In the past I'd been accused of being a fair weather birder and I can't deny it.  I prefer to bird when conditions are ideal, so when I woke up Saturday morning to high wind warnings for the area, I wanted to crawl back into bed and pull the covers up over my ears.  But that fair weather moniker weighed heavy on my head.  Plucking up my courage, I decided to suck it up and deliver on my promise.  The only saving grace was that the temperature was holding at around 47 degrees. 

Twenty or so people showed up that morning.  We were broken up into small groups and given specific sections to bird.  From there, my partner and I were off to see what we could see.  We had our marching orders, 'make sure to scan the bay and check bushes around the cabin for White-crowned Sparrows, besides looking for the usual suspects'. 

Windy day at Barnegat Bay.
Photo Credit: Sue Puder

Equipped with binoculars and a scope we walked up the sand road eager to count as many birds as possible, privately doubting that we would see even one.  These doubts seemed to be reinforced when we came face to face with a bay that appeared to be frothing at the mouth.  Waves, white caps, and mist caused by sustained winds of at least 40 mph evoked a gasp from the two of us.  A cabin situated on the shore line was the only thing that stood between us standing up right, or lying flat on our backs, pummeled by the wind.  Using it as protection, we set the scope up at the corner of the building.

The only thing that astounded me more than the sheer force of the wind was that when I finally trained the scope lens on the water, there were actually birds out there.  Approximately 100 Brants were riding those waves, and in the distance 20 to 30 gulls flew, albeit with difficulty, but they were in the air.  Further out on the bay I was able to pick out a few Horned Grebes and Buffleheads, bobbing and diving, seemingly oblivious to the roiling water.  I was stunned.  I truthfully didn't expect to see anything on the water, but then again, where else would they be?  That is their habitat for better or for worse. 

Our ability to scan the bay diminished rapidly as changing winds made it almost impossible to keep the scope steady and the chaotic water made it difficult to stay focused on a particular bird, especially since they have a nasty habit of diving just when you have them in your sights.  As for the bushes, no bird could possibly have held their position in bushes that were being flattened by gale force winds.  We made a hasty retreat to the road and the protection of the trees.  As we returned to the car disappointment set in as we realized that not only were we not seeing any song birds, but our hearing was impaired by the roaring wind and rustling trees making it impossible to locate them by ear.  Not wanting to give up so easily we made our way to the ocean.  Unfortunately, there were no birds there, only wind and sand battering our faces.  

Photo Credit: Sue Puder

In the end, most of the birds seen that day were on the water.  Song birds were very few because they had the liberty of hunkering down in a bush or bramble, making them almost impossible to locate.  Occasionally one would pop out the top of the tree line, but before you could focus it would retreat back down to its safety zone.  Birds that were flying, mostly gulls with an occasional Mourning Dove or Pigeon, road those winds like pros, zigzagging when needed and  occasionally giving into the will of the wind and soaring like they had never soared before.  I swear that as I was leaving a Mourning Dove passed overhead doing 50 mph, but more amazing was that it didn't lose control. 

As I drove home, I was enthralled with my accomplishment, knowing that I had finally banished the fair weather birder in me and welcomed in the weather warrior.  Hubris quickly turned to shame.  However, I began to realize that the true weather warriors, all those birds that we were looking for, were still out there on the bay and in the bushes battling the elements.  I was given a glimpse of their world that day and believe me it was a humbling experience. 

Previous Birding Exclusives: 

• Linda's For the Birds: The Strange Mating Ritual of the American Woodcock
• Don's Jersey Birding: Birding Binoculars: Keeping it simple
• Don's Jersey Birding: What will our legacy be?
• Linda's For the Birds: Chasing Crossbills
• Don's Jersey Birding: Finding the Right Birding Buddy