BirdCapeMay.org

Folks seeking a shorebird alternative to Brig might consider Cape May Point State Park, which has been hot, or the impoundments near Port Norris, Cumberland County, known variously as Bivalve, the PSE&G impoundments, Strawberry impoundments, or the Commercial Township Wetland Restoration Site. Directions and more info are on the NJAS Birding and Wildlife Trails site, at http://www.njwildlifetrails.org/BwtWeb/SiteDetails.aspx?si=75.

I braved the shore traffic to go up to Port Norris this morning, mainly to put in some cycling miles but I carried my Swarovski 8X32's (a great cycling glass, by the way - full sized performance in a very compact package). The tide was low and incoming, and shorebirds were abundant. One of the neat parts of birding the impoundments is that you are up on a boardwalk and can look down on the birds at very close range. It was a great opportunity to study various aspects of common birds, for example the tail pattern of Short-billed Dowitchers. As I slowly rode along the boardwalk, the dows would flush and settle a few feet away, revealing that, to my eye, not a single one displayed what I could call a dark tail. All appeared grayish, the result of irregular dark barring on a white background, with the white between the dark bars as wide or wider than the bars. On Long-billeds, the dark bars are normally wider than the white, and more regular - the effect is a dark tail contrasting with the white upper rump and wedge extending up the dow's back.

It was also an excellent opportunity to listen to the shorebirds. For example, it was a chance to be reminded that besides the standard Semipalmated Sandpiper "churk," this species issues a higher "cheet" call, annoyingly similar to both Western Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher. The Semi's were "cheeting" as often as "churking," not typical in my experience but it's good to be reminded of the variability that occurs in all bird vocalizations.

Purple Martins have actually been throwing me lately, too, with the recently fledged young birds delivering mellower versions of the hard, Star Wars Space Fight sounds the adults are known for. And then there was the Lesser Yellowlegs that persistently called "tu-tu-tu," that's right, three notes, supposedly diagnostic for Greater. Sheesh. The notes were at least Lesser in quality, not as hard as Greater.

These impoundments were created, by the way,as part of PSE&G's atonement for warm-water discharge, and are supposed to benefit fish as well as people and birds. They clearly were today - except a feeding frenzy of 60 Snowy Egrets, Laughing Gulls, Great Egrets, and one Great Blue that bullied everybody didn't exactly promise high survival rates in that particular pool!

It was exciting to run across an American Kestrel on Strawberry Lane where it runs east from Route 553 north of Port Norris. There certainly was no Kestrel in this vicinity in May, as many WSB teams can attest, which gives pause to wonder about this bird's provenance. I didn't see it well enough to get an age or even sex on it, it was naked-eye only, but it seemed softer contoured and biggish, suggestive of a female.

Blue Grosbeaks are thick in brushy fields and hedges around Port Norris, I heard a number chinking as I passed.

The full list for the morning's birding (just near the impoundments) is below.

Location: Port Norris
Observation date: 8/4/07
Notes: Checked the impoundments from both
Bivalve and Strawberry sides, by bicycle (no scope)
Number of species: 45
Mute Swan 2
American Black Duck 2
Wild Turkey 6
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 5
Snowy Egret 60
Green Heron 2
Osprey 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Clapper Rail 1
Black-bellied Plover 5
Semipalmated Plover 20
Killdeer 5
Greater Yellowlegs 10
Lesser Yellowlegs 25
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1000
Least Sandpiper 50
Short-billed Dowitcher 500
Laughing Gull 50
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 5
Great Black-backed Gull 5
Forster's Tern 10
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 5
Purple Martin 100
Tree Swallow 25
Barn Swallow 10
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 1
Marsh Wren 5
Eastern Bluebird 1
Northern Mockingbird 5
European Starling 10
Yellow Warbler 2
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Blue Grosbeak 3
Indigo Bunting 5
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Common Grackle 5
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 10
House Sparrow 5
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Just to remind folks, check out the link I listed yesterday, http://opinionnow.co.uk/cz-surv-us0707/. By taking the optics survey (no personal information is collected if you choose) you will be helping to supply information of what birders are looking for in a quality pair of optics. It literally only takes five or so minutes, or at least that's as long as it took for me to complete the survey. At the end you have the choice to enter the raffle for a chance to win a pair of high quality, $700 optics. Unfortunately, I cannot enter the raffle since I work as a dealer of optics but you could win. Take a chance and help to formulate the optics of the future.

