I returned to Lighthouse Point Park at Ponce Inlet again in the hopes of finding a Razorbill. We found one far off the jetty.
My father, who’s in town for Christmas, located it in his scope, and I was able to locate it briefly with my binoculars.
It was very far away (I probably would not have been able to identify it with my binoculars), the winds were strong and the waves were high, and the Razorbill appeared to be spending a lot of time “flying” under water.
So no photos of the Razorbill, but tomorrow morning, we’re hoping to go to the gulf where people have been getting pretty good photos of Razorbills.
Black Skimmers, though, were a very different story. There were many there, and a couple were actively bathing and skimming by the shore, making me very happy. Gulls were numerous too, though not like the last time I came came here. We found only Herring, Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls, plus Royal and Sandwich Terns.
Also fun was seeing a Northern Gannet fly relatively close to shore–one flew over the jetty and consequently I was able to take my best pictures (so far) of this wonderful bird. We found several species of shorebirds, Willet, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, and one Spotted Sandpiper.
We also found a small flock of Black Scoters flying south, a few Lesser Scaup doing the same, and one Red-breasted Merganser also doing the same. As we walked up the inlet towards the lighthouse, we came across two Reddish Egrets, one Common Loon, and a few dolphin.
And on a sad note, we found one Double-crested Cormorant that appears to have a fish hook lodged in its mouth. I think it happened when I was there, too, since I heard it give a loud distress call from the shore and then fly away rather erratically. I wish people properly dispose of their fishing lines.
Scott Simmons
Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.
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