A New Year's Day Hawk Flight, Nashville Warbler and other Landbirds, Rufous Hummers remain, Snowy Owl sort of not

[This Cape May Point State Park Eastern Phoebe hung on to be tallied on CMBO's New Year's Day field trip. Photo by Don Freiday.]

The coolest thing about today in Cape May was the raptor movement in response to the passing front and northwest winds. CMBO's second annual "Kick Off Your Year List in Cape May" field trip tallied at least 15 Red-shouldered Hawks, 35 Red-tailed Hawks, 3 harriers, 2 Bald Eagles, and a few accipiters at Cape May Point Stae Park- not bad for the first of January!

It was windy and cold, but the sheltered areas along the Red Trail at the State Park held a number of interesting landbirds, highlighted by a Nashville Warbler initially found by Vince Elia (thanks, Vince!), Eastern Phoebe, Palm Warbler (another Vince find), Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, both kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Eastern Bluebird. We flushed a Common Snipe near where the Red Trail joins the trail at the base of the dunes.

Waterfowl were moving actively, with most winding up at Lily Lake, which is still entirely open. The state park ponds will likely be solid ice tomorrow. Snow Geese, Northern Pintails, shovelers, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Hooded Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, and Ring-necked Ducks were among the highlights. Lily Lake also held it's customary Pied-billed Grebe - which we actually saw fly! - and American Coots.

We dipped on the Snowy Owl (s) at Stone Harbor, though others reported one bird in the morning at 111th street, and I heard of another on a light post at the parking area after 5 p.m. Stone Harbor Point had some interesting shorebirds, including a Red Knot with an injured leg, two Purple Sandpipers, and multiple Semi-palmated Plovers. Nummy Island added 3 "Western" Willets and Western Sandpiper.

I heard from Beth Ciuzio that she and Michael O'Brien had both of the Rufous Hummingbirds today, the one at 711 New England Road and the other at Bev Linn's house nearby on Foster Avenue.

Below is our list just from the state park. We wound up having 80 species on the day between the park and the Stone Harbor area.

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 1/1/09
Number of species: 55
Snow Goose 15
Canada Goose 300
Mute Swan 6
Gadwall 2
American Wigeon 35
American Black Duck 1
Mallard 10
Northern Shoveler 4
Northern Pintail 5
Green-winged Teal 1
dark-winged scoter sp. X
Hooded Merganser 1
Red-throated Loon 1
Common Loon 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 8
Turkey Vulture 15
Bald Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper's Hawk 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 15
Red-tailed Hawk 35
Killdeer 5
Wilson's Snipe 1
Bonaparte's Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Rock Pigeon 10
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 5
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 10
Carolina Chickadee 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 10
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 25
Nashville Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 40
Song Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 10
Dark-eyed Junco 10
Northern Cardinal 8
Red-winged Blackbird 10
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 5

TWO Snowy Owls, Harlequins, Gannets o' Plenty

It was a pleasant afternoon to be out birding along the Atlantic Coast, and the results weren't bad, either-

At the Two Mile Beach unit of Cape May NWR, there were 3 Harlequin Ducks- a male and two females. The beautiful ducks, while common at Barnegat Light, are a scarce species elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic, including the Cape May area. The trio was feeding along the north side of the northern-most jetty at Cold Spring Inlet, where there were also several individuals of all three scoter species, numerous Long-tailed Ducks, a few Common Loons and a handful of Bonaparte's Gulls. Razorbills are starting to appear in the region, and while there were none there today, this inlet is perhaps the best place to look for alcids in Cape May. 

Also of interest was a large and ever-growing feeding frenzy of Northern Gannets about a mile offshore, at least 800 strong. Small groups of Gannets were continually flying in from farther offshore to join the feeding flock, which made for quite a sight. There was also a steady trickle of southbound scoters offshore, comprised primarily of Black Scoters.

