IBSP 1/8--Better Pictures of the Guillemot

Black Guillemot, Barnegat Inlet

My intent this morning was to walk to Barnegat Inlet on the Island Beach side and get back before the winds kicked in late morning in order to look through the eider flock off the jetty for the King Eider hen that has been reported with them the last few days. After walking on Holgate's sands yesterday, this walk of a mile and half (and back) might have been pushing it. Truth be told, an oxymoronic King Eider hen isn't that satisfying a bird to look at if you can tease one out in the flock of brown ducks. Now a drake King Eider...that's a great looking bird and no mistaking it.

Unfortunately my timing was just a bit off. The uneventful slog down to the inlet was fine, but once I turned right toward where I saw the eiders yesterday from opposite shore, there was a bit of a breeze. I set up my scope and looked closely at every one of the 60 or 70 eiders in the flock, or at least as closely as one can look at a bobbing and heaving flock. Eliminating adult drakes and immature drakes there were probably about 45 brown eiders to examine. None of them, that I could tell, were smaller, lighter brown and with the tell-tale smile. And the wind continued to pick up, making scoping challenging and creating more white caps to block my view. Finally, after going through the flock 3 times, I gave up, shouldered my scope and started to walk east. Looking to my right I saw what I first took to be a Long-tailed Duck. Another glance and I saw it was instead the Black Guillemot, continuing, as we birders like to say. This time it was a much better view, no scope needed and I was able to get decent photographs instead of the white dot of yesterday.

At least I had that compensation. The walk back was difficult. The wind was gusting 30 mph and without my realizing it, until I stopped to glass some ducks, a snow squall enveloped me--I looked at my left sleeve and it was encased in slush, as was the scope. I thought it was sand hitting me in the face when instead it was precip. The squall disappeared as fast as it came in and by the time I staggered back to the car, the sun was out, though the wind kept howling.

With that kind of wind, I'd had enough for one day. Today is one of my Feederwatch days, so I figured I spend the afternoon recording yard birds. Glad I did because on my neighbor's feeder I found my FOY Chipping Sparrow, a bird that is "infrequently reported" this time of year. So my only year bird of the day was seen outside the bedroom window.