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[Monarch butterflies accumulated near the hawk watch pavilion today. Click to enlarge. Photo by Don Freiday.]
The Cape May dawn broke cloudy and flat calm after pre-dawn downpours, and we began our day looking at an excellent concentration of terns and gulls on the beach at Cape May Point State Park. "We" means the participants in the Fall Migration Workshop, the same we that yesterday anticipated the passage of the approaching front.
We were not disappointed, though the front's passage around 9:30 a.m. at Cape May Point had us taking shelter under the hawk watch pavilion, with CMBO's counters and interpreters, until it cleared. The front itself wound up producing little rain, but these fast-moving cold fronts send the warm air ahead of them high into the sky, with downpours often the result, so we played it safe.
Pre-front, the beach yielded a kazillion Common Terns alternately roosting and flying about, depending on what the Peregrines and Merlins were doing - both falcons were present, so the terns were on their toes. With the Commons were 3 Black Terns and more than a score of Royals, as well as a smattering of Forster's. The rips were alive with Laughing Gulls, but not a jaeger could be found by us. We also inspected the State Park trails for passerines, and found them in onesies and twosies - 2 Yellow Warblers, 1 Magnolia, 1 Black-throated Green, and so forth.
Post-front, the kestrels started pouring by, as did the Merlins - Jessie counted over 150 Merlins on the day, and close to 500 kestrels. We watched an adult Bald Eagle steal a fish from an Osprey while we walked the state park trails, and later saw the same scene repeated while we hawk-watched from the platform. Glen Davis said it was third such incident of the day.
While walking the trails, we came upon an immature Peregrine perched literally right over our heads, maybe 15 feet up. The bird allowed time for close looks before rocketing off.
Later we checked the Meadows, where we could find a Merlin anytime we wanted. Two young eagles soared over, and a patch of skimmers came in to bathe and drink. Later still, after the workshop day ended, small falcons continued to fly past the platform, including a Merlin that plucked a Semi-palmated Sandpiper from Bunker Pond.
I hear from Michael O'Brien that the Villas WMA held a couple feeding flocks of warblers this morning, a useful tidbit of information given that there was little in the way of a passerine flight last night - perhaps Villas holds migrants.
Today's State Park list is below.
Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 9/15/07
Notes: CMBO's Fall Migration Workshop, Day 2 - morning and part of the afternoon. Cold front passed about 10 a.m.
Number of species: 77
Canada Goose 25
Mute Swan 5
Gadwall 2
American Wigeon 4
Mallard 25
Blue-winged Teal 25
Northern Shoveler 10
Green-winged Teal 10
Hooded Merganser 1
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 1
Black Vulture 5
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 15
Bald Eagle 5
Northern Harrier 3
Cooper's Hawk 2
Broad-winged Hawk 1
American Kestrel 50
Merlin 25
Peregrine Falcon 3
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 25
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Whimbrel 1
Ruddy Turnstone 5
Sanderling 25
Semipalmated Sandpiper 40
Least Sandpiper 10
Pectoral Sandpiper 5
Stilt Sandpiper 15
Short-billed Dowitcher 15
Laughing Gull 800
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 40
Great Black-backed Gull 50
Royal Tern 50
Common Tern 300
Forster's Tern 25
Black Tern 3
Black Skimmer 30
Rock Pigeon 30
Mourning Dove 10
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker 1
American Crow 15
Fish Crow 5
Purple Martin 2
Tree Swallow 20
Barn Swallow 20
Carolina Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 5
Carolina Wren 5
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 5
European Starling 10
Cedar Waxwing 10
Yellow Warbler 3
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 15
Blackpoll Warbler 2
American Redstart 5
Common Yellowthroat 2
Northern Cardinal 5
Bobolink 10
Red-winged Blackbird 25
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 10
House Sparrow 15
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
So far, it seems that Jessie has counted about 250 or so kestrels, about 75 sharp-shin's and about 100 Merlin.
I would expect that with the winds continuing to maintain strength and staying from the NW that the flight should last a good long while into the day. If you were thinking about getting down to Cape May to do some hawk watching, now would be a good time.
Tomorrow should be good as well, at least in the morning. The winds were projected to switch to the NE at some point on Sunday.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that there is also a good flight of Monarch butterflies happening as well. In scanning the skies two species were very obvious, kestrels and monarchs.
"Cold front: learn this term." I told folks that at the start of the workshop. Raptors will fly in the afternoon tomorrow, and on Sunday, everything. Sunday's the last day of this three day workshop, which I'm co-leading with Michael O'Brien and Louise Zemaitis. We divide the group up for the field portions of the workshop, then group up for the indoors stuff.
This afternoon, we went over the best approach to identify any bird (a program I'll be repeating at the Autumn Weekend/Bird Show), and then Michael reviewed how to separate the dowitchers, Empidonax flycatchers, and Bay-breasted vs. Blackpoll Warblers in flight, among other things. . .we'll get to the hard stuff tomorrow, we joked.
Today we had east winds, and spent our time looking at Royal, Common and Forster's terns roosting on the beach, and picking a single distant Parasitic Jaeger from the foraging flocks off the Bunker at Cape May Point State Park. Like I told the workshop participants, "It's the dark falcon-like one beating the heck out of the others."
The other dark, falcon-like one of the morning was Merlin - we saw several, including one that tried, and tried, and tried, to do something with the pigeons that roost and nest on the Bunker. Those pigeons have been trained for years by tundra Peregrines, so a Merlin, fast as the species is, has little hope of success. I've only ever seen one of these resident pigeons killed by a raptor - an adult female Peregrine came over the dune, drove the pigeon flock into the air, did a full loop-de-loop and took one of the flock on the downswing like she did it all the time. God, I love Peregrines.
We saw one of them, too, today, later over at the Beanery - where some jerk vandalized the signs last weekend, by the way, we'll have them ship-shape in a little while (thanks, Sheila, Marleen and Dave!). A Sharp-shinned Hawk was hassling with a group of crows, and the P-bird came in to hassle with everyone. With winds not condusive to migration, we saw plenty of raptors today but they all had time on their hands, so to speak - drifting around, hunting, playing, but not much migration going on.
The state park held a few shorebirds, including plenty of Stilt Sandpipers, but I'm pretty sure the Baird's and Buff-breasted Sandpipers of the previous few days have left town, and we'll need a replenishment this weekend. Which, with the front, I predict we'll get, though the season is leaning towards late for both those species.
I heard about a Common Nighthawk roosting at the far end of the first field at Higbee, but we couldn't locate it. A few passerines were flying in the early morning, but not so many were available for study later.
Tomorrow Michael and Louise are taking their portion of the group to the Villas WMA, a.k.a. Ponderlodge, hopefully for a few of the landbirds which were scarce today. My group will begin again at the state park, perhaps to seawatch at the rips, perhaps to patrol the state park trails for landbirds, I haven't quite decided, and think it will be a little from column A, and a little from column B.
Today's list for the State Park is below.
Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 9/14/07
Notes: CMBO's Fall Migration Workshop, east winds.
Number of species: 55
Canada Goose 15
Mute Swan 3
Mallard 5
Blue-winged Teal 15
Northern Shoveler 10
Green-winged Teal 5
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Snowy Egret 5
Tricolored Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5
Cooper's Hawk 5
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 10
Merlin 5
Peregrine Falcon 1
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Sanderling 25
Semipalmated Sandpiper 40
Least Sandpiper 5
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Stilt Sandpiper 15
Short-billed Dowitcher 10
Parasitic Jaeger 1
Laughing Gull 100
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Royal Tern 40
Common Tern 100
Forster's Tern 20
Black Skimmer 10
Rock Pigeon 40
Mourning Dove 10
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
American Crow 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Northern Mockingbird 5
European Starling 5
Cedar Waxwing 10
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 10
Northern Waterthrush 5
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 1
House Finch 1
House Sparrow 5
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Went up to the dike this morning as it was evident that good numbers of birds were moving over night. I sat out on my back porch for a few minuets around 5:00 a.m. to listen to the birds flying over head. Actually was able to add a couple that I could identify to the yard list. Easy birds, Swainson's thrush and Veery. Also had a Great horned calling which was nice. Loads of zeeps, zips and others that I could not tell. Did hear what I was sure was a tanager but I forgot to ask Michael about what I heard, the sound to verify.
While there were good numbers of birds seen from the dike, the larger portion for the flight seemed to continue high over head. Sam pointed out that you could scan the sky as if you would hawk watching, and at times you couldn't help but pick up tens of birds at a time.
There were a few Connecticut warblers flying past. What kills me was the first one flew by, close, and before anyone called it out I was thinking to my self, this could be a Connecticut warbler. Just then Richard called out the bird and I have still yet to get the look I am looking for. Maybe on Sunday.
So, if you were not able to get out today, make plans to get out Sunday! I haven't looked at the weather yet today but it's looking promising.
After the dike I took a very quick spin around the first filed at Higbee's. As I suspected not much hanging in the trees. I did hear that there were at least a couple of Connecticut warblers found in the woods today. It's that time! So, it seems that some out there had a good day of watching some birds.
The list from my very short (40 min.) walk at Higbee is below.
Location: Higbee Beach
Observation date: 9/13/07
Number of species: 25
Laughing Gull 3
Mourning Dove 2
Northern Flicker 1
Least Flycatcher 1
White-eyed Vireo 4
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 5
Carolina Wren 6
House Wren 1
Veery 4
American Robin 2
Cedar Waxwing 4
Magnolia Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 6
Black-and-white Warbler 5
American Redstart 12
Ovenbird 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Field Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 4
Indigo Bunting 1
Bobolink 35
Common Grackle 6
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
We started out the day at Higbee.....about an hour later than I'd have liked. I turned off the alarm in my sleep and woke up late. It sounded like there might have been a pretty good push of birds in the morning. When we arrived things had slowed considerably. All in all the diversity was not huge but we had some good looks at birds. A Black-throated green warbler for instance. I always like to see these birds, reminds me of my years on Hog Island at the Audubon Camp in Maine. They nested everywhere up there.
I did hear that the dike had at least a couple of Connecticut warblers fly past. Still a nemesis bird for me. Though, I will not vow to see one here, I did that with Cerulean warbler and I didn't see one this August.
Either way, the winds are supposed to be WNW- NW tonight so no matter where you may be in New Jersey, get out and do some bird watching tomorrow. There should be a good flight. I would expect that the hawk watch will be good again tomorrow. Also included in this post is numbers from our time on the hawk watch platform in the late morning. Some good looks at American kestrels and Sharp-shinned hawks. A harrier or two about and a juv. Bald eagle were highlights of my time there. Check out the View from the Field section for more detailed information on what the flights were like at the hawk watch and the morning flight.
The first list you see with be the numbers form tonight's CMBO Twilight Watch walk at TNC's CMMBR. Twenty-seven of us were treated to an amazing evening. THE major highlight of the night was a Common nighthawk that flew over head while we were discussing a few things in the parking lot. Later down the trail we saw two more night hawks. I was thinking, wow, this could turn out to be a pretty good nighthawk night. Little did I know. We hit the top of the dune after finding a Northern pintail on the little plover pond to the west of the trial. Once we got to the top of the dune we saw hundreds of Laughing gulls flying over the dune grasses hawking insects. If you looked toward the setting sun through your binoculars, the air was thick, almost as far as the eye could see with flying insects.
