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 6, 2012. Included this week are sightings of BROWN PELICAN, COMMON GALLINULE, AMERICAN
GOLDEN-PLOVER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, UPLAND SANDPIPER, WHIMBREL, MARBLED GODWIT, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, COMMON NIGHTHAWK, YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, CONNECTICUT WARBLER, MOURNING WARBLER, "BREWSTER'S" WARBLER, LARK SPARROW, DICKCISSEL, BOBOLINK and PURPLE FINCH.
The previous week featured a long stretch of primarily poor migration conditions, but a strong nocturnal movement coupled with overnight thunderstorms produced an appreciable fallout of passerines in Cape May on 9/6. Approximately 6,370 BOBOLINKS were noted at the Cape May Hawk Watch, along with almost 500 AMERICAN REDSTARTS and 2 DICKCISSELS. The Higbee Dike tallied a little over 700 AMERICAN REDSTARTS, along with 18 other species of warblers and a PURPLE FINCH. Four YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, plus MOURNING and CONNECTICUT WARBLERS were in the fields at Higbee Beach WMA. Another MOURNING WARBLER was at Cape May Point State Park, and a "BREWSTER'S" WARBLER was found at CMBO's Northwood Center.
A remarkable evening flight of COMMON NIGHTHAWKS also occurred on 9/6. An hour-long count from Cape May Point State Park rounded up 1,202 individuals, shattering previous single-day records for the area. A WILSON'S PHALAROPE also flew past Cape May Point that evening.
A LARK SPARROW was found along the west path dune crossover at the South Cape May Meadows on 9/5.
A strong shorebird flight past Cape May Point on 9/5 featured 424 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 101 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 66 STILT SANDPIPERS.
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER reports came in from the South Cape May beach, the Cape May Hawk Watch, and the Higbee Dike this week. An UPLAND SANDPIPER was over Cape May Point on the morning of 9/2, and a juvenile WHIMBREL was also seen at the Point that day. A MARBLED GODWIT flew over the Higbee Dike and the Cape May Hawk Watch on 9/3.
At least 20 BROWN PELICANS were seen from Cape May Point on 9/6. A COMMON GALLINULE was seen at Cape May Point State Park on 9/4.
Cape May Point's resident EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES continue to show regularly in the area of Yale, Whildin and Harvard Avenues. A new high count of five was notched there this week.
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!