CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - March 27, 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, March 27, 2008. Highlights this week include sightings of EURASIAN WIGEON, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, COMMON EIDER, GREAT CORMORANT, AMERICAN BITTERN, TRICOLORED HERON, CATTLE EGRET, GLOSSY IBIS, OSPREY, BALD EAGLE, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, PIPING PLOVER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, SHORT-EARED OWL, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, HORNED LARK, BARN SWALLOW, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, AMERICAN PIPIT, PINE WARBLER, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

A EURASIAN WIGEON was found in the Coast Guard Ponds along Ocean Drive on 3/24.

A NORTHERN GOSHAWK flew over Lily Lake in Cape May Point on 3/21.

BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS made their first appearances of 2008 at The Beanery/Rea Farm and in North Wildwood on 3/22. A BARN SWALLOW was seen at The Beanery/Rea Farm on 3/21.

A CATTLE EGRET arrived at the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR on 3/23. BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN BITTERN, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW and 6 PIPING PLOVERS were here on 3/24.

Other wading-bird arrivals this week included 2 GLOSSY IBIS along New England Road in West Cape May on 3/22, and a TRICOLORED HERON in the 'ibis pond' along Reed's Beach Road on 3/27.

The season's first PECTORAL SANDPIPER flew over Cape May Point State Park on 3/21. 10 OSPREYS, 4 AMERICAN KESTRELS and 2 BALD EAGLES were seen migrating over the park that day, and HORNED LARK and AMERICAN PIPIT were also noted as flyovers.

A COMMON EIDER and 7 GREAT CORMORANTS were seen in and around Cold Spring Inlet, at the south end of the Two Mile Beach Unit of Cape May NWR, on 3/21. 25 WESTERN SANDPIPERS were at Two Mile Beach on 3/26.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were seen in Hereford Inlet at North Wildwood, and near Two Mile Landing along Ocean Drive, on 3/22.

2 RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS and several RUSTY BLACKBIRDS continue to be seen at Villas WMA/Ponderlodge.

2-3 SHORT-EARED OWLS continue to be seen at Jake's Landing through 3/26. 7 PINE WARBLERS were singing here on 3/26.

-- We received no reports this week of the Barnacle Goose on Cape Island. --


ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CMBO's Northwood Center in Cape May Point will be open 7 days a week beginning APRIL 1.

See Life Paulagics has rescheduled its pelagic trip out of Cape May to SUNDAY, APRIL 13. The boat is scheduled to leave at 6:00 AM and return around 6:00 PM. For more information, contact them at 215-234-6805 or go to their web site at www.paulagics.com

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).

Good Luck and Good Birding!