01 Saturday Oct 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
The main purpose of my visit was to observe and photograph Monarch butterflies at the waystation near Barnegat Lighthouse, but I could not help noticing other subjects also.
There were many people fishing at the lighthouse jetty, but two of them were turning up some rocks.
Last but not least, many Monarchs were feeding on flower nectar for their trip to Mexico.
29 Thursday Sep 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
As I strolled along the beach at Barnegat Lighthouse, Monarch butterflies flew in from the ocean constantly, usually in pairs but sometimes in groups of four or five. They flew too fast for me to get any picture. They landed here and there among the vegetation for a few seconds before flying again toward the waystation where butterfly bushes with their pink and purple flowers and berries provide needed nourishment for the rest of their journey.
Every fall, Eastern Monarch butterflies migrate down the Eastern seaboard before veering toward Texas and eventually settling in the Oyamel fir tree forests west of Mexico City in the states of Michoacán and Mexico. They will spend the winter there before flying North again in the spring. On the West Coast, Monarchs only spend the winter along the California coast and do not fly to Mexico. Monarchs in southern Florida do not migrate at all.
Monarchs have done this annual migration for millions of years, and hopefully will continue to do so for millions more.
I took the photos below after a first batch more than a week ago. These Monarchs seem to be younger, more energetic, and I only saw one with a slightly damaged wing.
A Northern Mockingbird followed me around the waystation, maybe because it wanted to protect its nest somewhere in the bushes.
If you want to learn more about Monarch migration, here’s a good link: https://monarchjointventure.org/monarch-biology/monarch-migration
25 Sunday Sep 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Yesterday, Barnegat Lighthouse looked more renovated than nine days earlier. More of the scaffolding had been removed. However, there were no workers since it was a Saturday.
I went strolling in the dunes toward the ocean and captured the following sights.
18 Sunday Sep 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
About one mile from Barnegat Lighthouse is a waystation for Monarch butterflies. It is located on the grounds of the Long Beach Island Foundation (LBIF) in the community of Loveladies, NJ.
Yesterday, after a two-hour drive, I arrived there at 9 AM with temperatures still in the low sixties (around 15°C) and no Monarch or any other butterfly in sight. I went to the lighthouse and walked for almost two hours before driving back to LBIF. It had warmed up by then and there were Monarchs fluttering around from flower to flower. Monarch migration has begun and will last until October.
As temperatures rose into the eighties, other Monarchs came to the waystation.
17 Saturday Sep 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
I have not been to Barnegat Lighthouse since March of this year. Yesterday, I went there and was surprised by what I saw.
The lighthouse is undergoing renovation including recoating the outside, minor repairs to its brick structure, a new inside steel platform, new light, new roof and new windows. The $1.3 million work is supposed to be completed in October of this year. Of course, no one except workers can go inside, and a special walkway to the lighthouse jetty was put in place for visitors to walk a safe distance from the construction activities before reaching the jetty.
As I walked toward the beach, a wild rabbit crossed my path and scurried into the grass. It remained absolutely still as it observed me.
13 Sunday Mar 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Following are some photos of Yellow-rumped Warblers and a couple of Northern Pintails I took on different days about two weeks ago Near Barnegat Lighthouse.
12 Saturday Mar 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull in the world. It has a domineering attitude and does not shy from harassing other birds to steal their food. I saw an example of this two weeks ago while photographing near the Barnegat Lighthouse. A Great Black-backed Gull swooped in and landed right next to a Herring Gull. It quickly took away whatever the Herring Gull was eating.
The thief then flew away, unconcerned, happy.
05 Saturday Mar 2022
Posted in barnegat, EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
barnegat lighthouse state park, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, postaday, red-breasted merganser
Red-breasted Mergansers are fairly common in the winter along the coast of New Jersey. In the past two weeks, I took their photos at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and also near the Barnegat Lighthouse on two different occasions.
According to All About Birds, a Red-breasted Merganser has to eat 15 to 20 fish per day, requiring it to dive under water for 250 to 300 times a day! The Red-breasted Merganser population in North America is stable and has been estimated at 500,000 in 2017.
26 Saturday Feb 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Last Monday I went to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park to photograph Long-tailed Ducks. There were two large groups of these ducks swimming in the ocean near the lighthouse. Estimates ranged from 100 to 300 ducks.
Despite their names, only mature male ducks have a very long tail curved at their backs. Female and immature male ducks do not have it.
They are very good divers and are capable of foraging under water at depths up to 200 ft (61 m) to look for food, mainly invertebrates plucked from the bottom.
23 Wednesday Feb 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
04 Friday Feb 2022
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Last week, a day after this year’s Nor’Easter blizzard, I went to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge refuge, only to find that it was closed because there was too much snow to be cleared. I turned around and drove to the Barnegat Lighthouse. It was still very windy, cold, and the sea was rough.
A young White-throated Sparrow was braving the wind. It kept jumping around, but I finally managed to get a shot of it.
There was a small park next to the lighthouse. It was loaded with snow.
Higher in a tree, an American Robin did not seem to be too affected by the weather.
