Black Tern; other reports; walk summary

A Black Tern (pictured below) put down in the center pool at the South Cape May Meadows around 5:30 this evening, preening for about ten minutes before flying off again. There was a decent amount of bird activity in the Meadows, with other highlights including a calling Northern Bobwhite, two flyover Stilt Sandpipers, two Pectoral Sandpipers, four Wood Ducks and a few dozen Black Skimmers.

[Black Tern (center), South Cape May Meadows. 8/7/08. Photo by Tom Reed. Click to enlarge.]

CMBO volunteer Steve Rodan informed me that he encountered a ridiculously early Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Higbee this morning, but that otherwise the dike was fairly quiet, save for a handful of Yellow Warblers and a Redstart. 9 Upland Sandpipers and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper were seen at the Johnson Sod Farm today.

Lastly, Chuck and Mary Jane Slugg sent along the following report detailing this morning's highly successful Bird Walk for All People at Cape May Point State Park:

Location: Cape May Point SP

Observation date: 8/7/08

Notes: The Walk for All People included many brand new birders as well as some experienced walkers. The indigo buntings were life birds for some walkers.

Number of species: 64

Canada Goose X

Mute Swan X

American Black Duck X

Mallard X

Double-crested Cormorant X

Great Blue Heron X

Great Egret X

Snowy Egret X

Green Heron X

Glossy Ibis X

Black Vulture X

Turkey Vulture X

Bald Eagle X

Semipalmated Plover X

Piping Plover X

Killdeer X

American Oystercatcher X

Greater Yellowlegs X

Willet X

Lesser Yellowlegs X

Sanderling X

Least Sandpiper X

Laughing Gull X

Ring-billed Gull X

Herring Gull X

Great Black-backed Gull X

Least Tern X

Common Tern X

Forster's Tern X

Black Skimmer X

Rock Pigeon X

Mourning Dove X

Chimney Swift X

Ruby-throated Hummingbird X

Belted Kingfisher X

Red-bellied Woodpecker X

Downy Woodpecker X

Eastern Phoebe X

Eastern Kingbird X

American Crow X
Fish Crow X

Purple Martin X

Tree Swallow X

Northern Rough-winged Swallow X

Barn Swallow X

Carolina Chickadee X

Carolina Wren X

House Wren X

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher X

American Robin X

Gray Catbird X

Northern Mockingbird X

European Starling X

Cedar Waxwing X

Yellow Warbler X

Black-and-white Warbler X

American Redstart X

Common Yellowthroat X

Northern Cardinal X

Indigo Bunting X

Red-winged Blackbird X

Common Grackle X

American Goldfinch X

House Sparrow X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)