A group of ML Birders from the Lumberton campus decided to take proper precautions and go on the scheduled trip to Mannington Marsh in Salem County. To keep a safe “social distance” we divided the group so we would have only two people per car (a larger minivan had three). We also stayed away from any possible crowed areas (we stopped at a sparsely populated WaWa for a rest room stop). As a general impression it seems that some form of “shelter in place” is operating because the usually congested I-295 was clear through all the usual bottlenecks.

We started our trip on a good note, a flock of Wild Turkeys with displaying males on a field bordering Rt. 38. Taking that as a positive omen we hit our first stop at a Gloucester County Dog Park in the Pedricktown area where three Tundra Swans flew over and we saw a male Wood Duck on the Delaware River. At our second stop we were able to go onto a causeway that gave up expansive views of the marsh and to our delight saw seven Sandhill Cranes, as well as Black Ducks, Green-winged Teal, an American Wigeon and a few Pintails. An adult Bald Eagle and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks sitting in a snag were an additional treat. A Rusty Blackbird was heard in the wooded area near the causeway.