Thursday, April 17, 2008

CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - April 17, 2008

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, April 17, 2008. Highlights this week include sightings of FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER, COMMON EIDER, SOOTY SHEARWATER, CATTLE EGRET, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, WILLET, WHIMBREL, WESTERN SANDPIPER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, RUFF, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, CASPIAN TERN, WHIP-POOR-WILL, CHIMNEY SWIFT, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, WHITE-EYED VIREO, BANK SWALLOW, WOOD THRUSH, NORTHERN PARULA, PRAIRIE WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, OVENBIRD, HOODED WARBLER, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

A fly-over FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER was reported by multiple observers at Cape May Pt. State Park on 4/12. There have been no reports since.

The 2 RUFFS at Heislerville WMA in Cumberland County were last seen on 4/11. Also at Heislerville this week were YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, returning 'EASTERN' WILLETS, and 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS.

A pelagic trip out of Cape May on 4/13 recorded about 15 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and a SOOTY SHEARWATER.

As many as 4 CATTLE EGRETS were seen this week along Bayshore Road, in and around the Beanery/Rea Farm. 50 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were seen at the Beanery/Rea Farm on 4/12.

2 COMMON EIDERS were seen from Sunset Beach on 4/16. 3 WESTERN SANDPIPERS were observed along Stone Harbor Boulevard on 4/13. 2 CASPIAN TERNS were seen at Brig/Forsythe NWR throughout the week.

New arrivals at Higbee Beach WMA this week included CHIMNEY SWIFT, NORTHERN PARULA and PRAIRIE WARBLER on 4/11; WOOD THRUSH on 4/13.

Breeding birds returning to Belleplain SF and Peaslee WMA this week included WHITE-EYED VIREO, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER and OVENBIRD.

Other new arrivals included SOLITARY SANDPIPER at The Meadows/CMMBR on 4/14, WHIMBREL at Nummy Island on 4/14, WHIP-POOR-WILL at Jake's Landing on 4/11, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD in Cape May Beach on 4/13, BANK SWALLOW at Cape May Pt. State Park on 4/12, and HOODED WARBLER at CMBO's Northwood Center on 4/14.


ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The deadline for registering a team in the 25th annual World Series of Birding is this SUNDAY, APRIL 20. For more information about the WSB, go to http://www.worldseriesofbirding.org. This year's WSB will be held on SATURDAY, MAY 10.

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 SPRING HOURS are as follows: Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point will be open 7 days a week, APRIL 1 - MAY 31, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Center for Research and Education on Rt. 47 in Goshen is open Tuesday - Sunday, 9:30- 4:30.******

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 discount in the stores).

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