Birds Of The State Park, 7/25

[A fine comparison of Common (foreground) and Forster's Terns,
as seen by this morning's CMBO walk at Cape May Point State Park.
Photo by Karl Lukens, click to enlarge.]

"CMBO Cape May Point Walk. A good number of species were found at the State Park this morning, although we never did run into the Black-bellied Whistling Duck that was seen/heard at the Park and the Meadow. Purple Martins continue on most available perches. Shore birds are still not back in numbers, but we still found a few of several species. Nice comparison of Common and Forster's Terns sitting on the pier railing at Bunker Pond."

- Karl, (Kathy, Roger, Warren, Tom)


Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/25/09
Notes: CMBO Trip-K,K&RH,WC,+6.PtlySun,78,S7.
Number of species: 65

Canada Goose 15
Mute Swan 8
Mallard 10
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 15
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 3
Semipalmated Plover 2
Piping Plover 4
Killdeer 6
American Oystercatcher 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 1 heard
Lesser Yellowlegs 7
Ruddy Turnstone 3
Least Sandpiper 12
Short-billed Dowitcher 12
Laughing Gull 30
Herring Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 35
Least Tern 50
Common Tern 25
Forster's Tern 25
Black Skimmer 8
Rock Pigeon 3
Mourning Dove 5
Chimney Swift 6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1 heard
Eastern Kingbird 2
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 5
Fish Crow 10
Purple Martin 75
Tree Swallow 4
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Bank Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 8
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 15
Cedar Waxwing 5
Yellow Warbler 6
Common Yellowthroat 5
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 4
Red-winged Blackbird 30
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 25
Orchard Oriole 3
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 10

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

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Karl Lukens reported that the Black-bellied Whistling Duck was on Lighthouse Pond at Cape May Point State Park at 3:15 p.m. Lighthouse pond is the one next to Lighthouse Ave, best viewed from the Red Trail at the State Park - go to the bird blind.

Wild [Black-bellied Whistling-] Duck Chase, Turkeys, Bittern

Vince Elia heard and then spotted a single Black-bellied Whistling Duck over the South Cape May Meadows/Cape May Migratory Bird refuge early this morning. He texted a bunch of us, just to torment us, I figure. I was at Higbee at the time, and since Vince said the bird was headed northwest, I ran up to the dike (bring muck boots if you try this, there's a very unpleasant puddle at the base of the dike) and saw. . .nothing. Well, there were some shorebirds at the top of the dike, the star attraction being a lone Western Sandpiper mixed with a lot of Leasts and a few Semipalmated Sandpipers and dowitchers.

Then Vince called me again to tell me the whistling-duck had come back and dropped down somewhere between the meadows and the state park, maybe the plover pond with the osprey platform. Great. Driving out of Higbee, I spotted about 5 Wild Turkeys along New England Road opposite Hidden Valley (a Cape Island lifer for me, I'd only found droppings until today.)

On arrival at the state park, I headed up the Red Trail and almost immediately heard the Black-bellied Whistling Duck - a sound I dialed in on in northwestern Mexico many years ago, where the locals call this bird "Pichihuili," not the worst rendition of its call. But, thus far, it has not been seen again. While I was chatting with Tom Parsons, a surprising American Bittern circled Lighthouse Pond and headed towards the Meadows. There was an American Bittern report earlier this month, seen from Sunset Boulevard flying into the meadows.

The Piping Plover pair at the state park still has two chicks, which they seem to be keeping closely guarded at the second plover pond. In a few days the chicks will be too big for Fish Crows to eat, here's hoping.

Higbee, landbird wise, was pretty dead, although I did hit a group of 7 Yellow Warblers at the south side of the first field, and there were more of these at the state park. Singers at Higbee included Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Great-crested Flycatcher, and a maybe, distant chuck from a Yellow-breasted Chat, not sure about that one. Brown Thrashers get very secretive in summer, so it was nice to see two well-grown juveniles along the blue trail at the state park while I was looking for the duck.

Common Moorhen, Blue-winged Teal In The Meadows

[One of five Great Egrets seen during last evening's walk.
Photo by Karl Lukens, click to enlarge.]

Karl Lukens reports that the weekly Friday evening walk around the South Cape May Meadows produced 53 species, with highlights including three Common Moorhens, a Blue-winged Teal and over five dozen Glossy Ibis. All three of these species are typical "early-fall" migrants, with Glossies actually starting to move as early as the last ten days of June. It'll be interesting to see if Moorhens start to become more of a regular commodity at the Meadows, now that the effects of the restoration are taking hold.

The walk also encountered a few shorebirds, including a nice tally of 17 Semipalmated Plovers, along with two "Western" Willets. The full list is included below.

[Two Common Moorhens along the east path of the Meadows last evening.
The white "racing stripe" is just barely visible on the bird standing to the right.
Photo by Karl Lukens, click to enlarge.]

