One of the favorite spots on the New Jersey coast for birding all year round, but especially in Winter, is the Barnegat Inlet and Jetty, located at the Northern end of Long Beach Island, in the town of Barnegat Light. Of course, “Old Barney”, the Barnegat Lighthouse is a major attraction there, and it’s the 3rd oldest and still operating lighthouse in the country. The lantern was recently re-lit for the first time in many decades at the start of the New Year in 2009.

The Barnegat Lighthouse, January 5th, 2009

For birders and bird and nature photographers, the real attractions lie on the Barnegat Light Jetty and surrounding waters and sandy beaches. It’s one of the few places on the East Coast of the United States where Harlequin Ducks come in Winter. These small and extremely colorful ducks are a prime subject and popular draw for the many photographers who visit here in winter.

Harlequin Duck (Drake) Standing on a mussel shoal

Harlequin Duck (Drake) rides the surf at Barnegat Inlet

Harlequin Duck (Hen) Riding the Waves

Harlequin Duck (Drake) in flight over Barnegat Inlet

While the Harlequins are definitely a “main attraction” for birders and photographers, there are a wealth of other birds to see here. In order to get the best looks at many of them, it requires some time spent navigating the jetty itself. For those who don’t know what a jetty is, it is simply put, a huge, long pile of immense boulders placed to form a barricade against the waters of the ocean and the inlet. It protects the land and shoreline behind it (as well as the lighthouse in this case) from erosion at the hands of a relentless pounding by ocean waters.It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s dangerous, and slipping and falling on the rocks can result in painful injuries. You need good hiking boots or shoes with metal spikes. Also recommended are knee and elbow pads. But the effort in navigating areas of the jetty for photographs will pay off with wonderful opportunities difficult to find anywhere else.

The Barnegat Inlet Jetty, looking back towards the Barnegat Lighthouse

Navigating the Barnegat Jetty

I’m the rather silly looking one on the right in this photo. The kneepads aren’t very stylish, and they allowed me to protect myself from injury to the knees, but also allowed me to kneel comfortably on the rocks to take some shots that were better taken from a prone position. I also have on elbow guards under the jacket. Although I don’t want to get hurt, the first thing all of us will tell you is, if you fall…save the camera!!  I’d rather take a few lumps than lose the lens and the rig. As would most of us out there. It’s pretty amazing to see as many photographers will carry a huge lens, camera and tripod on the rocks. I’ve always thought that was tempting fate, but they do it with great regularity. I highly recommend a rig that can be carried and shot hand-held. The other alternative, at least at low tide, is to walk the sands adjacent to the jetty until you are farther out, and pick a spot to climb up on the rocks, set up and shoot from. That minimizes the amount of climbing and the risk of slipping and taking a nasty fall. As great as the rewards are from a shoot here, the risks can’t be understated. There is no easy fall on the rocks. If you go down, you will get hurt. Caution, diligence and great care are the watchwords for excursions on the jetty.

The reason so many of us are willing to risk life and limb to some extent is for the amazing variety of birds that you can see and get close to here. In addition to the wonderful Harlequins, there are other birds that are hard to find anyplace else. One of those is the Northern Gannet. A Sea bird that doesn’t come inland on our coasts, and fishes offshore, can sometimes be seen close in, diving for fish in the inlet or just offshore in the Atlantic. They are large and wonderfully graceful birds that make spectacular dives into the rough surf for fish. Often surfacing a dozen feet from where the plunged into the water at great speed.

Northern Gannet cruising over the Barnegat Inlet

Northern Gannet just before impact on a steep dive into the water.

These birds are even more impressive in their aerobatics when you consider that they are almost 3 feet long and have a six foot wingspan. The forces they endure on impact to the water must be considerable because of their mass and size, but they are remarkably adapted to the role, and expert “fishermen”.

Northern Gannet Soaring

Another of the “rarities” for bird photographers in our area (and elsewhere) is the Common Eider. Although not a rare bird by definition, getting a good shot of them is never an easy task. They are ocean faring ducks that feed offshore and in rough surf, and they winter on our coast, and in particular at the Barnegat Inlet area and jetty. The most daunting thing about them is that they are normally only found within range of a camera at the very end of the jetty as it pokes out into the Atlantic ocean. This also happens to be the most treacherous part of the jetty itself. The rocks are covered in large part with algae from being wet most of the time, and the boulders are very irregular with wide gaps between them. It takes a good bit of nerve to attempt to navigate the last 300 feet or so.

Common Eider (Adult Male)

Common Eiders (Adult Male, Juvenile Male, Female)

Common Eider (Adult Male)

Common Eider (Juvenile Male)

In addition to the Eiders and Harlequins and Gannets, there are a number of other birds that spend a lot of time fishing the inlet or feeding near the jetty. These include Brant, Common and Red Breasted Mergansers, Common Loons, to name a few. Often wonderful shots of these birds close to the jetty can be taken from close range.

Brant with Red Breasted Merganser (Female)

Red Breasted Merganser (Female)

Common Loon

Red Breasted Merganser (Female) doing a high speed flyby.

