Wilson's Storm-Petrel- First of the summer!

Bob Fogg just called Laura to let her know he was watching the first storm-petrel of the summer flying around over the ocean. He was viewing the bird from one of the dune crossovers at the TNC Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge.

While this species is theorized to be the most numerous species (in terms of individuals) in the world, they are not extremely common here in the near shore waters of Cape May. Though, they are often observed (usually individually or sometimes in smallish groups) through the summer when sea watching for more than a few moments. The best places, in general, to look for this species is flying over the Delaware Bay, seen from the jetties of Cape May Point. Though, obviously, they can bee seen from the TNC property or the Cape May Point State Park, flying over the ocean. Be careful though, as you can easily confuse a distant Barn Swallow or Purple Martin for a storm-petrel. It is best to try and observe the flight style to clue yourself in to an identification. Swallows and Martins never stop and hover over the water and generally fly in sweeping motions. Storm-Petrels flight is more erratic and they often hover (pattering their feet on the surface of the watter) when foraging for food.

Bob also has (at approx. 11:40 a.m.) three Pectoral Sandpipers at the TNC property.

Scenes from Delaware Bay

[Male Horseshoe Crabs fighting over females at Cook's Beach. Photos by Tom Reed]

I took these pictures at Cook's Beach a few nights ago, where there were several hundred Horseshoe Crabs arriving on the beach with the high tide, and a couple thousand shorebirds actively feeding on the beach (consisting primarily of Semipalmated Sandpipers and Sanderlings). I saw just 9 Red Knots during the entire 45 minutes I spent watching, and it seems many had already departed.

Quite a few shorebirds seemed to be booking it for points north, as there were numerous flocks of varying sizes flying from the beach, gaining altitude, transforming into specks, and flying due north- a neat thing to see. Diamondback Terrapins were also relatively numerous, and I counted at least two dozen small, green heads bobbing in the water. Female terrapins are seeking dunes and marsh edges to lay eggs right now, which unfortunately results in many being forced to cross roadways to find suitable sites. Keep an eye out for asphalt-crossing turtles.

[Pictured below, top to bottom:

1) Sanderling

2) Semipalmated Sandpipers

3) Ruddy Turnstones with Forster's Tern]

Photos by Tom Reed

Memories of Spring, Reflections on Summer

[Five-lined Skink, Belleplain State Forest, June 2, 2008 on the last of CMBO's spring Butterflies, Botany and Birds walk. We'll be offering this walk, led by several naturalists of different specialties, again next year. The muted pattern on this individual, and the orangy color on the head, indicate a male. Some Five-lined Skinks are much more patterned, darker with light lines. Photo by Teresa Knipper, click to enlarge.]

I've been remiss in not publicizing more of the great things we've been seeing on our Monday afternoon Butterflies, Botany and Birds in Belleplain walk. Now that that weekly walk has ended for the season, perhaps some photo highlights will whet the appetite for next year. Special thanks are due to Will Kerling, Margi Heuges, Teresa Knipper, and Bert Hixon for helping out on this walk with me. Cool temperatures made the butterflying difficult sometimes, but Little Wood Satyrs, American Ladies, and Red-banded Hairstreaks were flying on the last walk, and since the general theme of the walk was to "look at everything," that's what we did all spring, in the old naturalist and nature walk tradition

We're in that briefest of lulls, the Cape May summer. As Clay and Pat Sutton put it in Birds and Birding in Cape May, "The time between the last departing Semipalmated Sandpipers in early June and the first southbound Greater Yellowlegs in late June is in fact agonizingly short for the avid birder who doesn't want to miss anything (and has to do at least some cursury yard work or token home repair.)"

And it's not really a lull at all. Clay and Pat go on in their terrific book, ". . .with the variety of breeders, and the sheer size and scope of the expansive nesting colonies, the breeding season (summer, to some) is certainly more than just a pause between the better known migration seasons." Amen! It's delightful to watch these colonies, such as the Least Terns at the Cape May Migatory Bird Refuge, go through their rituals, and to see the young go from egg to fledgling to independence. And don't forget the breeding land birds - at Belleplain on Monday, for example, we watched a male Summer Tanager feeding on just-now-ripening Mulberries in a tree on the road to the dump south of Lake Nummy. CMBO offers breeding bird walks at the Beanery every Saturday starting June 7, and our standard Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge/Meadows walk on Monday and Cape May Point walk on Wednesdays continue through the summer, as does the Bird Walk for All People every Thursday at the State Park.


[Northern Fence Lizard, Bellplain State Forest 6/2/07. This one was a male, with electric blue on the sides and throat below. An excellent Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of New Jersey, by Vicki Schwartz and David M. Golden, was put out by the state in 2002 and is available at CMBO. Photo by Teresa Knipper, click to enlarge.]









