Reports From The Meadows, State Park

[Male Orchard Oriole in the State Park this morning. Photo by Karl Lukens.]

Below are two reports from weekly CMBO walks at the Meadows and the State Park. I spent a bit of time at both locations last night, with highlights including approximately 200 Willets migrating south out of Delaware Bay in a 20-minute period around 6:30pm, a brief look at the previously-seen dark Common Tern over the Plover Ponds, and a Northern Gannet offshore of the Meadows at dusk.

The following courtesy of Karl Lukens:

"CMBO Evening walk At the "Meadows", TNC. Usual suspects plus a Black-billed Cuckoo, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Least Bittern seen by a few, and fledgling Piping Plover and Oystercatcher."

- Karl, (Judy,Chuck, Mary Jane, Kathy, Roger, Lynne, Shaun)

Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 7/3/09
Notes: CMBO Trip-K,J,C&MJ,K&RH,LB,SB+14.
Clr,75,W8. Least Bittern seen by a few.
Number of species: 39

Canada Goose 15
Mute Swan 10
Gadwall 1
Mallard 20
Least Bittern 1 seen by a few.
Great Egret 4
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Piping Plover 5
Killdeer 4
American Oystercatcher 6 +fledgling
Greater Yellowlegs 1 heard
Least Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 30
Herring Gull 15
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 25
Least Tern 50
Common Tern 5
Forster's Tern 15
Rock Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 2
Black-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 8
Fish Crow 5
Purple Martin 12
Tree Swallow 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 1
Carolina Wren 1
Marsh Wren 4
American Robin 10
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 25
Common Yellowthroat 6
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 10
House Sparrow 5

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

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"CMBO Cape May Point Walk. Good birding at the State Park continues. Nice looks at the Chat, Orchard Oriole, and Indigo Buntings. Also an Oystercatcher with a very young chick, as well as several Piping Plovers."

- Karl, (Kathy, Roger, Tom)

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/4/09
Notes: CMBO Trip-K,K&RH,T,+8.Clr,70,W12.
Number of species: 52

Canada Goose 20
Mute Swan 10
Great Blue Heron 6
Great Egret 1
Glossy Ibis 10
Turkey Vulture 2
Osprey 3
Piping Plover 4
Killdeer 4
American Oystercatcher 4 w/chick
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Laughing Gull 30
Herring Gull 5
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Least Tern 25
Common Tern 10
Forster's Tern 20
Rock Pigeon 3
Mourning Dove 8
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 heard
Chimney Swift 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 1
American Crow 1
Fish Crow 1
Purple Martin 50
Tree Swallow 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 20
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 20
Cedar Waxwing 5
Common Yellowthroat 5
Yellow-breasted Chat 2
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 6
Blue Grosbeak 1 heard
Indigo Bunting 5
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
Orchard Oriole 2 /p adult male singing
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 5

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Gray Kingbird in South Cape May

A Gray Kingbird was found at the South Cape May Meadows/Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge this morning by Michael O'Brien. The bird was seen perched atop some of the roping used to close off portions of the beachfront for tern and plover nesting. The bird stayed for a brief period of time before taking off and flying northwest- it has not been relocated since.

Gray Kingbird is a vagrant from the south, most likely to be found during late-spring and early-fall. Cape May has only a handful of records, and today's sighting might represent the first July record for New Jersey.

[Gray Kingbird on the beachfront of the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR this morning. Michael made note of the broad primary tips visible in the bottom photo, indicating a first-year bird.
Photos by Michael O'Brien; click to enlarge.]

CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - July 2, 2009

Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: (609) 884-2736, sightings@birdcapemay.org
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties, NJ
Compiler: Tom Reed, Cape May Bird Observatory
URL: http://www.njaudubon.org ; http://www.birdcapemay.org

This is the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009.

Highlights this week include reports of ANHINGA, WHITE IBIS, BRANT, SURF SCOTER, CORY'S SHEARWATER, GREATER SHEARWATER, WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, BROWN PELICAN, LEAST BITTERN, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, MISSISSIPPI KITE, BLACK RAIL, KING RAIL, 'WESTERN' WILLET, BLACK-HEADED GULL, BONAPARTE'S GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, GULL-BILLED TERN, BLACK TERN, ROSEATE TERN, SANDWICH TERN, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, and SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. Also, an announcement regarding the re-opening of CMBO's Center for Research and Education in Goshen.