Stone Harbor Point provided quite a bit of excitement at dusk, highlighted by TWO Snowy Owls. The first bird, which appeared to be a male, was sitting atop a dune on the far west side of the point for most of the early evening. The second bird, a heavily-marked female, appeared at last light, flying in from the dunes in the southwest corner before proceeding to hunt the southern end of the point. There was also a bit of activity offshore, including all three scoters, one southbound flock of scaup and three Horned Grebes. 

Snowy Owl, Sea Ducks, Eagles and Swans

[Karl Lukens took this marvelous photo of the Stone Harbor Snowy Owl on Monday December 29. This bird apparently has decided to winter -we all hope!]

I visited Stone Harbor on Monday, more for a beach walk than a bird walk - but as we often say, we're never not birding. I was with my kids, and we sandwiched some pretty fancy birds between admiring the sand and shadow patterns in the low-angle winter sun. The star of course was the Snowy Owl - thank-you to Roger and Kathy Horn for tipping us off as to it's exact location.

We had a couple other fancy raptors. A Peregrine Falcon came tearing down the beach, waist high and passing only 25 yards away, and we watched it until it disappeared over North Wildwood. Bizarrely, as we were walking back to the parking lot, a Great-horned Owl flew from behind us (out of the bayberry thicket?) and took off north over the elaborate houses of Stone Harbor.

All the usual "rockpipers" were present on the jetty at Stone Harbor, including a single Purple Sandpiper. Kathy and Roger reported finding Red Knots. Quite a few scoters floated offshore, with plenty of Long-tailed Ducks, a few Red-throated Loons, and one female Common Eider.


[Roger Horn took this photo Monday, a nice comparison shot of a male Black Scoter and female Surf Scoter.]

Sunday's Cumberland Christmas Bird Count apparently turned up nothing particularly bizarre. Mike Fritz told me a Snowy Owl had been found a couple days earlier, but just outside the count circle in or near Bivalve, and I'll be sure to post furthur details if this bird sticks. Pete Dunne and I covered Turkey Point as we always do, where the highlight this year was simply the mass of Snow Geese, 4,500 or more, flying over. A single Long-billed Dowitcher and a Sedge Wren were other highlights. Bird numbers seemed low, perhaps because of last weeks severe cold snap - e.g. we somehow missed Gray Catbird in a whole day's birding. An exception was Bald Eagle, which we literally found in small flocks occasionally and singles almost constantly.

Speaking of eagles, the day after Christmas found me up at Mannington Marsh in Salem County near sundown, where at least 17 different Bald Eagles appeared in the span of a half hour or so - there's a roost somewhere up there. What an impressive sight - eagles dueling, standing on the ice (and falling through), hunting, or roosting, with 4-5 in one scope view at a time.

[I was tempted to send this photo to Michael O'Brien to use in the photo quiz. Mannington Marsh has as many Mute Swans as anywhere in NJ, but it was delightful last week to see almost as many Tundra Swans, 25 or more. Compare height and location of the peak of the back on the these two birds, as well as tail length and neck thickness. The bird in the foreground, a Mute Swan, appears relatively much bigger because it is closer, although Mute Swans are significantly larger and heavier than Tundras. People tend to focus on bill characters when separating these two, which can be difficult to see at great distances (or if they are feeding). Tundra Swan has a thinner neck, and a more evenly rounded back with the peak lower and more central on the body than Mute. Mute Swan has a long tail, for a swan anyway. Photo by Don Freiday.]

Villas Woodpecker Show

Christmas morning, after the usual festivities that accompany it, found me on a walk around Villas WMA, the former golf course now grown into an oak-pine savannah. I wasn't technically birding, but the species typical of that habitat were too obvious too ignore. Two of the hatch-year Red-headed Woodpeckers that have been reported appeared, feeding on and caching acorns in the south-central portion of the WMA. Flickers seemed common, 20 or more flying up as we walked, and Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers rounded out the picids present. Five Eastern Bluebirds and five Field Sparrows foraged in the grassy margins, and it was especially fine to enjoy a close-range male American Kestrel. Seeing the kestrel, and Villas WMA generally, reminds me of places in the Piney Woods of Texas where birders seek Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, and where kestrels sometimes find tree cavities to nest.

