Today was a Day for Looking

I returned to the marsh at the mouth of the big river, but I set out on a tide that would be rising for another hour.  Within fifty yards I spotted six yellow crowned night herons.

The marsh goes through dramatic changes during a tide cycle.  Where there were broad islands of tall spartina grass at yesterday's mid tide, there are now large open areas of water.  Instead of following the edge of the marsh around to Milford Point, I bee line straight across the marsh.
 

Two bird species of note occupied the point.  A pair of oyster catchers, and an endangered piping plover.  There is a nest cage for the plover nearby, a four foot square cage of mesh to keep predators away from the nest, which is a scooped out depression in the sand.

Piping Plover

From there, I continue out, crossing the main river channel and rounding the point into Long Island Sound and following the shore to the Stratford Lighthouse.

On the return, I spot a pair of swans with two small cygnets in tow.

And then I continued and did a grand circle of the marsh.

Two snowy egrets and one great egret