Orange Reservoir in the South Mountain Reservation, Essex County, NJ.

1-4-2019 SHORT HILLS: HNY Dear Readers. Not much is happening in the gardens now. We have had a ton of rain with more on the way tonight. NJ had a very wet year with more than 60 inches of rain, normal 40-45, but actual figures not available because of the government shutdown.

Since we’ve been back from VT, there has been only a little activity at the re-filled bird feeders. It usually takes the birds a day or so to realize that the feeders are full, but the dozen of birds we had had are not back after a week—very unusual.

We are in the forties most days and barely below freezing at night. There is not scrap of snow or ice to be seen. There were only a couple of inches of snow in VT when we left.

Driving through the South Mountain Reservation the other day, I noticed some waterfowl in the Orange Reservoir. Across the road from the reservoir there is a low area that fills with rainwater, creating a shallow pond, really a half-acre puddle. I thought I saw an odd duck there and went back with the camera.

It was a solitary Bufflehead, female or immature male, on the edge of a small flock of Mallards. In the reservoir itself there was a flock of ten or so Mergansers. Usually the reservoir has a lot of Canada geese, but not yesterday.


Bufflehead duck, female or immature male, is alone and hanging out near a bunch of mallards.

This 'pond' forms after every heavy rain, is about a half acre in size.

Two pairs of Mallards sharing the big puddle.

The Mallards are much bigger than the Bufflehead.

In the Orange Reservoir, across the road from the 'pond', there were a flock of Mergansers, about ten.

Male Common Merganser with dark black/greenish head and white body.

Female Common Merganser has a red head with a prominent mullet and a gray body.