Location: South Cape May Meadows
Observation date: 7/24/09
Notes: CMBO Trip-K,K&RH,PR,WC,+8.PtlySun,73,S5
Number of species: 53

Canada Goose 40
Mute Swan 10
Wood Duck 2
Mallard 25
Blue-winged Teal 1
Great Egret 5
Snowy Egret 4
Green Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 5
Glossy Ibis 65
Osprey 3
Common Moorhen 3
Semipalmated Plover 17
Killdeer 15
American Oystercatcher 3
Spotted Sandpiper 4
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Willet 2 * inornata (Western)
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Least Sandpiper 4
Laughing Gull 50
Ring-billed Gull 4
Herring Gull 18
Great Black-backed Gull 30
Least Tern 20
Common Tern 10
Forster's Tern 10
Black Skimmer 12
Rock Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 10
Chimney Swift 8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Kingbird 2
Fish Crow 1
Purple Martin 10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 2
Marsh Wren 3
American Robin 2
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 15
Yellow Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 3 heard
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 4
Indigo Bunting 1 heard after walk
Red-winged Blackbird 30
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 5

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

CAPE MAY BIRDING HOTLINE - July 23, 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 23rd, 2009.

Highlights this week include sightings of ROSEATE SPOONBILL, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLACK SCOTER, GREATER SHEARWATER, WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, AMERICAN AVOCET, UPLAND SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, STILT SANDPIPER, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, GULL-BILLED TERN, ROSEATE TERN, SANDWICH TERN, ACADIAN FLYCATCHER, WORM-EATING WARBLER, and SUMMER TANAGER.

-- For more up-to-the-minute Cape May sightings information and a downloadable 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 ROSEATE SPOONBILL was discovered along the north dike at Brig/Forsythe NWR on 7/18 and continued through at least 7/22. Also at Brig this week were AMERICAN AVOCET and STILT SANDPIPER.

2 ROSEATE TERNS were seen together on the beach between St. Mary's and Whilldin Avenue in Cape May Point on 7/18. Also seen from Cape May Point this week were GREATER SHEARWATER and WILSON'S STORM-PETREL.

A WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was seen from Norbury's Landing on 7/19. A BLACK SCOTER continues to be seen along the beachfront adjacent to the South Cape May Meadows/CMMBR.

Also along the Meadows beachfront this week have been at least 5 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS. An UPLAND SANDPIPER flew over the Meadows on 7/20, and a GULL-BILLED TERN was seen along the east path on 7/22.

A WORM-EATING WARBLER was noted from the Higbee dike on 7/19. Breeding birds noted at Belleplain State Forest this week included ACADIAN FLYCATCHER and SUMMER TANAGER.


ANNOUNCEMENTS:

*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!

Shorebirds et. al. at the State Park, Sandwich Tern up the Bay

Shorebirds continue at a trickle, based on the Cape May Point State Park walk this morning. Plenty of Leasts, a very few Semipalmated Sandpipers - only 1 this morning, though I had 25 semis with 60+ Leasts up the bay yesterday, at Norbury's Landing. At least 2 Solitary Sandpipers were flying around the state park this morning, along with dowitchers and a few yellowlegs.

We pished out a little mixed flock near the end of the Red trail that contained 2 Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and a juvenile Pine Warbler. Wonder where the gnatcatchers came from, but suspect north of the canal.

Last night a Sandwich Tern dropped briefly onto a sand bar at Norbury's Landing before continuing north up the bay. This was pretty unusual, since you don't even see Common Terns much up the bay (Norbury's is about 10 miles from the point), and I've never really heard of a Sandwich that far in.

There's this semi-weird weather pattern in Cape May at present, with a low coming up from the Carolinas hanging just offshore and dropping a lot of rain offshore. Onshore it's humid and not all that windy - what wind there is is from the east north-east. Wish I had a little time to seawatch. . .

Piping Plovers at the state park continue to get hammered, unfortunately, mainly by Fish Crows. The next-to-last brood, with 4 chicks, that we saw last week is down to 2 chicks. One plover is still incubating.

The full list from the state park this morning follows.

Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 7/23/09
Notes: CMBO Bird Walk for all People
Number of species: 59

Canada Goose 20
Mute Swan 15
Mallard 10
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 15
Osprey 1
Semipalmated Plover 1
Piping Plover 2
Killdeer 5
American Oystercatcher 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 15
Short-billed Dowitcher 25
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull 3
Herring Gull 15
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Least Tern 50
Common Tern 10
Forster's Tern 35
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 5
Chimney Swift 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Kingbird 5
Fish Crow 15
Purple Martin 25
Tree Swallow 10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Bank Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 10
Tufted Titmouse 3
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 20
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 5
European Starling 25
Yellow Warbler 4
Pine Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 3
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 20
House Finch 5
House Sparrow 15

Gull-billed Tern, Gadwall Ducklings and More, SCMM

The east path of the Meadows was hopping this evening, with highlights including a Gull-billed Tern hunting the marshy area behind the "gull island," as well as a hen Gadwall with 11 youngsters in tow. Gadwall is an uncommon (though annual) breeding bird in the area, so it's always a treat to see young ones.

Four "Western" Willets flew over calling, and another was feeding on the beach. Also on the beach was the continuing Black Scoter, along with at least three Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A trio of Brown Pelicans evidently flew out of the bay, and continued south into the ocean. A noisy Royal Tern also flew past.

There was a fair variety of shorebirds, though almost everything came in 2's, 3's and 4's, including Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpiper, both yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitcher.