Higbee: Golden-winged Warbler and Philadelphia Vireo; belated report from Stone Harbor area

A female Golden-winged Warbler entertained CMBO's Friday walk this morning, right at the outset near the parking area. Halfway down the first field, a Philadelphia Vireo did the same, as it foraged eye level with two Red-eyed Vireos. Higbee also featured a nice selection of raptors including Peregrine, Merlin and Cooper's Hawk. Northern Parulas were perhaps the most common warbler among the 10 or so species we detected.

On Wednesday CMBO's Fall Migration Workshop headed over to Stone Harbor, where many Western Sandpipers foraged on the beach at the end of second avenue. About 5 Piping Plovers were with them. In the vicinity of the free bridge to Nummy Island, perhaps 100 Red Knots foraged on the exposed mudflats, with well over 100 American Oystercatchers. My first Dunlin of the fall flew over, and both Black-crowned and Yellow-Crowned Night-herons were roosting in trees in the vicinity. Caspian and Royal Terns were present both at Stone Harbor Point and Nummy. A Wood Thrush surprised us by calling and then appearing briefly in a little patch of brush on the Stone harbor side of the bridge - this was at about 4 in the afternoon, not exactly the place and time one would expect to find this species. Presumably it had come in with the morning flight and settled into the first patch of habitat it found suitable.

Below I've posted the list from our Thursday Bird Walk for All People at the request of the participants. We were treated to some of the "glamour" raptors - Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Cooper's Hawk are daily at the hawk watch now if there is any kind of flight happening.

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 9/18/08
Notes: CMBO Bird Walk for all people
Number of species: 52
Canada Goose 100
Mute Swan 1
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 25
Blue-winged Teal 25
Northern Shoveler 1
Green-winged Teal 25
Double-crested Cormorant 20
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 10
Snowy Egret 20
Little Blue Heron 2
Turkey Vulture 10
Osprey 10
Bald Eagle 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 10
Cooper's Hawk 5
American Kestrel 5
Merlin 2
Peregrine Falcon 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 15
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 10
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Common Tern 2
Forster's Tern 10
Royal Tern 10
Rock Pigeon 25
Mourning Dove 10
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 10
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Carolina Wren X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
Palm Warbler X
Black-and-white Warbler X
Northern Waterthrush X
Savannah Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Bobolink X
Red-winged Blackbird X
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X