[Mountain Laurel in bloom, Belleplain. This photo was taken 5/19/08, but it's still blooming strong there now, a dominant shrub in the understory. Photo by Don Freiday.]










[Pink Lady's Slipper, Belleplain 5/19/08, photo by Don Freiday. Something to be appreciated - and NOT picked or transplanted from the wild. Click to enlarge.]















[Blue-eyed Grass (actually a tiny iris), Belleplain 5/19/08. Photo by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]











[Wolf spider carrying her babies, Belleplain 5/19/08. Photo by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]













[This Barred Owl hooted, and then responded to hooting by flying in, at 3:00 in the afternoon, 5/19/08, certainly a highlight of the Belleplain walks. Photo by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]


















[Watching the Barred Owl, which hooted at us for 5 minutes or so before it's mate called back in the forest, and it turned, hooted to her, and disappeared, leaving some very happy people!]

Cape May Point Black Scoters et. al.

Karl & Judy Lukens sent the following list from the CMBO Cape May Point walk this morning, which featured many usual suspects but also two lingering Black Scoters, not unexpected but scarce in most years as summering birds. Usually only a few scoters summer around Cape May, but occasionally Blacks and Surfs reach double digits and according to Sibley (1997) have reached triple digits on occasion. White-wingeds are much rarer in summer, reflecting their status at other seasons as the least common of the three.

Location: Cape May Point
Observation date: 6/4/08
Number of species: 40
Canada Goose 25
Mute Swan 10
Mallard 10
Black Scoter 2
Great Egret 4
Snowy Egret 1
Killdeer 2
Laughing Gull 15
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 5
Great Black-backed Gull 5
Least Tern 20
Forster's Tern 10
Rock Pigeon 4
Mourning Dove 5
Chimney Swift 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Eastern Kingbird 2
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 1
Fish Crow 5
Purple Martin 30
Barn Swallow 10
Carolina Chickadee 1
Carolina Wren 4
House Wren 5
American Robin 15
Gray Catbird 5
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 15
Cedar Waxwing 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 20
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 5

Crab Spawn

Last night on the high tide there were roughly 200 horseshoe crabs every 100 meters visible along the Delaware Bay at Norbury's Landing - nothing like the "old days," but encouraging. This spawn unfortunately was too late for most of the northbound shorebirds.

Kite over Meadows, Notes from Bear Swamp & the Bayshore

[Acadian Flycatcher banded in Bear Swamp, Cumberland County, on Sunday. Unlike only one week ago, when many migrant thrushes were present there, this week not a single obvious migrant was found, just breeders like this one. Northbound landbird migration is essentially through, with just a few late stragglers to be expected in early June. Photo by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]

CMBO's Monday morning walk at the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge was highlighted by a subadult Mississippi Kite which sailed over with some Black Vultures and Broad-winged Hawks on a refreshing northwest wind, just the sort of condition to put a kite in Cape May. A singing Field Sparrow was a curiousity to me since there hadn't been one here last Monday - this bird began near the parking lot and sang its way west along the hedgerow paralleling Sunset Boulevard, behaving very much like a new arrival or "floating" male. No fancy terns could be found, and only a smattering of shorebirds, including the local Killdeer and two breeding plumage Short-billed Dowitchers roosting in the Meadows, and a smattering of other shorebirds overhead. The full list is below.

Our second week of MAPS banding found no obvious migrants in Bear Swamp, off Route 555 in Cumberland County, just the usual selection of quality breeders like Kentucky and Worm-eating Warblers and a still-calling Whip-poor-will. This is a precious patch of woods, spectacular numbers of mosquitoes and deer ticks notwithstanding. The full list from Bear Swamp (birds heard/seen, not the banding list) is below.

Many Delaware Bay shorebirds have departed, but my NJAS citizen science shorebird survey at Norbury's landing yesterday yielded a few hundred, including two knots roosting among Sanderlings and Semi-palmated Sandpipers. That list, too, follows.

Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 6/2/08
Number of species: 54
Notes: CMBO Monday morning Meadows walk. Most shorebirds were flyovers; 2 dowitchers in Meadows.
Canada Goose 25
Mute Swan 6
Gadwall 5
Mallard 5
Common Loon 1
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Egret 4
Glossy Ibis 10
Black Vulture 5
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 10
Mississippi Kite 1
Broad-winged Hawk 5
Piping Plover 2
Killdeer 5
American Oystercatcher 2
Willet 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 30
Short-billed Dowitcher 40
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 40
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Least Tern 30
Common Tern 50
Forster's Tern 50
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 10
Chimney Swift 5
Willow Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 3
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 20
Fish Crow 10
Purple Martin 5
Tree Swallow 10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 20
Carolina Wren 3
American Robin 1
Gray Catbird 5
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 5
Cedar Waxwing 10
Common Yellowthroat 5
Field Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 25
Common Grackle 25
Boat-tailed Grackle 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Orchard Oriole 1
American Goldfinch 10
House Sparrow 20

