Last night at sunset I walked the length of Stone Harbor Point for the first time in a month or more. The tide was high and falling, and gulls and terns were beginning to roost on the point. Among them were 75 or more Royal Terns. A flock of at least 100 Semipalmated Plovers alternately flew around and rested on the beach, the highest recent count I've heard about. With them were a few hundred Sanderlings, a few Piping Plovers, and a few peep, including both Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers. At least 25 American Oystercatchers and a significant body of adult Ring-billed Gulls, perhaps 40, also shared beach space with the many Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, Black Skimmers, and Common Terns as the sun disappeared.
According to Todd Pover of Conserve Wildlife Foundation, the entire Black Skimmer colony at Stone Harbor Point (1000+) was washed out last week, for the 2nd or 3rd time, a shame because they should have just started hatching this week. Happily, as they did last year, they have moved up to Seaview Harbor near Longport.
Down in Cape May, two Brown Pelicans were a highlight on this morning's Meadows walk, along with three Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the beach. The shorebird trickle continues, including maybe some of the same semi-plos from Stone Harbor last night, and Sanderling numbers have built up on the beach. A Belted Kingfisher was a nice bird, as was the Cattle Egret that flew over and eventually was refound perched on a shrub in the center impoundment.
The Cape May Point Least Terns were pretty much all washed out by last Thursday's tides, with the exception of just a few chicks left. This news is again from Todd Pover, who is a beachnesting bird biologist for the state. At Cape May Point State Park, two Piping Plover pairs each still have two chicks left, here's hoping for these, which will fledge approximately August 9 and August 21, respectively.
The full list from this morning's meadows walk is below.
Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 8/3/09
Notes: CMBO Monday walk
Number of species: 68
Canada Goose 75
Mute Swan 20
Wood Duck 3
Mallard 20
Brown Pelican 2
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 5
Snowy Egret 3
Cattle Egret 1
Green Heron 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 3
Glossy Ibis 50
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 5
Semipalmated Plover 10 only 1 set down
Piping Plover 1
Killdeer 10
American Oystercatcher 6
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 3
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Ruddy Turnstone 3
Sanderling 50
Semipalmated Sandpiper 5 flybys
Least Sandpiper 20 mostly flybys
Pectoral Sandpiper 1 flyover
Short-billed Dowitcher 15 flyovers
Laughing Gull 75
Ring-billed Gull 20
Herring Gull 30
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3
Great Black-backed Gull 30
Least Tern 100
Common Tern 20
Royal Tern 3
Black Skimmer 25
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 15
Chimney Swift 15 1 molting p8-9
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Kingbird 3
Fish Crow 10
Purple Martin 50
Tree Swallow 10 1 molting p7-8?
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 15
Marsh Wren 4
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 5
European Starling 10
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 4
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 3
Indigo Bunting 2
Bobolink 5
Red-winged Blackbird 25
Common Grackle 10
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 10
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