Admittedly, I was a little late getting back to Barnegat Light this spring. I figured there was plenty of time. There always is.
Most years I bumble around the beach for weeks in the early spring, believing that the slowly returning piping plovers are going to lay eggs imminently. But they never do, so I pass the time and burn the frustration by posting ridiculous, exaggerated, often completely made-up stories here about what the birds are thinking, until they actually do lay eggs weeks later and life becomes so unbearably chaotic and messy I have to just walk away from Readings From the Northside entirely for the rest of the year. I don’t even get to choose.
But not this spring. It wasn’t my third trip to check on the birds of Barnegat Light when I stumbled upon the first egg. And not just the first egg in Plover Park, but the first egg in New Jersey, and probably the whole world.
I was kind-of sure this egg belonged to Plover Park superstar Lindsey Buckingham, but honestly, I couldn’t yet say for sure. I had zero idea who the female might be. I still don’t! That’s how fast everything is moving.
The very next day, Teri up at Island Beach State Park discovered Plover Park alum Suga had laid the second egg of the season.
Then yesterday, I found the third in the park. This one belonging to the park’s own Pedro Pascal. Thank goodness he was so proud of his little egg he stood right next to it.
But once again, I still can’t say for sure who the female is. I guess that’s how it’s going to be for now.
And then today, Elly from NJFW found the fourth egg of the year, again in Barnegat Light. We know for sure who this one belongs to: The King & Queen of Barnegat Light, Jimin and Myrtle. This is Myrtle’s eleventh season making babies in Barnegat Light.
So that’s how it’s going to be, huh? Well, I guess we’ll just hustle and roll with the plovers.
That’s 4 eggs in New Jersey already. And it’s no coincidence they are all being laid by our Barnegat Light babies. This place is unreal. It’s magic!
I used to say that just because I wanted it to be true so badly. Now I say it because it is an absolute fact. I guess that’s just how it’s gonna be!