A Physically Challenging, Unique Valentine's Day Tradition for Loyal Birders

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Love is in the air these days. Many have offered thoughts about this powerful emotion. This week, several of our readers share their thoughts in a series of guest essays.]

by Mike Strzelecki*

It’s not that the notion of spending Valentine’s Day with my wife Kelly dining in a warm, cozy restaurant and munching chocolates together afterwards is not appealing. It’s just that my life trajectory veered in another direction. My Valentine’s Day tradition now involves spending hours on end in sub-freezing temperatures, on a harsh stone jetty that juts far out into the Atlantic Ocean, being battered by gusty wind bursts and seaspray from waves breaking on the jetty.

Let me explain.

My favorite bird in the world is the harlequin duck. Even birders of the most discerning tastes call it a beaut. The harlequin duck is adorned with loud patches of chestnut and slate-blue, delineated by bold white borders. It looks like it was designed by someone who liked paint-by-numbers.

Harlequin ducks reside in northern Canada and around Greenland, where they breed. In winter, they escape the extreme Arctic conditions by migrating southward. Most of them stop along the rocky and wind-swept shorelines of northern New England. There is a flock of harlequin ducks, however, that for whatever reason, venture farther south and make their home in the Barnegat Inlet area of the central New Jersey coast. Spending a day with this flock of harlequin ducks has become our special Valentine’s Day tradition.

Harlequin ducks are diminutive when compared to other duck species, and spend their time packed together in tight groups hiding and feeding along the huge jetty stones. They appear as little colorful corks being tossed about in the rough waters, avoiding being swept into the rocks. They crave dynamic marine environments, where tides, currents, and waves come together to form an aquatic symphony. They dive down and eat the barnacles and mussels off the submerged faces of the large jetty rocks.

It’s a gift being able to spend the day watching harlequin ducks, but it’s also a physical challenge getting to them. We begin at the Barnegat lighthouse. We walk along a concrete walkway that follows the inlet waters. We then scale a metal fence and hoist ourselves down onto the jetty. From there we turn towards the ocean and walk about a quarter mile due east on the jetty. We head straight into the rough-and-tumble surf, often through sea spray. We leap from boulder to boulder, avoiding icy areas and slick mossy patches. Eventually we find our harlequin friends and spend an hour or two observing them at very close range.

I’m not sure why Kelly and I chose to celebrate Valentine’s Day each year spending hours in brutal coastal conditions on a jetty. Many years back, we were visiting the ducks and it just so happened to be Valentine’s Day. Weather conditions that year were extreme. The temperatures dipped into the single digits and shards of wind cut through our many layers of clothing. We lost feelings in our hands and face, fingers too numb to snap photographs. We laughed at our disposition, comparing it to our friends who were celebrating the special day in toasty restaurants.

And then the next year, we decided to go back and do it again.

Our Barnegat Inlet Valentine’s Day tradition is very emblematic of our relationship. We are both energized and awestruck by beautiful settings, like Barnegat Inlet. We love seeing colorful and unusual and rare birds, but also agree that the chase to find the birds is as good as the sightings. And we both find love by, as the saying goes, peering out across the horizon together, and not just by gazing into each other’s eyes. Our relationship is founded more on beautiful shared experiences than romantic dinners.

This year, the harlequin ducks put on a splendid performance for us. The weather was unseasonably calm, so they spent more time on the jetty rocks posing for pictures. Other uncommon and photogenic bird and animal friends joined our celebration. They are attracted to Barnegat Inlet by the strong currents and tidal fluctuations that churn the inlet bottom, dredging up lots of tasty invertebrates to snack on.

This seal was one of two that bobbed in the chop, intensely following our movements across the rocks. Always watching us. It reminded me of the eyes in a haunted house picture that follow you everywhere.

The surf scoter is known for sporting a goofy face and beak. They are usually seen far out in big water, but can be seen much closer at Barnegat Inlet.

Snow buntings arrive every winter from the Arctic area and love to zip around in large flocks and feed on the fallen seeds from beach plants.

Long-tail ducks congregate here in large numbers, showing off their stunning colors and tail feathers.

Finally, female red-breasted mergansers were particularly active this year working the swift, choppy waters along the jetty rocks. The more colorful males were hanging out in deeper water, out of camera range.

* Mike Strzelecki is a freelance travel and outdoor writer, and 1981 graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High School. He writes from his house in Baltimore, Maryland. In his spare time, he joins his wife on adventures around the country observing and photographing

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