BirdCapeMay.org

[American Oystercatchers with 2 Atlantic Brant. Tony Leukering picked this flock and its members at the start of our trip across Delaware Bay today. The direct comparison with brant reveals just how large American Oystercatchers are - AMOY are 17.5" total length, 32" wingspread, making them our largest shorebird. Click to enlarge photos.]

A foggy sail across the bay and back today on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry did not yield much in the way of alcids, nor the gannet and loon concentrations we hoped for - we being me, Tony, Warren Cairo and friend Claudia, and Kathy and Roger Horn. We did have a speck that I will persist in calling a Razorbill, though the others may call foul, plus multiple Horned Grebes, and a nice show of all three scoters, though the White-wingeds were only seen in Delaware Waters.

Only three Northern Gannets appeared. The big gannet episode of last year was March 28-29, when 50/minute or more were coming out of the bay in the fog on the 28th, and I clicked 600 from the ferry on the 29th, so perhaps a repeat ferry ride in a couple weeks is in order.

I hear via Scott Whittle that 60 Red-throated Loons were at the Concrete Ship this morning, with a large flock of American Oystercatchers.

Detecting departure dates can be a bit tricky. We notice arrivals, say the first Yellow-throated Warbler of spring, since none have been here, and we long for them. But we tend to take the winter residents for granted as they gradually filter away to the north, not realizing exactly when the last one departed.

That being said, I can tell you that on Thursday night 6 Fox Sparrows fed under my feeders until dark. I heard at least one singing in the yard yesterday (Saturday) morning. This morning, none are evident. Certainly Fox Sparrows are still to be found around Cape May. But it would seem my locals departed, probably after the weather cleared yesterday evening.

A female Harlequin Duck has been hanging around the Concrete Ship at Sunset Beach this morning. I understand Richard Crossley found it initially.

Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: call (609) 884-2736, or email sightingsATbirdcapemay.org
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties , NJ
Compiler: David Lord, Cape May Bird Observatory with additions by Don Freiday
URL: http://www.njaudubon.org ; http://www.birdcapemay.org

This is the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Highlights this week include sightings of BLACK-HEADED GULL, GOLDEN EAGLE, KING EIDER, COMMON EIDER, REDHEAD, EURASIAN WIGEON; apparent arrivals of FORSTER’S TERN, LAUGHING GULL, OSPREY; and an announcement about the CMBO Annual Optics Sale March 13-14, 2010.

The BLACK-HEADED GULLS continue. At least three are present, one first cycle, an adult with currently just a spot behind the eye, and an adult with the beginnings of a hood. See photos below. Recent reports include an adult seen at Fern and Shore Streets in the Villas on Thursday, March 11, 2010, and the first cycle bird with an adult at Miami Avenue, also in the Villas, on Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Look for these birds from Cape May Point north along the bay at places like Sunset Beach, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal, the mouth of Cox Hall Creek, and the end of Miami Ave. in the Villas.

A sub-adult GOLDEN EAGLE was seen at Beaver Dam Boat Rentals in Cumberland County on Sunday, March 7, 2010, a different bird than the adult GOLDEN EAGLE that has been wintering in the area.

The immature KING EIDER was seen on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at Poverty Beach. This bird is usually noted around the Coast Guard Jetty, and the Coast Guard Jetty is viewable only by looking north from Poverty Beach. This bird may be at a great distance. An adult male COMMON EIDER has been at Cape May Point; this species is still easily found along the south coast as it has been all winter.

The drake REDHEAD and two drake EURASIAN WIGEONS continue on Lighthouse Pond as of Thursday, March 11, 2010.

12 FORSTER’S TERNS were noted at the end of Hudson Avenue in the Villas on Monday, March 8th, 2010, with more noted the rest of the week.

A LAUGHING GULL was seen from the Cape May Lewes Ferry, heading toward the Villas on Monday, March 8th, 2010, with adults seen subsequently this week along the Delaware Bayshore from Norbury’s Landing south.

