Today definitely made promises that we hope will be kept and that is that migrants are on their way. My walk at Cox Hall Creek WMA this morning was accompanied pretty much throughout by the trilling songs of Northern Parulas, a species that seems to be all over the point today. Baltimore Orioles and Yellow-rumped Warblers were present in very good numbers too and, together with the parulas and the local Chipping Sparrows, made up the bulk of the birds there today. A number of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks arrived in the area today and at least one Acadian Flycatcher was at Cox Hall. I heard tell of Black-throated Green, Blackpoll and Blackburnian Warblers at several places today, a Swallow-tailed Kite was seen passing over Stevens Street and a male King Eider (presumably our itinerant bird from last winter) drifted past St Mary's - beware the male Common Eider that was also photographed at the same location today. There was brief discussion today of a Whiskered Tern at Bunker Pond but Will Kerling's photos showed that the bird was an unusually dark Common Tern.
A little further away from the point, a Red Phalarope was reported from Brigantine yesterday (8th) and the Wilson's Phalarope seems still to be lurking among the wader flocks at Heislerville.
This molting female Red Phalarope was at Brigantine on 8th and attracted a number of happy photographers [photo by E J Nistico]
Shorebirds are coming through in good numbers now, including Lesser Yellowlegs.... [photo by Beth Polvino]
....Black-bellied Plover.... [photo by Beth Polvino]
.... and Least Sandpipers.... [photo by Beth Polvino]
It's been a great day for enjoying Northern Parulas at Cape May Point today, and often up close and personal such as this one at the Northwood Center [photo by Mike Crewe]
One more parula, one less forktail! This Northern Parula snatched a recently-emerged damselfly this afternoon. There's no color yet in the insect to help with identification but size and shape suggests that it is a forktail species [photo by Mike Crewe]
