CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - THURSDAY JANUARY 28, 2010

Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: call (609) 884-2736 or email sightingsATbirdcapemayDOTorg
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and southern Atlantic Counties, NJ
Compiler: David Lord, Cape May Bird Observatory with additions by Don Freiday

This is the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey Audubon's Cape May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Thursday, January 28, 2009. Highlights this week include sightings of LARK SPARROW, KING EIDER, COMMON EIDERS, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, TRI-COLORED HERON, EURASIAN WIGEON, SNOWY EGRET, REDHEAD, SHORT-EARED OWL, NORTHERN HARRIER, BALD EAGLE, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, and an announcement about CMBO's coming 3 day Winter Raptor Workshop.

A LARK SPARROW was found at the junction of Shunpike Road and Route 9 (the road leading to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry) in North Cape May on Sunday, January 24, 2010, and was relocated on Tuesday January 26, 2010. Look along Shunpike Road immediately south of Route 9.

An immature male KING EIDER has been noted at the Coast Guard Jetty in Cape May (private beach but viewable at great distance by looking north from Poverty Beach), last reported on Wednesday January 27, 2010.

Over 100 COMMON EIDERS were at Avalon Thursday, January 28, 2010, viewed from the 8th Street Jetty. A sizeable flock of other sea ducks is present there, and 5 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were seen flying south.

3 BLUE-WINGED TEAL were observed in the South Cape May Meadows on Saturday January 23, 2010.

A TRI-COLORED HERON was seen at Turkey Point in Cumberland County on Saturday January 23, 2010, in the pond before the last car bridge.

2 drake EURASIAN WIGEONS continue on Lighthouse Pond at Cape May Point State Park, last seen on Sunday, January 24, 2010, along with a drake REDHEAD.

A SNOWY EGRET was seen in the South Cape May Meadows/TNC Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge on Saturday January 23, 2010.

SHORT-EARED OWL sightings include 4 at Turkey Point, 2 at Newport Landing Road, 2 at the end of Ragged Island Road (all in Cumberland County); and one at Jakes Landing Road. These were observed on Saturday January 23, 2010 during CMBO's Winter Marsh Raptor Survey, which also recorded 127 NORTHERN HARRIERS and 38 BALD EAGLES, mostly adults, at 15 sites in southern NJ.

AMERICAN WOODCOCK were noted displaying at Higbee Beach earlier in the week.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CMBO'S WINTERING HAWKS, EAGLES, AND OWLS workshop, Saturday February 13 to Monday February 15 (President's Weekend), still has a few spaces available. A weekend of raptor watching and learning, the workshop will seek to find many of the 13 diurnal raptors and 8 New Jersey owls possible in southern New Jersey's mosaic of prey-rich habitats. More information is available at www.birdcapemay.org/school.php (scroll down for the workshop list). Preregistration required; call CMBO at (609) 861-0700 x11 to register.

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!

******CMBO Bookstore WINTER HOURS are as follows: Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point is open Wednesday through Monday, 9:30am to 4:30pm; closed Tuesdays. The Center for Research and Education on Rt. 47 in Goshen is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30am to 4:30pm; closed Sundays and Mondays. ******

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 either center to become a member or visit. 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!