Friday, October 9, 2009

Pod Cast - October 12-19th

The 10th Annual New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge will be next weekend (October 17-18, 2009). In anticipation of this event, the Toms River Library asked me to do a brief podcast about the bird watching around my favorite NJ Lighthouse - Barnegat Light. The podcast is about 7 minutes. Here is the link":

http://theoceancountylibrary.org/podcasts/birds.html

The closest thing to a rocky coast to be found along the Jersey Shore is the mile long jetty that starts near the base of Barnegat Light. As a result, species like Harlequin Duck and Purple Sandpiper, that are rarely found anywhere else along the 100+ miles of NJ coast, are almost guarenteed to be found here during the winter. In my opinion, the Harlequin Duck is one of the most beautiful ducks in North America, well worth a winter visit to Barnegat Light. The best time to see them is on a "warm" (above freezing) winter day, when winds are from the west., which flattens out the Ocean.


Peregrine Falcon


Harlequin Ducks



Purple Sandpipers