The Harlequin Ducks of Barnegat Light, New Jersey

The long stone breakwall at Barnegat Light, New Jersey is a famous birding spot. When I find myself in that part of the world, a visit is irresistible. Such was the case last weekend, when a trip to nearby eastern Pennsylvania provided the chance for a whirlwind Barnegat trip. In little more than a day, I clicked off several thousand images, and got some really cool stuff.

Barnegat Light's namesake lighthouse is WAY down there at the end of the breakwall. The parking lot is by the lighthouse, so it's a bit of a haul to get down to where I made this photo, but the birds get better the further towards the sea one gets. Barnegat Bay is on the right, and the Atlantic Ocean is behind us.

By far the most popular avian lure that draws people to Barnegat Light during the colder months are the Harlequin Ducks. A few dozen overwinter here, and they typically can be found resting and foraging along the rocks, often nearly at one's feet. Who would not want to see such an animal?

Male Harlequin Ducks are spectacularly gaudy; a Picasso come to life. This bird has probably been photographed a thousand times; Barnegat's Harlequins may be the most photographed and visited Harlequin Ducks anywhere.

There can be no denying that the females are much duller than the males, but nonetheless they have their charms. And big feet, to boot.

While photographing birds and watching the sea, I suddenly heard a particularly frenetic volley of comical squeaks from one of the ducks. Whirling around, I saw a male becoming especially amorous towards a certain young lady. Suspecting what might be in store, I spun the camera rig around and got ready.

Sure enough, the male jumped atop the female, and quick as a wink I might add. He was a bit rough about it too, if you ask me.

As I said, a bit rough. Note how our dotted and dashed Casanova has grabbed her by the feathers on her head, and is tugging away. Maybe she likes that, I don't know. Anyway, it is of great importance to the world that young Harlequin Ducks regularly be made to replenish the stock, and this is how the birds go about it.

After copulation was complete, the birds rather quickly parted company. He, perhaps, to gloat to his buddies, she possibly to rub her sore head.

Many birders keep a "copulation list" of birds caught in the act of procreating. I don't, but if I did, this would be a really good checkmark on that list.

Lords and Ladies: The Spectacular Harlequin Duck

A drake Harlequin Duck, Histrionicus histrionicus, in repose. This species, in my estimation, is one of the most elaborate and eye-catching of the world's fowl. That's saying something as there are a lot of beautiful ducks afloat on the globe. It's as if Pablo Picasso was commissioned to create a cubist collage of a bird.

Last weekend saw me visiting the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, to speak at a symposium at the sensational Longwood Gardens. Once that gig was complete, it was into the car for a short two hour drive to the Atlantic Coast and one of my favorite seaboard locales, Barnegat Light, New Jersey. There I met up with a friend from The Blogosphere, Amy of Chatter from the Wren's Nest. That's Amy glassing the waters of Barnegat Bay and being bedazzled by all of the interesting waterbirds.

Wintertime birding at Barnegat is always interesting, and especially so when the tide is rolling out. Amy and I hit it perfectly, as mid-morning saw the bay's waters rushing seaward with the force of a whitewater rapids river. All of that hydrological turbulence stirs up the food, and birds descend on the mouth of the bay in droves.

But the Harlequin Ducks can nearly always be easily found, as their diet consists of much more sedentary prey. Here, a small feeding flock works the waters just off Barnegat's long stone jetty.

A drake snorkels for food. He is skimming along with his face under the surface, scanning for tasty morsels. Once a good meal is located, he'll dive down and wrench his aquatic prey from the substrate.

A pair of rather muted females flank a gaudy drake. This disparity in flashiness between the sexes leads to one the colloquialisms for this species, "Lords and Ladies".

These ducks were nearly at my feet, perched on rocks at the base of the jetty. And they are literally standing on their food. Low tide has exposed thickets of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, a common North Atlantic mollusk. Harlequins are very much birds of the brutal interface of sea and rock, expertly diving in the turbulent waters to exploit mussels in a nearshore zone that other species of sea ducks shun. Such rough work has its costs. Supposedly a fair number of Harlequin Duck museum specimens show evidence of bone fractures, probably due to battering against rocks in the surfy chop in which they ply their trade.

If you've not birded Barnegat, toss the trip into your bucket list. It's worth it for the Harlequins alone. But there is much, much more. I returned from this foray with an armful of good photos of many interesting species of birds - many of them great rarities in my landlocked neck of the woods. I'll probably be sharing a few more of Barnegat Light's birds before long.