A pair of OSPREYS returned to the Maurice River on Thursday, March 4th, 2010.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CMBO’s Fifteenth Annual Optics Sale will be Saturday and Sunday, March 13 and 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the CMBO Center for Research and Education in Goshen. A large selection of closeout, demo, factory-refurbished, new and used optics will be priced to move. Binoculars and spotting scopes from all major brands will be available. There are no advance or phone orders: first come, first served. You must be a member of NJAS or CMBO to take advantage of these great deals, so join today if you’re not already a member.

CMBO is offering a special to new and upgraded membership renewals. Join CMBO for the first time or upgrade from Individual or Family to The Hundred and receive Charley Harper's Migration Mainline- Cape May lithograph poster, valued at $50. Call either CMBO center to ask an associate about joining today!

******CMBO Bookstore WINTER HOURS are as follows: Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point is open Wednesday through Monday, 9:30am to 4:30pm; closed Tuesdays. The Center for Research and Education on Rt. 47 in Goshen is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30am to 4:30pm (but open Sunday March 14 for the Optics Sale); closed Mondays and Tuesdays. ******

The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory and details sightings from Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties. Updates are made weekly. Please report sightings of rare or unusual birds to CMBO at 609-884-2736. Sponsorship for this hotline comes from the support of CMBO members and business members, and should you not be a member, we cordially invite you to join. Individual membership is $39 per year; $49 for families. You can call either center to become a member or visit. Become a member in person and you'll receive a FREE gift (in addition to member discounts in the stores).

Good Luck and Good Birding!

[This first cycle Black-headed Gull (right bird) joined an adult at "Miami Beach" (the end of Miami Ave in the Villas) last night at sunset. Young Bonaparte's Gulls have, among other things, all dark bills. Click to enlarge photos.]

The latest Black-headed Gull is the adult Dave LaPuma had at the mouth of Cox Hall Creek early this morning. I just showed Dave the picture above and his bird was NOT the same adult, his had much more extensive dark coming in on the head - i.e., it was the one Karl photographed, below. Two adults had been seen together. The young bird makes at least three of this species this spring. Dave and I compared his photos from a couple weeks ago of one adult with a different head pattern, but it could have molted into the pattern on the one he saw this morning.

Karl Lukens advises that the female Common Goldeneye was still at Beaver Swamp yesterday, and again had the adult Common Eider at Cape May Point. Karl also had an adult Bald Eagle at Beaver Swamp carrying sticks.

I cycled over to Nummy Island early this morning, hoping to find my first Osprey of spring. That didn't happen, but a few American Oystercatchers were there and piping like crazy, along with a Greater Yellowlegs.

[Good optics you can use well are critical to your enjoyment of birding.]

Time for a binocular upgrade or a new scope? CMBO's annual optics sale is this weekend, March 13 and 14, at CMBO's Center for Research and Education, 600 Route 47 North, Goshen NJ 08210. Doors open at 9:00 a.m., and the sale is only for CMBO or NJAS members (you can join here.) Proceeds support our mission work. The sale includes demos, factory refurbished and used binoculars and scopes. Reps from Kowa, Leica, Manfrotto, Nikon, Swarovski and Zeiss will be on hand Saturday to answer questions. Sorry, no telephone or advance orders, but you can shop for new optics on-line at our store, http://www.featheredgeoptics.org/ .

[Karl Lukens tracked down the Black-headed Gull in Villas yesterday, click to enlarge. Black-headed's supposed to average 2.5 inches greater in total length than Bonaparte's, clearly this one is a small one. The paler mantle shows well here.]

A report just came in of 5-10 Tree Swallows at Supawna Meadows NWR up in Salem County.

A lunchtime walk at Beaver Swamp yielded a female Common Goldeneye. Here's a revealing gem from Stone (1937): "Raymond Otter considers that the Whistler (Goldeneye) along with the Shelldrake (Red-breasted Merganser) are the most common of the diving ducks today." The "Whistler" is not nearly so common today.

