Against the Wind 3I9647
A stiff WNW wind blew across Barnegat Bay, taking with it much of the water that had piled in with the wind and tide the previous day. The inlet currents were treacherous but at dead low tide small islets of sand could be found at the base of the jetty. We took a chance. It was an opportunity we might never get again. Clambering carefully down the rocks covered with the slipperiest of algae, we reached the water’s edge, where Red-breasted Mergansers danced amongst the eddies, ripples, and riptides in one of New Jersey’s most unforgiving inlets. These mergansers are perfectly happy in the salty sea, but brisk tidal currents coupled with high winds were no match for these large diving ducks, which carried them toward open ocean. Running against the wind, they would take to the air, returning to calmer bayside waters to start the process anew. #RedBreastedMergansers
Against the Wind 3I9647
A stiff WNW wind blew across Barnegat Bay, taking with it much of the water that had piled in with the wind and tide the previous day. The inlet currents were treacherous but at dead low tide small islets of sand could be found at the base of the jetty. We took a chance. It was an opportunity we might never get again. Clambering carefully down the rocks covered with the slipperiest of algae, we reached the water’s edge, where Red-breasted Mergansers danced amongst the eddies, ripples, and riptides in one of New Jersey’s most unforgiving inlets. These mergansers are perfectly happy in the salty sea, but brisk tidal currents coupled with high winds were no match for these large diving ducks, which carried them toward open ocean. Running against the wind, they would take to the air, returning to calmer bayside waters to start the process anew. #RedBreastedMergansers