Old Barney, birds, and...rocks?

I do most of my bird photography along the New Jersey shore in the spring and fall when birds are migrating, and the Greenhead and Black Flies are still dormant. Last October, after a few fairly productive days at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge near Atlantic City, I decided to visit Barnegat Lighthouse State Park located on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. This is a trip I do NOT recommend during the summer. Long Beach Island is overrun with tourists and just getting onto the island with the traffic is a nightmare.

The newly restored Barnegat Lighthouse is once again open to the public and attracts nearly half a million visitors each year. That doesn’t include the many locals who go there to fish for striped bass, bluefish, flounder, and other various species. To the right of the lighthouse, a concrete walkway on top of the south jetty provides a nice view of Barnegat Bay as well as access for people with disabilities.  I photographed a few Double-crested Cormorants and Least Sandpipers on the rocks along the jetty but those were pretty much it.

Double-crested Cormorants

Least Sandpipers

Since I’m also always looking for other interesting subjects, the rocks themselves captured my attention. Several people stopped and asked what I was taking pictures of, and when I told them ‘patterns in the rocks,’ most just shook their heads and moved along.

That got me thinking about how many millions of people have taken that same walk and never saw what I did. I find that very sad. There’s something interesting to be found almost everywhere if people only took the time to slow down and look.

I think these rocks have such beautiful colors and textures. The light was at just the right angle, and it lasted for such a short time. Had I arrived an hour earlier or later, or visited on an overcast day, these images would probably not have been created. Possibly others would have presented themselves, which makes returning to a familiar location at different times of day and under different lighting conditions so compelling. That’s what makes photography so exciting. Each day and hour can present something totally new if you’re open to really seeing what is there.

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