Good weather, good company, and good birds made for a memorable annual trip to Barnegat Lighthouse. Harlequin and Long-tailed Duck were present in decent numbers along with Common Eider, six King Eider, and all three scoters. Shorebirds included Purple Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Dunlin, and Sanderling. In the back bay at Harvey Cedars, we had Bufflehead and Red-breasted Merganser, but we didn't linger long before proceeding to Holgate at the southern end of the island in hopes of finding a Snowy Owl. Fortunately, our hopes were rewarded, and the entire group got good scope views of a Snowy Owl sitting in the remnants of the dunes. We ended the day at the "Bridge to Nowhere" where we had distant views of Northern Harrier and Great Blue Heron, but no Short-eared Owls were to be seen. Leaders: Janet Crawford, Bill & Lee Smythe, Shaun Bamford, Catherine Busch, Chris Marks, and Dave Lord.
32 species
Brant 100
Canada Goose 15
Mallard 8
King Eider 6
Common Eider 40
Harlequin Duck 12
Surf Scoter 70
White-winged Scoter 1
Black Scoter 106
Long-tailed Duck 37
Bufflehead 30
Red-breasted Merganser 16
Red-throated Loon 6
Common Loon 12
Northern Gannet 50
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 3
Northern Harrier 2
Ruddy Turnstone 15
Sanderling 15
Dunlin 45
Purple Sandpiper 26
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 112
Great Black-backed Gull 10
Snowy Owl 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
American Crow 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
White-throated Sparrow 1
Boat-tailed Grackle 24
House Sparrow 6
