A Little Flight at the State Park

The passage of a front and attending light northwest winds this morning brought a few migrants to Cape May Point State Park for CMBO's "Bird Walk for All People," mostly shorebirds but also a Yellow Warbler overhead and substantial southbound movement of Glossy Ibis involving several dozen birds. In the shorebird department, small mixed flocks of dowitchers and yellowlegs passed, especially from 8 to 9 a.m., as did single-species flocks of Least Sandpipers. The Laughing Gulls were at it again, pirating large insects (mostly dragonflies) away from the Purple Martins. The full list is below - I was surprised when E-bird tallied up the list to 63 species, since we take a rather relaxed approach to this walk, which as the name suggests is designed for anyone, but especially new birders.

The winds have already swung around to the southwest so I wouldn't be too hopeful for tomorrow morning, but the National Weather Service is calling for another cold front to pass late Sunday into Monday, so that's something to keep an eye on.

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/10/08
Notes: CMBO Bird Walk for All People
Number of species: 63
Canada Goose 50
Mute Swan 2
Gadwall 4
Mallard 50
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 3
Snowy Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 40
Turkey Vulture 20
Osprey 5
Cooper's Hawk 1
Piping Plover 3
Killdeer 2
American Oystercatcher 2
Greater Yellowlegs 10
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Least Sandpiper 15
Short-billed Dowitcher 15
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 20
Lesser Black-backed Gull 4
Great Black-backed Gull 50
Least Tern 30
Common Tern 5
Forster's Tern 5
Black Skimmer 10
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 5
Chimney Swift 10
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Kingbird 3
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 5
Fish Crow 5
Purple Martin 50
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 3
American Robin 10
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 10
Cedar Waxwing 10
Yellow Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 5
Yellow-breasted Chat 2
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 10