Anyway,.....

Went to TNC's Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge this morning. Since this is the shorebird time of year, so to speak, it seems fitting to take advantage of the numbers of species that can be seen in Cape May this time of year. Though, the numbers of birds at the refuge this morning were not spectacular. There were birds to be seen but not in the numbers there were a week or so ago.

There are a number of reasons this could be the case. Personally, my guess is that low tide was the culprit. Being that low tide for the Atlantic portion of Cape May is listed as 6:18 a.m. on my favorite tide site (http://www.saltwatertides.com/) this hypothesis would seem to be corroborated at least a little. Low tide, leaving too many other good feeding locations open.

With the weather forecast being what it is; the plan is to hit Higbee Beach WMA in the morning since there is a cool front moving through and so far the wind forecast is to be NW over night. I am determined to find a Cerulean warbler this year and August is the time to do so. Soon enough and it's time to start visiting the Morning Flight Project at the dike near the ferry terminal. If you don't know where the morning flight is located take a look at the CMBO Birding and Butterflying map http://www.birdcapemay.org/downloads/capeislandcmbomap2007.pdf, this a phenomena not to be missed in the fall.

Anyway, get out and see what the NW winds bring tomorrow morning. A list of the species observed is below.

Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 8/4/07
Number of species: 42
Canada Goose 12
Mallard 7
Northern Bobwhite 1
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 2
Green Heron 2
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
Osprey 2
Semipalmated Plover 2
Piping Plover 3
Killdeer 4
American Oystercatcher 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 4
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Sanderling 32
Semipalmated Sandpiper 9
Least Sandpiper 48
Pectoral Sandpiper 3
Short-billed Dowitcher 3
Laughing Gull 230
Ring-billed Gull 9
Herring Gull 12
Great Black-backed Gull 28
Forster's Tern 8
Least Tern 60
Mourning Dove 6
Eastern Kingbird 1
White-eyed Vireo 1
American Crow 4
Tree Swallow 15
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Wren 3
Gray Catbird 2
Yellow Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 2
Song Sparrow 3
Indigo Bunting 6
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Common Grackle 6
House Finch 34
American Goldfinch 3
House Sparrow 15
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)

The first southbound Ruddy Turnstones I've encountered this summer, a dozen strong, joined 50 Sanderlings and 5 Semi-palmated Plovers at Townsend's Inlet this evening. Townsend's is the inlet separating Avalon from Sea Isle City, just north of the Avalon Sea Watch.

The evening gave cause to ruminate on birding without binoculars, which is what I was doing. Ted Eubanks has an article on this in the current issue of Birding magazine, but of course folks have been watching birds without the aid of optics, well, since before there were optics.

I was actually fishing tonight, but as Vince Elia, CMBO research associate, puts it, "I'm never not birding." And I'd have to say that bins would not have added any species to tonight's list - the selection of seaside birds consisted of those distinctive at great distances, such as the highly patterned turnstones, the behaviorly distinctive Sanderlings and foraging Black Skimmers, the very vocal Common Terns, and the omnipresent "flying m's" - Ospreys.

Well now that the Northwood store inventory is done I was able to get back outside and see what might be moving through Cape May.

We decided that the "Beanery" was the place to bird since we were a little short on time and the fact that it's been awhile since either of us had set foot on the property. NOTE: Please remember that the Beanery is private property and that you must be a current member of NJAS or CMBO to access the property. Beanery passes can be obtained at either the Northwood Center or Center for Research and Education.

