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 Friday, November 2, 2012. Included this week are sightings of CACKLING GOOSE, TUNDRA SWAN, EURASIAN WIGEON, CORY'S SHEARWATER, LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, GOLDEN EAGLE, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, SOUTH POLAR SKUA, POMARINE JAEGER, PARASITIC JAEGER, EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVE, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, CAVE SWALLOW, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, SNOW BUNTING, LARK
SPARROW, PURPLE FINCH, RED CROSSBILL, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, PINE SISKIN, and EVENING GROSBEAK.
Without a doubt, this week's primary event was the passage of Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy during Sunday and Monday. The storm made landfall along the northern shoreline of Cape May County on Monday evening and resulted in major/severe beach erosion, coastal flooding and property damage. It also displaced thousands of birds throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Much of Tuesday and the first portion of Wednesday saw a noticeable southbound push of land-driven seabirds past Sunset Beach, among which included: 1 CORY'S SHEARWATER, 1 BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL*, 1 LEACH'S STORM-PETREL*, 1 RED PHALAROPE, 3 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, 130 POMARINE JAEGERS, and 8 PARASITIC JAEGERS. Observers to the north at Cook's Beach tallied 29 POMARINE JAEGERS and a CORY'S SHEARWATER in two hours during the afternoon of 10/30. A probable SOUTH POLAR SKUA* was seen flying south past the bayside of Cape May Point on 11/1.
The finch invasion also continued this week, with multiple reports from Cape May Point of fly-over EVENING GROSBEAKS, RED CROSSBILLS and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS on 11/1 and 11/2. Over 4,700 PINE SISKINS were counted over Cape May Point on 11/2, while over 3,000 were seen on 11/1. Over 100 PURPLE FINCHES also passed the Point on both days.
A WHITE-WINGED DOVE* was found at the first field of Higbee Beach WMA on 10/31, and the same or another was seen flying past the Cape May Hawk Watch on 11/1.
CAVE SWALLOWS have put in daily appearances on Cape Island since 10/30, with a high count of 10 from the Hawk Watch on 11/1.
A LARK SPARROW was discovered at the entrance to Cape May Point State Park on 10/31. A very obliging LAPLAND LONGSPUR entertained birders at the 2nd Avenue Jetty in Cape May on 10/26 and 10/27. The season's first SNOW BUNTING flew past Cape May Point on 10/27.
The season's first GOLDEN EAGLE was seen over Cape May Point on 11/1, and another passed over the Cape May Hawk Watch on 11/2. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen in Cape May Point on 11/1.
Up to 3 EURASIAN WIGEON appeared on Lighthouse Pond (Cape May Point State Park) this week. A CACKLING GOOSE has taken up residence on Lily Lake in recent days. The first TUNDRA SWANS of the season were spotted over Cape May Point on 11/2.
Finally, Cape May Point's resident EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES*
continued to show regularly in the area of Lincoln, Whildin and Harvard
Avenues.
* - denotes
a Review List species in New Jersey, as designated by the New Jersey
Bird Records Committee (NJBRC). Observers are strongly encouraged to
submit documentation of such species to the Committee. Details should be
sent to: report@njbrc.net
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).
