Northbound Birds

A real feeling of Northbound migration was much in evidence at Cape May Point for our morninig walk today. With little wind and a bay like a sheet of glass, the view of Red-throated Loons spread right across the landscape was fabulous and the good viewing conditions allowed us to pick out a whole bunch of other stuff too. Best find was two Razorbills heading out of the bay, but we also found three Forster's Terns, a total of eight Horned Grebes and a good scattering of scoter and Long-tailed Ducks. But it was the obvious northbound movement of migrant species that really caught the eye. Laughing Gulls, Northern Gannets and Double-crested Cormorants were clearly on the move today, as were both Snowy and Great Egrets; indeed, as I write, Great Egrets are still trickling past my office window periodically.

Duck numbers remain low on the state park ponds, though there's a good scattering of Green-winged Teal out there. At least 10 Wilson's Snipe flushed along our route and Dark-eyed Juncos were feeding up before heading north, with several of them in song. See our Field Trip Reports page for full list of species.

Things are definitely looking up for CMBO morning walks - so come on down, you don't even need to book in advance!

Other news this morning: Bill Boyle reported the Common/Eurasian Teal still at Heislerville and two Black-headed Gulls at East Point, Cumberland County. Tony Leukering reports good passage off Atlantic City of Laughing Gulls, Great Cormorants, Red-throated Loons and Red-breasted Mergansers, plus a flock of 21 Razorbills four miles out (I hope Tony is on a boat!). Slightly belatedly, I should also mention a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at the Northwood Center yesterday afternoon, found by Hank Burk.