Mourning Warbler, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Black-necked Stilts

[This singing Magnolia Warbler in the dark cedars along the Red Trail at Cape May Point State Park was no small consolation for missing Tom Reed's Mourning Warbler, lunchtime today. Click to enlarge photos.]

Tom Reed found a singing male Mourning Warbler at Cape May Point State Park late morning today, last seen 11ish near the fork between the red and yellow trails. While looking for the Mourning at lunch, I ran into a Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, and a couple who told me they had seen a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on the dunes/beach near the Bunker this morning, possibly the same one the Nine Inch Rails team saw on Saturday's World Series of Birding (WSB). Results from the event are now posted, thanks to the hard work and late night of CMBO's Sheila Lego, Marleen Murgitroyde and the hard working team of mostly volunteers, who we call the Red-eyed Vireos.

I don't think the Bar-tailed Godwit originally found by Mike Fritz at Brigantine last week was detected on WSB, and unfortunately don't have a current status report on it. Mississippi Kites were detected both Saturday and Sunday in Cape May.

Dave Lord breathlessly caught up with me while we were leading the CMBO morning meadows walk today, having just seen two distant flyby Black-necked Stilts which later wound up along the east path (not for the walk, however) and later still at Cove Pool. Other Meadows highlights included a singing and well-seen Canada Warbler in the dune bayberrys along the inner south path, as well as Blackpoll and Magnolia Warblers, a handsome drake Blue-winged Teal, and a solitary male Gadwall that somehow gave me the impression that his mate was on a nest nearby. A first spring male Summer Tanager flew past. Full results from the meadows and other recent trips are up on field trip reports.

Finally, as Mike Crewe posted below, we are indeed still here despite the recent 4-day hiatus in digital vital signs sent via this blog. The hiatus was largely thanks to WSB activities, which for me include a week off scouting in Sussex county, largely sans computer and internet (try it, you'll like it! And, more to come on CMBO's Zeiss Team efforts.) But since on many days over 1,000 different visitors read this blog (you are one of ~12,000 unique visitors per month and ~90,000 total last year, from all 50 states and most of the world's countries), please know that we want you in the loop on bird and nature happenings in Cape May, and try to keep you there, whether you live here, are planning a visit, or wish you were.