NJ OWL - Short on Short-eareds, But Birds Abounded on Barnegat

NJ Outdoor Women's League
Short on Short-eareds, But
Birds Abounded on Barnegat
February 13, 2005

By Pat Kruegal

On February 13, a small group of OWLS went to see some of their "short-eared" cousins and get a glimpse of the beautiful harlequin ducks at Barnegat Light State Park.

As we pulled into the parking lot of the park, the first topic of conversation was of a general relief and gratitude that it was not as cold and blustery as last year's outing was. The sun was shining brightly, and although it was a bit cold, the wind was mercifully mild.

Mike Bisignano was our guide and teacher. He also brought his scope to let us have some really close-up visual encounters.

Our first adventure was walking the jetty to where we would see the ducks. Leaping and jumping from one big rock to another was especially fun! It reminded me of childhood days when taking the safest and most logical path is not always the first choice.

We found many sea urchins tucked away in the rock crevices, remnants of hungry gulls' lunches. We saw some beautiful long-tailed ducks, formerly known as oldsquaw, and three different species of scoters: white winged scoter, surf scoter, and the black scoter. These species are known as diving ducks because they dive completely below the surface of the water to feed. We also saw several common loons diving for their lunch.

OWLers birding from the jetty at Barnegat Light State Park

Then we finally came to the place where the harlequin ducks were bobbing up and down on the small waves, precariously close to the sharp rocks along the edge of the jetty. Cathy told us an interesting fact - how x-rayed harlequin ducks reveal broken and healed bones as a result of their crashing against the rocks.

We all stopped to admire how truly beautiful these birds are, especially the drake harlequins. Their colors are stunning and the designs of their markings are so intricate that you would think someone had taken out a box of watercolors and painted them. We also found out why they are sometimes called "sea mice" because of their high pitched squeaking.

After enjoying the different types of waterfowl, we headed back along the jetty to our next destination to view short-eared owls during their late afternoon hunting. After a quick coffee and bathroom break at a WAWA, we drove to Cedar Run Dock Road to an open marshy field.

We got out of our cars and used our binoculars to scan the skies for a glimpse of these owls. We never did get to see the short-eared owls, but we did see a good number of northern harriers, sometimes called marsh hawks, doing their late afternoon hunting. We were close enough to get some really great sightings with our binoculars and through the scope that Mike had set up for us.

Drake harlequin ducks

Searching for short-eared owls from Cedar Run Dock Road.

Mike also directed our attention to a rough-legged hawk across the road. But I have to say that the real treat was when we were pulling away and slowly heading for the end of Cedar Run Dock Road. We noticed two harriers fighting in mid-air with one retreating and landing atop a telephone pole. We were driving slow enough that we got a good look through our binoculars. I remember thinking, "Wow, I never realized they had such a well defined mask!" We watched until it flew off.

When we stopped at the end of the road, we got out of our cars to share this experience. It was then that I found out that it was really one harrier and one peregrine falcon! who so obligingly flew to the top of the telephone pole to pose magnificently for us to see.

It was an amazing experience for me - the first time I had ever seen one. Fortunately, one of the members was able to capture the entire experience on video tape and was able to share it with Mike who sadly missed it because he drove away 5 seconds before the fighting birds appeared and the falcon landed on the telephone pole.

At the end of the road we stood looking out into a quiet cove, watching common loons, red-breasted mergansers and other birds. As the evening closed in, we said our good-byes with a special thanks to Mike for his sharing and teaching that has helped us to understand and appreciate more the beauty and wonder of the avian world. It was a fun-filled afternoon of good company, great sightings, and magical memories!