CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 2010

Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: call (609) 884-2736, or email sightingsATbirdcapemay.org
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties , NJ
Compiler: David Lord, Cape May Bird Observatory with additions by Don Freiday
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 week's message was prepared on Thursday, February 25, 2010. Highlights this week include sightings of BLACK-HEADED GULLS, SANDHILL CRANES, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, HARLEQUINS, COMMON EIDER, EASTERN PHOEBE, KING EIDER, EURASIAN WIGEON, REDHEADS, apparent arrivals of WOOD DUCK and GREAT EGRET, and an announcement about the CMBO annual Optics Sale March 13-14, 2010.

-For up-to-the-minute Cape May sightings information, photos and downloadable birding maps and checklist of Cape May, visit www.birdcapemay.org . Follow review list sightings and spectacles on www.twitter.com/CMBObirds -

Two BLACK-HEADED GULLS have been noted in Cape May and along the Delaware Bay, last reported on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at Sunset Beach in Cape May. Look for these birds from Cape May Point north along the bay at places like Sunset Beach, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal, the mouth of Cox Hall Creek, and the end of Miami Ave. in the Villas.

Two SANDHILL CRANES were noted in the uncut cornfield south of St. Mary's Cemetery on Cape Island, between Broadway/Seashore and Shunpike Road, on Sunday, February 21, 2010.

An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was at Avalon on Sunday, February 21 2010. Up to 4 HARLEQUINS and 60 or so COMMON EIDERS are present there as well. View from the 8th street jetty or the end of 3rd Avenue.

An EASTERN PHOEBE was noted at the Railroad Tracks along Bayshore Road just north of the Beanery on Saturday, February 20, 2010.

An immature male KING EIDER was seen at Poverty Beach on Monday, February 22, 2010. Look far to the north and/or offshore from the boundary with the Coast Guard Station.

An EURASIAN WIGEON and drake REDHEAD were noted on Lighthouse Pond in Cape May Point State Park this week, through Thursday, February 25, 2010.

A pair of WOOD DUCKS were seen at Villas WMA on Monday, February 22, 2010, while a flock of a dozen were seen flying by at Turkey Point in Cumberland County the same date.

A possibly arriving GREAT EGRET was seen along Kimble's Beach Road on Wednesday, February 24, 2010.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CMBO's Fifteenth Annual Optics Sale will be Saturday and Sunday, March 13 and 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the CMBO Center for Research and Education in Goshen. A large selection of closeout, demo, factory-refurbished, new and used optics will be priced to move. Binoculars and spotting scopes from all major brands will be available. There are no advance or phone orders: first come, first served. You must be a member of NJAS or CMBO to take advantage of these great deals, so join today if you’re not already a member.

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 (but open Sunday March 14 for the Optics Sale); closed Mondays and Tuesdays. ******

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!