Location: Bear Swamp
Observation date: 6/1/08
Number of species: 37
Canada Goose X
Laughing Gull X
Mourning Dove X
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3
Barred Owl 1
Whip-poor-will 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Acadian Flycatcher 4
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 10
Blue Jay X
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Wood Thrush 5
American Robin 1
Gray Catbird 1
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Worm-eating Warbler 5
Ovenbird 10
Kentucky Warbler 3
Summer Tanager 1
Scarlet Tanager 1
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 1
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
American Goldfinch 5

Location: Norbury's Landing
Observation date: 6/1/08
Number of species: 14
Notes: NJAS shorebird survey, 5 p.m., tide 2 hours before high.
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Semipalmated Plover 12
American Oystercatcher 1
Ruddy Turnstone 40
Red Knot 2
Sanderling 25
Semipalmated Sandpiper 520
Laughing Gull 50
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull 30
Great Black-backed Gull 10
Least Tern 15
Forster's Tern 60
Indigo Bunting 1

Birding By Ear North - Day 2

CMBO's Birding By Ear - North School of Birding workshop finished with a flourish yesterday in Stokes State Forest, Sussex County. We enjoyed close scoped views of a Red-eyed Vireo on its nest (found by NJAS Board Chair Mark Levy), a neat cup woven below a branch fork in classic vireo fashion, while listening to the weeta-weeta-weeteo of a nearby Hooded Warbler. We later compared Hooded's song with Magnolia Warbler and American Redstart - all can be similar in pattern, but are different in quality. An elusive Mourning Warbler sang near the Stokes headquarters. Three Alder Flycatchers and a very persistent Black-billed Cuckoo at Van Ness Road, near Layton, were vocal highlights there, while the Blue-winged Warbler literally over my head (3 feet over) was a visual delight.

The lists from the second day of the workshop are posted below. Many workshop participants ask for completed lists since in the heat of birding it can be hard to track all the species we're seeing or hearing, so we almost always post them here for retrieval. Plus, as co-leader Mark Garland pointed out to participants, one way to reinforce newly learned bird vocalizations is to go back and listen to recordings after hearing the birds in the field. We'll be offering this workshop next year - watch for it!

Location: Stokes State Forest
Observation date: 5/31/08
Number of species: 65

Canada Goose X
Wild Turkey X female with ~ 10 VERY small young! Unfortunately, only seen by part of the group before they disappeared peeping into the undergrowth.
Great Blue Heron X
Turkey Vulture X
Red-tailed Hawk X
Mourning Dove X
Yellow-billed Cuckoo X
Black-billed Cuckoo X
Chimney Swift X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird X
Belted Kingfisher X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Downy Woodpecker X
Hairy Woodpecker X
Northern Flicker X
Pileated Woodpecker X
Eastern Wood-Pewee X
Acadian Flycatcher X
Eastern Phoebe X
Great Crested Flycatcher X
Yellow-throated Vireo X
Blue-headed Vireo X
Warbling Vireo X
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Common Raven X
Tree Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Tufted Titmouse X
White-breasted Nuthatch X
Brown Creeper X
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher X
Veery X
Wood Thrush X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Cedar Waxwing X
Northern Parula X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Magnolia Warbler X
Black-throated Blue Warbler X
Black-throated Green Warbler X
Blackburnian Warbler X
Pine Warbler X
Cerulean Warbler X
Black-and-white Warbler X
American Redstart X
Ovenbird X
Louisiana Waterthrush X
Common Yellowthroat X
Hooded Warbler X
Scarlet Tanager X
Eastern Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Northern Cardinal X
Indigo Bunting X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Baltimore Oriole X
House Finch X
American Goldfinch X

Location: Van Ness Road
Observation date: 5/31/08
Number of species: 52

Canada Goose X
Great Blue Heron X
Mourning Dove X
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2
Black-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird X
Red-bellied Woodpecker X
Downy Woodpecker X
Eastern Wood-Pewee 5
Alder Flycatcher 3
Eastern Phoebe X
Great Crested Flycatcher X
Yellow-throated Vireo X
Red-eyed Vireo X
Blue Jay 2
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Tufted Titmouse X
White-breasted Nuthatch X
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher X
Eastern Bluebird X
Veery X
Wood Thrush X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing X
Blue-winged Warbler X
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler X
Prairie Warbler X
Black-and-white Warbler X
American Redstart X
Ovenbird X
Common Yellowthroat X
Scarlet Tanager X
Eastern Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Field Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Swamp Sparrow X
Northern Cardinal X
Rose-breasted Grosbeak X
Indigo Bunting X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Baltimore Oriole X
House Finch X
American Goldfinch X