Some days you have to trust your instincts. Yesterday I visited Manasquan Inlet and turned around almost immediately because, unexpectedly, vicious winds were pounding in from the northeast, busting surf all over the jetty. Today I was hoping that those winds might blow something exotic into the inlet, so I returned. There were many cars in the beach parking lot, so for a while I thought maybe I missed some rare bird alert. Turns out that the surf was still up, bringing a lot of these guys out:
That’s not what I was looking for.
Although the waves were active, thankfully the jetty was clear. A quick look hinted that something was up, with 25 Common Loons visible within a small area within the inlet, and another 11 loons keeping a Red-necked Grebe company at the mouth of the inlet. I decided to head over towards the loons and get some photos for an upcoming presentation.
An extremely cooperative Common Loon.
One of two Red-necked Grebes that I saw in the inlet today. This would be the highlight of most days, but not today. And look at the position of that neck!
As I was watching them, I noticed a smaller bird mixed in, and with a quick binocular look I knew it was something new. I haven’t yet seen any alcids in NJ, and this was an alcid. The bill was too small for a Razorbill, it was way too big for a Dovekie, and it was too dark for a Guillemot, so it had to be one of the murres. Time to break out the trusted Sibleys and see what we have. The dark face and relatively stubby bill confirmed that it was a Thick-billed Murre, a lifer for me.
Today’s Thick-billed Murre with a Common Loon for a size comparison.
A view showing the bill structure and facial pattern a little better.
I sent word out of the sighting, and followed the murre as it drifted along the inlet. It wasn’t feeding or diving, but simply drifted far inward as the first birders started arriving. After swimming back outward, it eventually took flight, landed near the end of the jetty, and a few minutes later was lost in the waves. The newly arriving birders drifting in were not happy with hearing that news. Thick-billed Murre is a review species here in New Jersey, and its always fun to find a review species. According to the NJ Bird Records Committee website, this species is not seen in NJ every year, yet a Thick-billed Murre was reported yesterday at Barnegat Light (where many other birders started out today), another was spotted in Absecon today, and yet another was found in Staten Island. Wow…when it rains, it pours.
I left for the day, and later heard that the bird was re-sighted in the inlet along with a second Thick-billed Murre, and a total of three Red-necked Grebes. It was a wild day at the inlet, and I expect it will be busy there again tomorrow despite incoming frigid weather.