Sunday Shots – Jersey Shore Edition, 02/15/26

On Saturday, Linda Scrima, Maria Loukeris, and I went on our annual trip to the north Jersey Shore. It was a gorgeous day; mostly sunny with temperatures much warmer than the recent cold spell we’ve been going through. Our main target for the day was the Harlequin Ducks that had been seen at Shark River Inlet in recent days. We made it our first stop of the day; we did not have any luck with the Harlequin Ducks, but a sharp looking young Iceland Gull was a nice consolation.

Our next stop was Manasquan Inlet. We had mostly the usual suspects, but the beautiful weather combined with so many birds provided plenty of good photo ops. Loons were less prominent than we’ve experienced in years past, with just a few Common Loons and no Red-throated Loons at all. Black Scoters were everywhere, so were Long-tailed Ducks. The highlight at that location, however, was a sizeable flock of Purple Sandpipers that cooperated for some nice photo ops.

~Harlequin Duck at Shark River Inlet, 02/14/26.~

We decided to give the Harlequin Ducks another shot on our way home, and our persistence paid off. As soon as we arrived, a young birder got out of his car to inform us that they had recently been seen. We walked the beach, search near several jetties before finally finding (4) Harlequin Ducks. It was pretty much the icing on the cake for an already excellent day. We also added our first Common Eiders of the day to our list. The sea air and the great birds did wonders for my disposition; it really was a nice refreshing day at the beach with good friends and good birding.

~What a beauty! Iceland Gull in flight at Shark River Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~This flock of Purple Sandpipers put on a show for us. Manasquan Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~Long-tailed Duck at Manasquan Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~Red-breasted Merganser at Shark River Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~Sanderling with a snack. Shark River Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~Black Scoter zooms by at Manasquan Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~Long-tailed Duck at Manasquan Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~Common Loon at Manasquan Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~A couple of Harlequin Ducks at Shark River Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~Another shot of the Iceland Gull at Shark River Inlet, 02/14/26.~
~Purple Sandpiper at Manasquan Inlet, 02/14/26.~

6 thoughts on “Sunday Shots – Jersey Shore Edition, 02/15/26”

  1. Awesome pictures, Matt! Would have loved to be there too. Happy you could get down there though. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Sorry Dave, I missed this initially. It really was a great, and thanks for the kind words. Matt

  3. Great shots.Guess I missed you by a day. Was at Manasquan and Shark River also. Had a distant Harleqin in flight. Missed a razorbill by about 5 minutes at Manasquan.

    1. Thanks Bruce. Too bad we missed each other, it would be great to see you – it’s been a while. Matt

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