A-1stWinterCommonEiderDrake2

Photo Study Of Common Eiders, Harlequins. Long-tailed Ducks And Some Other Birds At Barnegat Jetty, March 17th, 2010

After five days of rain, a few of us decided to take advantage of the sunshine and head to Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island in New Jersey.

We were rewarded with a phenomenal show of Common Eiders as well as Harlequin and Long-tailed Ducks. The Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) is the largest duck in the Northern Hemisphere. It breeds in the rocky lagoons of the Arctic tundra and winters on both coasts of the United States.

Non-breeding Adult Female Eider And 1st Winter Eider Drake

A First Winter Common Eider Drake Flies (Photo By Ed Norman)

The Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a bird of fast-moving water and breeds in Alaska and the Canadian tundra. Fortunately, the Harlequin Duck winters on both coasts of the United States so we get a chance to see it at Barnegat each year.

Harlequin Drake Rests On Barnegat Jetty

Harlequin Hen

Harlequin Hen And Ducklings On Their Breeding Grounds, American River, Alaska, July 2008

Formerly known as the Oldsquaw, the Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) breeds in the Arctic and winters along both coasts of North America. It is distinctive among ducks in plumage, molt sequences, foraging behavior, and vocalizations.

Long-tailed Drake

Long-tailed Hen

We should be losing all three of these beautiful visitors when they fly back north to their breeding grounds during the next few weeks.

I was also able to photograph the banded American Oystercatcher seen below. It was in the company of an unbanded AMOY. I reported the sighting and sent photos to the American Oystercatcher researchers at their website at the following link: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/grsmgis/AMOY/Banding.htm

Banded American Oystercatcher

Please click on either the captions or the thumbnails below to see a larger image...thanks!


A-1stWinterCommonEiderDrake2	A-1stWinterCommonEiderDrake3	A-1stWinterCommonEiderDrake4	A-1stWinterCommonEiderDrake5	A-CommonEiderHen

A-CommonEiderHen2	A-CommonEiderHen3	A-CommonEiderPair2	B-1stWinterHarlequinDrake	B-HarlequinDrake1

B-HarlequinDrake2	B-HarlequinDrake3	B-HarlequinDrake4	B-HarlequinDrake5	B-HarlequinDrake6

B-HarlequinDrake7	B-HarlequinHen1	B-HarlequinHen2	B-HarlequinHen3	B-Harlequins

C-Long-tailedDrake1	C-Long-tailedDrake2	C-Long-tailedDrake3	C-Long-tailedDrake4	C-Long-tailedDrakeFlies

C-Long-tailedHen	D-AmericanOystercatcher1	D-AmericanOystercatcher2	E-BlackScoterDrake	E-BlackScoterHen

E-BlackScoterHenFlies	F-Brant	F-BrantGaggle	G-HerringGullTwins	H-Black-belliedPlover

H-Dunlin	H-Dunlin2	H-PurpleSandpiper	H-PurpleSandpiper2	H-RuddyTurnstone

H-RuddyTurnstone2	H-RuddyTurnstoneBathes	I-SurfScoterHen	I-SurfScoterMale	J-CommonLoon

� Howard B. Eskin 2010 Please email your comments to hbeskin@voicenet.com Please click here to go back to Bird Webpage Index