In addition to the wonderful birds that fish the inlet, are a wealth of shorebirds that inhabit the shore areas and spend a lot of time feeding on the jetty itself. Patience and time there will reward the birder and photographer with wonderful close-up opportunities. Dunlin, Sanderling, Purple Sandpipers are all common visitors, among many others.

Ruddy Turnstone on the jetty

Purple Sandpiper

Dunlin flock makes a quick pass before returning to the rocks

Dunlin resting on the rocks of the jetty

A Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich variety) stops to take notice of me.

Sanderling

In addition to the more common birds such as these, there are almost always a few interesting and less common visitors to keep an eye out for. The jetty is enormous and very long, as is the adjacent beach and sand dune areas. So, there’s a lot of ground (and sky) to cover as a birder or a photographer. If you don’t normally bring binoculars with your camera, they are a must here. You will miss plenty if you don’t avail yourself of a good set to carry with you. Looking ahead along the rocks, on the shoreline, at the edge of the water, and out over and in the inlet itself is far more productive if you have the added reach of a good pair of binoculars. A few of the other birds I saw on this particular day almost went unnoticed by me. I manged to spy them by scanning the areas I found them in with my binoculars, and then approaching for some good shots. I would have walked right past them in all likelihood otherwise.

Black Bellied Plover sporting his winter plumage

Black Bellied Plover

This plover above was foraging at low tide at the foot of the jetty near the sand. As I was walking back along this strip of now exposed wet sand, I spotted him at the last minute. If I hadn’t been looking in that direction, I would have missed this bird entirely.

One big surprise on this early Winter day was this fellow, a rather gregarious and active American Oystercatcher with his prize. I have no idea what he was carrying, but he was very pleased with himself.

American Oystercatcher

These birds represented here are only a small percentage of what you can see here on any given day. King Eider are occasionally seen, as well as Surf Scoters, Red Throated Loon, Great Cormorants, and many others are often visitors to this prime birding location. Not to mention the rich variety of gulls that are ever-present.

A huge flock of gulls follows a fishing boat in from the ocean.

A visit to Barnegat Inlet and Jetty in Winter is a very rewarding if somewhat physically challenging place for avid birders and photographers. It’s a great place to see birds you can rarely see anywhere else, and it’s a simply gorgeous location with incredible views. So, if you want to go, bundle up, bring a good pair of gloves, your gear, and maybe some knee and elbow protection, and make a day of it. It’s a wonderful birding adventure.

February 9, 2010 – Update

I thought I would update this post with some additional photos from recent visits that were very productive, and highlight some of the other birds you can see at this incredible locale.

The Long-Tailed Duck (Formerly “Oldsquaw”) is an active and fun duck to watch. They are champion divers, and the males with their brilliant white accents, pinkish bill, and extremely long tail feathers are really dramatic.  They have a very distinct and cute call, which a friend of mine  describes as “Owl, Owl, Omelette!” And if you say those words with the accent on the last word, it sounds remarkably like the Long-Tailed’s distinctive voice.

Long-Tailed Duck (Male)

Long-Tailed Duck (Male)

Long-Tailed Duck (Female)

The Long-Tailed ducks are usually very busy in the inlet, and depending on the tides, will fly back and forth to take advantage of the very swift currents. So, if the tide going out strongly, they will start out feeding on the bay side of the inlet, closer to the lighthouse. As they dive and fish, each time they get taken farther down the inlet toward the ocean. After a bit, they will fly back to where they started and repeat the process. This is a great time and opportunity to catch them in flight.

Long Tailed Ducks - Pair

Tailhook landing! - Long Tailed Duck (Male)

Blasting from the water - Long Tailed Duck (Male)

One of the things the Long-Tailed Ducks seem to like to do is the “belly-flop” bounce landing on the water. They come in low, hit the water, then bounce up once or twice until the come to rest. Sort of like skipping a stone on a pond.

Long Tailed Duck (Male) doing the trademark "belly-flop" landing

Long-Tailed Duck (Male) starts a dive

Another wonderful bird that occasionally comes close enough to get nice photos of is the Surf Scoter. The male has an unmistakable bill not only in shape, but in the riot of colors that adorn it. The bright white eye is also hard to miss.

Surf Scoter (Male) rides the waves

Surf Scoter (Male)

Another of the Scoters that can be seen from time to time is the Black Scoter. They fly in small to large flocks and dive for food in the turbulent waters of the inlet and close to shore in the ocean. They are the rarest of the Scoters, but still fairly common, and you can often see them at the Barnegat Inlet.

Black Scoters in flight

Of course, as mentioned earlier in this article, one of the main attractions to Barnegat Light and the Inlet are the Harlequin Ducks. If you’re very fortunate, you’ll get to see them in large numbers either in the water, or in some cases, resting on the rocks. They are an unforgettable sight, especially in the first light of the day.

Flock of Harlequin Ducks (Males and Females) on the Barnegat Jetty