CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE- July 12, 2007

You have reached 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 July 12, 2007. Highlights this week include sightings of ROSEATE SPOONBILL, CORY’S SHEARWATER, SANDWICH TERN, GULL-BILLED TERN, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, STILT SANDPIPER, LARK SPARROW and SWAMP SPARROW.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

We are please to announce that on Friday, July 13th, CMBO will be launching it’s new, dynamic website; www.BirdCapeMay.org. This site promises to be a virtual Cape May if you will. With daily to semi-daily sightings reports you can log on to see what is happening in Cape May in real time. Now, you can bird Cape May every day.


Now for the hotline;

An immature ROSEATE SPOONBILL was discovered at Brigantine NWR today, 7/12. The bird was viewed from the end of the gull pond tower road in the freshwater marsh to the east. Additional viewing points to try and look for the bird include the north dike before it leaves the wetland section and the bridge just before the iron tire spikes. NWR staff has opened a small portion of the dike road that extends east from the gull pond tower for viewing, as of the time of compilation of this report. This is a second state record of this species in New Jersey.

A CORY’S SHEARWATER was observed from Alexander Ave. in Cape May Point on 7/11.

On 7/8 two adult SANDWICH TERNS were on Champagne Island in and amongst the nesting ROYAL TERNS.

Three GULL-BILLED TERNS were on Bunker Pond at the Cape May point State Park on 7/11.

As of 7/8 one RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH continued at a private feeder in the Villas.

A STILT SANDPIPER was seen on the CMBO walk this morning, 7/12, at the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge (CMMBR.)

An unusual find was a LARK SPARROW at Brigantine NWR on 7/6. There has been no further report of this bird since its initial sighting.

On 7/7 a SWAMP SPARROW was also observed at the CMMBR.
CMBO Bookstore hours are as follows; Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point; summer hours, Wednesday- Monday 9:30-4:30. The Northwood Center will be closed on Tuesdays. The Center for Research and Education on Rt. 47 in Goshen is open Tuesday- Sunday 9:30- 4:30. At least one CMBO center will be open everyday to serve our members needs.


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 $35 per year; $45 for families. You can call either center to become a member or visit. Become a member in person and you’ll receive your choice of a FREE gift (in addition to member discount in the stores).

Good Luck and Good Birding!