- For more up-to-the-minute Cape May sightings information and a download-able birding map of Cape May, visit www.BirdCapeMay.org. Also follow us on Twitter at CMBObirds (www.twitter.com/cmbobirds - review list/rarities or spectacles only) -

An ANHINGA was found soaring over the Beanery/Rea Farm on 6/27, and was seen the next day over the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR. Presumably the same bird was also noted soaring over Sea Grove Avenue in Cape May Point on 7/2.

An adult WHITE IBIS was found along the west path of the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR on 6/28. The same or another was seen near Sunset Lake in Wildwood Crest on 6/29.

An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was discovered in the 2nd Plover Pond at Cape May Pt. State Park on 6/27, and was re-found at the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR on 6/30. A BONAPARTE'S GULL was seen again at Pond Creek Marsh on 6/26.

The BLACK RAIL continued along the beginning of the west path of the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR through at least 7/1. Other birds at the Meadows this week included 3-4 MISSISSIPPI KITES and a KING RAIL on 6/28, as well as 17 BROWN PELICANS, 2 GULL-BILLED TERNS and a 'WESTERN' WILLET on 6/29.

A CORY'S SHEARWATER was seen from Cape May Point on 6/30, and a GREATER SHEARWATER was noted on 7/2. WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS have been reported in the "rips" off Cape May Point throughout the week. A BRANT was seen flying past Cape May Point on 6/27.

At least 8 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were seen on the beachfront between Cape May Pt. State Park and the Meadows on 6/30. 2 BLACK TERNS were seen between Cape May Pt. State Park and the Meadows on 6/29 and 6/30. 2 SANDWICH TERNS and 1-2 ROSEATE TERNS have also been seen in this area during the past week.

A boat trip to Great Egg Harbor Bay on 6/30 tallied 25 YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, a SURF SCOTER and several SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS.

Breeding birds at Cape May Pt. State Park include WILLOW FLYCATCHER and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

***Both CMBO Centers will be closed for Independence Day on Saturday, July 4th.***

**CMBO’s Center for Research and Education in Goshen re-opened on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009. CRE hours will be Tuesday-Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CMBO's Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point is open Wednesday - Monday, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.**

*CMBO’s Northwood Center will be closed for inventory on July 28th and 29th. CMBO-CRE will be closed for inventory August 27th and 28th.*

CMBO is offering a special to new and upgraded membership renewals. Join CMBO for the first time or upgrade from Individual or Family to The Hundred and receive Charley Harper's Migration Mainline- Cape May lithograph poster, valued at $50. Call either CMBO center to ask an associate about joining today!

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!

Anhinga, Greater Shearwater, Black Rail (no) News

[Male Anhinga, 10:30 a.m. today over Sea Grove Avenue. Photo by Michael O'Brien, click to enlarge.]

A Greater Shearwater fairly close offshore near the Bunker at Cape May Point State Park was present shortly before the Anhinga above was found. The shearwater apparently sat on the water for a while. I wouldn't know, my sunscreen must contain shearwater repellent this year. Anhinga repellent, too. It should be mentioned that Anhingas are darn rare, with 4 records for the county through 1997 per Sibley's The Birds of Cape May. I haven't yet dug through the records to see how many since.

Several Wilson's Storm-petrels danced about in the rips, with a high but uncounted number of terns and plenty of dolphins. The usual good stuff at the State Park continues: several each of chats, Blue Grosbeaks, Orchard Orioles, and Indigo Buntings. A Killdeer with 4 babies lured Fish Crows with a distraction display near the first plover pond, and all the beach nesters mentioned below were well represented, along with 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

The Black Rail at the TNC Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, a.k.a. the meadows, gets mixed reviews - it was reported as heard calling three times shortly before 8 p.m. last night, but people listening for it this morning, as far as I have been told, came up short.

Finally, a Yellow Warbler's flight note over the state park's parking lot represents, at least for me, the first southbound passerine of fall.

Beach Nester Paradise

[American Oystercatcher chick and parent, Cape May Point State Park tonight. Digiscoped by Don Freiday, click to enlarge.]

