Photographer Ron Shields was nice enough to offer us a quick kayak tour of the Kearny Marsh on Thursday afternoon.

Although the geography was been drastically rearranged by Hurricane Sandy and it is much harder to access, it is still an enchanted place — with “great” birds.  Thursday afternoon’s highlights included Least Bittern, Least Tern and Caspian Tern — and quite a few Semipalmated Plovers (left) and Sandpipers.

Anyone interested in an informal, unofficial kayak tour (B.Y.O.K.)  of the Kearny Marsh on Thursday morning, Aug. 29, at 8 a.m. should e-mail us (link is in right-hand column).

Full bird list follows.

Meadowlands IBA–Kearny Marsh, Hudson, US-NJ Aug 15, 2013 2:30 PM – 4:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.6 mile(s)
Comments:     By kayak…
24 species

Canada Goose

Mute Swan

Wood Duck

Mallard

Double-crested Cormorant

Least Bittern

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Green Heron

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Least Tern

Caspian Tern

Forster’s Tern

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Barn Swallow

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Red-winged Blackbird

American Goldfinch