Beach Babes

On July 4th we did what many people do in these here parts, we visited the Jersey Shore. 

But of course we didn't go for the sun, nor the sand, nor the ocean.

We went for the beach babes. And we were not disappointed.

I''m not sure who suggested it, either Patty or our friend Susan, but the plan was to meet at our place a 6 am, and head on up to Point Pleasant beach.

That is way too early to wake on a holiday weekend. But we weren't the earliest. There were three folks from the other side of Philadelphia who left their place a 4:30 am. I hope they got good shots.

The tern colony, these are Least Tern chicks, is a fenced off area immediately adjacent to the inlet.

There were Common Terns and Black Skimmers as well, but they did not have chicks.

The chicks were left alone, and quite well camouflaged, while the parents went to get fish for them to eat.

There are two chicks in the above image. This was an easy one. It was not always obvious that the sand lumps were birds.

Not every adult bird was off fishing, and they defended the colony from predators. Several Crows were chased off by angry terns.

The chicks also sought shelter, and shade, from the sparse vegetation. As we were leaving several folks from the NJ Conserve Wildlife Foundation were bringing larger plants to install in the colony area. They didn't have many, three maybe, and the area was rather large, so I'm a bit skeptical as to how much  of a difference they'll make.

We were there for about an hour when the beach tag patrol drove up.

It was 8 am, opening time, and it was $12 each for a beach tag. The four of use, as well as the photographers, all decided to leave.

We then drove to a local lake to look for some whistling ducks that had been reported a couple of days prior. They have moved on. 

We did the same, and headed home, with a slight detour to a local spot for Red-headed Woodpeckers. These were still there and we saw two.

And by 10:30 we were home and relaxing with a cup of coffee. 

A very nice way to start the holiday.