Soon someone noticed another Common nighthawk flying with the gulls. The another.... and another and more. As we scanned the sky opposite the sunset we could see many nighthawks between us and the town of Cape May. I counted as best I could given that I had to sort through hundreds of gulls and the nighthawks were moving about feeding so much that they continually mixed. My best count was about 45 individuals which is pretty darn good for Cape May. Sibley's Birds of Cape May indicates a fall maxima of 200 in Sept. of 1934. A far cry from a record but something we don't see all that often here. In fact, hardly ever. With the numbers of nighthawks dwindling, we should all feel lucky that we witnessed this evening's events.
As we continued around the loop I kept picking out nighthawks. Up on the new platform I counted at least 15 more birds. My 62 that I entered into my eBird account is a conservative estimate. I would guess that there were no less than 100 Common nighthawks over Cape May tonight. Who knows how many more moved in as the night fell.
One last note, it seemed as though there might be some heron movement tonight. Or, birds getting up testing the waters. We had no less than 13 Green herons flying around and, high. Not like birds that are heading to roost. One particular bird was flying in circles as if getting it's bearings. And for the batman portion, we did have three Red bats flying about near the platform this evening. When you are at the hawk watch platform early in the morning, look for these guys to come in off the ocean. You can see them in small numbers on a good night flight.
So, the moral to the story. Get out, you'll see more things that way. Also, check the Birding Forecast and then get out birding in the morning. Me, I'll be on the dike, it should be a good morning for it.
Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 9/12/07
Notes: CMBO Twilight Watch walk
Number of species: 37
Canada Goose 125
Mute Swan 16
Wood Duck 1
Gadwall 24
Mallard 35
Northern Shoveler 6
Northern Pintail 1
Green-winged Teal 52
Hooded Merganser 1
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 1
Green Heron 13
Black-crowned Night-Heron 6
Black Vulture 3
Osprey 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
American Kestrel 2
American Oystercatcher 8
Lesser Yellowlegs 16
Least Sandpiper 8
Short-billed Dowitcher 3
Laughing Gull 725
Herring Gull 15
Great Black-backed Gull 75
Black Skimmer 95
Mourning Dove 3
Common Nighthawk 62
Chimney Swift 3
American Crow 8
Tree Swallow 24
Barn Swallow 6
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 12
Common Yellowthroat 2
Song Sparrow 1
House Sparrow 18
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Location: Cape May Bird Observatory Hawk Watch Site
Observation date: 9/12/07
Number of species: 28
Canada Goose 35
Mallard 2
Northern Shoveler 3
Green-winged Teal 13
Great Blue Heron 1
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 34
Cooper's Hawk 4
American Kestrel 36
Merlin 6
Peregrine Falcon 1
Semipalmated Plover 6
Lesser Yellowlegs 16
Whimbrel 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 15
Least Sandpiper 25
Pectoral Sandpiper 6
Stilt Sandpiper 4
Chimney Swift 12
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Tree Swallow 100
Bank Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 15
Northern Mockingbird 2
Bobolink 37
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 15
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Location: Higbee Beach
Observation date: 9/12/07
Number of species: 27
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 2
Mourning Dove 3
Chimney Swift 6
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
White-eyed Vireo 8
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Tree Swallow 4
Carolina Chickadee 4
Carolina Wren 7
Veery 8
American Robin 8
Gray Catbird 2
Cedar Waxwing 17
Northern Parula 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 2
American Redstart 20
Northern Waterthrush 1
Common Yellowthroat 8
Northern Cardinal 7
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Blue Grosbeak 1
Bobolink 17
Baltimore Oriole 1
American Goldfinch 6
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
And they did migrate - along with many thousands of others, I'm sure. This morning's flight at the Higbee Dike was proof - Sam Galick, our migration counter, was clicking Redstarts off in 10's. Around 7:30 a.m. Sam showed me his redstart clicker - it read 71, as in 710 Redstarts. Second in abundance was probably Northern Parula, though Black-throated Blue and Northern Waterthrush vied for that title while I was there. Some goodies spiced the mix - several Connecticuts, a few Blackburnians, a solo Dickcissel, and an immature Parasitic Jaeger migrated down the bay in front of the Higbee Dike.
