Yellowlegs, Purple Martins

[9 day old Purple Martin chick being banded at Cape May Point State Park by Allen Jackson. The martin houses at the park are well-maintained by Allen and Dave Thomas, who also often volunteers for CMBO - thanks, gents! Photo by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]

CMBO's Bird Walk for All People enjoyed watching many of the Purple Martin nestlings being banded at the state park. It's hard to imagine these helpless things making their way to South America by winter, but they will.

Martin-watching shortened our walk and bird list, but we did have three flyby Lesser Yellowlegs, more of the shorebird trickle that will soon become a flood. The full morning list, at request of walk participants, is below - it consists only of birds seen from the park's parking lot and a short stroll along Bunker Pond.

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/3/08
Notes: CMBO bird walk for all people
Number of species: 35
Canada Goose 25
Mute Swan 10
Gadwall 2
Mallard 25
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 3
Osprey 3
Piping Plover 5
Killdeer 2
American Oystercatcher 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 3
Laughing Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Least Tern 25
Common Tern 1
Forster's Tern 10
Royal Tern 1
Black Skimmer 2
Rock Pigeon 10
Chimney Swift 5
Eastern Kingbird 1
Fish Crow 4
Purple Martin 100
Tree Swallow 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 5
American Robin 5
Northern Mockingbird 2
Common Yellowthroat 2
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 3
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 5
House Sparrow 10