We thought we couldn't top last year's trip to Barnegat Light. We were wrong. After being pushed into March by weather, our 2015 Barnegat Light trip led by Sam Wilson and Sam Galick proved to be a great success for a second year in a row! The group met up (as a whole and not separately this time!) in the main parking lot and then made our way to the bay where we got scope views of loons, Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, Horned Grebes, various other ducks, and Harbor Seals resting on the beach. We then began our journey out to the end of the jetty, which along the way yielded all three scoter species, more Horned Grebes, American Wigeons, a few Brant scattered here and there, and our main target of the day and Barnegat's specialty: Harlequin Ducks. Following our ridiculously good looks at the harlequins, the group reached the end of the jetty, and the events that followed were a near repeat of last year's events! A call went out for an immature male King Eider in the Common Eider flock, which was minutes later followed by a call for a white-winged gull, not Glaucous, but an Iceland Gull this time! After the initial frenzy, everyone settled down and got a look at each of these rarities, which were also lifers for many of us. To top off the list, a young Lesser Black-backed Gull was spotted and eventually seen by everyone. The snow and wind made it too hard to get back on the jetty, so the worn-down group walked back along the beach where we ended up seeing "Ipswich" Savannah Sparrows, another specialty of Barnegat. The exhausted group finally disbanded back at the parking lot after having one of the more successful trips that the club has seen. Thanks to Sam Wilson and Sam Galick for leading yet another awesome trip, and we look forward to coming back here next year!
-Trip report by Andrew Marden
-Trip report by Andrew Marden