I went back to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park the day after Christmas with two of my friends. Our main target bird was the Harlequin Duck – I did not get great photos of them during my last trip to the jetty and I wanted to fix that. It would also be a life bird for one of my friends. We ended up running into very cooperative subjects!
A pair if male Harlequin Ducks
The sun came out just enough for some great photos
We followed them down the jetty, getting ahead of them every time they would dive for food.
Cropped close-up
The female Harlequin is much more drab, but still a cute duck
The males stayed together, so it was difficult to get a single shot, but I finally did
We caught the three ducks again on our way back down the jetty where they were soon joined by a third male.
Three male Harlequin Ducks
The female had her picks from some very nice looking birds!
The trip was a huge success. My friends and I walked away with many great Harlequin photos!
