Every time I go home to New Jersey for break, I make sure to stop at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. There’s something really nice about visiting the same place season after season and watching the birds, crabs, sand, waves, etc. change; and at BLSP I also get to watch the people shift from large groups all over the Tri-State Area to a dedicated core of birders. Last year we were blessed with snow at the perfect time, and I got to see my favorite year-round resident, the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), combing through some washed-up Horseshoe Crab shells on a snowy beach. The Ruddy Turnstone is named for a beautiful rusty coloring (more present in the summer) and an upturned bill suited for, well, turning stones to look for food. It is certainly far from a California Native, but you should keep an eye out for the Black Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala) anywhere along the West Coast!
Below: A family of Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) seen the same day braving the snow and icy water.
Photos and caption by Brady Nichols
Edited by Brady Nichols
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