Thursday, May 15, 2008

CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - May 15, 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, May 15, 2008. Highlights this week include sightings of WHITE-FACED IBIS, CURLEW SANDPIPER, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, COMMON EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, LONG-TAILED DUCK, COMMON GOLDENEYE, BLACK RAIL, MARBLED GODWIT, STILT SANDPIPER, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, ICELAND GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, "NELSON'S" GULL, BLACK TERN, ARCTIC TERN, CERULEAN WARBLER, MOURNING WARBLER, and WILSON'S WARBLER.

At least 2 CURLEW SANDPIPERS (a bright male and a dull female) were seen this week in the main impoundment at Heislerville WMA in Cumberland County, with sightings through 5/15.

A WHITE-WINGED DOVE appeared on Cape Island on 5/13, and settled in at 709 Foster Ave, located off of New England Road near the canal. The bird was last seen during the evening of 5/14.

A EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE continued to be seen in Cape May Point through 5/12.

A WHITE-FACED IBIS was found along Avalon Boulevard on 5/10.

An ARCTIC TERN was reported in "the rips" off Cape May Point on 5/11. Multiple BLACK TERNS were seen in "the rips" on 5/10.

It was another good week for gulls. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have been regular at the South Cape May Meadows, around Cape May Point, and in Hereford Inlet this week. 2 ICELAND GULLS have been seen between Cape May Pt. State Park and the 2nd Avenue Jetty in Cape May City. A GLAUCOUS GULL was found on Champagne Island on 5/10. A "NELSON'S" GULL (hybrid Herring x Glaucous) was seen in Reed's Beach this week.

Lingering ducks this week included a COMMON EIDER at Nummy Island on 5/9, a HARLEQUIN DUCK at 46th Street in Sea Isle City as of 5/12, a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER off the Cape May beachfront on 5/13, and a LONG-TAILED DUCK and a COMMON GOLDENEYE at Nummy Island on 5/14.

4 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were found in Bunker Pond at Cape May Pt. State Park on 5/13. A LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was seen and heard in the NW Pool at Brig/Forsythe NWR on 5/10. A STILT SANDPIPER was found near the Robbinstown Road access to Bivalve (Cumberland County) on 5/10. The MARBLED GODWIT continues this week at Two Mile Landing, off of Ocean Drive.

A MOURNING WARBLER was singing at CMBO's Northwood Center on 5/14. A CERULEAN WARBLER was found in the Villas on 5/14. WILSON'S WARBLERS were found at Higbee Beach WMA on 5/14 and 5/15.

BLACK RAILS continue to be heard on calm nights at Jake's Landing.


ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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!

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