Anyway, the numbers of species observed wasn't very high but some interesting things were revealed when I input my data on e-Bird.

It seems that this morning was the day of 3's. If you look at the species numbers you'll see that we saw "3" of a number of species. In fact almost half the species we observed were totaled in 3's. Now having spent some time in the research field that brings all sorts of questions to mind as we did observe a few birds together in 3's. Mostly, this means that I was only paying attention to species up to three individuals I guess.

There have definitely been more waterthrushes around. Most I have heard (I personally have a hard time telling the call notes of Northern and Louisiana apart, maybe Michael O'Brien will help us out with this one day soon; hint, hint!) but some birds have been nice enough to show themselves to me. This morning we were fortunate enough to have two Northern waterthrushes "bobbing" along on the ground in the wet railroad track woods. This afforded us an excellent opportunity to watch the foraging behaviour if this species.

Another interesting observation was a Ruby-throated hummingbird that was chasing a Tree swallow around for a while. I would never have guessed that a hummingbird would chase a Tree swallow, especially out in the open well away from anywhere that the bird might consider it's territory. Maybe it hadn't had the obligatory cup of joe yet?

None the less, it's a hot sticky day here in South Jersey. One of those days I'm actually sort of glad to have to be inside.

Our list of species is below.

Location: The Beanery
Observation date: 8/2/07
Number of species: 19
Mallard 3
Great Egret 3
Green Heron 3
Laughing Gull 3
Mourning Dove 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
American Crow 3
Purple Martin 8
Barn Swallow 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 6
American Robin 2
Yellow Warbler 1
Northern Waterthrush 2
Northern Cardinal 3
Blue Grosbeak 3
Indigo Bunting 6
Common Grackle 20
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)

CMBO's Wednesday morning walk at Cape May Point State Park yielded a nice selection of shorebirds, many of which provided close views. The full list, courtesy of Karl Lukens, is below.

On another note, last night at the free bridge in Stone Harbor, Common Terns conserved energy by behaving very much like kingfishers, as they sometimes do: perching quietly on a bridge piling or cross-member, patiently watching the water below for Atlantic silversides being driven to the surface by an attending school of small bluefish. When fish appeared, often spraying across the surface in their efforts to escape, the terns would drop off their perch with hardly a wingbeat, capture a fish, and (the ones I was watching, anyhow) eat it on the wing. Apparently these birds either had no young at nearby Champagne Island, or were having a parents' night out. Many Black Skimmers also enjoyed the good fishing, slicing back and forth quite close to the sod banks near the bridge.

SPECIES SEEN ~ CMBO TRIP ~ 8/1/2007
~ Cape May Point ~ New Jersey Checklist ~ 61 seen
Great Blue Heron 7
Great Egret 25
Snowy Egret 35
Black-crowned Night-Heron 3
Glossy Ibis 20
Mute Swan 25
Canada Goose 18
Mallard 40
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 4
Semipalmated Plover 10
Killdeer 10
Short-billed Dowitcher 15
Greater Yellowlegs 6
Lesser Yellowlegs 20
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Spotted Sandpiper 3
Sanderling 20
Semipalmated Sandpiper 10
Least Sandpiper 40
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Stilt Sandpiper 6
Ring-billed Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 10
American Herring Gull 10
Laughing Gull 50
Common Tern 6
Forster's Tern 20
Least Tern 70
Black Skimmer 3
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 5
Chimney Swift 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Eastern Kingbird 1
Purple Martin 20
Tree Swallow 8
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 8
Cedar Waxwing 7
Carolina Wren 7
House Wren 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
American Robin 4
Carolina Chickadee 8
American Crow 1
European Starling 10
House Sparrow 10
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
Yellow Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 4
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Blue Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 1 /h
Bobolink 4
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
Orchard Oriole 1

I just received an email from Pete Bacinski from NJAS Sandy Hook Bird Observatory that there was a report of a female FRIGATEBIRD sp. seen on 7/29. The bird was seen from the Cape May/Lewes Ferry (closer to Lewes DE.) as the bird followed along side the ferry for about five minutes.

