Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: call: (609) 884-2736 or email: coturnicops AT gmail DOT com
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties, NJ
Compiler: Tom Reed
This
is the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey Audubon's Cape
May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Thursday, August 23, 2012. Included this week are sightings of REDDISH EGRET, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, BRANT, AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER, WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, NORTHERN GANNET, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, PIPING
PLOVER, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, BLACK TERN, SANDWICH TERN, EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVE, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, MERLIN,
and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.
New Jersey's second REDDISH EGRET was discovered at Brig/Forsythe NWR on 8/23, and remained throughout the day. The bird spent most of the day along the north dike, about 200-300 yards east of the dogleg. Other recent highlights from "Brig" included WILSON'S PHALAROPE through 8/22, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE on 8/19, and BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK through at least 8/20.
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was seen flying south, and then later north, past the Higbee Dike during the morning of 8/20. The 8 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES which were counted flying past the dike on 8/22 could be a sign of things to come. Otherwise, songbird movements have been relatively light in recent days.
An AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER made a rare inshore appearance on 8/19, seen flying south past the Two Mile Beach Unit of Cape May NWR. Birders on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry noted several WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and a NORTHERN GANNET in NJ waters on 8/20.
BLACK TERNS were in the news again this week, with appreciable numbers present along the Atlantic Coast south to Cape May and into the lower Delaware Bay. The period's high count came from Cape May Point State Park on 8/20, when a notable 74 were tallied flying west offshore. SANDWICH TERNS continued to occasionally frequent Cape May Point State Park through 8/23, while another was seen at Stone Harbor Point on 8/22.
A HUDSONIAN GODWIT was seen flying north past the Higbee Dike on 8/22. As many as 22 PIPING PLOVERS could be found at Stone Harbor Point last weekend, and AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS have been noted at Johnson Sod Farm (Cumberland County) during the past few days. A LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was at Cape May Point State Park on 8/23.
Two slightly early MERLINS were seen flying past Cape May Point State Park on 8/22. An unusual August BRANT was found in Townsend's Inlet on 8/20.
Cape May Point's EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES also remain, with most reports continuing to come from the area of Yale, Whildin and Harvard Avenues.
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!