2022 12 18

Snow Goose and Vultures at Rahway River Park¶

2022-12-18

This morning, my sister and I went to Rahway River Park for birding. I was hoping to see some Hooded Mergansers and maybe some new ducks at the lake. As soon as we parked the car, my sister pointed out some Turkey Vultures flying low along the tree line. I immediately grabbed my camera, set it to a faster shutter, and got some crisp shots of the Vultures.

At first, we only saw Canada Geese and Mallard Ducks. After a while, we noticed a different-looking duck and I got some quick photos. At the same time, an older man walked by and started talking to us. He apologized for interrupting and I did not want to be rude even though we just saw a new type of duck. We talked to him about photography and birding and he mentioned he makes Cyanotype prints. He said as he and his wife get older, they are getting more into birding (I guess we are already old LOL).

After that discussion, we circled the lake in search of the duck but instead found several Hooded Mergansers who captured my attention for a long while. Eventually, we found the new duck again, which turned out to be a female Snow Goose. The female is actually gray-brown, and only the male sports a cinnamon-red head (as is usually the case in birds). We noticed the Snow Goose actually had an injured leg once she walked out of the lake. Luckily, she was still able to walk and fly.

We were glad to find not only Hooded Mergansers but also to see a Snow Goose. The conversation with that man got me interested in Cyanotype prints and I'll be doing research on those.

Locations/Sightings¶

-> #location/RahwayRiverPark-Rahway-NJ