Birding from the dike is a different, exciting, and sometimes frustrating experience - the low-angle light makes everything look yellow, the birds pass rapidly in waves, darting this way and that, and yes, they are fall warblers, and yes, people are identifying them in flight. It's fun even if you can't identify most of the birds - where else can you see a few thousand warblers in a morning?
I haven't had the good fortune to spend much time watching Cape May's morning flight, and decided this morning that the first thing you learn at the Higbee dike is that if you thought you were quick before, you need to learn a whole new version of quickness: quickly spot the bird, quickly and normally naked-eye decide if it is something "different" (meaning, this morning, not a redstart) , quickly get your bins on it, quickly focus, and quickly absorb what you can see. That's really your first order of business when you try to i.d. ephemeral targets - get fast while staying careful. Some birders are naturally quicker than others, but I think it's as much training as talent.
Sometimes what you can see is the same stuff you use on a bird in the woods - streaks and an eyebrow on a Northern Waterthrush, for example, or wingbars on a "baypoll." Other times, you get only a gloss of pattern, like Connecticuts are big and hooded. And out on the edge, you use stuff not really in books - Blackpolls are streamlined, almost bullet-like in shape with very long wings and, even, a powerful chest. A powerful chest on a warbler? On that one, yes, and it makes sense since Blackpolls migrate so far.
Michael O'Brien, Vince Elia, and others have said the only way you can learn to bird the dike is to bird the dike, or bird from the platform where CMBO has an interpreter stationed. Some of the birds do perch briefly, before winging northward to find suitable habitat.
Then there's the business of calling out birds. Part of the problem is if you talk, you can't hear flight notes and can't concentrate, so this morning we were mostly silent, most of the time. Then there's the different-bird problem: I call out Blackpoll and you're looking at a Redstart, thinking I've lost it.
And of course, there's the bravery problem. Do you have the guts to sing out Connecticut Warbler on a fly-by 40 yards away, in front of a group of other birders, including some of the best anywhere? It's instructive to note that every single person on the dike this morning that named some birds out loud got a few wrong, at least initially, and commonly heard words included "I'm not sure," "Did you get anything on that bird?" and simply, and perhaps wisest, "I don't know." Mistakes are expected, and you can't learn without them.
I haven't heard any reports on how the woods birding was this morning, but I'm guessing it was excellent, and at the hawkwatch a few kestrels and accipiters were already evident at quarter to nine. Chris Brown, our "swing counter" (he pulls duty at the hawk watch, sea watch, and occasionally morning flight) reported a good morning passerine flight from the hawkwatch, too.
Shorebirding at the point continues to be excellent. Yesterday a Wilson's Phalarope paused briefly at Bunker Pond, seen from the hawkwatch platform. That bird, unfortunately, left after about 20 minutes with a group of yellowlegs and apparently didn't come back. Baird's and Buff-breated Sandpipers have been steadier, as have Stilt Sandpipers, White-rumpeds, and all the regular common species.
Word is Sabine's Gulls are showing up in New York State, perhaps that will be our next rarity. But rarities or no, 'tis the season to be in Cape May.
I just got back from Wyoming, where we saw many great things, but after unpacking and doing laundry and picking up mail and doing all the things one must do after being away for two weeks, I wandered down to the Delaware Bayshore at sunset to see what was going on.
The tide rose and neared high, leaving just the elevated spits for birds to roost on. Ten Royal Terns, mostly adults with attending fledged chicks, adorned one spit with a single Black Skimmer and a smattering of Forster's Terns. The typical "shore shorebirds" were present - Sanderlings, Semi-palms, and a turnstone, but the age distribution has changed decidedly, with many more juveniles present. A juvenile Western Sandpiper was with the semis, and a kingfisher flew past.
I chatted with a man cast-netting for mullet for a time. The inshore waters of Cape May County in September are rich in baitfish, and thus fish-eating birds. Mullet, bunker, and spearing are the chief species, and these are avidly pursued by bigger fish like striped bass and bluefish, as well as by terns and herons.
