Harlequin Ducks and More at the Jersey Shore: Another Encore

It is reliably cold…it is reliably blustery…but if you are a birder or bird photographer, a winter trip to Barnegat Light SP on the NJ shore is a must-do.

On last January’s VFAS field trip we found plenty of the undisputed stars of the show:  Harlequin Ducks – stunningly beautiful ducks that look like feathered paint-by-number projects.  We also spotted Long-tailed Ducks, Surf and Black Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Eiders, Red-throated and Common Loons, Great Cormorants, Bufflehead, and even two amazing Dovekies – pelagic birds rarely seen from shore.  On the mile-long stone jetty and beach we encountered Purple and Least Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, and a Willet – a shorebird very rarely observed here in the winter.  In the dunes we found Snow Buntings, Brant, Bonaparte’s Gulls, and Ipswich Sparrows.  Once again, it was an amazing day.

What will this winter’s trip bring?  All we can guarantee is a cold day, great company, unique birds, and a good time.  Even in winter, Barnegat Light is a fascinating place to experience and definitely worth the trip.

A restroom is available at the state park parking lot where we will meet.  Bring binoculars; the guides will have spotting scopes available to share, but if you have one you may want to bring it.  DRESS WARMLY – the wind can often be biting. (And that’s an understatement.)

After our walk we will head to a nearby eatery for warm food and camaraderie before venturing out again to a few other birding locations on the bay side of Long Beach Island.  Please join us for any part of the day, or all of it.

NJDEP | Barnegat Lighthouse State Park | New Jersey State Park Service

Guides:  multiple leaders