European Starlings were flying around and landing here and there, asking to be photographed.
As I started to go home, I saw a cheery sign for an art gallery.
06 Saturday Apr 2019
Posted in barnegat, Photography
A few days ago, a flock of Sanderlings appeared to be still sleeping around 9 AM on several boulders near Barnegat Ligthouse.
Sanderlings.
Sanderlings.
Later on I saw a Tabby Cat in a wooded area not too far from where the Sanderlings were. I have seen him several times for the past three years, roaming among the trees and bushes, perhaps stalking for prey. However, the Sanderlings usually kept by the beach, so maybe the Tabby Cat was after smaller birds.
Tabby Cat near Barnegat Lighthouse.
15 Friday Mar 2019
Posted in barnegat
A few days ago, while I was photographing Long-tailed Ducks, there were two or three Common Loons swimming around the same area.
Common Loon swimming near Barnegat Lighthouse.
At one point, I heard a big crunching noise. Turning toward the source of the noise, I saw a Common Loon eating part of a crab that it had caught and broken apart.
Common Loon eating crab.
It practically swallowed that part, then dipped into the water and brought up several more parts to eat.
Common Loon eating crab.
Common Loon eating crab.
Common Loon eating crab.
Common Loon eating crab.
Common Loon eating crab.
After finishing the crab, it took a drink of water and tilted its head up to swallow it and perhaps the mashed up crab also.
Common Loon swallowing.
11 Monday Mar 2019
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Tags
Buffleheads are among the smallest ducks, one with a large head relative to the body. A small group of them was swimming near the Barnegat Lighthouse a few days ago. These ducks live mainly in North America, but may be seen in some Western European countries and Japan, but only rarely.
Female Buffleheads near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Suddenly they took off flying toward the open sea.
Female Buffleheads near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Female Buffleheads near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Female Buffleheads near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Then they began landing on the water.
Female Buffleheads near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Here are two of them swimming around, watching the humans and the other ducks and loons.
Female Buffleheads near Barnegat Lighthouse.
10 Sunday Mar 2019
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Long-tailed Ducks also breed in the Artic Coasts and winter in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic coast, although New Jersey, Delaware, and parts of Maryland are as far South as they will go. There were many of them yesterday near Barnegat Lighthouse. They swam back and forth during the time I spent there, providing many opportunities for photographs.
Male Long-tailed Duck near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Female Long-tailed Duck near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Female and male Long-tailed Ducks near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Just before I left, a male Long-tailed Duck flew around several times, at least three, calling out constantly, perhaps reminding all the other ducks that migration time was fast approaching. It was quite a show and a photographer’s dream.
Male Long-tailed Duck flying and calling near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Male Long-tailed Duck flying and calling near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Male Long-tailed Duck flying and calling near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Male Long-tailed Duck flying and calling near Barnegat Lighthouse.
10 Sunday Mar 2019
Posted in barnegat, Photography
A Brant is a relatively small goose that breeds on the Artic coasts of Western Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. In late fall, they migrate to Western Europe from Siberia. In North America, they fly down from Alaska and the upper reaches of Canada to the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, at times making non-stop flights that could be as long as 1,000 miles (1,600 km) or more. While the Pacific and European Brants have black bellies, the Atlantic Brants that I see have white ones.
Atlantic Brant.
Atlantic Brants near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Yesterday, as temperatures climbed to the 50’s (10 °C) I went to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park where the Brants put on quite a show in preparation for their impending flight back to their breeding grounds.
Atlantic Brant near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Atlantic Brants near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Atlantic Brants near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Atlantic Brants landing on water near Barnegat Lighthouse.
29 Saturday Dec 2018
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Long-tailed Ducks breed in the Arctic parts of Canada and Alaska, and only migrate to the coast of New Jersey in the winter. Thursday of this week, I saw several near Barnegat Lighthouse.
Female Long-tailed Duck. Only the males have a long tail.
I could not photograph a male Long-tailed Duck swimming in the water, so here’s a photo of two males taken in 2016.
Male Long-tailed Ducks, immature in background and mature at center.
This past Thursday, there was a male that took off from the water as shown in the following flight shots.
Male Long-tailed Duck taking off.
Male Long-tailed Duck taking off. Noe the long tail in the back.
Male Long-tailed Duck taking off.
Male Long-tailed Duck flying.
These ducks are about half the size of Common Eiders, and their take off is shorter and quicker. Although there are no estimates of their current population, they are classified as Common Bird in Steep Decline as of 2014.
28 Friday Dec 2018
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Since they are so big, Common Eiders take a long time to get airborne and fly, like Cormorants and Swans. Yesterday, one immature Common Eider put on quite a show.
Immature male Common Eider.
Immature Common Eider trying to take off.
Immature Common Eider trying to take off.
Immature Common Eider becoming airborne.
Immature Common Eider flying.
28 Friday Dec 2018
Posted in barnegat, Photography
In late fall, Common Eiders appear as far South as the coast of New Jersey. Yesterday several dozens of them were swimming along the jetty at Barnegat Lighthouse. They are the largest ducks, weighing from 2.5 to almost 7 lbs (1.1 to 3 kg).
