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WEEKEND TRIP: HARLEQUIN DREAMING AT THE JERSEY SHORE
January 13, 2024 - January 14, 2024
Leader: Ryan Goldberg
Participant limit: 12
Description: Experience the winter gems of the Jersey Shore, starting with Harlequin Ducks at their southernmost location, the renowned Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. From Barnegat to the inland Manasquan Reservoir to Sandy Hook, the group will seek out sea ducks and freshwater ducks, overwintering shorebirds, open-space passerines like snow buntings and horned larks, and other winter specialties like finches and owls.
Registrar: Ryan Goldberg (ryangoldberg@gmail.com)
Registration Period: December 1-January 1
Carpool fee: $75. Drivers and members get priority.
Itinerary: This is a weekend trip with an overnight stay. The club’s last visit to Barnegat Lighthouse was 2014. Cars will depart Brooklyn at 6:30 AM on Saturday to reach Barnegat by 8:30-8:45. At the northern tip of Long Beach Island, this spit of barrier beach lies between the Atlantic Ocean and Barnegat Bay. A maritime forest leads to a long rock jetty that is a magnet for Harlequin Ducks, eiders, scoters, loons, Long-tailed Ducks, and overwintering shorebirds like Purple Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, and Dunlin. That afternoon, driving back north, we’ll visit Manasquan Reservoir to find rafts of Common Mergansers and other freshwater ducks. Sunday’s focus will be Sandy Hook, another regionally-important coastal hotspot, within sight of New York City. Accommodations for Saturday night will be chosen to be within a short drive to Sandy Hook.
Relative difficulty: Barnegat and Sandy Hook will each require walking about 1.5 miles on loose sand and, at Barnegat, possibly climbing onto a rock jetty to get a close view of Harlequin Ducks. Manasquan Reservoir will be largely stationary viewing. The driving on Saturday will be significant: about 3.5 hours.
Notes: Monday, January 15 is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so there is a possibility of birding Sunday afternoon before returning to Brooklyn. Bring a scope if you have one. Bring a bagged lunch for Saturday. We’ll go out for a classic Jersey Shore Italian dinner on Saturday night. For Sunday lunch we will decamp to a diner close to Sandy Hook.