Barnegat, Birds and Balmy Weather

Yesterday was one of those weird days that starts off one way, takes a few turns and then ends up completely surprising you. It started at 5am when I headed off to Conowingo again, dressed in several layers of clothing intended to insulate me from the dank, damp 26° air down by the dam. For whatever reason, it always feels twice as cold by the old Susquehanna. Even though the forecast claimed it might reach 50°, I knew that the rocks I'd be sitting on and the turbulent water four feet away from me would be well below freezing at 6am. In fact, they'd probably remain below freezing for most of the day regardless of any rise in air temperature.

Winds were calm (yay!) but the clouds turned out to be a pain in the ass. Skies were totally overcast the whole way there with a scant 15 minute break around sunrise – then they rolled back in, leaving nothing but that cold blue-gray funk. Adding to the dismay was a low number of eagles. Over the last couple months the eagles have dwindled to about 15-20 resident birds who seem to prefer fishing on the far side of the river at long intervals.

The dam was also only running one small generator, which meant low water flow and a noticeable lack of eagle fishing activity. While I sat there freezing I thought to myself, "You're an idiot. You got out of bed for this? Sitting on icy rocks in cold, cloudy weather, watching a dozen birds a half-mile away sit on a metal tower doing nothing?" Even my trusty Ace pad or "Ass-pad" as I like to call it was getting uncomfortably cold to sit on any longer. I packed it in and headed home.

Wouldn't you know it, as I was driving through Port Deposit, strong golden rays of sunshine started streaming through large breaks in the clouds. A proportional amount of swearing commenced.

I tried to think of what I could do with the rest of the day. Then I remembered reading a bulletin sent out by Art Morris about Barnegat Inlet and the Harlequin ducks there at this time of year. I'd never seen them before and figured, why not? Called the wife to see if she'd like me to pick her up on the way, and away we went.

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We arrived a little before 1pm. The sun was moderately high and there was a stiff breeze in the air, but the temperature had risen noticeably. Since I was still geared up from the morning, it felt like a warm summer day to me. Mary had not dressed accordingly and decided to hang out close to the car and lighthouse while I ventured to the far reaches of the jetty. The walk out to the end was a long one and felt like it must have been a mile or more, even though I knew it couldn't be. As I trudged through the soft sand in my Sorel winter boots, the wind bounced off my gore-tex shell and my breathing became heavy. I couldn't help but feel like an astronaut on the moon. Wearing a lot of layers and hauling all my gear out to the tip of the jetty was strenuous, but totally worth it.

A word of caution to those who decide to venture out onto the rocks: A simple slip out there can kill you. Be very careful. When the rocks are wet it's like walking on ice, and if you slip and fall you're going to break something. Worse yet, you could get stuck like this guy or fall the full 15 feet between the granite boulders, never to be seen again.

Upon arriving at the last 100 feet of the jetty, I was greeted by a few other birders, photographers and tourists – and one metric shit-ton of various sea birds. Most of which I had never photographed or viewed before in my life. Among those spotted:

• Harlequin Ducks
• Long Tailed Ducks
• Common Loons
• Surf Scoters
• Purple Sandpipers
• Brants
• Ruddy Turnstones
• Herring Gulls
• Red-Breasted Mergansers
• Dunlins

I did not spot any Eider, but folks there said they've seen a few on the north side of the inlet that occasionally come over.  Amazingly enough, a good percentage of the birds didn't seem to give a damn about the human activity (as long as you moved carefully and slowly) and most were within 10-15 feet of everyone there. By 3pm, there was a small crowd lined up enjoying the balmy weather and abundant sunshine that has been such a rarity here during the last few weeks. The rocks were still mildly chilly, but the good old Ace pad was working wonders. I tried in vain via cell phone to get Mary to come out and join me, but she was having no part of it. Thankfully, she was able to occupy herself on my laptop in the car for a while and walk around the lighthouse area to pass the time. I am extremely grateful to have an accommodating wife like her and repeatedly told her this was quite possibly the best birthday present I could have ever asked for. Nevertheless, I think I'm still a few inches in the doghouse with her over this one.

By 3:30pm, I packed things up and started to head back to the parking lot, since there were signs everywhere saying they close it down and lock the gates promptly at 4pm.  It was a fantastic afternoon and probably one of the best birding days I've had in the last six months.

Things in Delaware have been relatively flat lately, with Bombay Hook and the beaches being pretty dead as far as birds go. I now know, however, where they all went: New Jersey. You can bet your ass I'll be back there again next weekend to hit the jetty and possibly Forsythe NWR. I'm still considering a trip up to Noyac, NY and the Long Island/Montauk area, but for closer range, short trips Barnegat Inlet is hard to beat.  I went home giddy, happy and fulfilled, freshly inspired for more winter bird adventures to come. It was a great day!