CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2009

Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: call (609) 884-2736, or email sightings AT birdcapemay.org
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and southern Atlantic Counties , NJ
Compilers: David Lord and Don Freiday, Cape May Bird Observatory
URL: http://www.njaudubon.org/ ; http://www.birdcapemay.org/

This is the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This weeks message was prepared on Thursday, April 2, 2009. Highlights this week include sightings of KING EIDER, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, ICELAND GULL, ROYAL TERN, RED-NECKED GREBE, and AMERICAN BITTERN; seasonal arrivals of NORTHERN PARULA LITTLE BLUE HERON, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, GLOSSY IBIS, LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, and BARN SWALLOW; reports of interest involving EASTERN PHOEBE, NORTHERN GANNET, LAUGHING GULL, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, GREAT EGRETS, and BLACK SCOTER; and an announcement about the closure of Cape May Bird Observatory's Center for Research and Education in Goshen.

3 KING EIDERS were observed off Cape Island on Tuesday March 31, 2009.

An immature ICELAND GULL and an arriving ROYAL TERN were seen at the Concrete Ship on Sunday, March 29, 2009.

Two RED-NECKED GREBES continued off the Cape May Convention Center April 1, 2009.

An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen at the Concrete Ship on Saturday, March 28, 2009. The same or another was on the south jetty of the Cape May Canal the same day.

An early male NORTHERN PARULA was seen at the Villas WMA on March 31, 2009.

BLUE-GRAY GNATCHERS arrived with sightings at Cove Pool in Cape May on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, and at Belleplain State Forest on Wednesday April 1, 2009. Belleplain State Forest also had newly arrived YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, the same date as last year. EASTERN PHOEBE, already reported elsewhere, returned to Belleplain on Friday, March 27, 2009.

A LITTLE BLUE HERON was seen from Sunset Beach on Tuesday, March 31 2009.

Arriving BARN SWALLOWS include one at Norbury's Landing on Sunday, March 29, 2009, and two at the South Cape May Meadows on Monday March 30, 2009.

NORTHERN GANNETS have been staging in Delaware Bay and around Cape May Point. Best viewing has generally been from Sunset Beach in Cape May Point. Estimates of 50 to 100 per minute were seen passing at various spots along the Delaware Bay on Saturday, March 28, 2009, and Sunday, March 29, 2009. A Flock of 600 resting on the water was seen from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry on Saturday March 28, 2009.

Flocks of LAUGHING GULLS totaling 400 birds were seen flying over the South Cape May Meadows on Monday, March 30, 2009. An AMERICAN BITTERN was seen there the same day.

30 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS were seen at Heislerville WMA on Wednesday, April 1, 2009. 57 GREAT EGRETS were at the Dennisville Lake roost along Route 47 on Wednesday, April 1 2009.

Finally, a male BLACK SCOTER was out of place on Lily Lake in Cape May Point on Wednesday, April 1, 2009.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

******Due to a staffing shortfall, Cape May Bird Observatory's Center for Research and Education on Route 47 north of Goshen will be closed to the public effective April 11, 2009. The grounds and gardens will remain open to the public. CMBO's Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point is open daily, 9:30am to 4:30pm.******

CMBO is offering a special to new and upgraded membership renewals. Join CMBO for the first time or upgrade from Individual or Family to The Hundred and receive Charley Harper's Migration Mainline- Cape May lithograph poster, valued at $50. Call either CMBO center to ask an associate about joining today!

The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory and details sightings from Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties. Updates are made weekly. Please report sightings of rare or unusual birds to CMBO at 609-884-2736.

Sponsorship for this hotline comes from the support of CMBO members and business members, and should you not be a member, we cordially invite you to join. Individual membership is $39 per year; $49 for families. You can call, or visit, or join on-line. Become a member in person and you'll receive a FREE gift (in addition to member discounts in the stores).

Good luck and good birding!