A Great Start to 2014

On New Years Eve, we spent the night at our beach house in Avalon, NJ.  On New Years day I woke up and immediately went out onto the rocky jetty just outside our house looking for any seabirds.  I saw a massive flock of scoters further down the rocks, so I went down and got a close enough look to identify them.  It was a mixed flock of Surf and Black scoters.  There were also many Long-tailed Ducks mixed in.

Surf Scoter

Surf Scoter and female Long-tailed Duck

Black Scoters

 

Long-tailed Duck

 

 

Further out on the jetty, while looking at Ruddy Turnstones, a Red-throated Loon kept popping up in front of me.  There were also more Black Scoters, more Long-tailed Ducks, a pair of Brant, and a Common Loon.  There were also Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.

Red-throated Loon

Ruddy Turnstones

 

After a great time watching oceanic birds, we head down to Edwin B. Forsythe NWR to see a lot of marsh-land birds.  We got down there and the first thing we see is a Snowy Owl sitting on top of a building by the Visitor's Center.  We then went along with the drive to see another Snowy Owl, Tundra Swans, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Bald Eagle, Northern Shovelers, Hooded Mergansers, and Bufflehead.  It was a great start to 2014 ending the day with 41 species to my year list.

Snowy Owl

Northern Shoveler

Green-winged Teal