16 Sunday Jul 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
I’d rather be sailing, but the following sailboats are not mine. I only saw them last week as they left Barnegat Bay to go toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Sailboat at Barnegat Light. The motor boat came close, but not too close.
Sailboat in Atlantic Ocean near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Sailboat in Atlantic Ocean near Barnegat Lighthouse.
09 Sunday Jul 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Yesterday at the end of the Barnegat Lighthouse jetty, a Great Black-backed Gull Seagull grabbed a good-sized crab from the ocean.
Great Black-backed Gull catching a crab. It brought the crab to shore and ate most of it within five minutes.
Meanwhile a Herring Gull hovered, looking for a similar lunch.
Herring Gull.
13 Saturday May 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Today is a rainy day, with up to 2 in (5 cm) of rain to fall all day long. It’s time then to show photos taken on a sunny day last week of an Oystercatcher named T2 and his companion, Lady Hamilton, as dubbed by the locals at Barnegat.
T2 standing on one leg.
T2 walking away.
Beautiful Lady Hamilton follows T2.
They went inside the restricted area of the beach, walked up the dunes and maybe toward their nest. Another blogger on WordPress said that this pair, together now for several years, has not yet managed to produce any offspring, but there could be hope for this year.
Oystercatcher are of national conservation concern, with several thousands living on the shore of Mid Atlantic states like New Jersey.
T2 and Lady Hamilton near their nest?
All these coming and goings under the watchful eye of Barnegat Lighthouse.
Barnegat Lighthouse.
09 Tuesday May 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Semipalmated Plovers are very close to Piping Plovers in size and cuteness. They look similar but with different feather colors as you can see in the photos below. I found several dozen of them in the roped off area of the beach at Barnegat Lighthouse, with one or two Piping Plovers running through their midst.
Semipalmated Plover.
Semipalmated Plover standing on one leg.
Semipalmated Plover.
A crucial distinction is that the Semipalmated Plover is not considered endangered, with a population estimated to be about 200,000. There are fewer than 10,000 Piping Plovers.
Semipalmated Plovers.
08 Monday May 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Piping Plovers are considered an endangered species, or they are at least on the verge of being so. That’s why a section of the beach and dunes at Barnegat Lighthouse is roped off from April to September. Signs placed at regular intervals warn that the area is a nesting site for them, and for two other kinds of shore birds, Black Skimmers and Least Terns.
Of course these cute little birds disregard the signs, and I have seen some running out to search for food on the beach and near the water. They look like cotton balls trotting up and down between the dunes and the waves.
Beach sign.
Piping Plover running down to shoreline.
Piping Plover running back to dunes.
Piping Plover.
07 Sunday May 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
A male Northern Cardinal will often court a female by offering her food. I have seen that behavior before, but today was the first time I managed to capture it in photos. This took place this morning in a small grove next to Barnegat Lighthouse.
A male Cardinal holding a seed in his beak.
He fed the seed to an appreciative female Cardinal.
A fraction of a second after the “kiss”.
06 Saturday May 2017
Posted in barnegat
I took the following photos near Barnegat Lighthouse within a few minutes of each other. Now seen side by side, there are some similarities between them, even though the subjects could not be more different.
Black Cherry flowers.
Fishing at Barnegat Lighthouse.
04 Thursday May 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
I saw a couple of Oystercatchers this past Sunday near the end of the jetty at Barnegat Lighthouse. They were walking on the beach, finding shellfish to eat, not minding people approaching to take their pictures. One was banded with “T2” clearly visible.
A pair of Oystercatchers.
Oystercatcher T2 inspecting mussels.
Oystercatcher T2 had pierced through a partially opened mussel and was carrying it around.
Oystercatcher and mussel.
The other Oystercatcher walked right by some mussels without touching them.
02 Tuesday May 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Last Sunday I saw a vivid flash of orange fly by as I walked along a trail next to Barnegat Lighthouse. It was a male Scarlet Tanager, the first time I saw one. It kept jumping from branch to branch, even spending some time on the ground. It had to be one of the most handsome birds in the Northeast United States. Because it was so active, I had trouble focusing and only two shots turned out well enough to post here.
Scarlet Tanager.
Scarlet Tanager.
08 Sunday Jan 2017
Posted in barnegat, EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
barnegat lighthouse, common loon, long-tailed duck, mallard, photograpy, postaday, red-breasted merganser
A week ago at the Barnegat Lighthouse, many people came to walk along the beach, as it was sunny and the wind was bearable, especially if one wore a good winter jacket or coat.
Barnegat Lighthouse on January 1st, 2017.
Along the jetty, but away from the swift currents that Harlequin ducks preferred, there were three other kinds of ducks or waterbirds swimming and diving calmly for food.
Common Loon, a large waterbird in its non-breeding colors.
Long-tailed Duck. This kind of duck can deep dive up to 200 ft (60 m). This one was just looking around and enjoying the sun.
Red-breasted Mergansers, a rather large duck compared to the well-coiffed Hooded Mergansers that I photographed last year.
Earlier in the day, I saw a pair of Mallards dabbling for food at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge which has been practically closed due to road repairs for at least half a year now.
A pair of Mallards. They don’t dive and just dabble for food near the surface of the water.
