or heard 36 species that included some good views of a Warbling Vireo singing on a branch.
For most people our outing to Bombay Hook NWR would be just a gray and dreary day but for 15 Medford Leas Birders and guests it was “paradise.” There was a dearth of bugs in the wooded areas, it did not rain and we had an abundance of birds.
It was a damp, cool (low 50’s) and gray day but three ML Birders did manage to walk the ML Trails and saw and/or heard 29 species.
On a picture perfect Spring day five ML Birders and one guest visited Mercer County Parks Abbott Marshlands (formerly Trenton-Hamilton Marsh) just east of Trenton, NJ.
The day had an early nip in the air but warmed to bright and sunny very quickly. ML Birders walked the trails of Lumberton Leas and the central meadow and saw and heard a total of 33 species in the wetlands and uplands areas.
Fourteen ML Birders and two guests visited the open farmlands, tidal marshes and Delaware Bayshore of Salem County on a warm, partly sunny and very blustery day.