Chilly Weather...

A cold spell has descended on Cape May and we awoke to a sprinkle of snow this morning. Not the heaps we had the last two winters, but temperatures have dropped as low as 16F the last couple of nights which is enough to make many a skunk cough a little! The Rufous Hummingbird at CMBO's Center for Research and Education at Goshen was struggling yesterday, as freshly-filled feeders were freezing within a half hour of being put out, but she made it through the day and has been seen again today. Pat Young tells me that the other Rufous Hummingbird that is wintering just south of the Cape May canal along New England Road was also still around on Wednesday morning at least.

As of this morning, the female Common Merganser and female Redhead continue to show well from the warmth of the Northwood Center, amongst a gathering of some 200 Gadwall and a mix of Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, American Coot and other waterbirds - including at least six Great Egrets. The feeders here are currently attracting at least one Fox Sparrow - in short supply here in this relatively mild winter - and a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Talking of winter birds reminds me that our 'Winter Warmers' Workshop will be upon us soon and still has just a few places left. This always gives us a great opportunity to get out and learn the winter specialties of the Cape May region and mixes field birding with an indoor session to help all that information make sense. Indeed, with a great range of birds around at the moment and the forecast of relatively mild weather on the way, this year could be the right year to do this workshop - see you there!