WHITE IBIS and BAIRD SANDPIPER

While a group of CMBO staff and volunteers were taking a tour of TNC's Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, Don Freiday spotted an imm. WHITE IBIS flying in from the west and over head. We were on the east trail nearing the new raised platform (walking west, toward Sunset Blvd.) The bird flew over giving good views to all and headed toward the east-northeast. I did not watch the bird long enough to see if it made any attempts to land in the near by vicinity.

With the finding of a imm. White ibis at Brigantine NWR and one seen roosting at Sunset Lake in Wildwood in the recent past; it would seem prudent to keep ibis in mind if you are visiting Cape May or South Jersey anytime in the near future.

I should mention that while we were not really "birding" on our tour this morning we did find among other peep, four Pectoral sandpipers off the east trail. Also a young, dark Peregrine falcon made a brief appearance; long enough to stir up the shorebirds before it headed to the south. Probably going to see if it could scare any birds into flight off of the ponds at the State Park.

On another topic, I gleaned a sighting of an adult BAIRD SANDPIPER at the Cape May Point State Park, posted to the New Jersey Birding listserv. The bird was seen yesterday 8/16, on the small mudflat on Lighthouse pond across from the overlook platform. This area (Lighthouse pond) has been very good for shorebirds in the last few weeks. In fact between Bunker pond and Lighthouse, these are the most productive shorebirding spots around.