New Jersey has thousands of wonderful places to bird. It would be nice to visit every one of them on the World Series of Birding day. But we only have 1440 minutes on the big day. The goal is figure out how few places we can visit, not how many places we can visit. Each stop consumes valuable time and we need to make each stop as productive as possible.
Pictured above is the underside of the PA Turnpike bridge as it crosses into New Jersey in Florence. For years there has been a pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting there. Some years we have made this location a stop on the big day. But it takes time to get off of Route 295, get to the bridge, see the birds, and then get back on 295. If we can find another location for Peregrines in NJ that takes less time, we eliminate this stop. Minutes saved by eliminating this stop can be used elsewhere.
But we still need to scout this location to confirm that the birds are there, and to scout other possible locations for this species. The decision to visit or not visit this location is often made went we are heading south on the big day.
Bert Filemyr
Peregrines are nesting on this bridge again this year. The eggs have hatched and the adult male is busy bringing prey to feed them.
ReplyDeleteTwo other locations I think of where peregrines are often see are at Brig, and the water tower on Sunset Blvd. in Cape May.