Birds and Other Nature Sightings

     The miserable winter weather here in New Jersey has not given me much opportunity to get out and about to explore.  The sub-freezing temperatures and gusty winds have seemed to be the norm for a while now.  The foot or so of snow that blanketed the area back in January had quickly frozen over and only recently began to slowly fade.  Any trails that I might walk have been inaccessible; either plowed in or too treacherous to walk on without specialized footwear.  There has been very little, if any, open water around either for the birds to drink or the waterfowl to gather.  The Barnegat Bay has frozen over from the barrier island to the mainland.  Even our ocean beaches are partially eroded and with ice chunks strewn about the sand.  The erosion bad enough to force Island Beach State Park authorities to close its beach to sport fishing vehicles. The past couple days, finally, saw the feels like temperatures climb above freezing. ...