The beach off Cape May Point State Park and the meadows is currently a paradise of beach nesting birds. Besides this American Oystercatcher chick and parent, there are Piping Plovers at every turn, including chicks, and dozens of Least Terns on nests. I watched a Common Tern pair take turns making a scrape, and saw others courtship feeding. The group of Black Skimmers in the colony area was only loafing while I watched, but who knows? Then you have the occasional Sandwich, Black and Roseate Tern sightings, Royal Terns now and then, piles of Common and Forster's Terns nesting elsewhere but trading back and forth to the rips, just a marvelous summer spectacle.

I had a chat with our boat captain the other night, and he was telling of the old tradition, which he partook in when a child, of going to the beach when nesting got under way to collect bucketfuls of eggs for omelets. Boy, they were good, he said. . . a simpler time, but one that had to pass, and did. Here's hoping against storm tides and predators this year at Cape May Point.

July Arrives In Cape May- State Park Notes

[A most cooperative Yellow-breasted Chat showing off at the State Park on this first morning of July. Photo by Karl Lukens.]

"CMBO Cape May Point Walk at the State Park. For this walk there are several target birds and we got all but one. We got several Indigo Buntings, heard and saw fly 2 Willow Flycatchers, heard 3 Chats and got one in the scope, had nice scope views of an adult male Orchard Oriole, but missed the Blue Grosbeak. Good views of the usual terns but no unusual terns or gulls. A little rain shower caught us as we finished."

- Karl, (Steve, Patty, Tom)

In other news, a Sandwich Tern was loafing on the inaccessible walkway over Bunker Pond this afternoon, and a Roseate Tern was seen on the beach between the State Park and the Meadows late this morning.

[Male Orchard Oriole also showing off at the State Park this morning.
Photo by Karl Lukens.]

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/1/09
Notes: CMBO Trip-K,SW,PR,+7.Shwr,70,s2.
Number of species: 48

Canada Goose 5
Mute Swan 4
Mallard 30
Great Egret 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 2
Piping Plover 1
Killdeer 2
Laughing Gull 30
Herring Gull 3
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Least Tern 10
Common Tern 15
Forster's Tern 25
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 5
Chimney Swift 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Willow Flycatcher 2 heard
Eastern Kingbird 1
American Crow 1
Fish Crow 1
Purple Martin 50
Tree Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 1 after walk
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 1 after walk
American Robin 30
Gray Catbird 1 after walk
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 5
Cedar Waxwing 8
Common Yellowthroat 4
Yellow-breasted Chat 2 /p
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 4
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 20
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
Orchard Oriole 1 /p
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 5

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Somer's Point Boat: Herons and Sharp-tailed Sparrows

We launched our inaugural Somer's Point Boat Trip last night. The herons were fantastic - there are multiple small rookeries in Great Egg Harbor Bay - and the patens marsh back of Margate held several Salt Marsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows. A single Brown Pelican was roosting on a piling in the bay with gulls and cormorants, and a summering female Surf Scoter floated nearby. The full list is below, with notable observations bolded.

Location: Great Egg Harbor Bay & Inlet
Observation date: 6/30/09
Notes: CMBO Boat Trip out of Somer's Point, about 13 miles round trip. With T Geiger, G Dwyer, S Bamford
Number of species: 37

American Black Duck 2
Surf Scoter 1 female
Brown Pelican 1 imm roosting on pilings
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 50
Snowy Egret 25
Little Blue Heron 8
Tricolored Heron 5
Black-crowned Night-Heron 25
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 25
Glossy Ibis 75
Osprey 15
Clapper Rail 15
American Oystercatcher 20 at least 2 chicks
Willet 15
Ruddy Turnstone 4
Laughing Gull 300
Herring Gull 100 a few with downy chicks 1/2 size adults
Great Black-backed Gull 50
Least Tern 10
Common Tern 50
Forster's Tern 50
Black Skimmer 350
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Fish Crow 5
Purple Martin 10
Barn Swallow 20
Common Yellowthroat 1
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow 5 Maybe more, Lone Cedar and Pork Island
Seaside Sparrow 20
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Boat-tailed Grackle 30
House Sparrow 20