Barnegat Lighthouse as seen from jetty.
It is not breeding season yet, so the males are not showing their distinctive and handsome colors.
Male Common Eider.
Female Common Eider.
Female Common Eider and two males.
There was some kind of hunting going on and I often heard sounds of gunfire coming from the other side of the bay. An immature Common Eider was sitting on a rock right next to the jetty. It would not move even as I came very close to it. A fellow photographer said that it may have been wounded by a shotgun pellet, could not move, and would probably die eventually.
Immature Common Eider, wounded perhaps.
In the 19th century, hunting almost wiped out this species in the Atlantic. However, their population has rebounded and Common Eiders are not on the list of endangered species.
25 Tuesday Sep 2018
Posted in barnegat, EBF Refuge, Photography
Tags
bald eagle, barn swallow, barnegat lighthouse, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, great egret, Long-billed Dowitcher, mourning dove, photography, postaday, ring-billed gull, sanderling, year of the bird
2018 is the Year of the Bird, as declared by the National Audubon Society, National Geographic, BirdLife International, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I didn’t know about that until now, but here are seven photos I took recently of birds around New Jersey.
Two Barn Swallows in Newton, NJ.
Mourning Dove on beach at Barnegat Light.
Great Egret at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Sanderling at Barnegat Light.
Young Bald Eagle at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Long-billed Dowitcher at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.
Juvenile Ring-billed Gull at Barnegat Light.
26 Sunday Aug 2018
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Sanderling.
Sanderling.
Sanderling.
Sanderling.
Sanderling.
Sanderling.
03 Friday Aug 2018
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Tags
This year rain has been plentiful in our area, and plants everywhere have been responding gleefully. Last week I went to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park and was surprised to find more than half of the beach covered with vegetation. Here’s what it looked like.
Beach at Barnegat Lighthouse.
Various plants were thriving in the sand. In normal years they grew further inland, but this year you had to walk through them to get to the ocean.
Plants at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park.
Plants at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park.
Plant at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park.
While taking these photos, I heard wings flapping up in the sky. It was an Osprey carrying a freshly caught fish back to its nest.
Osprey carrying fish past Barnegat Lighthouse.
20 Saturday Jan 2018
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Red-breasted Merganser spend their winter on both coasts of North America. There were quite a few of them a week ago swimming and diving in the Barnegat inlet. The male duck can be very striking, and even funny looking with its Mohawk head feathers.
Male Red-breasted Merganser.
Male Red-breasted Merganser.
However, the female ducks are very pretty, with their super model looks and colors.
Female Red-breasted Merganser.
Female Red-breasted Merganser.
Female Red-breasted Merganser.
While they are considered large ducks, they look small when swimming by a seagull.
Female Red-breasted Mergansers and Herring Gull.
13 Saturday Jan 2018
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Like many of us, shore birds or ducks like to eat and are often busy fishing or foraging for food. Two days ago, I saw quite a few Red-breasted Merganser swimming and diving along the Barnegat Lighthouse jetty. A female Merganser was particularly energetic in her diving and was eventually rewarded with a good catch.
Red-breasted Merganser caught a fish.
Red-breasted Merganser eating fish.
Meanwhile, on the jetty rocks some Ruddy Turnstones were having an all-you-can-eat buffet. These birds don’t go in the water much and prefer to remain on shore where they sometimes can find actual smorgasbords.
Ruddy Turnstones.
Ruddy Turnstone picking at oysters.
Ruddy Turnstone.
12 Friday Jan 2018
Posted in barnegat, Photography
It was foggy at Barnegat Lighthouse yesterday, as you can see from the photo below. However, it was not cold, and the ice that covered most of the bay was starting to break up, helped along by two Coast Guard vessels.
Island Beach as seen from Barnegat Lighthouse.
There was a thaw indeed. In the two hours I was there, snow had retreated quite a bit from the sand, or was melting away even if the sun was hidden by clouds.
Melting snow.
26 Tuesday Sep 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
Going through the photos I took this past Saturday, the following look more audacious than the ones I posted on that day.
Monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterflies.
Monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterfly.
24 Sunday Sep 2017
Posted in barnegat, Photography
After photographing waves crashing on the beach, I walked back to Barnegat Lighthouse and could not help but notice at least two Monarch butterflies flying around. One of them landed and held still long enough to have its picture taken.
Monarch on the beach.
Later I went to the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, located in the nearby community with the unusual name of Loveladies, NJ. It is named after Thomas Lovelady who owned an island near the area. Over time the name of the place evolved into its current version, with a very visible sign welcoming visitors to Loveladies community…
As I walked around the grounds of the foundation, I stumbled on its Monarch butterfly waystation where many Monarch butterflies were feeding on milkweed and other kinds of flowers to replenish their energy for their annual migration to as far South as Mexico. This was the most I had seen in over 40 years!
Monarch butterflies.
Monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterflies.
There were also other butterflies, fellow diners.
Painted Lady butterfly.
Yellow Cabbage Butterfly.
Painted Lady.
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.
neihtn 