Last Plover Chick of Season, 15 Stilt Sands and more in the Meadows

[This Piping Plover chick at the South Cape May Meadows apparently hatched between Friday night 7/18 and Saturday night 7/19, when photographed with a parent. It is from the pair that occupied the plover cage west of the west path, the same pair that has been enduring too much interest from American Crows, and that I posted video of doing a distraction display about a week ago. All photos by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]

[Ducking under to be brooded. Chicks are brooded frequently in the first few days of life, often every few minutes.]

It was a typically birdy walk this Monday morning at the South Cape May Meadows, highlighted by two Whimbrels (one of which landed in the Meadows for a little while) and a neat flock of 15 Stilt Sandpipers, which fed for a short time before moving on.

[Part of the flock of Stilt Sandpipers, digiscoped through mist.]

Other highlights included 3 Bobolinks flying over, several Green Herons, and a Gull-billed Tern. 5 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were also of interest , most likely dispersing juveniles - though truthfully we never saw one even well enough to identify it to species, let alone age them, so I suppose they should go down as hummingbird, sp. Also interesting were 2 Northern Flickers - I haven't seen one in the Meadows since May 19, and can only conclude these were migrants, or wandering failed breeders. Flickers certainly breed in Cape May, e.g. one at the state park June 7 this year.

We also re-sighted the new Piping Plover chick from the photos above - for a Piping Plover chick, lasting even two days is an accomplishment. The full list from this morning is below.

[It could have been an interesting morning of seawatching, given Tropical Storm Cristobal and that in the past few days there finally have been more birds in the Cape May rips. . .could have been, save the sea fog, thanks to the very warm humid air and the still-cool ocean. That's Tom Parson checking the gull flock on the beach, which today included 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.]

[What the Least Terns do when you walk either of the paths to the beach at the Meadows, especially the east path - attack! I snapped this photo while ducking and hustling through Saturday night. Several Least Tern chicks have been waiting to be fed just west of the east path, explaining their parents' aggressive defense.]

Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 7/21/08
Notes: CMBO Monday Morning Meadows walk. Weather notes from NWS: "SYNOPSIS...TROPICAL STORM CRISTOBAL WILL PASS WELL TO OUR EAST TODAY AND TONIGHT. A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE AREA TODAY WILL STALL FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK.

Number of species: 63
Canada Goose 100
Mute Swan 15
Gadwall 2
Mallard 50
Great Egret 5
Snowy Egret 5
Green Heron 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
Glossy Ibis 10
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 3
Semipalmated Plover 1
Piping Plover 3
Killdeer 5
American Oystercatcher 4
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 10
Willet 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Whimbrel 2
Sanderling 8
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 20
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Stilt Sandpiper 15
Short-billed Dowitcher 25
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 20
Lesser Black-backed Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 50
Least Tern 20
Gull-billed Tern 1
Common Tern 10
Forster's Tern 25
Royal Tern 1
Black Skimmer 5
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 20
Chimney Swift 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Kingbird 3
Fish Crow 5
Purple Martin 30
Tree Swallow 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 10
Carolina Wren 5
American Robin 20
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 50
Common Yellowthroat 3
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 3
Indigo Bunting 1
Bobolink 3
Red-winged Blackbird 25
Common Grackle 20
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 20