Prairie Warbler, White-eyed Vireo + Reports from Here and There

This morning's CMBO Higbee Beach walk featured singing White-eyed Vireo and Prairie Warbler, both FOS for me and apparently Cape May County. Hooting like a Barred Owl yielded brief looks at a Black-and-white Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and some very interested Downy Woodpeckers, plus a real Barred Owl which responded from the Hidden Valley area to the east. A Field Sparrow obligingly ignored us as it sang teed-up in the tower field, all three mimids were detected, and a decent flight of Common Loons was underway. The full list from Higbee is below.

I understand from Karen Johnson, Janet Crawford, Karl Lukens et. al. that Black-and-white Warblers are solidly in in Belleplain, and three Louisiana Waterthrushes were at the Sunset Bridge yesterday.

The "Cape Island pair" of Bald Eagles soared over Lily Lake yesterday morning in the company of six Ospreys, a nice way to start the day for Northwood Center staff.

I hear the Snow Goose duo along Steven's Street/Bayshore Road continues, and puddles there this morning attracted long-legged waders including Snowy and Great Egrets and Glossy Ibis, not to mention Blue-winged Teal.

If I was you I'd go birding tomorrow, I suspect a bunch of new birds will settle into Belleplain, and Higbee could be good, too. The National Weather Service is calling for winds with a southerly component going west around midnight, with clear skies. Highs tomorrow will be well into the 60's.

Location: Higbee Beach
Observation date: 4/17/09
Notes: CMBO FRIDAY WALK
Number of species: 46
Mute Swan 1
Wood Duck 2
Mallard 2
Common Loon 20
Double-crested Cormorant 80
Laughing Gull 20
Herring Gull 10
Mourning Dove 15
Barred Owl 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 7
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
White-eyed Vireo 1 FOS
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 10
Fish Crow 2
Purple Martin 1
Carolina Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 10
Carolina Wren 20
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Hermit Thrush 4
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
Brown Thrasher 5
European Starling 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Prairie Warbler 1 FOS
Black-and-white Warbler 1 MY FOS
Eastern Towhee 5
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 5
Song Sparrow 10
White-throated Sparrow 15
Dark-eyed Junco 5
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Rusty Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 30
Brown-headed Cowbird 40
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 5