Winter assemblage - Long Beach Island

We arrived in Long Beach Island yesterday afternoon to a driving rain and windy conditions. That weather persisted through much of the night, but today has begun on a much "brighter" note.....skies are clear and the sun has warmed the air to a balmy 50 degrees. Add to that the fact that the winds are basically non-existant, and you have the prefect prescription for a promising day of birding. We've travelled here in search of winter specialties which are known to frequent the area around the Barnegat Lighthouse. We're hoping for the brilliantly colored Harlequin and the usually ellusive Purple sandpiper. We decided to walk the beach down to the jetty where we expect to find most of our targets and so drive down to the end of 9th Street in Harvey Cedars. We were greeted by a pounding surf and rafts of Long-tailed ducks, all three scoters, and Buffleheads all swimming just beyond the breakers. Moving along to the jetty, we quickly find the Harlequins swimming within the relative calm waters behind the rocks. They are joined by a compliment of Long-tails, Common loons in winter plumage, several Surf scoters in close, and a lone Red-breasted mergansers. The combination of yesterday's rains, the new moon, and high tide have segregated us from the jetty, and so we hike along the beach in close and parallel to the parappet. Still, we can see well enough over the jetty to get good looks and nice photos of the birds. As we approach the lighthouse, we finally can cross over onto the rocks and walk back out towards the sea. The new vantage point allows us to get closer for better photo-ops and we are quick to join other birders and photographers who are already out on the jetty. Eventually, we head back towards the mainland and find a nice pair of Brant feeding in a shallow tidal pool. The final sighting of the morning is a fine in-close view of a pair of Long-tailed ducks in their winter coats swimming by the docks. We've been blessed with a wonderful day of great weather and exceptional views of birds not all that common. This is truly one of the meccas on the east coast for viewing winter specialties!