If you are in Cape May, Delaware or happen to be riding the ferry in the near future keep an eye out for this bird. There have been a number of sightings of this species from this region in the last few years. The most recent that comes to mind was this very spring.

Good luck.

Extreme humidity and rumbling thunder didn't dissuade CMBO's Monday morning Cape May meadows walk.

Many Least Tern chicks remain within the colony at the meadows (a.k.a. TNC's Cape May Migratory Refuge), with their parents. Some of these are still downy and flightless, especially those east of the east path, which is the place to go if you want to watch chicks being fed and learning to fly. All the tern chicks beg incessantly - after each feeding you can almost hear the adults mutter, 'I can't believe this kid eats so much!"

While we were watching the terns and gulls by the Plover Pond, a Peregrine Falcon put all to flight and proceeded to fly south out over the bay and out of sight in the distant sea fog, apparently headed to Delaware. It was too far and too fast to assess age or race. It's also completely possible that this bird will fly back over to the meadows tomorrow, they do that now and then!

My favorite bird of the day was a juvenile Least Sandpiper, bright and shiny with upperpart feathers edged in orange-rufous. This was the second juvenile shorebird I've seen this "fall," the first being yesterday's Lesser Yellowlegs. A Black-bellied Plover, heard as a flyby before the walk, was another first of fall for me. A Western Sandpiper, quite white-headed as they often are this time of year, fed in the impoundment east of the east path (the path with the tower along it). This is where most of the shorebirds are.

Today's complete list follows.

Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 7/30/07
Notes: CMBO's Monday morning walk
Number of species: 59
Canada Goose 50
Mute Swan 2
Mallard 10 a family group was feeding on rye seeds along path
Northern Bobwhite 1
Brown Pelican 1
Great Egret 5
Snowy Egret 10
Green Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 3
Glossy Ibis 35 flyovers all
Osprey 3 2 perched together on the nest platform
Cooper's Hawk 1 almost certainly from the state park nest
Peregrine Falcon 1 flew over, flushed everything from the plover ponds, headed south over the bay and disappeared
Black-bellied Plover 1 heard before walk, first one in NJ this "fall" for me
Semipalmated Plover 10
Piping Plover 2
Killdeer 5
American Oystercatcher 3
Greater Yellowlegs 5
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Sanderling 30
Semipalmated Sandpiper 20
Western Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 40 Included the first juvenile of fall for me
Pectoral Sandpiper 4
Stilt Sandpiper 1
Short-billed Dowitcher 10
Laughing Gull 30
Ring-billed Gull 20
Herring Gull 20
Great Black-backed Gull 30
Royal Tern 1
Common Tern 20
Forster's Tern 5
Least Tern 60
Black Skimmer 10
Rock Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
American Crow 2
Purple Martin 20
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 10
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 2
Cedar Waxwing 5
Yellow Warbler 5 all flybys
Common Yellowthroat 3
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 1
Indigo Bunting 5 all flybys
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
House Finch 5
House Sparrow 5
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

An hour's birding today at Cape May Point State Park, focused on Bunker Pond (which is where I suggest any birders visiting the state park focus at this time of year) yielded a nice selection of shorebirds. The highlight for me was the first juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs I've seen this "fall," which was also the first juvenile anything, shorebird wise, I've seen this fall as well. Juv. shorebirds are special for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that they somehow find their way south without parental guidance. In most species, adults depart the breeding grounds about a month before the juveniles do.

Juvenile shorebirds, by the way, are universally characterized by feathers in uniform condition (all are brand new, having been grown as the bird passed out of the downy stage on the breeding grounds) and the feathers are usually in very good condition when the juvenile birds first arrive in Cape May or elswhere in the mid-Atlantic. Juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs show fresh upperparts, the brownish ground color laced with well-defined white spots.

