The Chase

I took my camera this time. Lisa and I, after visiting her mom for lunch on Saturday, took a quick trip to Parvin State Park, New Jersey, in late afternoon. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and little wind. We chose to follow the “Green Trail” which went around the lake. We went counter-clockwise to end up at the eastern side of the lake at sunset.

In the first mile we passed a few people –a couple walkers, and runners and one biker– all going the other way, but it was fairly quiet bird-wise. I spied a Cooper’s Hawk perched at eye-level a couple hundred yards ahead, but it was so well camouflaged that I could not get Lisa on it before it flew deeper into the forest. Carolina Wrens could be heard in the distance and a couple of Blue Jays silently zipped across the trail.

We made it to the half-way point with hardly a person or bird in our path. But at that point we had a clear view of the lake and were able to see Mallards, Canada Geese, a small raft of Buffleheads and a distant Common Loon. A Hairy Woodpecker pikked overhead as it tapped on a pine. A Downy Woodpecker flew into a nearby tree and we watched as it climbed higher. We heard a Red-bellied Woodpecker and quickly spied it working on another nearby tree. A nice flurry of activity.

A little further along the trail we passed a couple more people with dogs before stopping near a small stand of laurel. I heard a small scratch inside the brush and offered a quick pish. Expecting sparrows, I was pleased to see a Hermit Thrush pop into an opening, allowing fine views before disappearing again. We continued on the trail which we seemed to have all to ourselves at this point, as we walked for at least 20 minutes with no one else in sight.

photos © Kevin Loughlin