Barnegat 2018

In what I hope to make an annual visit out to Barnegat Light SP a group from the Lancaster Bird Club made an eventful trip yesterday. I say eventful and it was. The early morning drive out was very easy, a nice breakfast at a Shiny Diner and a car full of laughs on the way. Barnegat was sunny and windy and pretty cold out on the jetty. There was a Northerly wind creating a lot of spray over the end of the jetty and salt water and cameras don't mix very well so I stayed off the end, at least until the wind veered more to the East. The Harlequins were on the rocks but as the tide was high not in the best of photographic locations. The Eider flock was way out so nothing to see there, trying to pick out the King Eider was impossible. Common and Red-throated Loons were just in camera range, the Waders were more to end of the Jetty, Dunlin, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone and Purple Sandpipers.

After a lunch in the car park we headed off to Brigantine. A nice collection of ducks; Hooded Merganser's, Buffleheads, were stunning but not close enough to photograph to my satisfaction. Best of all, 2 Snowy Owl's in the same scope view was eventful enough. As there was snow forecast we left at just after 4am and headed West. Then it got really eventful. We started hitting snow leaving Philadelphia, the turnpike West bound had not been treated or ploughed. Before long we were down to 30-40mph and even that was too fast at times. It was scary, there was one particular nasty crash that we drove past that slowed me down a bit more. Luckily there was not a lot of traffic at all so we got off at our exit and got stuck for probably 3/4 hour at least. Delving into the remaining remnants from lunch we waited it out. There had been a couple of crashes further ahead and a stuck delivery truck but once past that we made it home. Time to clear the driveway.

Brant Goose

Common Loon

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Harlequin

Harlequin

Harlequin

Purple Sandpiper

Red0-throated Loon

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling