Harlis

[jode hillman]

Took a little road trip today to the Jersey Coast to see some of our favorite winter residents.

The harlequins.

There was snow and ice everywhere but plenty of birds. We logged over 30 species today. Here's just a few of the highlights.

 

[Eric Patterson]

Jode

How long has it been since Harlequins were legal in the bag in the Atlantic flyway? Any idea how they are fairing these days?

 

[Steve Sanford]

Took a little road trip today to the Jersey Coast to see some of our favorite winter residents.

The harlequins.

There was snow and ice everywhere but plenty of birds. We logged over 30 species today. Here's just a few of the highlights.

Jode~

What's all that open water??? We're getting a fresh snowfall today - and down to 10 below tonight.

All great photos! Was glad to see those Purple Sandpipers. Do you get Great Cormorants around the inlets in Winter?

All the best,

SJS

 

[SJ Fairbank]

Great photos. Those drake harlequins look absolutely perfect.

 

[Carl]

WOW! Harlis!! and Brant!!!

Very cool thanks for sharing.

 

[Vince Pagliaroli]

Hey Jode,

Thanks for the photos and "scouting" report, made me Smile. For decoy carvers and makers watching the birds ya love is always inspirational. Hope ya took a sketch book along. I like to go back and check the sketches from years gone by, where and when.

Best regards
Vince

 

[jode hillman]

Jode~

What's all that open water??? We're getting a fresh snowfall today - and down to 10 below tonight.

All great photos! Was glad to see those Purple Sandpipers. Do you get Great Cormorants around the inlets in Winter?

All the best,

SJS

Steve, I traveled much of the mid Jersey Coast. And it was largely , locked in ice. Barnegat inlet has an incredibly strong current that channels between two opposing jetties. That keeps the open water as it flows directly to the ocean.

In addition to Harlis there was common eiders, black scoter, , bluebill, all three Mergansers, double crested cormorants, black belly plovers, Ruddy turnstone, purple sandpipers, gray seal, harbor seal, Oystercatchers, semi palmated sandpiper, Dunlin, mallards, black ducks, Brandt, a dozen loons plus many others. I saw More birds in one day than I've seen in 10 years! It was a great day.

There were several big groups of cormorants. I assume they were all double crested.

But maybe they were others.

 

[jode hillman]

WOW! Harlis!! and Brant!!!

Very cool thanks for sharing.

You're welcome. If I was a better photographer, I would have pictures of about 30 different species.

But I watched many of them simply through the binoculars. My daughter did take many good photos of Old squaw for her 2026 federal duck stamp painting.

 

[jode hillman]

Hey Jode,

Thanks for the photos and "scouting" report, made me Smile. For decoy carvers and makers watching the birds ya love is always inspirational. Hope ya took a sketch book along. I like to go back and check the sketches from years gone by, where and when.

Best regards
Vince

I took a lot of photos. The weather, tide, and spray made it hard to do any drawings. But I'm sure there will be some of that in the future from pictures.

 

[jode hillman]

Jode

How long has it been since Harlequins were legal in the bag in the Atlantic flyway? Any idea how they are fairing these days?

It's been a long time since they were legal game. Never in my lifetime.

There is about 1500 individual birds in the entire Atlantic flyway.

Barnegat inlet is about as far south as they winter. They prefer a rocky coast lines, but the jetties provide pseudo habitat.

 

[jode hillman]

Great photos. Those drake harlequins look absolutely perfect.

They were absolutely beautiful! At times, they were no more than 10 yards from me.

I had heard they were around, but it took a little bit of looking to find them. The first group I saw, the trio, actually came out from underneath the rocks beneath my feet.

 

[jode hillman]

Jode~

What's all that open water??? We're getting a fresh snowfall today - and down to 10 below tonight.

All great photos! Was glad to see those Purple Sandpipers. Do you get Great Cormorants around the inlets in Winter?

All the best,

SJS

The purple sandpiper is actually were amusing. There was a dozens of them. They would pop up from the rocks like whack-a-mole and almost fly straight up your nose. Then land yelling at you.

 

[jode hillman]

Took a little road trip today to the Jersey Coast to see some of our favorite winter residents.

The harlequins.

There was snow and ice everywhere but plenty of birds. We logged over 30 species today. Here's just a few of the highlights.

A few more of the pictures

 

[Jeff Reardon]

Quite a few birds overwinter in Maine, mostly in Penobscot Bay. According to Maine's state Endangered Species desciption, they were listed as endangered in Canada in 1990, but later down graded to special concern there. They went on Maine's state list as a threatened species in 1997. I've never heard anyone talk about their being hunted here, even historically, though I am sure it must have been done. I'd bet it's 50+ years since they were hunted on the Atlantic in the US. https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/endangered/HarlequinDuck_38_39_2011.pdf

 

[Richard Lathrop]

Jode,

Great photos.

Rick Lathrop