Fifteen or so Ring-necked Ducks floated on the main pond, with several American Wigeon and two Ruddy Ducks. The ruddies were bothered, briefly, by a Great Black-backed Gull with dinner on its mind.

Photo Salon

Information emailed to me from Karl Lukens, re: the whereabouts of the Snowy Owl found 12/20, is posted below. I have not heard any word on the re-sighting of the Snowy since 12/20.

From Karl Lukens on 12/20;

"Michael O'Brien re-found the Snowy Owl flying from the point towards the beach....We had long range looks from the point parking lot crossover with the bird at about 115th street sitting on the beach. It flew when a truck drove up beach. We followed as it kept moving up the beach and was last seen about ~ 80-85th street."

In addition to the Snowy Owl, Kathy & Roger Horn send word of an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER that they found at the TNC's Cape Island Preserve on 12/20. The bird was hanging in the vicinity of the entrance to the property on Wilson Ave.

From Kathy & Roger Horn on 12/20;

"The ash-throated flycatcher was right where you enter at Wilson Street, first on the tall grasses then perched in the hedgerow. There was a large feeding flock of bluebirds (25-30) and an even larger flock of goldfinches (60). Further down the hedgerow to the left, we had an orange-crowned and an Eastern palm warbler. In the 3rd field down (mowed one) we had a flock of about 65 pipits. There were also meadowlarks, a beautiful male harrier, fox and field
sparrows and lots of white throated and song sparrows. Of course, we never found the bird we went looking for - the vesper sparrow that was there last weekend."

SNOWY OWL in Stone Harbor Point- Photo Courtesy of Karl Lukens, www.home.comcast.net/~jklukens/

Snowy Owl in flight- Photo Courtesy of Michael O'Brien

Short-billed Dowitcher, Stone Harbor Point

Long-billed Dowitcher, Wetlands Institute- Dowitcher Photos Courtesy of Michael O'Brien
(Note the shape differences between the two dowitchers. The Long-billed exhibits a "pot-bellied" look)

ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER at the TNC's Cape Island Preserve (above). American Pipit (below)- Photos Courtesy of Kathy & Roger Horn

SNOWY OWL @ Stone Harbor Point

I just received a call from the CMBO Center for Research and Education (CRE), in Goshen, that a SNOWY OWL has been reported at Stone Harbor Point.

The bird was first observed at the point at about 10:00 a.m. this morning. The couple who found the bird were made aware of it's presence by the flock of gulls which were harassing the bird. At some point the bird started to move north along the beach as was last seen in the vicinity of 115th Ave in Store Harbor.

After some further discussions at CRE, I was told that it seems that this bird is probably a young male, based on the descriptions of the initial observers.

Please keep this birds best interest in mind if you are heading out to see if you can relocate the bird. It seems like it was getting a good harassing from the gulls, there is no need for birders to add to the stress that this bird my be under.

Also, please forward further reports of this bird to CMBO via phone 609-884-2736 or 609-861-0700. Or you can use the email sightings submission link at the top of this page.

NOTE: that both CMBO locations (Northwood Center and Center for Research and Education in Goshen) will be closed from 12/24/08 thru 1/1/09

"Chasing the Ghost Owl"

During the off-season, when David is recuperating after posting daily to the Birding Forecast, he will be posting mini articles on topics that we birders like to learn about and discuss. The first topic kicks off the holiday season with an all time favorite of mine, and perhaps yours as well, the mystical Snowy Owl. So head on over to the Mid-Atlantic Birding Forecast page to read "Chasing the Ghost Owl."

If you want to be sure you don't miss any of David's posts be sure to enable the RSS feed. (Look for this icon on the page, click it and you will be given several set-up options.) You'll be alerted as soon as a new post is published!