Tuesday, June 30, 2009

White Ibis near Wildwood; Black Tern at State Park; Back Bay Images

[This Black Tern appeared amid throngs of Forster's and Common Terns at Bunker Pond at Cape May Point State Park Monday evening. Photo by Don Freiday, click to enlarge. The terns have been roosting and bathing at Bunker Pond as well as the Plover Ponds.]

Captain Dave Githens of the Osprey sent the following report from a back bay boat cruise: "Today (Monday) we sighted an adult white ibis near the Sunset Lake heronry. It was flying away from the rookery toward the west. I can not say that it was in the heron nesting area but it looked like it came from there. "

The Sunset Lake heronry is on a dredge spoil mound covered with shrubs and small trees on the northwest side of Sunset Lake. Sunset Lake is viewed from New Jersey Avenue in Wildwood. Unfortunately the heronry is quite distant for land viewing but this bird (perhaps the same one as was in Cape May over the weekend) could easily appear elsewhere, such as Ocean Drive, Shellbay Landing or Stone Harbor/Nummy Island. The Osprey does regular back-bay trips that cover this area, for more info call David Githens at 609.898.3500.

[Coincidentally, this is the heronry mentioned above. The birds, however, are Herring Gulls, apparently nesting on a tangle at the top of the tree. Photo taken from a kayak on Sunday by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]


[Osprey nest on a duck hunters' shack, Taylor's Sound near Wildwood. Photo by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]

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