The Bald Eagle nest at Beaver Swamp failed during the storms, but the nest itself is still there and was occupied by an eagle sitting low in it - but not an adult! The bird was positioned with only head visible, just like it was incubating, which it clearly was not, and another young eagle sat on a hummock in front of the nest.

I've been remiss in reporting non-bird critters of interest. New Jersey Chorus Frogs have been calling for several days now, e.g. at the David Douglas Park near the Ferry Terminal and Villas WMA. Their voice sounds like someone running a thumb across a comb, slowly when it's cold, faster when it's warm. Spring Peepers have been calling on Turkey Point Road. Red Bats have been out, e.g. I saw 10+ while driving from Dennisville north to Mauricetown last night. Dave Lord noted the Turkey Point butterfly on Sunday was an anglewing, probably a Eastern Comma.

[This Great Egret enjoyed soaking up the sun as much as I did this morning. It has been favoring the little pond on the left hand side of Kimble's Beach Road since it appeared there February 24.]

Ospreys have been on the Maurice River for 4 days or more, apparently, and Karen Johnson had one on Tarkiln Lake in Belleplain yesterday.

Two dozen Forster's Terns and 2 Laughing Gulls were reported at Miami Beach in the Villas this morning.

Dave Lord's report from Sunday's Turkey Point walk is now up on Field Trip Reports, and includes an immature Golden Eagle there, a different bird than the adult that has been seen by the lucky on and off this winter.

This just in: Scott Whittle and Sam Galick just now had a Laughing Gull from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry headed towards Villas. They claim to have been in NJ waters, and so can also claim the coveted LAGU award, though which of them gets it remains to be determined. . .

Looks like Forster's Terns beat Laughing Gull back to Cape May this year, with a dozen resting on the flats off Villas this morning near a marvelous flock of 170 (actual count) Bonaparte's Gulls, which chattered and fed actively in a pool left by the tide. The Black-headed Gull was nearby, fraternizing with Ring-billed Gulls a quarter mile south of the rest. I was viewing from the end of Hudson in the Villas, but the composition of birds there changed continuously as the gulls and terns arrived and departed, so the only way to properly work this area is to, well, work it, from the ferry northward as far as time allows you. Two American Oystercatchers, 100's of Dunlin, and dozens of Sanderlings and Black-bellied Plovers fed on the flats as well.

A few Forster's Terns occasionally winter around Cape May, but not this year that I am aware of. I have to believe someone will get the LAGU award today - it's another nice day, with an obvious movement of Canada Geese northward along the bayshore and Northern Cardinals singing everywhere.

[The grass at the ferry terminal is littered by feathers from gulls in pre-alternate molt. Gulls often roost here during the day, especially at high tide. Click to enlarge photos.]

Had the Black-headed Gull twice on Saturday, once at 7:00 a.m. on the bay opposite Elwood Ave., about a mile north of the ferry, and again at 11:30 a.m. on the Gull Workshop, feeding with Bonaparte's Gulls behind the churning props of a ferry about to leave. When the ferry left, the gulls left too, heading south towards the concrete ship.

Tom Reed reported the immature male King Eider at Poverty Beach on Saturday afternoon, "relatively close." We had an adult male Common Eider off St. Mary's on Saturdays while looking at gulls, after this eider-rich winter one forgets what a nice sighting that is.

Results from Saturday's Cape May Point walk and Woodcock Dance are up on Field Trip Reports. The former included the two male Eurasian Wigeon and drake Redhead on Lighthouse Pond.

I hear from Dave Lord that Turkey Point was pretty special on Sunday morning, including a dark Rough-legged Hawk and, carrying just as much allure, the season's first butterfly (he didn't say which). I found myself thinking yesterday that I'm tired of looking at ducks and gulls, ducks and gulls, ducks and gulls. . .likely by June I'll be longing for them.

Karl Lukens et. al. finished the CMBO Winter Evenings at the Meadows walk last night with a number of American Woodcock peenting and displaying, right from the meadows/TNC Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge parking lot. The full list is up on Field Trip Reports.