CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - May 8, 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 8, 2008. Highlights this week include sightings of "EURASIAN" WHIMBREL, CURLEW SANDPIPER, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, COMMON EIDER, COMMON MERGANSER, MISSISSIPPI KITE, BLACK RAIL, SANDHILL CRANE, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, MARBLED GODWIT, WESTERN SANDPIPER, RUFF, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, ICELAND GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, BLACK TERN, ROSEATE TERN, POMARINE JAEGER, AMERICAN PIPIT, CERULEAN WARBLER, DICKCISSEL, and PINE SISKIN.

A CURLEW SANDPIPER was discovered at Heislerville WMA in Cumberland County on 5/8.

A "EURASIAN" WHIMBREL was found at Brig/Forsythe NWR on 5/8.

A EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE was stumbled upon along Valatia Ave. in Millville, Cumberland County on 5/4.

A RUFF was seen for a brief time along the east path at the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR on 5/7. A REEVE also put in a brief appearance at the same location on 5/5.

An apparently wild SANDHILL CRANE was found in the Savannah portion of the Cape May County Zoo on 5/7, and was seen again on 5/8.

It was a good week for gulls. A GLAUCOUS GULL was found at Brig/Forsythe NWR on 5/3 and continued through 5/7. An ICELAND GULL was found along the east path of the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR on 5/8.

1-2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have also frequented The Meadows this week.

A POMARINE JAEGER was reported in "the rips" off Cape May Point on 5/6. As many as 5 PARASITIC JAEGERS have been reported from "the rips" this week as well.

A ROSEATE TERN appeared at St. Peter's in Cape May Point 5/4-5/5, and a BLACK TERN was seen at the Cape May Canal jetties on 5/7. A WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was near the "free bridge" at the north end of Nummy Island 5/3-5/4, and up to 3 COMMON EIDERS have been seen at Cape May Point this week, with additional sightings at Nummy Island on 5/7.

Reports from Brig/Forsythe NWR this week included a lingering COMMON MERGANSER through 5/2, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and MARBLED GODWIT on 5/3, and rare-in-spring WESTERN SANDPIPER and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER on 5/7.

The season's first MISSISSIPPI KITE was seen over the Villas on 4/29; additional sightings came from the Beanery/Rea Farm area on 5/1 and 5/2.

BLACK RAILS were heard this week at Jake's Landing and Stipson's Island.

A CERULEAN WARBLER was singing in the parking lot at Higbee Beach WMA on 5/8. 3 AMERICAN PIPITS were seen along Stevens Street in West Cape May on 5/8. A DICKCISSEL was noted at Higbee Beach WMA on 5/4. A PINE SISKIN flew over Higbee Beach WMA on 5/3, and another was seen at Villas WMA/Ponderlodge on 5/5.

**NJAS and CMBO wish the best of luck and safest of travels to all participants in this Saturday's 25th Annual World Series of Birding. Notes from the Thursday night Swap Meet at CMBO's Center for Research & Education in Goshen will most likely be posted on http://www.birdcapemay.org/wsob.shtml at some point Friday morning. See you at the Finish Line!**

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!