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, September 27, 2012. Included this week are sightings of COMMON EIDER, GREAT SHEARWATER, SWAINSON'S HAWK, SORA, COMMON GALLINULE, BLACK TERN, PARASITIC JAEGER, EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVE, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, PURPLE MARTIN, RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH, WINTER WREN, CONNECTICUT WARBLER,
BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, WILSON'S WARBLER, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, SCARLET TANAGER, PURPLE FINCH and PINE SISKIN.
A juvenile SWAINSON'S HAWK was briefly viewed from the Cape May Hawk Watch on 9/25, last seen flying north.
Two late PURPLE MARTINS were seen over Cape May Point on 9/27, a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER flew past the Hawk Watch on 9/23, and at least one COMMON GALLINULE has been on Bunker Pond for most of the week. SORAS have been heard at Cape May Point State Park in recent days.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW continued in the area of the brush pile at Cape May Point State Park through 9/26 and was found along the dune path, along the south edge of Bunker Pond, on 9/27. A LINCOLN'S SPARROW was found at the brush pile on 9/26.
A GREAT SHEARWATER was reported from St. Mary's in Cape May Point on 9/23. 2 BLACK TERNS were noted offshore Cape May Point on 9/23 on 9/26, while as many as 5 PARASITIC JAEGERS could be found off the Point throughout most of the week. A COMMON EIDER was seen from the Avalon Seawatch on 9/23.
An excellent songbird flight on 9/24 brought several thousand birds past the Higbee Dike, including 3 CONNECTICUT WARBLERS, 744 NORTHERN FLICKERS, 25 SCARLET TANAGERS and a WILSON'S WARBLER. Warblers were also very much in evidence around Cape May Point that day, with 2 YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS and BAY-BREASTED WARBLER as highlights.
RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCHES continued to inundate Cape May this week, with smaller
numbers of PURPLE FINCH reports. The season's first PINE SISKIN flew
past the Avalon Seawatch on 9/24, while the first WINTER WREN was at
CMBO's Northwood Center on 9/26.
Finally, Cape May Point's resident EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES
continue to show regularly in the area of Lincoln, 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!