The most unusual species tonight was a flyby Surf Scoter, a juvenile type to my eye, which means it was an arrival from somewhere in Canada rather than a summering bird. Fall has begun, and with it Cape May at its best. Tonight's full list, just a half hour from one place:
Location: Norbury's Landing
Observation date: 9/10/07
Notes: half hour at incoming tide, about 2 hours to high.
Number of species: 14
Canada Goose 2
Surf Scoter 1 juvenile by light belly and seemingly shorter bill/steeper forehead
Semipalmated Plover 10
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Sanderling 25 about half juvs
Semipalmated Sandpiper 25 about half juvs
Western Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 5
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 10
Royal Tern 10 mostly parents with attending young
Forster's Tern 20
Black Skimmer 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
"The Meadow (TNC-CMMBR) walk this morning was good Cape May birding as usual, but with a diminished number of shore birds. Nice looks at the start of 2-3 Prairie Warblers, and excellent views of Royal Terns and Black Skimmers on the beach."
SPECIES SEEN ~ CMBO TRIP
9/10/2007 ~ in Meadow ~ New
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Mute Swan 6
Canada Goose 50
American Wigeon 4
Green-winged Teal 3
Mallard 30
Blue-winged Teal 8
Turkey Vulture 3
Osprey 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Merlin 1
Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer 2
Short-billed Dowitcher 4
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Sanderling 15
Semipalmated Sandpiper 8
Least Sandpiper 8
White-rumped Sandpiper 1
Ring-billed Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 50
American Herring Gull 10
Laughing Gull 100
Black Tern 1
Common Tern 15
Forster's Tern 1
Royal Tern 25
Black Skimmer 20
Rock Pigeon 35
Mourning Dove 8
Northern Flicker 1
Tree Swallow 2
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
American Robin 3
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 1
European Starling 10
House Sparrow 20
White-eyed Vireo 1
House Finch 2
Prairie Warbler 3
Northern Cardinal 2
Bobolink 15
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE September 9, 2007
You have reached the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey
Audubon Societys Cape May Bird Observatory. This weeks message was prepared on Sunday September 9, 2007. Highlights this week include sightings of ROSEATE SPOONBILL, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, BAIRDS SANDPIPER, AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, AMERICAN AVOCET, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, LARK SPARROW, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD and SAYS PHOEBE.
The long staying ROSEATE SPOONBILL continues at the Brigantine NWR as of 9/4. This bird is still being seen in the gull pond area.
CMBO Bookstore hours are as follows;
The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of the New Jersey Audubon Societys Cape May Bird Observatory and details sightings from Cape May,
Good Luck and Good Birding!
So, what is the birding like in Cape May when there have been south winds for days on end? Honestly, it's a bit on the slow side. But, this is to be expected. Even when it's slow there are always things to get out and see though. Like the 22 Buff-breasted sandpipers that Sam Galick saw yesterday at the Cape May Point State Park. And I though 9 was a good count for Cape May. To illustrate my point, looking at the Jersey Birds listserv, someone reported 35 at Johnson's Sod Farm.
All in all, for a quick walk around Hidden Valley the birding wasn't all that bad. Thirty-six species doesn't boggle ones mind but you end up getting to observe birds more which is always nice. That is, when they stay out from the leaves long enough to do more than identify them. In fact I had a good time watching a Tufted titmouse looking for a place to stick a piece of food in some tree bark. Or at least that was what it seemed this bird was doing. I've seen both this species and chickadees doing this at my feeder. Many time it's to lodge a sunflower seed in the bark so that they can break open the shell easier.
