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2022 12 26

Prone for Pipers at Sandy Hook

2022-12-26

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Today, my sister and I decided to wake up early to go birding at Sandy Hook. It was very a cold morning (~10 degrees) and it had rained days prior so it wasn't surprising to see snow and ice at Sandy Hook. What we didn't expect was that a big chunk of the beach would be coated in ice. It was interesting sliding across ice while also seeing sand and the ocean which are usually associated with much warmer weather.

After sliding across the frozen sand, we reached the ocean where we saw a bunch of Sandpipers running along the water's edge. I spent a good bit of time prone on the cold sand getting pictures of the Sandpipers, who we later identified to be Sanderlings. Once we came close to freezing, we headed back to the car to warm up and go the opposite way to Plum Island.

The shore at Plum Island was so frozen that a large portion of the water had become slush. It was really interesting hearing the slushy waves crash against the sand but this also brought very cold winds. There was also a flock of gulls that would hover over the slushy waters and then swoop down to peck the slush. Floating the deeper waters, which had not become slush, we saw a bunch of ducks. We photographed two new ducks which we later identified as a Brant and Red-breasted Merganser.

Later, we decided to explore the northern part of Sandy Hook near the former army base, Fort Hancock. Further north past the fort, there is a pond called Salt Pond where birders report many sightings. On the way to the pond, my sister found a yellow feather on the ground which Reddit helped us identify as a Northern Flicker feather. Unfortunately, when we got there, the pond was frozen as expected but we did get a great view of NYC from the northern shore.

Throughout this birding trip we were surprised to see how many people were at Sandy Hook despite the extremely cold weather. I guess the locals know there's still plenty to experience there in the winter (and they are used to the cold ocean winds). We did not think there would be much to find at a beach during winter but we were pleasantly surprised.

Locations/Sightings

-> #location/SandyHook-NJ