Baby Beach Birds At The State Park

[Juvenile Least Tern on the beach at Cape May Point State Park this morning.
Two Piping Plover chicks were also seen. Hopefully there's more to come!
Photo by Karl Lukens, click to enlarge.]

Here's the word from this morning's walk at the State Park:

"...A mix of the usual breeding birds which are getting quieter, and some new shorebirds. About 10 Least Sandpipers, a Spotted and a Solitary Sandpiper were presumed newly arrived. Purple Martins seemed to be on every dead snag, with youngsters begging for food. One juvenile Least Tern was found on the beach. Also met some friendly deer on the trail."

- Karl, (Warren, Patty, Tom)

[White-tailed Deer crossing a State Park trail this morning.
Photo by Karl Lukens, click to enlarge.]

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/22/09
Notes: CMBO Trip-K,WC,T,PR,+3.PtlyCldy,72,SW5.
Number of species: 57

Canada Goose 25
Mute Swan 10
Mallard 20
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 4
Snowy Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 12
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 2
Piping Plover 6 two chicks
Killdeer 10
American Oystercatcher 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 10
Short-billed Dowitcher 7
Laughing Gull 30
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 5
Great Black-backed Gull 10
Least Tern 50
Common Tern 5
Forster's Tern 5
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 6
Chimney Swift 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Eastern Kingbird 2
American Crow 1
Fish Crow 8
Purple Martin 75 lots on dead snags
Tree Swallow 2
Bank Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 10
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 12
Cedar Waxwing 5
Yellow Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 5 heard
Yellow-breasted Chat 1 heard
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 10
Orchard Oriole 4 ad male 2, femal 2
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 10

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

Greater Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-Petrel Off Cape May Pt.

In addition to Don's notes, a late-morning seawatch from the second dune crossover at Cape May Pt. State Park on Monday produced a Greater Shearwater feeding with 100 or so Laughing Gulls about half a mile offshore, as well as a single Wilson's Storm-Petrel in a bit closer.

There were 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the beach between the Meadows and the State Park, in addition to two juvenile Laughing Gulls tagging along with their parents at the Meadows plover pond.

Uppie, White-winged Scoter

Before this morning's meadows walk began, I had an Upland Sandpiper fly over the TNC parking lot, headed northwest i.e. towards Higbee, or Pond Creek. Uppies trickle through beginning in late June - such a small trickle it was great to see this one.

A very contrasting bird was the White-winged Scoter floating off Norbury's Landing last night.

Yesterday morning three Western Sandpipers, apparent females based on their bills, flew past me at Alexander Avenue, briefly joining two Western Willets before outdistancing them and continuing across the bay. Four Brown Pelicans flew over the state park, and I heard about Greater Shearwater in the rips and a migrant Worm-eating Warbler seen from the Higbee Dike by Tony Leukering. Now's the time to begin thinking about those ultra early migrants after every cold front, although it doesn't really pick up passerine wise until August. Louisiana Waterthrush and Ovenbird are two others to look for in late July - neither breed on Cape Island, so if you find one south of the canal, it's a migrant.

We found the continuing Black Scoter on this morning's walk, standing on the beach off the meadows. Remarkably, we missed Forster's Tern this morning, crazy. There were plenty of other birds to keep us occupied, however. Nothing outlandish, just a nice trickle of migrants plus the locals. The male Bobolink sitting up on a reed at the start of the walk was a highlight; the idiotic jogger who ran along the dune and through the tern colony was definitely not. I yelled to chase him out of there, but he just veered off and kept going. When we reported the incident to TNC staff, we learned they had an encounter with perhaps the same individual yesterday. They are watching for him.

Other observations including plenty of young swallows accompanying parents, mostly Purple Martins and Barns, and a more or less expected assortment of shorebirds. The full list from this morning follows.

Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 7/20/09
Notes: CMBO Monday Meadows Walk
Number of species: 70

Canada Goose 150
Mute Swan 28
Gadwall 10
Mallard 25
Black Scoter 1
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 8
Snowy Egret 5
Green Heron 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1 pre-walk
Glossy Ibis 30
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 5
Black-bellied Plover 1
Semipalmated Plover 1
Piping Plover 5
Killdeer 25
American Oystercatcher 3
Spotted Sandpiper 5
Greater Yellowlegs 5
Willet 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Upland Sandpiper 1 flyover pre-walk
Least Sandpiper 25
Short-billed Dowitcher 15
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 50
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 50
Least Tern 50
Common Tern 35 missed forster's!
Royal Tern 1
Black Skimmer 1
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 25
Chimney Swift 35
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Eastern Kingbird 5
White-eyed Vireo 1
American Crow 10
Fish Crow 20
Purple Martin 50
Tree Swallow 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Bank Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 20
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 1
Marsh Wren 2
American Robin 15
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 25
Cedar Waxwing 10
Yellow Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 6
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 1 pre-walk
Bobolink 15 incl male in body molt in scope
Red-winged Blackbird 30
Common Grackle 8
Brown-headed Cowbird 10
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 25

2 Roseate Terns, Cape May Pt.

Glen Davis sent word at 11am that there were 2 Roseate Terns sitting on the beach between St. Mary's (Lehigh Ave) and Whilldin Ave, in Cape May Point.

Meadows, State Park Notes

First, here's this morning's report from the State Park, courtesy of Karl Lukens:

"CMBO Cape May Point Walk at the State Park. Some movement of shorebirds with numerous Short-billed Dowitcher fly-overs, and also a Whimbrel. Purple Martins were out and about with most dead snags having multiple fledgling martins waiting to be fed."

- Karl (Roger, Kathy, Warren, Gary)

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/18/09
Notes: CMBO Trip-K,R&KH,WC,GD,+2.Clr,70,NW10.
Number of species: 58

Canada Goose 20
Mute Swan 10
Mallard 25
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 3
Snowy Egret 6
Glossy Ibis 38
Turkey Vulture 3
Osprey 5
Piping Plover 2
Killdeer 11
American Oystercatcher 4
Whimbrel 1
Least Sandpiper 4
Short-billed Dowitcher 18
Laughing Gull 50
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Least Tern 25
Common Tern 35
Forster's Tern 35
Royal Tern 3
Black Skimmer 1
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 6
Chimney Swift 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Kingbird 2
White-eyed Vireo 1 heard
American Crow 1
Fish Crow 3
Purple Martin 75
Tree Swallow 3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Bank Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 1
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 2
American Robin 25
Gray Catbird 1 after walk
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 10
Cedar Waxwing 4
Common Yellowthroat 5
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Northern Cardinal 6
Indigo Bunting 2 heard
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 15
Brown-headed Cowbird 25
Orchard Oriole 3
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 5

------------

Next, a summary of last evening's walk in the Meadows:

"CMBO Evening Walk at "The Meadows", TNC. Good waders, including 6 Black-crowned Night-Herons, Gulls & Terns, and some returning/migrating shorebirds.One person reported seeing a fleeting glimpse of a Least Bittern, and the Black Scoter seen earlier in the week was still wandering on the beach.

- Karl (Chuck, Mary Jane, Kathy, Roger, Warren, Tom Reed, Patti Reed)

Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 7/17/09
Notes: CMBO Trip-K,C&MJ,R&KH,WC,TR,+14.Cldy,73,SW10
Number of species: 55

Canada Goose 120
Mute Swan 12
Wood Duck 2
Mallard 30
Black Scoter 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 3
Snowy Egret 2
Green Heron 4
Black-crowned Night-Heron 6
Glossy Ibis 40
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 5
Semipalmated Plover 9
Piping Plover 4
Killdeer 8
American Oystercatcher 10
Spotted Sandpiper 3
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Willet (Western) 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 5
Short-billed Dowitcher 5
Laughing Gull 75
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 25
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 30
Least Tern 40
Common Tern 25
Forster's Tern 25
Royal Tern 4
Black Skimmer 4
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 8
Chimney Swift 20
Eastern Kingbird 2
American Crow 1
Fish Crow 4
Purple Martin 15
Tree Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 4
Marsh Wren 4
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 12
Cedar Waxwing 4
Common Yellowthroat 5
Northern Cardinal 4
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Common Grackle 12
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 5

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

CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - July 16, 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 16th, 2009.

