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| A close flock of Black Scoters as they flew over the jetty at Barnegat Light. Just one of a handful of seabird species that were spotted moving past the island in good numbers. [Photo by Sam Wilson.] |
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| An immature Black-legged Kittiwake. One of two individuals that was spotted working it's way back and forth feeding across the opening of the inlet. This was a life bird for quite a few people on the trip. [Photo by Sam Wilson.] |
It was while we were out on the end of the jetty that we got our first flyby Harlequin Duck, quickly followed by another pair! A small flock of Harlequin Ducks was spotted near the small jetty southwest of the main jetty. A quick walk down the beach put us in a prime location to sort through the mixed waterbird flock. The bulk of the birds were Common Eiders and Black Scoters, but a handful of Long-tailed Ducks, Surf Scoters, and Harlequin Ducks were picked out. A resting White-winged Scoter completed our Scoter trifecta! A Common Loon was feeding alongside a couple Red-throated Loons which allowed us a great side-by-side comparison.
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| A male Harlequin Duck gave us incredible looks as it flew past the north side of the jetty. These plumage of these ducks can be hard to believe, and pictures don't do them justice! Being the main target species of this trip, participants were thrilled with the views we got. [Photo by Sam Wilson.] |
Another quick jaunt down the island to Harvey Cedars Recreation Area provided a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers, a smattering of Mallards and Black Ducks, and a distant Northern Harrier hunting over the marsh. A couple Common Goldeneyes were picked out amongst a group of Buffleheads and a single Greater Scaup. Two distant Peregrine Falcons were spotted resting on an Osprey nesting platform and a Northern Flicker came to land on a nearby tree.
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| A mixed waterbird flock in the bay. Species include Buffleheads, a few Red-breasted Mergansers (including the bird in flight), and Common Goldeneyes. [Photo by Sam WIlson.] |
Overall it was a delightful day full of sunshine and a total of 44 species of bird. Leaders: Mike Crewe, Megan Crewe, Catherine Busch, Chris Marks, Margeaux Maerz, Sam Wilson, Mary Watkins, and Joe Demko.
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park:
34 species
Brant (Atlantic) 50
Canada Goose 9
American Black Duck 2
Common Eider 12
Harlequin Duck 10
Surf Scoter 12
White-winged Scoter 1
Black Scoter 450
Long-tailed Duck 18
Bufflehead 1
Red-throated Loon 18
Common Loon 2
Northern Gannet X
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Northern Harrier 1
Ruddy Turnstone 8
Sanderling X
Dunlin X
Purple Sandpiper 9
Black-legged Kittiwake 2 (1 adult and 1 first cycle - both seen in and out of inlet)
Laughing Gull 2
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull (American) X
Great Black-backed Gull X
American Crow 5
Carolina Wren 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling X
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
White-throated Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 3
Boat-tailed Grackle 12
House Finch 6
House Sparrow X
High Bar Harbor/Harvey Cedars:
20 species
Brant (Atlantic) 1500
Canada Goose 150
American Black Duck 25
Mallard 20
Northern Pintail 7
Greater Scaup 1
Bufflehead X
Common Goldeneye 15
Red-breasted Merganser 35
Common Loon 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Northern Harrier 1
Herring Gull (American) X
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 8
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Peregrine Falcon 2
American Crow 6
Song Sparrow 2
House Sparrow X
These reports were generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
