I’ve been rethinking the areas I go to see wildlife, trying to get the most out of my time spent and better grasp the region. I’ve been splitting my time, more or less inadvertently along a few rivers from Morristown, to the Great Swamp. Morristown being along the northern most edge of the Piedmont Plains of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The Piedmont Plains stretch from Alabama to New Jersey. Meaning “foothill” in French, the low lying land provides a fairly large number of important bird habitats in New Jersey alone.

My less than scientific study of a few healthy rivers and brooks has illuminated the feeding habits of some of these large birds that often dot the banks. One interesting regular, Speedwell Lake’s solitary swan always flies out and in to the lake from the same direction. Thanks to a tip, I think it may be the same docile swan that feeds and potentially resides at Kitchel Lake, on the other side of town. Kitchel Lake, along Loantaka Brook, connects directly to the Orange trail of the Great Swamp, another one of my favorite spots. Maybe canvassing the same water systems will bring more insight into these giant Heron, Egret and Swan that often fly along it.

A passerby told me the swans mate had died years ago. I found it surrounded closely by a group of children last weekend.  An inadvisable parenting decision around most swans in spring. But I think I had already gotten that close once before at Speedwell Lake. Pictures below. Thanks for viewing!