Highlights this week include reports of BRANT, BLACK SCOTER, CORY'S SHEARWATER, GREATER SHEARWATER, WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, AMERICAN BITTERN, LEAST BITTERN, LITTLE BLUE HERON, TRICOLORED HERON, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, AMERICAN AVOCET, WESTERN SANDPIPER, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, BLACK TERN, ROSEATE TERN, SANDWICH TERN, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, WHIP-POOR-WILL, and SUMMER TANAGER. 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) -

A NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was observed circling a boat in the "rips" off Cape May Point on 7/13.

CORY'S SHEARWATER and GREATER SHEARWATER were noted from Cape May Pt. on 7/12, as well as a ROSEATE TERN on 7/10. WILSON'S STORM-PETREL has also been seen from the Point during the past week.

BLACK TERN and SANDWICH TERN were seen offshore of Cape May Pt. State Park on 7/16.

An AMERICAN BITTERN was noted flying into the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR on 7/16, and LEAST BITTERN continues there daily. A BLACK SCOTER was on the beach adjacent to the Meadows on 7/13, and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS continue along the beachfront.

4 AMERICAN AVOCETS were found at Brig/Forsythe NWR on 7/12, as well as BRANT and WESTERN SANDPIPER.

A CMBO boat trip to Great Egg Harbor Bay on 7/14 produced 40 YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, 20 TRICOLORED HERONS and 19 LITTLE BLUE HERONS.

A BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO has been seen throughout the week at the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR. WHIP-POOR-WILL and SUMMER TANAGER were heard in Bear Swamp near Dividing Creek, Cumberland County on 7/12.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

**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!

Sandwich and Black Terns in the Rips, Baltimore Orioles, New Plovers

There was no shortage of terns in Cape May Point today, that's for sure, and before our 8:30 a.m. walk Kyle Rossner and I found both Black and Sandwich Terns feeding out in the rips, with 2 Brown Pelicans and hundreds of Common and Forster's Terns. During the walk itself a nice little shorebird movement was evident, with passing Semipalmated Plovers, dowitchers, both yellowlegs, and Semipalmated, Least, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers. Three Western Willets spent time on the beach, and presumably two of them wound up in the second plover pond. The three Baltimore Orioles we found nectaring on trumpet creeper were also migrants, or at least wanderers, as they do not nest south of the canal.

All the state park Piping Plover nests have failed to produce surviving young this year so far, but there are 2 pairs re-nesting, or were - one of the re-nests hatched very recently, and we saw the parents with 4 tiny downy young near the second plover pond.

The full list follows, including a few birds seen before the walk began.


Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/16/09
Notes: CMBO Bird Walk for All People
Number of species: 62

Mute Swan 15
Mallard 10
Brown Pelican 2
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 5
Glossy Ibis 15
Osprey 1
Semipalmated Plover 5
Piping Plover 6 Pair with 4 very new downy chicks at 2nd plover pond
Killdeer 5
American Oystercatcher 3
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Willet (Western) 4
Lesser Yellowlegs 10
Semipalmated Sandpiper 5
Least Sandpiper 15
Short-billed Dowitcher 15
Laughing Gull 200
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 10
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Least Tern 69
Black Tern 1 Before walk. Breeding plumage.
Common Tern 300 wing molt evident in some
Forster's Tern 100 first flying juveniles of summer for me at state park
Royal Tern 2
Sandwich Tern 1 before walk
Black Skimmer 2
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 10
Chimney Swift 15
Eastern Kingbird 2
Blue Jay 2
Fish Crow 25
Purple Martin 148
Tree Swallow 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 10
Barn Swallow 10
Carolina Chickadee 5
Carolina Wren 1
House Wren 1
American Robin 15
Northern Mockingbird 5
European Starling 20
Cedar Waxwing 10
Yellow Warbler 3
Pine Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 3
Northern Cardinal 2
Blue Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
Orchard Oriole 2
Baltimore Oriole 3 poss. family group apparently nectaring on trumpet creeper, does not nest on cape island
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 20