white egret – MINDING MY P'S WITH Q

White Egret in Salt Marsh – Fortescue, New Jersey

I read a post today written by Be Creative Mary that spoke of the salty smell of East Coast seashores. My state’s coast, including the Delaware Bay, also has a distinctive fragrance of salt marsh. Even though we are in the throes of cold wintry weather, the first day of the year was filled with amazing birds over-wintering in the salt marshes of the Bay near Fortescue.

The swans were busy grooming, but one lifted its head long enough for me to capture their graceful beauty.

The sparrows, sheltering in bushes near the beach houses, were a cheerful sight to begin the year of 2019. The scrubby brush provided wintry hospitality for the small birds. I felt a sense of gratitude to see and hear the sweet chirping of this small flock.

I am hoping, that although most of the birds seem to be common house sparrows, perhaps there are a few that are a member of the endangered Salt Marsh Sparrow and the species will experience a recovery of numbers in the coming years.

This post is part of Skywatch Friday and Friday Foto Friends.

We camped last night and traveled on today to Heislerville, NJ, on the Delaware Bay. As we approached we were intrigued by an odd looking island of dead trees. As we drove closer we realized the strange growths on the tree limbs were actually nesting herons and egrets. I have never seen a sight quite like it in all the years of my life. There were bird-watchers along the road with large cameras and binoculars. It really was a spectacular sight.

Here is an example of one of the birds nesting on the island, a great white egret.

There were other birds in the vicinity too, some lovely swans, and smaller shore birds. Also, as always, the ever-present gulls and their raucous cries. The experience of the shore would not be complete for me without the sound of gulls in the air.