Thursday, December 29, 2011

The Barnegat Jetty in New Jersey - Harlequin Ducks and Purple Sandpipers

Harlequin Duck (male), Barnegat Jetty, New Jersey
I'm shooting on the New Jersey coast for a few days at the Barnegat Jetty, renowned as one of the very best places to photograph Harlequin Ducks and Purple Sandpipers (during winter). I've wanted to shoot here for years and it finally came together to conveniently piggy back a few days onto a holiday trip visiting relatives in Virginia.

Barnegat has not disappointed - there have been plenty of Harlequin Ducks, often very close. Shooting here is highly dynamic, influenced by the tides and wind conditions. You have to put your time in and be persistent, making many arduous treks out the rock jetty, to get the shots. Here are a few from yesterday and today. These were shot with a Canon 1D mk IV and 500mm f/4 IS lens sometimes with a 1.4x teleconverter.

Harlequin Duck (male), Barnegat Jetty, New Jersey

Harlequin Duck (male), Barnegat Jetty, New Jersey

Purple Sandpiper, Barnegat Jetty, New Jersey
at

10 comments:

  1. Josh8:27 PM

    Great work Ethan. I am very jealous, I would seriously love to make a trip down there this winter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ethan Meleg8:42 PM

    Thanks Josh! It's a great spot, well worth the trip!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stephanie Suesan Smith, Ph.D.9:13 AM

    Those ducks are so colorful. We don't have them in Texas. Beautiful shots.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Paolo Cabras3:47 PM

    Bellisimi esemplari, con dei colori veramete fantastici. Complimenti per gli scatti.
    Happy New Year
    Bye
    Paolo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brad Ouellette8:47 PM

    Stunning shots Ethan! I really like the portrait shot of the Harlequin very well done.
    cheers.
    Brad

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous8:28 PM

    Ethan this is amazing, 2 people from another country who read my blog. You are closer than South America. Love the pictures and wish I could do half as well as you do with my digiscope rig. But I'm a birder who dabbles in photography, not the other way around.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Shaun4:02 PM

    These are beautiful images, i was not a fan of bird photography, but i think you have swayed me massively. well done

    ReplyDelete
  8. simjenphoto5:23 AM

    Excellent shot with lovely colors. Good work Ethan.Hope you enjoyed the trip.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown3:10 AM

    I love your work! Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  10. rachelle vance photography8:29 PM

    i love that sandpiper! great shot!!

    ReplyDelete