Cape May Birding Hotline - Thursday, July 28, 2011

Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: call (609) 884-2736, or email sightingsATbirdcapemay.org
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties , NJ
Compiler: Samuel Galick, Cape May Bird Observatory
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, July 28, 2011. Highlights this week include sightings of Arctic Tern, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, American Avocet, American Golden-Plover, American Redstart, American Wigeon, Bank Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black Tern
Black-and-white Warbler, Blue-winged Teal, Cape May Warbler, Cerulean WarbleR, Green-winged Teal, Hudsonian Godwit, Long-billed Dowitcher, Louisiana Waterthrush, Manx Shearwater, Northern Parula, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Northern Waterthrush, Orchard Oriole, Ovenbird, Pectoral Sandpiper,Prothonotary Warbler, Purple Martin, Red Knot, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-necked Phalarope, Ring-billed Gull, Ruddy Duck, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Tree Swallow, Upland Sandpiper, Whimbrel, ”Western” Willet, Wilson's Phalarope, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Worm-eating Warbler, and Yellow Warbler

On 7/21, Higbee’s Beach WMA had LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, three BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, and YELLOW WARBLERS.

On 7/22, a rare sight inside the Cape May inlet was a MANX SHEARWATER that was followed around the island and headed towards the point.

A EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE was seen flying down the dunes at Higbee’s Beach WMA on 7/23, with no reports since. Also of note that morning: 3 WORM-EATING WARBLERS, ORCHARD ORIOLES, YELLOW WARBLERS, and a new family of RED-EYED VIREOS that successfully breed there. 16 STILT SANDPIPERS and a BLUE-WINGED TEAL were seen that morning around Cape May Point.

An approaching storm brought a lot of change on the afternoon of 7/24; an adult male RUDDY DUCK was found on Lily Lake at Cape May Point along with a sizeable swallow flight- 250 BARN SWALLOWS, 400 TREE SWALLOWS, 220 PURPLE MARTINS, 10 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, and 15 BANK SWALLOWS. Hardly observers stuck it out while the storm passed at the South Cape May beach later that evening and were rewarded with a great shorebird flight: 7 RED KNOTS, 49 WHIMBRELS, 11 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER 6 "WESTERN" WILLETS, 11 RUDDY TURNSTONES, 71 SANDERLINGS, 20 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 27 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS and a WILSON’S STORM PETREL. The highlight of the evening was an adult ARCTIC TERN that flew past the Meadows, taking a drink at the plover pond, then continued down the beach to the Cape May Point State Park and ultimately out towards the rips.

The same storm up North at Forsythe/Brigantine brought 6 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS to the Gull Pond tower, and 8 WILSON’S PHALAROPES. The BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS continue as of 7/27.

Forsythe/Brigantine has collected a fine assortment of water birds this week. On 7/22 the WHITE IBIS, and WHITE-FACED IBIS continued from last week along with two newly arrived AMERICAN AVOCETS in the NW pool. Two AVOCETS grew to eight AMEIRCAN AVOCETS in the same pool the next day. They were seen flying South later that afternoon with no other reports. On 7/24 over 50 WHIMBREL and a HUDSONIAN GODWIT were found in the SW pool, and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was found in the SE pool.

On 7/25, two WHITE IBIS were seen briefly together in the NW pool, shortly after one was seen flying over the North dike out toward Brigantine Island with no reports of two WHITE IBIS since. Also that day in the NW pool: three AMERICAN WIGEONS, six GREEN-WINGED TEALS, a RED KNOT, 13 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, and hour PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. The RUDDY DUCK flock that’s summering along the third dogleg has one less duck to 10 birds.

At least one of the WILSONS’S PHALAROPES continued as of 7/26. The same injured AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER found a couple weeks ago was found again in the NW pool the morning of 7/26.

On 7/24 two UPLAND SANDPIPERS were found at the Absecon Mill at the corner of Aloe St.  and Vienna Ave. in Galloway Twp. The mill is on private property but the birds were viewable from the roadways. Suspected breeders of nearby Atlantic City Airport, other migrant UPLAND SANDPIPERS should be showing up at costal locations any day now.

A female CAPE MAY WARBLER was found along Steven’s Street on 7/25. The first juv. RING-BILLED GULL was found on Bunker pond, 7/26. A CERULEAN WARBLER came to a private residence’s mister on 7/26 in Eldora.

Migrants noted at Higbee’s Beach WMA the morning of 7/27: AMERICAN REDSTART, OVENBIRD, two NORTHERN PARULAS, two NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, two BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, 13 YELLOW WARBLERS.

Migrants engaging in Morning Flight from the dike at Higbee’s Beach WMA on 7/28 include: 3 WORM-EATING WARBLERS, 6 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, 8 YELLOW WARBLERS, and PROTHONOTARY WARBLER.

A BLACK TERN was noted at bunker pond of the Cape May Point State Park the morning of 7/28.

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



ANNOUNCEMENTS:

******CMBO SUMMER HOURS are as follows: Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point is every day except Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 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!

Sam Galick
Cape May, NJ