Another highlight was a total of 10 Stilt Sandpipers, all adults in breeding plumage, some more vivid than others. On an outward walk past Bunker Pond, the Stilt Sands were scattered, but on the return they had coalesced into a single flock on the "shorebird island" of the pond, joining dowitchers and yellowlegs there.

Five Solitary Sandpipers belied their name by flying over the parking area in a group, circling once, and continuing on across the Delaware Bay, and Yellow Warblers and Indigo Buntings continue to "seep" and "bzzt" overhead.

This mornings complete list is below.

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/29/07
Number of species: 41
Canada Goose 10
Mute Swan 35
Mallard 20 included a brood of ~12, very recently hatched
Great Blue Heron 8
Great Egret 15
Snowy Egret 5
Glossy Ibis 1
Osprey 4
Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer 5
Greater Yellowlegs 10 ratio between greater and lesser has increased this week
Lesser Yellowlegs 20 includes the first juvenile of year for me
Solitary Sandpiper 6
Sanderling 200 included obs on beach of SCMM, new high count for me
Semipalmated Sandpiper 20
Western Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 20
Pectoral Sandpiper 3
Stilt Sandpiper 10 at first the stilts were scattered, then coalesced into one flock at "shorebird island" in Bunker Pond
Short-billed Dowitcher 20
Laughing Gull 25
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 2
Gull-billed Tern 2
Common Tern 5
Forster's Tern 5
Least Tern 20
Black Skimmer 2
Rock Pigeon 15
Mourning Dove 5
Eastern Kingbird 1 No sign of activity at the nest near Bunker Pond
Purple Martin 50
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Yellow Warbler 2
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Indigo Bunting 5
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Common Grackle 2
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 10
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Karl Lukens reports the following from CMBO's Saturday 7/28/07 walk at Cape May Point State Park:

A nice variety of shore and land birds this morning. Brown Pelicans off-shore, Black and Gull-billed Terns in Bunker Pond along with numerous waders including 1 white Little Blue. Shore birds included Least, Semi- sands, SB dowitchers, 2 Stilt, 3 spotted, & 1 Solitary Sandpiper. Woods birds included, 5-6 Orchard Orioles, 2 Yellow Warblers, Blue Grosbeak, 3 Indigo Buntings, as well as Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. The complete list is below:

SPECIES SEEN 7/28/2007 in Cape May Point
71 species seen

Brown Pelican 3
Great Blue Heron 11
Great Egret 20
Little Blue Heron 1
Snowy Egret 25
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
Glossy Ibis 5
Mute Swan 35
Canada Goose 18
Mallard 35
Turkey Vulture 2
Osprey 3
American Oystercatcher 1 /h
Semipalmated Plover 10
Killdeer 12
Piping Plover 2
Short-billed Dowitcher 18
Whimbrel 1
Greater Yellowlegs 5
Lesser Yellowlegs 20
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Sanderling 12
Semipalmated Sandpiper 12
Least Sandpiper 30
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Stilt Sandpiper 2
Great Black-backed Gull 10
American Herring Gull 10
Laughing Gull 50
Gull-billed Tern 1
Common Tern 10
Forster's Tern 20
Least Tern 70
Black Tern 1
Black Skimmer 1
Rock Pigeon 8
Mourning Dove 6
Chimney Swift 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Eastern Kingbird 2
Purple Martin 25
Tree Swallow 8
Barn Swallow 8
Cedar Waxwing 3
Carolina Wren 7
House Wren 4
Gray Catbird 3
Northern Mockingbird 3
American Robin 3
American Crow 2
Fish Crow 6
European Starling 12
House Sparrow 20
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
Yellow Warbler 2
Prairie Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 6
Yellow-breasted Chat 1 /h
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 4
Blue Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 3
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Orchard Oriole 5