This and That

 How do you create a post suitable to follow on the heels of the two great birds reported this week? With difficulty. Perhaps this wonky little playhouse is a good place to start.

 The Saturday trip "down the shore," was exciting in many ways. Luckily, Margie M. and I were able to see the rarities very quickly. This gave us some time to continue to Biscay Bay to see what we may find there.

 I was hoping to see the Horned Grebe at Biscay Bay. However, identifying birds in the distance is not easy without a scope. We looked and looked. At last we spotted four birds we were sure were grebe, but the binoculars offered very little definition. Thanks to my trusty camera, I was able to identify at least two of them as Horned Grebe. That was a nice bonus for the day.

After enjoying the Long-tailed Ducks near shore, we decided to stroll down a trail to see if we might find any small birds. None were present yet, but the trail offered, potentially, great habitat for warblers, when the season is right.

 Walking back out of the trail, I noticed four birds flying overhead. They looked much like gulls in the distance, fog and light. Yet, they seemed a little different.

That prompted me to raise my camera and fire two shots. One was way under exposed, so I made one quick adjustment and was able to get only this shot to review. What? Pomarine Jaegers? I couldn't believe my eyes. Other than the mass of jaegers seen at Holyrood during a storm last year (thanks to Bruce M.), I had never seen any jaegers. What were they doing flying over land? They were, indeed, among the birds I least expected to see on that day. Birding is always and ever filled with surprises.