Monday, August 27, 2012

Reddish Egret returns! (and cold front coming)

After eluding birders for the entire weekend, the REDDISH EGRET of Forsythe re-appeared this morning in its "usual" spot, along the north dike and just before the dogleg. Additional sightings from the refuge this weekend included both Marbled and Hudsonian Godwits, and two Wilson's Phalaropes.

Back in Cape May, Saturday night's rains were a bit more than we bargained for, with up to six inches falling over the southern portion of the county. Needless to say, a lot of previously good shorebird habitat has disappeared! However, the monsoon might have also created new habitat at sites like the Higbee dike or the West Cape May impoundments.

A look at the weather map suggests that a cold front will slide past the Cape sometime on Tuesday, with northwest or north winds in the offing for at least Tuesday night into Wednesday. I would expect there to be a decent songbird flight, and perhaps hawk flight, on Wednesday.