Another interesting moment was at the pond on the back side of the second field. How the Wood ducks know that you're approaching when there is a thick wall of vegetation between you and them, I'll never know. A female was in the pond today and she heard me or somethings, even though I was trying to be quite. So, she headed to the back of the pond. I edged to an area where I could just peak around some of the leaves and take a look. It was if she could see me, as she extended her neck and was on high alert. Soon enough she decided that I was still too close for comfort, I guess, and took off. NOTE: if you encounter Wood ducks at this pond and they take flight, look to the west down the trail (toward Higbee Beach) as these birds almost always fly to the SW into the next little set of wet woods at Hidden Valley. Actually back in those woods there is a nice pond which usually has a few of this species hanging out as well.
What's on tap weather wise you ask. Well, there is a tropical storm off the coast of the Carolina's that is supposed to be up off the cost of south Jersey on Monday evening. I don't suspect that it will bring too many seabird our way though. Maybe the east winds as it approaches might blow a few birds toward land. Typically we want a storm like this to pass to our west to get the pelagic goodies.
After that, the temp is supposed to drop to the high 70's for the high on Wednesday. Currently on The Weather Channel website they are calling for light rain and N winds over night Tuesday-Wednesday. Winds to stay northerly on Wednesday and switch to ENE over night Wednesday-Thursday. So I guess we'll see what kind of migration this will bring. Remember, birding can be fantastic in the rain if conditions are right. Keep checking in to the Birding Forecast for more updates on weather and migration. http://www.birdcapemay.org/forecast.shtml/
As usual, the morning's list is below.
Location: Cape May - Hidden Valley Ranch
Observation date: 9/9/07
Number of species: 36
Wood Duck 1
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Green Heron 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Mourning Dove 6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
White-eyed Vireo 4
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 11
American Crow 8
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 4
Carolina Wren 13
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Veery 2
American Robin 8
Gray Catbird 5
Cedar Waxwing X
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
American Redstart 1
Northern Waterthrush 2
Common Yellowthroat 2
Eastern Towhee 1
Field Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 15
Bobolink X
Common Grackle 8
Baltimore Oriole 12
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
- Thursday Morning Belleplain Walk - Results
- CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - April 17, 2008
- What's New: RSS feeds
- Woodcock Rescue
- Fork-tailed Flycatcher Report (belated)
- Mon. 4/14: Brig/Forsythe NWR- Caspian Terns, Chimn...
- Hooded Warbler at Northwood, a few new Meadows Bir...
- Sun. 4/13: Pelagic Trip out of Cape May
- Arrival and departure dates
- Higbee, Cape May Point State Park and a plug for e...
- 7/8/07 - 7/15/07
- 7/15/07 - 7/22/07
- 7/22/07 - 7/29/07
- 7/29/07 - 8/5/07
- 8/5/07 - 8/12/07
- 8/12/07 - 8/19/07
- 8/19/07 - 8/26/07
- 8/26/07 - 9/2/07
- 9/2/07 - 9/9/07
- 9/9/07 - 9/16/07
- 9/16/07 - 9/23/07
- 9/23/07 - 9/30/07
- 9/30/07 - 10/7/07
- 10/7/07 - 10/14/07
- 10/14/07 - 10/21/07
- 10/21/07 - 10/28/07
- 10/28/07 - 11/4/07
- 11/4/07 - 11/11/07
- 11/11/07 - 11/18/07
- 11/18/07 - 11/25/07
- 11/25/07 - 12/2/07
- 12/2/07 - 12/9/07
- 12/9/07 - 12/16/07
- 12/16/07 - 12/23/07
- 12/23/07 - 12/30/07
- 12/30/07 - 1/6/08
- 1/6/08 - 1/13/08
- 1/13/08 - 1/20/08
- 1/20/08 - 1/27/08
- 1/27/08 - 2/3/08
- 2/3/08 - 2/10/08
- 2/10/08 - 2/17/08
- 2/17/08 - 2/24/08
- 2/24/08 - 3/2/08
- 3/2/08 - 3/9/08
- 3/9/08 - 3/16/08
- 3/16/08 - 3/23/08
- 3/23/08 - 3/30/08
- 3/30/08 - 4/6/08
- 4/6/08 - 4/13/08
- 4/13/08 - 4/20/08