Drifters and Loafers Continue

The typical mix of early June oddball birds continues around Cape May. After David LaPuma's Blackburnian Warbler singing in the Villas a few days ago, I had a Northern Parula singing at the pond at Higbee's Beach yesterday, while Tom Reed reported a Mourning Warbler in his yard. A Eurasian Collared Dove was seen to fly off from Lighthouse Avenue towards Lake Lily yesterday evening but so far there has been no further reports of it.

This morning, the Purple Gallinule is still present but is staying east of the trail into the state park from the plover ponds, so early morning is not the best of times to view! More drifters included some 40 Glossy Ibises passing in two flocks, two adult Double-crested Cormorants heading north and a Great Crested Flycatcher in the dunes at St Peter's. Loafers offshore included five Surf Scoters. Two Sooty Shearwaters and a single Cory's Shearwater flew north-east, probably heading up the coast, about 08:10AM. There's more to come I feel today!

A couple of recent great birds at Cape May have proved elusive as far as camera lenses are concerned! Karl Lukens managed to get these digiscoped record shots under difficult conditions of the Wood Stork and Purple Gallinule. The Wood Stork keeps moving around too much and the gallinule keeps standing on the wrong side of the pond!